The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1868-11-10
QUEEN TICTORI.1.
The Exact Truth about Her Peeuliari-
ties anu Alleged Unpopularity.


The New York Independent contains the fol-
lowing interesting article:
Two years ago, or, thereabouts. wretched
little paper, published in Lausanne, Swltzer-
land indulged itself in some scandalous $40.
ries about the Queen of Great Britain: anu tne
British representative at Berne, or one OF MS
representatives, had the folly to elevate the
libel into Importance by prosecuting the Jour,
nalist. This was perhaps the first time tnat
any scandal about Queen Victoria found ITS
way into print. Long before this. however,
Queen victorias loyal subjects talked aoCuC
friends. AT last these whisperinss began
to find distinct and open expression. A
weekly paper. called the Tomahawk,
was started in London, and it MADE
itself famous at once by cartoon entl-
tied ga Brown Study" The alt.st repre-
sented heavy-looking Scotchman, OF tne
lower class, with Kilt anu sporTan, stanilhc on
the stems Of the British throne, while the Bri:
tish lion gazed from below with wondering and
puzzled eyes at the audacious and nonchalant
intruderEsomewhat as the Emperor Alex
Comnerius. in Scott's novel, looks astounded at
the Frank count, Robert OF Paris, lounglnS on
the imperial seat. The cartoon in the Iom1-
hawk was admirably executed, u Was SIe o,, mu,A
of man of genius in his way-Matt Morgan,
one OF the principal scenc-painters IN CoTent
Garden Theatre. The paper, which had not
then and has not since any literary merit what
ever. became celebrated and popular in mo-
ment. People were scandallzed, snocke9'
amused, aroused. Tomaha"ks cartoon nae,
in fact, illustrated what everybody had peen
TALKING about, wondering at ana eru"Di'ns
over.
This is the scandal about Queen Victoria !;
In her personal service, her most constant ana
close attendant is Scotch groom, or gllne,
named John Brown. He rides Oh tue box or
her carriage, he hands her In, he hands ner
out, he cloaks her, he shawls her, opens doors
for her. is always near her. Popular rumor
AYERS that he sleeps on rug outside her bed
room door; and. although this certainly ls not
his habit, it is beyond doubt that he has done
SO occasionally while the Queen was travelling.
He has been 30 closely, indeed, IN attendance
on the Queen that unquestionably there might
be grave cause for scandal were he Rlzzio OF
Potemkin. Take further into consideration
the fact that all West End tradesmen, the
dressmakers, milliners. cooks and lackeys ao-
solutely detest Queen Victoria because OF the
dullness created by her long ret: enlent and
that it has become an article of faith with all
that class that the depression OF trade and
even the financial collapse OF England are to be
directly attributed to the Queens protracted
derful, then, that the scandal was eagerly and
delightedly spread? In fact people buslly
spread it who did not in their hearts believe
Il. and before long it became the universal
talk-a whisper of London. Tho Queen began
to be spoken of in slalg phrase as Mrs.
Brown" Punch one day published under the
head Of "Court News" the announcement that
"Mrs. John Brown walked on the slopes yes
terday." Great mirth was created once by an
old tumble of names in London daily paper,
which, giving report Of some popular demon
stration, said tho proceedings closed with the
singing of ''God Save The Queen and John
Brown"-the fact meant 10 be conveyed being
that tho meeting sang that famous hymn to
the memory of the Herper's Ferry fanatic
cent book, actually inserted passage explain
ing the position Of John Brown in her house.
hold. II IS needless to say that those who
love scandal and like to believe it, liked and
believed it none tho less because OF this we'll
meant attempt at explanation:
What Is the exact truth IN oil th1sf line
Queen is q good pure, true-he irted woman-a
little given to eccentricity at the best OF times,
lately so shaken and even shattered IN nerves
as to be occasionally not quito mistress OF her
SELF. This John Brown, an honest, dense,
th;ck-headed Scotchman, vas faithful servant
of Prince Albert. His face and name are asso-
ciated with the memory OF some OF Victoria's
very happiest days. How tendcrly she loved
her husband, how she delighted in his society,
nosody needs to be told. The classic woman
who swallowed the ashes of her dead lord did
not love more wholly and absorbingly than did
the heavy-featured, unintercsting Queen OF
England. Sho clings to the old servant of her
husband as she might to her husbands dog.
But it is beyond oil question that CERTAIN
taint of nervous excitability-one does not ike
to call it madness-is IN clement IN the feelings
which INSPIRE the Queen to defy scandal in Eng
land. It is commonly said by those who de-
fend the Queen, that she labors under tho de-
lusion that the soul OF Prince Albert has Deen
transferred into the homely frame OF John
own, This is a wild eXaggeratiop, 5ut 1t ls
quite true that the manner in which ne queen
connects the memory of Prince Albert with tho
presence of John Brown has something NOR
bid, fantastic, and almost monomaniacal IN II.
II 1t is not madness (yet that way madness
lie J, she has frequent fits OF nervous lrrlta-
ton, which would seem to those ,lnaccustom-
ed to them to border upon frenzy. Not long
since (this story is the simple truth) two OF
the Cabinet ministers we're at Osborne, con-
versing in sort of informal council with her
Majesty. A page, charged with some message,
tapped at the door-two or three hight taps.
The Queen, who had been talking and listen
ing with great interest, became so startled and
excited by the sound that she screamed,
sprang up, paced the room in the Widest
alarm, and, for lon. time. was utterly unable
to settle down to calm and rational confcrsa-
ton Of any kind.
Under the influence of morbid attacks Ike
these, there is sometimes little reliance to be
placed on what the Queen ma; cay, or deter,
mine, or do. She WAS also somewhat inclined
to be headstrong; now shc is apt to form sud
den plans, or take sudden resolves, from which
nothing can divert her. She will leave Lon
don, and rush to Osborne, or to Ba!mora., ut
the most critical period OF a session, at O mo
ment when change Of ministry may be. lu-
pending; and, when she has resolved on any
such cscapade, no iemonstrance or advice can
dissuade her. In this way she has persisted
in keeping John Brown as her personal attend
ant and allowing him to be conspicuous IN his
attentions everywhere; and no servants hall
or club scandal can induce her to send him
into the background, or TO alter her friendly
department towards him: unquesdonably
this is unwise; but Queen Victoria is not in a
mental condition from which wisdom can be
always expected. Shells not mad-that ls all
any one can venture to say.
She is unpopular widely and profoundly un-
popular. Not in the active, aggressive sense
not as George the Third was once unpopular,
when brickbats and stones were peted at his
car ,iage; not as Adelaide, wife of William the
Fourth, was unpopular, when tumultuous
meeting at Charing Cross threw up handaer-
chiefs in delight at O'ConnelPs daring alusion
to Whitehall, and the sovereign who lost his
head there because he allowed himself to be
guided by his foreign wife-in no such sense is
Victoria unpopular. But the mass OF her peo..
ple have ceased 10 care for her, the West End
dislike her, gcntility ISLANDERS her, tunkeyism
NJ lnro 20 n h6r