The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1871-10-05
oUEEN yICTORIA'S ILLNESS.
The Results of the Foolish CoSardice of
the Ministers.
Correspondence of the New York Trisunel


Now that the Immediate danger is over, the
public is allowed to know that the Queen has
been seriously i'll. The two medical Journals
of London publish pretty full particulars of
her Maiesty's state of health since last August.
While still at Osborne she suffered from loss
of appetite, headache, restlessness at night,
general depression, and slight Inflammation OF
the left tonsil. The latter passed of, but the
Queens general health did not improve. o.
borne was hot, and so was Windsor, and the
tourney north to Balmoral was decided on, In
spite of some remonstrances in Parliament
and in the press against the Queens absence
at a critical period Of the session. At Balno-
raj she was attacked by sorethroat, and could
neither swallow nor speak without difficulty
AS this grew better swelling appeared under
abscess. This was opened, and then the gene
raj symptoms became more favorable, The
abscess healed kindly, and the Queen is at
present we'll enough to drive out, and has
every prospect Of complete recovery. Ihe
medical authorities, however, agree in stating
that 1t must be some time before she Is restor-
ed to her usual health.
The anstere Republican may think these de-
tails superhuous, and that good deal OF un-
necessary fuss is made over The easy eXpllca-
BILE Illness of woman OF ffty-three. But lne
austere Republican would be mistaken. the
Queens health Is political question: ana q
very grave one; and, inasmuch as tnat Is ao.
mitted on all hands, one can only wonder at
the intensely stupid way in which the matter
has been managed She has not been well
advised, although the bad advisers In case
like this must have been Cabinet minister's
Mr.. Gladstone himself, probably, who con-
trives to show on occasions curlously lmper-
feet knowledge OF men ana OF tne Worla IN
which he lives For years the outcry against
the Queens seclusion has grown In strength.
Society complained that the doors of Bucking-
ham Palace were always shut In Its face.
Wsst-End tradesmen grumbled at loss OF Gus
tom. Politicians were scandaized at what
they began at last openly 10 call neglect OF
public duties, and the press, more or less re-
spectful, but continually more urgently, iee-
tnred her Majesty on the growing inconve-
niences of her retirement. She was told that
if she could not give parties and balls she
might hand over the palace, and money
enough to keep 1t open, to the Prlnce ana
Princess of Wales, who would readily
undertake now the royal functions Wnlco
must come to them sooner or later. Then
the two annultles had to be voted-S30,.
600 year to the Princess Louise on her mar.
riage with Lord Lorne, and $4,000 year to
Prince Arthur on his coming OF age. As the
Queens wealth is very great, the popular feel
ing that she might provide Tor her own chill
dren, and not throw new burden on the
sorely-pressed taxpayers, was very strong, and
the argument that made 1t stronger was the
Oaeen's own failure to satisfy the public desire
for her more frequent appearance IN the great
State ceremonlals, and In her proper social
sphere as we'll And last August, Is Parliament
was on the eve of adjournment, there rose
CRY that weary members were TO be kept two
days longer In town because the Queen was at
Balmoral, five hundred miles away, and q
double journey must be made to get her sig
tht. Lott
rogue the two houses. This difficulty was got
rid Of by help OF the telegraph and OF On In
tervening Sunday; but the feeling OF annoy
ance at her Majesty's absence was openly eX-
pressed In Parliament, and still more openly
nearly everywhere else.
Now all this might have been averted by q
plain statement of the truth at the time. The
statement of 1t today brings out gush OF 10y
atty, or of what passes for such, all over the
country. There is, at any rate, q sincere SYM
pathy with the Queen, and lively recollection
all at once of her many private virtues, and
the long record of her public services. The
austere Republican may object to the latter,
and aver that her public services @ pear sgns sos
proportion to the recompense she receives for
them. 1 am not going into that question. She
does, and so long as there is sovereign, any
sovereign must do certain amount OF hard
work; the throne not being, alter ALL bed OF
roses, and the mower of the Grown being, as l
have sometimes tried 10 explain 10 tnese
letters, still o very real power. But
what can be said for the judgment OF minis
ters who allow the Queen to bear for
months a weight Of odlum which three words
from them might have relieved her from
completely! Their excuse will be that they
dreaded the effect of an authoritative an
nouncement of the Queens illness, until they
could couple It with declaration OF her
recovery. There was more or less Republican
talk; the funds might go down; nay, had not
Mr.. Odger published to the world his resolve
that the Prince of Wales should not ascend the
throne In peace The result of which astute-
ness Is that, at this moment, nobody believes
the Queens recovery is complete, or doubts
that she has been In real danger, or feels
the least security that they will at any future
time be allowed to know her true state OF
health. What else could come Of the minlste-
rial policy of dry-nurslng the British public In
days when the public believes 1t has out.
grown its long-clothes What is the use Of
out of
THAT nerce light which beats upon the throne