The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1871-02-28
Queen Victoria.

Queen Victoria.
Queen Victoria, the only daughter o
Edward, Duke of Kent, succeeded il
1887, her uncle, William the Fourth, t.
the Throne of England. Her accession
was hailed with more than ordinary en-
thusasm, all parties vying with eact
other in testifying their affectionate al
legiance to their youthful sovereign, call
ed at the age of eighteen to rule over the
destinies Of mighty empire. She wa,
born at Kensington Palace on the 24tt
day of May, 1919. Her descent on the
part Of England, as well as that of Ger
many, is is very ancient, extending back
to the Henries on the English side, and tc
the family of the Wells, better known as
the Guelphs, on the side of the Germans
Henry the Seventh, of England, mar.
ried Elizabeth, the daughter of Edward
the Fourth, thus uniting the two turDuiou,
houses of York and Lancaster, and SO
blending their interests, that ever after
they were incapable of distinction. Mar.
garet. the eldest daughter of Henry the
Seventh. married James the Fifth, Of
Scotland, who left no issue that came to
maturity except Mary, afterwards sur
named Mary Queen of Scots. and mother
of James the First of England, who left
bet two children, one the unfortunate
Charles the First, and the other the
Princess Elizabeth who married Frederick
the Fifth, of one Of the petty Kingdoms
Of Germany. The Princess Sophia, their
daughter, married Ernest Augustus Of
Hanover. George the First was son of
the Princess Sophia and Ernest Augustus.
Queen Anne having died without issue
and the Princess Sophia having died q
short time previous, her son George then
the Elcctor of Hanover, became heir to
the British throne. Edward, the Duke
Afns s0n and 81 sAs5 SsSgs ef ns nysftSHSf was the
The family of the Guelphs originally
called Welt, have an historic record ex-
tending back to the time of Henry the
First Of England. They held great pos
sessions in Southern Germany, and by
marriage acquired extensive ones in the
north of Germany, and from these the
present reigning family of England takes
the name of Guelph.
Edward, the fourth son of George the
Third, married the Princess Victoria, the
widow of the Prince of Leiningen,
daughter of the Duke Of Saxe.Coburg,
and Victoria was the only issue of this
marriage. The death of the Princess
Charlotte and her infant child made il
more than probable that the Duke oi
Kent might one day succeed to the throne
but Edward dying when Victoria was but
eight months old, left her the heir pre-,
sumptive to the throne. Her mother, Q
very sensible and worthy lady, was limit
ed in her income yet the education anG
training of the youHg Victoria was judici
ously conducted by her mother. and made
as extensive as her means and circum
stances would admit. The death o.
George the Fourth in 1880, and the ac
cession Of her uncle William to the throne
in his sixty.fifth year, and then withou
an heir, rendered it morally certain tha
the Princess Victoria, should she live
would become Queen Of England. Unit
this event she was not aware that sh,
might one day become Queen. Her edu
cation up to this time had not been es
sentialy different from that of othe
children of the nobility, and we know
nothing Of it in detail except that the
famous Lablache taught her the art o
singing, and German being the nativ,
language of her mother, English that o
her country, and French of the Courts
she would, of course, readily become yer
sed in these. Her early education an
training under her most excellent mother
must have beeH sensible and judicious, a
: her subsequent life abundantly shows.
> At the age of seventeen she met, fo
the first time, Prince Albert of Cobure
three months her junior. The mothe
and grandmother, the Duchess of Sax
Gotha, had speculated from their earl
childhood, on the future union Of Victori
and Albert, who, it would seem, wer
well aware of their kind intentions an
were not at all indisposed to dream of tn
: future in accordance with them, and o
this their first meeting they appeare
highly pleased with each ether.
Z On the Oath day of May she attaine
. her eighteenth year, which was celebrate
n throughout the British Empire as
national holiday, and in about mont
a afterwards her uncle, William the Fourtl
died. This sad intelligence was commun
Gated to her by the Archbishop Cante
bury, who. at the same time, saluted hi
{, as the Queen Of England. Later in II
!. day. in the presence of the Ministry, th
S Privy Councillors, and many of the nobi
ity, she was, at Kensington Palace, pr,
y claimed Queen. On this occasion Victori
'e a young lady of eighteen, modest and III
as assuming, and attended by her mothe
Il retained her selfpossession until she hear
', the words, "by the Grace Of God, Quet
4 ., of the United Kingdom of Great Brita
70 and Ireland, Defender Of the Faith
y when realizing sense Of the responsib
duties and obligations attending the a
N sumption of the crown, burst as it wer
Of upon her, she lost for moment her SCI
J, possession, and, throwing her arms arouI
:" fhs nack of har mother manifaafad N