, 1901-01-23

VI LIN = lNA A''ls L hAlNildN' NIlN
naval review near Portsmouth, where
the largest war fleet probably assembled
in the world up to that time and repre-
senting about $500, 900, 900 was to be re-
viewed by the queen. She came an hour
late, though residing almost in sight at
| Osborne House, upon her slow steam
vessel, the Victoria and Albert, and the
sailors, b~arefo0ted in the shrouds, were
by this time so cold that they refused to
cheer.
l felt that day that the queen was the
| ruler of the land in e~verybody's heart
and the minister the ruler in everybody's
head. Hence where the affections were
engaged criticism was spared. The min
lister was assailed for everything.
The sovereign represents England's de.
rivative rights and feudal glory. The
English have regard for those regal as
sociations. The house of lords also rep
resents the barons, who in the founda-
ton of the monarchy drew their swords
or as bishops elevated their crosses for
the sovereign.
In time the barons obtained rights
from the king. In time the people took
privileges from both. Some go years
ago the crown : a swept aside, and par
lament beheaded its wearer. To take
the kings place a protector" was Gre
ated. He mixed morals too much with
governing, and the kingly office was re-
stored, but the same questions came as
bcfore-namely, the kings right to o
ey, and to command parliament, and to
have his own way like his barbarous
ancestors, the Bruces, Plantagenets and
Tudors. They We're intensified by the
fact hat the king, James Ii, was deter
mined to change the religion of the
country and make it conform to that of
France, whose monarch subsidized and
assisted these Stuart kings.
Finally the king of Holland, as we
may call William of Orange, who was
married to James daughter, was brought
into England with his army by the re-
bellious Protestant lords and commons.
The legitimate king was expelled, and
his son and his grandson were called
'pretenders' and treated as public enc
mics, though they had all the feudal
rights to the crown.
Now, the Prince of Orange, who was
a great politician on the continent, out
bid Louis XIV for England's support.
He made IAN act of settlement giving
away his wife's absolute rights and set
Ting the throne upon a German Prot
estant set of princes who were of the
English blood royal-the H%anoverian
electors. When the male line ran out in
Hanover, as we have seen. a son of
George III became king of Hanover
again, and it was his race whom Bis
marck drove from Hanover in 1866.
The sister of Oranges wife-Queen
Anne-came to die, and the Brunswick
Hanoverians, or Georges, took the throne.
They are descended from a daughter Of
James l, who married the German count
palatinate, and in Nictoria's blood is that
of William the Silent and Luther's pro-
tector.
Ministerial government from the house
of commons replaced crown government
in consequence of these events, and by
the close of the French revolutionary
wars had become so despotic that Vic
toria's predecessor had to threaten that
he would make so many peers as to over
ride the house of lords in its opposition
to the reform of parliament bill.
The bill recast the constituencies and
boroughs of England which had often
been the gifts of great lords and gentry.
The nation, upon a real parliamentary
basis, stepped out of its feudal and pro-
prietary abuses and has since been sub
iect to respected extensions of the suf-
frage.
AS Victoria's first ministerial friends
were Wings, she had a bias for that par
ty, which was modified in subsequent
years, and she liked Peel less than Pal
merston, and Gladstone less than Dis
raeli. She also expressed a dislike to
making poor men peers who could not
maintain the dignity of their titles. In
matters of this sort her positive refusal
might qualify the desires and necessities
| of n ministry, but she knew very well
that the purse strings belonged to the
commons, and all the ministers did
| their best to provide for her sons, daugh-
tiers, so~ns-in-law and grandchildren, so
that she had small occasion to be antag-
o%nistic. She influenced many favors,
such as the enrolling of the poet Tenny-
son, who so often praised her and her
progeny in rhymes.
Albert taught Victoria to provide for
democratic or dark days by laying away
money. The royal and civil list took a
large sum from the revenues every year.
It was invested in stocks, lands, what
ever would be guaranteed against a rainy
day. The Prince of Wales and some 9th.
ers were free with their money; the
queen always provident. She leaves a
great private fortune.
AS all acts proceed in England not in
the name of the people, but of the queen,
Victoria was taken into the confidence
of the lawmaking powers, so that her in
evitable assent seemed often to be a mat.
ter of her own choice. But she had new.
er but once, and that i'll a small matter
already related, shown the fatuitous and
futile obstinacy of some of the Georges.
She was like the queen bee in a hive
necessary to the mental rest and salts
faction of them who work-and as a wo-
man England has always been partial
to queens) she has given a softness and
a chivalry, n sentiment and a fruitful
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