New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1903-02-22

matters Quite clear she addressed to the Prime
Minister memorandum written in her own
hand dated from Osborne August l.. 1850.
and which remains historic. setting forth as it
does the rights Of the sovereign to the conduct
of foreign policy, 1t says that:
The Queen thinks il right. in order TO pre-
vent any mistake for the future TO explain
what she expects from the Foreign Secretary.
She requires that he will distinctly state what
he proposes in given case in order that the
Queen may know as distinctly to what she has
given her royal sanction Having once given
her sanction TO a measure. she will not allow
it to be altered modified by the minister
Such act she must consider as failure in
sincerity toward the crown, and Justly TO be
visited by the exercise of her constitutional
right OF dismissing that minister. She expects to
be kept informed of what passes between him
and the foreign ENJOYS and governments before
important decisions are taken based upon that
intercourse, to receive the foreign dispatches
in good time, and to have the drafts for her
approval sent to her in sufficient time to make
herself acquainted with their contents before
they must be sent off,
When. little more than twelve months later,
Lord Palmerston in spite of these peremptory
orders of his sovereign. took upon himself to
inform Napoleon III on the morrow of the
sanguinary coup d'etat at Paris that Great
Britain recognized the new French Government.
without having consulted the Queen or obtained
her sanction and approval. she exercised her
constitutional rights of summarily dismissing
him from the Secretaryship of State for Foreign
Affairs. although he was at the time the most
popular minister of the crown and possessed OF
a large following in Parliament.
This jealousy Of the prerogative of the crown
in the matter of foreign relations manifested by
Queen Victoria served TO prevent outbreak
OF war between this country and England at the
time of the Trent difficulty. a little over forty
years ago The Foreign Minister and the Cahi-
net had drafted a dispatch for transmission TO
the American Government which would ineVita-
bly, have lee to hostilities. Fortunately, it had
TO be sent 10 Windsor for approval and al
though the Queen watching by her hus-
bands deathbed at the time she nevertheless
managed TO give it her attention and TO subject
1t 10 such radical alterations as completely to
deprive II of its offensive character, transform
ing it from an imperative demand for redress
into a courteous appeal to the sense of justice of
q valued friend.
King Edward continues in his mothers foot
steps in this respect. For many years before
her death he had taken the trouble to initiate
himself into all the phases Of England's foreign
policy by having duplicate Of every dispatch
that reached the Foreign Office forwarded to him
And to this day no foreign dispatch reaches
the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs with
out the King being made Immediately aware OF
its contents. while no dispatch is sent of by Lord
I.ansdowne without having previously secured
his approval Indeed it may be questioned
whether the Kings control Of Englands Tor
eign policy is not more effective than that
of his mother / For his relations with foreign
rulers are more intimate while he is in much
closer touch with the foreign ambassadors and
ENJOYS accredited TO his court Inasnuch as the
keynote of his foreign policy is the strength
ening of the ties Of friendship between England
and the United States this country has no rea-
son 10 regret his apparently least known pre-
negative OF which the most recent exercise
has been the steps which he has taken to cause
the Nretched Venezuelan imbroglio to be
brought TO a speedy conclusion. even at a heaNs
pecuniary sacrifice to England.
EX-ATTACHE.