New-York tribune., 1907-10-26

she stood ready TO give as a matter of course
on her accession to the throne. had necessarily
to be affected by the growth of her character.
Youth, after all, is youth There was nothing
superhuman about Queen Victoria She had
much to learn when she was made Queen, and
her progress, though steady, was not. in the
earlier years of her reign. phenomenally rapid.
Abiding, for example. to the well remembered
collision with Sir Robert Peel over the Ladies Of
the Bedchamber. the editors of the letters give
this footnote: "Sixty years later the Queen.
during a conversation at Osborne with Sir Ar
thur Bigge. her Private Secretary, after eulOgiZ-
ing Sir Robert Peel. said 4 very young
then, and perhaps 1 should act differently if it
was all to be done again." But the nexperi-
enced touch of the Queen amid her first diff
culties only makes her the more humanity inter
esting AS the reader follows the history of her
successive ministries he finds something posi-
lively dramatic in the spectacle that is presented
OF a strong nature being little by little moulded
by events and rising time goes to a frner
grasp and a nobler authority.
She fortunate In having for her first
Prime Minister man whom she could like
well admire. She found Lord Melbourne mot
only clever statesman and an honest man, but
good and a kind hearted man." In after
times she learned to regard him as mot firm
Minister" but at the beginning of her reign his
ideas we'll his personality were very at
tractive to her She found him safe, especially
In matters of foreign policy. One recognizes
more particularly. however, IN her whole at
mosphere at this period, the happiness of a
young woman appreciative of courtly bearing.
grateful for sympathy, and, In the fullest sense.
content 10 lean upon the arm of her constitu-
tional adviser as upon the arm of a friend
Lord Melbourne gave her good guidance and
was, into the bargain. entertaining. Here and
there in the letters his vivacity of mind and
manner is amusingly revealed. Referring to
his physician in a note to the Queen he describes
him "a Scotchman and a physician. and
therefore neither by country by profession
very religious" When he has occasion to speak
of some detail connected with the royal stables
he points out to the Queen that servants and
subordinate agents in England are quite un-
manageable in these respects II they get mat
ters into their hands. neither the Deity nor the
Devil. nor both together can make them agree
In letter treating of politics he finds time TO
be amusing about the powdered hair of an am
bassador, and to mention that recent hostess
of his has many merits, but amongst them is
the small one Of having one OF the best
cooks in England" He sees no reason why
he should trouble himself about the sale Of
Horace Walpoles relics at Strawberry Hill.
what is the value of Cardinal Wolsey's cap.
for instance? II was not different from that OF
any other cardinal and cardinals cap is no
great wonder" He is not surprised at the mar
riage made late in life by Lord Prudhoe. Upon
looking at the peerage. he IS only fifty years
old. and fifty is young enough TO marry any
body The only fault Of fifty is that it advances
too rapidly to sixty. which. the other
hand. is too old TO marry anybody
It is easy TO understand how pleasant Lord
Melbourne must have made it for the Queen 10
have his aid in carrying on the government But
there is a suggestion of something very like
feminine weakness in her distress when the ad-
verse division upon the Jamaica bill caused the
Cabinet to resign. Her letter to Melbourne the
next day shows her very near TO collapse. Thus
ii runs:
The Queen thinks Lord Melbourne may possibly
wish TO know how she is this morning: the Queen
is somewhat calmer; she was in wretched state
herself and try to think less soomy this dread
ful change and she succeeded In calming herself
Sg1 on W %ans 61 s5o this mornGE ss that had hap
ably to her mind. and brought back her grief; The
Queen. however feels better now; but she couldn't
morning.
She looked with bitterness upon the inevitable
advent of Peel. Writing TO Melbourne while ne
gotiatIons for the formation of a new Ministry
going forward. she says: He is such a
cold odd man The Queen don't Ike his
manner after-oh, how different. how dreadfuIIv
different. to that frank open. natural and most
kind. warm manner OF Lord Melbourne" To
make matters worse Peel was adamant upon
what he considered necessary changes in the
personnel OF the Queens Household. She stood
out for her own wishes and there IS an accent
of truly feminine exultaton in the letter to King
Leopold reporting her triumph and the return
of Tor ,a b,,
the time she found II once more her duty to
send for Peel. and this time she was prepared
TO meet him half way on the much vexed ques-
tion OF the Ladies Of the Bedchamber But she
still had to struggle against distaste for him
In memorandum by Mr.. Anson. private secre-
tary 10 Prince Albert. there is this curious note
on the subject. written after Peel had come into
power:
Sat by the Queen last night nj dinner Her
Majesty alluded to Sir Robert Peel's awkward man
ner which she felt she could not get over I asked
II Her Majesty had vet made anv efTor, vyhjc, 7
was good humoredly assured Her Majesty Thought
Sir Roberts ignorance OF character was most
striking and unaccountable: feeling this made N
difficult for Her Majesty to place reliance mo, his
Judgment in recommendations.
So impervious was She for a time 10 Peers
merits. and earnestly did she crave the
friendship and advice OF Melbourne. that II re-
quired considerable effort on the part Of Barop
Stockmar and others TO break up the old and
now undesirable intimacy. Again her feminine
weakness came TO the front and Melbourne
with Incredible obstinacy. refusal to mend mat
ters. On his departure from Office he and the
Queen continued TO exchange letters on puhlIc
affairs. manifest injustice to Peel who in fact