Year: 1870

WISDOM ana Judgmont ana petOro tno Frenc0-Pruu-
sian dispute is settled the ancient routine and cum.
brous red-tapeism of the Foreign Department will
be tested to their utmost. Earl Granville Is ex-
tremely anxious TO do all he can to uphold the
dignity of England whlo mediating as far as cir
cumstances will permit. He works night and day,
and counts no toll too great which is likely to be
in the least degree productive Of good results
Almost every hour he is in communication with
Mr.. Gladstone, and the two are having heavy
time of IL, what between hard work and want OF
sufficient sleep. The Premiere health Is IN Iact
He has gone through session or altogether un,
precedented hard work. Irish land has vexed
him and education has wasted him ana just at
the very time when he was looking forward 10 the
repose Of the recess has coiae the terrible con-
tinental complication, with all its heavy calls upon
his time and mind.


Great as is the strain which has thus been put
upon Mr.. Gladstone, 1t has been vastly aggravated
by ON unfortunate whim OF the Queen. Disre-
garding altogether the convenience of her
ministers, she has gone down to Osborne on
the plea of Ill health, and cannot be seen
except by an immense amount OF trouble.
Her Cabinet ministers whom the exigencies
Of the public service compel to have
daily audience with her. are compelled to use the
telegraph extensively and undergo an moon
venient amount Of travelling. Earl Granville,
especially, Is at his Wits end as to what course





Courts pour in upon him hourly, most Of which
require to be submitted to the Queen, and courers
have constantly to be despatched to the Isle OF
Wight conveying messages and receiving answers.
Mr.. Gladstone ia by no means pleased that her
Majesty should have absented herself from Lon.
don at so critical time, and some OF the minis
ters, whose duties have thereby been very much
increased, are inclined to resent her conduct.
Ill health is the plea that is urged by the Queen
by way of excuse but this Is an apology which
the public generally refuses to accept. Her state
of health is not such a. imperatively to demand
that she should reside ut the seaside. Mr.. Glad
stone is much more In need OF quiet and repose;
he is in fact seriously III, and yet he sticks to his
post, and makes every consideration give place
to the exigencies Of the public service. I need
not say that the Queens conduct upon
madverted upon. It has been condemned
In the most unmeasured terms, and is
causing the radicals and republicans to raise their
old cry against the useessness Of royalty and the
Majesty suffering any physical or bodily pain her
subjects would unanimously sympathize with her;
but very few among the people really believe that
such is the case.


People in England no longer seek to disguise
the fact that she has grown extremely eccentric
since the death of the Prince Consort. Formerly
she was the idol of the people; she went out and
in among them freely and unconstrainedly, dis
satisfaction OF all but the extreme democrats.
Now all this is changed. She is whimsical and
irritable, takes strange notions into er head and
is quite wilful and even obstinate. She keeps her
scarce seen by any but her ministers. Even when
she does consent to take part In some public
memorial she generally breaks her promise
says she has Q megrim, is overcome by the
heat, or is unable to bear the fatigue consequent
upon an appearance among her subjects. 1t Is
not to be wondered at that such practical peo-
pie as the English should resent such conduct and
should raise the question "Of what, use is there
having queen at all ?" Least of all surprising is
It that at q time of great public danger and
anxiety, when the whole Continent of Europe is
wrapped in the red fame of war, there should be
much open grumbling at the course she is pur-
suing. This discomfort on the part Of the public
has lound voice In the columns Of the London
Times itself, which has lectured her Majesty very
severely for her seclusion, and spoken out some
home truths which have literally caused the hair
of rigid old tories to stand on end.


What the immediate result may be Is not oi
much Importance; but the ultimate result of her
conduct will most assuredly be to give an i'm
petus to the democratic movement in England
such as it has not yet acquired.