Queen Victoria (13 page)

“Then the Queen came back, and said: ‘Lady is gone, and has taken all my things with her. It really is most annoying.’ I then begged that I might not be made to suffer for the accident, and hoped she would sing another song. After some consultation with her husband, he said: ‘She will sing you something of Gluck’s.’… We proceeded to the Queen’s sitting-room, where there was a piano. The Duchess of Kent came in, and, while they were all talking, I rummaged about amongst the music, and soon discovered my first set of songs. So, of course, I begged her rather to sing one of those than the Gluck, to which she kindly consented; and which did she choose? - ‘
Schoner
und
Schoner
schmuckt
sick
/’ - sang it quite charmingly in strict time and tune, and with very good execution… the last G I have never heard better or purer, or more natural from any amateur. Then I was obliged to confess that Fanny had written the song (which I found very hard, but pride must have a fall), and begged her to sing one of my own also. If I would give her plenty of help, she would gladly try, she said; and then she sang the
Pilgers
-
pruch
, ‘
Lass
dich
Nurr
,’ really quite faultlessly, and with charming feeling and expression. I thought to myself, one must not pay too many compliments on such an occasion, so I merely thanked her a great many times, upon which she said, ‘Oh, if I only had not been so frightened; generally, I have such long breath.’ Then I praised her heartily and with the best conscience in the world; for just that part with the long G at the close she had done so well, taking the three following and connecting notes in the same breath, as one seldom hears it done; and therefore it amused me doubly that she herself should have begun about it.

“After this Prince Albert sang the
Arondte
-
lied
, ‘
Es
ist
ein
Schmitter
’; and then he said I must play him something before I went, and gave me as themes the chorale which he had played on the organ, and the song he had just sung. If everything had gone as usual, I ought to have improvised most dreadfully badly, for it is almost always like that with me when I want it to go well - and then I should have gone away vexed the whole morning. But - just as if I was to keep nothing but the pleasantest, most charming recollection of it - I never improvised better. I was in the best mood for it, and played a long time and enjoyed it myself; so that between the two themes I brought in the two songs which the Queen had sung, naturally enough; and it went off so easily that I would gladly not have stopped; and they followed me with so much intelligence and attention that I felt more at ease than I ever did in improvising to an audience. She said several times she hoped I would soon come to England again, and pay them a visit; and then I took leave.” The Queen, it may be added, always took a deep interest in Mendelssohn’s work and career, and a marble bust of him has been placed by her command in the corridor at Windsor Castle.

A visit to Belgium and a meeting with some of the French Royal Family had been proposed for the autumn of 1842, but the melancholy death of the Duke of Orleans, brother of the Queen of the Belgians, entirely disarranged all these plans, and a short tour in Scotland was arranged at the conclusion of the session. Parliament was prorogued by the Queen in person on the 12th of August. Her Majesty in a speech referred to the reverses sustained by the army to the westward of the Indus, and to the subsequent defence of Jellahabad, and, in touching on home affairs, which were in a dangerous condition, particularly at Manchester, where rioting had assumed formidable proportions, she said, “There are, I trust, indications of gradual recovery from that depression which has affected many branches of manufacturing industry, and has exposed large classes of my people to privation and sufferings, which have caused me the deepest concern. You will, I am confident, be actuated on your return to your several counties, by the same enlightened zeal for the public interests which you have manifested during the discharge of your Parliamentary duties; and will do your utmost to encourage by your example, and active exertions, that spirit of order and submission to the law which is essential to the public happiness, and without which there can be no enjoyment of the fruits of peaceful industry, and no advance in the career of social improvement.”

On the 29th of August the Queen and Prince Albert, attended by the Duchess of Norfolk and Lord Morton, with other members of their households, embarked at Woolwich in the
Royal
George
, commanded by Lord Adolphus Fitzclarence. The yacht, in tow of a steamer, was saluted on reaching Tilbury Fort, and passed along the coast, welcomed everywhere by demonstrations of loyalty. About one A.M., on the 1st of September, the royal squadron came to anchor in Aberlady Bay. Shortly after eight, Her Majesty landed at Granton pier, and proceeded at once to Dalkeith Palace, the home of the Duke of Buccleuch; escorted through Edinburgh by the Duke, and the Archers of the Royal Body Guard. On the 3rd, the Queen made her public entry into the Scottish capital, escorted by the Inniskilling Dragoons. At the Canongate the Body Guard of Archers joined the procession, the 53rd Regiment guarding the line of route. At the barriers which had been erected near the Exchange, the Lord Provost, accompanied by the members of the Council in their robes of office, presented the keys of the City, which were returned by Her Majesty with the words: “I return the keys of the City with perfect confidence into the safe keeping of the Lord Provost, Magistrates, and Council.” At the Castle gate the Queen was received by Sir Niel Douglas, commanding the Forces, and, alighting from the carriage, was conducted through the ancient fortress, where she inspected the various objects of interest, noticing particularly
Mons
Meg
, and the ancient regalia of the Scottish kingdom, deposited in the Crown Jewel Office. In her Journal the Queen writes: “The view from both batteries is splendid, like a panorama in extent. "We saw from them
Heriot's
Hospital
, a beautiful old building, built in the time of James by a jeweller, whom Sir Walter Scott has made famous in his ‘Fortunes of Nigel.’ After this we again got into the carriages, and proceeded in the same way as before, the pressure of the crowd being really quite alarming. Both I and Albert were quite terrified for the Archer’s Guard, who had very hard work of it; but they were of the greatest use. They all carry a bow in one hand, and have their arrows stuck through their belts. Unfortunately, as soon as we were out of Edinburgh, it began to rain, and continued raining the whole afternoon without interruption. We reached
Dalmeny
, Lord Rosebery’s, at two o’clock. The park is beautiful, with the trees growing down to the sea.”

On the 5th the Queen held a Drawing-room in the gallery of Dalkeith Palace. Holyrood House was not available for this State ceremony on account of a dangerous fever lately prevalent in the vicinity. The Drawing-room was very numerously attended, and before it Her Majesty received and responded to addresses from the Lord Provost and the Magistrates, from the Scottish Church, and from the Universities of St. Andrew’s, Glasgow, and Edinburgh. On the 6th the Duke of Buccleuch’s royal guests left Dalkeith, and, crossing from Queensferry into Fifeshire, proceeded to Dupplin Castle, where they lunched with the Earl of Kinnoull, on their way to Scone Palace, the seat of the Earl of Mansfield, where they dined and slept. Next morning, after inscribing their names in the Guildry books of the City of Perth, the last royal signatures in which were those of James VI and Charles I, the Queen and Prince started for Taymouth, the seat of the Marquis of Breadalbane. On the 10th of September, after planting trees as a memorial of their visit, they left Taymouth, and were rowed for 16 miles up Loch Tay to Auchmore, whence they journeyed by Crieff to Drummond Castle, and there they were received by Lord and Lady Willoughby D’Eresby. Here, on the 12th, the Prince shot his first stag. On the 13th a visit was paid to Stirling, and, after a journey of 65 miles, Dalkeith was again reached. The last day of this visit, the first of many subsequently paid to the Northern Kingdom, was spent in seeing Rosslyn Chapel and Hawthornden. Leaving Dalkeith, early on the morning of September the 15th, and embarking on board the
Trident
, a steamer belonging to the General Steam Navigation Company, the Queen and Prince reached Woolwich Dockyard on the morning of the 17th, and arrived at Windsor shortly after noon.

Writing on the next day to the Duchess of Saxe-Gotha, Prince Albert thus records his impression of the country: “Scotland has made a most favourable impression upon us both. The country is full of beauty of a severe and grand character; perfect for sport of all kinds, and the air remarkably pure and light in comparison with what we have here. The people are more natural, and marked by that honesty and sympathy which always distinguishes the inhabitants of mountainous countries, who live far away from towns. There is, moreover, no country where historical traditions are preserved with such fidelity, or to the same extent. Every spot is connected with some interesting historical fact, and with most of these Sir Walter Scott’s accurate descriptions have made us familiar.” Before quitting Scotland the Queen had expressed her own gratification at the heartiness of her reception, in a letter to Lord Aberdeen: “The Queen cannot leave Scotland without a feeling of regret that her visit on the present occasion could not be further prolonged. Her Majesty fully expected to witness the loyalty and attachment of her Scottish subjects; but the devotion and enthusiasm evinced in every quarter, and by all ranks, have produced an impression on the mind of Her Majesty which can never be effaced.”

On the 10th of November the Queen and Prince Albert, with the royal children, left Windsor for Walmer Castle, near Deal, the official residence of the Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports, which had been placed at their disposal by the Duke of Wellington. Here they were received by His Grace, and enjoyed the sea breezes till the 3rd of December. At all the places on their journey through Kent, particularly at Canterbury, the travellers were received with every demonstration of loyalty and affection.

On the 23rd of November, a special messenger from Downing Street brought despatches containing the welcome news of the recapture of Ghuznee and Cabul, the defeat of Akbar Khan, and the liberation of his captives. On the same day the Queen heard, with much delight, of the Peace which had been concluded with China, on terms that afforded a new opening for commercial enterprise, and gave a fresh stimulus to the trade of the manufacturing districts, where want of employment had caused widespread suffering and discontent.

On the 2nd of February, 1843, Parliament assembled. For the first time since her accession, the Queen was unable to open it in person. On the 25th of April, Her Majesty’s third child and second daughter was born at four A.M., Prince Albert and the Lord Steward, the Earl of Liverpool, being present. On the same day, at Pembroke Dockyard, took place the launch of Her Majesty’s yacht the
Victoria
and
Albert
, which was then looked upon as one of the most beautiful steamers afloat, and has ever since been the favourite vessel of the Queen. The infant Princess was christened on the 2nd of June, in the private chapel at Buckingham Palace. The sponsors were the King of Hanover, represented by the Duke of Cambridge; the Hereditary Prince of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, represented by the Hereditary Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz; the Princess of Hohenlohe Langenburg, represented by the Duchess of Kent, and the Princess Sophia Matilda of Gloucester. The rite was performed by the Archbishop of Canterbury, and the infant received the names of Alice Maud Mary.

On the 29th of June the Queen, accompanied by Prince Albert and the King and Queen of the Belgians, visited Westminster Hall to inspect the prize cartoons prepared for the decoration of the new Houses of Parliament, which were then exhibited to the public. This exhibition was the result of the labours of the Royal Commission on the Fine Arts, of which the Prince was President. The execution of the cartoons in fresco has unfortunately not been successful; the artists were not familiar with the peculiar conditions of the technical process of the work, and little now remains to be seen of their designs. The Queen and Prince showed their own personal interest in this little-practised method of decoration by erecting a pavilion in the grounds of Buckingham Palace, the walls of which were covered with designs in fresco by Eastlake, Landseer, Maclise, Uwins, Leslie, Stanfield, and others. In a letter written at the time, Uwins remarks: “History, Literature, Science, and Art seem to have lent their stores to form the mind of the Prince. He is really an accomplished man, and, withal, possesses so much good sense and consideration, that, taken apart from his playfulness and good-humour, he might pass for an aged and experienced person, instead of a youth of two or three-and-twenty. The Queen, too, is full of intelligence, her observations very acute, and her judgment matured apparently beyond her age… Coming to us twice a day, unannounced and without attendants, entirely stript of all state and ceremony, courting conversation, and desiring reason rather than obedience, they have gained our admiration and love. In many things they are an example to the age. They have breakfasted, heard morning prayers with the household in the private chapel, and are out some distance from the Palace talking to us in the summer-house before half-past nine o’clock - sometimes earlier. After the public duties of the day, and before their dinner, they come out again, evidently delighted to get away from the bustle of the world, to enjoy each other’s society in the solitude of the garden.”

Shortly after the cartoon exhibition, the Court removed to Windsor, where, on the 26th of August, the Queen, in honour of the Prince’s twenty-fourth birthday, gave an entertainment at Virginia Water. Two days later, the Queen and Prince travelled to Southampton. There they met the new yacht,
Victoria
and
Albert
, which conveyed them to Cowes Roads. Next day they visited Norris Castle and Appuldurcombe, and, again embarking, proceeded to Dartmouth, Plymouth, and Falmouth, where loyal addresses were presented. At Falmouth the Mayor, who was a Quaker, was permitted to keep his hat on in the royal presence. Thence the course was across the Channel to the coast of France.