Chapter XXI: Colonial Home Rule and Financial Reform. Page

Mr. Roebuck and Emigration--Self-Government and the Colonies--Unsympathetic Whig Policy--Radicals and the Colonial Office--The Peelites and Hudson’s Bay Company--Financial Reform--Mr. Cobden at Variance with Mr. Bright--Combined Agitators--The Demand for Retrenchment--Trade and the Flag--Tories and Taxes--A _reductio ad absurdum_--A Raid on a Surplus--International Arbitration--Parliamentary Reform--Parliament and the Jews--The Tories oppose the Alteration of the Parliamentary Oath--Episcopal Prejudice--Tory Obstructionists--An Ordnance Department Scandal--Mr. Delane’s Attacks on Lord Palmerston in the _Times_--The Queen Remonstrates against Lord Palmerston’s Recklessness--An Anti-Palmerstonian Cabal--Lady Palmerston’s Intrigues--Lord Brougham Betrays the Cabal--Palmerston’s Victory--Rome and France--The Second War--The Disaster of Chillianwalla--Indignation of the Country--Lord Gough’s Recall--Napier to the Rescue--The East India Directors Oppose Napier’s Appointment--The Convict War at the Cape--Boycotting the Governor 385

CHAPTER XXII.

FAMILY CARES AND ROYAL DUTIES.

Education of the Prince of Wales--Selection of Mr. Birch as Tutor--The Queen’s Jealousy of her Parental Authority--Her Letter to Melbourne on the Management of her Nursery--Her Ideas on Education--Prince Albert’s Plans for the Education of the Prince of Wales--Stockmar’s Advice--The Visit to Ireland--The Queen at Waterford--“Rebel Cork” _en fête_--The Visit to Dublin--Viceregal Festivities--The Visit to the National Model Schools--Shiel’s Speech--The Queen and the Duke of Leinster--Farewell at Kingstown--The Queen Dips the Royal Ensign--Loyal Ulster--The Visit to the Linen Hall--Lord Clarendon on the Queen’s Visit--A Cruise on the Clyde--Home in Balmoral--The Queen’s “Bothie”--The Queen’s University of Ireland--First Plans for the Great Exhibition--Opening of the London Coal Exchange--The Queen’s Barge--Death of Queen Adelaide 403

CHAPTER XXIII.

CLOUDS IN THE EAST AND ELSEWHERE.

Political Wreckage--Force triumphs over Opinion--The State of France--Election of Prince Charles Louis Bonaparte as Prince-President--The Sad Plight of Italy--Palmerston’s Anti-Austrian Policy--Defeat of Piedmont--The Fall of Venice--Fall of the Roman Republic--A Cromwellian Struggle in Prussia--The Queen’s Partisanship--Her Prussian Sympathies--The Hungarian Refugees in Turkey--A Diplomatic Conflict with Russia--Opening of Parliament--Mr. Disraeli and Local Taxation--Parliamentary Reform--The Jonahs of the Cabinet--The Dispute with Greece--Don Pacifico’s Case--Coercion of Greece--Lord Palmerston meekly accepts an Insult from Russia--French Intervention--A Diplomatic Conflict in France--Recall of the French Ambassador--False Statements in Parliament--The Queen’s Indignation--The Don Pacifico Debate--The _Civis Romanus sum_ Doctrine--Palmerston’s Victory--The West African Slave Trade 420

CHAPTER XXIV.

SOME EPOCH-MARKING LEGISLATION.

The Colonies and Party Government--The Movement for Autonomy--Lord John Russell’s Colonial Bill--Tory Opposition to Colonial Federation--Mr. Adderley’s Plan--Mr. Gladstone’s Scheme for Colonial Church Courts--The Colonial Bills Mangled in the House of Lords--More English Doles for Ireland--An Irish Reform Bill--Lord John Russell Proposes to Abolish the Lord-Lieutenancy--The Queen’s Irish Policy--Her offer to Establish a Royal Residence in Ireland--The Bungled Budget--The Demand for Retrenchment--The Tories Insist on a Reduction of Official Salaries--Lord John Russell’s Commission on Establishments--The Queen and the Church--The Ecclesiastical Appeals Bill--The “Gorham Case”--Death of Peel--The Queen’s Sorrow--A Nation in Mourning--Peel’s Character and Career--The Queen’s Alarm about Prince Albert’s Health--The Queen at Work--The Queen’s Reading-Lamp 438

CHAPTER XXV.

FALL OF THE WHIG CABINET.

Debates on “No Popery”--Mutiny of the Irish Brigade--Defeat of Lord John Russell--Lord Stanley “sent for”--Timid Tories--Lord Stanley’s Interviews with the Queen--A Statesman’s “Domestic Duties”--Is Coalition Possible?--The Queen’s Mistake--The Duke of Wellington’s Advice--Return of the Whigs to Office--The Queen’s Aversions--The “No Popery” Bill Reduced to a Nullity--Another Bungled Budget--The Income Tax Controversy--The Pillar of Free Trade--The Window Tax and the House Duty--The Radicals and the Slave Trade--King “Bomba” and Mr. Gladstone--Cobden on General Disarmament--Palmerston in a Millennial Mood--The Whig-Peelite Intrigue--The Queen and the Kossuth Demonstrations--Another Quarrel with Palmerston--A Merry Council of State 463

CHAPTER XXVI.

THE FESTIVAL OF PEACE AND THE _COUP D’ÉTAT_.

The World’s Fair--Carping Critics--Churlish Ambassadors Rebuked by the Queen--Opening of the Great Exhibition--A Touching Sight--The Queen’s Comments on “_soi-disant_ Fashionables”--The Duke of Wellington’s Nosegay--Prince Albert among the Missionaries--The Queen’s Letter to Lord John Russell--Her Pride in her Husband--The London Season--The Duke of Brunswick’s Balloon “Victoria”--Bloomerism--The Queen at Macready’s Farewell Benefit--The Queen’s Costume Ball--The Spanish Beauty--An Ugly “Lion”--The Queen at the Guildhall Ball--Grotesque Civic Festivities--Royal Visits to Liverpool and Manchester--A Well-Dressed Mayor--The Queen on the “Sommerophone”--The _Coup d’État_--The Assassins of Liberty--The Appeal to France--The Queen’s Last Quarrel with Palmerston--Palmerston’s Fall--Outcry against the Queen--A “Presuming” Muscovite--The Queen’s Vindication 480

CHAPTER XXVII.

A YEAR OF EXCITEMENT AND PANIC.

Cassandras in the Service Clubs--The Tories and the Queen’s Speech--Lord John Russell’s Triumph--The Militia Bill--Defeat of the Russell Ministry--Fall of the Whig Cabinet--Palmerston’s “Tit for Tat”--A Protectionist Government--Novices in Office--A Cabinet of Affairs--Mr. Disraeli’s Budget--Lord John Russell’s Fatal Blunder--The Second Burmese War--Dalhousie’s Designs on Burmah--How the Quarrel Grew--Lambert’s Indiscretion--The Attack on Rangoon--Fall of the Citadel--Annexation--Desultory Warfare--Dissolution of Parliament--The General Election--Equipoise of Parties--Factions and Free Trade--Palmerston’s Forecasts--Forcing the Hand of the Ministry--Death of the Duke of Wellington--The Queen’s Grief--The Nation in Mourning--The Lying-in-State--Shocking Scenes--The Funeral Pageant--The Ceremony in St. Paul’s--A Veteran in Tears--The Laureate’s Votive Wreath--Review of the Duke’s Character 496