It is most kind and good of dearest Albert to hold these Levées for me, which will be a great relief for hereafter for me. Besides cela le met dans sa position; he and I must be one, so that I can only be represented by him. I think this, therefore, a good thing for that reason also; and God knows, he, dear angel, deserves to be the highest in everything.
Our Consecration went off extremely well, and the Chapel is delightful, and so convenient. I am sure you will like it.
You will be glad to hear that dear old Eos (who is still at Claremont) is going on most favourably; they attribute this sudden attack to her over-eating (she steals whenever she can get anything), living in too warm rooms, and getting too little exercise since she was in London. Certainly her wind was not in the slightest degree affected by her accident, for in the autumn she coursed better than all the other young dogs, and ran and fetched pheasants, etc., from any distance, and ran about the very evening she was taken so ill, as if nothing was the matter. Evidently part of her lungs must be very sound still; and they say no one's lungs are quite sound. She must be well starved, poor thing, and not allowed to sleep in beds, as she generally does.
Footnote 28: Its appearance gave rise to much discussion among astronomers. On the 17th Sir John Herschel saw its nucleus from Collingwood in Kent, and on the following night a dim nebula only; so it was probably receding with great velocity.
Viscount Melbourne to Queen Victoria.
MELBOURNE ON DIET
Brocket Hall, 2nd April 1843.
Lord Melbourne presents his humble duty to your Majesty. He received yesterday morning your Majesty's letter of the 30th ult., for which he sincerely thanks your Majesty. Lord Melbourne is delighted to find that your Majesty was pleased with the bouquet. The daphnes are neither so numerous nor so fine as they were, but there are still enough left to make another bouquet, which Lord Melbourne will take care is sent up by his cart to-morrow, and left at Buckingham Palace. Lord Melbourne is very much touched and obliged by your Majesty's very kind advice, which he will try his utmost to follow, as he himself believes that his health entirely depends upon his keeping up his stomach in good order and free from derangement. He owns that he is very incredulous about the unwholesomeness of dry champagne, and he does not think that the united opinion of the whole College of Physicians and of Surgeons would persuade him upon these points—he cannot think that a "Hohenlohe" glass of dry champagne, i.e. half a schoppen,29 can be prejudicial. Lord and Lady Erroll30 and Lord Auckland and Miss Eden are coming in the course of the week, and they would be much surprised not to get a glass of champagne with their dinner. Lord Melbourne is very glad to learn that the Prince's Levée did well, and feels that His Royal Highness undertaking this duty must be a great relief and assistance to your Majesty. Lord Melbourne hopes to see the Baron here when he comes. The spring still delays and hangs back, but it rains to-day, which Lord Melbourne hopes will bring it on.
Footnote 29: A schoppen is about a pint; it is the same word etymologically as "scoop."
Footnote 30: William George, seventeenth Earl of Erroll, married a sister of the first Earl of Munster.