Victoria R.
Footnote 77: The Princess de Joinville was a sister of Queen Maria II. of Portugal, and Queen Catherine of Braganza was daughter of King John IV.
The Earl of Aberdeen to Queen Victoria.
THE DUC DE BORDEAUX
Drumlanrig, 27th October 1843.
Lord Aberdeen, with his humble duty, begs to lay before your Majesty another letter received last night from Lord Morton,78 which gives an account of the visit of the Duc de Bordeaux, and of his further communication with the Duc de Lévis on the projects and views of His Royal Highness.
Lord Aberdeen has ventured to submit this letter to your Majesty, although not intended for your Majesty's perusal, as it gives a pleasing and satisfactory description of the conduct and sentiments of this unfortunate Prince.
In order to explain to your Majesty how Lord Morton, who lives in a very retired manner, should have received a visit from the Duc de Bordeaux, Lord Aberdeen begs to mention that when the family of Charles X. resided at Edinburgh, after the Revolution of July 1830, they received information more than once, from the present Royal Family of France, that certain desperate characters had left Paris for Edinburgh, with the intention of assassinating the Duc de Bordeaux, in order to prevent all possibility of a Restoration. In consequence of this information, it was thought to be dangerous for the Prince to walk or to expose himself in the neighbourhood of Holyrood House. He was frequently driven in a carriage to Lord Morton's,79 where he remained for a few hours, taking exercise in the park, and playing with Lord Morton's children. It is the recollection of this which has led the Prince to make his acknowledgments on the present occasion.
Lord Aberdeen also begs humbly to mention to your Majesty that on his arrival here he found the Duke and Duchess of Buccleuch in expectation of a visit from the Duc de Bordeaux, on his way from Glasgow to Carlisle. Lord Aberdeen informed the Duke and Duchess of the objections which might exist to this visit; but he believes that communications on the subject had already gone too far to render it possible to break it off with any degree of propriety. The great attentions paid by the Duke and his predecessors to the French Royal Family, both during the former and last emigration, sufficient account for this desire on the part of the Prince.
Footnote 78: George Sholto, nineteenth Earl of Morton (1789-1858).