The King of the Belgians to Queen Victoria.
THE FRENCH ROYAL FAMILY
Laeken, 12th January 1848.
My dearest Victoria,—A messenger of my own going to England, I take advantage of it to write you a few words. Your kind letter to the poor King was an act for which I thank you from the bottom of my soul, because it made him so happy. I was still in his rooms—where the family has been breakfasting and dining till now—when your letter arrived; he was so delighted with it that he kissed it most tenderly. I left him tolerably well on Monday, but with rather a severe cold. He had certainly at the end of December the Grippe, which perhaps was the immediate cause of poor Aunt's death, as from over-anxiety for her beloved brother, she got up in the night to find out how he was. His cold had been better when he went to Dreux, then he met the procession, and walked with it bareheaded to the church; this seems to have given him a new cold. His nerves are also a good deal shaken, and this renders him very irritable. He is much occupied about some of the arrangements connected with poor Aunt's fortune; she left her landed property to Nemours, Joinville, and Montpensier, charged with the various sums she left to nearly all the branches of her family. The King is to have, however, the enjoyment of the whole of this fortune for his life. His great wish would be to employ the revenues, from the whole of the succession legacies as well as landed property, to free the landed property of the mortgage of the various legacies. This will require a good many years, and I told him that it would force him to live till it would be arranged, which will easily require ten years. In France a good feeling has been shown on this occasion. I heard from trustworthy quarters that even people who were known to be personally not very kind to the King, expressed themselves most anxious for his preservation. Whenever that sad event will take place, the reaction in Europe will be great, as all the bad passions which are kept down by him will then of course try to get the over hand. The Queen is much affected by all this, and thinks much of her own end. The children, including good Hélène, have all behaved with the utmost affection to their parents, and nothing can equal particularly good Nemours' devotion and attention. My beloved Child, your truly devoted Uncle,
Leopold R.
The King of the Belgians to Queen Victoria.
REVOLUTION IN FRANCE
Laeken, 12th February 1848.
My dearest Victoria,—... From Paris the news are alarming;5 the struggle of the Liberal Party leaning towards radicalism, or in fact merely their own promotion; principles are out of the question. This state of affairs reacts in a very lamentable way upon the well-being of the great European community. Great complaints are made that the working classes are deprived of work and at the same time political agitation is kept up, which must have the effect of stopping transactions of every description. The human race is a sad creation, and I trust the other planets are better organised and that we may get there hereafter.... Your devoted Uncle,
Leopold R.