Queen Victoria to Lord John Russell.
Buckingham Palace, 13th July 1848.
The Queen was glad to hear of the majorities the other night. She concludes Lord John Russell cannot at all say when the Session is likely to end? Is it not much to be regretted that the measure relative to the Navigation Laws is given up, and was it unavoidable? The Queen sends Lord John Col. Phipps's report of the Prince's reception at York, which she thinks will interest him. Does Lord J. Russell think, if we should not go to Ireland, that we could go to Balmoral for ten days or a fortnight, without shocking the Irish very much? It strikes the Queen that to go to see our own place makes a difference, and is in fact a natural thing; it is, however, impossible to say if we can get away even for so short a time.
The Queen concludes that there can be no possible objection to the Duc de Nemours bringing or fetching the Duchess to and from Osborne? He is the Queen's Cousin, and consequently in a different position to any of the others; moreover, he does not wish at present to spend one night there even, but merely to pay a morning visit.
Lastly, the Queen wishes to know if the King and Queen and the other Princes and Princesses should themselves ask to come and pay the Queen a morning visit at Osborne, and return again the same day (as they do here), there would be any objection to it? The Queen merely wishes to know, in case they should ask leave to do so, what she can answer.
Queen Victoria to Sir George Grey.
COMMISSIONS IN THE ARMY
Buckingham Palace, 14th July 1848.
The Queen has received Sir George Grey's letter of yesterday, and has considered the proposed alteration in the mode of preparing Commissions for Officers in the Army. The Queen does not at all object to the amount of trouble which the signature of so many Commissions has hitherto entailed upon her, as she feels amply compensated by the advantage of keeping up a personal connection between the Sovereign and the Army, and she very much doubts whether the Officers generally would not feel it as a slight if, instead of their Commissions bearing the Queen's sign-manual, they were in future only to receive a certificate from the Secretary at War that they have been commissioned.
She therefore prefers matters to remain on their old footing.