our of these wretched criminals in
their last moments; but he fears that the license of the Press cannot
be checked by any act of authority; if the public be excluded from
witnessing the executions, they will probably become still more
anxious to obtain a printed report of all that has taken place; and
Sir James Graham is so thoroughly convinced that the punishment of
death in certain cases must be maintained, that he would consider any
course inexpedient which was likely to lead the public to desire the
remission of capital executions in all cases without exception....

J. R. G. GRAHAM.

[Footnote 15: The attraction these executions had for the
general public was at this time a great scandal.]

[Footnote 16: Public executions were abolished in 1868.]

[Pageheading: A BIRTHDAY LETTER]

[Pageheading: THE PRINCESS CHARLOTTE]

_The King of the Belgians to Queen Victoria._

LAEKEN, _21st May 1845._

MY DEAREST AND MOST BELOVED VICTORIA,--Receive my sincerest and most
heartfelt good wishes on the happy reappearance of your birthday. I
need not dwell on my sentiments of devotion to you; they began with
_your life, and will only end with mine_. The only claim I make is to
be remembered with some little affection. Thank heaven, I have little
to wish you, than that your present happiness may not be disturbed,
and that those who are dear to you may be preserved for your
happiness.

My gift is Charlotte's portrait. The face is extremely like, and the
likest that exists; the hair is a little too fair, it had become
also darker. I take this opportunity to repeat that Charlotte was a
noble-minded and highly gifted creature. She was nervous, as all
the family have been; she could be violent, but then she was full
of repentance for it, and her disposition _highly generous_ and
_susceptible_ of _great devotion_.

I am the more bound to say this, as I understood that you had some
notion that she had been _very imperious_, and not mistress of her
temper. Before her marriage some people by dint of flattery had tried
to give her masculine tastes; and in short had pushed her to become
one day a sort of Queen Elizabeth. These sentiments were already
a little modified before her marriage. But she was particularly
determined to be a _good_ and _obedient_ wife; some of her friends
were anxious she should _not_; amongst these Madame de Flahaut must be
mentioned _en premiere ligne_.

This became even a subject wh