_Mr Gladstone to Queen Victoria._

13 CARLTON HOUSE TERRACE, _1st April 1846._

Mr William Gladstone presents his humble duty to your Majesty, and
prays that he may be honoured with your Majesty's permission to direct
that the Park and Tower Guns may be fired forthwith in celebration of
the victory which was achieved by your Majesty's forces over the Sikh
army in Sobraon on the 10th of February.[7]

[Footnote 7: In September 1882 Mr Gladstone quoted this as
a precedent for firing the Park Guns after the victory of
Tel-el-Kebir. See _Life of Right Hon. Hugh C. E. Childers_, by
Colonel Childers, C.B., R.E., vol. ii p. 127.]

_Queen Victoria to Sir Henry Hardinge._

BUCKINGHAM PALACE, _6th April 1846._

The Queen must write a line to Sir Henry Hardinge in order to express
her extreme satisfaction at the brilliant and happy termination of
our severe contest with the Sikhs, which he communicated to her in his
long and interesting letter of the 18th and 19th February. The
Queen much admires the skill and valour with which their difficult
operations have been conducted, and knows how much she owes to Sir
Henry Hardinge's exertions. The Queen hopes that he will see an
acknowledgment of this in the communication she has ordered to be made
to him relative to his elevation to the Peerage.

The Prince, who fully knows all the Queen's feelings on this glorious
occasion, wishes to be named to Sir Henry Hardinge.

[Pageheading: KING LOUIS PHILIPPE]

_The King of the French to Queen Victoria._

PARIS, _5 Mai 1846._

MADAME MA TRES CHERE S[OE]UR,--Quand le 1^er de Mai, au moment ou
j'allais commencer les nombreuses et longues receptions de mon jour
de fete, on m'a remis la lettre si gracieuse que votre Majeste a eu
l'aimable attention de m'ecrire de maniere a ce que je la recoive ce
jour la, j'en ai ete penetre, et j'ai pense tout de suite aux paroles
du Menuet d'Iphigenie comme exprimant le remerciment qu'a mon grand
regret, je ne pouvais que sentir, et non exprimer par ecrit dans un
pareil moment. J'ai donc fait chercher tout de suite la partition de
ce menuet, et celles du Ch[oe]ur du meme Opera de Glueck "_Chantons,
celebrons notre Reine!_" mais on n'a pu, ou pas su se les procurer, et
j'ai du me contenter de les avoir arranges pour le piano dans un
livre (pas meme relie) qui a au moins pour excuse de contenir toute la
musique de cet Opera. Je l'ai mis dans une grande enveloppe adress