rd, the very
evening it reached Paris.

His Majesty listened to it most attentively, and said after some
pause: "Notwithstanding all this, the marriage will take place. I
don't consider Montpensier's marriage an affair between nations, and
the English people, in particular, care very little about it; it is
much more a private affair between myself and the English Secretary,
Lord Palmerston, _and as such_ it will not bring on important
political consequences."

[Pageheading: LETTER TO QUEEN LOUISE]

_Queen Victoria to the Queen of the Belgians._

OSBORNE, _18 Septembre 1846._

MA BIEN CHERE LOUISE,--Je te remercie pour ton retour de franchise;
je ne desire pas que cette controverse entre de plus dans notre
correspondance privee, comme elle est le sujet et le sera je crains
encore davantage de discussion politique. Je veux seulement dire qu'il
est _impossible_ de donner a cette affaire le cachet d'une simple
affaire de famille; l'attitude prise a Paris sur cette affaire de
mariage des le commencement etait une fort etrange; il fallait toute
la discretion de Lord Aberdeen pour qu'elle n'amenat un eclat plutot;
mais ce denouement, si contraire a la parole du Roi, qu'il m'a donnee
lors de cette derniere visite a Eu _spontanement_, en ajoutant a la
complication, pour la _premiere fois_, celle du projet de mariage de
Montpensier, aura mauvaise mine devant toute l'Europe.

Rien de plus penible n'aurait pu arriver que toute cette dispute qui
prend un caractere si personnel....

VICTORIA R.

[Pageheading: THE QUEEN'S INDIGNATION]

_Queen Victoria to the King of the Belgians._

OSBORNE, _21st September 1846._

MY DEAREST UNCLE,--I have to thank you very much for your very kind
letter of the 5th from Zurich. It is very unfortunate that you should
be so far off at this moment. Since I wrote to you we have decided to
remonstrate both at Madrid (this went a week ago), and at Paris, but
this last not in a formal note but in a despatch to Lord Normanby,
against this very unjustifiable breach of faith on the part of France.
We have seen these despatches, which are very firm, but written in a
very proper and kind tone, exposing at the same time the fallacy
of what has been done; for the King himself declared that he would
_never_ let _one of his sons marry_ the Queen, he _insisted_ on her
marrying a descendant of Philip V. This has been done, and at the same
moment he says his _son_ is to marry the _Infanta_