Loch Bulig--eight miles from here--whence we returned home in our
carriage. It was a _most delightful_ and enjoyable, as well as
_beautiful_, expedition. I have been besides on many other ones for
the day.

In Italy I fear the state of affairs is very distressing--but really
the miserable, weak, and foolish conduct of the King of Naples[36] and
the squabbles of the whole family takes away all one's sympathy! We
leave here alas! on Saturday, stop till Monday evening at Edinburgh to
see Mamma, and go on that night straight to Osborne, where we expect
to arrive on Tuesday for breakfast. With Albert's affectionate love,
ever your devoted Niece,

VICTORIA R.

[Footnote 36: King Francis had just fled from Naples to Gaeta,
and Garibaldi shortly afterwards arrived in Naples.]

_Viscount Palmerston to Queen Victoria._

BROADLANDS, _18th September 1860._

Viscount Palmerston presents his humble duty to your Majesty, and will
have the honour of waiting upon your Majesty at Osborne to-morrow.
Your Majesty must naturally feel regret at shortening so much your
Majesty's agreeable holiday in the Highlands, though the happiness of
meeting the Princess Royal must amply make amends for it; but the
fact is that of all the gifts which good fairies were in the habit
of bestowing on their favourites, that which would have been the most
desirable would have been the power which the Irishman ascribed to a
bird, of being in two places at one and the same time.

[Pageheading: AUSTRIAN PROPOSAL]

_Viscount Palmerston to Queen Victoria._

OSBORNE, _20th September 1860._

Viscount Palmerston presents his humble duty to your Majesty, and
submits the accompanying letters which he has received from Lord John
Russell, together with Lord John's letter to him; and he certainly
agrees with Lord John in thinking that a meeting at present between
your Majesty and the Emperor of Austria, though in many
respects likely to be useful, would on the whole be so liable
to misconstruction, and would prove such a fertile source of
misrepresentation, that it would be better to avoid it. Such a meeting
would undoubtedly be useful to the Emperor of Austria, by reason of
the good advice which he would receive from your Majesty, and from His
Royal Highness the Prince Consort; but your Majesty will probably
be able to find some other way of conveying to the Emperor counsel
calculated to save him from some of the dangers by which he app