nsion, and having _no_
security that his children and descendants, and these moreover
Christians, should have any home or position.

The Queen hears that Lord Dalhousie himself would wish and advise his
pension to be exchanged for a property on which the Maharajah might
live, which he might improve (giving thereby a most valuable example)
and transmit some day to his descendants, should he have any; she
hopes therefore that this may be so settled, and that he may, on
attaining the age of eighteen, have a comfortable and fitting position
worthy his high rank.

Where such a property might be must be of course left to Lord
Dalhousie to decide, but the Queen hopes that Lord Dalhousie will give
it his serious attention.

[Pageheading: THE AUSTRIAN PROPOSALS]

_Queen Victoria to the Earl of Clarendon._

BALMORAL, _10th October 1854._

The Queen has received Lord Clarendon's letters of the 8th.[54] She
cannot consider it wise to reject the Austrian proposals _altogether_,
although we may usefully amend them. The success in the Crimea ought
to be followed up by strengthening the alliance of the European
powers, else it may turn out a sterile victory, and the English blood
will have flowed in vain; for supposing even the whole Crimea to fall
into our hands, it is not likely that the war will be concluded on
that account. How are England and France to bring it to a termination
single-handed? Our Army in the Crimea is the only one we have....

It is true that the Austrian proposal promises little performance on
her part, yet the stipulation by Treaty that she will never let the
Russians pass the Pruth again is a positive advantage to us; and the
other, that a defensive and offensive alliance with us is to follow
the breaking out of the war by Russia against Austria, although being
entirely at _our_ expense, yet realises the chief condition which
will make Austria hesitate less to bring it to a war with Russia.
She always (and not without reason) dreaded to have to fight Russia
single-handed, and the allied armies in the Crimea could not assist
her. What reason could Austria put forward and justify to Prussia and
Germany, for going to war at this moment? To obtain the evacuation
of the Principalities was a tangible one, indeed the same _we_ put
forward when _we_ declared war; but this is now obtained.

We must certainly not allow our policy to be mixed up with the
miserable German squabbles, but we must acknowledg