abinet had agreed upon the
occupation of the Island of Karak by a British force.]

_The King of the Belgians to Queen Victoria._

LAEKEN, _9th January 1854._

MY DEAREST VICTORIA,--I wrote you a most abominable scrawl on Friday,
and think myself justified in boring you with a few words to-day.

The plot is thickening in every direction, and we may expect a great
confusion. The dear old Duke used to say "You cannot have a little
war." The great politicians of the Press think differently. The Duke
told me also once: "At the place where you are you will always have
the power to force people to go to war." I have used that power to
_avoid_ complications, and I still think, blessed are the peacemakers.

How the Emperor could get himself and everybody else into this
infernal scrape is quite incomprehensible; the more so as I remain
convinced that he did not aim at conquest. We have very mild weather,
and though you liked the cold, still for every purpose we must prefer
warmth. Many hundred boats with coal are frozen up, and I am told that
near two hundred ships are wanting to arrive at Antwerp....

I am much plagued also by little parliamentary nonsense of our own
here, a storm in a bottle; this is the way of human kind, and in such
cases it always pleases me to think that I am not bound to be always
their working slave, and I cast a sly look at my beautiful villa on
the Lake of Como, _quite furnished_.... My beloved Victoria. Your
devoted Uncle.

LEOPOLD R.

[Pageheading: THE PRESS]

[Pageheading: THE FRENCH ALLIANCE]

_The King of the Belgians to Queen Victoria._

LAEKEN, _13th January 1854._

MY BELOVED VICTORIA,--I grieve to see how unjustly you are plagued,
and how wonderfully untrue and passionate are the attacks of part
of the Press. Abuse is somewhat the _staff of life in England_,
everything, everybody is to be abused; it is a pity, as nothing
more unproductive as this everlasting abuse can well be imagined. As
nothing ever gave the slightest opening to this abuse, it is to be
hoped that it will be soon got over--the meeting of Parliament will
now do good in this respect. As far as your few continental relations
are concerned, I don't think they will be able to fix anything upon
your faithful servant. I have done England at all times good services,
in the sense of her best interests. I hold a position of great
geographical importance for England, just opposite the mouth of the
Tham