lessing, of unspeakable joy, for which I long, for which I pray to
God--_that blissful day on which you can utter the word_ PEACE.

Now I beg your Majesty from the bottom of my heart not to be angry
with me for my unconscionably long letter, nor to worry yourself
about sending an answer, but, on the other hand, graciously to keep
it secret, communicating it only to the dear Prince. It is a matter
of course that the facts which it contains, and the resulting
explanations, which may be of importance for your Majesty's
Government, must, from their nature, no longer be kept secret, so
soon as you think it right to announce them. I embrace the dear Prince
tenderly, and commend myself to the grace, goodwill, and friendship
of my august Royal Sister, I being your Majesty's most faithfully
devoted, most attached Servant and Good Brother,

FREDERIC WILLIAM.

[Footnote 33: In the previous portion of this long letter,
here omitted, the King gives a detailed account of his
position and policy.]

[Pageheading: MARSHAL ST ARNAUD]

_Queen Victoria to the Duke of Newcastle._

OSBORNE, _29th May 1854._

The Queen acknowledges the receipt of the Duke of Newcastle's letter,
which she received quite early this morning.

The Duke of Cambridge's letter does _not_ give a flourishing account
of the state of Turkey. What alarms the Queen most is the news given
by the Duke of Newcastle of the pretensions of Marshal St Arnaud.[34]
She does not quite understand whether he has received the supreme
command over the Turkish Army, but at any rate if the Porte should
be willing to allow its Army to be placed under Foreign Command, a
portion of it ought to be claimed by us for Lord Raglan, which, joined
to his English forces, would produce an Army capable of taking the
field independently.

The Queen trusts that the Government will take this into serious
consideration, and, if they should concur in this view, that no time
will be lost.

[Footnote 34: The Duke had written to say that a demand had
been made by Marshal St Arnaud upon the Porte that Omar Pasha
should be superseded, and the Turkish Army placed under his
(St Arnaud's) orders; also that Marshal St Arnaud was desirous
of assuming the supreme command of the allied forces. The
incident is graphically recorded by Mr Kinglake.]

[Pageheading: THE QUEEN'S REPLY]

[Pageheading: INVASION OF THE PRINCIPALITIES]

[Pageheading: FRIENDLY