young
Prince of Portugal is a sign of complete reconciliation with the See
of Rome. It is a very awkward thing for a Roman Catholic Government to
be at variance with the Pope. He is still a very ugly customer.

Lord Melbourne is very much concerned to hear of the Baron's[28]
illness--very much indeed; he is an excellent and most valuable man,
with one of the soundest and coolest judgments that Lord Melbourne has
ever met with. Your Majesty knows that Lord Melbourne has never had
a favourable opinion of his health. There seems to be about him a
settled weakness of the stomach, which is in fact the seat of health,
strength, thought and life. Lord Melbourne sees that a great physician
says that Napoleon lost the battle of Leipsic in consequence of some
very greasy soup which he ate the day before, and which clouded his
judgment and obscured his perceptions.

Lord Melbourne is very glad to hear that your Majesty has amused
yourself so well in the country, and is not surprised that you are
unwilling to quit it. He means himself to see a little of the coming
in of the spring, which he has not done for many years.

[Footnote 27: The recipients had been the King of Saxony,
the Duke of Beaufort, the Duke of Buckingham, the Marquess of
Salisbury, the Duke of Cleveland.]

[Footnote 28: Baron Stockmar.]

[Pageheading: A BRILLIANT BALL]

_Queen Victoria to the King of the Belgians._

BUCKINGHAM PALACE, _19th April 1842._

DEAREST UNCLE,--I am so sorry to see by your kind letter of the
15th that you are all so _enrhumes_, but hear to-day from Vecto that
Charlotte is quite well again. I am quite bewildered with all the
arrangements for our _bal costume_, which I wish you could see; we are
to be Edward III. and Queen Philippa, and a great number of our Court
to be dressed like the people in those times, and very correctly, so
as to make a grand _Aufzug_; but there is such asking, and so many
silks and drawings and crowns, and God knows what, to look at, that I,
who hate being troubled about dress, am quite _confuse_.

To get a little rest we mean to run down to Claremont with the
children from Friday to Monday. My last ball was very splendid, and I
have a concert on Monday next....

I hope Ernest and dear Alexandrine will come in June, and stay some
time _quietly_ with us in the country. I saw another beautiful letter
of hers, so well and sensibly and religiously written, it would have
pleased you.