then aged four) had been a subject
of incessant consideration by England and France. The
Queen-Mother had suggested to Louis Philippe the marriages of
the Queen to the Duc d'Aumale and of the Infanta (her sister)
to the Duc de Montpensier: such a proposal, however gratifying
to the French King's ambition, would naturally not have been
favourably viewed in England; but Guizot promoted warmly the
alternative project of a marriage of the Queen to her cousin
Don Francisco de Asis, Duke of Cadiz, son of Don Francisco de
Paula, the Infanta being still to marry Montpensier. It was
believed that, if this marriage of the Queen took place, there
would be no issue of it, and Louis Philippe's ambition would
be ultimately gratified. To Palmerston's protest against this
scheme (before the Melbourne Ministry fell), Guizot replied,
"_La Reine aura des enfants et ne mourra pas._" The other
possible candidates for the Queen's hand from the French point
of view were Count Montemolin, the son of Don Carlos, the
Count de Trapani, son of Francis I., King of the Two Sicilies,
and thus brother of Queen Christina, and the Duke of Seville,
a brother of the Duke of Cadiz. Other candidates also favoured
by the Queen-Mother were (while he was unmarried) Prince
Albert's brother, and his cousin Leopold, brother of the King
of Portugal; but the French King was bent upon a marriage
of the Queen with some descendant of Philip V., and equally
determined to prevent the Infanta's marriage either with
Leopold or any other Prince not a descendant of Philip V. The
view of Prince Albert and of Lord Aberdeen was that it was a
matter for the young Queen herself and the Spanish people. See
_ante_, p. 485. (Ch. XII, 20th July, 1843)]

_The Earl of Aberdeen to Queen Victoria._

FOREIGN OFFICE, _13th August 1843._

Lord Aberdeen, with his most humble duty, begs to assure your Majesty
that he will not fail to give his best attention to your Majesty's
communication respecting the marriage of the Queen of Spain.

In a recent despatch to Sir Robert Gordon, Lord Aberdeen has repeated
the opinion entertained by your Majesty's Government, that the
marriage of the Queen with the son of Don Carlos, instead of leading
to the conciliation and unison of parties, would be more likely to
produce collision and strife, and to increase the existing animosity
be