ct unnecessary attention.
Believe me, always yours truly,

ALBERT.

[Pageheading: THE DUC DE NEMOURS]

_Queen Victoria to the King of the Belgians._

WINDSOR CASTLE, _24th October 1843._

MY DEAREST UNCLE,--I had the happiness of receiving your most kind
letter of the 20th yesterday, for which I thank you very much. The
good news of the dear Nemours coming is a great happiness to us, and
I fervently hope and trust that the Duc de Bordeaux will be kept off,
which I _fully_ expect he will. Suppose, however, he could _not_ be,
and the Nemours could not come _then_, would the King not kindly allow
them to come later? Even if the Chambers were to be sitting--such
a little _Ausflug_ of ten days only could really not be a great
inconvenience? Surely if you were to mention this to the dear King,
with my affectionate respects, he would grant it. It is besides only
in _case_ Bordeaux should come to London, which I _really_ think he
will _not_, if he once knows that the Nemours are coming. And I must
add that I think Nemours not coming at _all_ this year, after it had
been announced, would have a bad effect, particularly as people
here think that some great Powers have instigated Bordeaux's coming
here,--and even think that the Roman Catholics and Repealers in
Ireland mean to make use of him. Consequently Nemours _not_ coming _at
all_, should he be prevented from coming at the beginning of November,
would not be a good thing _politically_, independent of the _extreme
disappointment_ it would cause us....

The accounts both you and Louise gave me of good Hadjy and Chica give
me great pleasure, as I take a lively interest in both, and am very
fond of them. We found amongst some very curious old miniatures
several of Catherine of Braganza when young (Charles II.'s wife),
which are so like Chica;[77] it is curious how sometimes you can trace
likenesses many generations back....

Pray offer our respects to _all_. How long do you stay? Ever your
devoted niece,

VICTORIA R.

[Footnote 77: The Princess de Joinville was a sister of Queen
Maria II. of Portugal, and Queen Catherine of Braganza was
daughter of King John IV.]

[Pageheading: THE DUC DE BORDEAUX]

_The Earl of Aberdeen to Queen Victoria._

DRUMLANRIG, _27th October 1843._

Lord Aberdeen, with his humble duty, begs to lay before your Majesty
another letter received last night from Lord Morton,[78] which gives
an account of the visit