onciles you" for not having gone to Greece is, that you
are near me and can see me. Thank Heaven that you did not go there! it
would have been dreadful for me and for all your relations to be thus,
as it were, cut off from almost all intercourse! It is _hard_ enough,
that you are as far as you are, when I recollect the happy time when I
could see you, and be with you, _every_ day!...

_The Princess Victoria to the King of the Belgians._

KENSINGTON PALACE, _29th March 1836._

MY DEAREST UNCLE,-- ... As concerning the "fatigues" we are said to
have undergone, they were none to me, and made me very happy; I only
wish they could have lasted longer, for all, all is over now, and our
_beloved_ Ferdinand[2] himself leaves our shores this _very_ morning.
We accompanied them all on Sunday, where we took a final leave of our
dear Ferdinand, and I cannot tell you how sorry I was, and am, to see
him go, for I love him dearly. He is so truly excellent, kind,
and good, and endears himself so much by his simplicity and
good-heartedness! I may venture to say, that no one has his prosperity
and happiness more at heart than I have. I am extremely sanguine about
his success. He goes there full of courage, spirits, and goodwill,
and being naturally clever and observant, I doubt not that with good
counsel, and prudence, he will do very well. _Your_ kind advice will
be of the greatest and most important use to him, the more so as he is
so exceedingly fond of you.... Ferdinand leaves behind him here a most
favourable impression on all parties, for _I_ have even _heard_ from
some great Tories themselves that there was a great feeling _for_ him
in this country.

[Footnote 2: See _ante_, p. 45. (Ch. V, Footnote 1).
He had latterly been visiting the Duchess of Kent.]

[Pageheading: THE PRINCES ERNEST AND ALBERT]

_The Princess Hohenlohe to the Princess Victoria._

STUTTGART, _16th April 1836._

... You will like our two Coburg cousins also, I think; they are more
manly than I think the two others are, after the description. I am
very fond of them both. Ernest is my favourite, although Albert
is much handsomer, and cleverer too, but Ernest is so honest and
good-natured. I shall be very curious to hear your opinion upon
them....

_The Princess Victoria to the King of the Belgians._

KENSINGTON PALACE, _26th April 1836._

MY DEAREST, BEST UNCLE,-- ... You will, I am sure, have been delighted
with M. de Neum