f Princess Clementine; Leopold your Aunt wished, and
George in honour of St George of England and of George IV. Probably I
shall hereafter give to Leopold the title of Duke of Brabant, and to
Philippe that of Count of Flanders, both fine old titles.

[Footnote 28: Philippe, second son of King Leopold, afterwards
Count of Flanders. He died in 1905.]

[Pageheading: PRESS COMMENTS]

_The King of the Belgians to the Princess Victoria._

LAEKEN, _7th April 1837._

MY DEAREST CHILD,--... You have been the subject of all sorts of
newspaper paragraphs; your good and sensible way of looking on these
very creditable productions _will be of use to you_. If the press says
useful things, and makes observations which merit attention, there
is no doubt that sometimes, though God knows very rarely, something
useful may be gleaned from them. But when you see its present state,
when the one side says black and the other white, when the opposite
political characters are treated by their respective antagonists as
rogues, fools, blockheads, wretches, and all the other names in which
the English political dictionary is so _very rich_, one stands like
the ass, between two bundles of hay, considerably embarrassed which
ought to be chosen....

[Pageheading: THE PRINCESS'S ESTABLISHMENT]

_The King of the Belgians to the Princess Victoria._

LAEKEN, _11th April 1837._

... As I believe the visit at Windsor is fixed for the 15th, I hope
this letter will arrive in time. Perhaps the King will speak to you
about the necessity of forming you an establishment.[29]... Your
position, having a Mother with whom you very naturally remain, would
render a _complete_ independent establishment perhaps matter of _real_
inconvenience; still something like that which Charlotte had will
become desirable. My idea, if it meets with your approbation, would
be this: The Duchess of Northumberland would remain your first Lady,
Baroness Lehzen would fill a position similar to that of Mrs Campbell,
who had been Charlotte's governess in her younger days, and the
Dean[30] would step into the position which good Dr Short[31] held.
An Equerry, I do not think--as you will not go out without your
Mother--you would require. On the other hand, it may become matter
of examination if you will perhaps like to have some young ladies
attendants in the style of Lady Catherine Jenkinson;[32] should this
be your wish, it would become necessary to make v