elighted to hear Stockmar is at length arrived; he reached
London on Wednesday, and we shall see him to-day.

How distressed I am that poor dear Ernest[46] has been so ill! Thank
God! that he is now better.

The Spanish affairs have turned out better than you had expected; the
triumphant capture of Irun[47] was a great thing for the Christinos.

The King is much better.

[Footnote 45: Thomas Attwood founded in 1829 the Birmingham Political
Union, which helped to pass the Reform Act. Previously he had been
known for his opposition to the Orders in Council, and the resumption
of cash payments. Birmingham elected him without opposition in 1832,
and he sat till 1840.]

[Footnote 46: Prince Ernest of Saxe-Coburg.]

[Footnote 47: The frontier town of Spain, near St Sebastian,
captured, 16th May, by the Christinos, supported by British
troops.]

[Pageheading: ADVICE AND ENCOURAGEMENT]

_The King of the Belgians to the Princess Victoria._

TUILERIES, _7th June 1837._

... The _entree_[48] last Sunday was something remarkably splendid; we
saw it from the Tuileries, as we had nothing to do with the business
itself, and your Aunt's rank would have clashed with that of the
Duchess of Orleans. The effect of all this on the people of this great
town has been _very great_, and evidently much ground has been solidly
regained. The King, getting out of that sort of confinement in which
it was necessary to keep, has gained much in personal comfort, and
also in a political point of view; because to have a King who cannot
show himself without being shot at, is a state of society which lowers
his authority....

For the present the best plan is to continue to act as you have
done hitherto; to avoid quarrels, but also to stick _firmly to your
resolution when once_ taken. The violence which is sometimes shown is
so well known to you, you know also so well that you have nothing
to fear from these people, that _you must keep up your usual cool
spirit_, whatever may be tried in the House to _teaze you out of it_.
I mean to wait some more detailed accounts of what is going on in
England before I give my opinion on what ought to be done in the case
that the King's disease should take a more fatal turn.

As I told you before, however, when we treated this subject verbally
and in writing, I believe it to be your interest to act very mildly,
_to begin by taking everything as the King leaves it_