hich your Majesty
expresses for his health, as well as your Majesty's solicitude and
interest upon all occasions. Lord Melbourne will take your Majesty's
advice, but his experience teaches him that illness is not so easily
put off, and that it will have its course in spite of precaution....

Lord Melbourne thinks, upon the whole, that your Majesty had perhaps
better write by messenger a few lines of kindness and recollection.
It can be no descent on your Majesty's part to do so, and as we may be
obliged to take very strong measures with respect to Portugal, it
is as well that there should be no appearance of any deficiency of
affection or attention. Lord Melbourne [thinks] that, for the reason
given by your Majesty, your Majesty may perhaps as well not go to the
play this evening, but is very sorry to hear that your Majesty is low
and out of spirits.

_Queen Victoria to the King of the Belgians._

BUCKINGHAM PALACE, _14th March 1839._

MY DEAR UNCLE,--Many thanks for two letters, one which I received last
Sunday, and the other enclosing a letter from Stockmar this morning. I
am glad you agree with me about Victoire.[18] Since I wrote to you,
I got these two letters from the Portuguese children--as I
disrespectfully but very deservedly call them--which I send you, in
order that you may see how they wish Victoire to come to them, which
I fear and think is totally impracticable, for it would never do for
Victoire to go so far without her mother. Nevertheless, I thought it
but right by them to send you these letters, and I have written to
them giving them little hope.

The French Ministry are gone, and I am sure the poor King will be much
vexed by it. They talk of Broglie as Minister for Foreign Affairs,[19]
but I am afraid Thiers is inevitable. We are rather in fear of Thiers
here, but it is a pity that Louis Philippe should show so much dislike
to a man he must take, for it will have the effect of a defeat.

I have no time to add more, but to beg you to believe me, always, your
most affectionate Niece,

VICTORIA R.

[Footnote 18: Daughter of Prince Ferdinand of Saxe-Coburg, and
married in April 1840 to the Duc de Nemours.]

[Footnote 19: After a provisional Cabinet, in which the Duc de
Montebello was Foreign Minister, the King appointed a Ministry
with Soult as Premier and Foreign Minister.]

[Pageheading: DIFFICULTIES OF THE MINISTRY]

_Viscount Melbourne to Queen Victoria.