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The EARLY YEARS of HIS ROYAL…

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The EARLY YEARS of HIS ROYAL HIGH- NESS the PRINCE CONSORT. The following are extracts from a book j list pub- lished, entitled The Early Years of his Royal High- ness the Prince Consort," compiled under the direction of her Majesty the Queen, by Lieut.-General the Hon. C. Grey. It is not necessary for us to say any- thing to point out the deep interest which must attach to its contents, or the beauty, purity, and nobleness of the two lives which it reveals. As a mere contri- bution to history it has rarely—perhaps never—hap- pened that personal disclosures affecting the family life of a Sovereign have been so fully and frankly made during the existence of one of the two beings to whom they especially relate. We do not know, indeed, of any book which in this regard can be fairly said to resemble the volume now before us. But to England the book has an interest other than historical, and far deeper. It is the story of a love, a union, and a sorrow such as the chronicles of Courts can hardly parallel, and which cannot fail to awaken a thrilling emotion and sympathy in every English heart and it has been well observed that the book is the true Al- bert Monument. The Prince Consort is introduced to us at the early age of eight months. His mother thus describes her two sons Ernest est bien grand pour son age, vif et intelligent. Ses grands yeux noirs pgrillent d'esprit et de vivacite Albert est superbe—d'unebeaute extraordinaire a de grands yeux bleus, une tout petite bouche—un joli nez—et des fossettes a. chaque joue—il est grand et vif, et toujou.'S gai. 11 a trois dents, et malgr6, qu'il n'a que huit mois, il COlll- mence dejit a marcher. Again and again the infancy of the brothers is re- turned to with loving interest- "Little Alberinchen, with h<s large blue eyes and dimpled cheeks, is bewitching, fonvaru, and quick as a weasel. Ernest is not nearly so pretty, only his intelligent brown eyes are very fine; but he is tall, active, and clever, for his age." And again: "Albert is very handsome, hut too slight for a hoy; lively, very funny, al good nature, and full of mischief.' Then come various extracts from the journal of the boy prince, and regular schoolboy's lette s. Here is one, a model:— 1825.—Dear Papa,- The day before yesterday we went to see the Hof-Marshal, and yesterday the Colonel. Our Finches have such a line house'to live in Think of me very often, and bring lm a doll that noils its head.—Your little Albert. As the years of his boyhood pass by the character of the Prince, as we knew him, begins more clearly to develop itself, and his tutor, Herr Florschutz, furnishes a memoir of this transitive .time, which is replete with interest. Here is a brief portraiture Up to his tenth year, Prince Albert usually rose between six and seven in summer and between seven and eight in winter. The lively spirits with which he at once entered into the games of childhood, or the more serious occupations of youth, spoke the healthy tone of mind and body. The children breakfasted with their parents between nine and ten. The duke himself summoned them to the meal, unless the breakfast was in the open air, in which case the task of conducting them to the place, seldom the same two days fol- lowing, devolved on me. Dinner, which till his eleventh year Prince Albert had regularly alone with his brother and tutor, was at one Between four and live, when the duke's dinner was over, he had to appear before the company, after which he paid a visit to his grandmother, the Dowager Duchess Augusta and no morning passed, when at Got ha, without a visit to his maternal grandmother, the Duchess Caroline of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg. At seven o'clock the Prince supped, and was glad to retire to bed as soon after as possible. An irresistible feeling of sleepiness would come over him in the evening, which he found it difficult to resist even in after life and even his most cherished occupations, or the live- liest games were, at such times, ineffectual to keep him awake. If prevented from oinp; to bed he would suddenly disappear, and was generally found sleeping quietly in the recess of the window—for repose of some kind, though but for a quarter of an hour, was then indispensable; on one oQeasion-the first time I was present at his slIpper-the young Prince suddenly fell asleep and tumbled off his chair, but he was not hurt, and continued to sleep quietly on the ground. At six his regular lessons commenced. At first only one hour a day; from his seventh to his ninth year three hours—one before and another after breakfast, and OY;e in the afternoon. From his ninth to his eleventh year the time was extended to four hours, but as two hours of this time were given after breakfast they were too often interrupted by the distance of the place of breakfast. Bodily exercises, also regulated at fixed hours, and amusement filled up the rest of the day. Though the Prince's health was generally good, he had more than one illness, and was subject to serious, and some- times even alarming attacks of croup, which the most trifling cause, the slightest attack of cold, was sufficient to bring on. These attacks of croup were of frequent recurrence up to the Prince's tenth year, and often occasioned a hoarseness which lasted several days, and gave him much annoyance. It is Possible that the remedies adopted may have been insufficient, but it is well that some of the measures proposed were not adopted, such, for instance, as passing a hair through the Prince's throat! In his early youth Prince Albeit was very shy, and he had long to struggle against this feeling. He disliked visits from strangers, and at their approach would run to the further corner of the room, and cover his face with his hands; nor was it possible to make him look up or speak a word. If his doing so was insisted upon he resented to the Utmost, screaming violently. On one occasion, at a child's fancy ball given by the Duchess, Prince Albert, then in his fifth year, was brought down, and a little girl was selected as his partner; but when it came to his turn to move on, after the other dancers, nothing could induce him to stir, and his loud screams were heard echoing through the rooms. Even with his brother the Prince showed, at this time, rather too strong a will of his own, and this dis- position came out at times even in later years. Surpassing his brother in thoughtful earnestness, in calm reflection and self-command, and evincing, at the same time, more prudence in action, it was only natural that his will should prevail, and when compliance with it was not voluntarily yielded he was sometimes disposed to have recourse to compulsion. The distinguishing characteristics of the Prince's disposition were his winning cheerfulness and his endearing amiability. His disposition was always to take a cheerful view of life, and to see its best side. He was tond of fun and practical jokes, and on one occasion drew down a scolding from his father by getting his instructor in chemistry to fill a number of small glass vessels, about the size of a pea, with sul- phuretted hydrogen, which he threw about the floor of the pit and boxes of the theatre, to the great annoyance and discomfiture of the audience, at whose confusion he was highly delighted. The Prince's cousin, Count Arthur Mensdorff, con- tributes his recollections of these days of youth in a letter written to the Queen Castle Einod, March 16. 1863.-1 was deeply touched by the receipt of your gracious present; the photographs, which are a real treasure to me, and the splendisl book on the dear, great Albert. The small prints representing you in your widow's dress, have moved me deeply, and remind me sadly of the last happy days I spent with you in England in 1848, when Albert, my dear aunt, and the whole group of blooming children were gathered round you. I hardly dare call them children now, for some of them are married princes and princesses, who scarcely remember their old cousin in the mountains of Styria. How terribly has all this changed! How many noble and beloved beings has it pleased the Almighty to call into His kingdom, leaving us behind—alone and deserted! But what a dreadful heavy trial God has sent you, my broken-hearted cousin! And yet it is through his mercy and loving kindness that you have found strength to support the burden of this joyless life with such beautiful, such exemplary resignation Alexandrine has written to me that you wish me to write down all I can recollect of the early years of our beloved de- parted one. I will try and do so. Albert, as a child, was of a mild, benevolent disposition. It was only what he thought unjust or dishonest that could make him angry. Thus, I recollect one day when we children Albert, Ernest, Ferdinand, Augustus, Alexander, myself, and a few other boys (if T am not mistaken, Paul Wangenheim was one) were playing at the Rosenau, and some of us were to storm the old ruined tower on the side of the castle, which the others were to defend. One of us suggested that there was a place at the back by which we could get in without being seen, and thus capture it without difficulty. Albert declared that this would be most unbecoming in a Saxon knight, who should always attack the enemy in front;" and so we fought for the tower so honestly and vigorously that Albert by mistake, for I was on his side, gave me a blow upon the nose, of which I still bear the mark. I need not say how sorry he was for the wound he had given me. From his earliest infancy he was distinguished for perfect moral purity, both in word and in deed and to this he owed the sweetness of disposition so much admired by every one. Whilststill very young his heart was feelingly alive to the sufferings of the poor. I saw him one day gives beggar something by stealth, when he told me not to speak of it; for when you give to the poor," he said, you must see that nobody knows of it." Prince Albert came to London on his first visit in 1836. Her Majesty's first impressions are thus re- corded :— The Prince was at that time much shorter than his brother, already very handsome, but very stout, which he entirely grew' out of afterwards. He was most amiable, ft&tuTtilj unaffected, jincl merry—full of interest in every- thing, playing on the piano with the Princess, his cousin— drawing; in short, constantly occupied. He always paid the greatest attention to all he saw, and the Queen remem- bers well how intently he listened to the sermon preached in St. Paul's, where he and his father and brother accom- panied the Duchess of Kent and the Princess there on the occasion of the service attended by children of the different charity schools. It is indeed rare to see a Prince not yet 17 years of age bestowing such earnest attention on a sermon. A year after the Princess Victoria was Queen of England, and Prince Albert wrote to his -cousin a letter of congratulation which will be read with interest. It was written in English :— Bonn, 26th June, 1837.—My dearest cousin, I must write you a few lines to present you my sincerest felicitations on that great change which has taken place in your life. Now you are Queen of the mightiest land of Europe, in your hand lies the happiness of millions. May Heaven assist and strengthen you with its strength in that high but difficult task. I hope that your reign may be long, happy, and glorious, and that your efforts may be rewarded by the thankfulness and love of your subjects. May I pray you to think likewise some- times of your cousins in Bonn, and to continue to them that kindness you favoured them with till now? Be assured that our minds are always with you. I will not be indiscreet and abuse your time.—Believe me always, your Majesty's most obedient and faithful servant, ALBERT. On the 30th of July the Prince writes thus to his father :— Uncle Leopold has written to me a great deal about Eng- land and all that is going on there. United as all parties are in high praise of the young Queen, the more do they seem to maneeuvre and intrigue with and against each other. On every side there is nothing but a network of cabals and intr.'gues, and parties are arrayed against each other in the most inexplicable manner. In October, 1839, the Prince visited England. We learn from the volume that there had been some com- munication on the question of a marriage, and that on the part of the Queen a proposal had been made for a delay of two or three years. We now learn that The Prince has since told her that he came over in 1839 with the intention of telling her that if she could not then make up her mind she must understand tkit he could not now wait for a decision, as he had done at a former period when this marriage was first talked about. The only excuse the Queen can make for herself is in the fact that the sudden change from the secluded life at Kensington to the indepen- dence of her position as Queen Regnant, at the age of 18, put all ideas of marriage out,of her mind, which she now most bitterly repents. A worse school for a young girl, or one more detrimental to all natural feelings and affections, cannot well be imagined than the position of a Queen at 18, without experience, and without a husband to guide and support her. This the Queen can state from painful expe- rience, and she thanks God that none of her dear daughters are exposed to such danger. It was on the 9th of October that the Prince arrived at Windsor, and on the 15tli the Queen, having previously communicated with Lord Melbourne, offered him her hand. The circumstances are thus narrated On the 15th there was an important interruption to the ordinary routine of the day. The Queen had told Lord Mel- bourne the day before that she had made up her mind to the marriage, at which he expressed great satisfaction, and he said to her, as her Majesty states in her journal, I think it will be very well received; for I hear that there is an anxiety now that it should be, and I am very glad of it; adding, in quite a paternal tone, You willbe much more comfortable; for a woman cannot stand alone for any time, in whatever position she may be." Can we wonder that the Queen, re- calling those circumstances, should exclaim, Alas, alas the poor Queen now stands in that painful position An intimation was accordingly given to the Prince, through Baron Alvensleben, Master of the Horse to the Duke of Coburg, hiid long attached to his family, who had accom- panied the Prince to England, that the Queen wished to speak to him the next day. On that day, the 15th, the Prince had been out hunting early with his brother, but returned at twelve, and half an hour afterwards obeyed the Queen's summons to her room, where he found her alone. After a few minutes' conversa- tion on other subjects the Queen told him why she had sent for him and we can well understand any little hesitation and delicacy she may have felt in doing so; for the Queen's position, making it imperative that any proposal of marriage should come first from her, must necessarily appear a pain- ful one to those who, deriving their ideas on this subject from the practice of pri vate life, are wont to look upon it as the privilege and happiness of a woman to have her hand sought in marriage, instead of having to offer it herself. On the same day the Queen announced her intention to the King of the Belgians in the following letter Windsor Castle, Oct. 15, 1830. My dearest Uncle,—This letter will, I am sure, give you great pleasure, for you have always shown and taken so warm an interest in all that concerns me. My mind is quite made up, and I told Albert this morning of it. The warm affection he showed me on learning this gave me great pleasure. He seems perfection, and I think that I have the prospect of very great happiness before me. I love him MORE than I can say, and shall do everything in my power to render this sacrifice (for such in my opinion it is) as small as I can. He seems to have great tact, a very necessary thing in his posi- tion. These last few days have passed like a dream to me, and [ am so much bewildered by it all that I hardly know how to write; but I do feel very happy. It is absolutely necessary that this determination of mine should be known to no one but yourself and to Uncle Ernest until after the meeting of Parliament, as it would be considered otherwise neglectful on my part not to have assembled Parliament at once to inform them of it. Lord Melbourne, whom I have of course consulted about the whole affair, quite approves my choice, and expresses great satisfaction at this event, which he thinks in every way highly desirable. Lord Melbourne has acted in this business, as he has always done towards me, with the greatest kindness and affection. We also think it better, and Albert quite approves of it, that we should be married very soon after parliament meets, about the beginning of February. Pray, dearest uncle, forward these two letters to Uncle Ernest, to whom I beg you will enjoin strict secrecy, aud ex- plain these details, which I have not tim (to do, and to faithful Stockinar. I think you might tell Louise of it, but none of her family. I wish to keep the dear young gentleman here till the end of next month. Ernest's sincere pleasure gives me great de- light. He does so adore dearest Albert.-Ever, dearest uncle, your devoted niece, "V. R." The King replies, that on receiving- the news he had almost the feeling of old Simeon-" Now lettest thou thy servant. depart in peace." The Prince wrote thus of his interview to Prince Lowenstein. He says Yes-I am now actually a bridegroom; and about the 4th of February hope to see myself united to her I love. You know how matters stood when I last saw you here. After that the sky was darkened more and more. The Queen de- clared to my uncle of Belgium that she wished the affair to be considered as broken off, and that for four years she could think of no marriage. I went, therefore, with the quiet but firm resolution to declare, on my part, that I also, tired of the delay, withdrew entirely from the affair. It was not, however, thus ordained by Providence for on the second day after our arrival, the most friendly demonstrations were directed towards me, and two days later I was secretly called to a private audience, in which the Queen offered me her hand and heart. A little later he wrote to his grandmother as follows Dear Grandmamma,—I tremble as I take up my pen, for I cannot but fear that what I am about to tell you will at the same time raise a thought which cannot be otherwise than painful to you, and, oh which is very much so to me also-namely, that of parting. The subject which has occupied us so much of latols at last settled. The Queen sent for me alone to her room a few days ago, and declared to me in a genuine outburst of love and affec- tion (Ergusse von HerzlichJceit und Liebe), that I had gained her whole heart, and would make her intensely happy (ubergiiicklieh) if I would make her the sacrifice of sharing her life with her; for she said she looked on it as a sacrifice" the only thing which troubled her was that she did not think she was worthy of me. The joyous openness of manner in which she told me this quite enchanted me, and I was quite carried away In it. She is really most good and amiable, and I am quite sure Heaven has not given me into evil hands, and that we shall be happy together. Since that moment Victoria does whatever she fancies I should wish or like, and we talk together a great deal about our future life, which she promises me to make as happy as possible. Oh, the future does it not bring with it the moment when I shall have to take leave of my dear, dear, home, and of you ? I cannot think of that without deep melancholy taking possession of me. It was on the 15th of October that Victoria made me this declaration, and I have hitherto shrunk from telling you; but how does delay make it better ? The period of our marriage is already close at hand. The Queen and the Ministers wish exceedingly that it should take place in the first days of February, in which I acquiesced after hearing their reasons for it. We have, therefore, fixed our departure for the 14th inst., so as to have still as much time as possible at home. We shall, therefore, follow close upon this letter. My position here will be very pleasant, inasmuch as I have refused all the offered titles. I keep my own name, and remain what I was. This will make me very independent, and makes it easy for me to run over occasionally (einen Sprung nacii der Heimwth zu maehen) to see.all my dear relations. But it is very painful to know that there will be the sea between us. I now take leave of you again. Victoria is writing to you herself to tell you all she wishes. I ask you to give me your grandmotherly blessing in this important and decisive step in my life; it will be a talis- man to me against all the storms the future may have in store for me. J Good-bye, dear grandmamma, and do not take your love from me. J Heaven will make all things right. -nr. i Alwaj s and ever your devoted grandson, Windsor, Nov. il, 1839. ALBERT. May I beg of you to keep the news a secret till the end'of the month, as it will only then be made known here ? The remainder of the volume relates to the prelimi- nary arrangements for the marriage, the household arrangements, the domestic and political relations of the Prince and, we are told, that there were persons who desired to keep the Prince aloof from all connec- tion with public business, and Not only so, but who would have denied him even in the domestic circle that authority which in private families pro- perly belongs to the husband, and without which, it may be added, there cannot be true comfort or happiness in domestic iie. The Prince himself writes in May, 1840, to Prince Lowenstein The difficulty in filling my place with the proper dignity is that I am only the husband, and not the master in the house. The editor remarks :— Fortunately, however, for the country, and still more fortunately for the happiness of the Royal couple them- selves, things did not long remain in this condition. Thanks to the firmness, but, at the same time, gentleness with which the Prince insisted on filling his proper position as head of the family, thanks also to the clear judgment and right feeling of the Queen, as well as to her singularly honest and straightforward nature; but thanks, more than all, to the mutual love and perfect confidence which bound the Queen and Prince to each other, it was impossible to keep up any separation or difference of interests or duties between them. To those who would urge upon the Queen that, as Sovereign, she must be the head of the house and family, as well as of the State, and that her husband was after all but one of her subjects, her Majesty would reply, that she had solemnly engaged at the altar to "obey" as well as to "love and honour;" and this sacred obligation she could consent neither to limit nor refine away. From the first the Prince made it a special object to remain thoroughly impartial in politics, and to per- suade the Queen to hold the same position, Lord Melbourne himself on more than one occasion support- ing him. The Prince ardently loved the country, and the Queen soon acquired his taste. In 1840 her Majesty writes I told Albert that formerly I was too happy to go to London and wretched to leave it, and now, since the blessed hour of my marriage, and still more since the summer, I dislike and am unhappy to leave the country, and could be content and happy never to go to town. This pleased him. The solid pleasures of a peaceful quiet, yet merry life in the country, with my inestimable husband and friend, my all in all, are far more durable than the amusements of London, though we don't despise or dislike these sometimes. Later still Her Majesty complains of suffering much from the oppressiveness of the atmosphere of London, which constantly afflicted her with headache. On the 10th of June, 1840, Edward Oxford made his attempt on the Queen's life. Our readers will be interested in seeing Prince Albert's own account of the affair. It was addressed to his grandmother :— To the Dowager Duchess of Gotha, &c. Buckingham Palace, June 11, 1840. Dear Grandmamma,—I hasten to give you an account of an event which might otherwise be misrepresented to you, which endangered my life, and that of Victoria, but from which we escaped under the protection of the watchful hand of Providence. We drove out yesterday afternoon, about six o'clock, to pay Aunt Kent a visit, and to take a turn round Hyde Park. We drove in a small phaeton. I sat on the right, Victoria on the left. We had hardly proceeded a hundred yards from the Palace when I noticed on the foot- path, on my side, a little mean-looking man holding some- thing towards us, and before I could distinguish what it was, a shot was fired, which almost stunned us both, it was so loud, and fired barely six paces from us. Victoria had just turned to the left to look at a horse, and could not therefore understand why her ears were ringing, as from its being so very near she could hardly distinguish that it proceeded from a shot having been fired. The horses started, and the carriage stopped. I seized Victoria's hands, and asked if the fright had not shaken her, but she laughed at the thing. I then looked again at the man, who was still standing in the same place, his arms crossed, and a pistol in each hand. His attitude was so affected and theatrical it quite amused me. Suddenly he again pointed his pistol and fired a second time. This time Victoria also saw the shot, and stooped quickly, drawn down by me. The ball must have passed just above her head, to judge from the place where it was found sticking in an opposite wall. The many people who stood round us and the man, and were at first petrified with fright on seeing what had happened, now rushed upon him. I called to the postillion to go on, and we arrived savely at Aunt Kent's. From thence we took a short drive through the park, partly to give Victoria a little air, partly also to show the public that we had not, on account of what had happened, lost all confidence in them. To-day I am very tired and knocked up by the quantity of visitors, the questions and descriptions I have had to give. You must, therefore, excuse my ending now, only thanking you for your letter, which I have just received, but have not yet been able to read. My chief anxiety was lest the fright should have been injurious to Victoria in her present state, but she is quite well, as I am myself. I thank Almighty God for His protection.—Your faithful grandson, ALBERT. The name of the culprit is Edward Oxford. He is seventeen ye&rs old, a waiter in a low inn-not mad, but quiet and composed. One other passage, describing the personal habits of the Prince, we must give From the moment of his establishment in the English palace as the husband of the Queen, his object was to main- tain and, if possible, even raise the character of the Court. With this view he knew that it was not enough that his own conduct should be in truth free from reproach—no shadow of a shade of suspicion should by possibility attach to it. He knew that in his position every action would be scanned —not always possibly in a friendly spirit; that his goings out and comings in would be watched, and that in every society, however little disposed to be censorious, there would always be found some prone, were an opening afforded, to exaggerate and even to invent stories against him, and to put an uncharitable construction on the most innocent acts. He, therefore, from the first, laid down strict, not to say severe, rules, for his own guidance. He imposed a degree of restraint and self-denial upon his own movements, which could not have been otherwise than irksome, had he not been sustained by a sense of the advantage which the Throne would derive from it. He denied himself the pleasure—which, to one so fond as he was of personally watching and inspecting every improve- ment that was in progress, would have been very great-of walking at will about town. Wherever he went, whether in a carriage or on horseback, he was accompanied by his equerry. He paid no visits in general society. His visits were to the studio of the artist, to museums of art or science, to institutions for good and benevolent purposes. Where- ever a visit from him, or his presence, could tend to advance the real good of the people, there his horses might be seen waiting never at the door of mere fashion. Scandal itself could take no liberty with his name. He loved to ride through all the districts of London where building and improvements were in progress, more especially when they were such as would conduce to the health or recreation of the working classes and few, if any, knew so well, or took such interest as he did, in all that was being done, at any distance—east, west, north, or south of the great city-from Victoria Park to Battersea from the Regent's Park to the Crj stal Palace, and far IK yond. "He would frequently return," the Queen says, "to luncheon at a great pace, and would always come through the Queen's dressing-room, where she generally was at that time, with that bright loving smile with which he ever greeted her, telling where he had been, what new build- ings he had seen, what studios, &c., he had visited. Riding for mere riding's sake he disliked, and said Es ennuyirt mich so (It bores me so)." We quote our last extract from a memorandum of her Majesty in regard to the birth of the Princess Royal:— No one but himself ever lifted her from her bed to her sofa, and he always helped to wheel her on her bed or sofa into the next room. For this purpose he would come in- stantly, when sent for, from any part of the house. As years went on and he became overwhelmed with work (for his attentions were the same in all the Queen's subsequent confinements) this was often done at much inconvenience to himself, but he ever came with a sweet smile on his face. In short," the Queen adds, "his care of her was like that of a mother, nor could there be a kinder, wiser, or more judicious nurse." We must now conclude our hasty sketch of the nature of this interesting anfd touching record of a noble life. We doubt not it has been a labour of love. We are sure that it will be appreciated, as it deserves to be, by every one whose sympathy or good opinion is to be desired."

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