[page 41]

The King of the Belgians to the Princess Victoria.

THE PRINCESS'S CONFIRMATION
Camp of Beverloo
(in the North of the Province of Limburg),
3rd August 1835.

My dear Love,—By your Mother's letter of the 31st ulto., I learned of the serious
and important action in your young life20 which has passed recently, and I cannot
let it pass without saying some words on the subject. I am perhaps rather strangely
situated for a preaching—somewhat in the style of those old camp preachers who held
forth to many thousand people on some heath in Scotland. I am also on an immense
heath, surrounded by 16,000 men, mostly young and gay, cooking, singing, working,
and not very like the stern old Covenanters; however, I shall try. First of all, let
me congratulate you that it passed happily and well off. Secondly, let me entreat
you to look with a serious and reflective mind on the day which is past. Many are
the religions, many the shades of those religions, but it must be confessed the
principles of the Christian religion are the most perfect and the most beautiful
that can be imagined.... There is one virtue which is particularly Christian; this
is the knowledge of our own heart in real humility. Hypocrisy is a besetting sin of
all times, but particularly of the present, and many are the wolves in sheep's
clothes. I am sorry to say, with all my affection for old England, the very state of
its Society and politics renders many in that country essentially humbugs and
deceivers; the appearance of the thing is generally more considered than the
reality; provided matters go off well, and opinion may be gained, the real good is
matter of the most perfect indifference. Defend yourself, my dear love, against this
system; let your dear character always be true and loyal; this does not exclude
prudence—worldly concerns are now unfortunately so organised that you must be
cautious or you may injure yourself and others—but it does not prevent the being
sterling and true. Nothing in persons gives greater reliance, greater weight, than
when they are known to be true. HONESTY AND SINCERITYFrom your earliest childhood I
was anxious to see in you this important virtue saved and developed, and Lehzen will
still be able to recollect that. If it is God's pleasure that you should once21 fill
the arduous situation to which you seem destined, you will find the importance of
what I now say to you. And when others may tremble to have at last their real
character found out, and to meet all the contempt which they may deserve, your mind
and heart will be still and happy, because it will [page 42]know that it acts
honestly, that truth and goodness are the motives of its actions. I press you now
against my heart; may God bless you as I wish and hope it, and may you always feel
some affection for your sincerely devoted camp preacher and Uncle,

Leopold R.

Footnote 20: The Princess was confirmed at the Chapel Royal, on 30th July 1835.

Footnote 21: King Leopold not infrequently uses "once" like the Latin olim, as
referring to any indefinite date in the future as well as in the past. "Some day" is
what is intended here.
[page 43]
INTRODUCTORY NOTE
TO CHAPTER V
The year 1836 was not an eventful one at home; the Whig Ministry were too weak to
carry measures of first-rate importance, and could hardly have maintained themselves
in power against the formidable opposition of Sir Robert Peel without the support of
O'Connell. Parliament was chiefly occupied by the consideration of the Secret
Societies in Ireland, Tithes, Municipal Corporations, and such matters; the Marriage
Act, and the Act for the Registration of Births have probably been the most
important measures of the year to the country. Troubles which were destined to
become more acute arose in Lower Canada and Jamaica, both taking the form of
disputes between the executive and the legislature.

On the continent of Europe, affairs were more disturbing. Several attempts were made
on the life of the King of the French, while an abortive insurrection with a view of
establishing a military empire was made by Louis Bonaparte at Strasburg. The Prince
was allowed to leave the country and go to the United States, but his accomplices
were detained for trial. In Algiers the French Government determined to prosecute
operations against the Arab Chief Abd-el-Kader, and they sent an expedition to
Constantin.

Holland and Belgium were occupied with a dispute about their boundary line, the
cession to Belgium of Luxemburg being the chief point of difference. The
difficulties that arose in passing an important Municipal Act for Belgium caused
King Leopold temporarily to regret he had not accepted the throne of Greece.

Portugal was still convulsed by revolutionary agitation. Dom Pedro, the eldest son
of King John VI., had been proclaimed Emperor of Brazil in his father's lifetime,
and had abdicated the throne of Portugal in favour of his daughter Donna Maria, a
child seven years old, while Dom Miguel, his younger brother, who had acted in
opposition to his father in Portugal, claimed the throne for himself. Dom Pedro had
agreed that his daughter should marry Miguel, who was in 1827 appointed Regent.
Miguel, had he acted wisely, might have maintained himself on the throne, but Dom
Pedro, who had been expelled from Brazil by a revolution, took active steps to
recover the Portuguese throne for his daughter, and equipped an expedition for that
end with English and French volunteers. In this way, Donna Maria, who had spent part
of her exile in England, and formed a friendship with the Princess Victoria, was
through [page 44]British instrumentality placed on her throne, but still could only
maintain herself with difficulty against Miguel. She was a few weeks older than the
Princess Victoria, and had recently lost her first husband, the Duc de Leuchtenberg.
She was married by proxy on the 1st of January 1836, and in person on the 9th of
April, to Prince Ferdinand of Saxe-Coburg.

There was also a disputed succession in Spain, where by the ancient law women might
succeed to the throne. Ferdinand VII., who had revoked the Pragmatic Sanction of
1711 and restored the former system, died in 1833, leaving no son. His elder
daughter Isabella, then three years of age, was proclaimed Queen (her mother
Christina being appointed Regent), and Isabella's claims were recognised by England
and France. The late King's brother, Don Carlos, taking his stand upon the Salic Law
as established by the Pragmatic Sanction, raised the standard of revolt and allied