The Letters of Queen Victoria, Volume 1: 1837-1843 | Page 2

history. That the inner working of the unwritten constitution of the
country; that some of the unrealised checks and balances; that the
delicate equipoise of the component parts of our executive machinery,
should stand revealed, was inevitable. We have thought it best,
throughout, to abstain from unnecessary comment and illustration. The
period is so recent, and has been so often traversed by historians and
biographers, that it appeared to us a waste of valuable space to attempt
to reconstruct the history of the years from which this correspondence
has been selected, especially as Sir Theodore Martin, under the
auspices of the Queen herself, has dealt so minutely and exhaustively
with the relations of the Queen's innermost circle to the political and
social life of the time. It is tempting, of course, to add illustrative
anecdotes from the abundant Biographies and Memoirs of the period;
but our aim has been to infringe as little as possible upon the space
available for the documents themselves, and to provide just sufficient
comment to enable an ordinary reader, without special knowledge of
the period, to follow the course of events, and to realise the
circumstances under which the Queen's childhood was passed, the
position of affairs at the time of her accession, and the personalities of

those who had influenced her in early years, or by whom she was
surrounded.
The development of the Queen's character is clearly indicated in the
papers, and it possesses an extraordinary interest. We see one of highly
vigorous and active temperament, of strong affections, and with a deep
sense of responsibility, placed at an early age, and after a quiet girlhood,
in a position the greatness of which it is impossible to exaggerate. We
see her character expand and deepen, schooled by mighty experience
into patience and sagacity and wisdom, and yet never losing a particle
of the strength, the decision, and the devotion with which she had been
originally endowed. Up to the year 1861 the Queen's career was one of
unexampled prosperity. She was happy in her temperament, in her
health, in her education, in her wedded life, in her children. She saw a
great Empire grow through troubled times in liberty and power and
greatness; yet this prosperity brought with it no shadow of
complacency, because the Queen felt with an increasing depth the
anxieties and responsibilities inseparable from her great position. Her
happiness, instead of making her self-absorbed, only quickened her
beneficence and her womanly desire that her subjects should be
enabled to enjoy a similar happiness based upon the same simple
virtues. Nothing comes out more strongly in these documents than the
laborious patience with which the Queen kept herself informed of the
minutest details of political and social movements both in her own and
other countries.
It is a deeply inspiring spectacle to see one surrounded by every
temptation which worldly greatness can present, living from day to day
so simple, vivid, and laborious a life; and it is impossible to conceive a
more fruitful example of duty and affection and energy, displayed on so
august a scale, and in the midst of such magnificent surroundings. We
would venture to believe that nothing could so deepen the personal
devotion of the Empire to the memory of that great Queen who ruled it
so wisely and so long, and its deeply-rooted attachment to the principle
of constitutional monarchy, as the gracious act of His Majesty the King
in allowing the inner side of that noble life and career to be more
clearly revealed to a nation whose devotion to their ancient liberties is

inseparably connected with their loyalty to the Throne.

EDITORIAL NOTE
Our special thanks, for aid in the preparation of these volumes, are due
to Viscount Morley of Blackburn, who has read and criticised the book
in its final form; to Mr J. W. Headlam, of the Board of Education, and
formerly Fellow of King's College, Cambridge, for much valuable
assistance in preparing the prefatory historical memoranda; to Mr W. F.
Reddaway, Fellow of King's College, Cambridge, for revision and
advice throughout, in connection with the introductions and annotations;
to Lord Knollys, for criticism of selected materials; to Lord Stanmore,
for the loan of valuable documents; to Dr Eugene Oswald, for
assistance in translation; to Mr C. C. Perry and M. G. Hua, for
verification of French and German documents; to Miss Bertha
Williams, for unremitting care and diligence in preparing the volumes
for press; to Mr John Murray, our publisher, for his unfailing patience
and helpfulness; and especially to Mr Hugh Childers, for his
ungrudging help in the preparation of the Introductory annual
summaries, and in the political and historical annotation, as well as for
his invaluable co-operation at every stage of the work.

TABLE OF CONTENTS
CHAPTER I
Ancestry