, one way or the other, about
Protection or Free Trade, and that he would make a very good Free
Trade Minister.

The Queen was anxious to know what Lord Derby thought Lord George
Bentinck (if now alive) would do in this conjunction. Lord Derby's
expression was "he would have made confusion worse confounded" from
his excessive violence.

ALBERT.

[Pageheading: RECOGNITION OF THE EMPIRE]

_Queen Victoria to the Earl of Malmesbury._

OSBORNE, _2nd December 1852._

The Queen has received Lord Malmesbury's letter, and returns the
enclosure from Lord Cowley. Under these circumstances the course
recommended to be pursued by Lord Malmesbury[51] appears also to the
Queen as the best. It is evident that we have no means of making
Louis Napoleon say what he will not, nor would any diplomatic form of
obtaining an assurance from him give us any guarantee of his not doing
after all exactly what he pleases. Our honour appears therefore to be
best in our own keeping. Whatever he may say, it is in our _note of
recognition_ that we must state _what_ we recognise and what we do
_not_ recognise.

[Footnote 51: Lord Malmesbury advised that a formal repetition
of the interpretation and assurances as to the use of the
numeral "III" in the Imperial title, already verbally made by
the President and the French Ambassador, should be demanded.
This was duly obtained. On the 2nd of December, the
anniversary of the _coup d'etat_, the Imperial title was
assumed; on the 4th, the Empire was officially recognised.]

_The Earl of Derby to Queen Victoria._

ST JAMES'S SQUARE, _3rd December 1852._
(_Friday night, twelve o'clock_ P.M.)

Lord Derby, with his humble duty, ventures to hope that your Majesty
may feel some interest in hearing, so far as he is able to give it,
his impression of the effect of Mr Disraeli's announcement of the
Budget[52] this evening. Lord Derby was not able to hear quite the
commencement of the Speech, having been obliged to attend the House
of Lords, which, however, was up at a quarter past five, Mr Disraeli
having then been speaking about half an hour. From that time till
ten, when he sat down, Lord Derby was in the House of Commons, and
anxiously watching the effect produced, which he ventures to assure
your Majesty was most favourable, according to his own judgment after
some considerable experience in Parliament, and also from what he
heard from others. Mr Disraeli spok