out, and I have a long
Council with outgoing and incoming Ministers this afternoon, you will
excuse my taking leave here. Ever your truly devoted Niece,

VICTORIA R.

[Pageheading: THE SUGGESTED MARRIAGE]

_The Princess Hohenlohe to Queen Victoria._

LANGENBURG, _30th December 1852._

MY DEAREST VICTORIA,--According to your wish and our promise, we send
this servant with the most unwelcome news that yesterday morning M.
de Jaux arrived here and told Ernest (as you will see by his letter to
Albert) that the Count Walewski wishes to have an interview with him
to confer on the subject we know of. A quarter of an hour before I
received this letter from Uncle Leopold, which I sent in Ernest's
letter to Ada, and in which he speaks his opinion that we ought not
to say "_No_" _at once_, before telling Ada of it. This is very much
against my wish and Ernest's, for we both would like to make an end
of the affair as soon as possible, but cannot, as we see the truth of
what Uncle Leopold says. I send a letter to Mamma to you, and one for
Ada. Mamma knows of it, as she wrote to me the other day, and I leave
it to you, dearest Victoria, if you or Mamma will tell the poor child
of the transaction. She will be in great distress. I wish she may at
once say "_No_," but am not sure of it; and in our letters we have
not said anything for the thing, but nothing against also but what
naturally is to be said against it. She will not know what to do, and
I am sure you and Mamma will not put it to her in _too_ favourable a
light, as we are of the same opinion on the subject; but yet there may
be some things in its favour too. I wish you would make Charles come
to us--_if you think it wise to do so_--and he not only will try to
engage us to it. But there may be so many reasons for or against which
in a letter it is not possible to explain all, and which we could not
answer in time; besides by him we might learn more accurately what
Ada feels: but I leave it quite to your and Albert's judgment, if this
would be a good plan. I am in great distress, you well may think, my
dearest Victoria. Oh! if we could but say "_No_" at once!...

Many thanks, my dearest Victoria, for your kind letter of the 22nd. In
the papers I have been following with the greatest interest what has
been said on the formation of the new Ministry; there is one name
though which frightens me--Lord Palmerston. Let me wish you joy of the
New Year; may it _bring peace