een-Dowager's behaviour towards them all. The poor Duchess of
Gloster is again in one of her nervous states, and gave us a dreadful
fright at the Christening by quite forgetting where she was, and
coming and kneeling at my feet in the midst of the service. Imagine
our horror!

I must now conclude. The weather is beautiful, but too hot for me.
Ever your devoted Niece,

VICTORIA R.

[Footnote 20: Lamartine and Ledru Rollin were members of the
Provisional Government, and subsequently of the Executive
Committee. The mob, holding that the promises of general
employment had been broken, invaded the Assembly _en masse_,
and attempted a counter-revolution.]

[Footnote 21: Out of the revolutionary movement in Germany
had grown their National Assembly, which after a preliminary
session as a _Vor-Parlament_, was to reassemble on 18th May.]

[Pageheading: AUSTRIA AND ITALY]

_Queen Victoria to Viscount Palmerston._

(_No date._)

The Queen has carefully perused the enclosed papers, and wishes to
have a copy of Baron Hummelauer's[22] note sent to her to keep.

The basis laid down in it is quite inadmissible, and the Queen was
struck by the light way in which the claims of the Dukes of Parma
and Modena are spoken of (as disposed of by the events), whilst their
position and that of Austria are in every respect identical.[23] The
Queen thinks Lord Palmerston's proposition the one which is the most
equitable, still likely to be attained, but it does not go far enough;
the position which Austria means to take _in Italy_ with her Italian
province ought to be explained, and a declaration be made that Austria
will, with this province, join any Italian league which the other
states of Italy may wish to establish. This will be useful to Italy,
and much facilitate the acceptance of the Austrian proposal, as the
Queen feels convinced that as soon as the war shall be terminated, the
question of the political constitution of Italy (as a whole) will
have to be decided. Why Charles Albert ought to get any additional
territory the Queen cannot in the least see. She thinks it will be
better to proceed at once upon the revised Austrian proposal, than
to wait for Italian propositions, which are sure to be ridiculously
extravagant.

[Footnote 22: The Austrian Government, in its efforts to
maintain its ascendency in Lombardy, had sent Baron Hummelauer
to negotiate with Lord Palmerston.]