sixty-four wounded. Sir Francis Baring will forward to your Majesty
copies of the despatches to-morrow, with his humble duty.

F. BARING.

[Footnote 11: Notorious as a centre of the Slave Trade. The
native king was deposed.]

_Queen Victoria to Sir Francis Baring._

BUCKINGHAM PALACE, _16th February 1852._

The Queen has received both Sir Francis Baring's letters of the 15th.
The news of the capture and destruction of the town of Lagos has given
us the _greatest_ satisfaction, as it will give a most serious blow to
the iniquitous traffic in slaves. The Rev. Mr Crowther, whom the Queen
saw about two months ago (and whom she believes Sir Francis Baring has
also seen), told us that the slave trade on that part of the African
coast would be at an end if Lagos, the stronghold of its greatest
supporters, was destroyed. The Queen must express to Sir Francis
Baring her sense of the services rendered by Commodore Bruce and the
Officers under him.

_Queen Victoria to the King of the Belgians._

BUCKINGHAM PALACE, _17th February 1852._

MY DEAREST UNCLE,--Your dear letter of the 13th reached me on Saturday
here, where we are since Friday afternoon. I am glad that you are
satisfied with Lord Granville's answer. The question shall certainly
be borne in mind, and you may rely on our doing whatever can be
effected to bring about the desired end. I think Louis Napoleon will
find his decrees very difficult to carry out. I am very glad to hear
that you quietly are preparing to strengthen yourself against the
possibility of any attack from France. This will, I think, put Louis
Napoleon on his good behaviour....

The extension of the Suffrage[12] was almost unavoidable, and it was
better to do it quietly, and not to wait till there was a cry for
it--to which one would have to yield. The deal there is to do, and the
importance of everything going on at home and abroad, is unexampled
in _my_ recollection and _very_ trying; Albert becomes really a
_terrible_ man of business; I think it takes a little off from the
gentleness of his character, and makes him so preoccupied. I grieve
over all this, as I _cannot_ enjoy these things, _much_ as I interest
myself in _general_ European politics; but I am every day more
convinced that _we women_, _if_ we _are_ to be _good_ women,
_feminine_ and _amiable_ and _domestic_, are _not fitted to reign_;
at least it is _contre gre_ that they drive themselves to the _work_
whic