heat. _Our_ King of
Sweden[28] arrived yesterday evening. We went out in the yacht to meet
him, and did so; but his ship going slow, the _dress_ of the _hohen
Herrn only_ arrived at a quarter to nine, and we only sat down to
dinner at a quarter past nine! The King and Prince Oscar[29] are
very French, and very Italian! I think that there is a dream of a
Scandinavian Kingdom floating before them. The King is a fine-looking
man.... He is not at all difficult to get on with, and is very civil.
Oscar is very amiable and mild, and very proud of his three little
boys. They leave again quite early to-morrow.

Our _dear_ children leave us, alas! on Friday quite early, for
Antwerp.[30] It will again be a painful trial! Their stay has been
very pleasant and _gemuethlich_, and we have seen more of and known
dear Fritz more thoroughly than we ever did before, and really he is
_very_ excellent, and would, I am convinced, make an excellent King.
The little children are _very great_ darlings, and we shall miss them
sadly.

On the 16th we go to poor, dear Frogmore, and on the 17th we shall
visit that dear grave! Last year she was still so well, and so full
of life; but it was a _very_ sad birthday, two days after the loss of
that dear beloved sister, whom she has joined so soon! Oh! the agony
of _Wehmuth_, the bitterness of the blank, do _not_ get better with
time! Beloved Mamma, how hourly she is in my mind!

The King of Prussia will have great pleasure in visiting you at
Wiesbaden; he will arrive at Ostend on the 16th....

Good-bye, and God bless you, dearest Uncle. Ever your devoted Niece,

VICTORIA R.

[Footnote 28: Charles XV., who succeeded to the throne in
1859.]

[Footnote 29: Brother and heir to Charles XV., whom he
succeeded, as Oscar II., in 1872; died 1907.]

[Footnote 30: The Crown Prince and Princess of Prussia,
accompanied by their two children, were on a visit to the
Queen.]

[Pageheading: SWEDISH POLITICS]

_Viscount Palmerston to Queen Victoria._

DOWNING STREET, _14th August 1861_.

Viscount Palmerston presents his humble duty to your Majesty, and
hastens to answer the enquiry contained in your Majesty's note, which
was delivered to him at Southampton. He must, in the first place,
explain that much of what was said to him by the King of Sweden and by
Prince Oscar was not clearly understood by him. They would both
speak English--which they spoke with difficulty and