ful Cousin,

GEORGE.

[Footnote 46: The King had, in January 1855, lost his consort,
Queen Marie Adelaide, daughter of the Archduke Renier of
Austria. Lord Clarendon wrote to Baron Marochetti:--...

"The Queen's first care was for the happiness of Princess
Mary, and it was the wish of Her Majesty and of Her Majesty's
Government that the decision should be left to the unbiassed
judgment of Her Royal Highness.

"Princess Mary, having maturely weighed the matter in all its
different bearings, has come to the conclusion that it is
her duty as regards both the King of Sardinia and herself to
decline the offer, which you were empowered to make on the
part of His Majesty.

"Princess Mary fully appreciates the many excellent and
noble qualities of the King. She does not doubt that in him
individually she would be happy, and she thinks that the
alliance would be popular in England; but Her Royal Highness
feels that as the Protestant Queen of Sardinia she must be in
a false position, and that a wife can never find herself thus
placed without injury to her husband.

"Princess Mary is deeply attached to her religion, which is
the first consideration in this world, and in the free and
undisturbed exercise of that religion, however much it might
be sanctioned by the King, and supported by His Majesty's
Government, she feels that she would be the object of
constant suspicion, that her motives would be liable to
misconstruction, and that the King would be exposed to grave
embarrassments, which time would only serve to increase.

"I am not surprised at this decision, which, from my knowledge
of Princess Mary's profound religious feeling, I rather led
you to anticipate; but I am bound to say that with reference
to her religion, and with reference to that alone, Her
Royal Highness has, in my opinion, decided with wisdom and
foresight.

"I am convinced, however, that in renouncing upon
conscientious grounds the brilliant position which has been
offered to her, of which she fully appreciated the advantages,
Princess Mary can only have added to the respect which the
King already feels for the noble and elevated character of Her
Royal Highness."]

[Pageheading: THE KING OF PORTUGAL]

_Queen Victoria to the King of the Belgians._

BALMORAL, _19th September 1856._