able was Mr Roebuck's reply, which was one of
the most apt, terse, and telling I well remember, and not bitter.

[Footnote 21: Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant,
afterwards (as Earl of Mayo) Viceroy of India, assassinated in
the Andaman Islands, 1872.]

[Pageheading: CAPTURE OF LUCKNOW]

_Mr Disraeli to Queen Victoria._

HOUSE OF COMMONS, _13th April._
(_Tuesday night._)

The Chancellor of the Exchequer with his humble duty to your Majesty.

The night tranquil and interesting--Lord Bury, with much intelligence,
introduced the subject of the Straits Settlements;[22] the speech of
Sir J. Elphinstone,[23] master of the subject, and full of striking
details, produced a great effect. His vindication of the convict
population of Singapore, as the moral element of that strange society,
might have been considered as the richest humour, had it not been for
its unmistakable simplicity.

His inquiry of the Governor's lady, who never hired any servant but
a convict, whether she employed in her nursery "Thieves or
Murderers?"--and the answer, "Always murderers," was very
effective....

The Secretary of State having sent down to the Chancellor of the
Exchequer the telegram of the fall of Lucknow,[24] the Chancellor of
the Exchequer read it to the House, having previously in private shown
it to Lord Palmerston and others of the late Government.

After this a spirited Debate on the conduct of Members of Parliament
corruptly exercising their influence, in which the view recommended
by the Government, through Mr Secretary Walpole, was adopted by the
House.

[Footnote 22: These detached provinces were at this time under
the control of the Governor-General of India; but in 1867 they
were formed into a Crown Colony.]

[Footnote 23: Sir J. D. H. Elphinstone, Conservative member
for Portsmouth, afterwards a Lord of the Treasury.]

[Footnote 24: Sir Colin Campbell had at length obtained entire
possession of the city, which had been in the hands of the
rebels for nine months.]

_Queen Victoria to the King of the Belgians._

WINDSOR CASTLE, _2nd April 1858_.

MY DEAR UNCLE,--I am sure you will kindly be interested in knowing
that the Examination and Confirmation of Bertie have gone off
extremely well.[25] Everything was conducted as at Vicky's, and I
thought _much_ of you, and wished we could have had the happiness of
having you there. I enclose a Programme. The