l to Queen Victoria._

WHITEHALL, _31st May 1842._

Sir Robert Peel, with his humble duty to your Majesty, begs leave to
acquaint your Majesty, that he has just seen Mr Landseer.

Mr Landseer repeated his expressions of deep and sincere gratitude for
the favour and kindness with which your Majesty had contemplated
his claims for professional distinction, but appeared to retain the
impression that he had yet scarcely done enough to entitle him to the
honour which it was contemplated to bestow upon him.

In the course of conversation he observed that he was now occupied
upon works of a more important character than any that he had yet
completed, and mentioned particularly an equestrian portrait of your
Majesty. He said that when these works were finished, and should they
prove successful and meet with your Majesty's approbation, he might
feel himself better entitled to receive a mark of your Majesty's
favour.

As these were evidently his sincere impressions and wishes, Sir Robert
Peel forbore from pressing upon him the immediate acceptance of the
honour of Knighthood.

[Pageheading: ATTEMPT ON THE QUEEN]

[Pageheading: JOHN FRANCIS]

_Queen Victoria to the King of the Belgians._

BUCKINGHAM PALACE, _31st May 1842._

MY DEAREST UNCLE.--I wish to be the first to inform you of what
happened yesterday evening, and to tell you that we are _saines et
sauves_. On returning from the chapel on Sunday, Albert was observing
how civil the people were, and then suddenly turned to me and said it
appeared to him as though a man had held out a pistol to the carriage,
and that it had hung fire; accordingly, when we came home he mentioned
it to Colonel Arbuthnot, who was only to tell it to Sir J. Graham and
Sir Robert Peel, and have the police instructed, and _nobody else_.
No one, however, who was with us, such as footmen, etc., had seen
anything at all. Albert began to doubt what he believed he had seen.
Well, yesterday morning (Monday) a lad came to Murray[34] (who of
course knew nothing) and said that he saw a man in the crowd as
we came home from church, present a pistol to the carriage, which,
however, did not go off, and heard the man say, "Fool that I was not
to fire!" The man then vanished, and this boy followed another man
(an old man) up St James's Street who repeated twice, "How very
extraordinary!" but instead of saying anything to the police, asked
the boy for his direction and disappeared. The boy accord