wish to stay
with you, and what would poor Ernest[9] say if I were to leave him so
long? He would perhaps try to fly after me, but I fear he would not
get far; he is rather tall and heavy for flying. So you see I have
nothing left to do but to write to you, and wish you in this way all
possible happiness and joy for this and many, many years to come. I
hope you will spend a very merry birthday. How I wish to be with you,
dearest Victoire, on that day!

I have not thanked you, I believe, for a very dear letter you have
written to me, which gave me the greatest pleasure. Your descriptions
of the plays you had seen amused me very much. I wish I had seen your
performance too. Your most affectionate Sister,

FEODORE.

[Footnote 9: The Princess Feodore of Leiningen, the Queen's
half-sister, had married, in January 1828, the Prince (Ernest)
of Hohenlohe-Langenburg.]

_The Duchess of Clarence to the Princess Victoria._

BUSHEY PARK, _14th August 1829._

A thousand thanks to you, dear Victoria, for your very nice and
well-written letter full of good wishes, which I had the pleasure to
receive yesterday; and many thanks more for the pretty gifts your dear
Mamma has sent me in your name. I wore them last night for your sake,
dearest child, and thought of you _very often_.

It gives me great satisfaction to hear that you are enjoying the sea
air and like the place which you now occupy. I wish I could pay your
Mamma a visit there and see you again, my dear little niece, for I
long to have that pleasure, and must resign myself at being deprived
of it some time longer. Your Uncle desires to be most kindly
remembered to you, and hopes to receive soon also a letter from you,
of whom he is as fond as I am. We speak of you very often, and trust
that you will always consider us to be amongst your best friends....

God bless you, my dear Victoria, is always the prayer of your most
truly affectionate Aunt,

ADELAIDE.

_The King of the Belgians to the Princess Victoria._

BRUSSELS, _22nd May 1832._

MY DEAREST LOVE,--Let me offer you my _sincerest_ and _best_ wishes on
the return of the anniversary of your birthday. May heaven protect and
prosper you, and shower all its best blessings on you.

Time flies: it is now thirteen years that you came into the world
of trouble; I therefore can hardly venture to call you any longer a
little Princess.

This will make you feel, my dear Love, that you must give