gh, very sad to think that all our hopes of seeing you, which we
cherished so long, this year, were over. I had so hoped and wished to
have seen you again, my _beloved_ Uncle, and to have made dearest
Aunt Louisa's acquaintance. I am delighted to hear that dear Aunt has
benefited from the sea air and bathing. We had a very pretty party to
Hever Castle yesterday, which perhaps you remember, where Anne Boleyn
used to live, _before she lost her head_. We drove there, and rode
home. It was a most beautiful day. We have very good accounts from
dear Feodore, who will, by this time, be at Langenburg.

Believe me always, my dearest Uncle, your very affectionate and
dutiful Niece,

VICTORIA.

[Pageheading: HISTORICAL READING]

_The King of the Belgians to the Princess Victoria._

LAEKEN, _18th October 1834._

MY DEAREST LOVE,--I am happy to learn that Tunbridge Wells has done
you good. Health is the first and most important gift of Providence;
without it we are poor, miserable creatures, though the whole earth
were our property; therefore I trust that you will take great care of
your own. I feel convinced that air and exercise are most useful for
you. In your leisure moments I hope that you study a little; history
is what I think the most important study for you. It will be difficult
for you to learn human-kind's ways and manners otherwise than from
that important source of knowledge. Your position will more or less
render practical knowledge extremely difficult for you, till you get
old, and still if you do not prepare yourself for your position, you
may become the victim of wicked and designing people, particularly at
a period when party spirit runs so high. Our times resemble most those
of the Protestant reformation; then people were moved by religious
opinions, as they now undoubtedly are by political passions.
Unfortunately history is rarely written by those who really were
the chief movers of events, nor free from a party colouring; this
is particularly the case in the works about English history. In that
respect France is much richer, because there we have authenticated
memoirs of some of the most important men, and of others who really
saw what passed and wrote it down at the time. Political feelings,
besides, rarely created _permanent_ parties like those in England,
with the exception, perhaps, of the great distinctions of Catholics
and Protestants. What I most should recommend is the period before the
a