o the Princess Victoria._

LAEKEN, _2nd December 1834._

MY DEAREST LOVE,--You have written a very clever, sharp little letter
the other day, which gave me great pleasure. Sure enough, when I show
you what a Queen ought not to be, I also ought to tell you what she
should be, and this task I will very conscientiously take upon myself
on the very first occasion which may offer itself for a confidential
communication. Now I must conclude, to go to town. I must, however,
say that I have given orders to send you Sully's Memoirs. As they have
not been written exclusively for young ladies, it will be well to have
Lehzen to read it with you, and to judge what ought to be left for
some future time. And now God bless you! Ever, my beloved child, your
attached Friend and Uncle,

LEOPOLD R.

[Pageheading: A NEW YEAR GREETING]

_The Princess Victoria to the King of the Belgians._

ST. LEONARDS, _28th December 1834._

MY DEAREST UNCLE,--I must again, with your permission, write you a few
lines, to wish you a very happy new year, not only for _this_ year,
but for _many_ to come. I know not how to thank you sufficiently for
the _invaluable_ and precious autographs which you were so very kind
as to send me. Some of them I received a few days ago, and the others
to-day, accompanied by a very kind letter from you, and a beautiful
shawl, which will be most useful to me, particularly as a favourite
one of mine is growing very old. I wish you could come here, for
many reasons, but also to be an eye-witness of my extreme prudence in
eating, which would astonish you. The poor sea-gulls are, however,
not so happy as you imagine, for they have great enemies in the
country-people here, who take pleasure in shooting them.

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

VICTORIA.

_The Princess Victoria to the King of the Belgians._

KENSINGTON PALACE, _2nd February 1835._

MY DEAREST UNCLE,--I know not how to thank you sufficiently for
the most valuable autographs you were kind enough to send me. I am
particularly delighted with that of Louis Quatorze, "le grand Roi,"
and my great admiration.... You will not, I hope, think me very
troublesome if I venture to ask for two more autographs which I should
very particularly like to have; they are Mme. de Sevigne's[19] and
Racine's; as I am reading the letters of the former, and the tragedies
of the latter, I should prize them highly. B