Scinde, defeated the army of the Ameers of Upper and Lower
Scinde at Meeanee on 17th February, and on the 20th took
Hyderabad. On the 24th March he attacked the enemy, who were
posted in a strong position on the banks of a tributary of the
Indus, and obtained a decisive victory.]

_Queen Victoria to the King of the Belgians._

CLAREMONT, _6th June 1843._

DEAREST UNCLE,--I received your kind letter on Sunday, and thank
you much for it. I am sorry that you could not take the children to
Ardenne, as nothing is so good for children as _very_ frequent change
of air, and think you do not let the children do so often enough.
Ours do so continually, and are so movable that it gives us no trouble
whatever.

Our christening went off very brilliantly, and I wish you could have
witnessed it; nothing could be more _anstaendig_, and little _Alice_
behaved extremely well. The _dejeuner_ was served in the Gallery, as
at dear Pussy's christening, and there being a profusion of flowers on
the table, etc., had a beautiful effect.

The King of Hanover arrived _just in time_ to be _too late_. He is
grown very old and excessively thin, and bends a good deal. He is very
gracious, for _him_. Pussy and _Bertie_ (as we call the boy) were
not at all afraid of him, _fortunately_; they appeared after the
_dejeuner_ on Friday, and I wish you could have seen them; they
behaved so beautifully before that great number of people, and I must
say looked _very dear_, all in white, and _very distingues_; they were
much admired.

We came here on Saturday. The news from Ireland continue to be very
alarming. Hoping to hear soon, for _certain_, when you come, believe
me, ever, your devoted Niece,

VICTORIA R.

I hope you will _kindly answer_ my letter of _last Tuesday_.

[Pageheading: IRISH AFFAIRS]

_Sir Thomas Fremantle_[41] _to Sir Robert Peel._[42]

HOUSE OF COMMONS, _9th June (1843)._

MY DEAR SIR ROBERT,--The King of Hanover took his seat at twenty
minutes past four. He is now on the Woolsack with the Lord Chancellor,
the Duke of Wellington, and Lord Strangford; no other Peers are in the
House, the time of meeting being five o'clock.

It was not necessary that any other Peers should introduce His
Majesty. He merely produced his writ of summons, and went to the table
to be sworn. I remain, yours sincerely,

THOMAS FREMANTLE.

[Footnote 41: One of the Secretaries of the Treasury:
afterwards Lo