amusement to you.
Cultivate always a genuine feeling of right and wrong, and be very
true and honourable in your dealings; this gives great strength. I
have taken into consideration the advantage or disadvantage of my
coming over to you _immediately_. The result of my _examen_ is that I
think it better to visit you later. If, however, you wanted me at any
time, I should come in a moment. People might fancy I came to enslave
you, while I glory in the contrary; and, thirdly, that they might be
jealous, or _affect_ it at least, of my coming, as if I thought of
ruling the realm for _purposes of my own_....

I am now at the end, I think, of what I had to say. May Heaven bless
you and keep up your spirits. Ever, my beloved child, your faithful
Uncle and Friend,

LEOPOLD R.

Pardon the hurry in which this letter was written.

[Footnote 49: The Duke of Cumberland.]

[Pageheading: THE KING'S CONDITION HOPELESS]

_The Princess Victoria to the King of the Belgians._

_19th June 1837._

MY DEARLY BELOVED UNCLE,--Your _kind_ and _dear_ letter, containing
_most wholesome_, _prudent_, _sound_ and _excellent_ advice, was given
me by our _good_ and _invaluable honest_ friend, Stockmar, and I beg
you to accept my best thanks for it. Before I say anything else, let
me tell you how happy and thankful I am to have Stockmar here; he
has _been_, and _is_, of the _greatest_ possible use, and be assured,
dearest Uncle, that he possesses my _most entire confidence_!

The King's state, I may fairly say, is _hopeless_; he may _perhaps_
linger a few days, but he cannot recover _ultimately_. Yesterday the
physicians declared he could not live till the morning, but to-day he
is a little better; the great fear is his _excessive_ weakness and
no _pulse_ at all. Poor old man! I feel sorry for him; he was always
personally kind to me, and I should be ungrateful and devoid of
feeling if I did not remember this.

I look forward to the event which it seems is likely to occur soon,
with calmness and quietness; I am not alarmed at it, and yet I do
not suppose myself quite equal to all; I trust, however, that with
_good-will_, _honesty_, and _courage_ I shall not, at all events,
_fail_. Your advice is most excellent, and you may depend upon it I
shall make use of it, and follow it, as also what Stockmar says. I
_never showed_ myself, _openly_, to belong to _any party_, and I _do
not_ belong to any party. The Administration will undoub