[Pageheading: THE ELECTIONS]

_Queen Victoria to the King of the Belgians._

_9th August 1837._

MY BELOVED UNCLE,--... With respect to the Elections, they are, I'm
thankful to say, rather favourable, though not quite so much so as
we could wish. But upon the whole we shall have as good a House as we
had, and, _I_ hope (as Lord Melbourne does also), a more moderate one
than the last one. The Irish Elections are very favourable to us; we
have gained six in the English boroughs, and lost, I grieve to say,
several in the counties.

The country is very quiet, and I have good reason to believe all will
do very well.

The King of Wuertemberg is to arrive to-night, under the name of Count
Teck, and wishes to be in strict _incognito_. He comes on purpose to
see me; you know he is my second cousin--his mother[65] was sister
to Queen Caroline and daughter to my grand-aunt.[66] I shall give the
King a large dinner on Friday and a little concert after it....

[Footnote 65: Queen Augusta of Wuertemberg.]

[Footnote 66: Augusta, Duchess of Brunswick, sister of George
III.]

_Lord John Russell to Queen Victoria._

ENDSLEIGH, _15th August 1837._

Lord John Russell presents his humble duty to your Majesty, and has
the honour to lay before your Majesty a general statement of the
result of the elections, which, with the exception of one or two
doubtful counties in Ireland, may be said to be completed....

It is not to be denied that this near balance of parties makes the
task of conducting the government difficult for any Ministry. On
the other hand, the circumstances of the country do not present any
extraordinary difficulty, and were any such to arise, the general
composition of the new House of Commons affords a security that the
maintenance of the Constitution and the welfare of the country would
be permanent objects to the majority of its Members.[67]

Lord John Russell had some time ago the honour of stating to your
Majesty that the return of Mr Fox Maule for Perthshire, and of Mr Hume
for Middlesex, were hardly to be expected. In this as in many other
instances the superior organisation of the Tory party have enabled
them to gain the appearance of a change of opinion, which has not in
fact taken place.

Lord John Russell is sorry to add that bribery, intimidation, and
drunkenness have been very prevalent at the late elections, and that
in many cases the disposition to riot has only bee