did. We cannot think, therefore, that the reduction
of L20,000, which Sir Robert Peel proposed and carried, was reasonable
or becoming, but regard it as neither called for by the circumstances of
the kingdom, nor as befitting its liberality, nor as in harmony with its
practice.

But on the two other questions--one immediately affecting the
constitution, and the other not absolutely unconnected with it--no
defence of the minister seems available. At the opening of Parliament in
1840, her Majesty commenced her speech by the announcement of her
intended marriage, describing the bridegroom simply as "the Prince of
Saxe-Coburg and Gotha," the same expression which she had used in
addressing the Privy Council a few weeks before. That description of him
had at once struck her uncle, Leopold--who, since the death of his
English wife, the Princess Charlotte, had become King of Belgium--as so
imperfect and insufficient, that, on reading her address to the Privy
Council, he at once wrote to her to point out that it would have been
desirable to mention the fact of the Prince being a Protestant,[250] and
that the omission would inevitably cause discontent. But, in spite of
this warning, Lord Melbourne refused to advise the Queen to insert a
statement of the Prince's religion in her speech, though it was by no
means superfluous on such an occasion, since, if he were a Roman
Catholic, a marriage with him would have incurred a forfeiture of the
crown. The Duke of Wellington, on the other hand, regarded it as a
positive duty to require that the fact of the Prince being a Protestant
should be mentioned, so as to show the care of Parliament to prevent any
constitutional precautions from being overlooked, such statement having,
indeed, been usually made on similar occasions. When he, therefore,
moved an amendment to insert the word "Protestant" in the description of
the Prince, Lord Melbourne did not venture to divide the House against
it; but still his management gave an ungracious appearance to the
transaction, as if there had been in any quarter an unwillingness to
recognize the fact of the Prince's Protestantism till the recognition
was forced on the government by the action of the Parliament.

The third question, as affecting the relative ranks and positions of the
different members of the royal family, cannot be said to have been
wholly unconnected with the provisions of the constitution; and the
mismanagement of the minister was, p