, have mistaken it, owing to its environment, to be a statue of the
Virgin Mary, and have devoutly crossed themselves, and said their "Aves."

About this time occurred a political complication which afforded great
scope for gossip, and which showed that it was about time that the Queen
was freed from her female _entourage_, and had the protective advice of a
husband. On the 7th May, Lord Melbourne, having been beaten, by a small
majority, on the Bill concerning the Suspension of the Constitution in
Jamaica, resigned, and Sir Robert Peel was commissioned by the Queen to
form a new Ministry. He did so, but, for valid reasons, he required the
resignation, as was, and is, usual, of the ladies of the household. In
order that there shall be no bias on this divergence of opinion between
the Sovereign and her Minister, I quote a portion of Sir Robert Peel's
speech in the House of Commons, on 13 May, taking it from the authorised
version of _Hansard_. Sir Robert said that there was but one subject of
disunion between himself and Her Majesty.

"The difficulty arose with respect to certain portions of that part of
the establishment which is filled by the Ladies of the household. Sir, I
think it infinitely better, on this point--the one on which the
difficulty arose--I think it infinitely better, after mature
consideration--that I should not enter--in the first instance, at least,
nor unless invited by the noble Lord (John Russell)--into any statement
whatever of impressions on my own mind with respect to what took
place--but that I should refer exclusively to the letters which passed on
the subject; because if I were to state, here, impressions of my own, I
must detail verbal communications that passed, where two parties only
were present; and myself one of the party, being alone in this House to
offer explanations of what occurred. I approach, then, that point with
respect to which the difficulty, on this occasion, arose; and, for the
purpose of enabling the House to form a judgment with respect to the
nature of that difficulty, I shall confine myself, altogether, to the
written documents which passed on the occasion, in which are conveyed the
impressions on the mind of Her Majesty, and the impressions on my own
mind, with regard to the purport and effect of the communications which
passed between Her Majesty and myself, in respect to certain appointments
in the household, which are held by Ladies. Now, whatever blame may