The queen and Lord Melbourne. The queen's husband

From the time of the queen's marriage the crown played an active part in the affairs of state. Previously, the ministers tried to spare the queen all disagreeable and fatiguing details. Lord Mel­bourne saw her every day, whether she was in London or at Wind­sor and he used to explain all current business in a benevolent, chatty manner, which was a pleasant contrast to the style of his principal colleagues, Lord John Russell and Lord Palmerston. Л statesman of firmer mind than Lord Melbourne would hardly have succeeded so well as he did in making rough places smooth for prince Albert. Lord John Russell and Lord Palmerston were naturally jealous of the prince's interference in state affairs, and also of Prince Leopold's and Baron Stockmar's — but Lord Mel­bourne took the common-sense view that a husband should con­trol his wife whether people wish it or not. The prince soon took the place de facto of the sovereign's private secretary, though he had no official status as such. To center on prince Albert every honour that the crown could bestow, and to let him make his way gradually into public favour by his own tact, was the advice which Lord Melbourne gave; and the prince acted upon it so well, avoid­ing the least intrusion, and treating the men of all parties and

degrees with urbanity, that within five months of his marriage he was liked by the people.

A crazy pot-boy, Edward Oxford, suddenly tried to take the queen's life. On J 0-th June J 840, the Queen and Prince Albert were driving up Constitution Hill in an open carriage, when Oxford fired two pistols, the bullets from which flew, it is said, close by the prince's head. He was arrested on the spot, and when his lodgings were searched a quantity of powder and shot was found, with the rules of a secret society named "Young England", whose members gave an oath to meet, "carrying swords and pistols and wearing crape masks". These discoveries rose the suspition that Oxford was the tool of a widespread Chartist conspiracy — or, as the Irish pretended, of a conspiracy of Orangemen whose aim was to set the duke of Cumberland on the throne; and while those delusions were fresh they threw many persons into paroxysm of loyality. It was said in those days that even the street dogs "barked together with o'Connell God save the Queen'". The jury who tried Oxford made a conclusion that he was insane, at the trial he pretended to be mad, but during the forty years of his being kept in Bedlam he talked and acted like quite a rational being. At length he was released and sent to Australia, and there he earned his living as a house painter and used to declare that he was never mad at all.

It was always Prince Albert's opinion that if Oxford had been flogged the attempt of Francis on the queen in 1842 and of Bean in the same year would never have taken place. After the attempt of Bean — who was a hunchback, really insane — parliament passed a bill saying that the judges must order whipping as a punishment of those who molested the queen; but somehow that act was never enforced. In 1850 a half-pay officer, named Pate, assaulted the queen by striking her with a stick, and crushed her bonnet. He was sen­tenced to seven years' transportation. In 1869 an Irish lad, о'Connor, was sentenced to eighteen months' imprisonment and a whipping for presenting a pistol at the queen, with a petition, in St James's Park; but this time it was the queen herself who privately remitted the corporal punishment; and she even pushed clemency to the length of sending her aggressor to Australia at her own expence. The series of attempts on the queen was closed in 1882 by Maclean, who fired a pistol at her majesty as she was leaving the Great Western Railway station at Windsor. He, like Bean, was a genuine madman.

A curious accident was occasioned at Buckingham Palace in 1840 — a boy named Jones was discovered under a bed of a royal nursery— the new-born princess was a forghtnight. Jones had a mania of breaking to the palace. Three times he succeeded in finding an entry to the queen's residence, and twice he managed to spend several days there. By day he concealed himself under a bed or in the cupboards, and by night he groped his way to the royal kitchen to eat whatever he could find. In March 1841 he cooly boasted that he had lain under a sofa, and listened to a private conversation between the queen and prince Albert. This time he was not punished, but sent to sea, and turned out very well.

It took Prince Albert four years of firmness and diplomacy before in 1845 he was able to bring the queen's house under the efficient control of a master of the household.

Lord Durham in Canada. Before William's death a rebellion had broken out in Canada. The cause was partly the jealousy between the French of the Lower and the English of the Upper prov­ince, and partly the system of government which in both provinces placed the real power in the hands of legislative assemblies nomi-nated and controlled by the governor. To clear the causes of the rebellion the English government sent out Lord Durham, with pow­ers so large that he regarded himself as a kind of dictator, and he thought his duty was to bring about a thorough settlement of the country. His action brought about a settlement, but the home gov­ernment considered that he had exceeded his powers and inter­fered. However, it agreed to his recommendation in his report for the future government of Canada, in accordance with them the two Canadas were united and a single government was given to them.

NAMES AND EXPRESSIONS

to spare the queen all disagreeable and fatiguing details — избавить королеву от всех неприятных и утомительных подробностей

in making rough places smooth — смягчать острые углы, буквально — делать шероховатости гладкими

make his way — поступать по-своему

on the spot — на месте (преступления)

Chartist conspiracy — чартистский заговор

Bedlam — a madhouse in London

a half-pay officer — офицер на половинном жалованья

transportation — высылка, ссылка

a mania of breaking to the palace — мания проникать во дворец

he was sent to sea — его отдали в морскую службу (отправили

на море)

Durham [dΛr(ə)m]

Дата добавления: 2015-11-16