The following just and sympathetic article is tran: by the Slandard's Berlin correspondent from the Kilnische Zeitung, as a type of the comments made gri the Queen's Jubilee by the German "The founding of the kingdom of Italy and the re-establishment of the: German Eimpire are, in the eyes of enlightened Britons, the greatest foreign political events of the latter half of our century. On their own soil, the enormous expansion of the British Empire during the Victorian Age.is the third, and, for themselves, the most important event. We are disposed to agree with them. In all the steeples in the United Kingdom the bells are ringing to-day in honour of the venerable Sovereign who ascended the British Throne sixty years ago. Their sound is also heard in many far-distant regions where in 1837 no white man's foot had ever trod, i which Queen Victoria's reign firs a field for the energy of a great nation also have every reason to join in th: ings of the three hundred and fifty million Britons, of whose enormous civilizing work the whole world reaps the benefits. Our task to-day, however, is to present our respectful congratulations to an excellent Sovereign Lady. She is of our own race.
drop of Stuart blood, indeed, flows in her veins, but it has to be tra back to the seventeenth century, and the Winter Queen ' Germany gave the United Kingdom Dynasty which we would rather reckon from Victoria and Albert "han from the House of Hanover, for the latter, God knows, has done the German name no credit on the foreign Throne. When Queen Victoria ascended the Throne, public opinion was justly indignant against the Royal House. The Court was a place to which no mother could take her daughter with confidence. Politicians were suspicious cause the Kings of the House of Hanover, in their incapacity to understand the British body-politic, had taken the side of those from whom they thought they might expect an extension of their prerogatives. 'The lange and neglected mass of the people, in whose ears the reports of a succession of public scandals still rang, were openly hostile. Had another person succeeded to the Throne' than the fresh, clever, and open-hearted maiden, who won the hearts the Privy Council on the very first day of her reign, by her unaffected and tactful demeanour, and those of wider circles at her Coronation, a year later, when her conduct contrasted favourably with the foppish behaviour of her uncle, William IV, on his accession, and who went on winning hestts till her civic virtues made her the idol of the nati had she not broken with the sorry traditions of poole and the Dynasty might, indeed, her (nape a rupture between the we taken place. To her alone it is due that the British nation was saved a Reyolution, with a long struggle for supremacy.which would have obstructed the development of civilisation.
"For it must not be forgotten that only a few years before reform had come into the land, and Englind had struck into the path of Democracy. But the farther the nation pursued this path the closer became the bond between the Royal family and the established than ever, no matter whether people, and now the Throne is more frraly
days' of old, or with the grotesque and "wocompero the present withthe sanguinary Fidiculous times of amoremodern period. In in the last century, 'Junius' had addressed to the King. The hope of ever seeing a better state of things at Court had been abandoned. The King, so Lal written, ought never to appear to his people clierwise than in teeny light. Not till the reign of Victoria was this ideal to be realised. The Queen, who, thanks to her quiet but excellent education, has never thrust herself into the foreground, did her utmost to attribute the merit for everything great that was accomplished under her Feign to her Consort, at whose-side she viewed all noble things with enthusiasm. Excellent, however, as Prince Albert was, it is possible that his importance as com-yen overrated. Que thing, however, is with that of his wife has occasionally certain—the wedded pair on the Throne contributed infinitely to the improvement and refinement of morals in England."
"Will history rank this woman, with her simple disposition, with that bourgeois regularity which sends her daily to her writing-table at a fixed hour—so unlike the highly gifted, but impulsive and inconstant Elizabeth—will history rank her her with: the dispatch of business.. How often may the Queen, in the course of her long reign, -have subordinated her personal wishes to the: public good?" She first learned this when she had to part with her teacher and almost' fatherly friend, Lord 'Melbourne, and then came so many changes that she had to say to herself, 'Time brings counsel.' Distacli did not enjoy her favour so long as Prince Albert, who did not like him, lived, but he afterwards gained her countenance and rose to the highest honours; and the British still remember the visit of the Empress of India to his country seat in 1877. Her behaviour towards Mr. Gladstone is less friendly. The only evidence of this, indeed, is once, when his. Home Rule policy was already sketched out, she tried to entrust Lord Hartington, now the Duke of Devonshire, who worked so hard for the unity of the Empire, with the formation of a Cabinet, instead of Mr. Gladstone. Whatever she may think of the 'Grand Old Man' or others, all her actions: are inspired by a noble tolerance, and we should, therefore, like to write in the album of this or the among great Statesmen We are dispo: sed other Sovereign the words in which she to answer Yes. Of the Queen's political prescribed how her eldest daughter,—now life, indeed, comparatively little is yet the Empress Fredérick,—was to be taught known to us. British Statesmen, no religion—' She is not to be informed as matter of what Party, adhere strictly to yet of the difference of creeds.' It is said the principle of not mentioning the that women see deep, but not far. Of Sovereign personally in public, and are Queen Victoria, the most highly-placed of also careful not to speak about her in pri-all women, this is by no means true, and vote circles which are not known to be whoever believes that she, as a careful hermetically sealed. Memoirs, however, housewife and mother, does not look after have already appeared of Statesmen who everything, even to the minutest details, is have had close official relations with her, just as much mistaken as he who thinks and from these communications, scanty that a Constitutional Monarch is only a as they are as yet, we obtain the im: sham King. Sham King" is an absurd expression. Do those who use it beced sented as the model of a Ruler. pression that the Queen may. be repre: lieve that only those Rulers govern the first years of her reign she displayed, who write their fingers sore every day over in a question of secondary importance, too long despatches, or before: wont: all: deci-firm a will—so, at least, she says of herself sions must be laid, because they wish to in her Diary—but the Petticoat Question, regulate everything themselves? The Con-as it was called, though it delayed the stitutional Ruler who grants his subjects forming of a certain Cabinet, was inthe largest possible measure of self-govern-significant in comparison with a fact which ment, and takes care that the Institutions we should like to place in the foreground, they are to rely on are trustworthy; fulfils zealous sense of dul " her love work, and because it exemplifies not only the Queen's his vocation honourably, and, to. speak with Junius, ' His subjects willingly extend her appreciation of the task laid upon her, the reverence they owe the otice of a good but also her just desire not to allow her Sovereign into love for himself.' In this competence to be shackled. Lord Palmers-sense the Queen has ruled conservatively, ton was Foreign Secretary in Lord John and millions of Britons in all the five Con-Russell's Cabinet. He had wished to follow his own policy, and had, as is well tinent are beer grateful to her. Her honourable, well-considered, and laborious known, acted too boldly and offensively, life rebukes the false friends of Monarchy, but, he was unambiguously reminded that who refuse to take delight in a strictly Con-Cabinets are only temporary, whereas the stitutional Ruler. For a Ruler whose Em-Head of the State is the permanent pire spreads over all the earth, there is no representative of the nation, and con-Inote worthy task than cautiously to hold ently, of its foreign policy. Lord together what history has: united, and to Palmerston gave way, and no Foreign Tead an ever-aspiring nation to its geals. Secretary has ever since ventured to.act We deem it our duty to remember to-contrary to the Queen's firm will. No-day the British people and the magnificent thing important is done in Foreign and development of its civilisation during the Colonial affairs without her ce-operation.
Queen's long reign. A whole book could She is the centre, and in some cases also, be written on this topic, but we have space perhaps, the cause, of the much-extolled only to indicate the progress of the nation continuity of the Foreign and Colonial in the Victorian age in broad outlines. The Policy of England. The incident of the French Baron Louis once said to the British steamer Trent is an instance of th Deputies:—'Give me a good policy, and I opportuneness of her intervention. Her shall give you good finance,' whereas: the 'Majesty's great powers of work are evident British may proudly say:—* We have both from the fact that in the stormy year of a sound policy and sound finances.' The 1848 she looked into about twenty-eight conditions of the Empire are quite different thousand documents that were received or now from what they were sixty years ago. despatched by the Foreign Office. Her The Reform Act of 1832 had first to pro-correspondence with her august relatives duce its effect, and to be gradually detalo 7 on the European Thrones will be a rich mine for future historians.. She carries it ed by. See mcorapone Acts, which gave people almost complete self-government, on with her own hand, and in strict con-so that they take.a livelier interest in fidence. No Court official takes her place, public affairs than any other' people in, and none such, no matter what his.title, the world. The-Labour Movement; which manages her chancery. seemed to be threatened in. the time of "At her present advanced age, frequent the: Chartists sixty. years' ago, hasbeen intercourse with her Ministers is moderated by the 'Trades: Unions, and has Out of the question, but touch is always gain ined without revolution many things: it preserved, and when she goes to the South fas failed to' obtain in: other: countries to recruit her health: she is accompanied owing to its invidious -management.- The by a member of the Cabinet, who helps' British workmen hare not got.a regulated
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.