LA REINE VICTORIA

When a child, Qneen Victoria was sometimes called " Mayflower," because she was born in that beautiful spring month. As long as she was ignorant of the high station in life that was in store for her, she did not like to study, but when she became aware of it she gave herself heart and soûl to the duties that were imposed upon her. She rapidly acquired a thorough knowledge of mathematics, mu sic, and drawing, and became proficient in ten languages.

She was crowned in Westminster Abbey in 1837, and soon after (1840) married her cousin Albert of Saxe-Coburg-G-otha. By his tact and skill he gained a prominent place in the politics of the state, and when he died in 1861, it was seen how deeply he had impressed his ideas upon statesmen. Queen Victoria, although she s pends part of every winter in Nice, ofncially came but twice to France, the first time in 1843 and the second in 1855. During the latter trip, she was received in Paris with great pomp and ceremony, and for a whole week she was royally entertained by Napoléon III. and his court.

In September, 1870, Napoléon, his wife, and son took refuge in England, and it is said that to this day Queen Victoria has remained a devoted friend of ex-empress Eugénie.