506 Right Hon. Viscount Esher [March 5, 



Russell and Lord Melbourne for a minute. At a few minutes past 2 

 I went down into the saloon with Lady Lansdowne ; Col. Cavendish, 

 the Vice-Chamberlain (Lord Charles Fitzroy), and the Comptroller 

 of the Household (Mr, Byng) were in waiting. Lord Melbourne 

 then came in and announced that the addresses from the House of 

 Commons were ready to come in. They were read by Lord John 

 Russell and I read an answer to them both. Lord Melbourue stood 

 on my left hand and Lady Lansdowne behind me. Most of the 

 Privy Counsellors of the House of Commons were present. After 

 this Lord Palmerston brought in the Earl of Durham, who is just 

 returned from St. Petersburg. I conferred on him the Grand Cross 

 of the Bath. I knighted him with the Sword of State which is so 

 enormously heavy that Lord Melbourne was obliged to hold it for 

 me, and I only inclined it. I theu put the Ribbon over his shoulder. 

 After this the foreign Ambassadors and Ministers were severally 

 introduced to me by Lord Palmerston. I then went upstairs and 

 gave audiences to the Earl of Mulgrave and to the Earl of Durham. 

 The latter gave a long account of Russia. 



" Did various things. Saw Stockmar. As I did not feel well I 

 did not come down to dinner, but dined upstairs. I went down after 

 dinner. Stayed up till 10. I wore the blue Ribbon and Star of the 

 Garter in the afternoon." 



" A Wonderful and Mysterious Duty." 



In this land, and keeping the doctrines of the Revolution of 1688, 

 and the Act of Settlement in remem])rance, we may be sure that the 

 young Queen had no illusions about " Divine right " to rule, but it 

 is clear at this time that she was conscious of a wonderful and 

 mysterious duty which had been imposed upon her by Divine 

 Providence, and this conscientious obligation remained in her mind 

 all her days. Dogma had but little place in her inner life, but her 

 character and conduct as Sovereign and woman were influenced by 

 deep religious conviction of the sacredness of her calling. She 

 beUeved and acted upon the belief that her country was governed 

 under the form of a Monarchy, of which she was not only the 

 spiritual and temporal head, but the appointed guardian, and through 

 all her actions this predominant note can be traced. Mr. Canning 

 was in the habit of saying that the British Constitution was a 

 Monarchy checked by two Assemblies — one hereditary, independent 

 alike of Crown and people ; the other elective, springing from the 

 people ; " but," he said, " there are some who argue as if it were 

 originally a democracy, merely inlaid with a peerage and a Crown." 



Queen Victoria had no doubts and no misgivings about the 

 matter. Through the close-written volumes of journals to which I 

 have alluded there can be traced this firm conviction, unchallenged, 

 as it seemed to her, that it was her duty and function to choose the 



