He was such a miserable, feeble-
minded creature, that they only gave him eighteen months' imprisonment.
Soon after, the Queen was called to mourn with her aunt of Belgium, and
the rest of the family of Louis Philippe of France, for the death of the
Duke of Orleans, who was killed by being thrown from his carriage. If he
had lived, Louis Napoleon would hardly have been Emperor of France.
So it was hardly a gay summer for the Queen, though she had some
pleasure, especially in receiving Prince Albert's brother, Ernest, Duke
of Saxe-Coburg, and his bride, who came to England for their honeymoon.
They had also a pleasant visit from the great composer, Mendelssohn, who
thus wrote from Windsor to his mother, "Add to this the pretty and most
charming Queen Victoria, who looks so youthful, and is so gently
courteous and gracious, who speaks such good German, and knows all my
music so well,"--great praise from a Teutonic and Mendelssohnian point of
view. In the autumn, the Queen and Prince made their first visit to
Scotland--were received with immense enthusiasm everywhere, and had a
charming and health-bracing tour. They took Edinburgh by surprise--
entering the city from the sea, so early in the morning, that the
authorities, who had made great preparations to receive them, and rain
flowers and speeches upon them, were still in bed.
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