VICTORIA.

QUEEN-REGNANT.

THE name of Victoria is on every lip, and imprinted on the heart of each of her subjects, yet would the memoirs of English royalty be incomplete, without a brief outline of the life of the reigning sovereign.

The duke and duchess of Kent were united in the year 1818, and after spending some months on the Continent, returned to England, prior to the birth of their daughter, which took place at Kensington Palace, May 24th, 1819. The prince regent became sponsor at the christening of his little niece, on whom were bestowed the names Alexandrina Victoria; the emperor of Russia and the queen of Wirtemburg, also stood by their proxies.

The death of the duke of Kent at Sidmouth, when the princess was but seven months old, and that of George the Third, which happened a few days after, rendered her presumptive heiress to the throne, after her three childless uncles, George the Fourth, and the dukes of York and Clarence. The education of the princess became therefore a matter of momentous importance, and so conscious of this was the duchess of Kent, as well as scrupulously anxious in the undertaking, that it is said she never quitted the side of her child even for ten minutes together, until the period of her accession to the throne. The princess, under suitable preceptors, was instructed in every branch of learning that could adorn the monarch, or render the woman charming; ancient as well as mod

ern languages, history, geography, mathematics, besides music, drawing, and dancing, were by degrees ingrafted with complete success, upon the mind of the young princess, until it soon became evident that her learning and talents, however little desire or occasion their might be to parade them, were really superior to those which any other queen regnant of England had possessed. Her preceptor, in the more solid branches of education, as well as in religious instruction, was the Rev. Mr. Davys, afterwards bishop of Peterborough, and dean of Chester, and her governess was first the baroness Lehzen, and afterwards the duchess of Northumberland. Parliament had early granted the sum of £6,000 per annum, for her educational establishment, and this sum was afterwards augmented to £16,000. It is impossible for the nation to acknowledge in too high terms its debt to the duchess of Kent, for her excellent management of the education of the heiress to the crown; doubtless the liberal tendencies of the mother's mind found an easy impress on that of the only daughter, but that even balance of power with which Victoria has swayed these realms during fourteen years, that self-control over a mind of more than adequate capacity, which has not given cause for a single complaint against her personal interference in the affairs of the nation, must be traced in its germs to the constant example and supervision of the duchess of Kent.

They resided together at Kensington Palace, until the period of her accession, making from time to time progresses through the country, in order that she might obtain a practical and intimate knowledge of those who were in time to be her people. Most of the cities of importance were visited at different periods, and the princess gained on the affections of all who knew her, by her genuine goodness of heart and benevolence.

When she attained her twelfth year a juvenile ball was given by queen Adelaide, who was always much attached to her, and the return of her birthday was from that time marked by a similar demonstration of their majesties' attachment to their youthful successor.

An intimacy had been fostered, as children, between the princess Victoria and her cousin the prince Albert of Saxe Coburg, who had been placed under the care of the duchess of Kent. He resided alternately at Kensington and at Claremont, with his uncle, prince Leopold,