The King of the Belgians to Queen Victoria

Laeken, 4th February 1859.

My dearest Victoria,— ... Heaven knows what dance our Emperor Napoléon Troisième de nom will lead us. In a few days he will have to make his speech. I fear he is determined on that Italian War. The discussions in Parliament may influence him; I fear party spirit in lieu of a good and right sense of what is the interest of Europe. It was praiseworthy that you said in your Speech that treaties must be respected, else indeed we return to the old Faustrecht we have been striving to get rid of. It is curious that your speech has made the funds fall again: I presume they hoped at Paris that you would have been able to say that you congratulated Parliament on the prospect of peace being preserved. For us poor people who find ourselves aux premières loges, these uncertainties are most unsatisfactory. Your devoted Uncle,

Leopold R.