A warm tribute was paid to his memory by the Duke of Wellington in one house of parliament, and by Mr. Gladstone, in the other. "In all the course of my acquaintance with Sir Robert Peel," said the aged duke, "I never knew a man in whose truth and justice I had a more lively confidence, or in whom I saw a more invariable desire to promote the public service. In the whole course of my communications with him I never a knew an instance in which he did not show the strongest attachment to truth; and I never saw, in the whole course of my life, the slightest reason for suspecting that he stated anything which he did not believe to be the fact." {391}Parliament desired to show their respect for the memory of Peel by burying his remains with public honors. This was proposed by Lord John Russell, but it was found that the great statesman had particularly requested in his will that his remains should be placed beside those of his parents at Drayton Bassett. A monument in Westminster Abbey was therefore substituted at the public expense. The offer of a peerage was made to Lady Peel, but she declined, saying, "that she desired to bear no other name than that by which Sir Robert Peel was known." At the same time she stated that her husband's wish, recorded in his will, had been that none of his family should ever accept any title, distinction, or reward on account of any service he might be supposed to have rendered his country. Peel earnestly desired that if his sons were to bear titles and distinctions given them by the state, they should win them by their own services and worth, and not simply put them on as an inheritance from their father. On the twenty-sixth Prince Albert celebrated his birthday quietly at Osborne, surrounded by his family. It was, however, a day of mourning; for just before dinner news was brought of the death of King Louis Philippe. Two days later the queen and prince paid a visit to the afflicted family, and then proceeded by rail to Edinburgh. They were met at the station by the Duke of Buccleuch, at the head of the Royal Archers, who formed a body-guard, and accompanied the carriage to Holyrood Palace. This was the first time a queen had entered the old building since poor Mary Stuart had left it. "We wandered out to look at the old ruined abbey, which adjoins the palace," says the queen's diary, "and which you see from our windows. It is beautiful inside. One of the aisles is still roofed in, but the others are not. It was originally an abbey, and the very old tombstones {392}are those of the friars. It was afterwards the Chapel Royal, and Queen Mary, my unfortunate ancestress, was married to Lord Darnley at this very altar, of which we see the remains. We saw the rooms where Queen Mary lived, her bed, the dressing-room into which the murderers entered who killed Rizzio, and the spot where he fell."