Note: Project Gutenberg also has an HTML version of this file which includes the more than four hundred original illustrations and an audio illustration. See 42386-h.htm or 42386-h.zip: (http://www.gutenberg.org/files/42386/42386-h/42386-h.htm) or (http://www.gutenberg.org/files/42386/42386-h.zip) Transcriber's note: Many of the images in the book have multi-line captions, and the first line of most of them contains attributions (credits) set off by unpaired curly braces. For example, J. A. Vinter.} {National Portrait Gallery. SIR ROWLAND HILL under a portrait tells us the the portrait of Sir Rowland Hill was by J. A. Vinter and hangs in the National Portrait Gallery. Some illustrations have only an artist or only a location. Sidenotes have been repositioned to immediately precede the paragraphs in which they occurred. Inverted asterisms are indicated by three asterisks ***. Table of Contents added by transcriber. SIXTY YEARS A QUEEN. CONTENTS PAGE Preface iii PART ONE: SIXTY YEARS A QUEEN CHAPTER I. 1837-1838. Death of William IV.--Princess Alexandrina Victoria summoned to the Throne--Ignorance of the Public about the young Queen--Her early training--Severance of the Crown of Great Britain and Hanover--Prorogation of Parliament--Early Railways--Electric Telegraph--The Coronation--Popular Reception of Wellington and Soult--State of Parties--Result of General Election--Rebellion in Canada--The Earl of Durham--Debate on Vote by Ballot. 3 CHAPTER II. 1837-1842. Lord Melbourne's services and character--Prevailing discontent of the Working Classes--Its Causes--The Chartists--Riots at Newport and elsewhere--Fall of the Ministry--Sir Robert Peel sent for--The "Bedchamber Question"--Melbourne recalled to Office--The Penny Post--Its remarkable Success--Betrothal of the Queen--Character of Prince Albert--Announcement to Parliament--Debates--Marriage of the Queen and Prince Albert--War declared with China--Capture of Chusan--Bombardment of the Bogue Forts--Peace concluded under the Walls of Nankin. 18 CHAPTER III. 1841-1846. Unpopularity of the Whigs--Fall of the Melbourne Ministry--Peel's Cabinet--The Afghan War--Murder of Sir A. Burnes and Sir W. Macnaghten--The Retreat from Cabul--Annihilation of the British Force--The Corn Duties--The Pioneers of Free Trade--Failure of Potato Crop in Ireland--Lord John Russell's conversion to Free Trade--Peel and Repeal--Rupture of the Tory Party--The Corn Duties repealed--Defeat and Resignation of the Government--Review of Peel's Administration. 30 CHAPTER IV. 1833-1849.