Renewed Popularity of the Queen--Services of Prince Albert--A Volunteer Poet Laureate--Birth of the Princess Alice--The Whig Deficit, and how Sir Robert Peel dealt with it--The Income Tax, and Reduction of Duties--The Sliding Scale--Advance of Free Trade Principles--Assassination of Mr. Drummond--The Question of Criminal Insanity--Sir Robert Peel and Mr. Cobden--Disturbances in South Wales: “Rebecca” and her Daughters--Condition of Women in Mines and Collieries--Lord Ashley and the Factories Act--Opinion of the Queen and Prince Albert on the Qualities of Sir Robert Peel--Levees held by the Prince--The Frescoes for the Houses of Parliament--Encouragement of Fresco-Painting by the Queen and Prince Albert--The Summer House in the Gardens of Buckingham Palace--Visit of her Majesty and the Prince to Louis Philippe at the Château d’Eu--The Duke of Wellington on the Necessity for a Council of Regency--Designs of France on the Succession to the Spanish Throne--Dishonest Engagement of the French King--English Opinion completely Misled--Royal Visits to Belgium, to Cambridge, and to the Midlands--The Prince as a Fox-hunter--Model Farming--Events in India: Wars in Scinde and Gwalior. A very important and very happy result of Prince Albert’s influence was seen in the revived popularity of the Queen after a few years had passed. In 1839, as the reader is aware, the feeling with which her Majesty was regarded by a wide section of the people revealed a danger of no inconsiderable magnitude, and threatened to give a peculiarly acrid character to political discussion. By 1842 this sentiment had very nearly disappeared; and the change was largely due to the companionship and advice of the Queen’s consort. We must not forget, however, the excellent guidance which the Prince himself received from Baron Stockmar; and although Englishmen cannot but have felt a little jealous that their political and social state was so much influenced by foreigners, they must have been none the less grateful for the fact, let it come how it might. For the improved state of public feeling Prince Albert obtained no credit at the time. The people knew very little about him, and the aristocracy, who had opportunities of seeing his Royal Highness, considered him somewhat cold and haughty. The opinion was not altogether unwarranted, though it proceeded from a misapprehension. A certain reserve of manner resulted almost inevitably from the severe moral restrictions which the Prince laid upon himself; but who would not purchase so great a gain at the cost of a few external attractions, not necessarily associated with the higher virtues?