Stratford de Redcliffe Cooling Down--Tory Distrust of the French Alliance--The Queen’s Kindness to Lord Aberdeen--The Emperor Napoleon and Prince Albert--The Prince Visits France--The Queen at Balmoral--Her Feelings towards the Prince of Prussia--The Queen holds a Council of War--She Demands Reinforcements for Lord Raglan--Napoleon’s Alarm--Prince Albert’s Plan for an Army of Reserve--The Queen on the Austrian Proposals--Her Anxiety about the Troops--Raglan’s Meagre Despatches--The Queen and Miss Nightingale--At Work for the Soldiers--Extorting Information from Lord Raglan--Ministerial Changes--Lord John Russell’s Selfishness--A Miserly Whig Duke--The Queen’s Disgust at Russell’s Treachery--Resignation of Russell--Fall of the Coalition--The Queen and the Crisis--She holds out the Olive Branch to Palmerston--Palmerston’s Cabinet--Quarrel between Mr. Disraeli and Lord Derby--The Sebastopol Committee--Mr. Roebuck and Prince Albert--The Vienna Conference and the Death of Czar Nicholas--The Austrian Compromise--Parties and the War--Russell’s Humiliation--He Resigns in Disgrace--The Queen Quashes the Peace Negotiations--A Royal Blunder--The Queen tries to Gag the Peelites--Aberdeen Browbeaten by the Court--Canrobert’s Resignation--Crimean Successes--Failure of the Attack on the Redan--Death of Raglan 618 CHAPTER XXXII. ROYALTY AND THE WAR. Financing the War--The Queen’s Opinion of War Loans--A Dreadful Winter--Distress in the Country--The “Devil” in Devonshire--Bread Riots--War Loans and a War Budget--The Queen and the Wounded Soldiers--Her Condemnation of “the Hulks”--Presentation of War Medals in Hyde Park--Visit of the Emperor and Empress of the French--A Plot to Capture the Queen--Councils of War at Windsor--The Grand Chapter of the Order of the Garter--Imperial Compliments--Napoleon III. in the City--At the Opera--The Queen’s Birthday Gift to the Emperor--Scarlet Fever at Osborne--Prorogation of Parliament--A Court Intrigue with Dom Pedro of Portugal--The Queen Visits Paris--Her Reception at St. Cloud--The Ball at the Hôtel de Ville--Staring at the “Koh-i-noor”--At the Tomb of the Great Emperor--Prince Bismarck’s Introduction to the Queen--Home again--Lord Clarendon on the Queen’s Visit to Paris--How the Prince of Wales Enjoyed himself--At Balmoral--The Bonfire on Craig Gowan--Sebastopol Rejoicings--“A Witches’ Dance supported by Whisky”--Courtship of the Princess Royal--Prince Frederick William of Prussia--His Proposal of Marriage--Attacks of the _Times_--Visit of Victor Emmanuel--His Reputation in Paris--Memorial of the Grenadier Guards--Fresh Charges against Prince Albert--His Vindication of the Crimean Officers 643 CHAPTER XXXIII. THE END OF THE WAR.