Page:The Letters Of Queen Victoria, vol. 2 (1908).djvu/180

160 o’clock the King, the Queen, and General Dumas came to the ferry-boat which plies between Honfleur and Havre, and were met by the Vice-Consul, who treated the King as uncle of the Consul. On landing at Havre the King walked straight down to the Express Packet, which was lying ready ; the Queen went separately, and after making a slight round through the streets of Havre embarked also ; the Packet then immediately started, and went into Newhaven in preference to any other port, because no Packets start from thence for the French coast. General Dumas says that the whole party were unprovided with anything but the clothes they wore, and he was going to the King’s banker to provide funds to enable him to come to town, and said that the King begged him to apologise for his not having _ at once written to your Majesty to thank your Majesty for the great interest which your Majesty has taken in his safety, and for the assistance which he has received for his escape, but that he would do so this evening.

General Dumas said that the King’s present intention is to remain in England in the strictest incognito, and that he and the Queen will assume the title of Count and Countess of Neuilly. Viscount Palmerston explained to General Dumas that your Majesty has made arrangements for the King’s reception at Claremont, and that your Majesty intended to send down an officer of your Majesty’s Household to communicate with the King. General Dumas said that the King would most gratefully avail himself of the arrangement as to Claremont, but that under all circumstances, and as the King wished to remain in entire privacy, he thought it would be better that no person from your Majesty’s Household should go down to the King at Newhaven, and that he was sure the King would rather find his own way from the railway station at London Bridge to Clare- mont than attract attention by being met at the station by any of your Majesty’s carriages.

The King would remain to-night at Newhaven, and would come up to-morrow morning. General Dumas said that the King and the Queen had gone through much personal fatigue and mental anxiety, but are both well in health. The General was going to Count Jarnac before he returned to Newhaven. NEWHAVEN, SUSSEX, 3¢me Mars 1848. Madame,—Après avoir rendu grâces à Dieu, mon premier devoir est d’offrir à votre Majesté ’hommage de ma reconnaissance pour la généreuse assistance qu’elle nous a donnée, à moi