At this time, however, his tutor says of him that "he was rather delicate than robust, though already remarkable for his powers of perseverance and endurance."

The King of the Belgians, writing to the Queen in 1864, confirms, for the most part, the account of the young Prince thus given by Mr. Florschütz:

"I have seen him," he says, " in 1822, '23, '24, '26, '27, and '29, chiefly at Coburg, but since 1827 also at Gotha. He looked delicate in his youngest days. Arthur puts me most in mind of his looks in those days. He was always an intelligent child, and held a certain sway over his elder brother, who rather kindly submitted to it."

There does not appear to have been much to record during the boyhood of the princes; and, with the exception of the unfortunate circumstances of the year 1824, which resulted in the separation of their parents, to which reference has already been made, their lives flowed on in a singularly even and unvarying, but, at the same time, very happy course. Indeed, the Prince, in after years, frequently alluded to his happy childhood, and often told the Queen that he considered it the happiest period of his whole life.*

The mode of life adopted at this time for the young princes will be found amply detailed in the memorandum of their tutor, Herr Florschütz. But, before proceeding farther to notice this subject, it may be interesting to read a few extracts from a journal kept by the young Prince himself, as well as some of his letters to his father, written before he was six years old.

It is matter for regret that the habit of keeping a jour * Memorandum by the Queen.

nal, thus early commenced, was not continued through life, for in after years such a journal could not have failed to have been of immense interest. In these early days the journal dictated by the Prince contains, perhaps, nothing that any child of that age might not have written, though one can not help being pleased with the artless simplicity of his remarks, as well as with the evident truth that marks the expression of the child's feelings; and, though there may not be any thing in his letters to distinguish them from those written by other boys of the same age, the more exalted the position, the more distin-. guished the career of any man has been in after years, the more we like to know him as a boy, thinking, speaking, and writing as we have ourselves done.

The extracts from the journal which are here given are dated from January to April, 1825, when the Prince was not yet six years old. In that year the duke was much away from home, and during his absence the young princes spent most of the summer quietly at the Rosenau, varied only by a short stay occasionally with their grandmother at Ketschendorf, and by a visit to their other grandmother at Gotha.

The journal is as follows:

"21st January.

"When I got up this morning I was very happy: I washed myself, and then was dressed; after which I played for a little while, then the milk was brought, and afterward dear papa came to fetch us to breakfast. After breakfast dear papa showed us the English horses. The little white one can trot very fast, but the chestnut one is rather clumsy." (There was an English breeder there.)

"After we had seen the horses we did our lessons, and

then put on our boots and went to the Hof-garden. On our way home we met the little Ledermanns.

went home to dinner.

"After dinner we drove to the Rosenau.

Then we

Here dear

papa was shooting, and we went a little way with the shooting-party.

“Waldmann was always wanting to run and chase the partridges, but we would not let him. Sometimes, however, he ran away with the string, and we were forced to run fast after him to catch him again. We drove home, played, and then went down stairs to dinner, but that had long been over. We then visited our cousins, came up stairs again and dined, and then wrote our journals. "Now I am sleepy, I will pray and go to bed."

"23d January.

"When I awoke this morning I was ill. My cough was worse. I was so frightened that I cried. Half the day I remained in bed, and only got up at three o'clock in the afternoon. I did a little drawing, then I built a castle and arranged my arms; after that I did my lessons, and made a little picture and painted it. Then I played with Noah's Ark, then we dined, and I went to bed and prayed."

"26th January.

We recited, and I cried because I could not say my repetition, for I had not paid attention. . . . . I was not allowed to play after dinner because I had cried while repeating. Then Parthénai came, and we talked French with him. The little boy Mensel came and brought us some black chalk, with which we drew beau

tiful pictures. Then we looked over the Picture Acade

... Papa took us to breakfast, and there I got a beautiful crown piece. After breakfast we continued our lessons. . . . . Then we went down to dear papa, and I took my needles and rings down with me.

"11th February, 1825.

". . . . I was to recite something, but did not wish to

do so: that was not right-naughty!

แ

"20th February.

During our walk I told the Rath (the tutor) a story. When I came home I played with my companions. But I had left all my lesson-books lying about in the room, and I had to put them away: then I cried, but afterward I played again.

“28th February.

". . . . I cried at my lesson to-day because I could not find a verb; and the Rath pinched me, to show me what a verb was. And I cried about it. . .

"26th March.

I wrote a letter at home. But, because I had made so many mistakes in it, the Rath tore it up and threw it into the fire. I cried about it. . . ."

"27th March.

"... I finished writing my letter. Then I played. . ." “4th April.

" . . . After dinner we went with dear papa to Ketschendorf. Then I drank beer, and ate bread and butter and cheese. .

*Name of a German book.

C

"8th April.

". . . After dinner we went to Ketschendorf, and from Ketschendorf we went to Seidmannsdorf. On the road I cried. From Seidmannsdorf we went home by the Eckartsberg. . . . Then we had a French lesson." "9th April.

"... I got up well and happy; afterward I had a fight with my brother. . . . After dinner we went to the play. It was Wallenstein's 'Lager,' and they carried out a monk."

"10th April.

"... I had another fight with my brother: that was not right."

"1825.

"DEAR PAPA," he writes about the same time to his father while staying with his grandmother at Ketschendorf, "we have now been a week at Ketschendorf, and aré quite well. I hope you have arrived safe at Berlin, but come back to us soon. I long for your return. It is very fine here. We often stay out till near 10 o'clock, as it is much finer in the evening than in the day. We were at the Rosenau a few days ago, but unluckily the weather was not fine. The wind was very high. We are going there again to-day with dear grandmamma. Pikas" (a dog) "is with us at Ketschendorf, but he often runs away from us. Think of me with love.

"Your

ALBERT."

"1825.

"DEAR PAPA,-The day before yesterday we went to see the Hof-marshal, and yesterday the colonel. Our