15 AUGUST 1952, Page 12

Cbe tivettator, Ztugusa tub, 1852 " OUR Queen is a

true British sailor." The ballad composed in honour of William the Fourth need not go out of use yet; like the national anthem, it may by a simple change in the designation be made to fit the present wearer of the crown. Duly as autumn comes round, our Sovereign takes to the water with all the gusto of a water-spaniel. Were not the phrase vulgar, one might say she is " a duck of a Queen." A fort- night ago, she was coasting the English shores of the Channel, exploring the leafy labyrinths of the Cornub:an and Devonian rivers. This week she has crossed the sea to Belgium; dis- daining to be turned from her purpose by a gale which might have made bearded sailors remain at anchor.

It is possible—probable--that Queen Victoria's visit to her royal uncle of Belgium is nothing more that one of her custom- ary autumnal trips. But the presence of the Queen of England in Belgium at the present moment is a fact of political import- ance, even though nothing of the kind be intended.