NEWS OF THE WEEK.
Tun; Privy Council assembles this day to receive a communication from the Queen of her intention to marry Prince A LUETIT of Saxe Coburg. Nobody will be surprised by the formal announce- ment of this alliance. Queen Vicrontv's marriage with her Ger- man cousin has been talked of in court and country, and para- graphed for the newspapers on sundry occasions during the last
twelvemonth. True, the Ministerial journals denied positively that there was any foundation for the rumour ; but it gained gene- ral credence notwithstanding their contradiction. The marriage is expected to take place in April next.
Of the character of our Queen's future husband little is publicly knowu ; but he is deseribeil as amiable and intelligent. His posi- tion will necessarily exclude him from open interference in the conduct of affairs ; but 'personal influence over his wife might render him a most important personage in the realm—through her he might become the virtual Sovereigu. Nor is it to be concealed that, even it' devoid of ambition and unaddicted to meddling on his own account, he may be sought after and used to promote the rumpuses of others.
How will the marriage affect the Ministers ? Will Lord MEL- BOURNE live 'upon it through another session of Parliament ? There will probably be a distribution of honours—peerages, baroneteies, and ribands, and perhaps brevets. There will be entertainments at the Palace, and fetes given by the leaders of fashion. Tradespeople in London will be busy, and around the Metropolis a considerable stir. A portion of the affectionate in- terest which the Queen inspired two years ago may be revived, and reluctance to trouble the first months of her married life inns' tend to soften the asperity of political wartime. We can imagine some advantage to Lord Marmot:um from such a state of feeling. On the other hand, to apply for an increase to the already extravagant Civil List, at a time when the revenue is unequal to the expenditure and the commercial prospects of the country are gloomy, will be an unpopular proceeding. In Parlia- ment, the rival parties may bid against each other for Royal fitvour with the public money ; but the cost of the fresh importation from Germany will provoke severe remarks " out of doors." Perhaps the best way of ascertaining whether the Ministers will gain any substantial advantage from the Queen's marriage, is to consider whether it will bring them any additional votes in the House of Commons. It is not easy to see how it can Influence a single election—unless some Tory patron of' a borough be purchased by a peerage or a blue riband. Lord MELBOURNE cannot expect to strengthen his Government materially by pro- viding a husband for the Queen, and the effect of the Royal mar- riage on the state of parties will be scarcely perceptible.
