THE FRIENDS OF THE QUEEN'S YOUTII.
A SOCIETY of respectable gentlemen, calling themselves Friends of Religious Freedom, and consisting to a great extent of Dis- senters, dined together one day this week, and after the cloth was removed spouted a prodigious deal of nonsense. As a specimen of the oratory, we quote the following passage from the speech of Mr. BAINES, M.P., as reported in the Morning Chronicle— What was the claim set up by the dominant Tory party ? That our young Queen should be allowed to have no associates—not merely male associates, • but none of those who hove been associated with her front the earliest part if her life—who had inculcated in her patriotic mind lessons of patriotism, which it would be the greatest glory of her reign to maintain."
Now it was impossible, if Sir ROBERT PEEL had desired it ever • so much, to remove from the Palace the young Queen's earliest associates—and for the simple reason, that they hold no ostensible office in the Household. As for the patriotic lessons " inculcated "— can Mr. BAINES select one from the following list of the Queen's female attendants, who had any share in her education ?
Dutchess of SUTHERLAND, Marchioness of NORMANDY, Marchioness of BREADALBANE, MaCCIliOBCSS of TAVISTOCK, Countess of llum.moToN, Countess Of CLIAIILEMONT, Lady BARHAM, Lady PoRTMAN,
• Lady Lrrmwrox, Lady GARDNER,
• Lady FORBES, Lady C. BARRINGTON,
Lady C. Coma:1r,
Lady HARRIET CLIVE, Mrs. G. CAMPBELL, MTS. BRAND, Miss COCKS,
Miss Parr,
Miss PAGET, Miss MURRAY.
• Of these twenty ladies, no fewer than eleven—Lady NORMANDY, Lady BARHAM, Lady PORTMAN, Lady GARDNER, Lady FORBES, Lady II. CLIVE, Mrs. CAMPBELL, Miss COCKS, Miss PITT, Miss PAGET, and Miss MURRAY—belong to Tory families; and the ".lessons of patriotism" they would have inculcated, had they been among the Queen's youthful associates, would have been tinged with Toryism. The fact is, that the most intimate friends of the Queen's early days were the Ladies JENKINSON—Tories ; and her Majesty's Governess was the Tory Dutchess of NORTHUMBERLAND. Sir Ronzwr PEEL would not have objected to plaice any or all of those ladies about the Royal person. At her Majesty's express desire, he offered to make the Earl of LIVERPOOL Lord Steward.
There are two associates of Queen VICTORIA'S youth at the Palace ; but there is little cordiality between her Majesty and one of them—her another. The Dutchess of KENT'S removal was not required by Sir ROBERT PEEL. The other is the Baroness LEHZEN and Sir ROBERT never thought of requiring her ab- sence.
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