§ Her Majesty's most gracious Message of yesterday considered (according to Order).
§ EARL GRANVILLEMy Lords, I rise to move that an humble Address be presented to Her Majesty, to thank Her Majesty for the most gracious communication which it has pleased Her Majesty to make to this House of the intended marriage between His Royal Highness Alfred Ernest Albert, Duke of Edinburgh, Earl of Kent, Earl of Ulster, Duke of Saxony, Prince of Saxe Coburg and Gotha, and Her Imperial Highness the Grand Duchess Marie Alexandrovna, the only daughter of His Majesty the Emperor of all the Russias, and to assure Her Majesty that this House, always feeling the most lively interest in any event which can contribute to the happiness of the Royal Family, will concur in the measures which may be proposed for the consideration of the House, to enable Her Majesty to make a further provision for His Royal Highness on this occasion. My Lords, this is not the first occasion on which I have had to ask your Lordships to agree to a Motion such as this, and past experience enables me to anticipate that your Lordships will now give expression to the same feelings of satisfaction that you have invariably manifested on previous similar occasions. In the first place, your Lordships' House, as well as the other House of Parliament and the country at large, has always evinced a lively satisfaction in anything calculated to promote the happiness of Her Majesty and of the Members of her Family. In the second place, your Lordships have always felt the more pleasure in returning a humble Answer in response to a similar communication from Her Majesty, because of the fact that, in reference to the marriages of their children, the Queen and the Prince Consort always proceeded on the principle that they should be marriages of mutual affection, and that precedent has been 1160 faithfully observed on the present occasion. I believe I need hardly mention how young the Duke of Edinburgh was when he first conceived the hope of this union; and, my Lords, the basis on which the negotiations for this marriage were conducted by Her Majesty and the Emperor of Russia was, that the proposed union was based upon mutual affection, and of such a character as to promise happiness to both. That this is the case in the present instance there is no doubt. Formerly, much importance was attached to marriages made with political objects; but your Lordships are aware that such unions have but rarely resulted ill accomplishing the political objects for which they were intended, and certainly we are aware how little in these days alliances between Royal Families affect the policy of nations. There can, however, be no doubt that it is for the interest of both Russia and England that the two countries should be on good terms; and there have not been wanting proofs of the desire of His Majesty the Emperor of Russia .to maintain friendly relations with this nation. Although, however, I do not think that this bears in any degree on the question of this marriage, it is, my Lords, a fortunate circumstance that in this instance, all circumstances combine to render the marriage one on which we can sincerely offer our congratulations to Her Majesty. With these few remarks, my Lords, I beg to move the Address.
§ THE MARQUESS OF SALISBURYMy Lords, in the absence of my noble Friend the Duke of Richmond, I beg to second the Address which has been moved by the noble Earl. I am sure that it will be acceded to most cordially by your Lordships, because whatever gives pleasure to Her Majesty must also give pleasure to every class of her people, by whom she is so much beloved. His Royal Highness the Duke of Edinburgh is well known for his abilities—he is popular for his personal qualifications, and on account of his connection with a popular profession—and the prospect of happiness which he has in this marriage will give unfeigned satisfaction to all classes of Her Majesty's subjects. Of course it is impossible not to concur in what the noble Earl says respecting Royal matrimonial alliances. I quite agree that they do not, as in past times, 1161 affect the policy of this country—that is to say, I believe it is true that they can never again be the means of dragging this country into war. I am not, however, quite sure that they may not be the means of conducing to the maintenance of peace. No doubt, it is a matter of no slight congratulation that our Royal House is now connected with the Royal Houses of the three great nations—the Scandinavian, the Sclavonic, and the Teutonic—by which the policy of Europe is determined. I cannot help thinking that peoples who have learned to respect and love Members of our Royal Family will to some extent look less as strangers on those over whom that Royal Family has so prosperously reigned. On these grounds and from motives of personal regard and affection, as well as from motives of public policy, I believe this marriage to be one worthy of all felicitation, and I beg very heartily to second the Motion.
Then an humble Address of thanks and concurrence ordered nemine dissentiente to be presented to Her Majesty thereupon: The said Address to be presented to Her Majesty by the Lords with white staves.