Writing to her Prime Minister on July 25th, 1848, Her Majesty said:-- "The Queen must tell Lord John (Russell) what she has repeatedly told Lord Palmerston, but without apparent effect, that the establishment of an entente cordiale with the French Republic, for the purpose of driving the Austrians out of their dominions in Italy would be a disgrace to this country.

That the French would attach the greatest importance to it and gain the greatest advantage from it, there can be no doubt of.

But how will England appear before the world at the moment she is struggling for her supremacy in Ireland ?..." and on Oct.
10th following Her Majesty wrote to her uncle, the first King of the Belgians (who owed his new minted crown to the Belgian people depriving the Dutch Sovereign of his "lawful possessions") in the following memorable words: "Really it is quite immoral, with Ireland quivering in our grasp, and ready to throw off her allegiance at any moment, for us to force Austria to give up her lawful possessions.

What shall we say if Canada, Malta, etc., begin to trouble us?
It hurts me terribly." (Page 237, Queen Victoria's letters, published by order of His Majesty, King Edward VII.) It hurt Ireland much more terribly, that failure to throw off the hand that held her "quivering in our grasp," so soon to stretch her "a corpse upon the dissecting table." Ireland has failed to win her freedom, not so much because she has failed to shed her blood, but because her situation in the world is just that unique situation I have sought to depict.

Belonging to Europe, she has not been of Europe; and England with a persistency that would be admirable were it not so criminal in intention and effect, has bent all her efforts, all her vigour, an unswerving policy, and a pitiless sword to extend the limits of exclusion.