LETTER TO THE EDITOR.
THE QUEEN'S TITLE.
[TO THE EDITOR. OF THE " SPROTA.TOR.1
8IE,-It appears to me to be neither consistent nor desirable that a ruler should assume a higher title from a conquered country than that which he desires from the country by whose energy it was conquered, and by whose strength it is held. And as this is especially true of a constitutional Sovereign, it is due to the English people by whom India was won, that the Queen's British title shall not be overshadowed by one taken from the conquered and dependent province, great and important though it be.
The inconsistency becomes clearer when we suppose an extreme and impossible case, such as an Empire of Mexico conquered by the United States, and the President applying to Congress for powers to add to his title that of " Emperor of Mexico." This supposed instance and that now under discussion I believe to be parallel in principle, however much they may diverge in degree. It would be well to leave the style of the Sovereign unaltered in the sense proposed, but if there is to be a change, would not the opportunity be a good one to correct the present clumsy and awkward style of this realm, " The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland" being, I submit, rather a description than a name, and implying duality quite as touch as the unity intended by its framers, and to enable her Majesty to declare herself in English what she already is in Latin, " Queen of the Britains," with the addition of "and Queen of India ? "-I am, Sir, &c., A PEER.
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