The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, January 21, 1901, Page 2

I NCIDENTS IN T RECORD OF MINISTRIES OF VICTORIAN PERIOD| England’s Nineteenth Century Statesmen and| Their Services Under the Queen. EN Prime Ministers, Whig afterward. (Liberal) and Con- | rvative, were called duri e long reign of Queen Vie- m the twenty Min- which Go al affairs of the United m were transacted. Be- » and ending smen of of the affairs, and despite m were he: sts th on apace. M the e hands ne , suspend the Queen s the famous dis- in the reign of woman—known The Queen wished o re- 3 Peel insisted » WHig states- opposed ake to gov- fons. The Queen, ng on advice, would not give way. The ance t i hat Peel aall Le he Whig Min- y had to come back, discredited at as Melbourne saye, ““behind the pet- s of the lal 2 walting The Chartist Agitation. Direful predictions, fortified by this inci- seemed sure of realization in a con- tinued oat government under the 2. Other and more important issues came on with the opening of Pariia- ment. “Chart e subject of the en’s messag ne was em- odied in a bill ca for universal su f women; divi- sion of the U'nited Kingdom into eqpal vote by ballot; no property qualifications members; and a payment to member for his legislative service. The iples =0 quickly recommended them- es to the working classes that in the ssion of 1539 the signatures to a petition 10 Parliament numbered upward of a mil- and a quarter. The chartists divided hemselves into physical force and moral force wings, the former coming into act with the Government on on one occasion ten bée- 1 led and Afty wounded. Hundreds of others were tried and convicted all over kingdom. tiiy hated and in 1842 the second Mel- Mini came a cropper on chart- nd tariff Jegisiation. in d out, of their own accord, went ng—the Duchess of he day the bill repealing the obnoxious laws was read for the third time in e House of Lords (June 25, 1846) saw the for Ireland. The attack on Peel was cd by Sir George Bertinck and Benjamin israell en just making himself feit tn e House of Commc ¥ s defeat- 1 overwhelming majority Lord Russell’s Ministry. rd John Ru intrusted with e next Min ich lasted till 1852, ry, w ton on the militia bill. In of which Lord Derby 11 became Chancellor of After a short and stormy ter failure to and the the Queen, Peelites Lord reform, abandonment by Conservatives, the with all the accompanying - its management, one after another, the Aberdeen and Palm- before ‘the putting down and the assumption India by the Crown. again and soon fell, Imerst who, old he was, formed the sirongest odern th so far as the ¥ of its members was con- the es, to the Exchequer. que mine which shut down } s, gave this administration . Its dealings with the North are well known to every child t ted States. On the death of Lord Palmerston in 1855 the Premiership was again intrusted to Lord John Russell Mr. ¢ »mm v &, Mr. Gla dstone as | Parliamer 1866, er in the House opened on 1 on March 12 follow- one brought forward his rm, proposing to extend the :nties and boroughs. The er, of the Moderate Lib- chise 1n ¢ nowe als and their junction with the Con- ervatives proved fatal to the measure, the Ministry of Ear! Russell resigned the third yime Farl Derby came t the head of a Ministry, Mr. Disraeli aking the Chancellorship of the ser. are of this Lord bill brought ical career to a close swe ally b party to Gladstone. Lord Derby, his op- =oon followed his example, and the g-standing duel between-Gladstone and r 100k nter of the Parlia- p Victory of Gladstone. Agitatic reform bills for Scotland M. as well as England, kept the Disraeli Ministry in power until 1868, when the crisis came in a debate that had for its sub- of Ireland. Tt was in- a series of resolutions pro- guire, an Irish 1t was not till the fourth night of the debate that the importance of the me manifest. Then it was » spoke. He declared . the time had come church, as a state insti- se. Men only waited to he would procure its fall. A few later he proposed resolutions to that effect, An amendment proposed by Lord Staniey, declaring that the matter ought to be reserved for the decision of the xt Pariiament, proclaimed even more surely than the resolutions the im- pending fall of the Irish church. On the division there were 210 votes for the amendment and 331 against. A month later Mr. Gladstone's first resolution came up and was carried—330 votes for to 265 against. The dissolution came on the last day of July, the elections in Novembar. Not for man important The new constituen- cies created by the reform bill gave their votes for the first time, and they gave them so comsistently for Mr. Gladstone's party that 120 of its members were re- bec - | cepted the Premt. bourne | » to bring to | 2 question | a. Peel In- | annual | every | As & result the Whigs were rame Peel—end of “petticoat™ xnvem’- ss of Sutheriand andy of the Peel Ministry on the coercion | went down before the opposition | compro- | of | | 1 went to the Foreign Of- | America and the conse- | He | nded over the leadership of the | | turned to Parliament, where before there were only | Disraeli did not wait for the new Par- | [llament. He resigned as Premier, and Mr. Gladstone was at once sent for, hip and went to worl |to formulate his famous Irish policy | After five years of power, having aceom plished great things, having seen the beginning of the lrish Home Rule par one's lease of office was terminated vote in ¢ Irish Universit sion of the second conserva- try of Disraeli found the budget | with a wce of £60,000,000, Sugar du- ties were abolished, and the income tax reduced to 24 on. the pound. This, the | ninth Parliament of Queen Victo sat | for six years, Disraeli, now come to be the Earl of Beaconsfield, giving the coun- occasional surprise: One of which he the finaneial coup by | purchased from the Khedive of Egypt { his inte in the Suez canal, rudely | awakening the French from their dream {of control. Ancther was the acquisition of the Turkish Isle of Cypress, handed over for a guarantee to Turkey of her Aslatic provinces in the event of any 1 Rus neroachmer ithstand these performar the Beaconsfleld Ministry went down 1 the flcod of Irish debates assumed office In 1880, | through both houses that measure known | as the Irish land act.two new men bei in his Cabinet in the persons of J Chamberlain and $ir Charies Dilke. The Bastern question had kept all Eu- rope busy for some years, as seems destined to do for many more, and Ens- lish Ministries were hard worked; but | they kept pegging away at this and that | reform, despite the fact that their armies were engaged, and not alwdys success- | Pully. Fall of Khartoum. | Almost simultaneously with the sembling of Parliament on February , came the news of the fall of Khar- | toum and the death of “Chinese” Gordon, These terrible events sent a thrill of hor- ror through the country, and the Govern- ment was severely condemned for Its pro- crastination. Mr. Gladstone appealed for a vote of confidence. Financial questions were embarrassing, and when, | the budget was ready. it showed proposals for an augmentation of the spirit duties, Country members were dis- ratisfled, and agricultural and whisky in- terests were discontented. The Chancei- lor made some concessions, but they were not regarded as sufficient, and, the opposi- | tion joined battle. Mr. Gladstone stated at the close of the debate that the Gov- errment would resign if defeated. The amendment was carried against them, snd the Ministry went out, Lord Salis- bury becoming Premier. His Government feated,* Mr. Gladstone forming his last Ministry. On March 20 Mr. Gladstone announced that on April § he would ask leave to }hrlns: in a bill to amend the provision | of the future Government of Ireland, and that on the 15th he would ask leave to being in a measure to make amended pro- visfon for the sale and purchase of land {in Ireland. The same day Mr. Chamber- | 1ain and Mr. Trevelyan resigned, and op- position to Mr. Gladstone’s polley rapid- ly took form in his own party.” The de- | bate in the House on the home rule bill ended June3 in the defeat of the Govern- { ment. The “‘grand old man" appealed to | the country, blit the electlons were against of Par- Home Rule Liberals, Irish Nationalists, him, resulting in the alignment | tament as follows: | or Gladstonians, 194; 85; total, 219. Seceding Liberals, servatives, 316; total, 291 his colleagues resigned, and Lord Salis- bury’s Government became organized, its | following taking the name of Liberal | Unionists. M>. Gladstone Resigns. | With the Irish question always to the fore, controversies with the United States on boundary and fisheries questions kept | the Salisbury Government reasonably busy until its dissolution, in 1882, having been in existence since 1886, Great excite- ment prevailed in th. ensuing election, the Gladstone, or Liberal party, favoring home rule, winning by a majority 42 in the House. As a result, Lord Salis- hury resigned and Mr. Gladstone formed the Government, but it was not until Feb- ruary, 1893, that he introduced and carried through the Commons his home rule bill. The bill was rejected in the Lords. Falil- {ing evesight and hearing caused Mr. Glad- | stone to resign in March, 185, Lord Rose- bury, much against the opposition of La- | bouchere and others who had no liking | for & Lord, succeeding him. Despite the | troubles from Irish Nationalists, Scotch | crofters and Welch churchmen, Lord | Rosebury stuck at the belm for a year, | wken, displeased at criticisms from Glad- stone, who did nmot like the inaction of | the Ministry on the Armenian atrocitics, | he resigned. | Lord Balisbury was again entrusted with | the formation of a Cabinet. It is unneces- | sary to enumerate the task of this Min- |istry. On the whole, even allowing for the war fever, the triumphant vindication of | 1te war poliey at #he polls is an indication | that the pedple of Great Britain think the | work well done. 'SYMPATHY AT WASHINGTON gt Lord Pauncefote the Recipient of Many Messages of | Condolence. WASHINGTON, Jan. 2).—Beyond the of- fictal bulletins issued by the Queen’s phy- sicians no reports regarding the condition of Queen Victoria wefé réceived by Lord Pauncefote, the British Embassador, to- day. In view o2 her Majesty's serious con- dition and her advanced age the officials of the embassy have little hope of her re- covery, and they are in hourly expectation of advices announcing that Mer death has occurred. - No decision relative to the cer- emony of mourning which will be ob- served has been announced, and it is ex- pected that this will be made uniform by instructions to be sent from London: Among the officlals great sympathy is expressed for the royal family and the English people. The embassy has found that in affliction the sympathy of the American people goes out to their cousins | across the Atiantic. Lord Pauncefote to- day received many messages of condo- lence, which added the hope that the Queen would recover. CAPE_TOWN, Jan. 20—The news of Queen Victoria's illness caused consterna- tion in Cape Town. Sir Alfred Milner and his staff attended services In the Cathe- dral, where prayers were offered for her Majesty's recovery. druggts E i1 Ba3 b in April, | lasted till January, 188, whem it was de- | Con- | Gladstone and | HE GREAT THE SAN FRANCISCO CALL. MONDAY, JANUARY 21. 1901 QUEENS CA REER" VICTORIA’S LIFE FROM THE CRADLE 'ALBERT EDWARD TALKS TO HER ACCESSION TO THE THRONE| . WITH AN INTERVIEWER Girlhood Days of thle Princ ereign of the OSBORNE HOUSE ON THE ISLE OF WIGHT. ess and Her First Experiences as Sov- United Kingdom. TRAVELER who, in the late | the great disturber of the peace of wi- bleak days of March, traversed the highroads that lle between Amorbach, the capital of the tiny principality of Leiningen, and the Dutch seacoast, might have encoun- tered an old-fashioned, heavy traveling coach, driven by a tall, stout. baldheaded, red-faced, elderly gentieman. He would scarcely, however, have imag- ined that this coachman was no less a personage than his Royal Highness the Duke of Kent, fourth son of the then reigning English soverelgn. George 1II. if he was indiscreet enough to peep into the carrlaze he would have seen that its| occupant was a lady who, still possessed much youthful graee and beadty. though she had passed her prime, and he might further have observed that she was about to becgme a mother. toria 6f the house of Saxe-Coburg, widow of the Prince of Leiningen, and wife of her amateur, coachman, who was driving her thus carefully himself for fear of | those untoward accidents not rare in pre- rallway days. The Duke was anxious that his expected offspring should be born on English soil, for it was by no means tmprobable that this unborn child would some day sit upon the throne of England. The journey was indeed accomplished in =safety, though hampered .hy serious pe- cuniary difficulttes. Duke Not a Favorite. Tt seems strange that this should have been the case with a royal Prince, but the Duke was no favorite with his fam- A. moteover, jealousy and ill-feel- ing of all kinds were rife among the royal brothers of England on account of this expected child, each desiring to be the father of the future sovereign. For. not- withstanding the fact that George II1. and his roval 8poi Queen Charlotte, had been most prolific, the younger mem- bers of the family were few. The long continental war and the royal marriage act passed by the King himself had kept the younger princes unmarried till they were middle-aged men. The heir to the throne In those davs was first George, Prince of Wales, for some time Regent, owing to his father's insanity, and then his only daughter Charlotte, who In 151§ married Leopold, afterwards King of the Belgians. But when in the winter of 1817 Princess Charlotte was laid in eternal rest, her still-horn infant in her arms, it was perceived with consternation that there was no young heir to the throne. Immediately the royal princes who were sti)l unmarried hurried to look around them for suitable connections, and early | the next vear the Dukes of Clarence, Kent and Cambridge married three prin- cesses. Indeed, the two former were mar- ried on the same day. The Duke of Kent, hewever, had stolen a march upon his brother, for he had a/few months previ- ously married his bride in Germany. the | English ceremony being merely a formula to render yet more legal the possible fruit of the union. For all these men were far aflvanced in the fifties. had led dissi- pated lives and offspring was no certainty. The Duke of Ként was by far the best and most moral of the royal princes. though it ean scarcely be said that he was popular. He had not been a favorite child with his parents, and had thus per- haps escaped the evil effects of court flat- tery and home indulgence. His leanings were Liberat—at that time an object of loathing tq rayolty, and on this account he was cut off with a niggardly allowance quite unfitting his rank. His tastes were continental rather than English—another cause for unpopularity, the nation in those days having a great distaste for everything not insular. The coarseness of the age preferred the home-bred ex- travagances and even vices of his broth- ers to his more decorous and moral con- duct. It was therefore not quite seen with favor that he might be the father of the future sovereign. And, indeed, the Duke of Clarence, his elder, who had forestalled him by a few weeks in becoming a father, might vet have other children, though his baby had died ere the Duke of Kent's saw the light. Still, when his own little daughter was born, the Duke regarded her high destiny as such a settled thing that he was wont to hold her up in his arms and say: “Look at her well; she will yet be Queen of England.” And, in- deed, the sickly Clarence Princess who followed her sister also faded in baby- hood into an early grave. Birth of the “May Blossom,” It was when the horsechestnut trees, for which Kensington Gardens are famous, were in full snowy bloom that there was born (May 24, 1819) in the old red-brick, Dutch-looking abode of Kensington Pal- ace, London, the infant whom her Ger- man relations loved to call the “May blos- som.” THe baby's birth was a matter of no small national moment; it was to nau- gurate a reign that has proved one of the longest, noblest, most prosperous and most stirring in England’s proud story. Yet when those blue eves first opened to the light of day matters looked anything but halcyon for Britain. True, Napoleon, 1319, | This lady was Vic- | ¥ | | tions, was enjoying ample lelsure o~ the rock of 8t. Helena to meditate upon the seas of blood with which he had iniqui ously deluged Europe, and It was Eng- land that. almost unassisted, had with- | stood him and pinned him captive; but as inevitable reaction after a long war, there was misery in the land: taxes were high. food was dear, trade was at a standstill. The reigning King was old, blind. and azy: the Regent an elderly profligate. No brilliant outlook, truly. It was a month after her birth that the small royal Highness was baptized with all pomp.in the grand saloon of Kensing- ton Palace. The royal gold font, long un- used, was brought from the tower on purpase, and archbishops and bishops per- formed the ceremony. There was some little trouble about finding 4 name for the baby. The father wished to call her Elizabeth, thinking that | from “itg glorfous tradition that would prove a mame (o please people should she occupy the throne. But the Prince Re- gent, who Wwas godfather together with the Emperor of Russia, gave only the name of Alexandrina to the clergy. The father pleaded that another name be add- | ed, and proposed the feminine form of the Regent's own name, Georgina. But the Regent said his name could not come in the second place, and as the Emperor's must take precedence. have another name, * er's. ive her her moth- 80 the Princess came to be called Alexandrina Victoria, and in infaney was | known as the Princess Drina, she dropped after her accession. D:ath of Victoria’s Father. Tt was the first winter after her birth that the baby Princess went with her pa- rents to pass the cold months in the ‘prety seacoast town of Sidmouth in Dev- onshire. The visit was to have a fatal termination. ed to his child, came in one day wet after walking In a storm, and instead of chans- ing his clothes lingered to play with the baby. A chi! struck-him, inflammation set in, and in January, 1520, he died, leav- Ing his six months’ old child an orphan in poor circumstances, under the sole guardianship of her mother. Prince Leo- pold, brother of the widow, and ever af- ter the falthful friend and guide of mother and daughter, came at once to be beside his sister in the hour of her sorrow. It was he who advised that the Duchess should stay on in England. that her child might have an English education—expédi- ent, seeing how near she stood to the ecrown. Two days after the death, there- fore, the Duchess and her babe returned to London. The infant held up at the car- riage window to bid farewell to the as- sembled population of Sldmouth laughed joyously and patted the glasses with her dimpled hands, in utter unconsciousness of her bereavement. On the very day the party arrived in London (January 29, 1821) George 111. was at last gathered to his fathers, and the worst, and happily last, of the Georges ascended the throne. Knowing the impurity of his courf, the Duchess of Kent resolved from the first to keep herself absent from daughter's sake and for this her widow- hood and her very restricted pecuniary means gave her a good pretext. ‘The posi- tion of the Duchess was certainly a sad and difficult one. 8he had resigned her German home and jointure, and was now alone in a foreign land, the language of which she could hardly speak, with the charge of bringing up its probable heir. Kensington Palace was assiened to her as a residence, and here she received the official deputation of condolence that wait- ed unon her. To spectators the contrast was painful between the tear-stained face of the mother and the smiling baby face of the child. Here, in Kensington, with frequent changes of scene in the sumnfer, the infant years of the Princess Victoria were passed, in company of her mother and her half-sister Feodore. It was no infrequent sight to see the two in the gardens, the elder drawing the younger in a little carriage, or walking beside her donkey chair. The baby liked to be no- ticed, and answered all who spoke to her, holding out her soft dimpled hand to be kissed. Life passed quietly and somewhat monotonously at the palace. The Queen herself has told us that her childhood was lonely and sad. Simplicity and regularity were the marked features of her early life, that had one great want—that of a companion of her own age. There was plenty of outdoor exercise as well as of good teaching and study. The child rath- er objected to regular instruction at first, and was inclined to ask, after the style of her grandfather, George III., “What good this? what good that?’ but was at last conyinced of the need of learning. Of her governess, a wise and excellent wo- man, who remained with her till after her marriage, the after Queen wrote: “I adored her, though I was greatly in awe of her."” At the age of flve she was in- trusted to an English tutor—very need- ful, as both mother and governess were Germans. This tutor related how the Prircess had always a most strict regard for truth. “I remember when I had been a name if the baby had to | The father, who was devot- | it for her | * teaching her one day she was very impa- | tient for the losson to be over—once or twice rather refractory. The Duchess of Kent came in and asked how she had be- haved. Lehzen said, ‘Oh, once she was | rather troublesome.' The Princess touched her and said, ‘No, Lehzen, twice, don't you remember? " French, Italian, Latin, Greek, mathematics, music and drawing were the chief studies pursued. In the Itwo latfer especially she made good prog- ress. The Queen is a falr musiclan and | araughtswoman. and to this day employs | her leisure in these accomplishments. A and»r consideration for others Avas also inculcated in the Princess, as well as | strict economy and the habit of cash pay- ment. This was all the more remarkable |in an age when spendthrift extravagance | was held a princely virtue. She was also }la\lghl to finish whatever she was doing before she begap anything else—a rule that was applied even to her amusements. Indeed, it would have been difficuit for | her mother to have educated her with | more prudence and wisdom, ahd she grew {up submissive to authority and happy in | the pleagures of her age. All knowledge | of her probable future dignity was care- | fully kept from her. As she grew old | enough to notice it, it puzzled her that when ghe and her sister were out together the gentlemen took off their hats to her (Victoria) and not to the elder lady. But | when it Was explained to her that she wi a royal Princess of England, and her half- | sister a German and of lower rank, she was satisfied. Faults and Virtues. | | Yet even the most careful training can- not make children angels. The Princes Victoria had . her| faults like other chil- | dren, and these fatlts have remained with her through life, though in changed form —that is to say. she was impulsive, and sometimes not a_little wiliful and impe- rious. But as the affections are strong and the head well trained, these matters always righted themselves. She has an ingrained sense of justice which can al- ways redress the' balance. In 1820 William IV. ascended the throne, and it was then that both mother and governess held that the Princess Victoria ought to be informed of her high rank. One day, therefore, the genealogical table of England, till then carefully kept from her, was purposely put into her lesson hook. The Princess opening it and seeing | the additional paper saf “I never saw that before. “It was not held necessary you should, Princess replied Fraulein Lehzen. “l see I am nearer the throne than I | thought.” | *So it is, madam." | The young girl was quiet awhile, and then said: “How many a child would boast! But they don’t know the difficulty. There is much splendor, but there is more respon- sibility The Princess. having lifted up the fore- finger of her right hand while she spoke, gave that hand to her governess, say- ing: “I will be good. I understand now why vou urged me so much to learn, even Latin. My Aunts Augusta and Mary never did. but vou told me Latin is the founda- tion of English grammar and of all the elegant expressions, and I learned it, as vou wished it, but I understand all bet- ter now.” Again she repeated, “I will be rood.” “But your Aunt Adelaide js still voung,”" said the governess, “and may have children, and of ecourse they ‘would ascend the throne after their father, Wil- liam IV., and not you, Princess.” To which the girl replied: “And 'f it was so I should never feel Aisappointed. for T know by the love Aunt Adelaide bears me how fond she is of children.” *It now became needful for the little Princess, as ackuowledged heiress, to be seen sometimes at court and in public, but her mogher took care that these interrup- tions to her studies should be as rare as possible. Nor was the court of the coarse- languaged Wiillam a more fit place for a young girl than that of his dissipated brother. Certainly few maidens have been reared so quietly. At sixteen she went to her first ball, and even then was sent off to bed after one dance. Albert Visits Kensington. Tt was in 1836 that the destined Prince came first to the quiet shades of Ken- sington. Albert of Saxe-Coburg was first cousin to the Queen on her mother's side, and both their common uncle Leopold and his intimate adviser, Baron Stockma had formed the idea of uniting these two cousins in marriage from the time they were babies. They were born within three months of each other, nursed by the same nurses, reared on the same system. It s true that it seemed something of a mesalliance for the Queen of England to marry a petty German Prince, but as the youth grew up he gave such evident signs of superior mental capacity that it was felt that he would make up In wisdom what he lacked In birth. It was, however, agreed that neither should know of the plan, but that as soon as possible the ONDON, Friday, Jan. 11.—The following is the substance of an interview with the Prince of Walcs which is to apy shortly in a London magazine. There 1s every son to he- and it is -underst be intervfew in which his Royal has been directly quoted: A correspondent who had been priv-- leged to meet the Prince of les on more than ope occasion had an interview with England’s future King at Marlbor- ough House, his Royal Highness' Lon- don residence. - some days ago. The Prince talked with great frankness con- cerning himself and his views on varfous subjects. If any one ever deserved the appellaticn of *“a busy ma does, and there are few city merchants | or business men who work harder t he does, and even the London public h no idea of the quantify of work he ge threngh in the course of a day. It is only by following a most methodical arrange- | ment that he is able to do so much as he does in the time. As a matter of fact, all | his engagements are made weeks and sometimes months ahead, and every hour, almest every minute, is mapped out for him. When the correspondent was ushered Into his study at Marlborough House the Prince was seated at an old-fashioned pedestal writing desk. the fac simile of the one ysed by his father, the late Pgince Consort, which was piled high with pa- pers and documents of all descriptions He wore a black morning coat and vest, dark gray trousers, square fronted col- lar, with a white spotted black bow tie, and patent leather shces, and in his fin- Zers he held the inevitable cigar. His greeting was kind in the extreme. It was merely like an elderly business man, smiling a kindly welcome to some young and daring intrduer. “Well, what do you want me to say?" was his Koyal Highness' query as soon as the preliminary greeting was over. The correspondent launched forth his | wucstions, beginning with Inquiries about | the numerous public dinners which the Prince attended, and alluding to the published statement that the Prince held the record for obtaining the largest sum of money ever collected at one ban- quet. “Yes, that's quite correct. I hold the record in that respect.” Prince. “And presiding at dinmers, etc., for the benefit of charities, especially the High certainly Masonic ones, is almost a pleasure to me. The only part which I do not lik: about the proceedings is if the dinner drags itself out to a considerable length That I do not Itke, and when dining in private at home the meal seldom lasts more than an hour. *I have read many times in reports of mar, who gave this advice, aware of the potency of the spell the young Prince bore about with him, name- ly. that of great personal beauty and sim- ple. charming manners, So in 18§ Prince Albert and his brother Ernest, lads of sixteen and seventeen, were sent to Eng- Jand to see the country and visit their re- lations. A pleasant month passed, during which the cousins saw much of each oth- er, singing and drawing together and vis- iting the sights. They evidentiy came to some understanding, for am the rings the Queen wears to this day is one, a center, given her by Prince Albert when enteen. Still nothing was settled, and nothing, it seems, was said to the Prince, who returned to his studies at Bonn Uni- versity. The King of the Belgians, how- ever, had confided his pet scheme to his cousin. “'I have only now to beg you, my dearest uncle,” it concludes, “to take of the health of one now so dear to me, and to take him under your special tection. I hope and trust that all will go on prosperously and well on this sub- ject, now of so much importance to me. In consequence of this letter, of which Prince Albert, however, was ignorant, a turn was given to his studies that should prepare him for his future exalted posi- tion. Princess Comes of Age. Meantime, in May, 1837 the Princess unexplained, are allowed this privilege three years earlier than common people. There were great national rejoicings, and a state ball was given: but at this neither King nor Queen were able to be present, for rough-spoken Willlam IV. lay however, attalned his desire—to see Princess of age ere his death, for he did not wisi that the sister-in-law he most unjustly hated should hold the reins of government. The festivities over. the Princess Victoria returned once more to ace. But it was not to be of long dura- tion. In the early dawn of June 20 the gate porter was roused by a knocking, which, like that In “Macbeth,” was sig- nificant of a King's death. A coach and four had dashed full speed up the great central avenue, its occupants grave men who listened not to the birds’ morning songs, nor noticed the sweetness of the flower-scented morning air. They heeded only the importance of their solemn er- rand. “They knocked, they rang, they thumped for a considerable time before they were again kept waiting in the courtyard; then turned into one of the lower rooms, where tney seemed to be for- gotten by everybody. They rang the bell, and desired that the attendant of the Pringess Victoria might be sent to inform an audlence on business of imvortance. After another delay and another ringing to incuire the cause, the attenda summoned, who stated that the I'tincess was in such a sweet sleep that she could not venture to disturb her. Then said, ‘We are come on husiness of state to the Queen, and even her sieep must give way to that.” It did; and o prove that she did not keep them waiting, in a few moments she came Into the room in a loose white nightgown and shawl, her nighteap thrown off, and her hair falling upon her sheulders, her feet in slippere. tears in her eyes. but perfectly cullected and dignified."” She listened to the news they communieated with tender sympaihv for her Aunt Adelaide, and it is said that she asked the archbishep to pray with her. Her first act after the anfouncement n? her acce: n was to write to her aunt, Queen Adelaide, a tender letter of conda!- ence, begging her to remain at Windsar as long as she pleased. Bhe addressed it “To Her Majesty the Queen” at Wirdsor Castle, Told that she.ought to write. “Tp Her Majesty the Queen-Dowager.’ her royal Highness that they requested | was | thes | lleve it is perfectly genuine ! first * the Prince | { “There said the | | | are few things which I would like ¢ small enamel with a tiny diamond in the he first came to England as a lad of sev-| niece, who,'in a letter to him (Jane 7, 1536), acknowledges her affection for her | spondent smilin among of it. dressed to me, and stances dictate the reply? arriv secretary’s groups—letters from per: deapest affe conduct of the troops in the campaign apondent Tells of His Lik;anfiislikes and of the Laborious Duties He Performs. the has corre- inuall ings self ving mueh. wea where 1 the Prin nto his the only bored 1 by some of thos and how I am away would be re But, there, I must n that st Wit ir and + longing t Iy tor mw too much on ali the jeet regard to horse-racing and be ting. your Royal Highr “I think racing is the i world, and | only regret that it s harmed by amount of bettin goes on. Personally I am strons to the pra I always influence I to discoun 1 friends rnlar practice uld r whi ana my when it is ma the stakes are “There are m your Royal and that th you have to per funetion “Now, here is g 1 the Prine people who ss has a v hardest »rm THigl duties wh ing some information for “Do you know th: letter in the majority o wh in the morning it is opened staff and prted into onal friends a wh relatives, thosa bearing on state affai and. thirdly, begging letters and pe tions—and I make it my bus to make myself aware of the contents of ea This of itself is no light task. when take into consideration the fact that each morning’s mail consists of some hun- dreds of letters. So that those wh y is an idle malign me."” Asked his opinion on South African a fairs, he smilinzly shook his head and re- fuged to be drawn out. But he said th. he should always remember with the fon and resard the here “One more question, ald the corre What is your Royal Highness favorite recreation?" “Shooting.” he replied, unhesitating is nothing T like better than good day's hunt. It seems the only thir which takes me out of myself and make: me forget the cares and responstbility of my position.” e was oné more remark that t made which will be of interest it bears on the America’s cup, for though his Royal Highness has not tak so much interest in yacht racing since t Britannia. he openly confesses that than to see the America’s cup come dhners, ete., at which your Royal High- | again.” e e young people should meet and see if they | T will not be the first to remind he- of couid love each other before making any | altered position.” other arrangements. Shrewd Baron Stock- | was well | Her First Council of State. Only after this was dome was the Queen at liberty to go and fini and talk over her changed fort . her beloved mother. At nine, & she had to see the Prime Mini i at eleven her first council was held. The rowds of peers and high officials who ame to t ouncil was almost Inered- ible, for all were curious to see how t young girl, of whose inner natur ] was known. would demean her land had seen women meunt before, but then they had nev voung. on Mr. Greville, prese: occasion d who h eft béhind him things, has only w f praise stow. The simple dignity with which went throv rdeal of this mu giance the charm of volce she read her fl se of all pre titude of men kissing her han delivery with whieh speech, earned her the p ent. Indeed, the beanuty her volce, tha clearness of her tation in pui | speaki have ever been a theme | praise. When her aged es knelt to do - | her homasg affected and pro- | came of age; for royval folk, for reasons upen | what was to prove his deathbed. He had, | the | the privacy of her life at Kensington Pal- | they could rouse the porter at the gate; | | Prince FHenr: | ary, so did | his death until biushed up the contrast be ral re| though she felt r civil and natu- s the only But this Next ay the ceremony of proclamation took place, when, according io custom, the Que ad to appear at the open win- dow of he Presence Chamber in James' Palace, surrounded by her great nobles in their state robes. She herseif, and her mother, who stood beside her were simply dressed in mourning. Pel were heralds and trumpeters ready to pr claim to all men: “The King is dead Long live the Queen!” Hundreds of guus reneated the record, and loud acclama- tions from the populace rent the ai- last sovereigns had not gained the love or esteem of the people; it was he and not in vain, that this new ruler w prove more constitutional, and would ob- Mterate all unhappy recollections. One result of the Queen’s aceausion was that the conneetion of the E h erown with Hanover, so hated by the Engl times wounld ~ontinental people, and which in later have drawn the country into ered, since in ym the Salle law was in fore>. The was therefore assumed by . th Queen’s uncle, the unpopular Duke Cumberland. DEATH MONTH FOR ROYALTY Victoria Believed That She Would Die in January and in the Afternoen. ible t s Call and New York Her e > -4 I::' the Herald Pub- was s Spectal ald. lishing LONDON, Jan. day that the fl.-azfl month of the present English royal family is January and that the Queen had that idea. + this is not in the least confirmed by perusal of the Almanach d'Gotha. It Is quite true that °f Battenberg died in Janu- rince ~Eddie” (Duke of Clar- ence), but the Prince Consort died on De- cember 14 forty years ]as':;m Ltmw:: on a v. and the people S gl Saturday, and (h}'!svnng it s cers on the Sunday morning fol- Ifcl;n'nlnng"."ar'fi.- Duke of Albany died in March, and so ¢ However, the Queen held that she would die in January, ana perhaps in the afternoon. 211t was sald yester- RING LEOPOLD TO START. BRUSSELS, Jan. 2.—King Leopold, who is kept fully informed regarding the condition of Queen Victoria, will pro- ceed to Osborne House immediately. The Toyal yacht Is walting with steam up. Hia MaJjesty will be accompanied by Count 'Oultremont, grand maghal of the St "and Count d"Asseh® master ' of ceremontes. e AP PS4 L To Prevent the Grip she answered, “I am awdre of that. but | Laxative Bromo-Quinine removes the cause, *