The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1879-08-16 00:00:00

RECOLLECTIONS OF THE LATE

PRINCE IMPERIAL.

The Whitehall Review says :—" Every day some
fresh proof of the wonderful hold which the Prince
Imperial had taken of peoplo comes to me, and my
desk is strewn with letters bearing testimony to his
winning charm and thorough goodness. I think my
readers who were unacquainted with the poor boy will
get the best insight into his character by reading what
follows. I will only say it is a letter written to me
by Monsignor Goddard, who supervised the Prince's
religious education for nearly ten years—the anxious
period between boyhood and manhood.
" I remember (it seems but the other day) when the
Prince came to me, a mere child, and gave me the
means of purchasing an harmonium, which we needed
for our little church. It was the second or third
time that I saw him. Putting the offering in my hand,
he said, "I wish to leave a little memento of my stay
in Chialehurat." The poor boy thought that he was
going to return to France at once. The harmonium
has been used ever since, and was played at his funeral;
it has this inscription on a silver plate: "A gift to
St. Mary's, Chislehurst, March 17, 1871, from the
Prince
.Imperial of France."

" ' The Prince grew to be a thorough man, and yet
he never lost the simplicity, the child-like innocence,
the truthfulness of his early years, and it was this side
of his character that made him so lovable and so
loved.

"'On the day his father died, when the Prince
entered the house, it happened that I was the first
person that he saw, and he gathered from my presence
it that unusual hour that all was ended. He threw
himself on his knees on the floor, raised his
hands to heaven, and then rushed to the Emperr's
room. In the evening he sent for me; we talked
for hours together. I cannot repeat that sacred
conversation, but at one moment, in answer to an
entreaty of mine, he threw his arms round me, and
with up-raised eyes he declared that he would never
neglect his religious duties, that he would never he
guilty of an action that would disgrace the name he
bore ! "Je vous is jure devant Dieu," he said. His
last letter to DIP, which you hive seen, and his death
show how faithfully he kept his promise.
"'I recollect the many conversations that we had on
the subjscts that were ever uppermost in his mind—
the greater good, the greater happiness of his country.
Especially did he often speak to me of the best way of
raising the social status of the rural clergy, and
of extending their legitimate influence. Let me
recall the very last serious conversation that we
had. He had come to the presbytery, as he some-
times would come, alone, to ask roe to correct
some letter that he had to write in English, or to
help him in some little speech that he had to make
in public. In some way or other we talked of death,
and suddenly he broke in abruptly with the words,
" Cher Monsieur is Curt, death has no terrors
for me! Up to this time. with God's help, I have
done my hest, despite all my faults and short-
comings. What has the future in store for me?
If I live, I shall be Emperor of the French, and,
God hmelypaienlgf,
eel shtoalwl
hdaotmty duty;
hat life bwnitu
be—full
de-
ceive
labours and of dangers ! " And then came to his
eyes that strange, far-off look, full of unutterable
tenderness, which was not uncommon with him—
which is so beautiful, and yet which we dread so much
to see in those we love. Finally, I remember him
that last morning when he and I were alone in the
house of God; but I cannot go on."

There is reported to be a revival of industry through-
out the iron districts of America. New mines are being
opened, and the forges, furnaces, and mills are working
night and day. There is said to be a greater demand for ore
than has been known since 1873.
The Astronomer Royal reports that the registered
bright sunshine last week was 22.9 hours, the sun being above
the horizon during 1055 hours. The recorded amount of
ozone considerably exceeded the average on each of the first
five days of the week.