The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1879-11-29 00:00:00

DEATH of the COUNTESS DE MONTIJO.

The mother of the Empress Eaanie, the Countess
de Montijo, née Marie Manuela Kirkpatrick, died on
Saturday, Nov. 22, at Madrid. Descended from a
Scotch family which hsd numbered itself among the
adherents of the Stuarts, she was born in Andalusia in
1793 or 1794. In or about 1820, while her father was
acting as English Consul at Malaga, she married
the Count de Montijo, who was connected with
some of the oldest families in Spain, and by
whom she had two daughters. The Count dying,
she devoted herself to the education of her children,
and afterwards spent some time in travelling with
them in various parts of Europe, The elder of the
two eventually became the wife of the Duke of Alba
and Berwick, lineally descended from James 11. and
Miss Churchill, and the other Empress ot the French.
The rest of the Countess de Montijo's life was chiefly
pa.sed in Spain, where she was visited by the Ewpress
Eug4nie in 1871.—Obituary of The Times, Monday,
Nov. 24,

The Morning Post, in noticing the death of the
Countess de Montijo, remarks :—" Another grief has
fallen upon the heavily-stricken lady whose bereave-
ments seemed already overwhelming. T.he. Empress
Eugdoie, after a hurried journey in this inclement
season, only arrived at Madrid to learn that her
venerable mother had expired without the last hap-
piness of once more embracing her daughter. The
French Government with national courtesy, had
given orders to facilitate the transit of the Empre.ss,
whose feelings on passing through Paris and by the ruins
of the Tuileries will have been wrought to agony. The
memories of former days, the certainty of no futuie,
the thought of her losses, must indeed have been keen to
that sensitive organisation. Even these may have
been to some extent put aside in the anxiety to reach
the dying bed of her mother, to render the last
!affectionate offices, and to close her eyes. In vain;
it seems as if all consolation were to ba denied to
the mourner of so many woes. The Countess of
Niontijo breathed her last before her daughter could
reach Madrid, and another great pain has to be
added to the crushing burdan which one poor woman
has to bear. No wonder that sympathy is displayed
by the people of Madrid. No wonder that the
heart of Franca forgot all political pulsation for the
moment. The unhappy Empress is for ever removed
from politics and the warfare of parties, to be en-
throned in men's hearts as one of thoze women who in
the world's history have known the greatest sorrows,
and she will be recognised as deserving its strongest
sympathy in that she has indeed suffered above her
fellows.' In England, the home of her cherished
tombs, the Empress Etigdnie may be certain that from
the Quen to the humblest of her subjects she will ever
meet he warm hospitality due to so many mis-
fortunes."

The funeral of the Countess of Montija was
solemniz2d at Madrid, at ten o'clock on Tuesday
morning, with a great attendance of people. The
procession was headed by a large number o children
from the schools and institutions of which the late
Countess was the beneficent patronesi, followed by
forty priests chanting the hi iserere. The hearse was
drawn I.y six horses, magnificently caparisoned.
Three hundred and seventy.four private carriages
followed, including the King's and those of most of
the grandees of Spain. The spectacle was very
Imposing.

A smart shock of earthquake was felt at Temeavar,
Hungary, early on Friday morning in last week. There
were rumblings like thunder, furniture was knocked about,
and looking-glasses and pictures fell down. Several chimneys
fell and clefts appea:ed in the walls of houses, libar4 two
hours afterwards there was a slighter shock.

The Hon. A. E. Gathorne Hardy and Mr, it P.
Laurie, the Conservative members, addressed their con-
stituents at Canterbury on TuFsday evening Mr. Hardy,
in reference to the Eastern Qtestior, cad he believe'
opinion to be almost unanimous that the Govt rnment had
done their duty. He believed that Twice.), would carry out
reforms, and that the Berlin l'reaty would be acted up to.
Austria and Germany wers with us. Mr. Laurie said he
considered Cyprus of advantage in connection with main-
tainkg the communication with India. A vote of confidence
in the hon. gentlemen was passed by the meeting.
Th.' Arohdnehees Christine's wedding trousseau, re-
marks the World, contains some twenty-five dresses in all.
The toilette to be worn on the occasion of the state entry
into Madrid is exceedingly handsome. It is red at d yellow—
the Spanish colours—and consists of a tight-fitting yellow
satin body cut en coeur, and trimmed with scarlet "ruching,"
the sleeves puffy and slashed between shoulder and elbow.
The skirt is ilk- wise of yellow satin, the train of scarlet velvet
beautifully worked with the arms of Spain semdd over it.
The fan is of black ostrich feathers, each of which is ablaze
with fiery rubles and golden topazes.

THE FUNERAL OF PRINCE ALAMAYU.
The funeral of the late Prince Alatnayn was solemn-
ized on Friday in last week, at S. George's Chapel,
Windsor, when all the arrangements were carried out
in accordance with the Queen's wishes. Soon after
eleven the spectators began to assemble in the Chapel,
the nave of which had been thrown open to the public,
and at the time of the commencement of the ceremony
the seats of the choir were a 1 occupied. The centre
of the nave was railed off, and the line of
spectators ranked three or four deep on each
side. The number of spectators was comparatively
small, which was probably owing to the severity
of the weather. Just before the time appointed for
the ceremony snow began to fall, and the spectators
were making their way to the chapel it lay an inch
deep on the ground. Among those assembled in the
Chapel were the Mayor and several members of
the Windsor Corporation, some of the Windsor
clergy and Nonconformist ministers, many members
of the Queen's Household, and some of the prin-
cipal residents and tradespeople of the town.
Shortly before twelve o'clock the choristers and lay
clerks assembled in the nave, and soon afterwards Lady
Biddulph, the Hon. Lady Ponsonby, and Mrs. Jen Blake
passed down the nave and placed wreaths upon the
coffin and then returned to the choir. Wreaths had
been previously placed on the coffin on behalf of the
Hon. Mrs. Wellesley. The mourners, most of whom
travelled from London' assembled at the Deanery,
and thence entered the Chapel and passed down the
nave. Sir John Cowell placed wreaths on the coffin
on behalf of the Queen and the Princess Beatrice, that
of Her Majesty's bearing the words:—" This wreath is
a mark of affection and friendship from the Queen."
Wreaths were also placed on the coffin by Sir
Stafford Northoote, for himself and Lady Northcote,
and by General Napier. The procession was then
formed, and had started when Mr. Lowe entered
by the south door, and being recognized by some
bystanders was conducted to the west end of the
Chapel, where he joined Sir Stafford Northcote,
both of these right hon. gentlemen having by virtue of
their office of Chancellor of the Exchequer acted as
guardians to the deceased Prince. As a coincidence,
it may also be mentioned that Sir Stafford was the
Minister, as Secretary of State for India, upon
whom it devolved to conduct the war with Abyssinia
which resulted in the youth whose obsequies he was
Low attending falling into the keeping and guardian-
ship of this country. As the procession moved slowly
up the aisle the choir sang the sentences, "I know
that my Redeemer liveth," the music by Croft. On
the body being deposited on a bier in the aisle of the
Chapel and the mourners having taken the places
assigned to them, the 39th Psalm was sung to a
chant by Beethoven in C minor. The lesson was
read by the Dean, which was followed by the anthem,
"The souls of the Righteous are in the hand of
God," by Sir G. Elvey, who presided at the organ. The
"Dead March" in Saul, was then performed, and then
the procession proceeded in the same order as before,
a funeral march by Beethoven being played while it
left the Chapel. At the grave, the remainder of the
service was read by the Dean. There was no singing,
as it was not desirable to prolong the outdoor proceed-
ings owing to the severity of the weather. After the
coffin was lowered into the grave, the mourners took a
last view of it, and the Hon. Lady Pousonby, the
Hon. Mrs. Wellesley, and the Hon. Lady Biddnlph
strewed the coffin with flowers. The coffin was of
polished oak and bore the following inscription,—
"Prince Alamayn of Abyssinia, born April 23,
1861. Died at Leeds, November 14, 1879."

[From Punch.]
PRINCE ALAMAY I
Son of Theodore, King of Abyssinia; taken at Magdala,
April, 13, 1868. Died at Leeds (Ward of the Queen, the
Chancellor of the Exchequer, and the people of
England), N op. 14, 179.
Buried, by the Queen's desire, at Windsor, Nov. 21.
Foon RASSELAS I Shut thy life, but not unloved,
And so not sad, let England hope and trust;
A kind Queen's mother's heart for thee was moved,
And near her kin finds room for thy dark dust.
From 1 HEODOIMS —God of battle's gift,
To faithful hands thy chtldhood's care we gave;
Love by thy death-bed heard thy simple shrift:
And thou cam'at nearest kingship in thy grave.