The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1888-06-23 00:00:00

COURT A.ND SOCIETY.

[Faced "THE Woßml
A few years ago the Queen expressed her readiness
to place a portion of Windsor Castle at the disposal
of the Prince and Princess of Wales for Ascot, on con-
dition that the names of the proposed guests were
submitted for her approval, and she also stipulated
that there was to be no dancing during the week.
There were some other minor clauses to the treaty;
but the negotiations went off, as the Prince did not
care to be so much under restraint.
The Queen possesses a sufficient number of Angell
portraits in the private apartments at Windsor to
torm a gallery by themselves. The principal ones
are the admirable picture of Lord Beaconsfield, which
hangs in the grand corridor, and those of her Majesty
and of the Duchess of Edinburgh, which are in the
private drawing-room. There is a State portrait of
the Queen, painted by Angel last year, which is to
hang permanently at Buckingham Palace.
I have received the following information on good
authority as to the engagement of the Duke of Aosta
to his niece, the Princess LEetitia Bonaparte. After
the death of his first wife, the Duke of Aosta was
so much affected that he talked of entering a monas-
tery. His sister, the Princess Clotilde, was very
anxious to dispel all these gloomy ideas; and as her
daughter, the Princess LEetitia, was a very bright
high-spirited girl, she told her to try and cheer up
her uncle. Some time after this the Princess Clotilde,
who had no idea that her daughter had formed any
attachment for the Duke of Aosta, spoke to her
about marriage, , and two or three persons
were mentioned to the young Princess, who
would not hear of anything of the sort. At
last her mother said to her that she must make
up her mind; whereupon she admitted that she was
attached to her uncle, and that if she could not marry
him the would not marry anyone else. The Princess
Clotilde said nothing, but somehow or other the story
got to the ears of the Duke of Aosta, who said that he
had formed a great attachment for his niece, but that
disparity of age had made him keep silent, as he did
not dream of her caring for him. The ice having been
broken, the Duke of Aosta went to his sister, and
asked her to agree to the marriage, which, subject to
the necessary dispensation from the Pope, she readily
did. Thus it will be seen that the marriage is purely
one of mutual affection.

Lady Russell has presented the National Liberal
Club with the complete collection of Lord John
Russell's works for the newly-opened library, for
which Mr. Gladstone recently made so eloquent an
appeal to fill its unfurnished shelves. The collection
contains several pamphlets on the politics of the day,
which are very rarely met with in the book market
now, and some MS. writings of great value, and each
volume bears an inscription in the countess's own
hand.
The Globe has made merry lately over "An Author
Wanted—experience not essential ;" but perhaps the
advertiser is not such a lunatic as the critic seems to
infer. Dickens could have had but little experience
when the "Sketches by Boz" and the first number of
"Pickwick" appeared.
A few days since, the Sheila, an old-fashioned and
somewhat clumsy yawl of 60 tons, was bought by, or
for, Prince Henry of Battenberg, and she is now being
fitted out with all despatch. She is possibly worth a
tenth of the value of the Palatine, and will cost to
keep up about a twentieth of the sum that has always
been expended on a larger vessel.
The extension of Lord NVolseley's period of service
as Adjutant-General for two years should meet with
approval. Lord Wolseley is a man whom it would be
difficult to replace, and equally difficult to provide for
just now, having regard to his age and position.
Some doubtless will cavil at the decision on the ground
that Lord Wolseley is being favoured; but when we
consider everything it is fortunate, I think, that we have
at the Horse Guards, in this moment of supposed dancer,
an officer of Lord Wolseley's acknowledged ability
and varied experience. There is only one man by
whom the public would be satisfied to see him re-
placed—namely, Sir Frederick Roberts. General
Roberts's time as Commander-in-Chief in India will
not expire, however, until November, 1890, and he is
doing such splendid work in the East, and is so
Immense popular from one end of the Indian Empire
to the other, that it would be very bad policy, to
remove him at a time when the reforms he has
instituted are only beginning to develop, and other
changes have to be introduced which require his
personal initiation.
[Fnont Timm.")
The death of the Emperor Frederick is the knell ot
the London season. The Royalties will go out no-
where, and, indeed, I understand that the Prince and
Princess of Wales will shortly leave town, with no in-
tention of returning, the Prince going, in all proba-
bility, to Royat-les-Bains, and the Princess to San-
dringham. The State balls and concerts are
abandoned, and not "postponed," as the daily papers
state.
H.R.H. had intended to be at Newmarket during
the July meeting, and the Princess was also to have
been down for a couple of days, as the guest of Lord
and Lady Cadogan, but the death of the Emperor
Frederick will keep them away. The Prince and
Princess also intended to give a garden-party awl a
ball at Marlborough House next month, but of course
these entertainments will not take place now.
Sir Henry Ponsonby went to Potsdam by special
command of the Queen, as her Majesty's representa-
tive, and he is charged with private messages from
her to the Empress Victoria and the Emperor
William. The Queen sent an urgent invitation to
the widowed Empress to come to England for a few
months as soon as affairs will admit of her quitting
Germany.
For the Emperor Frederick William death was a
happy release. For his country and for Europe his
death is to be deplored. He seems to have been a
man of noble character, and, had he lived, it is pro-
bable that he would have done his best to avert war,
and to convert Prussia into a really Constitutional
State. Although a gallant and experienced soldier, he
was without the mania for soldiering that has for ac
long characterised his race, and which bids fair to
convert Germany into a huge armed camp, dangerous
alike to liberty at home and to independence abroad.
It is noteworthy that his son, a few hours after his
death, put forth a proclamation, not to the nation,
but to the army.
A ball, which was to have been very smart indeed,
and for which the most elaborate preparations had
been made, was given recently, but the legion of
dancing men who had been expected did not appear,
and the affair was a comparative failure. Another
ball was given on the same night, which was by no
means so smart in any respect whatever, but, to the
amazement of unsophisticated guests, all the "best
men" were to be found dancing away with a vigour
which must have been highly satisfactory- to the
hostess. It subsequently transpired that some artful
friend of the family had sedulously circulated the
report that the Prince of Wales had intimated his In-
tention of coming to this dance, and as soon as the
"best men "heard this news they all proceeded to it,
abandoning the other and smarter ball, to which they
had originally intended to devote the night. Of
course, the Prince never arrived, and had never even
heard of the dance which it was announced he would
patronise, but the object of the romance was
attained.

A certain common law judge is, as many suitors
have too good reason to know, extremely deaf. One
day last week he was hearing a case which excited a
considerable amount of public interest. The court
was crowded, and applause was frequent—a thing
which sorely tries his lordship's patience. He angrily
ordered silence more than once; but, after a quiet
interval, a louder noise than usual broke upon his dull
ears, and in great indignation he exclaimed: "These
demonstrations are most unseemly! If they continue
I will have the court cleared at once !" The noise in
question was a distant peal of thunder.
An intimation has been sent to Glasgow that a
series of levels must be arranged at the exhibition in
order that the Queen may be enabled to visit the
building and grounds in her Bath chair.