The Sun.
London, England, 1847-01-13 00:00:00

THE REIGNING SOVEREIGNS OF

EUROPE.
We extract the following from the Deutsche Allge-
meine Zeitung :
Of the fifty-two sovereigns reigning in Europe, two
of them have reached their 70th year—the King of
Hanover, the oldest sovereign in Europe since the de-
cease of Gregory XVI., and the King of the French.
Of the other sovereigns, thirteen are between 60 and
70 years of age, fourteen from 50 to 60, eleven from 40
to 50, eight from 20 to 30, and two have not yet reached
their 20th year, namely, the Queen of Spain, who is
only 16 years 3 months, and the Prince of Waldeck,
who is not yet 16. Of all the sovereigns the Prince of
Schaumbourg-Lippe has reigned the longest of the time,
if his minority be counted. He has reigned for nearly
sixty years. Two have reigned for more than forty
years equally counting their minority ; four from thirty
to forty years ; nine from twenty to thirty years ; twenty-
one from ten to twenty years ; the fifteen other sove-
reigns, of whom three ascended the throne during :1845,
have not reigned more than ten years.
By counting the reign from the date only of majority,
not counting the years in which a sovereign was still a
minor, the longest reign is that of the Duchess of Parma
(32 years 7 months), as the Princes of Schaumbourg-
Lippe, of Lippe and Schwarzbourg -Rudolstadt and the
Duke of Saxe-Meinengen, reigned many years before
they reached their majority. Six sovereigns are un-
married, namely (independently of the Pope), the Grand
Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, the Duke of Bruns-
wick, the Princes of Reuss-Schleitz, Reuss-Ebersdorf,
and of Waldeck. The King of Hanover, the Grand
Dukes of Hesse and of Oldenburg, the Duke of Nassau,
are widowers; the Duchess of Parma is a widow. The
Sultan is a polygamist. The Elector of Hesse has con-
tracted a morganatic marriage. The thirty-nine others
contracted marriages suitable to their rank; two have
been married thrice, eight twice.
Of the forty-six sovereigns married or widowed, thir-
teen have no children. Of the thirty-three others, after
the Sultan, comes Prince of Lichtenstein, who has nine
children. The King of Bavaria and the Prince of Lippe
have each eight ; the Grand Duke of Baden seven ; six
other sovereigns have each seven—three only one. Fif-
teen sovereigns have grandsons ; the King of the French
has fifteen ; the Emperor of Russia, the Grand Duke of
Hesse and of Saxe Weimar, and the Prince of Hohen-
zollern Sigmaiiagen have each six. As the Duke of
Saxe Altenburg has only daughters there are thirty-two
sovereigns who have heirs, presumptive ; fourteen have
collateral branches for successors—twelve have brothers;
tke Queen of Spain, her sister ; the Prince of Hohen-
zollen-Hechingen, the son of his grand uncle.
Six sovereigns have no fixed successors ; they are, in-
dependently of the Pope, the Duchess of Parma, the
Dukes of Brunswick. of Anhalt-Bernberg, of Anbalt-
Cohen, and the Prince of Ifeuss-Ebersdorf. Of forty-
six hereditary princes and heir-presumptives, the eldest
being the the Prince of Reuss-Schleitz, 57 years and 2
months, the youngest the Prince of Reuss-Greitz, only
9 months of age; 20 are married ; one has contracted a
morganatic marriage, one is divorced for the second
time, sixteen have children ; Prince John of Saxony
has nine.
In the course of last year, eighteen deaths took place
in sovereign families ; three reigning Princes, Pope
Gregory XVI., Francis IV., Duke of Modena, the
Landgrave Philip of Hesse-Homburg, ono ex-sovereign,
Louis Buonaparte, ex-king of Holland ; the Dowager
Duchess (properly speaking princess hereditary) of
Anhault Dessau, mother of the reigning duke and his
sister, Princess William of Prussia, aged 72 and 71
years, both sisters of the late Landgrave of Hesse-
Homburg ; Prince Henry of Prussia, uncle of the present
king, aged 65 ; Prince William of the Netherlands aged
10 and a half ; the hereditary Prince of Hesse-Philipp-
thal-Barchfield, aged 21 ; Prince Charles of Waldeck,
uncle of the reigning prince, aged 43 ; Count Henry of
Reuss Kostritz, aged 78 ; Count Ferdinand of Lippe-
Blesterfeld; aged 74 ; the Grand Duchess Mary of
Russia, daughter of the Grand Duke Michael, aged
22 ; Princess Augusta of Nassau-Usingen, married to
the Count de Bismark, the divorced wife of the
Landgrave Louis of Hesse-Homburg, who died in
1839, aged 68 ; Maria Luisa, Princess of Spain, wife of
the Duke of San Fernando, aged 67 ; the Princess
Dowager Leopoldine of Liechtenstein, born Princess
Esterhuzy, aged 58 ; Princess Louisa of Hohenzollern
Hechingen, widow of Baron Her von der Burg, aged
72 ; Princess Caroline Louise, of Schaumburg Lippe,
sister of the reigning Prince, aged 60. Among the
births, 16 are especially worthy of notice ; those of the
sons of the King of Naples, of the Queen of Portugal,
of Prince Luitpald of Bavaria, of the Prince-hereditary
Of Reuss-Greitz, of the Prince-hereditary of Sardinia,
of the Prince-hereditary of Schaumburg Lippe, of the
Duke Eugene Erdunams of Wurtemburg, of the here-
ditary Prince Charles of Hesse-Philippthal, and of the
Count Jules of Lippe Blesterfeld ; then those of the
daughter of the Queen of Great Britain, of the Duke of
Nemours, of Prince of Liechtenstein, of the Princes
Louis of Naples, Peter of Oldenburg, and Augustus of
Saxe-Coburg-Gotha.
In 1846 the following marriages took place in Sover-
eign Houses:—that of the Queen of Spain with her
cousin the Infant Don Francisco; of the Duke of Mont-
pensier with the Infanta Louisa of Spain; of the Prince
Royal of Wurtemburg with the Grand •Duchess Olga of
Russia; of the Princess Mary of Holstein Bliicksburg
(widow of Colonel Lasperg) with Count Alfred of
Hohenthal-Konigsbruck; of Count Henry 11., of Reuss-
Kostritz, with Countess Clotilda of Castell; of the Here-
ditary Prince of Monaca with Countess Antoinette of
Merode. We may notice, in conclusion th
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Price.

139 xd

111%
99Y4,

Price.

RETURN OF MRS. BUTLER TO THE STAGE.—The
Fine Arts Journal, of Saturday, announces that Mr.
Bunn has made a most liberal offer to Mrs. Butler (Miss
Fanny Kimble) for acting a certain number of nights at
Drury-lane Theatre, but the negotiation is still pending.
It is, however, Mrs. Butler's positive intention to return
to the stage:
A LESSON.--A parson, who could better preach of
patience than practise it, was always irritated when he
found his grandchildren in his study. One day one of
these little children was standinc, by his mother's side,
and she was speaking to him of heaven. " Ma," said
he' " I don't want to go to heaven." " Don't want t
o' go
to heaven, my son ! " " No, ma, I'm sure I 'don't."
" Why not, my son ? " "Why grandpa will be there,
won't he ? " " Why, yes, I hope he will," " Well, j,ist
as soon as he sees us, he will come scolding along, and
say, Whew, whew 1 what are these boys here for ?
I dont want to go to heaven if grandpa is going to be
there."