The Sun.
London, England, 1851-10-02 00:00:00

PRUSSIA.

On Sunday night Prince FREDERICK WILLIAM
CHARLES of Prussia died at his residence at the Royal
Palace, Berlin. He was the brother of the late
Monarch,: FREDERICK WILLIAM 111., and uncle of
the present KING. Though sudden at last, the death
of the Prince was not unexpected. He had preserved
the robust health which most of the family enjoy till
within the last two years. In March last he was
seized with pains in the chest, which at his advanced
age were dangerous, and he himself entertained no
hope of recovery. The complaint yielded a little to
medical treatment, and he was able to be removed
to Homburg to drink the waters of the Marienbad.
He had but just returned from that place, and
intended to go to Italy for the winter. A few
days ago he had a renewed attack of the disease of
the chest, but it did not confine him to his bed; he
dined on Sunday as usual with his son, Prince
ADALBERT, and the adjutant on duty; towards even-
ing he felt more unwell, and retired to bed at nine
o'clock. At eleven he was seized with a fit, from
which he never recovered, dying a few minutes be-
fore midnight.
The late Prince was the youngest legitimate son
of FREDERICK WILLIAM the Second. He was bore
at Potsdam on the 3,1 of July, 1783, and married in
1804 the Princess MARIE ANNE of Hesse Homburg.
He served actively in the army during the war with
France, that terminated so disastrously at the battle
of Jena. In the action of Auerstadt, which preceded
that battle, the Prince led an attack of cavalry, and
had his horse killed under him. In 1808 he under-
took a mission to Paris, to endeavour to procure
from NAPOLEON some diminution of the heavy bur-
dens he had imposed on Prussia by the terms of the
treaty of Tilsit. What he saw of the French Go-
vernment of this period led him to look forward with
hope for the time when the Prussian people themselves
would rise against the Imperial yoke. The fatal Rus-
sian campain of 1812 gave the signal—Austria, Russia,
and Prussia formed an alliance. The Prussian popu-
lation, at the appeal of FREDERICK WILLIAM
rose enthusiastically. The struggle lasted through
1813 and 1814, and closed with the destruction of the
French empire by the battle of Waterloo. In these
campaigns Prince WILLIAM was present at the battles
of Katzbach and Leipsic. In the action of Gross-
Gorachen, which checked the advance of a French
corps on Berlin itself, while NAPOLEON commanded
at Dresden, the Prince, at the head of the Branden-
burg Cuirassiers, repulsed a French detachment and
again had a horse shot under him. He afterwards
commanded a brigade, then a division under Marshal
YORK, and was present at the battle of Laon during
the advance of the Allies on Paris, and the last con-
flict before the French capital. At Waterloo he com-
manded the reserve cavalry of the 4th corps of the Prus-
sians. During the long period of peace that follotved
1815 Prince WILLIAM was three times Commandant of
the fortress of May ence ; in 1830, he was Governor-
General of the Rhine provinces. In 1846 he became
a widower, and in 1849 lost his son, Prince WALDE.
mex, who during his travels in India, was present at
the operations against the Seikhs, under Sir H. HAR-
DING E. He leaves one son and two daughters, Prince
ADALBERT, MARIE, Queen of Bavaria, and ELIZA.
BETH, married to Prince CHARLES of Hesse.