The examiner. [volume] (Louisville, Ky.) 1847-1849, 1848-01-15
Amusemenss OF Kings.

The pastimcs Of kings would make We
ny curious book. We mentioned last week
the particular fancy the King Of Spain, the
Prince Of Assis, has for playing on the big
drum. After all, this is very harmless
amusement, and not half so expensive as
building toy-palaces, or half so cruel as
shooting stays in fenced ring. Let us see
if we can enumerate the amusements OF the
different Kings Of the present day.
Louis Philippe can have very little amuse-
menl at present. for he has married all his
sons; and as for prosecuting the public pa
pers, the amusement must nave grown fear
fully tiresome. Like the game Of beggar-
my-neighbor, little oft is all very we'll, but
il does not do 10 be always playing at it.
Ii is true there is Algeria, but the bulletins
have no longer that raciness and strong sense
Of honor which they had when Bugeaud used
TO kill Abd-el-Kader once a week, and send
over his horse and umbrella in every steam
er. The poor King Of the French can only
laugh now, when he reads over the account
of the glorious three days of July, and thinks
of the chdrte being proved verite, as shong
as cannons can make it, BY the Qualifications
Of Paris. HEM Quatre, we think, amused
himself in different way but of course
different Kings have different styles Of 10
king.
The King Of Napels plays at whist, and
is happy for week il he wins a halfpenny
point. He dabbles, TOO, little in sulphur,
which may account for his holding such
good hands generally in the above game, and
for his doing everybody so clearly in all
commercial matters
Leopold's great amusement is in running
about. Like the Brussels sprout, he is to
be found planted everywhere but in Brus-
sells. Next to the American sea-serpent, he
is the greatest traveller Of the present day.
His back is always turned upon Belgium,
which makes it difficult for his subjects to
throw his perpetual absence in his face. II
tainted with il, he would answer, Mes braues
Belges, love you more than | can ex-
press--in fact, love you quite beyond my
self !: and of he runs to Paris, to convince
them Of the fact.
The peculiar fancy Of Nicholas, besides
his persecution of Poland, which is only
" an amiable weakness" peculiar to Rus
sian emperors, in general, and himself in
particular, is to give snuf.boxes away to
everybody. He must have given away more
snuf.boxes in his life time than Lablache
has ever received, and thar number is as
difficult to count us the children of the royal
family. One would imagine that he had
bought lot. cheap al some auction, and
was at a loss how to get lid Of them. III
ever monster ststue similar to the one OF
Peter the Great is erected to Nicholas, il
ought to be on pedestal Of snuff-boxes.
We wonder how many confirmed snuff.
takers Nicholas has made in his life time,
OF quiet, respectable persons, from the vani-
ty Of carrying about with them, and display
ing on every possible occasion, the imperial
gift However, it is generous recreation,
for emperors generally have amused them
selves in forcing their subjects to put their
hands into their pockets, for purposes Of
quite different pinch.
Austria has very little amusement beyond
considering himself the Father of his peo-
ple,' and cutting off their privileges, and
sometimes their heads, to prove il. He de-
lights in Metternich, and has cultivated
taste for ballet.
Ludwig, the King Of Bavaria. rollicks
also in the latter amusement, in which his
subjects are not much inclined TO Join him.
He has also weakness for poetry which is
Of sweet, melting kind, best suited for the
notices Of bonbons; though occasionally his
Bavarian majesty comes out with an cpl
gram, which would shine round an acidula-
ted drop, but looks rather dull in history.
Another Of his amusements is newspaper edi-
ting, and it is reported he wields the edito-
rial scissors with wonderful effect on the ar
ticles OF others, but never OH his own;
though some Of mis- royal proclamations
about raising the price Of beer would be
wonderfully improved, critics do say, if they
were reduced little, or occasionally left
out altogether.
Prussia amuses himself, az Penelope did
with her Berlin wool, in making consti-
tuition and then pulling it to pieces again.
Another OF his arnusemenis lain reading ev-
cry paper that contains notice Of his ma
jesty. File has a minister, whose German
title we would repeat only it occupies three
lines, expressly to hunt out al these notices
and submit them to him. This poor fellow
has no easy berth oft, for his majesty some
how only appreciates the compliments, and
takes no pleasure in the abuse. The min
lister deeply deplores this depraved taste on
the part Of his rnajesty, as he has generally
to resign for giving offence about twice a
week.
There are other royal amllseinents, such
as the memorable one of King Of Abys-
shin, who struts about in a cooked hat, a
red coat, and flannel petiicoat, with a
large broom in his hand. There is like
wise the King Of the Cannibal Islands; but