The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1859-02-24

ROYAL MARRAGEs.-Our late European pa
pers state that the King of Sardinia is about to
marry again, and that his choice has fallen upon
the Russian Grand Duchess, Maria Nicolaewna
eldest daughter Of the Emperor Nicholas, who
was born in 1919, and is the widow of Maxi
milan, Duke of Leuchtenberg and Prince of
Eicbstadt who died in 1852. The Grand Duchess
is at this moment in Rome. The King, it
is added charged the Marquis AlfeTi with
making his wishes known to the Princess.
who received the advances in the most en-
couraging way. The Grand Duchess has
SOD. seven years of age, by her first husband,
and is few months older than King Victor
Emanuel; yet she is still considered as one of
the most handsome Princesses in Europe. Her
first husband was the youngest son Of Eugene
Beauharnais, the adopted son of Napoleon the
First. Eugene married the eldest daughter of
the King of Bavaria Now che narries the
reigning prince Of the house of Savoy, whose
daughter has just welded Prince of the Napo-
leon family. The alliance is really one between
France, Sardinia and Russia, and after the old
fashioned way of looking at such things,
would be considered vastly important 1t fol-
lows quickly upon the union of the Prince of
Prussia with the Princess Royal of England, and
Victor Emmanuel evidently intends that people
shall understand that, although he has daugh-
ter old enough to be married, he has not yet
gone upon the retired list.
The marriage will make work for the
taors, milliners, jewellers, confectioners cooks
and coachmakers, and increase the annual
budget Of Sardinia; but otherwise it is of
no more consequence than union between
the daughter of Wall street banker and
the son of South street shipping merchant
The elder Napoleon tried to strengthen his
dynasty by Wholesale system of weddings; but
bis royal relatives were of no value to him in
the time of need. The present Emperor pro-
flied by his uncle's experience, and married from
inclination rather than policy. He was the first
reigning sovereign to avow that the matrimonial
affairs Of an Emperor were as much his private
affairs as the wedding of a ploughman;
and this course rather strengthened his
hands, which might have been weakened by
union with any OF the tumble-down dynasties
of the Continent The Emperor of the
French, parrenu, married TO woman without
drop of royal blood in her veins, stands
o'day the most powerful man in Europe and
can make sport Of kings whose pedigreas go
back thousand years and more. Closely allied
as the royal families are, they would divide at
once, in the event of general war; and, there
tore, royal marriage, once terrible thing, IL
now ot no consequence, except to the parties
concerned. In fact, very few reigning princes
have anything to do with the management of
public affairs, and therefore they may marry or
be given in marriage as often as they please
IF Victor Emmanuel had proposed to a person of
the name Of Smith, instead of the daughter-in.
law Of Eugene Beauharnas, and the sister of the
Emperor of Russia, the effect on European poll
tics would have been the same; G., there would
have been no effect whatsoever.