The Shasta courier., 1864-04-09
SHASTA COURIER
ROYALTY IN EURPE.

The Spectator has curious aiicle on Eu
ropean royalty. The total numer of Euro
pean igns-excluding the nnhereditary
Pope and the semi Asatic Sultn-amount
ed, on the lst of January of the resent year.
to exactly thirty nine. OF this humber, no
fewer than thirty are of direct Grman origin
that is, born and bred in Germny-while
of the remaining nine there are our of Ger
man descent. The only five ion-German
sovereigns of Europe, the rulers of France,
Italy, Portugal, Spain, and Sweden, are,
however, more or less closely reated to Ger
man families. The following exraot viii be
read with interest;
"The marriage of the heir-pparent of
Great Britain with the Princess Alexandra
/ has brought our royal family int, some pecu-
! liar relationships which may haze the effect
of adding still more confusion t. the great
| Schleswig Holstein puzzle. "hilathe present
King of Denmark is father to the Princess OF
Wales, his rival, as far as the German Ouch
les are concerned, Prince Frederick of Au-
gustenburg, is likewise connected by marriage
with Queen Victoria and both onthe Glucks-
burg and the Augustenburg side there are
host of morganatic princess and princesses
which bring the relationship down to the very
root of the Scheswig Holstein temple of the
winds. Prince Frederick of Augustenberg,
the pretender, gave his hand. in 1856, to
Princess Adelaide of Hohenlohe Langenburg,
whose mother is a daughter of the late Ouch
ess of Kent, by her first husband and conse-
quently half sister of Queen Victoria. The
house of Hohenlohe Langenberg belongs to
the mediatised' families of Germany, and
doss not stand very high. since the Hohenlo-
hes, detesting the law of primogeniture, have
L., Al Y
all rich in members but poor in real property.
Nevertheless. in becoming the rival of the
new King of Denmark. the Prince of Angus
tenberg has the consolation that the family
of the former is not in much better position.
The eldest brother of King Christmas, head
of the house of Schleswig Holestein .Glucks-
burg. is in the position Of o country squire in
IIolstein, and scarcely any members of his
family have risen above this rank The eld-
est of the eight brothers and sisters of the
King, Princess Maria, aunt of our Princess
of Wales, married. in 1887, a Colonel Las
berg, who died in 1913 after which she un-
tied herself in second nuptials to a Count
Hohenthal a goldstick in waiting at the court
of Dresden. The secold aunt of the Princess
of Wales is widow of the semi-lunatie Duke
of Anhalf Burnborg while the third, whose
history is said to he spiced with romance. has
become abbess of the monastery of Itzehoe
The five brothers of the King, including the
head of the family, are altogether social non
entities; two being country squires, the third
an officer in the Austrian service, and the
fourth and fifth majors in the army of Prus
sia. Consequently, though the rise of the
Glucksburg family has been more rapid than
that Of the Coburgs, it will probably be con-
fined, at least for some time, to the sons and
daughters Of King Christian, the Leopold of
his house. However. as it is, the achieve
ment is already something marvellous. But
dozen years ago, an unknown member of a
quite unknown family, Prince Christian of
Schleswig- liolstcin Sunderburg Glucksbnrg
has now become king whose voice is heard
in the councils Of Europe, with daughter
destined to wear the dadem of the nobest
empire in the world. and last, not least. a
son possessing the privilege of addressing his
own father Monsieur mon frere.' 1t is
not often that a youngster of eighteen be-
comes king before his sire, and has the
pleasure of complimenting bis progenitor on
his accession to the throne But for the ex-
istanee of royal family alliances the case
might never have happened; for were not
the sister Princess of Wales. no wind could
possibly have drifted the young blucksburg
midshipman upon the throne Of the Helle-
les
The writer gives the following information
respecting the private fortunes Of the royal
families of Europe:
9 1t is scarcely necessary to say that, with
the exception of one or two countries, such
as Great Britain or Russia, the possession of
wealth is a very important consideration in
the formation Of family alliances. 70 most
constitutional rulers Of the present day the
possession Of private fortune has become an
abs lutte necessity. since the official income,
the ciyillist, is seldom. if ever, large enough
to enable them to keep their real or ideal po-
sition, besides allowing them to crafty the
numerous claims ofliberaity and benevolence
which arise increasingly. Most princes
know, too, that It is bad policy to walk the
streets with Il cotton umbrella and hobnailed
boots. like the late King Louis Philippe. or
to drive hard bargains in behring's and cheese
after the manner Of Dutch William / A
royal marriage itselfis very expensive thing
and has mostly to be provided for ont of fam
lily funds, there being but one British Parli
amant III the world ready and willing to treat
any little bills arising out of them as extras
OF the civil list. The nuptals of the Prince
of W Wales last year. though moth ng eat of the
way in splendor or magnifcense, cost exactly
ee233 ee2233 455. which the House of Commons gran
ted with emily one dissentient vote. but which
the most loy;l OF continental chambers would
certainly decline to contribute. as absolutely
beyond their power. Moreover. the clear an
nua income, or salary, of half the soyereigns
of Europe does not amount to f23, 455, and
supposing this to be the usual expenses of
royal marriage, and there being no private
fortune in the background. the members of
all these families would be reduced to NOR
eanatic alliances. Fortunately for royal la
dies there are a number Of reigning houses
in Europe possessing immense wealth, and
this is getting gradually distributed by num-
Der of welI-contrived family connections
throughout the whole royal class. Up tothe
commencement of the present century, the
richest sovereign family of Europe, excluding
Russia was ihs house of Hapsburg- Lorraine.
They possessed, and still possess, enormous