The mountain Democrat., 1864-03-26

have the effect Of adding still more confu-
sion to the great SchleSxss.IGL&J.H Jr.>.,
zle. While the present King of Denmark
is father to the Princess of Wales, his RI
val as far as the German Duchies are con-
cerned, Prince Frederick of Augusten-
burg, is likewise connected by marriage
with Queen Victoria and both on the
GluckSbHrg and the AugustenburR side
there are a host Of morganatic princes
and princesses which bring the relation.
ship down to the very root Of the Schles.
wig Holstein temple Of the winds. Prince
Frederick Of AuguStenberg.t the pretendcr,
gave his hand, in 1856, to Princess Ade-
laide of Hohenlohe Langenburg, whose
mother is a daughter Of the late Duchess
Of Kent, by her first husband, and con-
sequently half sister of Queen VictOria.-
The house Of HOhvnlohe Langenburg be-
longs to the mediatised' families Of Ger
many, and does not stand very high, since
the Hohenlohes, deteSting the law Of pri-
mOgeniture, have split into no less than
eleven different lines, all rich in members
but poor in real property. Nevertheless,
in becoming the rival OF the new King of
Denmark, the Prince Of AuguStenb-rg
has the consolation that the family Of the
former is not in much better position. -
The eldest brother of King Christian,
head Of the house Of Schleswig HolStein-
GluckSburg, is in the position Of cOun-
try squire in HOlStein, and scarcely any
members Of his family have risen above
this rank. The eldest Of the eight broth.
erS and sisters, Princess Marie, aunt of
our Princess Of Wales, married, in 1887,
q Colonel Lasberg, who died in ls43 af
ter which she united herself in second
nuptialS to Count Hohenthal,a a goldStick
in waiting at the court of Dresden. The
second aunt Of the Princess of Wales is
widow of the semi.lunatic Duke Of Anhaif
BuInhorg; while the third, whose history
is said to BE- Spired with romance, has
become abbeSs If the monastery Of Itze.
hoe The five brothers Of the King, in
Guiding the head M the family. are alto.
getlIer social nOnentitieS; two being cOuH-
try squires, the third an officer in the
Austrian service, and the fourth and fifth
majors IN the army Of Prussia. Conse-
quently, though the rise Of the Glucks.
burg family has been more rapid than
that of the Coburgs, it will probably be
confined, at least for some time, to the
sons and daughters Of King Christian, the
Leopold of his house. However, as it is,
the achievement is already something
marvellous. But dozen years ago, al
unknown member of quite unknown
family, Prince Christian Of Schltswie-
Misunderstanding Glucksburg has now
become king whose voice Is heard in the
councils Of Europe, with daughter deS-
tined to wear the diadem Of the noblrst
empire in the world, and last, not least, O
son possessing the privilege Of addressing
his own father as Monsieur nnn frerc.' -
1t is not often that a yOung>ter Of eighteen
becomes a king before his sire, aud has
the pleasure Of complimentng his pro
genitOr on his accession to the throne. -
But for the existence Of royal family al.
hances the case might never have hap.
pened for were not the sister a Princess
uf Wales, no wind could possibly have
drifted the young GluckSbu'g nidshp
man upon the throne of the llellenes."
The writer gives the following informa
ton respecting the private fortunes of the
royal families Of Europe:
"It is scarcely necessary to say that
with the exception Of one or two c..un
tries, such as Great Britain or Russia, the
possession Of wealth is very importanr
consideration in the formation Of family
alliances. To most constitutional rulers
Of the present day the Possession "f a pFi.
vate fortune has become an absolute ne.
| kk "A IL, 81,
list, 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 Of liberaitY and be.
nevolence which arise increasingly. Most
princes know, too, that it is bad policy
to walk the streets with cotton umbrcl
la and hObnailed boots, like the late Kim
Louis Philippe, or to drive hard bargains
in herrings and cheese, after the manner
If Dutch William |. A royal marriag,
itself is very expensive thing, and has
mostly to be provided for out of family
fuudS there being hut one British Par
lament in the world ready and willing tc
treat any little bills arising out Of them aS
extras of the civil list. The nuptials oI
the Prince of Wales last year. though no
thing out 81 the way in splcndor or mag.
nihcence, cost exactly f23.455. which
the House Of Commons granted with only
one diSScntient vote, but which the mo>t
loyal OF continental chambers would Ger
tainly decline to contribute, as absolutely
beyond their power. Moreover, the clear
annual income, or salary, Of half the SOW
ereignS of Europe does not amount tc
e23, ,455, and supposing this to be tn,
usual expenses Of royal marriage, and
there being no private fortune in tht
| background, the members Of all theSt
families would be reduced to m0rganatil
ALI noes. Fortunately for royal ladies'
there are a number Of reigning houses ir
Europe possessing immense wealth. anC
this is getting gradually distributed by a
number Of well.contrived family connec
tinnS throughout the whole royal class. -
Up to the commencement of the present
century, the richest sovereign family o
Europe, excluding HuSSia, was the houSt
of HapSbnrg Lorraine. They possessed
and still possess, enormous estates within
the Austrian empire as private property
which, though miSmanagcd in most in
stances, produce abnve million sterling
per annuuh Vastly superior to this prop
erty. though it cannot be called private
in every respect, is that of the reign
ing family in Russia. According tc
Baron Won HnxthauSen, more than s
million square miles of cultivated lane
and forests, besides some two millions
square miles OF unculuvatrd land. noun
tainS and Steppes, partly in European anC
partly in Asialic Russia, belong directly