The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1864-11-23
Gossip from ,ne spnuI.n Court


avEES ISABELLA, tut HUSBAND, AND uuH
CHILDREN.
AMadrd letter IN the London Daily ysos
gives this gossipping account Of the royal
family -
Yesterday October 10Y was the Queens birth
day, when her N $50 Catholic MNes.y, Isabella
Scgundn, entered upon her tbrty-HfJh year.
There was grand review iu the morning, of the
troops composing the garrison OF Madrid con-
sstnS VI nineteen bltIlOus Of infantry and
twenty regiments of cavalry and artillery, with
ecyCuiy-twO pieces OF cannon, q goOdly force
enough, though by no means uniformly 10 be
relied upon After being reviewed in the prado
the troops marched through the city and dcHled
before the Queen and King at the palace
upon the whole Il was o tine military display,
IL was succeeded by n royal reception, when was
brilliantly attended, and which occuped the
entIIe afternoon For the beued. Of the ladies', it
may be mentioned that the Queen herself was
arGayed in a rose -ColOred rODc, covered with
choice lace, and besplng,ed with an immense
multitude Of diamonds. The lnfanta Donna
Isabella was in plain white The King wore the
uniform Of captain general of the kingdom, and
the little Prince OF the Asturias tuat OF sergeant
OF the guard.
"1he Queen of Spain is now large, portly
woman, perhaps somewhat older in appearance
than her years allow. She no longer can be said
to answer TO the description given OF her thirty
years ago In one Of the popular songs Of the War
of the Succession, which described the contcnding
competitors for the throne OF Spain
d" Don Carlos is a hoary chlrl,
OF cruel heart aud cold,
OF only six years Old
"But the Queen of Spain, though no longer
"a lovely girl, is still by no means unattractiyc.
The photographs and portraits which are shown
in shop windows by no means do her Justice She
has about her great deal more sparkle, vivacty,
and good humOr than her photographs allow;
indeed, her distinguished characteristic is said to
BE- genuine good temper, or as Il has been ex-
pressed to me, 'heartness, which gains her u
very large share of the affection of those who are
privileged to apprO 'ch her.
The Queen is said to be a very atiectionate
mother Of her children. She has now four of
them-tbree girls and boy. The eldest, the
lntuutd Isabella, approaches her thirteenth year,
having been born on the 10th of December, 1851,
She is an interesting young lady, but is said to
bear herself somewhat more haughtily than those
about her entirely approve. The Prince of the
A,turias is the next child, and is not yet quite
eight. He is an elegant but rather delCate-lOOk-
ing boy, who seems to be worn out with state
and study. The poor little fellow is driven
through Madrid in a coach and six, attended by
Il guard of bOnOr, almost every afternoon, to the
Retro part of the park reserved for the royal
family, where he takes pleasure in driving him
self about in little gOat-chaise. lie is generally
accompanied by his sister, the latina Isabella.
The other royal children, with their nurses fol-
low him in another state carriage drawn by six
mules, and that is generally folio we'd by another
similar equipage, full of ladies and gentlemen in
waiting, 30 that even the poor little Princes drive
u
ceremony.
at is amusing to see this procession OF Princes
and PrinCesses going 10 the Praio, followed by
drag conveying four stately specimens of the
genus Jeames,' in gold cooked hats and YER
million stockings, who convey from the royal
stables to the Retro the peramhulatOrs in which
the younger members of the royal family are
doomed 10 take their airings
at is observable that the King and Queen
rarely accompany the royal children. They
usually take their own separate drive, almost
always in company but very rarely with any of
the royal family with them. The King, indeed,
is said to show very little attachment TO any of
his wife's offspring, though at the same time he
fully recognizes them, and is at the present
moment, it is said, especially anxious TO obtain
decree of the Cortes whereby he shall be appointed
regent in the event Of the Queens demise and the
succession of the Prince of the Asturias 10 the
throne. WhetherthlS arrangement will be carried
out not, it Is difficult 10 say at present. IL is
not until next year that a settlement will become
urgent, and much will depend upon the course
OF events and the parties who at that time may be
in power"