The Shasta courier., 1864-12-03

Juliana Maria that the latter lady all the
more readily slandered the character Of the
young queen. When Christian entered his
capital, he found a city suffering the severest
distresses from the unparelled extravagance
of the court, but as little cared for as the
city. Yet both capital and consort put an air
OF rejoicing welcome; and the king assumed
no air of appearing to care at all for the de-
monstration rendered to him from either side
With. the return of Christian there appears
on the{hge the too well known Struensee
He is $hysician of thirty-two years of age,
advan g in favor with the king, but utterly
incapall Re Of bearing with equanimity, as his
own r9!etend father declared, the patronage
OF a I|ennrch. That the kings physician
shoul00Dno attend the queen. and gain her
favor, too, by successfully treating her child,
was natural. Struensee grew in the fair es.
timation of BOTH He was not a man of fixed
principles himself; but he was an angel of
light compared With some of the men who
were about the king, and who led him on in
the ways of vice, even when he was weary of
following. Caroline Matilda, unfortunately
became on such familiar terms with this able,
plausible, clear sighted, and insinuating ply
sician that she employed him to do very
acceptable service to her and to Denmark !:
namely, to bring about the expulsion Of Holck
and other of Christian s friends, who destroyed
| and took pleasure in destroying his mind,
body and soul. What may here be told in
few words was, of course, work of time !;
but it was effectually though gradually ac-
complished, not without scandal arising from
the confidence which the queen ostcntatiously
reposed in Struensee, and perhaps not with
out some knowledge of the scandal on her
rart. or some fears lest there should ever be
ground for it, testified by the line she wrote
on window pane in the palace of Freder-
icksburg, "Oh, keep me innocent make
others great!"
We must refer our readers to Sir Lasceles
Wraxsll's volumes for the development of the
story of Struensee's success. The German
doctor cleared the court of many impurities
and of many impure people, brought back the
king to something like decent regard for
his wife, and used his rapid rise in favor. IT,
ties and influence to relieve the people from
taxation, the press from ali restrictions, and
the court from profligate nobility. But
among his errors NAV be reckoned his hostil
ity to the Danish nobility generally. ard the
thoroughly German spirit in which he endea-
vored to make his native language supersede
that of the Danes. This alone caused the
people, whose burdens he had lightened, to
execrate him, and the press. which he had
enfranchised, to denounce him. Both united
to shower calumny upon him as seducer of
the queen and tyrant over the king: and it
was when he cared least to conceal that his
favor with the former. who really owed very
much of increased.domestic comfort to him,
was unbounted, and his powor over the lat
ter so great that the imbecle Christian was
buta viceroy under him. that the fearful
sounds arose which portended deluge, which
was not to be Stayed by the birth of the queens
daughter, in HI.
Could such a miserable yet monstrous
wretch have been patriotically deposed, the
country might have rejoiced but, as Struen
see only practically deposed him to place pow.
er almost exclusively in his own hands. and
a little in that of queen who was foreigner
bis enemies were numberless 1t could rot
be denied that bis reforms had been for the
most part of highly satisfactory character
and, if the dowager queen and her son Fred
erck had succeeded to power through them,
Struensee might have lived but this being
impossible, conspiracy was formed to des-
troy him and the queen, for the alleged ben
eft of the king, but really for that of Juliana
Maria and the son on whose head she would
fain have seen the crown. Some of the lead
ing conspirators were Germans who had help
ed to assassinate the Car, Peter the Third,
and therefore available for any extremity of
action The people, TOO we're moved to out
breaks; and in face of these the pusillanin-
ity of Struensee was so apparent, that his en-
emies, taking courage, struck their blow at
once, obtained access to the hing, got from
him all they asked, and under the authority
of his signature arrested Struensee, Brandt,
and tGeir followers and obtained possession
of the Queens person, under her royal hus-
bands order to carry her to Kronhorg. She
had retired to rest when her enemies were
laundering at her door =
'sWhen the doors were opened by the wo-
men, the queen walked boldly towards the
persons entering, and asked them what they
wanted. Moved by the young queens decid
ed behavior, Rantzau gave her a low bow,
then said that he had come by the kings or
der, read her her consort's note, and handed
it to her. She took it, and read it through
without displaying any alarm; but then
threw it disdainfnlfy on the ground. and
tranped Upon it. Ha + she said. in tlrat
| recognize the traitors and the king Rant
Eau implored her to submit to the kings or
ders Orders = she exclaimed, contemptu
ously; orders about which he knows moth
ing. and which the most shameful treachery
has exorted from his inbecility. No, a queen
does not obey such command Rantzau
locke! serious, and said that his duty admit
ted of no delay. l will obey no orders till
have seen the king. the queen answered him:
let me go to him; l must-I will speak to
him. And she advanced some steps towards
the door; but Rantzau stepped before her
with heightened anger. and his entreaties be-
came menaces VILLAIN = the impassioned
queen cried to him, is that the language of
a servant to his monarch? Go, most con
temptible of men. Go; you are loaded with
shame and disgrace: but | am not afraid OF
you' These words from the dauntless young
queen infuriated the naughty Rantzau: but
be did not attempt to carry out his rumaniy
orders by seizing the brave princess; henee
he gave his comrades an imperious glance {,
interfere. The boldest of the three advanced
and seized the queen round tbe waist. but
she tnre herself away from him. shrleked Tor
assistance as loudly as she could and hasten
ed along the pr,ssage to the secret stairs but
her women held her back. and sad, -FOUR
Majesty cannot pass out: for all the doors
are guarded by sen,ries. and no one will is-
ten to your cry for help Left alone with
four armed soldiers, and rendered desperate
by amer and shame, the unfortunate princess