The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1867-08-10

tions, addresses, great dinners, state
visits to the theatres, &c, &c, followed
the marriage in rapid succession. The
first levee was held on the 18th Febru-
ary, on which, as on all other similar
occasions for the future, as well as at
the opening of Parliament, or other
state ceremonies, the Prince led the
Queen in and stood on her left hand.
On one occasion, the 9Th OF March, the
Prince received and personally answer
ed no less than twenty-seven addresses
in one day. He was at first, the Queen
says, Il little nervous when addresses
were presented to him to which he had
to give answers, though not nearly SO
nervous, il seems, as many OF those by
whom the addresses were presented.
Mr.. Anson, who generally attended the
Prince in these ceremonies, used TO tell
many ludicrous stories about them, but
said that nothing could be better or
more dIgnified than the way in which
the Prince went through them. The
Queen also gave many dinners, often
followed by little dances, and they
went frequently to the play, OF which
the Prince was always very fond.
"Among other plays which they went
to see at this time, the Queen mentions
six special performances which were
got up ut Covent Garden, then under
the management of Madame Vestris
and Mr.. Charles Mathews, in which
Charles Kemble re.appeared in some
of Shakspeare's principal characters.
The Prince thoroughly enjoyed and ap-
preciated Shakespeare, and in later
years took the greatest interest in the
revival OF his plays, under the manage
ment of Mr.. Charles Kean, at the Prin-
cess's. We may also mention here, in
further proof of this, that some years
later, when theatrical performances
were got up at Windsor Castle, two if
not three nights out ofthe six were de-
voted to Shakespeare"
COUNTRY LIFE.
The Prince ardently loved the coun-
try, and the Queen soon acquired his
taste. In 1910 the Queen writes:
81 told Albert that formerly was too
happy TO go to London and wretched to
leave it, and now, since the blessed
hour of my marriage, and still more
since the summer, l dislike and am
unhappy to leave the country. and
could be content and happy never TO
go to town. This pleased him. The
solid pleasures of peaceful, quiet, yet
merry life in the country, with my in
estimable husband and friend, my all
in all, are far more durable than the
amusements of London, though we
don't despise or dislike these some
times"
AS years went on this preference for
grew stronger and stronger, "till resi-
dence in London became positively dis
tasteful to her. Her Majesty says in Il
note that 1t was also injurious to her
health, as she suffered much from the
extreme weight and thickness of the at
mosphere, which gave her the head
ache. Residence in London was, in
fact, "only made endurable by having
ner beloved husband Mt her side TO
share with her and support her in the
irksome duties of court receptions and
state ceremonials." The Prince, how
ever, was always anxious that the
Queen should spend as much of her
time as she could in London, though
the sacrifice to him was so great.
General Grey, commenting on the
beauty of the domestic life of the royal
family, and the freedom of Prince AL
bert from the vices of former genera
tions of the royal family, observes: {:
"a bove all, he has set an example for
his children from which they may be
sure they can never deYiate without
falling in public es estimation, and run
ming the risk Of undoing the work
which he has been SO instrumental in
accomplishing"
THE FIRsT-BoRN.
When the Princess Royal was born,
"GOr a moment only" the Queen says,
was he disappointed at its being
daughter and not a son. During the
time the Queen was laid up, his care
and devotion, ]" the Queen records, ,"were
quite beyond expression" He was
content to sit by her in darkened
room, to read to her, or write for her.
A memorandum by her Mai esty says:
"No one but himself ever lifted her
from her bed to her sofa, and he always
helped to wheel her on her bed or sofa
into the next room. For this purpose
ba IyoDId rnDla Instantly " han gnnf for
from any part of the house. As years
went on, and he became overwhelmed
with work (tor his attentions were the
same in the Queens subsequent con-
)this Was often done at much
inconvenience to himself, but he ever
came with a sweet smile on his face
in short the Queen adds, his care of
her was like that of p mother, nor could
there be a kinder, wiser, or more judi
cious nurse
PERSONAL HABITS OF THE PRINCE.
One passage describes the personal
habits of the Prince:
From the moment of his establish
ment in the English palace as the hus-
band of the Queen, his object was to
and, If possible, even raise
the character of the court. With this
view he knew that it was not enough
that his own conduct should be in
truth free from reproach-no shadow of
a shade of suspicion should by posi-
bility attach TO it. He knew that in
his position every action would be
scanned-not always possibly in a
friendly spirit; that his goings out and
in would be watched, and that
in every society, however little dispos-
ed to be censorious, there would always
be found some prone, were an opening
afforded, to eXaggerate and even to in
vent : stories against him, and to put
an uncharitable construction on the
most innocent acts. He, therefore, from
the first, laid down strict, not to say
severe, rules, for his own guidance. He
imposed degree of restraint and self
denial upon his own movements which
could not have been otherwise than
irksome had he not been sustained by
sense of the advantage which the
throne would derive from 1t. He deni-
ed himself the pleasure-which to one
SO fond as he was of personally watch
ing and inspecting every improvement
that was in progress, would have been
very great-of walking at will about
town.
wherever he went, whether in a
or on horseback, he was ac-
by his equerry. He paid no
visits in general society. His visits
were in the studio OF the artist, to mu-
seums of art or science. to institutions
for good and benevolent purposes.
ence, could tend to advance the real
good of the people, there his horses
might be seen waiting; never at the
door of mere fashion. Scandal itself
could take no liberty with his name.
He loved TO ride through all the dis
tricts of London where building and
were in progress, more