Sunbury American. [volume] (Sunbury, Pa.) 1848-1879, 1867-07-13
SATURDAY MORNING, JULY l3, 1867.

The Empress Carlotta took very great pains
to cultivate the Mexican ladies, rather
difficult task; having her own drawing rooms
for ladies only, she endeavored to dring all
classes and factions together, to introduce
rational and useful habits and amusements
aud frequently tried to persuade them that
If they devoted little less time and money
to dress and frivolous amusements, and a
little more to works of charity and benevo.
lence, they would be much happier, and
much more respected. She set them an ex-
cellent example on this point, spending i'm
mense sums from her private means on all
kinds of charities, public and private nor
was money the only thing lavished the
poor and sick were frequently visited by her,
often accompanied by her royal husband,
and scarcely a day passed without their
jointly visiting some charitable or other in
stitution for the public good.
In point of education and scientific ac-
quirements Maximilian has few equals and
very few superiors. He is complete master
of ten languages, including English he is
also very deeply versed in astronomy and all
sciences connected with navigation, on
several of which he has written some very
clever works. AS mathematical scholar
few can compete with him, while in general
education and information, such as history,
geography and rise and progress of nations,
he is perfect walking encyclopedia. Natural
history and geology are among his favorite
studies, and he spent much of his leisure
time ir the Museum, which he added to
and improved greatly during his stay in
Mexico. He was always perfectly happy to
be left alone on the hills with nothing but
his butterfly net and box for specimens,
always, as he said, finding some new object
of interest either among the living or past
state Of creation. AS an artist he is tolera-
Bile, evincing great love for pictures, es-
pecially those of the old school. The Ma
tional Gallery in Mexico, which was an old
neglected place, but in which were several
good paintings, has been very much impro-
we'd and added to by him. His great fault, and
which has no doubt been the cause of many
of his failures, is that he is essentially theo-
rist, totally without any practical system and
living half his time in Gygone age, he is
sadly deficient in the very necessary staple
called common sense
In point of morality the least that can be
said is that Macmillan is good sincere
Christian, and high.tone gentleman. Any
action savoring of insincerity or untruthful-
ness would have been looked upon by him
with indignant horror. He is as pure and
innocent minded as child, and could never
be persuaded of deception and insincerity
in others. He is strictly honest in all his
dealings, both public and private, the ru-
mors which were rife ot his remitting large
sums of public money to Miramon being
totally without foundation on the contra
ry, he spent large portion of his private
means in improving and identifying his resi-
dences in Mexico, and many public institu-
tions. When recently hard pressed for
money, and finding that there were several
tradesmen, and Others, with large outstand-
ing bills against him, he insisted on his
horses, carriages, and even clothes, if neces-
sary, being Immediately sold, until the last
cent was paid. He never could be persua-
ded to permit severity to be practiced even
I toward his most bitter enemies, his interfer-
ence to prevent the execution of notorious
guerrillas being the first cause of his misun-
derstanding and subsequent open rupture
with Marshal Bazaine. He frequently said
that if he could not govern the Mexicans by
love he would not do so at all.
| He is devotedlv fond of his wife, and
since the news reached him of her severe
illness he has never been the same man. 1t
has always been subject of regret with
| him that he had no children of his own, and
his and the Empresss fondness for them in
duced them to adopt the young Prince Itur-
bide, son of the former ill-fated Emperor,
intending, if their reign in Mexico had been
fortunate, that he should have been
their successor. A canard was rife some
few months since of an amour of his with q
very beautiful Indian girl, and of the birth
of child, but no credit was ever attached
! to it.
1t is of course known that Macmillan
and his wife both profess the Roman Catho-
| lie faith, and both are very devout, and, to
all appearance, sincere in it. 1t is true that
on his accession he carried out the work al.
ready commenced by the Liberal psrty-the
destruction of converts, the curbing of the
power of the Church, permitting universal
liberation and freedom of worship, and gen
eral Church reform but any one acquainted
with the corrupt state in which he found
both the Church and the priesthood car
hardly wonder at his so doing. He and the
Empress were most strict in all their reli
gious observances Mass was usually at
tended daily in the private chapel in tn,
palace, but on some occasions they might
both be seen on foot attending the service
at the Cathedral, the Emperor succeeding
bareheaded with solemn procession from
the palace to the church. Whenever h,
encountered the procession of the hos
in the streets-a rather frequent occurrence
in Mexico-he invariably, and his wife also
alighted from their carriage and prostratet
themselves on their knees until it had pas
sed.
Maximiliau, as heir apparent to the thron,
of Austria before the birth of his nephew
was brought up in the school of an a5solut
monarchy, but his views have very libera
tendency, he always considering that tn
people should be fully and thoroughly rep
resented, and that the power of the sove
reign against their will should not be abso
lutte. He was always very much beloved
by the Austrian people. When he assumed
the government of Mexico he distinctly sta
ted his wishes that the people should b
represented by Congress, firmly believin,
that it was by the popular will that he ha,
been called to the throne, and, as has alrea
dy been said, he declared his intention :
govern them by love, or not at ALL Thes
praiseworthy designs were, however, ovel
ruled by Marshal Bazaine, and poor Max
| milan found at every turn that he was nc
! thing but tool in this mans hands an
Il those of his equally unscrupulous maste
} Louis Napoleon. Had he been left to hin
) self he would never have aimed at despo