The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1868-11-11
The French Prince Imperial.
Me Stuuqord Illustrated Paper.

The Prince is neither too tall nor too short
for his age, and the sort of cmboapoint which he
possessed a few years ago disappears more and
more, and his figure seems to grow as slender
and elegant as was that of the Emperor in his
early youth. He looks by far more like his
mother than his father, and only those who
have opportunities of seeing him every day
find gradually that at certain moments he bears
an astonishing resemblance to his father, too.
When his face is calm, the Prince is strikingly
like the Empress but when he is excited,
and even when he merely laughs, his re-
semblance to the Emperor is undenisble; and
he laughs often, the young rogue; he is the
merTiest child that can be imagined; in all
things and persons surrounding him he finds
subjects of mirth for his imperturbable good
humOr. Prominent traits of his character
if we can speak of character at such an early
age-are the tollOwiDg:-A kind of naughty
modesty, If may so call it; for example, he
never enters into discussion with older per-
sons, while he is passionately addicted to doing
SO with his playmates, Conneau, Espinasse,
etc. simple "no," without giving any
reason for it, is his only opposition to older
persons, and no one, neither the Empress nor
his tutor, General Frossard, are then able to
change his stubborn mind by prayers or
threats. In that event, when the case is of
some Importance, is re-enacted for the
hundredth time a scene only too we'll
known at the Tuileries. The Emps-
ror enters, approaches his son kindly,
brushes the hair from his forehead, and asks
why he does not want to do what he has been
ordered to do. The boy makes no reply.
The Emperor repeats his question three, nay
ten, times. No answer. AT last the Emperor
says, 81 want you to do it," or "You must
do it," And, as if the boy had merely bsen
waiting for these words, he jumps up, kisses
his fathers hand, and rushes from the room,
in order to obey. When his play-fellows then
tease him for having yielded after all, he re-
plies, proudly, "L'Empereu a ordonne." Is it
tirmness, or mere petulance 1t is difficult to
say what it is, but it seems to be the former,
for it has been noticed that, after obeying his
father in this manner without resistance, he
has withdrawn into some corner and
wept bitterly. Once he had called q
femme de chdmbre of the Empress "une
mule entetfe," and was compelled to ask
her pardon: he did so very gracefully, but
cried for half an hour afterward. 1t must be
somewhat singular to the imperial parents
that their only child makes such great dis
tinction between them; toward the Empress
he is soma naughty son, disobeyiug her
nine times out of ten, and thinking he can
easily pacify her by a single kiss; but his
father he treats above all as the Emperor,
whom he looks upon as the greatest monarch
of all times. His former tutor Menier, said
to him one day: "a monarch must, above all,
ing; wrongs which he has suffered must at
once fade from his memory" "And the
wrongs which have been inflicted on his
father too % asked the boy, who was then
only nine years old. The Prince is not
very bright, he learns only with con-
siderable difficulty; the more praisewOrthy
is his application, owing to which he is
not behind in any branch of his studies, ex-
oept incredible as it may seem, orthography.
What trouble photography has already caused
to the heir-apparent of the imperial throne
can hardly be imagined. He writes tolerably
good compositions; but, despite all the pains
he has taken, he has never yet succeeded in
writing quartO page without some Orthogra-
! phical blunders. When the Prince of Hohen-
zOllern, to whom the boy is much attached,
asked the Emperor about the progress made
by his son in knowledge, the Emperor re-
! piled in his characteristic way:-"SatsfactOry,
but mediocre" It is singular that the Prince
excels in no single branch of his studies; he is
! tOlerable in all, and COnneau, his young school
mate, far outstrips him in every respect. Ex-
| ercise is his favOrite occupation; he is very
courageous, knows no danger, and will one day
| be an excellent hOrseman aud a still better
swordsman. As regards his health, it is now
| again excellent, and, despite the newspaper
reports, never was seriously impaired. 1t
was mere fable to cay that he behaved with
stoical courage at the operation on his leg; on
the contrary, he screamed at the top of his
lungs. Nothing could have been more ridicu.
| lous than to describe a boys conduct, when
undergoing very painful operation, as that
OF Spartan. II hurt him fearfully and he
screamed duly. Wnen he presented the grand
Gordon of the Legion of Honor to Neaton, his
surgeon, he added of his own accord, and in
gentle voice, TO the words he had been told
TO utter. "It is the ribbon worn by the Empe-
ror himself" In short the Prince Imperial
is not bright, precocious child, such as all
parents might wish to have.
Ralninm has ranopnizad Snain