The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1868-11-06
QUEEN VIOTORIA.

resting artlele'-
"Two years ago. or thereabouts, wretched
little paper, published in Lausanne STitzsr-
land, il dulged itself in some scand alous stories
about the Queen OF Great Britain; and the
British representative at Berne, or one of his
subordinates, had the folly to elevate the libel
into Importance by prosecuting the journal
ist. This was perhaps the first time that any
scandal about Queen Victoria found its way
into print. Long before this, however, Queen
Victoria's loyal subjects had talked about her
as Mrs, Candor talks OF some OF her friends
AT last these whisperings began to nd dis
tinot AID open expression. A weekly paper,
called the 1omahd,ot, was started in London,
and IL made itself famous at once by cartoon
entitled "A Brown Study The artist repre-
sented heavy-lookiDg Scotchmsn of the lower
class, with kilt and sporran, standing on the
steps OF the British throne, while the British
lion gaZed from below with wondering aud
puzzled eyes at the audacious and nonchllam
intruder-somewhat as the Emperor Alexis
ComneDus, in Scotts novel, looks astoundsd
at the Frank count, Robert of Paris, lounging
on the imperial seat. The cartoon in the
TomahG'0k was admirably executed; it was the
work of man of genius in his way-Matt
Morgan, one of the principal scene painters of
Covent Garden Theatre. The paper, which
had not then and has not had since any lite
rary merit whatever, became celebrated and
popular in a moment. People were scandi-
lized, 81 ocked, amused, aroused. Jomdh1wt's
cartoon had, in fact, illustrated what every
body had been talking about, wondering at,
and grumblipg over.
"This is the scandal about Queen Victoria.
In her personal service, her most constant
and close attendant is a Scotch groom, or gllie
named John Brown. He rides on the box of
her carriage, he hands her in, he hands her
out, he cloaks her, shawls her, opeus doors for
her. is always near her. Popular rumor AYERS
that he sleeps on rug outside her bedroom
door; and, although this certainly is not his
habit, it is beyond doubt that he has done so
occasionally, while the Queen was travelling.
He has been SO closely, indeed, in attendance
on the Queen that unquestionably there might
be grave cause for scandal were he q Rizzio or
a Potemkin, even though she were not Mary
Stuart or Cstharine the Second. Add to this
that the ladies of the family of Brunswick have
not in previous generations been always vir-
tuous. 'Chacun a son goat, said the impertinent
court lady to George llI's mother, in allusion TO
the famous scandal about that princess aud
the Earl of Butte. Take further into consider
alton the fact that all the West End trades
men, ess.makers, milliners, cooks, aud
lackeys absolutely detest Queen Victoria,
because of the dullness created by her long
retirement; and that it has become an article
of faith with all that class that the depression
of trade, and even the financial collapse OF
England, are to be directly attributed to the
Queens protracted and inconvenient seclu-
sion. Think, then, how delighted all that
class must have been when it first became
whispered about that the sorrow of the royal
lady was not quite heavenly after all. Is it
wonderful that the scandal was eagerly aud
deligbtedly spread? In fact, people busily
spread it who did not in their
hearts believe it, and before long it
became the universal talk-a whisper of Lon
don. The Queen began to be spoken of iu
slang phrase as Mrs. Brown Punch one day
published under tho head of Court News
the announcement that Mrs. John Brown
walked ON the slopes yesterday Great mirth
was created once by an odd jumble of names
in London daily paper, which, giving re-
port of some popular demonstration, said the
proceedings closed with the singing of God
Save the Queen, and John Brown'-the fact
meant to be conveyed being that the meeting
sang the national anthem and also our famous
hymn to the memory of the Harper's Ferry
martyr. Things went so far that the Queen
in her recent book actually inserted passage
explaining the position OF John Brown in her
household. 1t is needless to say that those
who love scandal and like to believe it liked
and believed it none the less because of this
well-meant attempt at explanation.
"What is the exact truth in all this The
Queen is a good, pure, true-hearted woman
a little given to eccentricity at the best of
times, lately so shaken and even shattered in
nerves as to be occasionally not quite mis-
tress of herself. This john Brown, an honest,
Dense thick headed Scotchman, was a faithful
servant of Prince Albert. His face and name
are associated with the memory OF some of
Victoria's very happiest days. How tenderly
she loved her husband, how she delighted in
his society, nobody needs to be told. The
classic woman who swallowed the ashes of her
dead lord did not love more wholly and alb
sorbingly than did the heavy featured, unin-
teresting Queen of England. She clings to the
old servant of her husband as she might to
her husbands dog. But 1t Ia beyond all
question that certain taint of nervous ex-
oitability-one does not like to call it madness
is an element in the feelings which inspire
the Queen to defy scandal in England. Ii is
commonly said by those who defend the Queen
that she labors under the delusion that the
soul of Prince Albert has been transit used into
the homely frame of John Brown. This is
wild exaggeration; but it is quite true that the
manner in which the Queen connects the
memory of Prince Albert with the presence of
John Brown has something morbid, fantastic,
and almost mOnomanical IN it. Ii it is net
madness (yet that way madness les), she has
frequent fits of nervous irritation, which
would seem to those unaccustomed to them to
border upon frenzy. Not long since (this
stoTyis the simple truth) two OF the cabinet
ministers were at Osborne, eonversiDg in
sort OF informal council with her Majesty. A
page charged with some message, tapped at
the dOor-two or three light taps. The Queen,
who had been talking and listening with great
interest, became SO startled and excited by
the sound that she screamed, sprang up, paced
the room in the widest alarm, and for long
time was utterly unable to settle down to
calm and rational conversation of sny kind.
Under the influence of morbid attacks like