The Evansville journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ind.) 1866-1870, 1870-08-17
The Hnnsa OF orleans.

The situation of the Emperor has
now beoome so serious that the world
is actively specializing as to his sue
cessor. 1t does not appear that
France as yet is ripe for a republic,
and probabilities point toward the
restoration Of the house of Orleans.
house seemed hopeless. To-day, so
wonderful are the changes wrought
by single battle, it has fair chance
of grasping one of the most brilliant
prizes in Europe.
The Orleans branch of the Bour-
bon family has held for many genera
tons a distinguished place in French
history, and more than once, within
the last hundred years, it has seemed
to be the best hope of the nation. It's
representatives have generally cher
ished, or at least protested, q greater
respect for popular rights and consti-
tutional theories of government than
the elder line of the family, have
ranged themselves among the liberal
monarchists whose ambition it is to
accommodate obsolete titles and ex-
plode political principles with the
progress of modern thought and an
enlarged scope of individual freedom.
Since the time of Philippe, the fifth
duke of the house, the cousin of
Louis XVI. and the father Of Louis
Philippe, the popular policy of
the family has been marked.
Duke Philippe, however, was on
ly an ambitious demegogue who
assumed the name of Philip Equality
during the storm Of the Revolution,
and disguised even the most extreme
Democrats by voting for the execution
of his royal cousin. Louis Philippe,
if not a great, was a well meaning
king, under whom the French people
were upon the whole happier and
freer than they have ever been since,
except for a few months under the
Republican regime of 1S48. The
| Duke of Orleans, eldest son of Louis
Philippe, who was killed during his
fathers reign by being thrown from
his carriage, was young man of
many personal virtues and accom-
plishments and great popularity, and
q soldier of some distinction. The
present head Of the family, the Count
of Paris. is his son by the estimable
Louise Elizabeth Of Duchess Helene
Mecklenburg-Sc hWerin who died In
exile near London IN 1853
The Count of Paris is now 80 years
of age. He has travelled a great deal
in various parts of the world, has
given considerable attention to litera-
ture, publishing narratives of travel
and essays on politics and social Gus
toms of England (where he has his
residence and in the early part of
our last war served with his younger
staff of Gen. Mcclellan in the York
town peninsula. Both the young
Princes made a very favorable impress.
sion In America. The Count of Paris
is married to daughter ofthe Duke of
Montpensier; the Duke of Chartres
to q daughter of Prince de Joinville.
They both offered their services to
Napoleon at the outbreak Of the pres
emit war, but we believe they were not
accepted.
The principal other representatives
Of the Orleans family are the second,
third, fourth, and fifth sons of Louis
Philippe, uncles of the two young
men just mentioned. The second
son is the Duke of Nemours, IS years
old; under Louis Philippe he held
several important military commands,
especially In the campaigns against
Add el-Kader. He was chosen King
of the Belgians in 1881, and was pro-
posed for King of Greece, but his
father would not permit him to ac-
cept either dignity. He is the father
of Count d'Eu, the son-in-law and
general of the Emperor of Brazil.
The third son of Louis Philippe is the
Prince de Joinville, % years old,
in his fathers time a naval comman-
der of repute, remembered especially
for his service in Mexico. The fourth
is the Duke of Aumale, aged AZ, who
served in Algeria under Bugeaud and
Baraguey d'Hilliers, rose to be a
Marshal of France, and had the glory
at last of receiving Add el-Kader's
surrender. The fifth son is the Duke
of Montpensier, candidate for the
throne of Spain. Since 1913, all the
family except the last named have
lived in England. All except Mont
pensier have dabbled more or less In
literature, all have led reputable
lives, so far as the world at large is
Informed, and all are so well provided
with offspring that, if fortune should
restore them to the Tuileries, France
need be under no apprehension of
| the dynasty's ever dying out.--N T.