Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1871-01-28
The Marriage of Queen victoria's
. III Daughter.

Correspondence Of New York Herald.l
Many people have wondered how the
project OF the royal alliance was first
broached, and from which side the pre-
liminary overtures came. The mystery
is easily explained by the fact that the
Queen and the Duchess Of Argyll have
been bosom friends from their youth.
Her Grace is lady Of very fascinating
gifts, great personal attractions and
winning manners. She is, moreover, a
strict moralist, and is endowed with a
religious temperament and devotional
mind of the very kind TO attract the ad-
miration of Her Majesty. Appointed at
an early period of her life Mistress of
the Robes, the Duchess had the best op-
portunities Of improving her friendship
for her royal mistress, and in the course
Of time she became to the latter her
closest companion and confdant. When
the Queen and Prince Albert made what
might be called their wedding tour in
Scotland, they journeyed at much incon-
venience into the very heart of the West
ern Highlands to visit the Duke and
Duchess of Argyll at their histori-
cal palace of Inverary. AT that
time the Marquis of Lorn was a chubby,
little plump-faced fellow of two years
old, bright-eyed and intelligent, and with
head crowned with the peculiar golden
hair which gives such distinctive char
acter to the features of his keen-faced
father. The lad was dressed in a kilt,
and as he stood at the gate of the castle
among the Dukes clansmen, the Queen
drew Prince Alberts attention to him,
patted him on the head, called him
dear little fellow, and showered upon
him her caresses during the whole period
of her sojourn. Since that period Lord
Lorn has been a constant visitor at
Windsor, Osborne and Balmoral, his
mother, as | have said being very con-
slant in her attendance upon Her Ma
jesty, especially since her seclusion from
society, consequent upon the death of
the Prince Oonsort. Thrown much to-
gether, young Lorn and Louise grew up
to like each other which being perceived
by the mothers, led to the alliance being
talked about. The whole thing was set
tied between the Queen and the Duchess
long before anything was said upon the
subject.
Young Lord Lorn, though by no means
so fitting a son-in-law for Her Majesty, if
wealth alone is taken into consideration,
as dozens of other sprigs of the nobility !
is, perhaps, in other respects, the best
selection she could have made. He is
the best representative of one of the
greatest and most famous families which |
Scotland has produced, and in his own
Il l. Io, .A,ra 20 hot
of any king His father, the Duke of
Argyll, is known all over Scotland as
Lord God of the Highlands; and his
castle of Inverary is regarded with as
much popular respect as is Windsor |
Castle by Englishmen. Situated on Loch |
Fyne in commanding position, and sur
rounded with some of the widest and
grandest scenery of the Highlands, it has
long been the resort of tourists, who are
allowed freely to roam over its parks |
and grounds. The Gaelic population of
the savage regions which stretch around |
it for miles regard the Duke with kind |
of superstitious veneration such as is
accorded by their dependents to no other
British nobleman.
Though by no means so intelligent as
his father, Lord Lorn is a young man of
quick parts and good abilities. He sits
in the House of Commons for Argyle |
shire, and when he does speak he does
so pertinently and with fair measure
of success. His training has been ex-
cellent, and his travels have been
wide, Physically he might have been
pleasant-looking, but from an accident
from cricket ball which broke his nose
and has somewhat marred bis appear
ance. Although, in looks, appearance
manner and abilities, he is very far be-
hind his father; and yet he has sufficient
of each to do credit to the order to which |
he belongs.
As for the Princess Louise, her praises
are in the mouths of the drawing-rooms.
She is highly accomplished, winsome
and lady in the highest acceptation of
the term. Among her other gifts is one
for painting, and she has contributed
several pictures to the exhibition, which
have been most favorably noticed.