Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1871-11-30
ECULIARITIES OF A ROYALRACE.

The impressive news which we have
received regarding the mental condition
of Queen Victoria and the probability OF
the regency, If not the early succession to
the throne, of the Prince of Wales natu-
rally calls to mind the somewhat peculiar
traits which have characterized the Eng
IlSh sovcrcigns Of the House of Hanover
In fact. very few Of the ruler. Of Great
Britain since the time of William the con-
queror have been common place persons.
and much of the special interest which the
history Of that country has for most read
crs is du" to the personal idiosyncracics ot
the monarchs. Although the regular line
| Of succession has been several times bro
ken either from natural or political causes,
il has always been spliccd on to some strand
or other of the same old stock, and the
blood y the present rulers can be traced
hack through various dilutions. not to say
alu''r~ati"ns, To the sturdy old Norman
invader who won tie kingdom at Has
iu,s.
The act Of settlement Of f170f decree
the crown to Sophia, widow of the first
E'cctor Of Hanover and granddaughter TO
James |. The old clcctress -dOwarcr mar
row Y escaped being Queen of Great Brit
ain hy dying less than two months before
the denise If good Queen Anne" By
this net Of self sacrifice She made wav for
tl,at coarse and laundering Dutch BOBBY.
her royal son George Louis He had been
some years ruler of the petty Electorate
,f IIar,y,r .rl c,r,I ,,u,L ,,,,., =. l.
the autocrat Of the little domain than the
nominal head Of the great empire which
hai fallen to him without his asking. He
knew little OF the history aud constitution
of England, and cared less: in short. We
are crcdihly informed that the ONLY things
he did care much for were punch and
fat women" He was coarse and brutal in
his tastes snd vices, AMI though he made
no Sccrc; Of his own profit gate course. he
thought like the imperial Caesar that he
was entitled to a wife who was above sus-
piciou; and accordingly when evil tongues
began 10 >mrch the fair name of his ruyal
! spouse he at once put her above suspicion
and beyond temptation and slandcr bv
having her shut up in a prison, from
which she was released only by death
thirty two years afterwards Another do.
/ mcSiic trait of this first monarch of the
| House Of Hanover was that he hated his
son. the Prince Of Wales. with the utmost
cordlality, and that family trait has reap
! rearcd Iii almost every generation since
his day. As for the administration Of the
government, that was left mainly 70 the
ministry and the iutrigues Of the King
favorlte mistress. the Dutchcss uf Kendall
When George l. was gathered to his
German toretathers, his son. George Au-
gustus, succeeded 10 the Electorate OF
Hanover and the Kingdom of Great Brit
ain. lie was slight Improvement upon
ais father. but had no decided objec-
ton to punch. lie preferred bis Ger
man associates and the pleasures of his lit
tie court at Hanover TO the cares Of empire
in London. He was selfish and arbitrary.
but so entirely in the hapds Of ministers
who knew far more than he dii that he felt
out Of place and uneasy, and let things 20
much as Nalpole and his colleagues chose
10 pilot them. Remembering the treat
mcnt he had received from his father iu
hls youth, ard the righteous demands Of
Nemesis, he determined TO wrcak his vcn-
gcncc On his son Frederick and according
" omitted no opportunity to abuse him.
The noble youth emulatiny the flal ha-
tired of his ancestors despisei his father
house, set up an establishment Of his own
and headed the opposition to the admins
tratlon. The Young man died before his
father. and in 1866 the crown descended
upon the youthful brow Of his son George
Frederick William.
George III was born in Errland. and
as he SAID IN his coronation spe, ch. rloried
IN the name of Briton. He spoke the
vernacu.ay Of his subjects, which neither ot
his predecessors had taken the troutle Il
acquire with any degree Of perfection. and
set out with \ good degree Of popularity.
which, however. he speedily coD,riyei I.
destroy. lie had received an eminently
virtuous education, and did not. Ike hi.
fathers, set At nought the propricties and
decencies OF life. lie was. indeed. ex-
trsmely proper in his domestic conduct
however improper the principal part ofhis
public action may have been. There prob
ably never was mere rarrOw-miude,I
aad hcad>trong individual Laced in %.