Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1873-11-11
GOssfp About the Queen and tn
Prince of wales.


A London letter to the Sun contains
some gossip about the Royal Family Of
England, from which we take the fol-
lowing:
"As is plainly perceptible to any OBJ
servant reader both of Our Life in the
Highlands and the Life of the Prince
Consort,' Her Majesty is a very emo.
tional woman, with a cultivated habit of
sensibility which is almost morbid. In
those books everything that happens to
her and to those belonging to her, how
ever trivial, seems as of the highest i'm
nortance: an exaggerated sentimentality
peryades them throughout. They are
not the productions of healthy-minded
woman, living in Q clear daylight at
mosphere of common sense, but OF one
sophisticated by an artificial position.
Hence it may be imagined how she felt
her loss. That of her mother, nine
months before, had greatly distressed
her: now she was fairly prostrated. 1t
Is rot my purpose to descant upon her
grief out / may be permitted to speak
Of some of its extraordinary manifesto
tions.
"She had ths erm Of the late Prince
Albert moulded in wax end clothed, and
would pass hours with it drawn through
hers, absorbed in melancholy reheo'
tions recalling the past. The apart
meuts of the deceased we're kept IN pre-
ciselv the same order as that observed
in his life time; his slippers end dress
ing gown regularly aired; his eletles,
boots and apparatus placed as though
he might come back at any moment 70
claim them. She slept, and sleeps with
his portrait pinned on the bed-head, and
framed with tnmprtelles, beside her.
Her letter paper ana ENVELOPES were Sc
deenly bordered with hacg that the
white space resembled mere patch W
q sable ground Lastly, she kept all
her seTgants in the completest mourn,
ing for long, long time, and wanted
the Prince of Wales, eyen after ne go'
married and set up for himself 81 Mar
iboro House, to do the same, which tis
Young man fatty refused to do, and left
Windsor in hu4, not returning Tor a
considerable period. Tt;s was the be-
ginning OF frequent quarrels setYeen
them, mp to the time of his dangerous
Illness and conyalesGence, in l07 !,
which effected reconciliation.
"In com yuou with all royai and arls-
tocratic youth, at least in England, the
Princes were brought ~ very lRrelully'
kept from any chance of We os sea-
tamination, and placed in charge oil
very strict governors, whose business it
was to give them the best of educations.
Though fond parents, the Prince and
Queen we're by no means indulgent
ones, the latter erring rather on the side
of severity, which had bad effect on
the Prince of Wales when circumstances
emancipated him from ber control. He
was an easy-going, pleasure loving
youth, with more good nature than in
tellect, in which respect he supplied a
notable contrast to his younger brother,
the selfish and saturnine Alfred, now
the Duke of Edinburgh, whose brains
seem to have been developed at the ex
pense of his social qualities. When a
child, Albert Edward, like his mother,
appeared ricketty and delicate; it was
feared that he might not survive. be
carries his head little on one side now;
but he was not, as was once popularity
believed, either dull or stupid, and pro-
fited by his splendid training and educa-
ton. He speaks French, German,
Italian and Spanish with fuency, be-
sides being q good Greek and Latin
scholar. He is well acquainted
with law and the fine arts, good
soldier theoretically and good
horseman. No wall or brook ever
stops him when mounted. He is what
is technically termed a bruising rider.
OF his abilities as a marksman the pig
matches at Hurlingham
and the slaughter Of the Chillingham
bull may testify-in which tastes. be 1t
remarked, be is neither better nor worse
than most Of our young politicians.
Parental authority in this country,
suring the last generation, to which her
Majesty belongs, was generally a des-
potism tempered by affection, children
being regarded ss subjects rather than
individuals. Both as & mother and
Queen she has an overWeening idea CT
her own consequence, and resistance
was inevitable. Even such a compare
lively trivia matter as the habit Of smok-
ing. in her son. she could Lot tolerate.
Prince Albert, her ideal Of all the manly
virtues had not smoked, therefore 1t
vas abominable; therefore Windsor
castle was ornamented With placards
forbidding indulgence in what Mr..
weller senior. calls the hagrant
weed. Naturally Wales became an
inveterats smoker, even appearing
In public with q briar-rOOt pipe, and
being 90 depicted iu the illustrated news
papers Later. be and his august man
mk differed in politics During the war
befEoen Prussia and Denmark, 10 the
schiesEig- H0lsiein quarrol, in ls6f, their
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