Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1873-08-13
HUMBUG In ENGLAND.
The Duke of Edinburgh's Money
Getting and His Morals.

Getting and His Morals.
From the N. Y. Worlds London letter.
Miserably mistaken is he who accepts
the utterances of the London journals
upon certain subjects, at least, as the
reflex of public opinion, or as the ex'
preston of the personal views of the
writer's in these publications. A curious
system of reticence, almost of hypo-
crisy, upon these subjects is practiced
which deceives no really well-informed
person, but at which no two English
Journalists can laugh without blushing.
One of the subjects concerning which
this hypocrisy is maintained, is the Re-
publican movement in England; another
is the Roman Catholic movement; third
is everything which relates to the royal
family. And for an illustration let me
take the topic of the approaching mar
riage of Prince Alfred and Marie Alex
androvna of Russia. Now, all the jour
nails, from the Times down to the Hour,
have "gushed over this really sad and
deplorable engagement as if it were the
most happy and blissful of events. The
Telegraph has gushed the most, but they
have all gushed freely. They have told us
that the Duke of Edinburgh was every
thing that was noble and princely; that
of all princes, he was the most popular;
that the match was one of love and pure
affection on both sides; that so lively
was the loyalty of the English people
that the approaching marriage was re-
garded in every household with as much
pleasure and interest as if it were an
event in their own family. Not only is
none of this true, but the exact reverse
of all of it is true; and no one knows
this better than the writers who make
such ingenious representations to the
contrary. The Duke of Edinburgh is OF
all the royal princes the one least es'
teemed and the one most disliked. You
will hear in the clubs and in society the
most disgraceful and ludicrous stories
about him. Many of them turn upon the
economical passion of this young gentle
man, for
although on pleasure he was bent,
He had frugal mind
from his boyhood up. While he was a
midshipman he turned many an honest
penny by selling the photographs of his
royal mother, upon which he had per
suaded her to write her name, to his
shipmates and others at los. Cd. each
The money thus received, with other
sums supplied to him by his loving pa
rent, he often loaned out at usurious
interest to his young companions
of the gun.room, taking precious good
care to exact principal and interest at
the maturity of the debt. The thrifty
habits thus acquired have not been laid
aside in later years, and to-day this
prince of the blood, and the future SON
in.law of the Gear is actually in part
nership with a well-known money-lender
of the city, Mr.. l.. You can i'm
agine what disgust such facts as these,
which are widely known, inspire in the
breasts of the people, who are now repre-
sented as thanking heaven on their
bended knees, with grateful hearts, for
the happiness Of our noble sailor
prince" Nor is this the worst of it.
The prince has been a debauche-al-
though his laisons are said not to have
been Of the most expensive kind-and it
has been with the utmost difficulty that
the aversion of the Empress of Russia
and of her poor daughter to this match
has been overcome. One of his latest
amours has been with notorious actress
of the opera-boufe, woman whose i'll.
fame is worldwide, and who long since
lost whatever personal charms she may
ouce have possessed. The story of this
affair is too disgusting to repeat; but ]
mention it only because one of its re-
sults entailed certain extremely disagree
able consequences, which caused the
postponement Of the announcement oi
the happy event ever which the London
Journals are nov gushing. Grant
habits 10 respect Of drink and thrift arf
bad enough, but Great Britain IS fal
more disbonOred in her royal family.