, 1876-06-25
EUROPEAN GOSSIP.
Queen Vic's Title of Empress OF
India"
A Superstition Of the Mosel--
Method in Madness.
Murad Y..--Abdul Aziz's Grandmother.''
4 Curious Wager.
TnE EMPRESS OF INDIA.

TIE EMPRESS OF INDIA.
After all the excitement about the title c
Empress of India, lately conferred on Quee
Victoria by act OF Parliament, matters 60 On q
usual in England and her dependencies. L
India this matter has been treated with indifIer
cncc. In some principal places, such as Cal
cutta, Madras, and Bombay, formal and publ
declaration of the assumption Of the new It'll
did not excite any interest. The gossip OF so
ciety during the Parliamentary discussion whtcl
declared that desire On the part OF one O
more of Queen Yictoria's daughters to be Al
"1mperial " Us well as "Royal Etghncss,'
| and thereby on level with their Russian sister
in-law, was the suggestive, II not tho motive
power throughout, seems to lave been erroneous
(says the Philadelphia Press), for none Of the
Royal family are to be called " Imperial" except
when they happen to be in India Immediately
after the passage OF the titlcconferring act those
infinite wiscacres, the municipal corporation oi
! Dublin, proposed to send an address OF con-
graduation to Queen, Victoria, and consulted
| Sir Bernard Burke, who, as Ulster King OF Arms
and author Of the volulninous Pccragc
which bears his name, was supposed to be au-
| tlority on such subject His opinion was that
the sovereign was to be addressed from Ireland
s,Quecn and Empress" But the "loyal and
dutilul u address, when it reached Windsor
Castle, was not received or receivable. 1heTe,
| Victoria wns, as before, "ot the United King.
and rot ''Emprcss of India.''' In addition
the "Pcerage" gentleman had more than
one rap on the lznuckles, privately and in Par
| Lament, for his mistake. The Queens own
good sense has finally settled this question.
Some self-complaccnt person in Bedfordshire,
deeply imbued with the spirit Of toadyfsm, lately
addressed letter ITO the Empress Victoria, u
cntreating Her Majesty to extend her patronage
to a Wesleyan bazaar. Sir Thomas Biddu1ph,
and prompt reply, to the effect that the title ot
Emprcss its not applicable to the Queen"
add that it is not Her Majestty's custom
to subscribe to purely local subjects.
but but the na!ne ef the impertinent Begging
lcttcr-writcr has not been diVu1ged. To this
may be added statement, from the London
press, apparently on authority" that, after
the official declaration in the House Of Com
had never solicited any Of her Ministers to get
the title OF "Emprcss" conferred upon her, as
Mr.. Robert Lowe, an ex-Cabinet Minister, had
publicly asserted, Mr.. Lowe was inclined to let
from tie Marquis Of Harrington to the effect
that, unless he (alr. Love- made the amendc
honorable to tho Queen by a
public apology in Parliament, he
erai party. On this intimation, it is stated, Mr.
and mnde m humble and complete retraction
and apology. As the heir to the duca1 title OF
DeyonshrG, which has been associated with the
tho year 1854, the Marquis of Harrington has
sort OF hereditary respect for the divinity which,
the poet SAYS, tsuoth hedge King,n that viii
not permit the sovereign, and that sovereign
his party followers. So ended tie affair,
A SUPERSTITION OF TIE MOSEL.
Co1 Waring,s Rri,e # thc min. ,, n Sc-h.
W. .te',' y. ~ 1S $3.50. -
neT 1or july mas inc iolio"'he: III nont1 ana
Sierck there is still observed curious usage
that dates back to immemorial antiquity. On
the evening Of st. Johns day. juno Is. the VII
,as-,-. ~, h,,.-;r,,r .rhso1 fro,~ +bo hafrh+.
.ISis ~ pu1n " 80 as..s, 'ne ~
OF the o1romhers, taat 1se9 oeMno LUG sulasse'
down the steep hillside to the MoseL The be-
ginning Of the festivities is announced by The
frino If INNS from fl,e Marie of Sferck at 10
-. eoeh 1neu 81 go ~ ~
,'1,.na nslo, ~ .ns & wy $780,, - ~ a h,a.o -
ro1ied d,,wn c,,i1ed at t;rst hv the
mountain boys With sticks, The Others make
torches OF the remaining straw, which they
swing with joyous c11es: Inc women anu girls
stanu " tne Aountali.olooh ~ wei, .Is nicn anu
i"9 ing thc rnilipr 5f the wheel # tlis runs be-
yo1ld the we'll Kontz gets from Sicrck cask Of
white wine; If it stops short of that point, Sierck
gets, from kontz basket OF cherries; Il it
reaches the Mose1 goo1 vintage IS predlcted
ior tlle coming harvest. Inc e1clteHent Is great
and bolsterous, and the people come from miles
around. Every bauer OF hontz is bound at
tue preceding harvest 70 NOV away selected
straw Tor the binding OF this wheel should
ne neglect this, every evil that helalls him
during the following year Is ascr1hed to his
neglect. II Is even oelleved tnat7 ~ere Inc
usage neglected. LOT single year. plague
would 1ail upon the cattle OF Inc whole village.
! J, his r1te IS supposed to nave descended from |
the ancient hre-"orsh1p OF the heathen days |
Inc wheel, with its arms, represents the burn
ing sun,-the g1Ver OF al goou: At many places |
along the lower river the tradition Is Kept up In
one form or otheF. II mas been suggestea that |
the "eii-known prctzci with which the Icuton I
primes himself Tor tlrther beer, was formerly I
made IN the shape OF wheel, and WAS USED IN
o1 sun-"orship; others believe
that the pretze! mas always Dcen made In its
present 1orm OF the truc-loEers Knot
-
MURAD Y.
During the reign of the late Sultan {says an
prchanoc> the heir nrrsnmnt;ve tn the Turkish
,~o...- 80 ~. a,a..t aha.[, sI,,~s5
c4neno', WHO ho" te&sas III Ills p1aee' 1ho1ao -
eonttaet9on u AloufaIn, a'io tnele na'e A.
rEAuT uEEU 1OuE SUFEEElEuS u kuat Qal4c. /