Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1877-06-30
The Princess of Roumania.
A recent Bucharest letter says !:

had a long audience yesterday
with her Highness the Princess
Elizabeth of Roumania, nee Prin-
cess of Wied, and here again / must
remark upon the exquisite courtesy
and utter absence of pretension
which characterizes this family.
Parvenus, as a rule-I take the
word in its real sense, as meaning
some one who has arrived at success
where she had no right to expect it
are generally uppish, and try to
make you feel their Importance.
Here there Is nothing Of the kind !;
they are both simple and unaffect-
ed. There was no chamberlain or
equerry to sit upon me with his
consideration ; a servant showed me
up one flight Of stairs and down
another, and through a long gallery
hung with engravings of German
and Italian cathedrals, into a bright
drawing-room furnished in crimson
silk. A dozen good modern paint
ings hung on the walls above low
etageres filled with choice selections
of French, English and German
books, among which were Shaks.
pere and Longfellow in the original,
and a collection of the Tauchnitz
edition of modern novels. Some
choice Dresden china stood at one
end Of the room, and at the other,
on a malachite pedestal, the bust in
marble of the only child of the SOW
ereign, a sweet little thing who died
of Group about two years ago. A
statue of the same infant in Il re-
lclining position was in recess.
was not kept long in waiting
before another servant opened the
door and announced me by
name, just as would have
been done at an ordinary visit.
Princess Elizabeth met me with a
pleasant smile, saying that her hus-
band had already spoken of me to
her, and that she was delighted to
make the acquaintance of an Amer
ican. She had heard so much Of
my country and so admired its in
stitutions, "for you must know"
she added, "that am a thorough
republican" The Princess is about
thirty-six years of age, rather tall,
with d slight tendency to embon-
point, her face, without being regu-
iarly beautiful, has a wonderful
charm of expresSiyeness, and her
manner is calculated to put a
stranger immediately at his ease,
Blonde, of course, with blue eyes,
fair complexion and exquisite
teeth, there were moments during
our conversation when she might
have been called an exceedingly
pretty woman. She was dressed in
"a plain yellowish piquc gown which
was more than simple, SO that there
was nothing to set of her adyan-
tages OF conceal her defects. Hel
hand and arm might be taken as
models. We talked almost exclu-
siyely In English, which she prefers
to any otheP language, and this ]
can readily understand, rs / have
met few Americans OF English who
speak it with as much purity aud
| elegance. OF foreign accent there
was not the slightest trace. The
room was filed with plain but ele-
CANT furniture, the walls covered
with pictures, and the windows
ornamented with bird-cageS and
plants; everything, indeed, marked
the refinement and artistic taste oil
the thoroughbred lady whose object
it was to make You feel entirely at
home. One ornament ] forgot
to mention-an immense cylin,
drical projectile,. twenty-inch
shell, which, as the Turks had
neglected to lead it, had not done
much damage. This bore an in
scription to the effect that it wa'
the first discharged from the 0s.
manli batteries against Ibraila, anC
therefore the opening invitation I
la danse. 1t was an unusual orna
ment for a lady's drawing-room, bu
as a present from the Grand Duke
and as n harhinger Of Roumaniar