The Vancouver independent. (Vancouver, W.T. [Wash.]) 1875-1910, 1878-03-07
The Marriage at Madrid.

was mere matter OF form, anu on wed
nesday next queen will ascend the
Spanish throne The son of Isabella, and
of heaven knows whom besides, has made
longer stay of it in the Escurial than
cool heads deemed possible two years
ago, and the marriage, which commences
under happy auspices and amid the
plaudits of people delighted with pro-
found peace at home, is likely to
strengthen his tenure of throne none
to stable. Old times are gone, old Gus
toms changed, when sovereign OF SPAN
may marry without the intervention OF
the European powers. From the days OF
Philip |. TO those of Isabella "the Spanish
match" has been a sombre phrase in Eu-
ropean history, but Alfonso takes to him
self aSpanish wife-Spanish she Is despite
the French blood of her tather--and
there is no one to say him nay, no one
but Isabella his mother. A pestilential
marplot is this queen of shreds and
patches, aud it's small wonder that she
would gladly foil her sons matrimonial
wishes 10y hurting him from the throne,
if that were in her power. His bride is
her neice, the daughter of her sister mar
ried simultaneously with herself, but
kindred acquired as was this grand
daughter of Louis Philippe can CLAIM,
nothing on the score of relationship from
woman of long memory and sleepless
passions. Gall and NORWOOD it must
be to this Spanish woman to behold the
granddaughter of the Frenchman-who
would have doomed her to a life of mar
ried celibacy in order that son of his
might wear the Spanish crown-seated
as queen consort where she had reigned
MS sovereign. She is gifted, so gossips
say, with fish wife's tongue, and words
are now her only weapons. She may
conspire with the pretender, Don Carlos,
and give the Spanish minister at Yer
sailles no little uneasiness, but her plots
and protests are as impotent for harm as
the cries of the moping owl complaining
to the moon.
1t was sad business, this marriage of
Isabella. The Ole king had gone his
ways, and Christina was queen dowager,
and guardian of the youthful Isabella.
Louis Philippe, with the austere but COM
PLEASANT Guizot at his elbow, plotted mis-
chief at Paris and rocked not of the COM
ing woe. Then, as now, Victoria was
queen of England. Philippe dreamed of
tearing down the Pyrenees as political
boundry, and bringing Spain under the
crown of France and the sceptre of the
Orleanists. He treated with Christina
for the marriage of the young queen to
the heir apparent of France, but English
ears were long and English jealousy
acute. The government of Victoria heard
of the Frenchman's plans and as an offset
proposed to pension Oft one of the nu-
merous cousins of Albert, a Coburg, on the
Spanish eXchequer, plan which suited
France as little as the French offer of al
lance pleased England. The sovereigns
of France and England met. There was
exchange of visits between the pair, Vic
toria coming to royal castle In Nor
mandy, and Louis returning to call at
her castle of Windsor. "A truce was
patched up. England was to withdraw
the Coburg's solicitation of the young
queens hand, and France was not to
marry any of the kings sons to the queen,
or to her sister until the marriage of the
former had been blessed with an heir.
These were the royal promises, but, like
the commonest kind of pie crust, they
were made to be broken. War was
averied, and Isabella's hand would have
been the prize of other suitors than those
preferred by the great European powers
of the time, had pot Louis Philippe, seiz-
ing a declaration that Coburg was still II
matrimonial pretender IN the royal Span
ish mart, made by the English minister
at Madrid, summary interiered. BY the
connivance of Queen Christina, most
unnatural mother, the royal sisters were
suddenly married. AS consort to the
queen, the imbecile Don Francisco d AS
sis was selected, and Louisa was given to
the Due 'Montpensier, fourth son of
Louis Philippe. The plan was transpar-
ent. Counting on the childessness of the
Spanish queen, whom he had taken care,
AS he supposed, to doom TO barrenness,
the King of France anticipated the day
when his son would sit on the Spanish
throne as, at least, the king consort, and
would rear son who would be king alb
solute.
Mighty was the wrath of England when
the conspiracy was disclosed, but the
queen contented herself with writing to
Marie Amelie, of France, an indignant
remonstrance against the pertidy prac-
ticed by her husband. The best laid
plans of mice and monarchs gang aft
aglee. Louis had counted upon the con
thence of the queen. lie reckoned with
out his host, and Isabella WAS blessed
with heirs whom now she curses. Louis
was compelled to fly from France shortly
after the marriage, but not because of it,
and did not live long enough to see that