The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1878-07-06
The Dead Queen Mercedes Of Spain.

There seems to be fatal star shining
over Spanish royalty. The position Of
the Kings of Spain has at all times been
precarious enough; but the fate of the
Queens is possibly still worse. Natural
calamities join in their lives political
disasters. Ex-Queen Christina Is living
the life of an exile in Paris. Ex-Queen
Isabella is in . like position. Ex-Queen
Maria, wife of Amadeo, had to take to
fight out of child-bed, and, never hav-
ing recovered from the shock; died
when barely 80 years old. And now
Queen Marias de las Mercedes is car-
ried away after only five months Of we'd
lock. f'iz @'-'i 'i-
Deep and sincere will be the popular
sorrow both in Spain and outside, for it
was well known that the marriage of AL
fonso XII. was not an ordinary royal
uniOn--it was love match. The hus-
band and wife, being in this case first
cousins, were brought up together.
Their affection for each other oYercame
all political difficulties and even the ami
mostly of their parents. Queen Isabella
detests the Duke of Montpensier, who
conspired with Serrano and Topete for
her overthrow in 1868. She has ever
since objected to her son having any
thing to do with the family of her broth
er-in-law; yet Alfonso's attachment to
his cousin stood mistaken. He was
separated from her for over six years !;
but the moment he came to power and
was enabled to return to Spain, he de-
clared that his. personal sympathies
should not be regulated either by Cabi-
net Ministers or by his relations, and
that he would not marry any woman ex-
cept the one he had loved from his
childhood. eLsau
Strangely enough, this love-match
came to be the realization of an old po-
litical scheme. 1t was always the dream
of the late King Louis Philippe to make
an alliance between his dynasty and that
of the Spanish Bourbons. Almost every
one of his sons was in turn proposed as
the husband of the young and then maid
en- Queen Isabella; but England put in
her veto. Intensely jealous of any in
crease of the power of France, she de-
clared that no Prince of the reigning
French dynasty should be the consort OF
the Queen of Spain. The long contest
which.took place in regard to this sub
ject between the Cabinets of Guizot and
Sir Robert Peel will always stand a
memorable page in the diplomatic his
tory of Europe. 1t resulted in a victory
for the English. Isabella was married
to man she detested, Don Francisco
d'Assise, and by way of compensation to
France, her sister, Maria Louisa, was
allowed to become the wife of Louis
Philippe's youngest son, the Duke OF
Nontpensier.
The members of the Orleans dynasty
did not, however, despair of attaining
their object From the beginning Of
| Isabella's misrule they exerted all theiI
efforts to put Montpensier upon the
throne of Spain. But the Spaniards
hated the French too intensely to give
any hope of success to scheme of this
nature. They refused to accept him
even as deputy in the Cortes.
After this defeat at the elections, the
Duke retired from political life and be.
came a narayero, an orange merchant,
As he is popularity called, on account Of
the immense orange plantations he pos.
sesses around Seville The constantly
growing affection between his daughter
and the son of the ex-Queen made him
evidently confident that if he was una
BILE to get the crown for himself, il
would at all events be secured for one
of his descendants.
And he was not mistaken. On the
22d of last January his third daughter
became the Queen of Spain. The nup-
tial ceremony was performed in the an.
cient Church of AtOcha by the Cardinal
Primate, assisted by the Patriarch OF
the Indies and long array of other dis.
tinguished priests. The ceremony wa
of unusual splendor even for Spain,
where pageantry is carried to absurd
extravaganza. The festivities through
out the country lasted five days; and
nobody would have believed that five
months later the nation would be thrown
into mourning.
The bereaved widower is not fully 81
years of age. The poor Queen was II
on Monday last.-NeW York Sun.