The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1879-07-23

from our Regular correspondent.)
PARIS, July 2, 1879.

No event, not even the a~ssassina.
: ton Of the Gear or Kaiser, could
have made a more profound sensation
in Europe, than the death of the
: Prince Imperial has created. The
, French Republic was, to all appear
ances, firmly established, bat the
comments of the Continental press,
| and the shock created in every Euro.
/ pean Capital by the tragic intelligence
shows how ineradicable was the idea
that the House of Bonaparte would
ultimately succeed to the French
: throne.
No positive intelligence of the
death of the Prince was received at
C%hislehurst, the home of his mother,
until the morning Of June 2lst. The
duty of breaking the fearful news to
the ex-Empress fell upon Due de
!, Bassano. He asked permission to see
the Empress. She knew that the
Prince had been very i'll and noticing
probably from the expression of his
countensnce that he WIS greatly
troubled, begged to know at once all
be had to tell her. He said, Mad
anne, the Prince is very i'll, more dan-
gerously i'll than he was when we
last heard" Immediately Der Maj
esty exclaimed, II will go to him /; 1
must 60" 20 which he replied moth
ing, and retired. A quarter Of an
hour elapsed, and then he returned to
her. He told her that further news
had come, which made the aspect of
affairs still graver. She cried out, Il
will go at once; where is be 2" To
which he replied, ut is too late,
Madame" on hearing which her
Majesty burst into a food of tears,
exclaiming, Mon ills, mon pauvre
fls!m (My son, my poor son J
The principal religious functions
relating to the desth of the young
Prince will be solemnized on the re-
turn of the body to England. 1t is
not expected till the middle of July.
In addition to the mass at Camden
house, at which the Empress was
present, three masses were solemn
lied yesterday at Chislehurst Catho-
lie Church, at each of which refer
ence was made to the event which
has filled this pleasant country vii
lage with mourners. A constant pro-
cession of black-clad visitors from
London and Paris passed from the
station to the gates of Camden-house
and thence across the common to the
little chapel. The building is with
out ornamentatioD, and il is situated
in the midst of tall lime-trees, beech
es, and Towering laburnums. With
in, the walls are plain, only relieved
by the stations of the cross in cclored
terra Gotta. The gorgeous Paschal
ornamentations have been removed,
the satin curtains offered by the EN-
press, tie carpet woven by ladies of
France. A few flowers decorated
the walls, and there on the altar,
where the chslice or gold nonstrance
was the only ornament. Above it
the light came through a rose win
dow, in which the Virgin in painted
glass supported her child on her
knees. A perpetual lamp was sus-
pended from the roof. The swing
ing censor made the air faint and
heavy. Within the sanctuary stood
a chair draped in black. 1t was one
of three reserved for the Emperor,
the Empress, and their on. Anoth-
err chair in the mortuary chapel at
the side where, in the great marble
sarcophagus presented by Queen
Victoria, the body of the third Ma
poleon reposes, was also draped in
black. There were no other sable
hsngings. Indeed, the altar furni-
ture was white and gold, for yester-
day was the festival of the Sacred
Heart. To-day at eleven O'Clock the
Black Mass will be celebrated, and
will be attended by all the household
of the Empress. Monsignor God
dard said the first mass, and after
wards proceeded to Camden-house,
where a temporary altar bad been
erected in the Princes room. A
prie-dien was placed just before the
altar for the ex-Empress, aid she
was surrounded by her immediate
attendants. The Monsignor returned
to the church for the mass of the
day at ii O'Clock. At the end of the
mass be came into the sanctuary and
went at once into the pulpit. He an
nounced that the mass for the repose
Of the soul of the Prince Imperial
would be said to-day at ii, and, after
reading this and other notices, be
said a few words to his flock, evident
ly unprecedented, and spoken from
the heart with much emotion. The |
practitioners, on their part, were
deeply affected. 1t would be easily
understood, the Monsignor said, that
his whole duty that morning consist
ed 10 asking them to pray earnestly
for the Prince and for the Princess
and for the Empress, for the dead
son and for the childless mother. In
his anxiety about the Prince, know
ing the dangers to which be would
necessarily be exposed by circum-
stances and by his OWN daring, he
himself wrote to his Imperial High
ness, and reminded him that it was
the season of the year in which ev-
cry Catholic approached the altar
and performed his sacred religious
duties. He added hat he was afraid
lest in the hurry of preparation for
his departure this shonld have es-
capped his memory. In replying
the Prince wrote thess words in
French:
II thank you, Monsieur lie Cure,
for the letter you have been kind
enough to write to me but l am
anxious that you should not believe
that the hurry of my departure or
the care of its details should make
me forget my duties as a christian.
will present myself tomorrow morn
ing at s O'Clock to receive for the
last time the Holy Communion in the
church of Chislehurst, where | desire
to be placed when l die"
AS yet no news has reached Chisle-
hurst with reference either to the
embslmment or for warding of the
Princes body. All that is known is
that it will be preserved at once, and
without delay forwarded to England;
but when this will take