The Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Or.) 1862-1899, 1880-03-19
The Russian Royal Family.

The "hen party" is courtly German
institution. If lady of sovereign status,
or of royal or imperial blood, Is travelling
incognito, she cannot properly be invited
distress of mind and expecting hourly to
learn of death of father or mother,
there would be nothing to shock good
frous were she to seek a deriyatiye at
sociable then" gathering. The Duchess
of Edinburgh has not yet called on Nine.
Grevy. Her excuse for not being more
attentive to the Presidents wife is the
dying state of the Emperor of Russia
But she has gone to a second "hen party"
at the house of the Countess de Pour
tales, who was born and brought up at
the Robertson Castle, near Strasbourg,
and knew intimately the Hesse Darm-
stadt family, to whom the Duchess of Ed
inburgh is so closely related. Indeed,
this house owes to the grandfather OF the
Countess its grand ducal rank, which, on
a report he made. was conferred by Ma
poleon. There were only married ladies
asked to meet the Duchess, and feminine
musicians hired to sing and play before
rank Bonapartist. She only invited,
therefore, Bonapartist ladies, some of
whom were of Slay origin. There were,
for instance, Nine. de Courval, nee Bib
esco. who gives the fastest routs in Paris,
and Mime. Brancovano, nee Ghika. Tea
was handed round. The workable was
introduced, and there was much chit-chat
about fancy fiddle-faddle for babies wear
furniture embroidery in needle-wOrk,
Warsaw point laces, which are greatly
patronized at the Hotel Lambert when
manufactured by Polish ladies'.
The Duchess Of Hesse- -Darmstadt is a
stout German woman, and is gay and
good-natured to those about her, but she
has domineering will, and does not bear
contradiction. The Duke has been re-
duced to play second fiddle to her, liter
ally as well as metaphorically. He is the
consort and not she; and, as their family
increases he becomes very stay-at-home,
and vigilant house steward. Both he
and she are passionately fond of music,
and their eldest daughter already plays
very charmingly airs arranged for little
hands on the piano.
This branch of the royal family of
England is the least English. They are
always "on the wing" and are brought up
by the mother with Russo-G German bias.
The Duke is Russian, as well as an
English Admiral, and draws his pay reg
ularly from the British aud Russian treas
uries. He is Colonel of German regi-
ment, for which he also dra ws salary, and
will be feudatory hereafter of Emperor
William, for he is the heir presumptlve to
the Grand Duke Ernest, of Saxe-Coburg-
Gotha. In case he succeeds to the Grand
Duchy, and to the palaces, parks and
chases attached to the title, his English
pension will drop. On the principle of
making hay while the sun shines, he dill
igently checks home accounts and puts by
money. He loves music because born
musician. Besides, playing the violin to
the piano forte accompaniment for the
Duchess is cheap pastime, and keeps
them sat home" when she is abroad.
In England she will not GO anywhere
from fear of having to give precedence
to the Queens younger daughters, none of
whom made brilliant matches. 1t also an
noys her to have to walk behind the
Princess of Wales whose father was at
once the creation and the creature of the
Gar Nicholas. 1t will be time enough
when she is Grand Duchess, with a NOM
inally sovereign crown, to 60 to the draw
ing rooms at Buckingham Palace, when
the Marchoness of Lorne and the Prin-
cess Beatrice will be obliged to yield prec-
edence to her. But against the Uncle
Ernest dies her Royal Highness will be in
the situation of "the little woman who
lived in SHOE" Her nursery fills with
alarming rapidity. 1t seems but yesterday
since she was a bride. There is now a
carriage full of babies, which is driven
every morning in the Bois de Boulogne
The Duke precedes the callow offspring in
a brougnam, with an aid-de-camp at his
side, and large family barouche contain.
ing nurses and babies brings up the rear.
The last time the royal infants were in
Paris there were two of them not of an
age to be spoon fed. 1t is a good thing
for British taxpayers that on the death of
I, n,,l, 1fS (NoIt ~ n in
burgh branch will have no further claims
upon John Bull.
DISTRESSING THE GEAR.
The duchess, am told, has come from
the south of France laden with jewel
caskets which her dying mother brought
with her from st. Petersburg. The En-
press was afraid that if she died the EN-
peror would give them to his present fa-
yorite, who may hereafter be raised to the
throne. Mesaltiances are not rare in the
history of the Imperial family of Russia.
Catherine |. was peasant, and the eldest
son of the Gar was disinherited and shut
up in monastery to make way for her
son. Anne of Holstein Gottorp, who was
Dutchess of Courland before she came in
for the throne of all the Russias, was in
love with Marshal SAKE, the great grand
father of George Sand, and the natural
son of August OF Saxony and Aurora Kon-
igsmark. They were betrothed to each
other, and would have been married had
not an accidental circumstance brought to
light an amorous adventure of the rough
and.ready soldier. While courting Ouch.
ess Anne, then heir apparent to the crown
of Muscovy. he conceived passion for
maid of honor. The pair used to meet in
garden-house, and their filtration went
on many months. But as they were In the
,trysting place on an October night, frost
set in. In trying to return to the palace
they had several falls, and in the court
yard the maid of honor broke her arm,
and Marshal SAKE his leg. Pain obliged
them to cry out for help, The adventure
came to the ears of the Duchess, who in
structed her courtieis to play rough
pranks on her suitor, whom, when he
asked for an explanation, she dismissed
with coLtumely.
The Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh
have al been entertained at dinner by
Lord Lyons. The Duchess of Manchester,
Prince Orlof and the different members
of the British Embassy were asked to
meet them. Her Imperial and Royal
Highness, when last at Cannes, made
pilgrimage to the mortuary chapel of her
eldest brother, the Czarewitch Nicholas,
who died there in 1868. 1t is small BY
zantine structure. A carpet worked in
Berlin wool and ordinary cross-stitch is
spread before the altar. The pattern of
this piece of decorative needle-work is