Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1880-10-29

"a ~ w O0GAA ~O3 AOOOs
| ish court, the Crown Ministers, the Cover.
nor Of Madrid, the Knights of the Orders
of the Golden Fleece, Calatrava, Jeru
salem, Santiago and others, committees
from the Senate and the Cortes and the
high church, state and civil dignitaries, a
committee from the grandees and nobility,
the foreign ambassadors, ministers and
| charges affaires; all must be present in
a saloon adjoining the room occupied by
the Queen at the moment of the birth OF
the child, so as to testify to its being
really and truly the son or daughter of the
King and Queen Of Spain.
] None of those invited were behindhand
in obeying the summons. Nevertheless it
was dinner time, and large proportion OF
| the favored ones were obliged to sacrifice
that important meal wholly or in part.
| Therefore more than one ruffled brow was
smoothed, mere than one aching void filed
| when the guests assembled In the great
throne thrOne-roOm were usbered into the
Salon de Columns, where superb table,
| that would have made Doctor Tanner
break his fast had he seen it, had been
spread for them. They had time to take
their seats and dine sumptuously, for it
was not until they were concluding their
repast that word was brought to them
that their presence was required officially.
There were none but gentlemen at this
dinner. and without precedence as to rank
or station all hurried into the grand sa-
loon, thence through four smaller recep-
tion rooms they proceeded to the anti
chamber of the Queens apartment, where
they were obliged to wait but few mo.
ments.
The room occupied by Donna Maria
Christina, in obedience to the court ETH
quette, has no door of egress beside the
one communicating with the suite Of
apartments above mentioned. This clause
in the palace programme for such occasions
was evidently inserted away back in those
times when intrigue ana ambition went so
far as to substitute changeling for the
legitimate heir to the throne, or to smuggle
in a child not born to the people.
The royal bedroom, a vast apartment,
magniicently tapestried in light blue and
silver, contains, besides other furniture,
two deliberately carved rosewood bedsteads.
between which there is a prie-dieu and
over this an ivory crucifx, brought by the
| Queen from Vienna. Below the cruci6x
were two crowns-one of orange flowers
that Christina wore the day of her mar
riage, the other of white roses worn at her
first communion. An altar had been set
up in the room, and it was crowded with
relics from all parts of Spain, and many
from Italy, sent to the Queen of invaluable
efficacy. There were, among others. the
bones of the real right arm and hand of
John the Baptist, and the wand of St..
Euphemia.
The few moments that interviewed after
! the distinguished witnesses had been sum-
moned from the table were of mortal sus-
pense. The profoundest silence reigned
throughout the immense edifce. All that
could be heard was the low chanting of
| Gu0 pllCoUS OClOlC uAC 0AuCAA AL Vl4O IVY "a
chapel, the hushed murmur of the many
voices of the guests, and from time to
time the confused sounds waited in on the
air from the crowds of expectant mad
rilenos in the park before the place, and
| in the streets beyond, who were anxiously
awaiting the concerted signal from the
flagstaff of the royal residence.
It had been announced that if the child
proved to be a male, simultaneously with
the first gun fired, a flag, bearing the Span
ish colors, would be raised, if the birth was
by daylight, and if at night, a lantern dis
playing the same colors would be sent up
to the top of the flagstaff; if female, a
white flag or white light would be raised.
And this was what the people were wait
ing for outside the palace, For as usual
| il Spain, the politicians had taken COM
plete possessions of the unborn scion of
royalty, making it bone of contention
over which they have been snarling and
growing at each other for the last two or
three months.
Much had been written and said, in and
out of the government and opposition
| Journals about royal decree prepared by
the Prime Minister Canovas, and issued
on the 23d of August, according to which
the child born by the Queen, if daughter,
was not to receive, as in other similar in
stances, the title of Princess of AsJurias,
who raised great hue and cry at the slight
to them and to their province therein in
ferred, declaring their intention to protest
and say and do great many disagreeable
things at the presentation of the infant.
| The fusionists, a dynastlcal group, not of
power, but very anxious to take the place
occupied by Canovas and his party, althouh
they cared quite as little as we outside
! barbarians do whether the unborn babe
was invested or not with the title of Prin-
cess, took sides with the Asturians, de-
| clared the decree unconstitutional, UMPIRE
cedented, unJustlfable, and pregnant with
the direct consequences of every kind to
the Spanish nation and to the world at
large. Canovas could not sustain his po-
sition, support his thesis or withstand the
powerful pressure of his political adversaries
should female child be born. He would
Immediately resign and retire into private
life. The other party would take the reins
of government. Senior Sagosta would be
Premier. His friends would come into
office, their friends would come into Office,
thoir friopds uou1d receive apnOintmnntS