Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1881-01-07

say his majesty did not recognize me-
the youth who picked up his spectacles
Such is the blindness and ingratitude of
kings Perhaps he, Louis XVIII,
thought he had condoncd the service with
the tip.
1914 was a great epoch in England 1t
WAS the crowning year OF the triumphs
of Europe over Napoleon, who was snug
for time-at Elba. The emperor Of
Russia, the king of Prussia, Platoff, the
hetman of the Cossacks, and Field
Marshal Won Blucher, all went over to
England by invitation from "Fum the
Fourth" then prince regent, and were
feted magnihcently. l saw them all. But
excepting Alexander of Russia, who was
''as tall md as straight as poplar
tree" saw nothing in their physique
or physiognomy to distinguish them
from their subjects. Alexander's full
face ressmbled, from the peculiar cut of
his whiskers, that of cat. Frederick Of
Prussia had more the look of n rat.
Platoff WAS as thin as n weasel and as
yellow rs q southerner down on his luck.
Blucher- old "Forvarts," who promised
to help Wellington Unit my whole
army" which he did at Waterloo-looked
better than all the rest. He was bluff
and bold, with clear quick eye and
thick white mustache.
My next experience of monarchs was
in 1920, and the locality st. Helena.
There abode "the Desolator, desolate."
A fellow passenger to the island was
major in the Madras army who had been
commissioned by lady Holland to take n
package to Napoleon. As the ex-omper-
or had excluded himself from sll visi-
tors for an entire year, some trouble was
experienced in getting leave to call upon
him. Sir Hudson Lowe throw obstacles
in the way. At length the major mana
ged to despatch messenger directly to
Napoleon, and an invitation to visit him
was promptly sent 1 accompanied the
major. Napoleon came ont of his garden
wiping his brow, for he had been digging
and delving. He was very courteous to
the major and even spoke to me. can
not better describe his personnel than by
saying that it has been exactly copied in
the statuette by Vera in the Corcoran art
gallery. He had become very thin, his
hair was scanty, his complexion jaun-
diced, his head hung down,
Seven years now passed away, during
which l lived upon curry and rice, in the
tropics. Then 1 went back to England
and saw George l. l cannot include
him In my acquaintances, for We never
exchanged word, but I saw him. Well,
the king was going to open parliament
by making or reading a speech His ap-
pearance was something to be remember
ed. He sat erect in the state carriage
Dressed in a dark blue coat with gold
buttons, closed up to his collar bone, his
throat encircled by huge black silk cra-
vat, his caput adorned with an admira-
bly, fitting wig, curled and oiled by the
royal friseur, he looked black, bloated,
diseased, fat remnant of an ill-spent
life." His aspect gave me the idea of
huge corpse mortifying before life was
extinct. The populace cheered him as
he passed on because he was opposed to
the Catholic claims then vigorously push
ed by O'Connell, Shiel Brougham, and
others. Old John Scott, Lord Eldon,
was, as lord-chancellor. er-oficio keeper
Of the kings conscience. and he had per-
suaded his majesty that concession to the
Catholics would have beena violation of
the coronation oath. Therefore the king
held on to toryism and the mob ''threw
up their greasy caps" and shouted "God
bless him y But George ". neither
smiled nor bowed his Acknowledgements.
The effort would have burst the laces Of
the royal corset.