Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1882-12-14
tn e QUEEN.
The Obstinacy and Other Peculiarfties
Of Queen Victoria.
From Q late Scotch Letter

From late Scotch Letter.
The obstinacy OF the Queen is proved by the
open, persistent favoritism shown TO her gine"
or valet, John Brown. IncomprehensIble and
meaningless, 1t goads almost TO madness her
immediate encourage. and every open or tscit
opposition only causes 1t to be more manifest.
That proudest OF proud women has been made.
by preconcerted plan. TO see this servant OF
hers In the most degrading state OF drunken
ness, almost at her very feet. aud Vet. with IN
infatuation stronger even than femininity, her
manner to him remained unchanged and she
made no sign that could give a clue to her secret
thoughts. Ladies in waiting of exalted rank
have rebelled openly against the breach Of eti-
quette his familiarity has created. and refused
10 be made party TO it; but snuObed by them,
he was only the most graciously treated by his
royal mistress. He follows her like shadow
from palace to palace. in public and I'm private.
behind her chair at her meals. in the rumble OF
her carriage In her drives. bending over TO ey-
change few words, and calmly possessing him
Self of her field glass TO inspect some distant
maneuver ar a review.
The Queen does not slacken the relns on her
sons necks when they marry; she orders d.
reefs, sways them at home and abroad and
sccrns no mnut!e Of detail. Just as she allows
no impulse Of independence. At Petersburg,
during some fetes. the Prince Of Wales tele-
Craphed TO ask his mother whether ne might
attend a court ball on Sunday. The answer
was wired back. Decidedly no." and he alb
stained. Ii was said. however. that he sought
mere mysterious and quite unsabbatical CON-
persations.
The Queen, faithful to her traditions Of inter
ference rules the tastes OF all her other children
TO this present day. She lent Abergeldie Cas-
tie to the Prince of Wales "a a most suitable
scotch residence. till she found out that the
apartments were small and uncomfortable and
he must reilnqu.sh II for another Highland
place: but the discovery was provldentially not
made till the Prince had spent go Geo I'm i'm
proving the property. Caremont after her
Majesty s designs. has been rcdecorated for her
last dauother-in-law. and il is not unlikely that
christening bells VIII soon ring out from there
joyous chime. She has also set apart aud SUPER
intended the arrangements of suite OF rooms
not 10y any means an extensive one. for the
Duke and Duchess of Albany at Windsor
Castle.
At Osborne and BamCral the Queen Is Jealous
almost TO selfishnesss of the privacy of her
grounds. Not even in her absence is an alien
foot permitted to tread the sacred precinct; Sc
we're rebuke from austere gamekeepers over
takes the unwary pedestrian who wanders even
In the remOtest glades of the royal demense.
No road crosses IL. no right of WAY is con-
cceded; so imperious Is her wish for utter Sc
clusion that. in Difference to her openly ex-
pressed desire, no railroad Is constructed within
ftal of Balmoral. When the ministers of state
are hastily summoned to council. after a long
and weary journey, they have still fatiguing
drive to encounter before reaching the royal
presence. To men no longer young, tried by
severe mental eXertiOns, aud much business,
this is a serious drawback but one which the
Queen never takes into consideration.
Her Majesty has now left this her fayorite
residence. She has fingered long enough to
give parting bail to the tenants and gillies,
and opened for them the apartments closed to
other people. She has taken the last of those
matutinal walks, the weary treadmill of the
Princess Beatrice. She has bid adieu to the
piper who. according to some. wakes her up at
, with his unharmonious bagpipes: aud accord
ing TO Others. splays them under her windows
Willie she is dressing. She has returned to
Windsor after one OF the journeys she is so fond
OF taking at night. surrounded with mystery,
with closed stations and sightsecrs excluded.