New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1884-02-12
THE QUEENS NEW BOOK.
A DIARY OF HER DOMESTIC AFFAIRS.

LITTLE MENTION OF POLITICAL MATrERs-rhE
WORK SAID To BE DISAPPOINTING.
LONDON, Feb. 1.-The Queens new book, which
was dis tributed TO the press this morning consists
of disconnected diary from August Il, 1867, 10
September 1882, with a long gap from October
$40 to the final date covering the transition from
the adm inistraton of Lord Beaconsheld to that OF
Mr.. Gladstone. The entire book is devoted to DO
nestle and family affairs; political illusions are
| only incidental. The illustrations are numerous
and include portraits of the Queen and OF the
| Princesses Eleanor, Louise and Beatrice. Here Is
also portrait of Grant, the Queens body-serVant'
and one of her attendant John Brown. Here are
pictures too of the Queens collie dogs Sharp ana
Noble and several views Of scenes in the Highlands
! from sketches by the Princess Beatrice. In the
preface the Queen says
Remembering the feeling with which our g Life
! in the Highlands" was received, the writer thinks
| the present volume may equally evoke sympathy,as,
while describing very altered life 1t shows how her
! sad and suffering heart was snpthed and cheered
| by the excursions and incidents ~ rec9upss' 40
| well as by the simple mountaneers from whom she
| learned many lessons OF resignation and falth III
| the quiet Of the beautiful highlands.
THE MEMORIAL CAIRN.
The diary opens with the building of the memorial
cairn in honor of the Prince Consort 1t reads as
! follows:
We started off in little pony chair, led by
! Brown: BERTHE (the Prince of Walesl in front,
! e eanor and Lonfse on ponies and the two little
boys, Arthur and Leopold actually drove In
the little carriage to very top of Craig Lowrl-
gan Grant and Duncan, pushing the carriage be-
hind. Sweet baby Beatrice we found al the top
The view so tine, The day was so bright the
heather so beautifully pink; but no pleasure, no
joy-al dead. Here at the top is the foundation OF
and nv poor six orphans ali placed stones on it,
and our ntialsare to be placed on stones all around
Several succeeding entries in tho diary mention
Saair wit
records ana remarks of the domeStics The follow
ing may serve as an example of the latter:
When near the cairn Grant said - thought you
would hike TO be here to-day, on his birthday" So
entirely was he OF the opinion that thls Deloveu
! day, and even the 14th of December the anniyer-
sary OF his dea b. must not be looked upon as Gay
| of mourning. There is so much good and STRONG
faith in these simple people.
In October. 1868 when making an excursion from
BalIoral to Clova, the carriage overturned.
The face and the right hand of the Queen were
bruised and Browns knees were badly hurt. The
succeeding entries recur to Browns injury
was much distressed at breakfast to find that
poor Browns legs had been dreadfully cut at the
/ back Of the knees and he said nothing about IT.
! But TO-DAY oae became iniamed and swelled 50
much hc could hardly move. The doctor SAID he
must keen it up as much rs possible and Walk very
! little, but did not forbid his going out with the
| carriage. did not go out IN the morning.
| The next day she writes:
| Browns leg il much better. The doctor thought
| h9 could walk over the hill tomorrow.
A HoUsE-wARMING AT GLAssALT SHELL
When making the first visit TO Glassalt Shiel
mountain lodge in 1868, the diary describes the
house-warmng as follows;
| Brown came to say that all the servants were
ready. There were present Louise, Arthur. Jane,
Lady Churchill, number OF domestics and the po-
/ hcemen. We made nineteen altogether. Five ami
mated reels were danced, iii which all but myself
| joined. after the first reel, whiskey tOddy was
| brought ronud Tor every one and Brown begged
fho haf
little ba ended at /, but the men went on singing
in the stewards room for some. time, all very happy
But sad thoughs filed my heart, both before dinner
and when ,5tlred to rest | thought of my darling
| husband, 8 lOm faIeed must see, and VINO al
ways wished TO build here. Then the sad thought
| struck ne thar il was my first widows house. But
| 1 am sure his blessing rests on 1t.
! IMPRESSIONS OF A CHURCH SERVICE.
| In 1877 the Queen witnessed the Scotch com
munlon service one Sunday at the Crathic Church,
near BalmoTal. She writes:
The communion is most touching and beautiful.
It imprf ssed and niSyed me pore bore thai can ex
! 1t was all truey earnest. No description can do
! Justice to the perfect devotion of the whole as
/ semblaCe. / longed much to JON II. To see all
these simple good people IN their nice plain dresses
! Including an old woman IN her mulch so many of
| wnOm knew and some OF whom had walked far
! ing. Since 1873, | have partaken OF the com
munion az CTathie every autumn.
| On October g. 1870, the Princess Louise became
engaged to the Marquis of L0rne. The event took
place. the Queen says, during walk from Glassalt
Sliel to Dhu Lock. where Louise had gone with
Lady Ety. the Lord Chancellor and Lorne.
Louie on returning at night told me Lorne had
spoken of his devotion TO her and had proposed to
| her. She HAD accepted, knowing would approve.
Though wss not unpTepared for this result, felt
painfully the thought Of losing GER. But naturally
! | gave my consent and could only pray that she
| might be happy.
| The sole reference to events in France in 1870
occur in speaking of a sermon which she heard in
the church ac Balmoral. She says; Doctor Mac
| leod gave such splendid sermon Without
mentioning France, lac said enough to make every
one understand what he meant when he pointed
out how God would punish wckedness and vanity
! and sensuaty. The chapters he read from Isaiah
xviii and from Ezekiel and Amos and the Psalms
were really quite wonderful for the way in which
| they seemed to describe France. 1t all admit
sable aud heart stirring Then the prayer beau
tiful in which he spoke of the SICK the dying the
wounded upon the battlefield aud of my sons-n-
| law and daughters.
TIE DEATH OF THE PRINCE IMPERIAL.
| In June 1879 the Queen records the receipt of
the news telling of the death of the young Prince
| ImperalI
Brown knocked aud came in. He said there was
bad news, When !, Ia ALARM asked what IL was, he
replied: "The young French Prince Is killed" l
could not take it in, and asked several times what
| II meant. beatrice then came IN Win tele-
! gram in her hand. and said ooh, the
| Prince Imperial Is killed" l feel the thrill
| of horror now while write the words. | put my
HAND TO my head and cried out: "No, no, it cannot
he true" Then dear Beatrice, who cried very much
as | did too gave me the telegram. To die in such
an awful, horrible way Poor, dear Empress her
only, only child, her all, gone. was quite beside
| myself Brown was so distressed. Every one was
| quite stunned. Little sleep did get thinking of
/ the poor Empress, who did not yet know it. The
/ Prince was so good and so much beloved To think
of that dear young man, the apple of his mothers
eve boru and nurured in the purple, dying thus. is
too fearful, too awful, and it is mexplcable that
the others should not have turned round and
fought for HIM.
One section of the diary gives recollections of
"ny dear valued friend. Doctor Norman Macleod