Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1884-11-06
7ns LATx DUKE or BRUNSWICK.
,p.,,.y.I, o.usslsn.1

A
and one Of The few remaining links which
Immediately connect Va with the historic
| mast. He came OF race OF heroes. Hts
| Grandfather. the feared and hated "Gen.
| eral brunswick " OF Napoleon. struck
! by ball between the eyes. was cur
! rcd nom the fatal field OF Jena, to
die AT Oitensen: his father. William
| Frederick. /" Br,inswick's iated chief.
tain charged into the thick OF the enemy,
Al the head Of his gallant "Black Brnns
wjckers.v and, foremost fighting. TEL"
at O,larire Bras II not great himself. The
name Of the late Duke OF Brunswick re-
| calls many illustrious memories. lie 5000
/ al the knees of heroes; his own immaculate
ancestors are shrined In TIE Wa'halia; the
name Of Bonapsrte was q terror 10 ms
childhood: he was the ward OF the Prince
Regent. and witnessed The erly ZANE OF
wellington. lie lived 10 see third
Marathon topple 10 his ruin and sec
ond empire crumblc into dust, Aus
tria humiliaicd by deie,t. the Hohen-
zoliern domi. ating the HIpsburg. and a
King OF Prussia crowned Emperor OF Ger
many in The Hail Of Mirrors at Versatile,
with tumuit Of acclaim" lie saw the
Pope a prisoner in the Vatican. and the
| King OF Hanover discrowncd and dispJs-
sessed--a wanderer and an exile. lie out
lived the Gar, Victor Emanuel. The Prince
Consort, and Plus TX. and perhaps saw in
the Young Napoleon's death at lsandula
fatefl. reprisals for the tragedy In Mexico.
| Yet he was youth compared with the En-
peror OF GERMANY, Moltkc, and Wrangel;
and Prince Bismarck is a youth compared
| with him. Death has drcimated his " Ia
mIliar. ~ The old order had passed away;
The new was not 10 bis liking. Good i!y-
1 Il. 4. a 10 D. n tpft
10 govt. aud when the grim hand beckoned,
| all things now being grown ~ him more or
! less phuniasmagoric, he was not backward.
] 10 respond.
He was only twenty iOur. and a Prusslan
major. when the people OF Brunswick and
the German Diet requested him TO take
over the provisional Government OF bis
State. In the following April be assumed
| the reigns Of Government, received toe al
| lcgiance Of his subjects. and was named
| trustee 10 bis brother. declared "nc0mpe-
| tent ~ reign" by the Council OF ARnates,
who met 10 regulate the final status OF the
! Duke Rcgnant. Thus, suddenly called 10
| play conspicuous part, the young PruS-
! .ian major showed himself prudent and
| polite sovereign. lie recalled the hon
! 0rable men whom the late Dukes erea-
/ lures had Inscribed in the Black Book"
! in terms 10 delight the tyrant whose vic
| tins they were he rebpit the Residenz,
! burned down in 1884; founded the Order
! Of Henry the Lion aud the Order for Merit;
| passed new criminal code; in1ugurated
| the publicity OF parliamentary discussion.
| liberty OF the press. and trials by jury;
recognized the equality Of all forms Of re-
lieiOus worship; regulated the laws 81
mixed marriages and the rights OF Jewish
citizens. His subjects naturally wished
| him 20 marry. But the arguments aud
ambitions OF his people met with no re-
spouse from the Duke. He came aud went.
! showed himself on parade, at the theatre;
! was heard OF now at Vienna, then AT Sybil-
len-On, vet again in Venice. where he
possessed, respectively. n luxurious villa,
fairy-like chatear, and historic palace:
but he came back from his journeys ar he
went, and made no sign. So the years
rolled by. As time passed by
Duke William grew more isolated more
iacIturn, less disposed for society. lie ac-
quired the reputation OF misOgynist, but
il was obvious That the assertion must be
taken cum qrdIao. A certain box in the
theatre was always teDanted by the same
person, and it was argued inierentially that
shyness and embarrassment in the society
OF ladies by no means include a
sweeping reputation OF the charms
OF the fair sex. A dentist. who had origi.
naIy been veterinary surgeon, came 10
acquire an evil reputation about the court
he and an underlined captain OF Bu,sars
were understood TO manage the Dukes
menuS-pLdiSirs, and when the fair occupant
Of the stage.box on the second tier nude
way for another "lady OF the ballet" and
she for yet another, the Dukes best friends
began TO look grave aud TO shake their
heads. These were not the mere fOllies of
youth. The vices OF old men become
habits. I he reign OF parasites and actresses
had begun.
II has been said that up 10 forty.fiyc 4
man is still ascending the ladder Of lie.
when. having reached the topmost rung,
he must prepare to descend. At forty-fye,
at ftty.ive, at sISty-ive even, the Duke
might have forsworn sack and lived clean
ly, but that Duke Charles, With unbrolher-
~ tenacity, would keep living on Duke
William spent much OF his time in bis
Venetian palace. much also in his villa at
Vienna. All his leanings were Austrian.
He liked the freedom and uncons,raincd
life OF the south; he had sin-
ceIc affection for the imperial iami-
ly-thc Emperor he was said b
love. II was whispered that he used
no other coinage than that bear
ing the IIapsburg efligy; nevertheless.
he was courteous to his "dear uncle OF
Prussia" and invariably invited that ven
cradle monarch to his grdHdeS CLASSES at
Bankcnbcrg. Though living on good terms
with the King of Hanover, the Duke hid
that feeling toward the Hanoyerian royal
ties which is said TO be common to child
less mon without direct heirs. He troubled
himself little about his people, yet they still
chung TO him. grateful, perhaps, for being
left alone. Few strangers came TO hi
court. vet he entertained all the Princes
who passed his way; he was proud Qn
scnse) Of his smsrt little army, Kept mp n
certain princely state, drove fine horses.
had \ splendid stud, gave brilliant balls,
and in the earlier part OF his sway, 6aiS
;1tincS. in the smaller apartments. PR
sided over by the then Austrian AmbI>Sl.
dress. The ladies OF the land (StlgC-boX
tier No. notwithstanding adorei him,
and the whole female population turned /
fright about face" when they say the dis |
iant wheels Of MS chariot, ana sank in BIZ !
lowy references 10 the ground. lie cared |
for none Of them. He hated I" brcad-and. !
butter misses" lie lived in his big palace |
and played cards with his adjutnls, !
sneered nov and again at the blunder Of |
stupid Official. or sharply rcprim tnde1 |
some dignitsIy. Nevertheless. he liked to
be spoken to frankly and freely. and was
capable Of gracious acts toward those
whom he respected.
With the discontinue Of Austria his
troubles hogan. He had sympath!zed with
the SioswIck-llolstein campaign; Sadowa
struck at a sentiment. The final kr1cd
came with the F.anco.PruSsian war. True
alike TO constitutional principles and to that
prudential policy which he had followed
Throughout, he signed Il convention with
Prussia. and thus was permitted TO
end his DAYS in peace. Thenceforth
he was little more than the shadow
aud counterfeit presentment OF reign.
iig prince his Residenz-Stadt gar
risoned by Prussiln troops, his old
generals penSloned, his Black Brunswick
crs told off for frontier duty. The Prus.
sian eagle and the Brunswick lion were
uneasy in enforced proximity the king
Of beasts sees an enemy in the king OF
birds as he hoyers over his prey, seeming
future carrion on the wind. Ali the old
landmarks were gone, old friends dead.
familiar faces vanished. lie was not sen.
timental prince, but habit takes the Dllce
Of sentiment in the decline of life. He did
nothing much with his power, but at least
he was not tvraat. His subjects will re-
greet him, and reguieScat be spoken in
L