The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1884-12-28
SOME NEW BOOKS.


don. Remington & CO.. should have attracted
much attention In England and been seized
upon with ari!ity by enemies Of tho royal fami-
" and by those Radicals who wish to hopoless-
ly dis ,redit the institution OF royalty. For
Willis those memoirs purport to recount the
curious aud somowha, piGHant adventures Of
handsome German actress. their real purpose
IL To unvoil the private lives OF the principal
members of the sake Cobur3 family. about
which the England Of our century hns
hoard so much, and with which IL has
thrice been brought into such close re-
lations. Oucon Victoria herself is half a CO.
burg. and in the Prince OF Walos there il an
additional infusion OF tho same questionable
strain. Tho recent chain of matrimonial ali-
tuces between the English ROYAL and tho Saxon
iucal families began in 1873. whcn Princess
Victoria OF Coburg. laughter OF Duk, Franz.
and widow Of the Prince OF L.in ineen. married
the Duke OF Kcnt, brother Of George ~. The
Duchesss brother. Prince Leopold taftcrwurJ
King Of tho Bclelans,. married tho Princess
Charlotte. tho only child Of George Nv. and
heiross apparent OF the British crown:
and finally. Leopcl!'s nephew Prince AL
bort Of Coburg- Gothn lhis mother was the
hsiress OF Gothn. nni his father Duke
Ernst OF Cobury married. We need not add.
queen Victoria soon after her accession to the
throne. We may hore mention that Prince Al
Dert's mother. nine years after She brought her
husband tho heritage OF Gotla. was divorced
iDr repeated infdelities. and married for her
iscond husband simple Lieutenant. who thus
tecams the grandfather lay Of the present
Prince Of Wales. We are told in those memoirs
hat even Ia her death she was eccentric. She
settled considerable annuity upon her hus-
land, the. Lieutenant, on condition that he
should nere. part with her body. Should no
pass evcn ono night only in house which did
not ut the sams TIME harbor tho mortal re-
mains OF his deceased partner he would lose
his annuity For years the luckless Lieutsn-
mt dras0et about with him tho embs lmed
.Orpse of his spouse from place to place: but
,ns morning. to his terror he :ound that the
precious coffin had vanished. He had in the
moan time married. Fraulein Cnrlowitz. When
he found that his ennuity continued to be paid
eo him lie soon got reconcilod to this lpss."
The house OF Coburg-Gotha, 1t seems. had felt
constrained. for very shame's sake. to nut an
md to tho evor removed newspaper gbes about
tho wandering corpse.
II must DO owned. II any faith can be put In
tho disclosures made in these curious VOL
umes--and none Of tito authors assertions
have rs yet boon authoritativey denod-that
the Prince OF Wales would come honestly. rs
:hs saying is. by propensity to follow in
the footsteps Of his RreRtuncle, George w.
should English public opini ION ever be serious
tinctureI with tho Darwinian hypothesis
md It's practical corollarios. IL would seri-
ousy damage candidate for kingsEip to lie
-hrea-f ourths Cobur.. 1t cannot be
disputed that the CoburGs have heen
for many generations emphat;cay n bad
.ot. Even among German princalinss they
ave shown themselves conspicuously vicious
md shabby. and until the head OF the house
won the hoiress of Gotha. and two cadets man
atro TO- u,t han, eutv tb
f.nglish civil list, they were exceptionally poor.
vt the end Of tho last century tho little state OF
ioburg had an annual revenue OF less than
5000. AMI the Dlke's dots exceeded throe-
quarters OF million. An imperial Commis-
sion intorfered on behalf Of the creditors and
'uxpaycrs. and virtually threw the duchy
into TIE hands OF receiver. allowing the
Duke but $4,000 a year for the total ex-
,enditure OF his relatives and house,
ioli. He lived, it seems. 30 frugaiy
in 17SO that ho never had moro than three
COURSES ut dinner" but his narrow stipend did
not suffice oven for that and hal to bs okod
out with loans from loyal ana ooseuuious
Lnnd Kammerrath" named Stockmar. for
which loans. by the way, though they amounted
n the end to upward OF $4,000 none OF stock
mars descendants have ever received 4 farthing
Such were tho circumstances in which Queen
VictOria's mother. the Duchess Ell Kent. and
lsr uncle. the future husband o. an English
princess royal AMI Kin. OF tho DelGiGns, wero
Brought up.
The Duke Ernst. elder brother of Prince
Leopold. seems TO hava boen one Of the worst
II disreputaLlc family. His treatment Of Il
beautiful Greek whom he met in Paris in lSUT.
md whom he urged to become the lady COM
RAMON Of his sister. tho Grand Ducheas Con
+antiEe. Was nothing short Of Infamous il
- may trust tho story Of tho lady herself who