The Portland daily press., 1884-06-18
Louis of Bavaria.
Characteristic Anecdotes of ahe Eccentric
TrOubadOur King-His Palace at Mu-
mich.

The solitary dreamer who governs Bavaria
is one of the best rulers in Europe and one
of the most extraordinary personalities of
our time, says letter to the New York
Commercial Advertiser.
1t is sometimes said that the eccentric
king is not beloved by his subjects; this is
quite mistake. He is loved in the country.
and even in the capital he is sincerely liked.
Who indeed could dislike the troubadour
king, whose only fault is having been born
ID the purple. No one could expect such a
man to be statesman or a soldier, nor is
he. In 1866, when Bavarian blood was be-
ing shed for southern Germany, he was bask-
ing quietly in the delicious atmosphere of
his native forests and lakes. Whilst the
cannon was roaring in the battle field the
king was wandering in the wood or rowing
on the lake of Strarenberg, and when the
ministers told him that Nuremberg was
taken, and that the Prussians were march
ing on Munich, the hermit king consoled
himself by playing melody of Schubert!
1t was about this time that King Ludwig be-
gan his devotion 10 the study of Wagner's
music. 1t was one of his dreams to become
great artist. The Italians call him a ssmu-
sicaP' Raphael without arms-that is, a nat
ural prodigy, unable to execute the melodies
he dreamed of in his hours of solitude.
Another of his peculiarities is his dread of
daylight, and he rarely goes out by day. He
prefers night for his wanderngs. when. if
in carriage he is preceded by an outrider,
carrying a lighted torch in his hand.
The carriage wheels, also, are covered with
gutta percha to avoid noise. The whole
looks more like phantasm than real roy
al procession. When he returns to the pal
ace he walks close to the wall, more like
burglar than king. His servants are not
allowed to go near him unless called, and
then they must keep at distance of 12
steps. He gives his orders by signs, for,
though fond of music, he hates the trouble
of talking.
Everyone knows his mahis for having
operas performed for himself alone: or, il
he consents to at end public performance
he shuts himself in his box like the sultanas
in the vice regal box at The Cairo theater
Sometimes, also, he takes whole company
from performance-in rider to delight his
ears in his own theater. The manager has
then to excuse himself as best he can to the
public, and return all the money taken at the
doors. An excellent supper is always pre-
Po"NA AOA ChO SO'1PdIy do oOiiu DIS IL T0dCuGS
the palace; but the performance does not
begin before midnighf. The stage alone is
then lit up, the rest OF the theater is dark, as
If for rehearsal. The king himself is scarce
ly visible.
One day it was rumored throughout the
land that young and fascinating singer
had succeeded in fipding an nroad into his
heat. The king had opened the secret
doors OF his park to her and bad rowed her
on his lake. Everyone thought that the
king was caught at last. Even the fascinat-
ing singer was sure that she had the king
safe in her net. She firmly believed herself
loved in earnest One eveniug-it was
moonlight-sbe thought she would further
assure herself of the truth; so, after sing
ing passionate love song, with her ewes
fixed on the eyes of her royal rover, she pre-
tended to faint, and fell in the water $50 at
least the story goes) thinking that the king
would jump after her and save her. But
the King was never known to laugh so hearth
ly before, aud had it not been for the attend
ants the singer would have been drowned.
She never repeated the experiment. Baya-
rians have lost all hope of seeing their king
married now. In person the king is a per-
feet Hercules. He has great veneration
for Louis W., Of France, aud has accumu-
lated all the books, memoirs, novels and
comedies ever written concerning that peri
cd. He knows all the customs of the French
court much better THAI he knows the Gus
toms of his own time.
The king has two palaces at Munich-the
old and the new. In the latter there is
large hall, built in the most extravagantly ro-
coco style. The gardens are as beautiful as
Armidas enchanted grounds, and contain
all the flowers of the known world. There
is also splendid pavilion in them, with ori
entail divans placed all around the walls. Tn
the center is lapis lazuli taGle with Tur
kish pipe, studded with precious stones, up-
on it. This pavilion is the kings 'delight.''
he never enters it unless dressed in Turkish
fashion. He then winds up mechanical
pianoforte, hidden behind screen, lights
the pipe, and stretches himself on the diyan.
where he smokes till be falls off to sleep.
lulled by the strains of the invisible orches.
ira. Another of his amusements is to play
at being William Tell. For this he has had
an imitation of Swiss lake made near his
delight" and by curious contrivance this
lake can be rendered as stormy as the rough
est sea.