Morning journal and courier., 1886-02-26
Details Of the Duke's Suit and Its
 Political Bearings.

THE BRAGAN ZAsORLEANS UNION Details Of the Dukess Suit and Its
 Political Bearings.
 Paris Dispatch to the London Daily News
 I recently announced to you that the Duke of Braganza had probably come here to look, for a wife in the Orleans family. Some days ago he informally declared himself suitor of the Princess Amelie, the eldest daughter of the Comte and Comtesse de Paris. Tester day the Portuguese minister waited on the Comtesse de Paris to present letter from the King and another from the Queen for mally asking them to consent to the marriage of the Duke of Braganza with the Princess Amelie. The request was made in the Hotel de Galliera, in the Rue de Varennes, where the head of the house of Orleans oe- cupies floor, placed at his disposal by the Duchesse de Galliera. As agreed beforehand the request was complied with, and when the minister left. the royal suitor arrived and was received in the character of fance. At 6 in the afternoon M. de Freycinet was aP- prised of the engagement by the Portuguese minister, who was charged to say to him that the marriage was one of affection, and that it was taking place because the Duke simply on meeting the Princess fell in love with her, and she reciprocated his sentiments This certainly is true, but it was arranged before the heir to the Portuguese crown visited Paris that he should propose for the Princess Amelie if he found they suited each other.
 Since King Alfonsos death the likelihood of crisis in Spain analogous to that which took place in 1868 is believed in at Lisbon. It is expected there that if revolutionary forces are let loose at Madrid they will, after the expulsion of the reigning family, be em- ployed in effecting an Iberian union. The humiliation to which Spain has been lately subjected by Prince Bismarck has brought many Spania1ds to desire such unity, which might have been effected in 1869 if Dom Fernando had been able to renounce the hap piness of living at Cintra with the Comtesse Edla, to whom he was engaged when Prim urged him to accept the Crown of Spain. If he had accepted it the reversion would have been settled on his eldest son, and the union of the two countries thus gradually effected. The King of Portugal is now advised to mar ry his heir to the Princess Amslle, not so much because she is the daughter of the Comte de Paris as the granddaughter of the Duc de Montpensier. Whether the eventu- ality I speak of be fulfilled or not, the Princess is of illustrous birth, we'll brought up, pleases her suitor, and will hereafter have very large fortune. A Portuguese journal states that the Duo d'Aumale is giv- ing her a dowry of 0,000,0 ,000f. He could easily afford to do so, and as he appears greatly pleased with the match his niece Is making and has no children of his own his generosity to her is net overrated by the Lisbon newspaper. The Duke of Braganza has been to dine with both Prince Napoleon and the Princess Mathilde. The former is his uncle in-law, and in his entourage the contingency of Iberian union is very much insisted on when the motives which led to the match are being discussed. It appears that since the Carolines were occupied by Germany the unitary idea has made rapid progress both in Spain and Portugal. Span iards and Portuguese have been brushed aside by the great powers in the Pacific and in West Africa. The Duke of Braganza was a suitor of the Infanta Eulalia but she pre- ferred the only son of the Due de Montpen- sier. The Princess Amelie was born at York House, Twickenham, in 1865. She is year younger than her fance, who was born on Sept. 2S, 1864. He is rich in bap tismal names, and is, through his mother, Queen Maria Pia, nephew of King Hum bert. His grandfather, Dom Fernando, was brother of the late Duchesse de Nemours, and first cousin of the late Prince Consort. The Duke of BraganZa is general in the Portuguese army. He is tall and very fair, and in his physiognomy are curiously blend ed the Braganza, Saxe-Coburg, and Savoy types. The future King of Portugal, Por- tuguese author told me, speaks nearly every European language well except his own. His father speaks English best, German sec ond best, Portuguese very badly. Queen Maria Pia speaks French and Italian squally we'll