New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-03-17

and of his bride. yet the latter is fully her hus-
bands equal from tho legal point Of view. and her
children, il there are any, win be entitled to pear
their fathers name title and arms Had Alex
ander Nht,wtyer, married tie Princess Victoria Oh
Prussia, tie latter would have been regarded as
contracting moreanatis marriage, since her nus
band would have belonged neither to rejgnlng
nor yet 20 mediatized family. In the same man
ner the Princess Beatrice OF Great Britain, who
married Alexander's brother Henry, is CONSIDERED
to have contracted morganatie alliance, ana were
she to attend any function at the German Court,
her husband would be admitted neither to the
room reserved for the royalties nor to that set
aside for the mcdiatized families, but would nave
to kick his heels among the common crowd.
Morganatic marriages are but little understood
either In the United States or in England. BY
some they are regarded as kind of semi-legalzed
concubinage by others they are believed to confer
the full rights and privileges of an ordinary mar
riage. Even the origin of the word morganatic
is unknown. Its most likely derivation, however,
is from the Scandinavian verb morgan" to
shorten or limit" implying that the rights Of
the inferior of the two contracting parties are
limited, and do not extend to the full condition
of the others rank. Thus q morganatic wife
tune. He is not permitted to charge the family
domain with life interest in her behalf, She
is deprived from the appanage ordinarily reserved
for the wives of her husbands family, and If he
dies without specially providing for her and her
children out of his savings or private and un-
cntailed fortune, both she and her offspring are
left pcnnilcss. Moreover, although the position
of a morganatie wife is regarded as perfectly
respectable, yet her husband is at liberty during
her lifetime and without obtaining any separa-
ton or divorce to contract another marriage
with a princess of his own rank. Among the
numerous instances thereof may be cited that
of Prince Christian Of Schleswg g. Holsteln, who
ut the time when he married Princess Helena
of Great Britain, and became the son-in-law oil
Queen Victoria, was known TO possess q NOR
ganatio wife and numerous family OF morganatlc
children, who lived in small provincial town
near FranlSfort-on-the-A Main. Another case was
that OF the Due de Berry, at one time the heir
presumptive TO the throne OF France, VINO al
woman, Miss Lydia Thompson WIS forced by
reasons OF state TO become the husband Of u
Princess of the Royal House of Naples.
Notwithstanding these drawbacks the sister Of
the present Duke of Richmond and Gordon, the
most naughty and powerful Peer of Great Britain,
did not consider it beneath her dignity to become
the morganatic wife Of Prince Edward OF SAKE:
Weimar, q cousin of the reigning Grand Duke OF
one Of the smallest Of the petty German States
She is entitled 10 appear at court both at home
and abroad not rs O Princess CT Saxe-Weimar,
but ONLY as Countess OF Dornburg. Another
member of the same house, Prince Gustave OF
Saxe-Weimar, is married to a Dalmatian diva
of cafe chantont" fame, who on the day OF her
wedding received the title of Baroness Neupurg.
In the same way Prince Victor of Hohenlohe who
does not eVen belong TO q reigning dynasty, but
only TO a mediatized family, and who holds the
rank of Admiral in the English Navy, is married
morganatically TO q Miss Seymour. who is known
as the Countess of Gleichen. One Of the sons of
this union, young Count victor Giclcheh' was
recently III New-fork
The only American girls who have contracted
morannatic alliances arc Miss Lea, Of New-Yort,
now the Countess Of Waldersee, but who on her
marriage with the late Prince Frederick OF Sches-
wig-Holstein received from the Emperor OF Austria
the title of Princess Il Ncr, AM MISS Elise
Henslcr of Boston, actress, who, on becoming ID
900 the wife of the late King COnsort OF Portu-
gal was created Countess Of Ehla.
Among the sovereigns who have contracted
morCanatic marriages are the late King victor
Emmanuel of Italy. who gave his left hand 81
the altar to the notorious Rosinn, subsequently
created Countess of Mirafori; the late Car. who
married the Princess Dolgoroubi, and. conferred
upop her ct the time the title OF Princess
Tnrieffsky: the late King of Portugal, whose
name has already ben mentioned above, ana the
reigning Grand Duke of Saxe-Meiningen, who is
married to actrcss of the name OF Helene ran
created Baroness Heldburg. The late FrederlcR
William III of Prussia conferred the title OF Prin
cess of LieGnitz on the Countess OF barrack wren
he contracted a morganatic marriage with her
and the late Queen Christina OF Spain elevated 9
simple soldier Of humble origin into o Duke OF
Rianceres when she married him in 1850,