Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-01-10
A ROYAL MARRIAGE,
The Details of Which Have Been
Left to the Prince of Wales.
HIS SECRETARY DOES THE WORK.
A Lively Scramble on the Part of Toadies
to Get Presents.
TUFT HUNTERS IN HIGH FEATHER
rBY CABLE TO THE DISPATCH. ]


LONDON, Jan. 9.-[Copyright ] - Th'
death of the Khedive of Egypt, the un
earthing of another great dynamite plot,
Mr.. Blaine's indigestion" and othel
events more or less important, have failet
to distract the attention of polite society
here from the forthcoming royal marriage
The wedding is still six weeks off, but every
newspaper has apparently set aside Ger
tain amount of space which must be filled
daily with matter relating to it.
The amount of public twaddle necessitated
by this arrangement is amazing and calcu,
lated to make rise the gorge of any sturdy
Radical or Republican. Any third rate
toady can now secure all the glory of print
by the cheap method of offering in his ordi-
narily obscure local assembly resolutions OF
congratulations to the Prince of Wales, and
the yeriest tuft hunter can be certain of
reading about himself in the newspapers by
starting subscription in his village for a
wedding present to the young couple. Quite
a score of municipal corporations have
cheerfully voted the ratepayers' money for
illuminated addresses or wedding presents,
and nearly every county has established a
committee with similar object.
CSeTDouy Attacked by the Fever
An alarming number of ladies' commit
tees have been formed, with full power to
levy contributions on fathers, husbands,
brothers and sweethearts, who have also to
meet demands upon their pockets from
their clubs. militsry messes and the like, all
of which have been afflicted by this wedding
present FEVER. There is even talk of "a
great national workingmen's subscription,
but there is a lamentable, but most marked,
lack of enthusiasm among the masses, and
the idea is not likely to be followed up
The Prince of Wales has displayed in this
matter of his sons marriage an unex-
pected, and, as scoffers might say, an un-
princely shrewdness. He caused-unofficial-
ly, of course-earlv an intimation to be con-
veved to the royal world that, the young
couple, being. poor, useful gifts in kind
would be preferred, with the result that, if
rumor does not lie, the Duke of Clarence
will be able, should he so desire, to furnish
very big store with his surplus pianos,
household furniture and silver plate.
A Secretary Doing the Drudgery.
The announcement that the Prince of
Wales had himself undertaken the entire
arrangements for the wedding is scarcely
correct. His private secretary, Sir Francis
Knollys, is doing all the drudgery, but it is
a fact that the Prince is applying his great
intellect to the selection of the wedding
guests. Truth to tell, the task is not an
easy one, for st. Georges Chapel, Windsor
Castle, is a small place, and after providing
for numerous royal personages, officers of
state, and others who must be present if
the British Constitution is to be preserved,
there will remain very little space availa-
BILE for, so to speak, the rank and file of the
aristocracy and for untitled leaders of the
upper ten thousand.
The intrigues now going on are said to be
almost unparalleled in British court history
for persistency and audacity, and the Prince
OF Wales, who is pretty shrewd man in
his way, must derive much cynical amuse-
ment therefrom. The work is harassing
however, even with the help of the Princess
and the faithful Knollys, and will not be
finished for a week or two. 1888. ...-
Wales Favorites Not His Mothers.
Then the Prince will have to submit the
list to the Queen, which in itself will be a
trying ordeal, for Her Majesty has ideas of
her own, which she is not accustomed to
subordinate to those of others, and the |
Princes favorites do not necessarily find |
favor with his royal mother
An Incidental annoyance caused to the |
Prince in connection with the wedding is |
the enormous increase in the number of |
begging letters, of which he is the recipi- |
ent. Ordinarily the Prince receives a score |
or so of these missives daily, but during the |
last week or two the number has more than |
trebled. In this emergency the willy |
knollys has proved invaluable as the |
heaven-born sorter and SITTER Verv few |
letters now pass through the secretarial |
sieve tosthe Prince Most of them are so |
obviously the work of professional beggars
that they are left unanswered, but in cases
where there may be some doubt in this re-
spect, the following circular letter is sent:
The Controller of the Household regrets
to inform Mr.. So and So that, owing to the
many calls the Prince of Wales has upon
him, His Royal Highness is unable to COM
ply with his request for pecuniary aid.
Begging Letters for Clarence.
The Duke of Clarence has also been
troubled good deal with begging letter
writer's and Secretary Knollys has had to
help him also, but from to-day the work
will be done by Major General Sir Francis
lie Winton, an African traveller and admin
strator, who was last night gazetted
Controller and Treasurer of the House
lold" to the young Prince. De Win
on was once offered the Governorship
IT the Congo Free State, and is a great
riend of Stanley. He is an able man, but
If extremely restless character. and great
urprise is expressed that he should be
Wiling to settle down to the humdrum life
# courtier
1t is announced to-day that $500 guineas
Toted by the corporation of London for
Wedding present is to be expended on a sill
'er dinner service for the young couple and
diamond necklace for the Princess. It is
aively added: This form of the gift has
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