The Pioche weekly record. [volume] (Pioche, Nev.) 1877-1900, 1892-02-18
NEARLY A KING.
The Eventfll Career Of tho Duke
OF Cambridge.
Adrift in the World After Narrowly Misc
ing Two Thrones-The Most Thor
oughly English Member OF
the Royal Family.

says the Chicago Journal, that nobody
thinks OF that bluff, burly soldier as
ever having been possible successor to
the throne. Yet it was only the slen-
derest of chances that prevented him
from being George ", by the grace OF
God, king of Great Britain and Ireland.
defender of the Faith, and the rest of it.
the duke of Kent left an only child
"a girl-in delicate health. Besides
that girl there only remained, of all the
progeny of George I'LL, his youngest
son, the duke of Cambridge, who had
made a lawful marriage and had one
son and two daughters. If that girl
had died, or had no children. the sue
cession must have gone to the Cam
bridges. AS it was she assembled the
throne as Queen Victoria, married i'm
mediately afterward, had nine chill
dren and now has hosts of grandchil-
dren and half adozen great-grandchil.
dren.
1t was in the city of Hanover that
Prince George Frederick, the present
duke of Cambridge, was born on the
Goth of March, 1910, just two months
OClOlC plluCCSS lCLbTld VI Atut,
now queen and empress. Even after
his chance of becoming king of Eng
land had vanished, it looked as IL he
would surely be king Of Hanover; for
the duke of Cumberland had only one
chld-a boy, who became totally blind
That blind boy, however, lived to be
king of Hanover, the last king probably
that Hanover will ever have, for he
sided with Austria in the war of 1866,
and at the peace, bismarck, while leav-
ing the Austrian territory intact, an
neXed Hanover to Prussia and drove the
king into exile. lie Observation-Disclosures
and his son is simple duke Of Cumber-
land once moro.
The duke of Cambridge having thus
narrowly missed two thrones, found
himself ut largo in the world, without
any prospects to speak Of. His father
died poor and his mother had all she
could do to make both ends meet. One
of the daughters married the grand
duke OF NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. and be-
came very great lady indeed, but the
other, the princess Mary, remained
with her mother and brother in the old
fashioned ivy-covcrcd cottage on Kew
Green, q favoritc residence of George
ILL.,, which had been provided for them
by the queens kindness.
There they lived the life Of typical
genteel English family of limited
means, beloved by all their neighbors,
especially the poor, attending service
regularly at the old church on the
green. teaching the parish children and
growing into the affections and institu-
tions of the place, as if they belonged
to it as much us the moss of the walls
of the ancient Gins that had waved
over it for centuries.
II was this early home life that made
the duke of Cambridge what he is--the
most thoroughly English of all the
royal family, though born in foreign
country and altogether foreign on his
mothers side. He came into his title
on the death of his father in 1850, but
long before then he had chosen dis
tinguishcd career. lie entered the
army in 1887, when only eighteen, with
the rank of colonel, in accordance with
the system of favoritism which then
existed, and was made major general
on succeeding TO .he dukedom, but it
was the Criinean war in 1854 that gave
him his opportunity
lie begged to be allowed to We a real
soldier and by the direct influence Of
the queen he was promoted to lieuten-
ant general and placed in command Of
division of the army, consisting of the
brigade Of guards and the brigade of
Highlanders. There was naturally n
good deal of feeling against him. and il
he had made n mess Of it or disgraced
himself in any way there would have
been howl of triumph among the
enemies of royalty, and even n great
many people who were not enemies of
royalty would not have been sorry to
see favoritism so signally rebuked.
The duke, however, knew very we'll
what he was about, and his conduct at
the Alma gained for him not only the
enthusiastic confidence Of his men, but
also the respect of the oldest officers in
the army, who had laughed at the idea
OF royal duke leading division be.
fore. Esss
In the still more terrible conflict OF
lnkerman he led the guards again, and,
his horse being shot under him in the
midst OF hailstorm of bullets, he would
assuredly have been killed but for the
bravery and devotion of q private sol
dier, who defended him from the Rus
sian bayonets until another horse was
brought.
just at this glorious period in hi,
career the duke met with a misfortune
which all the royal family felt bitterly
He was seized by camp fever, and the
doctors insisted on his leaving the
Crimea by the first transport. The
duke well knowing what handle /,
would give to his detractors il ha re
tired in the very agony Of the war
stopped at Constantinoplc and lay there
for weeks, battling with sickness, II
the hope Of being able to return to hi.
command. His condition, however, be
came so alarming that he was impera
lively ordered home, and so had NJ
share in the subsequent sufferings an,
glories of his corps or in the crownin,
triumph of Sebastopol.
Near the top of Mount Washington
in New Hampshire, lives little colon,
OF very cold-loving and mountainous
butterflies which never desca.,do ha,,,