Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1892-01-22
CLARENCE.

VIZ CIV IlGu VI IL DDllcc court inquiry.
Added to these handicaps he was weighted
down by the title given him, for all the
Dukes of Clarence known to English his
tory have suffered either through folly or
misfortune.
But for the last few weeks of his exist
ence he basked in the sunshine of popular
approval and spontaneous loyalty. His en-
gagement to Mary of Teck, "A princess ma
tive to British soil, endeared him to those
who some day expected to become his sub
Jects. They quit sneering at him as Col
lars and Cuffs allectiOnately dubbed him
prince Eddy" and enthusiastically de
clared that 'Albcrt Victor was IA good deal
of n man after all" Death has changed
all that, however. Hardly had the breath
left the poor young fellows body when
speculation and rumor strove with indie
cent haste to tear aside the vel! that OBJ
scures the future. While the bereaved
maiden who hoped to be IA bride next
month wept 10y the corpse of her betrothed,
her name was already being coupled in the
public prints of London with that of the
new heir presumptive, Prince George, the
second II sole surviving son of the Prince
of Wales. The reason for his is shown by
the following paragraph, published not
twelve hours after the Duke of Clarence's
demise:
On July 90, 1880, Alexander William George
Duff, who was then earl Of Fife, but who was
subsequently created duke of Fife, married
Princess Louise Victoria Alexandra Dagmar,
eldest daughter of the Prince and Princess of
Wales. or this marriage there was born on
May II, 1891, a daughter, who was christened
Alexandra Victoria Alberta Edwina Louisa
Duff. As the succession now stands, in the
event of the death of the Prince of Wales and
Prince George. he thrDua of ENGLAND HyorI1
fall to the wife of the Duke of Fife, and after
her death to Lady Alexandra Duff, her daugh-
ter. who is not yet "A year Old. This possibility
is not viewed with equanimity by the members
of the nobility, who believe that all the heirs
to the throne should be of the full blood royal.
1t is limited very broadly that "A marriage be-
tween Prince George and Princess Victoria
Mary of Teck will be arranged.
II such an arrangement is to be carried
out it will not lack for precedent. Some
thing over n quarter of Il century ago
Nicolas was heir apparent to the throne
of Russia and the Alexander now ruling
WAS his younger brother. The two one
afternoon engaged in some rough sort of
amusement and Alexander struck Nicolas
a blow, purely by accident, that laid him
on his death bed. The czarowitZ was at
the time betrOthed to Marie, daughter of
Christian, king of Denmark, and the at
tachment of TIE two was very great. The
Danish princess mourned her lover sincere
ly, and then-fOr reasons of State-became
the wife of the new heir. The result was
hardly to he expected. Alexander III and
his empress have lived together in happi-
ness and harmony for more than n quarter
of n century, and last fall the royal couple
celebrated their silver wedding with great
magnificence.
a tinge OF romance surrounded and il
lumined the last days of the Duke Of Clar-
ence, but in that respect he was by no
means singular. English history teens
with wonderful tales of heirs, apparent or
presumptlve, who never placed the crown
upon their heads. Harold was nothing
more than a claimant when he headed the
SaXons and went out to meet that other
claimant, William, and to sink beneath the
might Of Norman valor. There, too, are
the Arthurs, almost as unlucky, in a way,
as the Clarences. Arthur. duke of Brit
tany, could hardly be termed IN English
man, but he was to all intents and pur-
poses the rightful heir.
His uncle, the doughty Richard of the
Lion Heart, was minded to 20 crusading,
and before he set out he named the lad,
son of his brother Godfrey, as his success
sor. Another brother, John, he placed in
power during his absence in the Holy
Land. John soon seized the crown, gave
out that Richard was lead and made
things unpleasant for his nephew Of Brit