The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1893-11-16
PIGMY RULERS OF EUROPE.

Archduke Francis Ferdinand of
Austria, who has just passed through
this country on his way back from
China and Japan to Europe, presents
an unusually good example of Eu-
ropean royalty, as far as physique is
concerned, writes the Marquis de Fon
tenoy When | say unusually [ mean
that there are few of his class as well set
up as he, the major portion Of the
personages of blood being undersized
and defective in stature, especially
those of Southern Europe. Thus
King Humbert of Italy is frail and
short, while his son and heir, the
prince Of Naples is even less than five
feet in height and is slight in proper
ton The king of Portugal and his
brother are both stumpy and fat,
while the late King Alfonso resembled
the other members of his family, ex-
cepting Don Carlos, in being under
sized to an incredible degree. He was
fully cognizant of the puny character
Of his appearance and sought to i'm
prove it by every means in his power.
including padding, high heels, etc,
but all without avail. Don Antonio,
the husband Of Princess Eulalie, is not
a Spaniard, but Frenchman by birth,
his father, the late Duc de Montpen-
sier, having been q son Of King Louis
Philippe of France. All the members
Of the British royal family are extreme
ly short, especially the queen, who is
not much taller than ten-year old
girl and is becoming with increasing
years almost as broad as she is long.
The only two princes of Great Britain
who are of the average British stature
are the duke of Cambridge and the
duke of Cumberland.
The members of the Dutch royal
| family are, like those of England, alb
breyiated in stature, and so, too, is the
present generation of the Hohenzol-
lerns, with the solitary exception of
Prince Albert, the regent of Bruins
wick, who is as gigantic as those Anaks
of modern royalty, the princes of the
reiguing house Of Sweden. Perhaps
it y due to the Pyreneau peasant blood
III their veins, derived from their an
cestor,' the father of Field Marshal
Bernadotte, that they are of such mag
nificent physique, and the same may
be said of the czar and certain of the
Russian grand dukes whose blood has
been maintained in a healthy condi
tion by the frequent marriages with
women of the humblest class of society,
| the Empress Catharine having been a
little better than mere camp follower
Alexander Ill. is close upon six feet
three in height. This, at any rate, is
the hemeasurement recorded against that
wonderful column in the Danish ca
thedral of Koeskilde, the resting place
of the ancient kings of Denmark.
Against this column number of mon
archs have been measured and their
height recorded. Conspicuous among
them are Peter the Great, who meas
ured six feet ten. Only one other Of
the sovereigns was taller, and that
was King Christian l. of Denmark,
who according to this authority. was
Just trife over seven feet The pres
ent King Christian of Denmark meas
ures close upon six feet. while his
grandson, Prince George of Greece,
who visited this country a couple of
years ago, stands six feet two in his
stockings. The tallest of all the royal
ladies of Europe is assredly the good
natured, unconventional and some
what unintellectual crown princess of
Denmark, a daughter of the late king
of Sweden, whose height is the same
as that of her fatherin-law King
Christian, gigantic stature for a
woman. Her children. show a tend
ency to follow her in this respect, and
her sons compare favorably in height
with that of their cousins, the sons OF
King Oscar, every one of whom is ex
ceedingly tall.