The record-union., 1895-12-30

some gifts before all of the company
had assembled. Immediately after the
company had taken their positions, the
members of the Emperor's suite, the
court ladies, the Emperor. the EN-
press and the Princes, with their suite,
having been assigned to places forming
q square with a plastic representation
OF the nativity at Bethlehem in the cen
er, the Kaiser allowed court etiquette to
relax, and everybody mixed freely with
the others. The young Princes ran
about, discovering fresh sources of de-
light upon each table, but after an
hours enjoyment of this kind the chill
dren were obliged to retire.
The Emperor dined with his intimate
circle, DR.. Won Tucanus, General Won
Hahnke and others of his private Cabi-
net.
At all Of the military barracks in Ber-
lin each company had its Christmas
tree, and the ceremony of 'Bescherung"
Che giving of Christmas boXes) was OBJ
served. Each of the men stood in line
to receive his present, while the Captain
and other officers of each company
sang "Stille Heiltge Nacht." The Cap
tain then told out to each man his share
of punch which concluded the service.
The ceremony was the same in each
barracks.
The hospitals and even the prisons
also had their Christmas trees. The
Mombit and Ploetzanses prisons had
immense trees for the inmates. who
sang songs, received presents and were
treated to better fare than usual. The
Countess Won Waldersee provided q.
large number of widows and children
with their Christmas dinner and had
an immense tree upon which were hung
parcels of clothing.
Ex-Empress Frederick visited the
Kaiser Frederick Hospital on Christ
mas Day. She was received there by
DR.. Virchow and DR.. Bosse, Minister of
Ecclesiastical Affairs, Instruction and
Medical Affairs. The ex-Empress pre-
sided at the fete, which followed her
arrival, and distributed the presents
Dr. Virchow interested her with state
ment of the results of the treatment of
the various patients by Professors Beh-
rings and Heilserun, of the institution,
which led her to compliment the pro-
fessOrs upon the success of their re-
medal applications.
Prince Bismarck spent Christmas
alone with his family, Count and
Countess Won Rantzau, the latter his
daughter, and his son Count Herbert
Bismarck and his wife. The health of
the eX-Chancellor is excellent. He walks
but little. but drives frequently.
The "Boersen Zeitung." in its issue of
Saturday, said that as the result of con
sultation with his physician and Count
Herbert, Prince Bismarck had decided
not to attend the banquet in Berlin on
January 18th, the twenty-fifth ami
versary of the proclamation of the Ger
man empire, because of the fact that
the Ministers did not join the Emperor
in inviting him, and also owing to the
disappointment of Count Herbert in OBJ
tanning a ministerial post.
Official information from Washington
has been received in Berlin that the
United States Government will close
out all German insurance companies
doing business in the United States, un-
less Prussia rescinds her measures
against American insurance companies
preventing them from doing business
here.
Chancellor Prince Won Hohenlohe is
in Vienna, where he is staying with his
brother, Prince Constantine Won Ho-
henlohe, Court Marshal to Emperor
Francis Joseph of Austria. Prince
Hohenlohe has had interviews with
Count Goluchowsky, Austrian Minister
of Foreign Affairs, from which have
originated newspaper stories that the
meeting of the two statesmen was OF
great political import as cementing the
], Of OTTO Drrir
Hohenlohe will return to Berlin in time
tc take part in the New Year fetes.
The New Years Day programme is as
fellows:
At 8 o'clock in the morning there will
be a reveille from the castle to Branden-
burg gate and back performed by the
massed bands of the Berlin garrison.
At 10 o'clock religious services will be
held in the castle chapel and at II
o'clock the court ceremony of filing past
the Emperor and the imperial party in
the Weissen Saal At y o'clock there
will be a parole in the yard of the ar
senal by the Kaiser in the presence of
all the commanders of the German army
corps. Then salutes will be fired in the
Lustgarten.
The Duke and Duchess of Coburg are
passing the Christmas holidays at Co
burg with their family. The Duke will
go to Stuttgart on January 7th to in
vest the King of Wurtemburg, under
the instructions of his mother, Queen
Victoria, with the Order of the Garter.
The Emperor and Empress have final
Iy arranged to start for Abbassia in
February. During his visit to Austria
his majesty will meet Emperor Francis
Joseph, who will then be staying at
Cap Martin.
There is great anxiety over the condi-
ton of the Empress of Austria, who is
afflicted with prolonged spells of melan-
choly and religious excitation. Her
physicians insist upon her majesty hav-
ing repeated changes of scene in order
to divert her mind.
Councillor of Legation Rose, former
Landeshauptman (Governor) of New
Guiana, and recently the prosecutor of
Herr Liest in the CAMERON scandals
resulting in Liest's conviction of gross
crueIties to the natives, and his conse-
quent dismissal, has been appointed
Consul General of Germany to Samoa.