The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1896-02-23
QUEEN vIcroRrA's MISERY.
Her Friends and Comfcrters Gone
frince Henry Very Dear TO Her.


London Letter In New York Times.
Queen Victoria viii In May be entering
hef attn year. infirm IN bodily health, us-
uttsraoly sad in mind. hereft almost wholly
OF Old fr.neds and servants. and living in
gloomy reyerie on the past among memoir
las Of her dead. The thought Of the aged
sovereign. SO pitiful IN her increasing $50
iauon. comes uppermcst now in English
men minds whenever royalty Is mention
GO. and 1t rose swiftly, oyerpoweringiy.
everywhere when The news OF the death
OF Prince Henry OF Battenhery was spread
on Wednesday. This am4ahle gentleman,
VINO had been living here for ten years IN
somewhat anomalous position. had been
made sort OK nationa, butt for jokes. not
always good-natured. directed az the whole
institution OF German pauper princes eating
or tie English taxes. The poor fellow must
have WINGED terribly sometimes under the
ceaseless battery of banter and cheap music
naii chan which he bore v.cariously for his
kinsmen and caste. He was very happy
when ne could get away from England for
a time, but even abroad his comfort vas
limited because there was a uniform boy
eolt arranged among the continental courts
by Emperor William against the recogni-
ton or the royal status which England
had conferred On him So he spent his va
cations mostly on his yacht. secure alike
from British guying and continental Snubs.
At last, when the Ashantse expedition Of
fered chance. he pleaded for and obtained
permission TO go with Ii IN a despairing sf-
fort 10 disarm the British popular levity
and persuade the English 10 think OF nim
as soldier and a brave man, instead of as
an alien and a tame house pet. II ne had
come home alive with the rest, doubt that
he would have achieved this end. Very
possibly the bloodiess. almost farcical.
character of the performance in Coomassie
would have involved him in more rid.eale
than ever but he was afraid OF the coast
fever from the start. talked about it AL the
while on the way out, had not the right
kind OF physique TO meet il when il came.
and so died. Instantly a complete meta
morphosis was wrought in England's no.
tons of him People Of all grades and
conditions recalled in flash how Ii would
affect the queen, and this reflection colored
intuitively all their thoughts and words.
In truth the event involves deeper per-
sonal affiietion for the queen than perhaps
any other death In her actual family since
she was widowed. Not even her own son,
Leopold, who died eleven years ago, was
SO close to her or SO much a part CT her
daily domestic life as was Prince Henry
He had a remarkable aptitude for he role
that he was called on TO play. and he wait
ed on her, watched over her. smoothei the
routine of existence for her with untirng
zeal. 1t was by no means 4 nsat task.
but he performed 1t with a profound GEL
man patience. This is remembered now TO
his infinite credit, and he Is being sincerely
mourned ten times as much as was the
Duke Of Clarence who stood on the steps
of the throne itself 1t seems that the
shock has not directly affected the queens
health-at least thus far-but it is uneasily
felt that II will inevitably multiply the
weight OF the melancholy she Is already
bowed under. Hence. the public have been
raining In messages of coincidence upon
her in far more promiscuous fashion than
ever before, and no one is too poor or too
obviously interested to fail Of thanks from
her secretaries