The age-herald., 1898-05-15
ALFONSO AND QUEEN CHRISTINA.


 Special Correspondence to The Age-Herald.
 London, May 9.-Queen Christina has shown so much unsefish devotion and love to her son, little King Alfonso that there Is no doubt that she would at once give up the regency if she believed for one mo- ment that by so doing she could contribute to the safety of his throne That it is i'm periled by the calamities which have over- taken Spain it is impossible to deny. and 1t is probable that the people, eager as all ways in such cases for a scapegoat, will demand some further sacrifice than the mere overthrow of the Sagasta. cabinet. This could only be the resignation of the regency by the queen, who has not alone the disadvantage, in panish eyes, of being foreigner, but has likewise identified her self in an altogether unconstitutional man. ner with the present administration.
 At a moment when the conservatives pos sessed g. large majority in the cortes she took upon herself to dismiss them from Of flee, turning a deaf ear to their assurances that they would have the Cuban insurrec- tion ended before the end of 1S97 and re- placed them with liberal ministers, who are
 
 only given fresh life to the Cuban rebel lion, but likewise to have brought about the present American intervention.
 There is no doubt under the cireum- stances, that the resignation of the cabinet coupled with Queen Christiana's surrender of the regency to her sister-in-law, Prin- cess Isabella, would tend to serve as sop to public sentiment in Spain, and would strengthen the prospects of young Don Alfonso's retention of his now gravely im- periled throne until he attains his major- ity four years hence.
 Isabella's Advantages
 Princess Isabella has the inestimable ad- vantage in the eyes of the Spanish nation of being a Spaniard; and, indeed by the large majority of her countrymen she is considered to have been unjustly deprived until now of the regency since the constl- tuition prescribes that it shall be vested in the hands of the nearest relative of the youthful sovereign, it being stipulated, however, that the relative in question must be Spanish prince or princess.
 Now, there has always been a doubt as to whether this clause meant that the regent should be of Spanish birth or merely of Spanish nationality, either by naturalization or by marriage, and 1t Is hardly necessary to say that, with folks so averse to foreigners as are the Span fards, there have been few who do not be- lieve that the renS of government should have, according to constitii' -onal rights been vested in the hands of the Princess Isabella, as eldest sitter of the little kings father, rather than in those of the Aus trian-born queen.
 Princess Isabella Is identified with the conservatives in the same manner as tre queen is committed to the liberals and is known to have been thoroughly averse to her sister-in-law's policy with regard to Cuba, and to have opposed concessions of every kind to the United States. In fact. she is regarded as thoroughly personify ng the sentiments of both the army and the people at the present moent, and her access sion to the regency would. in view thereof. be a clever move on the part of the dy- nasty.
 According to private advices from court circles at Vienna. the queen has received advice to this effect from her cousin, Elm peror Francis Joseph, and it is understood at Vienna that the presence at Madrid of her mother and her brother, who have has tened to her side is due to the imminence of some such action on her part.
 Facts About the Infanta
 This being the case. few words the subject of the Infanta Isabella, the least known of the Spanish princesses, may be of interest She is the eldest daughter of old Queen Isabella, and until her birth it was confidently believed that her mothers mar riage was certain to remain without issue. Indeed, 1t was with that object in view that the dwarf, King Francis of Assist, had been chosen as the consort of her majesty. and in the diplomatic dispatches to the for eign offices at London, Berlin, Paris and Vienna in the early 40's, the king consort is openly described as "incapab,e of ever becoming father,' that, too, on the high est medical authority. It was just for this reason that King Louis Philippe of France caused his young son, the Due de Mont pensier, to marry Queen Isabella's youngest siter he being convinced that his daugh- ter-in-law would eventually succeed her eldest sitter as queen of Spain and thus give his son place on the thorne at Mad rid. The Duchess of Montpensier bore the title of Princess of the Asturias," which is the Spanish equivalent for the title of Princess of Wales, and such enjoyed a civil list of $50,000 year. When, therefore, Princess Isabella was born the duchess lost not only her title of Princess of the Asturias and her allowance of $50 900 year, but also saw vanish her of becoming queen of Spain. Cru ely disappointed. she and her husband im- l medately declared, what was probably the truth that the newborn princess must be | fisegitimate, since it was absolutely impos- sible that the king consort could have been | the infants father. They publicly stigma tized the child as an interloper in the royal family, and ascribed its parentage to a | handsome fellow from Galicia, who had sold herrings in the streets of Madrid until | by chance he attracted the attention of | Queen Isabella, who caused him to be off, | fered employment in the Kitchens of the | royal palice, from whence he rapidly rose | until he attained the rank of marquis. It | was on this ground that the adherents of l the Duke and Duchess of Montpensier nick l named young Princess Isabella ''the her ring girl" and this name has stuck to her | throughout her life, and especially at Mad | rid, where almost every prominent person. | age is endowed with soubriquet.
 The princess ig without exception the | most popular member of the re'gning fam |