Arizona republican., 1898-10-12
FOREIGN NOTES
 AND COMMENT.

Irritation and annoyance are words which would but faintly describe tue sentiments which prevail 6: the pras eat moment at Balm0ral in connection with the publication in Dr. Busch's book of Bismarck, Of the amazing let ters written by the present kaiser to iahe great chancellor prior to his acces- sion to the throne cn the subject O. Queen Victoria's and Empress F'reder- lck's efforts to brin. about the marriage between Princess Victoria Of Prussia and the late Prince Alexander of Bat tenberg. Of course, these letters were never meant for any eyes save those Of the late Prince Bismarck, and their publication is as gross breach Of faith as has ever been perpetrated by 9 bi- oSTapher. What is particularly re- sented about them al Balmoral is the contemptuous tone in which the Bat tenbergs are mentioned. the use Of the word intrigue" in connection with the acticn of Queen Victoria and Empress Frederick in the matter, and, above all, the ccld-blooded proposal made by William to Bismarck to entrap Prince
 
 Which could afterward be held over his head as 2 means or terrorism.
 Queen Victoria is net of a very for giving nature, whatever may be the case with her children, and il is doubt full whether she will ever pardon Or for Sst the manner in which both she and Ter pet scheme are alluded to by her eldest grandson in his letters to the late Prince Bismarck.
 Much asionishment is expressed at Emperor William, who, just at present, is particularly anxious to conciliata Great Britain on political grounds, and who is extremely disccncerted there fore by the publication Of his core spondence. should not have caused the arrest Of pr. Busch. His failure to dc 50 is ascribed to the fact that Busch has in his possession still more daln- aging letters in the kaiser-s hand-wr:t- ing.
 Count Almelas. who has been hgur- ing SC prominently at Madrid in con- nection with the violence and coward ice against Spain's war, is not, as might have been imagined from the promi- nence given to him in the Spanish and foreign press. Q nobleman of unblem- ished reputation, but is. himself one of the most corrupt and shady polite ians who has ever sat in the cortss Un- der the preteXt of conducting a paper devoted to the cause Of agriculture, he has managed in one way and another to extort millions of dollars from the government during the past ten of if teen years, and his reputation Is such that not one of the generals or admir- als whom he has charged with cow ardice and dishonesty consider him worthy of being challenged to a duel, CT will consent 10 meet him on what is known as the field Of honor
 Countess Irma SEtaray, who has been brought into SC much prominence through the fact Of her being the only lady-in-wai5ing in attendance upon the empress of Austria at the time Of the latter's assassination in Geneva, has already once before been the witness Of a similar tragedy. For a few years, while she was staying at the castle os her brother, Count Stephen Sztarey, shortly after the latter's marriage, he was found one morning dead in his bed, with 3 bullet hole through his temple.
 It was evident from the nature of the wound that it was not self-infiicted. but that it had been fired by means Of rife from the balcony outside Eiie open window. The murderer has never been discovered or punished. Perhaps 1t would be best to say that 10 effort had besn made to reveal the mystery Of the crime, which can only be explained by some adventure on the part Of Hhe count prior to his marriage.
 Countess Irma is a woman of about thirty-four years of age, slight, yet eia- gant in figure, with brown hair and eyes, and an exceedingly beautiful face. She always dressed like the en- press-that is to say, in plain black, tailoT-made gowns, without trimmings Of any kind. And what specially won for her the regard of the empress was her perfect repOse Of manner, as well as her level-headedn6ss under all cir cimstanees. Indeed, she was just the kind of woman to soothe and quiet the so high-Strung nerves Of the empress.
 She commenced her career at court as llady-in-waiting to the ArchducneSs Clo,hilde, and became particularly in timate with the laters daughter, who is now married to the duke of Orleans SEe, however, resigned h5r position in she archducal household at Pesth at the time of the murder of her brother. and only emerged from her retirement couple of years later in defere1ce to an invitation from the empress to be- i come lady-in-waitirg
 i The new Elizabeth Order founded by the emperor in memory Of his consort, and of which Countess Irma Sztaray ! has been created the first grand cross iI recognition Of her service to the en- press on the latter's death bed, has a very handsome insignia, consisting Of i 6 red enamel cross framed in gold, and with a white streak along the bears. j The center is a field Of white enamel, on it's face a golden relief representa-
 ton of St. Eliza beth of Thuringia, and
 on the reverse q golden capital E, rest
 ing on 2 golden branch Of biossoming g
 roses. In the angles Of the cross are
 green enamel rose leaves and ret.
 Tnses.
 The ribbon of the order is Of white
 watered silk, wi5h a narrow cherry-rad colored stripe on either border The
 members of the first class wear this