The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1898-02-25
TIE DUCHESS OF ALBANY.
She is an Adept In All Of the aighe
Branches of Science.

b: anches OF Science.
Although Empr&- Frederick always
has been regarded as the most intellectual
and learned member of the British royal
family. yet she has Il close second in this
respect in tn" widowed Duchess of AL
hany. The latter is an adept in all the
higher branches of science and devotes
Whatever time she can spare to chemis-
try. Perhaps it is on this account that
sin, enjoys to Il greater degree the in
'imary and friendship of Lord Salisbury
than does any other member of the reign
ing house. She is a frequent visitor to
Hatfield and at state functions of one
kind and another she frequently may be
seen in animated conversation with the
portly premier on some abStruse problem
of chemistry. branch of science of
which. as everyone is aware, the marquis
is devoted student.
In one thing the duchess differs from
her English relatives. She is not musical,
and she is the only one Of Queen Vic
t"ria's family who is not an adept either
Ill singing or on some instrument, even
the Prince of Wales playing the banjo.
1t is fortunate that her tastes are in tn"
direction of science and that she is pas
Si"lately fond Of reading and of intel
lectual pastmes since otherwise she
might have been unable to submit to con-
domination to il life practically of social
retirement. Queen Victoria does not ap-
prove Of freshness ON the part of widows
and looks upon it as crime for widow
to marry again. Indeed, it is proba BILE.
that Their. is no princess i'll Europe whom
she dislikes more thoroughly. precisely in
consequence of unwidowlike behav ior,
than ''Step,' as the Prince of Wales and
the other members of his family have
nicknamed their cousin. the lively Wild
owed Crown Princess Stepnanie of Aus
tra. The crown princess, being very
rich, can afford to disregard the opinion
Of her relatives or of people in general.
by several very sensational and glaring
affairs de occur. But the Duchess Of
Albany has no peculiary resources of her
own. and is entirely dependent upon the
annuity from the civil list of $4,000 a
year which she receives as widow of the
Duke Of Albany, and upon the allowance
to the same amount which she receitfs
from. her mother-in-iaw, Queen Victoria.
Consequently she has conformed to the
Queens views. and has condemned her
self to IL withdrawal from society almost
az severe as That Of her ma jcsty herself.
Yet her life must be infinitely happier
rs Il widow than it was as a married
woman. Her husband. the youngest son
of the Queen, whom she first met ut the
little watering place of Soden in Ger
many. was SO sickly that at the time of
his wedding the Queen was abused for
permitting the union. What between
epilepsy, the continued bursting of veins
and terrible hemorrhages. the late Duke
of Albany may be said to have been in
acute danger nearly every moment of his
life. his relatives never being free from,
anxiety on his account, his wife, of
course, being the most anxious and ap.
prehensive of all. On one occasion it may
be remembered that an immoderate fit Of
laughter brought Oh such hemorrhage
az almost to kill him on the spot. while
las death at Cannes was shockingly sud
den and characterized by peculiarly pain
fnl Observation-Disclosures dc Fonte-