Worcester morning daily spy., 1898-01-23
LONDON LETTER,
Interesting Biography of the
Prince of Wales.
Volume Soon TO Make Its Appearance in
the United States-The Princes
AffabiIity and Talents.

London, Jan 15.-The desire of the
English people to know all the details
of the official and private life of their
royal family will be partially appeased
by the publication in London this week
peased by the publication in London
next week of the first complete biog-
raphy of the Prince of Wales
Singularly enough, no complete record
of the remarkably active and diversified
career of the heir to the throne has been
given to the world before. Attempts
in this direction have been discouraged
by the subject himself and the present
book furnishes Internal evidences that
it was not compiled under the royal
sanction, for while it breathes the spirit
of the courtier rather than of the critic,
it records such episodes as the famous
baccarat trial which the prince would
be willing the public should forget
Two quotations from Its references to
royalty will, however, give the keynote
of this spirit. Concerning the prince
the writer says:
'He is familiar with an almost bewil-
dering variety of subjects, and pos
sesses a wonderful faculty for almost
instinctively grasping the important fea-
lures and the really essential points of
any matter under discussion
An estimation of the Duke of Clar-
enee in connection with his career at
Trinity College, Cambridge, illustrates
how qualities which would commonly
pass current as weaknesses assume the
shape of virtues viewed through friend
I've ola la1 ,Ntf r ts,c coi6
of the duke, NOR was it desirable that
he should have, the specialized intellect
which wins university prizes and scnol-
arships, but he displayed in a marked
degree that peculiarly royal quality of
recognizing intellect in Others"
The authorship of the new book is
| concealed from the public, but the As
sociated Press learns that it is the
work of a journalist well known in Lon
don, Mary Belloc, formerly on Mr..
Stead's paper. 1t will be issued in the
| United States next month by the Apple
tons. In pictorial embellishments, it is
particularly rich, containing no less
than 1S portraits of the Prince of
Wales, alone, and many other ikenesses
of him in company with other members
of the royal family. In describing the
tour of the prince through America in
his youth, the book reveals the fact
that the princes consort supplied him
with memoranda to be used in replying
to the addresses which would be made
to him during his progress, and every
one of these notes afterwards turned out
to be Invaluable owing to the peculiar
manner in which they had been framed
to suit the circumstances of each local
ity where an address was likely to be
made. An Incident is related of hunt
ing trip Which the royal party made
to Dwight's Station in Illinois. When
the prince and his retinue approached a
farmhouse, the farmer, who was a
Britton, invited every one to enter ex-
cept the Duke of Newcastle. mot you,
Newcastle" he shouted, "I have been
tenant of yours, and have sworn that
you shall never set a foot on my landn'
So the prince passed on. The south
ern shareholders attempted to lure the
prince into the south to exhibit to him
the better side of slavery, but he was
not Impressed by the slave cities, and
refused to leave his carriage to visit the
negro quarters.
A great part Of the work describes in
detail the onerous public formalities
which have constituted tha life of the
heir apparent, cornerstone layings etc.
and the tours to India, Egypt, Ireland,
and other parts of the kingdom. The
royal progress through India in 1875
cost the government f200G00 but pres
ents were received by the prince from
Indian potentates, which aggregated in
value f250,000 For one trip on the Nile
the boat which carried the princes suit
was stocked with, among other COM
modities, 5000 bottles of champagne, 20
900 of soda, 1000 of claret, and ample
supplies OF other drinkables.
The married life Of the Prince and
Princess of Wales is pictured as IDEAL
Their surroundings at Sandringham
and Marlborough are described in de-
tail. The royal fondness for horsehesh
is evidenced by the Sandringham sta
bles, which contain horses from all
parts of the world. The kennels are
equally extensive and well stocked, and
there is a dog kitchen, nursery and
hospital The Marlborough house sta
bles cost over $500 The book states
that the prince is never alone even when
walking up St. James street, being ac-
companied by one of his esqueries,
while the most trustworthy detectives
of the force are constantly detailed to
protect him. His life has never been
attempted.
Referring to matters OF dress, the
book says it would be difficult to over.
estimate the princes influence as an
arbiter of fashion, especially in America.
tune is faithfully reported and initiated
and also on the continent Regarding
the Hebrews, it says:
"The political emancipation OF the
Jews in England evidently had the
princes warm sympathy. 1t now seems
a long time ago since the presence of
his royal highness at the marriage of
Leopold de Rothschild caused much sat
isfaction in Jewish circles. The men,
bers of the Rothschild family have long
been among the princes personal
friends both in England and on the
continent. and among his intimates was
the late Baron Hirsch, with whom he
stayed In Austria. notwithstanding the
intense anti-Semetic feeling at the Aus
tlian court.
The prince has thoroughly studied the
question of the Russian Jews, and has
interested himself in their belief in
such way as should earn for MIN the
gratitude of every Jew in Europe and
America.
People were at one time fond of say
ing that the prince was up to his neck
in debt, but on the question being d.
rectly asked, Sin Francis Knollys, the
private secretary to the prince, replied