Arizona republican., 1899-12-05
FOREIGN NOTES
 AND COMMfNT


 ordinary laws of mortality. at any rate so far as their belongings are con- cerned. For, according to the cata- logue of the great secondhand book dealer at Rome (Nardecchia), he is to hold an auction next week of the pri- Vate library of Plus TX, at least thirty Of the volumes being particularly rare, the most famous being the Salamanca Missal of 15SS. It is well known that the present pontiff entertains very lit tie love indeed for his predecessor. who | treated him with a singular amount of animosity, delaying for many long years the elevation to the rank of car dinal to which Leo was entitled imme- diately on the termination of his diplo- matic mission as nuncio. It is to this as well as to Leo's weli-knOwn princi- pies of economy that must be ascribed the failure of the Vatican to purchase the library from the family of the late pontiff, to whom the blame for putting the books up at public auction belongs. It must be thoroughly understood that the papal court is in no wise respon- sible for the public sale of the library. But it might have prevented it by pri- Vately purchasing the collection itself.
 
 How critical the state of affairs in Bulgaria is at the present moment may be gathered from the official announce ment in the government Gazette at Sophia that Prince Ferdinand has re- nounced half of his civil list for the ensuing year. With his notorious greed, and even avarice in money matters, which he has inherited from his grand father, King Louis Philippe, the stock jObbing king of France, it may safely be taken for granted that Prince Fer dinand would-lever have consented to any such renunciation had he not known that his throne is in great dan ger.
 The fact of the matter is that the ex- travangance of Bulgaria during his reign has been of so insane a character that the national treasury is bankrupt, Bulgarian credit abroad exhausted, and the thrifty agricultural population of the country driven to desperation and on the verge of rebellion owing to ex- l cessive taxation and the cruel measures that are adopted by the revenue off cials to extort what is alleged to be the due of the government
 It is difficult to see how, in view of the emptiness of the treasury, Ferdi- hand would have been able to secure the payment in full of his civil list had he not made the renunciation in ques- tion. I may add that at the time when he ascended the throne of Bulgaria, in fragrant defiance of his word of honor solemnly pledged a week previously to the late cZar. Bulgaria had no national debt, and enjoyed such excellent credit i that it was able to borrow money abroad without difficulty at per cent. ~A
 Incidentally I may mention that when young King Alexander of Servia was in Vienna the other day Emperor Francis Joseph declined to take any mo- tice whatever of his presence, or to re- ceive him. The slight was all the more marked as the Servian ruler was in the Austrian capital for a full week, and had a number of interviews with the various Austrian ministers and states men. Francis Joseph is so courteous to visitors to his capital that his treat ment of the young king has excited . great deal of attention. the more so as ! the political course adopted by the present Servian government in virtual | ly defying the czar and breaking off diplomatic relations with Russia has been with the avowed object of propi- l tiating Austria.
 1 To the amazement of every one the l aged Grand Duke of Luxemburg, in spite of his eighty-two years, has re- covered from the terrible carriage ac- cident which he met with three months | ago. It may be questioned whether his recovery has been regarded as an un-
 mixed blessing by his family, for he ! has developed an extraordinary and | senile weakness for pretty women, and not only is rendering himself exceed 1 irgly ridiculous by the eXtrava gance of | his attentions to them, but is likewise constantly becoming the prey of this or | that lovely and well-born adventures. l At the time of his last carriage acci- dent he had insisted in driving the lady | who at the time mOnopOlized his af- | Ifections-a baroness with very stormy past-she being seated beside him on
 the box of the drag which he was coaching four-in-hand. To such an ex- | tent was he engrossed by her pretty | face that he took too sharp a corner and upset the whole conveyance into ditch.
 
 Emperor William has apparently made up his mind to abandon all fur i ther interference in the affairs of the iprincipality of Lippe. After his broth er-in-law, Prince Adolphus of Schaum- burg. had been compelled by the feder- al tribunal of arbitration. presided over by the king oi Saxony, to surrender the | regency, which he had unlawfully ! usurped, the emperor intimated that while he yielded to the decree of the tribunals in so far as the recognition of Count Ernest Lippe as the lawful re- gent of the principality was concerned, he would not extend any recognition to the wife or sons of the regent, on the ground that owing to the American parentage of the countess, she could only be considered in the light of a