Washington sentinel., 1901-02-23
FOREIGN NE w S.
Translated and Selected from SsadSgQ
6S|oSSGN oabsrST0vt tie SENTINEL
ENGLAND.
Queen viaorIa and Napoleon III.

''It is very strange; but the Empero
knows everything have done aud wher
. l have been ever since was lively
years old; he even recollects how wa
= dressed, and thousand little details it i
extraordinary he should be acquainted
with"
Her Majesty was right. II was extra
ordinary But then Louis Napoleon
was anything but an ordinary man
Naturally she never saw him through
those hungry years Of his IN London
when he hung about the purlieus o.
KING Street, St. James's. with often not
the price of a dinner in his pocket, MOI
even a clean shirt. When ia exalted
spirits, he sought the bsguilements oil
Holland House and Lady Blesslngton
places and people Her Majesty may be
supposed to have known little about,
since theS belonged to another world.
But though Queen Victoria knew
nothing Of Louis Napoleon, 1t is certain
that Lonis NapO con knew greet deal
about Queen Victoria. She was in the
scheme of his existence, part OF that
reward OF Royal recognition which be
meant to claim with the throne of
France His contemporaries OF those
London avs have left it on record that
whenever he was part cularlY gIum, they
could guess at once that he had caught
a glinpss or the Young Queen.
The ChartIst riots in the spring of
I84S gave him such an opportunity as
he at least never disdained He was
able to show his gratitude for hospitality
received-a gratitude not so marked,
| perhaps. on a later occasion. He
allowed himself to be sworn IN as a
1 special constable; most Of us know the
picture of him in he top hat and swa.
lowtails OF the policemen oi those days
with The truncheon hanging from his
waist, and leaning nonchalantly against
a lamppost An incident equally we'll
known relates to his visit to London as
a Sovereign INhen his carriage was
rassing through King Street, he rose up
and pointed out 10 hts vile the house in
which he had lodged. Aud the crowd
cheered
y
years IN England before her marriage;
in the neighborhood Of Bath, to be pre-
cise. Nor did the Queen and Mile.
MontUo ever meet, nor was there any
reason why they should; but the halo OF
romance surrounding the young girl
called to a lonely throne cannot but have
affected all her own sex who were within
reach of the newspapers, with their
daily accounts OF so much grace and
distinction
Well. the man Of destiny made his |
attempt once aud second time with |
his straw eagle and his little knot OF !,
devoted adherents, until, like all men
who know their own minds amid the
tumultuous millions of those who don't,
he came at last into the Euileries, That
was in 1851, andthree years later'he and |
his Empress paid the historic visit to
Windsor, visit which dates the com
mencement OF friendship only ended |
by death. In August Of the same year
Her Majesty and the Prince ConsOrt
paid a return visit to Paris; and it was
alter that that she made use Of the words
quoted above, expressive other surprise
that the Emperor should have known
everything that she had done and every.
where she ehad been since she was twelve
years old. For Napoleon this inter
change OF visits meant a diplomatic
triumph. II was the first substantial
recognition Of his new dignity: up till
then he had had no opportunity oil
addressing any monarch as cousin, or
exchanging the Royal kiss.
The Queen, on her side, had also had
but little exp rience OF such Visitors
either The tone OF equality, dehcately
blended with an immeusty Of homage
brought the Emperor rapidly into favor
The Empress Eugenie made no attempt
at equality but accorde the Queen the
respect due from one who bad been a
private citizen TO one who was born in
the purple. So she, too, made an i'm.
mediate conquest. From that moment,
whatever the political relations between
France and England, the Queen never
varied from her personal friendship
towards the Imperial pair.
Probably no woman similarly circum
stanced ever found so devoted or loyaI
friend as the ex-Empress did in more
than one member Of the English Royal
family.
There are those in France who will
tell you that the Prince lmoerial's death
in South Africa was but the tragic
termination Of deep laid scheme on the
mart of ENGLAND tO restore him m his
throne. The truth, however, seems
very different. His mother, It is almost
certain, had refused his repeated re-
quests to participate in the fighting-
had not only refused, but had used her
influence with the ROYAL Family, in
Guiding the Duke Of Cambridge, at that
time Commander in Chief, to have every
obstacle put in the young mans way.
Accordingly, he had relinqushed the
idea, until by chance, in the street, he
fell in with a friend who had been a
fellow cadet at Woolwlch, aud who was
under orders TO proceed TO the Cape.
That finished him. He went straightway
round to the Horse Guards, and pleaded
so earnestly that the matter was settled
before his mother knew anything about
II. If he had come through the cam
paigu, and had married an English
princess, as was most certainly intended,
who can say but at this moment Napo.
leon the Fourth might not have been
ruling in France2 But those are among
the might have beens" Of history The
realities can get no further than the