The daily morning journal and courier., 1902-02-24
PRINCES SLIGHT TO DEWEY
THE INCIDENT AT THE HONG KONG
 DINNER.
Captain VOn Mueller, Aide de Camp to the Kaiser, and Now With Prince Henry's Party, Gives His Version of 1t -DecIares the Prime ce Saw Dewey A fter- ward and Acknowledged His Mistake and Were Friends.


 New York, Feb 23.--Prior to his de- parture from Germany it was officially announced that Prince Henry would not be interviewed. and to-day he ad- hered strictly to this determination. Whatever the prince has to say for publication will be given out by men- Der of his staff. Captain Won Mueller, who is authorized to speak not only for Prince Henry, but in a measure voices the emperors own views, said to- day to an Associated Press representative, in explanation of the princes visit: "When the president, upon the in- quiry of the German emperor, whether Miss Roosevelt would perform the cere- mony of christening his American built yacht, had given his consent in a most graceful manner, his majesty resolved to show his regard for the president by having himself represented by a prince
 
 launching.''
 When Captain Von Muellers atten- tion was called to the various reports regarding the friction which it was al- legged had arisen between Prince Henry and Admiral Dewey at dinner given by the former in Hong Kong, he laugh ingly replied: "Oh, well, good many
  versions of that incident, and all of them wrong, have been printed. I hap pened to be, at that time, the personal aied de camp to the prince. The truth of the matter is his, and I speak au- thoritatively:
 Tn the harbor of Hong Kong the prince had rendered dinner to the commanders of the vessels of various nations at that time in the port. On that occasion the prince drank to the health of the sovereigns and chiefs of the ntaions, the flags of which were represented by the guests. In the or der of his toasts his first one, next to that to the German emperor, was to Great Britain and the second to Russia, while the United States was the last. The reason Great Britain was named in the first place was because the din- ner happened to be in harbor of Brit ish territory, the acting governor of which was one of the guests.
 A week or so afterward the prince was informed by the German consul, Herr von Loeper, who is now in Val paraiso, that the representative of the United States, namely, Admiral Dewey, was pained because the prince had not put the United States at the head of his toaSts, contrary to the international usage which demands the order of the toast on such occasions. This usage is that the toasts shall be given in the or der of seniority, in commission of the officers present Dewey was in fact, in that respect the senior among the guests. The prince did not hesitate to seek an open, frank talk in this ques- tion of etiquette with his American comrade, whom he highly esteems | When visiting the flagship Olympia, he | frankly told Dewey that he had con- vinced himself that he was wrong and | that Dewey was right. And Dewey's | answer was this: Well sir, I thank | you for your apology. I may say, that | I liked you before this but after what you have told me just now, I think I | like you better and this is saying a good deal" It is readily to be seen that this settlement of question of etiquette could only serve to strengthen the friendly relations between them, and that Prince Henry is keeping the words of his American friend In grate- ful remembrance.