New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1905-03-05

found a bride on the banks OF the Nile Is a piece
/ of news that appears at first sight some"ha'
startling But the future Queen or SWeueA 80
no dusky hued maiden OF the race that mas
/ peopled Egypt since the creation or the oP''1
I thousands OF years before Christ, but Dio''1
English princess. who. officially oesSi'0 =
Victoria Patricia. Is known among the i''
bers of her family by the name OF f''0''
She had been singled out by common S0s
as the most suitable cOnsort for young hinS
alfonso NJ spain. and. with her essentially irish
love of nerriment. her laughing Di"e 90
her uveliness. which not even the strict eu-
ouat+a Of court life is able to keep wholly WITH
In conventional bounds, she would have orousH'
Gonna sunlight into the gloomy OLD palace d'
| Madrid The princess and the King were 10
have met this month in the Spanish caPl'ai
ON her way home with her parents from 'iz
Ievant But at Cairo she encountered hei A.s
IN the person OF the young Duke OF Scalia' cru
est son of the Crown Prince ana regent %
Sweden and Norway. The incomparaOle iiiOoi
usb+ nights of lower Egypt. with Father Niie
et ones feet and with the grand ola py '''''.-
looming in the distance, lend theAlSe4'
romance and, under the circumstaioe''
- ,.rr,siry that the acquaintance OF ING
twenty-th -year-old prince ana oL '"0
oa, ho 20 inst nineteen. should have rlpeheu
int
those tropical plants of this particular corr.
:, ,eu,oo and before they left on their return
- Eurone they had not only phshted tiei'
+-o+b hut likewise received the consent OF their
norents- and. more important still. OF hlns
oscar and of King Edward. to the pFo!eo'eu
uance. For among the reigning houses - -
rome no valid marriage can be cohtr"''0N
cut the sanction Of the sovereign
N.horsb the betrothal. now officially an
rounced ia in every sense Of the worn a Wv
match since the meeting OF the DUKE "a
and Princess "Patsey" in Egypt was
fortuitous. yet there are many people espee
in Germany and in Russia VINO wiz go
regarding the impending union in the hghI Oh q
$1,000, clever nolitical coup on the part or
-, reward who is already looked upon Doth
:. to,,a and abroad as one of the most shre"o
and able statesmen Of the present day. Ger
roan1,s dream for q number of years past H'S
been to bring the Kingdoms or sweden anu W,
uav within the sphere OF her influence e4'eA
by means of some military and naVal cOi4'eti
ton or else by inducing the two KlhsuoiiiS -
ioin the confederation of sovereign states Ai40"4
az the German Empire. This would give OeI-
many the absolute command 70 the entrance am
o,,t1e+ Of the Baltic. and would place Russia In
such a position Of subserviency with regard 10
tbo+ great Iandlocked sea that Berlin would be
In fact the ST. Petersburg government might
end itself one of these days exposed to much the
same humiliating conditions with regard to the
Baltic as those to which IT is subjected in con-
nection with the Black Sea- The main obstacles
to the realization of the projects. which are
constant subject Of public discussion throughout
Germany have been constituted by the attitude
Of the Norwegians. who are averse to any sort OF
alliance with Germany, leaning indeed more
toward France and to England, and now the
prospect of an English princess occupying the
throne at Stockholm and Christiania-a princess
more thoroughly English, I should say.
English and Irish. than any other member OF
King Edwards family-seems to render more
raroote than ever the cherished TeutOn project
of a Swedish Norwegian union with Germany.
Nowhere will the marriage OF the Duke OF
Scania meet with greater approval than in Nor
way In the eyes OF her people his union 10
German princess would have served TO pro-
mote Germnny's aims in Scandinavia. whereas
his alliance TO Englishwoman will, 1t Is be-
lieved, have Numerically opposite effect. In
deed it is probable that the young princes
choice of consort from among the daughters
of the nation which in 1914 gave the guarantee
of It's government to the Morse constitution
may help in a measure to foster the popularity
of his dynasty in Norway. Just at present that
due to the fact that in the bitter conflict which
has been raging for some twenty years past
between the two sister kingdoms the King and
the royal family, particularly the crown prince,
have always identified themselves with the
Swedish cause which seems a mistake. since
in the end they will be forced TO comply with
Norway's demands. So. at least. it appears TO
the impartial foreign observer. who commands
a perspective of the controversy that Is beyond
1t is a subject to be approached with fear and
trembling by the unprejudiced stranger. The
slightest word in favor of the demands of the
Norwegians brings down a torrent of abuse
from Swedes in all parts OF the United States
while a pen sketch of King Oscar published in
these columns few weeks ago. at the time OF
his surrender of the reins of government to his
son. as regent has had the result of overwheIn-
ing me with indignant letters from Norwegians,
protesting against my laudatory remarks con-
corning their aged monarch.
There is something. however to be said for
each side. According TO the terms of the Rigs
akt, which is the Act of Union between the two
kingdoms. and to the provisions of the Grund-
low. which is the Norwegian constitution that
every king takes an oath at his coronation to
observe Norway is so entirely independent of
Sweden that she has right to appoint and
maintain diplomatic and consular representa-
ton abroad, wholly distinct from that of Swe-
den. BY these same documents Norway is also
entitled TO manage her own foreign affairs
which are now conducted by the Swedish Min
lister of Foreign Affairs from Stockholm. True
the supreme direction of Norway's foreign re-
lations is vested in the King. But the latter
strictly speaking makes no disposition without
its being countersigned by Norwegian Min
lister
None OF these above mentioned stipulations