The Evening statesman. [volume] (Walla Walla, Wash.) 1903-1910, 1906-12-21

q = y = . = . - = ~
. JOURNALS AND LETTERS OF y
= THE LATE DUKE OF CAM
= eRiDcE-'ukcLE GEORGE -
y His Diaries Almost Barren Of In y
- terest, Although He eonstantiy =
- Met and conversed with Noted =
People.
e. q = = = = y = y = = .
J Interesting biographies continue to
come. We have now a personal life
of the late duke of Cambridge-"Uncle
George" as he was afrectionately. callei
based on the journals and core
spondence of H. r. H. edited by Edgar
Sheppard Gongmans. Green & Coz
These two stout volumes supplement
the military life Of the late duke Of
Cambridge, by Col. Werner. published
last year. This life, as the subtitle
states, is mainly based on the, dukes
correspondence and diaries which he
kept during the course of his long life.
He was born in 1919, the same year as
his cousin, Queen Victoria, and outliv-
ed her by three years. Uncle George"
was not Intellectually brilliant, but he
had qualities that endeared him to
those VINO knew him best, and he GER
tainly had an interesting life. There is
much that is interesting in these two
volumes, and there is much that Is in
teresting that is not in them. While
the duke kept diaries, he did not enter
as much in them as he might have.
For instance, ne tells us of meeting
with Bismarck, who was extremely
amiable and agreeable" that he "con-
.versed fully on all matters" but there
is none of the conversations recorded.
And at another time he tells us that he
went to Chislehurst to- visit the En-
peror Napoleon, with whom he had "a
most interesting conversation" on all
1.-THE grave events that nave occurred
in recent times" Just think what these
two conversations might have been II
they had only been recorded. Still
there Is enough that the book has re-
corded to make entertaining reading,
and which throws sidelights on many
of the events of the Victorian era.
The duke began to keep his diary
at the age of II, and, while these early
records are amusing as being the rec
ords of child, it is not until he gets
further along in years the real inter-
est begins.
book from Queen Victoria, who was
fond of her cousin, and wrote to him
freely. On the death Of the duke of
Wellington she wrote from Balmoral:
"My dear George-YOu will, know,
join in the grief of the whole nation at
the loss Of that great and immortal
man, whom it has been my privilege,
1 may truly say, to have known init
mately. The dear old dukes loss is an
irreparable one in every sense Of the
word, and one cannot realize at all the
possibility Of his being no longer
amongst US, and think Of England
without him."
And later, when her favorite "Dizzy"
passed away she wrote:
II am neartbroken at the loss of my
dear, dear, great friend. What an ire
parable loss, apart from the personal
sorrow I feel, dear Lord Beaconsfield
is to the country, it is impossible to
say. Gratifying it is to see how the
nation mourns him! We shall never
see his like again."
On the charge Of the Light Brigade
the duke wrote from the Crimea to
his dear cousin, the queen, describing
that famous incident in English his
tory as one of the most brilliant but
most senseless attacks that ever could
have been imagined; but war is a
fearful scene, and I assure you the
scenes We had after (the Alma), and
which we have since witnessed, have
given me the greatest horror of it."
To which the queen replied:
1--WE CPrince Albert and herself)
think of nothing else. If we could both
be with you and snare your tolls and
dangers we should be happy. 1 never
regretted more than have done these
last few months that 1 was a poor
woman, and not a man."
When the prince imperial was killed
in Africa the duke received this letter
from the queen:
This is awful, so fearful! don't
know what to say, and one is vess-
f,,p,,,of hoforo CO droo1f,,1