New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1907-05-18

Edited by Edgar Sheppard c. Y. O., D. - IN
two volumes with Illustrations SvO. PIP. Xxx,
BIZ; XII. $50 LongInans, Green & Co
It used to he considered necessary after the
death Of a man Of any Importance in Enslsh
politics or social life 10 walt generation before
authorizing the publication Of his letters or
other nr4zate papers This custom has, how
ever fallen away in recent years The bog
raphies Of Gladstone, Argyll, Randolph Church
81. Cardinal Manning and Archbishop Creigh-
ton have all been published despite the survival
OF hundreds OF their contemporaries who were
their colleagues or friends That the old Gus
tom should be abandoned in the case of a mem
Der Of any royal family is somewhat surprising.
for in what are known exalted quarters
such matters are traversed with peculiar and
even excessive discretion. But since a large
mass Of the earlier papers Of Queen Victoria
have been put IN hand for publication within a
gear so. there was perhaps ample precedent
for the preparation of the present volumes 1t
IS obvious. too, from DR.. Sheppard's preface.
that the diaries Of the late Duke of Cambridge
are as they stand in print. entirely innocuous
No regulations could suffer from the publica-
Ion OF these volumes. A family history that
Gas been practically edited by the King the
Prince and Princess of Wales the Duke of Con-
naught, the Duke OF Teck and no fewer than
forty-five members of the highest English So
cety is scarcely likely to prove another Creevey
rather than 10 the reticence OF the duke is
made plain to the reader on every page Only
once in the whole work is any indication given
Of his well known irascible temper. With I'M
expected generosity the editors have passed the
anecdote related by Mr.. Sydney Holland con-
corning a adventure Of the dukes at the
opening OF the Press Bazaar for the London
Hospital in 1S9s-and this is an anecdote which
had already found its way into print. Mr.. Hol-
land says
d6 g There VAS 5GSTi hdsSS T c4ush
a a2 Tine eEG" e " eeg 10 Was get sf a WaS a., an
crowd looked dangerous because of its numbers
- re- sTeCiei rese.3 re |ieeh arflVeq
ttrr.5,--, 90 -oy - LoT nm loo-ahd
IS az an earthquake. Up came the duke: he al
queen being present. said. What does this mean?
.Ta PT ESQ N e OF the h%aPia was refused
2rganlzeT-no excuse can be received-you ought
o be shot. and SO on. only worse. It was use
gnow then what had happened The Queen enc w S9s
noyed The duke When I heard what had
had occurred TO rGie the equaniity '-i Of
even tSnbe The dear 6d Gne ms se6 ta han an
tie hospital, had arrived in plenty of time and
the door voGng poiieemaI guarded the doc
What 60 y9q want = want TO come in" Well,
one else IS 70 be admitted" Damn Mr.. Holland,
! am the Duke OF Cambridge ''Oh, ! dareSay,'
F SIC 5-e RJllce-i 1 are an dukes today
took him three weeks TO forgive
This incident does not appear in the dukes
diary though il scarcely be doubted that
be made some record Of ii. Possibly the lam
guage ne used for his own private relief was
even more explosive than that cited by Mr. Hol-
land, and invited the blue pencil. The dukes
editors have not stinted him at all where his
tributes 10 his friends have been concerned
Many Of these pages read like nothing so much
as a series OF obituaries. 4 man of high sta
ton, with almost innumerable relatives, who
lived TO the advanced age of eighty-four, would
OF course have many deaths to record in his
diary. The duke was of a warmhearted and
impUlsive nature. Too. too sad seems to
have been his habituaI comment when he heard
Of the death Of any one with whom he had come
II contact whether among his kinsfolk in
social and professional life. In all that he
wrote about his losses he was a careful OBJ
Server Of the maxim, DE mortuis nil nisi
bonum"
= curious evidence of the careful editing to
which the diaries have been subjected is the
complete absence Of mention Of the dukes
home life in the entries down TO 1890. when the
death Of Mrs. FItzGeorge took place 1t is
scarcely 10 be believed that the duke who was
80 warmly attached to all his royal relatives and
who frequently mentions his baby nephews, |
hieces and cousins. should never have made an |
entry concerning his wife and three sons. His |
biographer speaks Of his marriage as 'morga-
matte, and all his royal and aristocratlc editors
have passed the term. There IS. however. no |
such institution in England as a morganatic |
marriage, nor is there a distinction of rank |
which would make such q marriage possible |
Ine marriage Of the Duke of Cambridge was /
Illegal. and Mrs. FitzGeorge and her children |
mad no better position in English life than Mrs |
tltz Herbert the wife of George ", or Lady
augusta Dunmore. who was twice married to |
the Duke Of Sussex, once in Rome and again |
lest this should not he valid-in England |
George " repudiated his marriage with Mrs
Fltz Herbert, and the marriage Of the Duke ~ .
husseH-aIthough Lady Augusta held high rank
IN the British peerage and was indeed Of roval
oescent-was annUlled By the English court and +
the two children were declared Legitimate In
the opinion Of George III no British subtect yvae
IL To mate with prince Of the house Of Han
over. Had George ~ and the Duke Of srIs-ev
moi been descendants Of George IL or had thar
marriages been entered into previous IN 1870
tne validity Of those marriages would moi bava
been questioned But George III had hean
neeply offended by the marriage Of his brother
4he Duke Of Gloucester, 10 Lady Waldegrave
me ilegitimate granddaughter of Sir Robert
"a-pole' and the marriage Of his younger
D'0ther' the Duke Of Cumberland, TO Mrs. Hor
'oH' AS a result Of these two marriages the |
a4iioihleht OF which could not be brought about
py any ehort on the part OF George III and. his
80 uie royal marriages act was pressed
-~iti@lleht in l772 by the personal in
49, - - 'iI0 hihg' who had TO fight for bis
Az 'iIe 'eeth Of violent opposition rv +h,.
he'd