The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1912-05-30
Follows Example of King George
in Adopting Nautical
Custom.
BY La MAnauIsE DE FoNrENoY


and obtained his iirst taste OF
real experience OF the fleet has adopted
the nautical custom of having his arms
tattooed. In doing this he is follow
Ing the example OF King George who
while with his ship in Japan. when
yet quite a lad. took advantage of the
opportunity to have one of the most
skilful needle artists in Dai Nippon
udorn him with an exquisitely eNecut-
ed picture of dragons In delicate blue
and pink.
The Japanese are past-masters in the
art of making permanent these pic
lures on the skin, and few visitors to
their country, especially IL they arc
sseafarers. can withstand the tempta-
ton to become. in this fashion. plcto-
rally ornamental.
However. when King George and his
late brother the Duke of Clarence
who were 'midshipmites" at the time.
was caused. For some oficious indi.
vidual--possibly 1t was a practical
jokcr-wrotc home from Australia
stating that the two princes had had
the broad arrow" worked with need
les on the tips of their little royal
noses. Now the broad arrow Is the
mark placed upon all properly oelo"s
ing to the British Government. and Is
more especially familiarized to the
public by the fact that conV!cts nave
their clothing literally stamped with
stripes are employed in America.
British society. both the classes ana
the masses were aghast at the idea or
the future ruler of their vast empire
adorned with a sign that was so pom,
inently identified with the criminal
element undergoing punishment. a
shout of horror went up from one emo
of Parliament We're forced by their
constituents to formally question the
cabinet, with due soiemnity. as tnss
House. and so serious and widespread
was the agitation, over the affair. that
the government addressed to each OF
the London newspapers an oftici al
on the editorial page in large type. as.
surfing the people that the noses OF
the young princes We're absolutely free
from any such disagreement as th2t
which had been reported.
AS a matter of fact, royal personages
do not choose their noses as the Ioca-
ton for the demonstration of Japanese
them submit their arms to the opera
ton. For instance. King George or
Greece. and his nephew. the Car. were
each tattooed while in Dali Nippon; SO
too was the Duke of Genoa, Archduke
stephen OF Austria, and Prince Henry
of Prussia. the sailor brother of En-
peror William. The late Grandduke
Alexis OF Russia. brother of the Car.
enjoyed the distinction OF being the
most magnificcntly and deliberately
tattooed Prince of the Blood in Europe;
with a superb dragon, which covered
1T almost entirely. from half
way between the wrist and elbow to
the shoulder. This was done on a
Nagasaki Bay, where the Granddukc
spent some time while serving as lieu
| tenant on board the flagship Of the
Muscovite squadron in Chinese and
of Denmark, had a beautiful anchor
| and crown tattooed on her arm half
bow. her sailor husband was lattooed:
| as was also the late King Oscar of
sweden, who was many years IN the
navy before ascending the throne.
| Indeed, for a royal sailor to withs tand
| the temptations of the tattooing needle.
| as welded by the ekilful and artistic
Jap, would prove him to be somewhat
exceptional in his makeup and not
really bound by the almost unalter-
able customs and traditions OF the sea.
what unfortunate in her champions.
Some time ago extremely Halter
ing biography OF her was published
by an Englishman of the name OF
emily admitted to, certain amount of
Intimacy. since the book. and few
articles bearing his signature in week
~ publications contained information
that could only have been furnished
Presumably his recognition on the
part of the imperial lady was not what
he expected it would be-, For he, has
just published another volume entitled,
The Comedy and Tragedy of the
second Empire" which Is far from
showing the Empress and her husband
Napoleon III, in pleasing light 1t
is dedicated to Emile Olivier. Premier
at the time of the Franco-Pru3sian
War, who thanks the author In a letter
used as a preface. and states tnat as ne
is almost blind. he hopes. TO have the
book read to him some time.
Opposite the title-pagc is picture
OF Napoleon III. and in conjunction
Monsieur Pietri, private secretary to-
the Empress. in which he acknowledges
her receipt OF the photograph of the
having thus established, so to speak. MS
right to claim acquaintance with his
subject in the flesh. proceeds to treat
the imperial pair in an altogether ven
omous manner. Thus, in almost every
page of the book an allusion is made
10 one or another OF the numerous
scandals with which the Empress's
been associated. All sorts of wicked
sossip has been resurrected from SniS-
lcr's Les Amours Tragiques de Napo-
leon ILL.," and Loliee's still more re-
cent and highly favored accounts OF
the last occupants of the Tuileries.
Moreover. one can scarcely ina CINE
that the aged Empress could find any
special pleasure in looking upon pho
tographs more than half century old
in which she is portrayed in singularly
unbecoming costumes. an odaiisque,
as a Spanish Gypsy, and as a Circas
sian dancing girl; while both herself
and old eX-premier olivier (to whom
the volume Is dedicated) Will be graf
flied by a story to the effect that she
had on one occasion at ST. Cloud loudly
proclaimed that she knew how to get
ria OF General F'leury and Emile OIL
vier. and to rid France OF them" Legge
insists upon It as fact that Napoleon
III. had no drop OF Bonaparte blood
in his veins, and that his real father
was one of Queen Hortense's numer-
Gus lovers, and charges the Emperor
repeatedly with having displayed cow
ardlce at the battle of Solferino. in
1859. and at Sedan in 1870. This will
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