New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-01-31
LITERARY CRITICISM
AND BOOK NEWS
Two Volumes of Adventurous "reminiscences
M. Paul Dmnets Critical Study OF
Paul Bourget-Eminent Women.

4
| that she had been. he feared. "tnfn,-
| fGmcnie indiscreet.' he added that this
/ was nothing 10 him or TO his CORE
/ spondent. Sir Horace Mason. The
cause Of this indiscretion. not her first
/ one by any means. was the French
ambassador This edition Of her me-
mors. and the interesting biography
I which precedes them. and which fills
/ the greater part Of the first volume.
+ throws incidentally n glarlng light upon
1 the English society Journalism Of the
/ latter part of the eighteenth and the
/ beginning Of tho nineteenth century.
barbed by the brutal pencils ~ car
toonists like Gillray.
The scandal Of the French ambas-
sador led Lord Craven. his Wife's
senior by many years. to separate from
her He gave her an allowance, and
she settled. with the youngest of their
six children, in Paris, where she met
the Margrave Of Brandenburg, Anspach
and Baireuth, Duke Of Prussia ana
Count of Sayn. the son Of Frederick
the Greats lively sister. and nephew
Of George lis Queen. Their friendship
she assured her husband and others.
was purely platonic but when she be-
gan her travels on the Continent,
which led her as far as Constantinople,
she gave rise TO a new scandal by al
lowing a Young man. Henry Craven, 20
accompany her. Two years later IN
1877. she settled in Anspach. The Mar
grave was married. he was also deep
~ interested in French actress at
his court theatre. Mile. Clarion. whom
Lady Craven promptly dove from the
field. \ bluestocking, a writer OF verses
and comedies from her carly years,
the clever I-nglish woman, still main /
tanning the platonic pose, interested /
herself in the Margraves theatre. ,
wrote plays for ii. translated others .
and organized a company Of noble /
amateurs. Of which she herself was ,
a member. She was now completely .
ostracized. although some Of her trav-
cling countrymen visited her from time +
TO time to satisfy their curiosity. Yet. /
such are the exigencies Of Ia hGWe /
DolifioUc when the MargraVe went TO I
Berlin 10 negotiate the sale Of his !
principality to the King Of Prussia, ana !
Lady Craven accompanied him, she
was received at court. One lady OF the
Prussian aristOcracy thus described her .
on this occasion: she is faded, intelli-
gent. c6nceited. interests herself in no !
one. and converses only with the Mar
grave. who seems to be hewitched by /
her"
The Margarine died at just this /
moment, and His Serene Highness, now
without a realm Of his own, decided TO !
settle in London, his Egeria accom- (
panving him as a matter OF course. !
Equally as a matter Of course, the /
King and Queen killed their evident
hope of social recognition. They went !
travelling. Lord Craven's death in 1877 /
removed the last obstacle to their /
union, and they were married at LIS ,
bon in the same year. The GerTan I
Emperor shortly afterward made Lady |
Craven Princess Berkeley (Which was |
her maiden nance.
Thereafter Their Serene Highnesses /
lived in London, ignored by the Court, |
but with a court Of their own, at which /.
the Margarine ruled supreme and !
gave free rein TO her love Of theatri- :,
calls. The Margrave went in for sport. I
He died in 1906. His widow survived |
him twenty-five years. Her memoirs, |
apart from their immediate and now |
unnecessary purpose, present an in I
teresting picture of the social and po-
litical life of her period.