The Shropshire Examiner and all round the Wrekin advertiser. — 1876-01-07 (Wenlock, Shropshire, England)

THE PRINCE AND THE ELEPHANT'S TAIL.  Our Radical contemporary. the Lmnion "Examiner," recently made merry over the adventures of His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales as "a pig-sticker." It does not seem to be equally well known that the Heirapparent to the British throne has lately figured in a still more ridiculous connection. having almost lost his life—all through having run off with an elephant's tail! Mr. Disraeli and his friends know best why the Prince was itlat to India; but none of us are ignorant of the very intelligent and very refining pursuits with which he has chiefly occupied his time! Like Nimrod, our future king is "a mighty hunter," but he is not particular as to the kind of game that falls to his rifle. In England, it may be pigeons; in Ceylon, elephants. The docility and sagacity of the elephant are touchingly described in our school-books, and most people with sensitive feelings would esteem it little better than murder to coolly shot down one of thos3 harmless and defenceless brutes. But princes and their sycophants are not troubled with sensitive feelings; they are far above that sort of thing. Consequently, we should not feel greatly surprised to learn that, during his recent visit to Ceylon. the Prince was placed on an elevated platform— in a sort of crow's nest, out of harm's reach —near a spot where several elephants were hidden. A number of flunkies were told off to drive the defenceless brutes within range of the Prince's rifle. But the elephants declined to play their part in the performance, wisely conjecturing that what was fun to a Prince might be death to them. 'lf the mountain will not come to Mahomet," thought the royal attendants, "Mahomet must go to the mountain," and so our valiant Prince was prevailed on to leave the sheltered crow's neat. and encounter the perils of the jungle with a " crack " colonial shot for defence on either side. Presently the Prince's eye caught sight of an elephant, and a bullet from the Prince's rifle was lodged in the body of the huge beast, which fell to the .ground, but got up again, and, to the Prince's great disgust. quietly walked off into the jungle. There it would probably die a painful and lingering death. for royal bullets are unfortunately as fatal as those of meaater men. Several other elephants were treated in a similar manner, only one being lucky enough to have its ' sufferings terminated by a speedy death. The tail of this animal was cut off and presented to the Prince, who with this grand (but, as it proved, unlucky) trophy in his possession. began his return journey to Colombo. By this time it was dark. The Governor's coachman who drove the Prince, not being accustomed to have royalty grasping an elephant's tail in his charge. became nervous, an overturned the vehicle. The earriagl made a corn) plete somersault, and was smashed ia pieces. I the Prince being dragged unhurt from among the "debris," much in the same manner—to quote the eloquent words of an eye-witness— "as a cask of flour is removed from a wreck !" The unlucky tail was searched for carefully by the light of torches, aml was conveyed in a spare carriage, along with the Prince, to the royal headquarters at Colombo. It might be interesting to know how much this elephant's caudal appendage cost the British ratepayer. It would lie equally instructive to learn what effect this hunting episode will have on the educated native mind. which must have some difficulty in understanding why cruelty to animals is punished when perpetrated by a peasant, and praised when indulged in by a prince. Like Miss Home. in George MacDonald's "Malcolm." princes ought surely to thank their Maker that they hat' nae feelin's." Unfortunately, elephants cannot do likewise. Happy: princes—unhappy elephants!