Year: 1868

From the chapel Queen Isabella pro,


ceeds TO the nursery. The nursery is q


suite OF four or Eve rooms in the western


wing Of the palace. 1t is here that hei


Majesty makes the most favorable i'm


preston upon US. AS we said before she
is an sffsctiOnate mother, and her small


blue eyes beam with delight as she en-
| braces her children, who are brought "a


her by their nurses and govefnesses.
! The Queen has seven children living, OF
/ whom, at the time of which We are speak
| ing, the eldest, a beautiful dark haired


and dark eyed girl of fourteen-nOw the
4 wife of the Duke of Girgenti-was the
Queen's darling. The young lady was
noted for her some what petulRnt and
and self-willed character; but at the
| same time she YVES exceedingly kind
hearted, and, in consequence, her reia-
1 tlves and servants were much attached
to her. S6e was at first decidedly op-
posed to the union with the brother Of
the eX-KiDg Of Naples; but when she


made the acquaintance Of the husband


whom her mother had chosen for her,
and who, though be is the son Of King
BoRba, is believed to be q very good
young man. She told him st once with
charming adiUete that she would be glad
to take him, and the young couple are


believed to live very happily together.
AS regards the rest of the QIeen's chill
dren, they are mostly pale and sickly, and
by no means gOod-lOoking. Especially
is this the case with the young Prince Of
Asturias, ascrofulous boy OF eleven, whose
stubborn, peevish character has already
driven dozen gOvernesses and tutors to
despair, and who was already in his
earliest boyhOod 80 unpopular in Madrid
that the people freely expressed the hope
that he might never ascerd the Spanish
throne. We cannot wonder, therefore,
that the recent attempt to proclaim him
King of Spain under a legal regency
proved so utterly fruitless.


As usual, the Queen went on that day
with sll her children to the RetirO-that
quiet, charming promenade close to the
royal palace, from which the general
public was carefully excluded whenever
the royal family intended to take walk
in it. On very fine days the Queen would
appear in q carriage or on horseback on
the public promenade; for, awkward as
she is as pedestrian, she is very grace.
full and even intrepid horsewoman, and
the people of Madrid say that she takes
special and rather malicious delight in
asking the King Consort, who is known
to be utterly averse to riding on horse
back, and who can never find a charger
gentle and quiet enough for him, to &C.
company her on such occasions.


From the promenade the @ laen went
to dinner, where she never staid less
than between two and three hours.
Isabella has always been a gOurmand,
and from her earliest youth her appetite
has been enormous. In Madrid she is
considered gluttOn and to the Span
iards, who are so abstemiOus, gluttoDy is
even more Tepulsive than TO other na-
tiOns SO that IsabeIla's performances at
the dinner table have added as much to
her uDpopularity as her love affairs. She
seldom admits many guests to her table
besides her relatives, and few OF her Min
listers or OF the foreign ambassadors can
boast of having often been invited to the
royal table.


After dinner the Queen used 10 hold
short siesta, or chatted and played for
half sn hour with her children; aud then
the gala carriages were ordered, and the
whole family drove to the opera. The
opera house is situated very close to the
royal palace, but the QGeen never roe
paired thither bat with Tie display of
considerable pOmp. OutTider5 heT2lded
her coming on these occasions, and her
equtpage was escorted by half squad
ron OF dragons Of the guard. The Tegu-
larity with which the Queen visited the |
opera, however, should not be taken as
evidence of her musical taste; on the |
contrary, it is said that she never in- |
quires for the name Of the opera which |
she sees performed, and often falls asleep |
during the representation st all events, |
she always left the opera shortly after |
nine o'clock. Upon her return to the |
palace she used to receive her ministers |
and distinguished foreigners, spend an |
hour or two at the supper table, and then |
retired to her private apartments,