Year: 1869

I I . "


There was time, not very many years ago,
when her Majesty Queen Victoria was the
most popular sovereign in Europe. She is
NOV as unpopular and as much disliked as any
crowned head in the world. And, remember,
1 do not speak of the working or even of the
lower midale classes. Her unpopulatity has
not got SO far absn as that, although it very
suon will. But aiieng the nobility of Eng
land you never hear good tsord spoken of her
Majesty, but very much the contrary. The
reason for this is that the Queen has offended
the nobility by her long continued mourning
and her determination-whichs seemingly will
end only in death-not to take any part in
the courtly duties of her station. In fact,
there is now no court in England, and what is
more, what is quite exceptional in our history,
generation of the nobility in this land has
now grown up that knows not the sovereign of
England To this must be added the fact
that since the death of Prince Albert the
Queen does not spend half the money, half
the immense income she is allowed by the
nation, and that her Majesty has now saved
half million Of money or about two millions
of dollars, which ought to have been expended
in patronizing art, promoting trade and con-
tribrting to charities She does not mix with
the people, is rarely or never seen, even by
the highest nobility in the land, and, except
the public business ehe is obliged to transact
with ministers, she deputies all duties to the
Prince of Wales, who is, except among the
widest of tho wild young men of the upper
classes, most unpopular In England lie
lives in every sense of th1 word wild lie,
and, unless public rumor is even more untruth-
full than usual he is By no means the most
faithful Of husbands, although married to one


I n i L FL
Europe.


The Prince of Wales is in fact, but type
of the young men Of the period. He smokes
hard, drinks hard, lives hard, plays, is deeply
in debt, and has, it is said, many iutimacies
to his credit The Princess of Wales is much
loved, much admired and much .pitied Need
l say more The consequence of this state
of things is that society in England is left
without leader, and, unaccustomed to walk
alone, it makes great mess of its attempts to
get along without guide. Another effect Gf
the present condition of society in England is
that numbers Uf the best and most wealthy
families never come to London at all, but re-
main all the year round at their country seats,
or perhaps the head OF the family, if peer,
runs up to town to vote in his place in the
House of Lords, remains at hottl SO long as
any great party question is pending, and then
goes back again. 1t follows, as matter of
course, that not nearly, not half the money
that was formerly spent in London now finds
It's way among the tradesmen of the metrop,
oils, and the discomfort caused thereby is very
great indeed "We have to pay for a court,
but we receive hothing;" "Et support the
Queen, and she does nothing for trade is
what you hear on every side among the tra>
ding classes. And, what is more, the grum>
bling not only attaches itself to the Queen,
but also to the nobility. The peerage no
longer commands that respect, so to speak,
which was formerly paid to the Office of leg
islator, although that legislator derived his
power from hereditary right. There have
of late been SO many scandals respecting the
money matters, the private lives aud the gen.
eral conduct of men in high position that
title has not the charm it once had for the
English public in general.