Year: 1869

The Regent Of spain aud His Wife.


From the Madrid Correspondent of the New


York Herald.l


The Duke de la Tore, now Regent OF


Spain, is acting his part with an admir-


able discretion-too admirable, in fact,


for the hopes of his numerous political


friends who elevated him to the Regency.


He is as dry as rock. No place, emo


lument or political support can be got
| out of him, because, as he says, if ne gave
away any of these things now he would


be acting unconstituiionally, he would


be weakening the prestige of General
Prim and the other ministers. No, not
a single thing can be extracted out of


Serrano, save an invitation to royal


banquet, which he knows how to give


with grace and eclat This is bad.


Look at the position how you may, it


gives signs of decay. The liberal


union men used their best efforts to ele-


vate Serrano, in the hope that he would


weaken the progressists party under
General Prim, and urge Prim to give


places to their own section but they are


quite disappointed. Serrano reclines on


his luxurious cushions aud listens in a


dreamy state to the laudstions addressed


to him, prefaced and ended by Sue Alte-


"a, (your Highness), but will neither


stir TO procure an appointment for a


liberal union man at the request of that


section, nor will he permit one word of


censure or praise to General Prim, when


that dignitary condescends to ask the
Regent for his approval. Serrano an-
swers, with glacial smile, My dear
General, you knew nay political tenden-
cies before created Regent; have none
whatever now; | am acting the part of
a King; | may neither censure nor APP
plaud. / may have no political opinions
now have but to sign what you bring
me. Do what may seem good in your
own eyes, but do not ask me what my
thoughts are. must approve everything
you bring before me-contrary action on
my part would be unconstitutional"
This is the answer Prim gets. What is
embodied in this answer is all that is
said to all political parties. 10 private
capacity one may visit him, and Serrauo |
will be found true gentleman, sffable |
and generous; but array him on polit-
ical ground and he becomes as glacially |
dumb as the Sphinx.


The Duchess de la Tore, the belle of
Madrid, the most fascinating of the belle
sero, is quite the reverse of her consttu-
tional lord. She is as naughty and as
imperious as Cstharine of Russia. Among
the fair sex and cavaliers who visit her
salons the Duquesa is supreme all must
bow down before her will, otherwise the
obdurate one will instantly be annihi.
lated by her frowns. If she says, Ladies
must come in white muslin the shops
in Madrid are instantly besieged, and
white muslin bales disappear. If she
says, Dress for evening will be pale
orange silk" it has been noticed that her
dictum is scrupulously obeyed. Even
before the Duke was elected Regent, she
said that week after the installation she
would give State ball, at which all la
dies must attend in white muslin, and as
she commanded so it was done. But the
fair Dutchess' imperiousness is very
aud all Spanish caballeres
who have visited her hospitsble palace
cry, "Long life to her." and every person
who has sat at the table OF the Duke be-
comes friend of and supporter of him,
so that his popularity, decreasing politi-
cally, is increasing in the social circle,
and Prim asd he are on excellent terms.