Year: 1877

eral Graut-


Mr.. LII. Jennings, in his last letters from
London to the New York World, says:


II set out, however, not to retail gossip,
but to refer to matter which has been so
generally talked about that it would be mere
affectation on my part to be silent respect
ing it. 1t relates to the absence OF the
Prince of Wales from the review OF the
troops by the Queen last week. So general
has been the talk on the subject that at last
the IixseS seems to have been desired
to offer sort of explanation, and it is
that the Prince of Wales was not in
yited to attend by reason OF an oversight
Now, an oversight which leaves the heir
apparent out in the cold could scarcely have
been an undersigned one, and all sorts OF
motives are attributed to the queen 1or
passing this slight upon her eldest son. In
reality. however, there is nothing mvsteri-
ous about it. The Queen has always been
iealous Of the Princes popularity with the
army, and w hen she reviews her troops she
desires no one to come between her and
them. She is a monarch, and will have no
divided allegiance. The Prince OF Wales
holds certain positions in the army which
could scarcely have been refused to him,
but he has been made to understand before
now that 1royal' review OF the troops
does not mean review in which he can
take any part. The Queen, in fact, means
TO be the sovereign as long as she lives, and
she often shows that she cares nothing
whatever for any remonStrances, criticisms,
or suggestions that may be addressed to
her.


"I am sorry to see that gossip about the
Queen of another kind is being readily
Credited in New York-namelv, that on the
occasion of General Grants visit to Wind
sor Castle he was kept waiting in an ante
room for some time and treated with rude
ness. Surely it must have seemed highly
improbable that the Queen should have
asked General Grant to her house merely to
insult him. On the occasion in question
the Queen came down stairs to receive
the General, as she would do to a royal
visitor, and il any rudeness took place
in the castle it did not proceed from
the Queen. You had better ask how
it was that an invitation which was
at first designed only for General and Mrs.
Grant was afterwards made to include Min
ister Pierrepont' and his wife and Master
Jesse Grant. You will find, il you get to
the bottom OF that story, very pretty speci-
men of diplomatic man9uvring, and you
will see that il the kite takes it into its head





find out that the thing can't be done. You
have evidently underrated Minister Pierre
points accomplishments as kites tail. AS
for quarrels about precedence the only
dispute that took place was at "a dinner where
General Grant insisted on going down be-
fore the Duke OF Cambridge. And this he
would not have done il his good friends
who managed him here had not egged him
on. 1t is a thousand pities that these mat
ters should be revived. knew OF them all
at the time they took place, and OF many
other little incidents OF which your readers
do not yet seem to have heard; but it
seemed to me the wisest course to say no.
thing about them. II injustice is to be done,
however, the whole truth had better be told,
and there are some Americans returning TO
New York who can give you an Idea as TO
who is likely to suffer most when q clean
breast is made all round Of what they saw or
heard on the 4th of July in Cavendish square.
Then perhaps the eyes Of the bind VIII be
opened.


"The Queen, then, you may safely take
it for granted, has inflicted no indignlty
upon General Grant, and any attack upon
her, based on the assumption That she mas,
will do her great injustice. II, now, an ar
ticle appeared arraigning her for her treat
ment of her eldest son, it would not be pos.
sible to find any one to deny the justice OF
the charge. For it cannot be right Tor
mother to receive an enormous sum an.
nually for occupying a certain position and
then to throw all the pecuniary burden ap-
pertaining to that position on her son.
Queen or no queen, any woman who acts IN
that way is un Just. The Queen OF England
is at this moment the richest woman in the
world, totally apart from the sum which she
annually receives from the country"