Year: 1870

TaIenteu ana Clevcr-POpuInrfty
of the Engagement.


| % R LoSDoS. Oct. ls.


The whole town is ringing to-day with
the news of the Princess Louise's en-
gagement to the young Marquis of Lorne.
the Duke Of Argyle's eldest son. At
present the statement rests on the un-
supported authority of the Morning
Post, the organ of the fashionable world,
and it may therefore be conjectural--
but it is probably true. The Marquis Of
Lorne has been constant visitor to Bal
moral during the last few weeks-and,
indeed, his fathers absence in Scotland
during the autumnal recess has been un-
usually prolonged, probably in conse-
quence of this affair. The intimacy
which, during all the years of the queens
reign, has subsisted between her majesty
and the members of the Sutherland fam
ily-of whom the Duchess of Argyle is
one-naturally gives an air of probabil-
| ity to the announcement. If it were
possible to induce the queen to consent
to an alliance between one of her daugh-
ters and subject, one would look first
| to this quarter for the fortunate youth,
for the queen has transferred to the pres
ent Duchess of Sutherland .(whom she
made peeress in her own right under
the title of Countess of Cromartie), and
to the Duchess of Argyle the personal
affection which she cherished for the
Duchess under whose wing Mrs. Stowe
made her first appearance in
England. Between the present
Duke and the Prince of Wales as
lively friendship also exists During
the season, Sutherland house has &c
more constant visitor than our heir APP
parent. Great facilities for this inter
course are afforded by the contiguity of
Marlborough house to the stately resi-
dence of the Gowers-a far more com
modious mansion than that in which the
Prince of Wales is "crib'd, cabin'd and
confn'd" The Marquis of Lorne is
now twenty-five years of age--a tall,
aristocratic, young man, with the auburn
hair and the finely chiseled features of
his paternal race. He is well travelled;
for his father has made foreign travel
part of the education of his children.
Lord Lorne has made tour of the West
Indies and the United States, and has
given to the public the benefit of his ad-
ventures Ill llt lOTlil vi a NOiuluC Which,
was without exaggeration one of the
most popular books of the season in
which it was published. The young lord
has sat for the family county of Argyle
shire since the last general election, and
has consistently acted and voted with
the Liberal party His opinions are
somewhat advanced for ever since he
entered public life he has supported the
ballot and other radical measures. He
has acted as his fathers private secre-
tary at the India office, and generally
his views are those of the duke, although
not servllely so; for it is one of his
grace's distinguishing merits that he has
cultivated habits of Independent thought
on the part of his children.


As for the Princess Louise, one can
say all that is good and gracious of her
royal highness. She is beautiful
blonde, with an erect carriage and an
elegant figure-the one female member
of the royal family always excepting
the Princess Mary of Cambridge who
in any company would be singled out
for her handsome face and her distin-
guished appearance. She is also reputed
to be both amiable and clever-two
qualities which do not always go together.
For several years past, as the eldest un


married daughter of the royal house, she
has been her mother's right hand There
can be no doubt that one of her maJesty's
motives for consenting to this marriage
is desire to have her youngest daugh-
ters always near her. The disturbing
elements which are likely to be at work
L. g.. to
come do not make foreign alliances at
all inviting; and her majesty has al
ready suffered great anxiety on account
of the Princess Royal and the Princess
Alice. Then moments reflection must
suffice TO show that the heir of the
Argyle family is as good man as any
German princeling or dukeling The
English people have grown more and
more sensitive on the subject of these con
tinental marriages They do not see why
an English Princess should not marry
one of her own people; and as they now
have popular constitutional govern
ment for and by the nation-they do not
understand why the marriage of subject
with a member of the royal family should
be attended with the evil results which
have been so often apprehended. 1t has
been supposed that the influence which
a subject who marries one Of the royal
family would possibly acquire oyer the
mind of the sovereign might prove inim-


cal to the national liberties. This OBJ
lection might have been fatal fifty or a
hundred years ago. but now it is purely
chimerical. The monarch, under the
modern system, does not meddle with
poiiiioG-these she leaves entirely to her
ministers; and Lord Lorne, if he were
ambitious, would have 10 rely upon his
own personal character and abilities for
the means of influencing the course of
the natiogSl affairs. do not speak
without thought when J affirm that the
marriage Of Lord Lorne with the Psipcess
Louises--if it should really take place
will be ana of fha most popular acts of