diff options
Diffstat (limited to '43407-8.txt')
| -rw-r--r-- | 43407-8.txt | 10429 |
1 files changed, 0 insertions, 10429 deletions
diff --git a/43407-8.txt b/43407-8.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 5de851c..0000000 --- a/43407-8.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,10429 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Empress Frederick; a memoir, by Anonymous - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org/license - - -Title: The Empress Frederick; a memoir - -Author: Anonymous - -Release Date: August 6, 2013 [EBook #43407] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE EMPRESS FREDERICK; A MEMOIR *** - - - - -Produced by Charlene Taylor, Chuck Greif and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This -file was produced from images generously made available -by The Internet Archive/American Libraries.) - - - - - - - - Every attempt has been made to replicate the original, printed. Some -typographical errors have been corrected; a list follows the text. Some - illustrations have been moved from mid-paragraph for ease of reading. - (etext transcriber's note) - - - - - THE EMPRESS FREDERICK - - [Illustration] - - - - - The - Empress Frederick - - A MEMOIR - - _WITH ILLUSTRATIONS_ - - [Illustration] - - NEW YORK - Dodd, Mead and Company - 1914 - - COPYRIGHT, 1913, - BY DODD, MEAD AND COMPANY - - - - -PREFACE - - -Memoirs of Royal personages form not the least interesting part of the -whole vast field of biography, in spite of the fact that such memoirs -differ from the lives of most persons in a private station because of -the reticence and discretion which are necessary, especially in regard -to affairs of State and political characters. It is often not until a -whole generation has passed that it is possible to publish a full -biography of a member of a Royal House, and in the meantime the exalted -rank of the subject operates both to enhance and to diminish the -interest of the memoir. - -This is also true in a modified degree of statesmen, of whom full and -frank biographies are seldom possible until their political associates -and rivals have alike disappeared from the scene. This necessary delay -is a test of the subject's greatness, for it has sometimes happened that -by the time a full memoir can be published the public interest in the -individual has waned. - -By heredity, by training, by all the circumstances of their lives, Royal -personages form a caste apart; and though their lot may seem to some -persons enviable, it is often not realised how great are the sacrifices -of happiness and contentment which they are called upon to make as the -inevitable consequence of their exalted position. - -The Empress Frederick presents an extraordinary example of what this -exalted position may bring in the way of both happiness and suffering. -Her life has the added interest that, quite apart from her rank, she -possessed an intensely vivid and human personality. History furnishes -examples of many Royal personages who have been, so to speak, crushed -and stunted in their intellectual and spiritual growth by the restraints -of their position. - -Not so the subject of this memoir. The Empress was a woman of remarkable -moral and intellectual qualities--indeed, it is not difficult to see -that, had she been born in a private station, she would have attained -certainly distinction, and very possibly eminence, in some branch of -art, letters, or science. Her rank, far from crushing and stunting her -powers, had the effect of diffusing her intellectual interests over many -fields, and perhaps laid her open to the charge of dilettanteism. But -such a charge cannot really be maintained in view of the solid -constructive work which she achieved, both in the field of philanthropy -and in that of the application of art to industry. The exacting mental -discipline which she underwent at the hands of her father, though it was -in some respects ill-advised as her life turned out, at any rate -supplied her with the habit of mental concentration which enabled her to -carry out those practical and lasting enterprises with which her name -in Germany should ever be associated. Her early training disciplined her -eager, natural enthusiasm for all that was good and serviceable to -humanity, and directed it especially to the welfare of soldiers and of -women and children. She was "a doer of the Word and not a hearer only." -All through her life one is perhaps most profoundly impressed by her -inexhaustible energy; her sense of the tremendous importance and -interest of life, of the wonders of knowledge, of the delights of art -and literature, and of all that there is to do and to feel and to think -in the short years that are given us on earth. - -One of the greatest dangers to which Royal personages are exposed by the -circumstances of their position is that of falling into an attitude of -gentle cynicism. Naturally they are often brought into contact with the -seamy side of human nature, while at the same time they are not perhaps -so well acquainted with its better side, as are persons of less exalted -rank. That the cleverer among them should take up an attitude of -humorous toleration of the whole human comedy is consequently very -natural. - -It is no small testimony to the Empress Frederick's moral greatness -that, though she had experiences in plenty of the bad side of human -nature, she was never tempted to relapse into such an attitude. No one -was ever less of a cynic. She was full of intense passionate -enthusiasms and of a profound sympathy for the unfortunate, and the -disinherited of the earth. In her warm heart there was no room for -hatred or for contempt of others, and she was equally incapable of -shrugging her shoulders at the foibles and follies of poor humanity. - -This eagerness to be up and doing was, however, combined, as has been -often seen in the history of mankind, with a touching faith in the power -of logic and reason. It was not exactly that the Empress held too high -an opinion of human nature, but she undoubtedly showed too little -appreciation of human stupidity and, we must add, of human malice. She -had been brought up with kindly, honourable, well-bred, and, on the -whole, very intelligent people, and when she came into rough collision -with less agreeable qualities of human nature, she suffered intensely. -But she was not soured as a less noble nature might have been; on the -contrary, she continued to the end of her life always to believe the -best of people, always to assume that they are actuated by good motives, -as well as by reason and common-sense. She seems to have missed the key -to the oddities and the vagaries, as well as to the baser qualities of -human nature, and therein lies, perhaps, the secret of the tragedy of -her life. - -That tragedy, as we know, was greatly enhanced by the singular blows of -fate. Her rank had, strangely enough, given her a marriage of love and -affection more real and more lasting than often falls to the lot of -private persons. But the husband whom she adored, as well as two -idolized children, were taken from her. - -It was her fate also to be constantly misunderstood; to see the purity -of her motives doubted and her most innocent actions misconstrued. Owing -partly to the circumstances of her time, partly to her own generous and -warm-hearted but imprudent impulsiveness, she failed to win the -affection of her adopted country as a whole, though she certainly earned -its respect and esteem. This was not the least bitter trial of her life, -for she was one of those natures who have a craving for affection and -understanding sympathy; and the criticism and even the hostility with -which she was regarded in Germany were all the more painful to her in -that she could not in the least understand on what they were based. - -Perhaps she was too deeply convinced of the superiority of England and -of English institutions, and made too little allowance for the -sensitiveness of a people who were then slowly emerging into a national -in place of a particularist consciousness. At the same time it is -certain that, however she had comported herself, she could not have -escaped criticism of which she was no more than the ostensible object, -and the real purpose of which is to be found in the political -cross-currents of the period. - -In this memoir the attempt is made to draw a true picture of this -singularly engaging and generous personality, who played her part in -great affairs, and who suffered all reversals of fortune, the anguish of -bereavement, and the pain of cruel disease, alike with unflinching -courage and dignity. - -The materials have been found, not only in many works of history, -biography, memoir and reminiscence, both German and English, some of -which are little known, especially to English readers, but also in the -recollection of persons who were honoured with the Empress's friendship. -The aim of the writer has been, while avoiding such indiscriminate -laudation as really degrades the subject of it, to draw a full-length -portrait of one of the noblest and most attractive characters in the -long history of the Royal Houses of Europe. - - - - -TABLE OF CONTENTS - - - PAGE - -PEDIGREE SHOWING THE FAMILY CONNECTIONS OF THE -EMPEROR AND EMPRESS FREDERICK xv - -CHAP. - -I CHILDHOOD AND GIRLHOOD 1 - -II BETROTHAL 23 - -III OPINION IN BOTH COUNTRIES 36 - -IV MARRIAGE 58 - -V EARLY MARRIED LIFE 71 - -VI BIRTH OF PRINCE WILLIAM 100 - -VII ADVICE FROM ENGLAND 115 - -VIII DEATH OF THE KING OF PRUSSIA 133 - -IX FIRST RELATIONS WITH BISMARCK 162 - -X THE WAR OF THE DUCHIES 177 - -XI HOME LIFE AND RELIGION 198 - -XII THE AUSTRIAN WAR: WORK IN THE HOSPITALS 210 - -XIII THE FRANCO-GERMAN WAR 227 - -XIV PUBLIC AND PRIVATE ACTIVITIES 245 - -XV THE CROWN PRINCE'S REGENCY 263 - -XVI SILVER WEDDING: THE CROWN PRINCE'S ILLNESS 279 - -XVII THE HUNDRED DAYS' REIGN 299 - -XVIII EARLY WIDOWHOOD: FALL OF BISMARCK 315 - -XIX THE PLANNING OF FRIEDRICHSHOF: VISIT TO PARIS 329 - -XX LIFE AT FRIEDRICHSHOF 340 - -XXI LAST YEARS 354 - - - - -ILLUSTRATIONS - - -The Empress Frederick (Photogravure) _Frontispiece_ - - FACING - PAGE - -The Prince of Wales and the Princess Royal 18 - -The Princess Royal, Victoria Adelaide Mary Louisa 54 - -Her Royal Highness Victoria, Princess Royal 98 - -His Royal Highness, Prince Frederick William of Prussia 138 - -Her Royal Highness, Princess Frederick William of -Prussia 180 - -Her Royal Highness, Princess Frederick William of -Prussia and Infant Prince Frederick William Victor -Albert 218 - -Frederick William, Crown Prince of Prussia, after the -Franco-Prussian War 258 - -The Late Empress Frederick 302 - -The Late Empress Frederick 342 - - - - - PEDIGREE SHOWING THE FAMILY CONNECTIONS OF THE EMPEROR AND EMPRESS - FREDERICK, AND THEIR DESCENT FROM KING JAMES I OF ENGLAND - - - ERNEST AUGUSTUS, = SOPHIA (grand-dau. of James I), - Elector of Hanover, | 1630-1714. - 1629-1698. | - | - +------------------------+--------------+ - | | - SOPHIA CHARLOTTE, = FREDERICK I, GEORGE I, - 1668-1705. | King of Prussia, 1660-1727. - | 1657-1713. | - | | - +--------+ +-----------------+----+ - | | | - FREDERICK WILLIAM I, = SOPHIA DOROTHEA, GEORGE II, - King of Prussia, | 1687-1757. 1683-1760. - 1688-1740. | | - | | - +--------------+------+ | - | | | - FREDERICK THE GREAT, PRINCE AUGUSTUS FREDERICK, - 1712-1786. WILLIAM, PRINCE OF WALES, - 1722-1758. 1707-1757. - | | - FREDERICK WILLIAM II, GEORGE III, - 1744-1797. 1738-1820. - | | - | +------+--------+ - FREDERICK WILLIAM III, | | | - 1770-1840. GEORGE IV, | EDWARD, - | 1762-1830. | DUKE OF KENT, - +---------------+------+ | 1767-1820. - | | | | - FREDERICK WILLIAM IV, WILLIAM I, WILLIAM IV | - 1795-1861. German Emperor, 1765-1837. | - 1797-1888. | - | QUEEN VICTORIA, - | 1819-1901. - | | - +-----------+ +-----------------+ - | | | - EMPEROR FREDERICK, = VICTORIA, PRINCESS KING EDWARD VII, - 1831-1888. | ROYAL, 1841-1910. - | 1840-1901. | - | KING GEORGE V. - | - +--------+--------+----------+-+----+------+------+---------+ - | | | | | | | | - EMPEROR | HENRY, | VICTORIA, | SOPHIA, | - WILLIAM II, | _b._ 1862. | _b._ 1866;. | _b._ 1870;. | - _b._ 1859. | _m._ Princess | _m._ Prince | Queen of the | - | | Irene of Hesse, | Adolphus of | Hellenes. | - Six sons and | his first cousin. | Schaumburg | | | - | | | -Lippe. | | | - one daughter. | | | | Three sons and | - | Three sons. | | two daughters. | - | | | | - CHARLOTTE, SIGISMUND, WALDEMAR, MARGARET, - _b._ 1860;. 1864-1866. 1868-1879 _b._ 1872;. - _m._ Prince _m._ Prince - Bernhard of Frederick Charles - Saxe-Meiningen. of Hesse-Cassel. - | | - One daughter. Six sons. - - - - -THE EMPRESS FREDERICK - - - - -CHAPTER I - -CHILDHOOD AND GIRLHOOD - - -Before the birth of the Princess Royal in November 1840, no direct heir -had been born to a reigning British Sovereign for nearly eighty years. -The Prince Regent, afterwards George IV, was born in 1762, two years -after his father's accession, and the death in childbirth of the Prince -Regent's daughter, Princess Charlotte, when she was only twenty, was -still vividly remembered. - -Queen Victoria was now but little older than Princess Charlotte, and the -birth of her first child was regarded with a certain anxiety by the -nation. It might prove to be the only child, and in that event much -would hang on the preservation of its life. Those members of the "Old -Royal Family" who were next in succession were not popular, and the -little Princess Royal may truly be described as having been the child of -many prayers. - -It was natural that Queen Victoria should have recourse to Prince -Albert's confidential adviser, Baron Stockmar, the more so that he was a -skilled physician. Stockmar therefore came to London early in November. -Those were not the days of trained nurses, but rather of the types -immortalised by Dickens, and it is interesting to find the shrewd old -German, characteristically in advance of his time, urging the Prince to -be most careful in the choice of a nurse, "for a man's education begins -the first day of his life, and a lucky choice I regard as the greatest -and finest gift we can bestow on the expected stranger." - -On November 13 the Court arrived at Buckingham Palace, where on the 21st -the Princess was born. "For a moment only," the Queen says, "was the -Prince disappointed at its being a daughter and not a son." - -The character of the monarchy in England has changed so much, both -absolutely and also relatively to the people, that it is difficult for -us to realise the measure of prejudice and even contempt which still -subsisted before Queen Victoria had had time to win the full confidence -of her subjects. It is not therefore really surprising that the little -Princess Royal should have been greeted on her first appearance with a -shower of caricatures, some of them not remarkable for their refinement. - -Still, a good deal of the rough humour lavished on the Princess was -kindly in its intention, though sometimes there was a sting in the tail. -For instance, Melbourne, the Prime Minister, was shown as nurse, proudly -presenting the Princess Royal to John Bull: "I hope the caudle is to -your liking, Mr. Bull. It must be quite a treat, for you have not had -any for a long time." John Bull replies: "Well, to tell you the truth, -Mother Melbourne, I think the caudle the best of it, for I had hoped -for a boy." - -Melbourne's fatherly devotion to the Queen was indeed a piece of luck -for the caricaturists of the day. A cartoon entitled "Old Servants in -New Characters" shows him dressed as a nurse with the infant Princess in -his care; she is sitting in a tiny carriage, with Lord John Russell as -outrider. - -It was arranged that the christening should take place in London on -February 10, the anniversary of the Queen's marriage, the infant -receiving the names of Victoria Adelaide Mary Louise. Even the -christening of the Princess Royal inspired a long satirical poem. One -verse ran: - - "This is the Bishop, so bold and intrepid, - A-making the water so nice and so tepid, - To christen the Baby, who's stated, no doubt, - Her objection to taking it 'cold without.'" - -The sponsors were Prince Albert's brother, the Duke of Saxe-Coburg and -Gotha (represented in his absence by the Duke of Wellington), the King -of the Belgians, the Queen Dowager (Adelaide), the Duchess of -Gloucester, the Duchess of Kent, and the Duke of Sussex. Lord Melbourne -remarked of the Princess to the Queen next day: "How she looked about -her, quite conscious that the stir was all about herself! This is the -time the character is formed!" The Prime Minister would have agreed with -Stockmar's view that a man's education (and presumably also a woman's) -begins with the first day of life. - -Prince Albert sent a vivid account of the ceremony to the venerable -Dowager Duchess of Gotha: - -"The christening went off very well. Your little great-grandchild -behaved with great propriety, and like a Christian. She was awake, but -did not cry at all, and seemed to crow with immense satisfaction at the -lights and brilliant uniforms, for she is very intelligent and -observing. The ceremony took place at half-past six P. M., and after it -there was a dinner, and then we had some instrumental music. The health -of the little one was drunk with great enthusiasm. The little girl bears -the Saxon Arms in the middle of the English, which looks very pretty." - -The Princess Royal, like her brothers and sisters, led an ideal -childhood. All through her later life she often referred to the -unclouded happiness of these early years, and it comes out equally -clearly in the published correspondence of her sister, Princess Alice. -In this matter both Prince Albert and Queen Victoria were in advance of -their time, and the Prince, especially, perceived, what was not then at -all generally believed, that children could be made happy without being -spoiled. - -Perhaps the most sensible decision of the parents was that the Royal -children should come in contact as little as possible with the actual -life of the Court. Not that the tone of the Court was bad; on the -contrary, it was singularly high, but the Queen and Prince Albert knew -the subtle danger of even innocent petting and flattery on young and -impressionable minds. - -So it was that the Royal children had very little to do with the Queen's -ladies-in-waiting--indeed they were only seen by them for a few moments -after dinner at dessert, or when driving out with their parents. The -Queen and the Prince entrusted the care of their sons and daughters -exclusively to persons who possessed their whole confidence, and with -whom they could be in constant direct communication. Both were kept -regularly informed of the minutest details of what was being done for -their children, and as the princesses grew older they had an English, a -French, and a German governess, who were, in their turn, responsible to -a lady superintendent. - -It has been the custom of late to speak as if the children of Queen -Victoria had been over-educated and over-stimulated. This was at least -partly true of their infancy, but if they had been really over-educated, -they would not have turned out as well as they did later, nor would they -have all delighted in looking back with fond reminiscence to their -earliest years. - -The Princess Royal was soon recognised by all those about her as -intellectually the flower of the happy little flock. She was clever, -self-willed, and high-spirited; learning everything that was put before -her with marvellous intelligence and rapidity. Her dearest friend and -companion was her sister, the sweet-natured, pensive Princess Alice, who -was next in age, after the Prince of Wales, to herself. The two lived -for some years a life which was exactly alike. They shared the same -lessons, the same amusements, the same interests; both had a strong love -of art and of drawing; both were, if anything, over-sensitively alive to -the claims of duty and of patriotism. - -Naturally the most detailed and accurate impression of the Princess -Royal's childhood is to be derived from the correspondence of Sarah Lady -Lyttelton, who was appointed Governess to the Royal children in April -1842. - -This lady, who was then approaching her fifty-fifth birthday, was the -daughter of the second Earl Spencer, and sister of that Lord Althorp who -was a member of Lord Grey's Reform Ministry, and who played a notable -part in politics rather by his strength of character than by any -commanding ability. Lady Sarah married the third Lord Lyttelton in 1813. -It is interesting to recall that her son, afterwards the fourth Lord -Lyttelton, married Mrs. Gladstone's sister, Miss Glynne. Sarah Lady -Lyttelton was widowed in 1837 after a singularly happy married life, and -soon afterwards Queen Victoria appointed her a lady-in-waiting. - -When, some four years later, she was given the responsible post of -Governess to the Royal children, she was already very well known to the -Queen and the Prince Consort, as well as to their closest adviser. Lord -Melbourne, for instance, heartily approved the appointment, declaring -that no other person so well qualified could have been selected. - -The picture of the Princess Royal which her guardian draws in these -letters is one of an extraordinarily winning though precocious child, -and if it seems to modern judgment that the precocity was rather too -much stimulated, it must be remembered that we are back in the 'forties, -when a scientific study of the psychology of infants was not dreamed of. -Moreover, it is abundantly evident that the little Princess had such a -way with her, "so innocent arch, so cunning simple," that it must have -required no ordinary resolution to avoid spoiling her, while even the -most scientific modern expert would probably have found it very hard to -draw the line between over-stimulation and proper encouragement of her -remarkable intelligence. - -Lady Lyttelton had her first glimpse of the Princess Royal in July 1841. -She describes her as a fine, fat, firm, fair, Royal-looking baby, "too -absurdly like the Queen." Her look was grave, calm, and penetrating, and -she surveyed the whole company most composedly. She was shown at her -carriage window to the populace; and Lady Lyttelton, noting the -universal grin in all faces, declares that the baby will soon have seen -every set of teeth in the kingdom! - -Some months later she records that "the dear Babekin is really going to -be quite beautiful. Such large smiling soft blue eyes, and quite a -handsome nose, and the prettiest mouth." The child early acquired the -appropriate pet name of "Pussy," while she herself, finding Lady -Lyttelton's name too large a mouthful, simplified it to "Laddle." - -It may be here recorded that an absurd rumour had been circulated that -the Princess Royal had been born blind, and it was this and other -foolish gossip which first induced the Queen, at the suggestion of -Prince Albert, to issue an official Court Circular, which has been -continued ever since. - -The Queen had the baby constantly with her, and thought incessantly -about her, with the result that the child was perhaps rather -over-watched and over-doctored. She was fed on asses' milk, arrow-root, -and chicken broth, which were measured out so carefully that Lady -Lyttelton fancied she left off hungry. Lady Lyttelton, indeed, had some -experience of this dieting craze, for her brother, Lord Althorp, at one -time, when he had a terror of getting fat, used to weigh out his own -breakfast every morning, and when he had consumed the tiny allowance -used to hasten out of the room lest he should be led into temptation! - -The little Princess was over-sensitive and affectionate, and rather -irritable in temper, and with a prophetic eye Lady Lyttelton says that -"it looks like a pretty mind, only very unfit for roughing it through a -hard life, which hers may be." - -After the birth of the Prince of Wales, Lady Lyttelton gives us a -passing, but sufficiently terrible glimpse of the anxieties which Royal -parents must all suffer, more or less. She mentions that threatening -letters aimed directly at the children were received, and though they -were probably written by mad people, nevertheless no protection in the -way of locks, guard-rooms, and intricate passages was omitted for the -defence of the Royal nurseries; while the master key was never out of -Prince Albert's own keeping. - -The Princess Royal spent her second birthday at Walmar Castle, and she -is described as being "most funny all day," joining in the cheers and -asking to be lifted up to look at "the people," to whom she bowed very -actively whether they could see her or not. - -Perhaps one reason why she became, and remained, so fond of France was -that from infancy she was placed in the charge of a French lady, Madame -Charlier. She was very advanced through all her childhood, especially in -music and painting, yet she remained quite natural and simple in all her -ways. - -She was only three years old when Prince Albert wrote to Stockmar: "The -children in whose welfare you take so kindly an interest are making most -favourable progress. The eldest, 'Pussy,' is now quite a little -personage. She speaks English and French with great fluency and choice -of phrase." But to her parents she generally talked German. - -"Our _Pussette_," the Queen writes a few weeks afterwards, "learns a -verse of Lamartine by heart, which ends with 'Le tableau se déroule à -mes pieds.' To show how well she understood this difficult line, I must -tell you the following _bon-mot_. When she was riding on her pony, and -looking at the cows and sheep, she turned to Madame Charlier, and said: -'Voilà le tableau qui se déroule à mes pieds!' Is not this extraordinary -for a child of three years?" - -It is evident that the oral teaching of languages had very sensibly -preceded that of books, for when the Princess is four years and three -months old we hear that she is getting on very well with her lessons, -"but much is still to be done before she can read." - -In spite of her accomplishments, she was a very natural human child, and -could be naughty on occasion. Lady Lyttelton records about this time -that the Princess, after an hour's naughtiness, said she wished to speak -to her; but instead of the expected penitence, she delivered herself as -follows: "I am very sorry, Laddle, but I mean to be just as naughty next -time"--a threat which was followed by a long imprisonment. - -Perhaps the Princess Royal's happiest days were spent at Osborne, where -she began going at the age of five. There the Royal children had a -cottage, built on the Swiss model, to themselves. It comprised a -dining-room, a kitchen, a store-room, and a museum; and in it the -Princesses were encouraged to learn how to do household work, and to -direct the management of a small establishment. When in their Swiss -cottage, each princess was allowed to choose her own occupation and to -enjoy a certain liberty; their parents used to be invited there as -guests at meals which the Princess Royal and Princess Alice had -themselves prepared. - -Years later, when they had both married to Germany, there were certain -tunes which neither the Princess Royal nor Princess Alice could hear -without tears rising to their eyes, so powerfully did the recollection -of the happy birthdays and holidays they spent at Osborne remain with -them. Not long before her death Princess Alice wrote to her mother: -"What a joyous childhood we had, and how greatly it was enhanced by dear -sweet Papa, and by all your kindness to us!" - -Many happy days were also spent by the Princesses at Balmoral. In the -Highlands the restraints of Court life were entirely thrown off, and the -Queen encouraged her daughters to come into close contact with the -poorer classes of their neighbours, indeed everything in reason was done -to arouse their sympathies for the needy and the suffering. - -The Princess Royal showed even in her early childhood an astonishing -power of vivid expression. For example, when she was about five and a -half, she found mentioned in a history book the name of an ancient poet -called Wace. Lady Lyttelton thereupon observed that she had never heard -of that poet till then, but the Princess insisted: "Oh, yes, I daresay -you did, only you have forgotten it. Réfléchissez! Go back to your -_youngness_ and you will soon remember." - -That the child had a natural and instinctive religious feeling is shown -by another incident. She had narrowly escaped serious injury from -treading on a large nail, and Lady Lyttelton explained to her that it -had pleased God to save her from great pain. Instantly the child said: -"Shall we kneel down?" - -In October 1847 the Princess Royal had an accident which might have been -very serious. - -The children were riding with their ponies when the Princess was quietly -thrown after a few yards of cantering. She was not hurt, but the Prince -of Wales's pony ran away with him. Fortunately he was strapped into the -saddle, and, after one loud cry for help, he showed no signs of fear, -but cleverly kept as tight hold of the reins as he could pull. The -Princess Royal was not at all frightened herself until she saw her -brother's danger, and then she screamed out: "Oh, can't they stop him? -Dear Bertie!" and burst into tears. Fortunately all ended well, and the -children went on riding as fearlessly as ever. - -In October 1848 the Royal children, crossing in the yacht _Fairy_ from -Osborne on their way to Windsor, witnessed a terrible accident--the -sinking of a boatload of people in a sudden squall. It made a deep -impression on all the children, and the Princess Royal kept thinking of -it all that night. - -It is about this time that Lady Lyttelton observes: "The Princess Royal -might pass, if not seen but only overheard, for a young lady of -seventeen in whichever of her three languages she chose to entertain the -company." - -Nearly a year afterwards, Lady Lyttelton notes that "dear Princessey" -had been now perfectly good ever since they came to Osborne, and she -says that she continues to reflect and observe and reason like a very -superior person, and is as affectionate as ever. - -Again, in April 1849, she notes every moment more and more "the blessed -improvement of the Princess Royal." "She is becoming capable of -self-control and principle and patience, and her wonderful powers of -head and heart continue. She may turn out a most distinguished -character." And a few months later she notes that "the Princess Royal is -so enormously improved in manner, in temper, and conduct--altogether as -really to give a bright promise of all good. Her talent and brilliancy -have naturally lost no ground: she may turn out something remarkable." -All the children showed real kindness to the poor, visiting them and -beginning to understand what poverty is. - -The Princess accompanied her parents and the Prince of Wales on a visit -to Ireland in August 1849, and afterwards went to Cherbourg, that being -her first visit to France. It was during that stay at Cherbourg that the -curé of a neighbouring village gave the young English Princess a -charming sketch done by one of his parishioners, a then unknown artist -named Jean François Millet. - -The Princess Royal and the Prince of Wales made their first official -appearance in London on October 30, 1849, when they represented their -mother, who was suffering from chicken-pox, at the opening of the new -Coal Exchange. The scene has been often described, notably by Miss -Alcott, the author of _Little Women_, who was however, naturally more -interested in the Prince than in his sister. - -Much to their delight, the children went from Westminster to the City in -the State barge rowed by twenty-six watermen, and all London turned out -to greet them. They were very wisely not allowed to attend the big -public luncheon, but were given their lunch in a private room. Lady -Lyttelton mentions that the gentleman who made the arrangements was so -overcome by his loyal feelings at the sight of the children that he -melted into tears and had to retire! - -In the summer before the Princess's tenth birthday, Lady Lyttelton -records: "Princess Royal standing by me to-day, as I was trying a few -chords on the pianoforte, was pleased and pensive like her old self. 'I -like chords, one can _read_ them. They make one sometimes gay, sometimes -sad. It used to be too much for me to like formerly.'" - -The year 1851 was memorable in the Princess Royal's life, for it was -then that she first met her future husband. - -It has been said that Prince Frederick William of Prussia, who was -twenty at the time, became attracted to his future wife during this -first visit of his to the English Court, when he accompanied his parents -and his only sister to see the Great Exhibition. But that is surely -absurd, for the Princess, charming and clever as she was, was then only -a child. - -Still the English Court was probably never seen to greater advantage -than during that year of miracles, and it is clear that the young -Prussian Prince saw for the first time a Royal family leading a happy, -natural life, full of affection and kindness. Queen Victoria's children -were healthy, well-mannered, and devoted to their parents, and the -leader and head of the little band was the Princess Royal, full of eager -interest in everything she was allowed to see and know, blessed with -high spirits and a keen sense of humour even then already well -developed. She was adored by her father, and encouraged in every way to -"produce herself," to use an expressive French phrase. - -Prince Frederick William could not but note the contrast between the -young people whose friendship he was making at Windsor, and the shy, -etiquette-ridden Royal children of the minor German courts. Nor could he -help contrasting this delightful domestic scene with what he knew at -home. At Berlin he was in constant contact with a Royal family -profoundly disunited and unhappy. Only three years before his first -visit to England he had stood at the palace window and seen the first -shot fired in the Revolution of 1848. - -Although the Prince had a tenderly-loved sister, he had spent a lonely, -austere youth, for his parents, though outwardly on good terms, were in -no sense united as Queen Victoria and Prince Albert were united--indeed, -it was an open secret that the Prince of Prussia had only one love in -his life, Elise Radziwill. - -Prince Frederick William's sister was only a very little older than the -Princess Royal. The two princesses formed on this visit a friendship -destined never to be broken, and henceforth the Royal children called -the Prince and Princess of Prussia "Uncle Prussia" and "Aunt Prussia." - -The Great Exhibition itself undoubtedly helped to strengthen Prince -Frederick William's attraction to England. The palace of glass in Hyde -Park absorbed the minds and thoughts of the whole Royal family, if only -because all those who were old enough to understand anything of public -affairs were aware that the success or failure of the enterprise would -seriously affect the position of Prince Albert in England. - -The feeling among the Royal family is shown by a passage in a letter of -Queen Victoria to Lady Lyttelton. Writing on May 1, the opening day of -the Exhibition, Her Majesty said: - -"The proudest and happiest day of--as you truly call it--my happy life. -To see this great conception of my beloved husband's mind--to see this -great thought and work, crowned with triumphant success in spite of -difficulties and opposition of every imaginable kind, and of every -effort to which jealousy and calumny could resort to cause its failure, -has been an immense happiness to us both." - -Prince Frederick William, thoughtful beyond his years, and already under -the spell of Prince Albert's kindly and affectionate interest, began to -regard England as the model State, and took most significant pains to -make himself better acquainted with her national life and polity. Even -on this comparatively short visit he found time to make an excursion to -the industrial North. - -On his return to Bonn University his admiration for England by no means -waned, and his English tutor, Mr. Perry, gives us an interesting glimpse -of the thoroughness with which he set to work to increase his knowledge: - -"At the request of the Prince, I visited him three times a week, and had -the honour of superintending his studies in English history and -literature, in both of which he took special interest. His love for -England and his great veneration of the Queen were most remarkable, and -our intercourse became very agreeable and confidential. He manifested -the keenest interest for all that I was able to tell him of England's -political and social life, and when our more serious studies were over, -we amused ourselves by writing imaginary letters to Ministers and -leading members of English society." - -It was in truth with England that Prince Frederick William fell in love -on this memorable visit, not with the little Princess Royal, though he -was undoubtedly attracted, as all the people round her were, by her -winning charm and quick intelligence. - -The idea of a marriage between the two had, however, occurred to other -people, as is shown by the fact that in the following year the Princess -of Prussia desired to visit England with a view to suggesting it. But -the Prince's uncle, King Frederick William IV, influenced by his -pro-Russian consort, did not look on the proposal with favour, and it -remained in abeyance, partly on account of the Princess Royal's -youth, partly owing to the outbreak of the Crimean War. - -[Illustration: THE PRINCE OF WALES AND THE PRINCESS ROYAL - -PAINTED BY COMMAND OF THE QUEEN] - -The Crimean War made an immense impression on the Princess Royal. For -months the Queen, the Prince, and the elder Royal children thought and -talked of nothing else. The children contributed drawings to be sold for -the benefit of the war funds, and we know that the Princess's emotions -were deeply stirred by the thought of the sufferings of the wounded and -by the work of Florence Nightingale, which was followed with intense -interest in the Royal circle. The Princess in fact was able at a most -impressionable age to realise something of the horrors of war, and this -was destined, as we shall see, to bear rich fruit. - -The war also led directly to the Princess's first real sight of France. -In August, 1855, the Princess Royal and the Prince of Wales accompanied -their parents on a State visit to the Emperor Napoleon III and the -Empress Eugénie. - -Of this visit a story was told at the time which greatly delighted all -the Royal families of the Continent. Much as Queen Victoria and Prince -Albert were respected for their solid virtues, their artistic taste in -matters of dress was considered to be not always infallible. It was -feared at the French Court that the Princess Royal would be dressed, not -exactly unbecomingly, but in a style which would by no means harmonise -with Parisian taste and Parisian surroundings. The question was how to -beguile her parents into dressing the child in a suitable manner. - -In this difficulty someone suggested a really brilliant stratagem. The -height and other measurements of the Princess Royal were obtained, and a -doll of exactly corresponding size was procured, provided with a large -and exquisitely finished wardrobe, and despatched to Buckingham Palace -as an Imperial gift to the Princess. The expected then happened. Queen -Victoria transferred most of the doll's wardrobe to her daughter, with -the result that the Princess appeared at her best and everyone was -pleased. - -The children stayed at the delightful country palace of Saint Cloud, -whence they drove in every day to see the sights of Paris. They were -not, of course, present at evening entertainments, but an exception was -made on the occasion of the great ball held in the Galeries des Glaces -at Versailles, when they supped with the Emperor and Empress. They both -became sincerely attached to the Emperor, who was himself very fond of -children. Indeed, his young guests enjoyed themselves so much that, -according to an oft-quoted story, the Prince of Wales asked that his -sister and himself might stay on after their parents had gone home, "for -there are six more of us at home and they don't want _us_!" - -As to their conduct, Prince Albert wrote to the Duchess of Kent: "I am -bound to praise the children greatly. They behaved extremely well, and -pleased everybody. The task was no easy one for them, but they -discharged it without embarrassment and with natural simplicity." - -This visit laid the foundation of that strong affection and admiration -for France and the French which thenceforth characterised the Princess -Royal. It was on this visit, too, that she conceived her enthusiastic -adoration of the Empress Eugénie. Her character was now beginning to be -formed, and it is the key to the tragedy of her life, for a cruel fate -so ordered her future that, while she was made to pay the full penalty -for her failings, her many lovable and generous qualities seemed often -to find none but the most grudging recognition. - -During the whole of her life, the Princess Royal had a peculiarity which -only belongs to the generous-hearted and impulsive. She was apt to be -violently attracted, sometimes for very little reason, to those she met, -and then she would be proportionately cast down if these new friends and -acquaintances did not turn out on fuller knowledge all that she had -expected them to be. Those who knew her well are agreed in saying that -she was not a good judge of character. She was apt to see in human -beings what she expected to see, not what was there. She not only liked -some people at first sight, but she had an equally instinctive dislike -of others, and this was an even greater misfortune, for sometimes the -prejudices she thus formed were hard to eradicate. In this she was quite -unlike Queen Victoria, who, having once formed a wrong impression, was -capable of altering it entirely if she was given good reason to change -her mind. - -As she grew up to womanhood, the Princess Royal was very wisely allowed -to make the acquaintance of some of the brilliant men and women of the -day who were admitted to her parents' friendship. One of these was the -second Lord Granville, the "Pussy" Granville who was afterwards Foreign -Minister in Mr. Gladstone's Cabinets, and we may conclude this chapter -with a quotation which shows how he could count on the young Princess's -appreciation of a funny story. - -Lord Granville, who went to St. Petersburg as the head of the special -British Mission at the coronation of the Tsar Alexander, wrote a long -letter to Queen Victoria, in which he requested the Queen to convey his -respectful remembrances to the Princess Royal; and he went on to advise -the Princess, when residing abroad, not to engage a Russian maid: 'Lady -Wodehouse found hers eating the contents of a pot on her dressing-table, -which happened to be castor-oil pomatum for the hair!' - - - - -CHAPTER II - -BETROTHAL - - -Even in the days of her extreme youth, Queen Victoria, owing to the fact -that she was the reigning Sovereign, had to know much that is generally -concealed from the young concerning the private lives and careers of -their relatives. This is made abundantly clear in the extracts from her -Majesty's private diary which have already been published. - -In these intimate records, written by the girl Queen herself, we see -that Lord Melbourne early decided never to treat his Royal mistress as a -child. When she asked him a question he evidently answered her -truthfully; and she must have asked him many questions concerning that -group of princes and princesses who, even then, were already known as -the "Old Royal Family." They were Queen Victoria's own aunts and uncles; -and over those who were still living when she came to the throne she -possessed, as Sovereign, very peculiar and extended powers. It was -inevitable that they should play a considerable part, if not in her -life, certainly in her imagination; and yet we hardly ever find them -mentioned in the work she directly supervised and inspired--the life of -the Prince Consort. Her fear, her contempt, her horror, of the way they -had conducted their lives, her dread lest even their innocent follies, -and their sad tragedies of the heart, should be repeated in the lives of -her own sons and daughters, were perhaps only revealed to trusted -friends in her old age. - -It may even be doubted if Queen Victoria ever communicated to Prince -Albert certain of the facts which had necessarily to be made known to -her. Whether she did so or not, the course she very early set herself to -pursue--a course, be it remembered, in which she persisted at a time -when she seemed to lack courage and energy to go on even with life -itself, that is during the years that immediately succeeded the Prince -Consort's death--proved how determined she was to secure that the lives -of her children should be entirely different from those of their -great-uncles and great-aunts. - -That her daughters, and later her grand-daughters, should marry early, -and make marriages of inclination; that her sons' wives should be chosen -among princesses young, charming, sympathetic, and personally attractive -to each prince concerned--this was one of Queen Victoria's chief and -most anxious preoccupations. She may have tried to guide inclination, -she undoubtedly tried to arrange suitable alliances, but in no single -case did she ever seriously oppose a marriage based on strong -attraction. - -In that matter Queen Victoria was a typical Englishwoman. To her mind, a -union between a young man and a young woman based on any other -foundation save strong mutual love and confidence, was vile; and all -through her life she wished ardently to ensure that those marital -blessings which fall comparatively often on ordinary people, but -comparatively seldom on members of the Royal caste, should be the lot of -her immediate descendants. - -It was natural that the Queen, with that eager enthusiasm which was so -much a part of her character, especially in this still radiantly happy -period of her life, should have welcomed the thought of a marriage -between her eldest daughter and the future King of Prussia. She had -formed the most favourable opinion of Prince Frederick William during -his brief sojourn in England in 1851. He was a man of high and -honourable character at a time when such virtues were rare among the -marriageable princes of reigning families, and his parents were regarded -by the Queen and Prince Albert as among their dearest and most intimate -friends. - -The Prince of Prussia had spent some time in England after the Berlin -revolution of 1848, and on parting from Madame Bunsen, the wife of the -Prussian Minister, he had exclaimed: "In no other State or country could -I have passed so well the period of distress and anxiety through which I -have gone." During his stay he had become intimate with the Queen and -Prince Albert--indeed, the Queen, as was her way when she trusted and -admired, had grown to be warmly attached to him. She regarded him as -noble-minded, honest, and cruelly wronged; and, what naturally endeared -him to her still more, he showed great confidence in Prince Albert, -apparently always accepting the advice constantly tendered him by the -Prince. - -All through his life Prince Albert had seen a vision of a Germany united -under the leadership of Prussia, and it was delightful to him to learn -that it was now open to him to enter into a close relationship with one -whom he naturally believed destined to play a supreme part in the -regeneration of his beloved fatherland. It is not generally known that -Prince Albert had written a pamphlet entitled "The German Question -Explained," in which he propounded a scheme for a federated German -Empire with an Emperor at the head. This pamphlet must have been either -privately printed or withdrawn from circulation, for not even Sir -Theodore Martin, when writing the Prince's life, could procure a copy. - -This suggested marriage of the Princess Royal opened out to her father -the fair prospect of being able to bring about by his counsel and -assistance the realisation of his disinterested ambitions for the future -welfare of Germany. The then King of Prussia was already sick unto -death; the Prince of Prussia had now passed middle age; everything -pointed to the probability that within a reasonable time Prince -Frederick William would become ruler of Prussia and, incidentally, -overlord of the German peoples. - -There is good authority for the truth of the now famous story of "La -Belle Alliance." - -In 1852 the Princess of Prussia came to England on a short visit to her -aunt, Queen Adelaide. The then Prussian Envoy, Baron von Bunsen, while -waiting to be received by the Princess, turned over in her sitting-room -some engravings which had been sent by a print-seller; among them was -that of a painting of the farm-house at Waterloo named by the Belgians, -"La Belle Alliance." In the same room was a portrait of the Princess -Royal and one of Prince Frederick William. The Baron placed the two -portraits side by side over the engraving, and when the Princess entered -the room, he silently pointed out to her what he had done, and she saw -the two young faces above the words "La Belle Alliance." "A rapid glance -was exchanged, but not a word was spoken," wrote Baron von Bunsen's son -many years after. - -As for the young Prince himself, when the question of his marriage had -to be discussed, it was natural that his first thought, as also, it is -clear, that of his mother, turned to England--to that affectionately -united Royal family who were the envied model of all European Courts. -The feeling of that day is indicated by a curious caricature, which was -largely reproduced on the Continent. It shows a huge pair of scales. In -one scale, high in the air, stand huddled together the then reigning -sovereigns of Europe; in the other, touching the ground, proudly alone, -stands the slight figure of Queen Victoria. Under the cartoon runs the -significant words, "Light Sovereigns." - -England alone among the nations had had no trouble worth speaking of in -'48, and among the Princesses and Queens of her day it was believed that -Queen Victoria alone possessed the faithful love of her husband. - -The greatest obstacle to the marriage, though neither Queen Victoria nor -Prince Albert suspected it, was the King of Prussia himself. It is plain -that at no time did he favour the suggestion, and that at last he -yielded was in response to a strong appeal made to him in person by the -young Prince. But, even so, the King desired the matter to be kept -secret as long as possible. He did not even tell his Queen, and his own -immediate circle and Household only heard of the betrothal when it was -being widely rumoured in the German newspapers. - -General von Gerlach came to the King one day with a sheet of the -_Cologne Gazette_ and indignantly complained of the "absurd reports that -were being spread about." It is said that the young Prince was going on -to England from Ostend for the purpose of proposing for the hand of an -English Princess. The King laughed aloud, and observed: "Well, yes, and -it is really the case," to the amazement and consternation of von -Gerlach. - -While the matter was being thus discussed at Berlin, the Princess Royal -was kept in absolute ignorance. But the Crimean War and the subsequent -visit to France had quickened her sensibilities, turned her from a child -into a woman, and made her in a measure ready for the event which was -about to occur. It should, however, be plainly said--the more so because -later historians have blamed Queen Victoria and Prince Albert in the -matter--that neither of her parents was willing even to consider the -idea of any immediate betrothal. On the contrary, they wished that the -two young people should meet in an easy friendly fashion, and thus have -a real opportunity of becoming well acquainted the one with the other. - -Prince Frederick William of Prussia arrived at Balmoral on September 14, -1855. He allowed some days to elapse, and then, on the morning of the -20th, he sought out Queen Victoria and laid before her and Prince Albert -his proposal of marriage. That proposal the parents of the Princess -Royal accepted in principle, but they requested him to say nothing to -their daughter till after she had been confirmed. It was their wish -that, for some months at any rate, the young Princess should continue -the simple yet full life of unconstrained girlhood. It was therefore -suggested that the Prince should return in the following spring. The -Queen also stipulated that the marriage should not take place till after -the Princess Royal's seventeenth birthday. - -After this interview with Prince Frederick William, Prince Albert wrote -to Stockmar: - -"I have been much pleased with him. His prominent qualities are great -thought, straight-forwardness, frankness, and honesty. He appears to be -free from prejudices, and pre-eminently well-intentioned; he speaks of -himself as personally greatly attracted by Vicky. That she will have no -objection to make I regard as probable." - -Prince Albert wrote the following day to Lord Clarendon, who was then -Foreign Minister, informing him that he might communicate the news to -the Prime Minister, Lord Palmerston, and to no one else. "Pam" was -pleased to approve, declaring that the marriage would be in the -interest, not only of the two countries, but of Europe in general. - -Queen Victoria did not fail to communicate the interesting secret to her -beloved uncle, King Leopold, observing that her wishes on the subject of -the future marriage of her daughter had been realised in the most -gratifying and satisfactory manner. Indeed, she spoke of the joy with -which she and Prince Albert for their part had accepted the suitor, -while she reiterated that "the child herself is to know nothing till -after her confirmation, which is to take place next winter." - -The days went on, and a sincere effort was made to keep what had taken -place from the knowledge of the young Princess. Letters of warm -congratulation arrived from Coblentz, as well as a very cordial message -from the King of Prussia. Prince Frederick William's relations were -quite at one with the Queen and Prince Albert as to the propriety of -postponing the betrothal till after the Princess Royal's confirmation. - -But the plan so carefully made was not destined to be carried out. The -Prince was very much in love, and, as the Emperor of the French truly -observed in a letter to Prince Albert: "On devine ceux qui aiment." It -was impossible to keep such a secret, and one which so closely concerned -herself, from a girl as clever and mentally alive as the Princess Royal. -What happened is best told in Queen Victoria's entry in her diary on -September 29: - -"Our dear Victoria was this day engaged to Prince Frederick William of -Prussia, who had been on a visit to us since the 14th. He had already -spoken to us, on the 20th, of his wishes; but we were uncertain, on -account of her extreme youth, whether he should speak to her himself, or -wait till he came back again. However, we felt it was better he should -do so, and during our ride up Craig-na-Ban this afternoon, he picked a -piece of white heather (the emblem of 'good luck,') which he gave to -her; and this enabled him to make an allusion to his hopes and wishes -as they rode down Glen Girnoch, which led to this happy conclusion." - -A few days later her father wrote to Stockmar: "She manifested towards -Fritz and ourselves the most childlike simplicity and candour. The young -people are ardently in love with one another, and the purity, innocence, -and unselfishness of the young man have been on his part touching." To -Mr. Perry, his English tutor at Bonn, the Prince declared that his -engagement was not politics, nor ambition, "It was my heart." - -At the time of her engagement the Princess Royal was not yet fifteen, -and it was arranged that the marriage should take place in two years and -three months. - -In one respect the Princess was singularly fortunate. In the majority of -Royal marriages, the bride has not only to make her home in a country -where everything will be foreign to her, but she is sometimes even -ignorant of the language, manners, and customs which she will have -henceforth to adopt as her own. - -The Princess Royal, however, had to undergo no such sudden initiation. -To her Germany was in truth a second fatherland, if only as the -birthplace of her beloved father. She had been as familiar with the -German as with the English language from her birth, constantly writing -long letters to German relations and friends, and keeping up--to give -but one instance--a close correspondence with her parents' trusted -friend, Baron Stockmar, who had for her the greatest affection and -admiration. - -In a letter quoted in his memoirs Stockmar says: "From her youth upwards -I have been fond of her, have always expected great things of her, and -taken all pains to be of service to her. I think her to be exceptionally -gifted in some things, even to the point of genius." - -This familiarity with the German language was very well as a foundation, -but Prince Albert considered that there was much to build on it. The -whole of the Princess's education was now arranged solely with a view to -the life she was to lead as wife of the Prussian heir-presumptive. In -addition to giving her, for an hour every day, special instruction in -German political and legal institutions and sociology, Prince Albert -made her henceforth his intellectual companion, preparing her as if she -was destined to be a reigning sovereign rather than a queen consort. Not -only did he discuss with her all current international questions, but he -read her the long political letters he received daily from abroad, and -discussed with her what he should write in reply. - -It was indeed a mental training which, particularly in those 'fifties -which now seem so remote from us, would have been deemed only -appropriate for the cleverest of boys in a private station. But Prince -Albert had long known that his daughter was a good deal cleverer than -most boys, and he was really running no risks in subjecting her to this -intelligent preparation for her high destiny. As much as he could, he -taught her himself, and such teaching as was entrusted to others he -supervised with conscientious care. - -In one of his letters to his future son-in-law, the Prince wrote: "Vicky -is learning many and various things. She comes to me every evening from -six to seven, when I put her through a kind of general catechising. In -order to make her ideas clear, I let her work out subjects for herself, -which she then brings to me for correction. She is at present writing a -short compendium of Roman history." - -In order to give the Princess a clear picture of German policy--or -rather of German policy as Prince Albert then hoped it would become, -that is, broad and liberal in conception and aim--he set her to -translate a German pamphlet published at Weimar. This essay by J. G. -Droysen, entitled "Karl August und die Deutsche Politik," would be -counted rather stiff reading even by experts. But the Princess seems to -have done her task admirably, and the proud father sent the manuscript -to Lord Clarendon, who was genuinely impressed by the way it had been -translated. He wrote back to the Prince: - -"In reading Droysen I felt that the motto of Prussia should be _semper -eadem_, and in thinking of his translator I felt that she is destined to -change that motto into the _vigilando ascendimus_ of Weimar." - -The statesman added the further tribute to the young translator: "The -Princess's manner would not be what it is if it were not the reflection -of a highly cultivated intellect, which, with a well-trained -imagination, leads to the saying and doing of right things in right -places." - - - - -CHAPTER III - -OPINION IN BOTH COUNTRIES - - -The Queen and Prince Albert, as we know, much wished to keep the fact of -the Princess's engagement a secret from the public. But rumour was -naturally busy with the visit of the Prussian Prince to Balmoral, and on -the day after his departure, that is on October 3, there appeared in the -_Times_ a leading article, in which the proposed alliance of the -Princess Royal was alluded to with anything but approval--indeed, in -Germany the article was considered grossly insulting both to the King of -Prussia and to Germany. Prince Albert was very much angered at the terms -in which it was written, which he described as "foolish and degrading to -this country." - -But the article was really inspired by a consciousness of the violent -dislike of England entertained by the Court of Prussia, and especially -by the camarilla surrounding the then sovereign and his consort, and -this was better realised by publicists than by Royal circles in England. - -Amazing as it may seem to us now, it is nevertheless abundantly clear -that neither Queen Victoria nor Prince Albert, well served as they were -in some respects by the faithful Stockmar, had any idea of the real -situation at the Prussian Court. The extreme youth of their daughter -made them wish to postpone the marriage for a while, but there is no -hint in any of the many letters and documents which have now come to -light of the slightest fear that she would lack a good reception in that -new country which she already loved as part of Prince Albert's -fatherland. On the contrary, the Prince had evidently persuaded himself -that his daughter's marriage would be very popular in Germany--more -popular than it happened to be just then in England. Like most men of -high, strong, narrow character, Prince Albert never allowed himself to -perceive what at the moment he did not wish to see. - -This view is entirely borne out by the letters which Prince Albert wrote -then and later to the Prince of Prussia. Even when addressing one who -was far older than himself, and already in the position of a ruler, he -always assumed the attitude of mentor rather than of adviser; and as one -glances over the immensely long epistles, dealing with a state of things -of which the writer could know but very little, one wonders if the -future Emperor William had the patience always to read them to the very -end. Even were there no other evidence existing, these letters remain to -show how curiously lacking Prince Albert was in that knowledge of -elementary human nature which belongs to so many commoner types of mind. - -The Prince Consort's misapprehension is the more extraordinary when we -consider that his brother, Duke Ernest of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, judged the -situation with accuracy. In a letter published in his memoirs the Duke -says: - -"The family events at Balmoral and Stolzenfels [King Frederick William -IV was staying at Stolzenfels when he received the news of the -engagement of his nephew to the Princess Royal and of his niece, -Princess Louise, to the Prince Regent of Baden] gave rise to all kinds -of dissatisfaction in many reactionary circles of the Prussian capital. -The more the Liberal papers of Germany applauded, the more disagreeably -was the other side affected by the unpopularity of the circumstances -which threatened to strengthen, at the Court of Berlin, the influence of -the Royal relations whose sentiments were not regarded with favour. One -of the peculiarities of Frederick William IV was that, with reference to -his personal sympathies, he would not submit to any coercion from those -who were familiar with politics and affairs of State, so that the secret -opponents had to beware of expressing their displeasure at the new -family connections." - -As we have seen, the King of Prussia had kept his own counsel in the -affair of his nephew's engagement, which he had only sanctioned in -consequence of Prince Frederick William's strong personal appeal. His -Queen was intensely pro-Russian, and as a result of the Crimean War had -conceived a positive hatred for England and the English. - -As for the Princess of Prussia, afterwards the Empress Augusta, she was -a woman of the highest cultivation, the old cultivation of Weimar and of -the French eighteenth century, but she had not much influence in Berlin, -where even then she was said to be strongly inclined to Roman -Catholicism. The Prince of Prussia was himself not really popular. It -was inevitable therefore, in all the circumstances, that the prospect of -an English alliance should become a fresh cause of contention and -division, in which the voices of disapproval decidedly prevailed. - -Even after the engagement had been actually announced, Prince Frederick -William told Lady Bloomfield, the wife of the British Minister in -Berlin, that, though he was very much disappointed that the Queen and -Prince Albert wished the marriage to be postponed as the Princess Royal -was so young, it was perhaps a good thing, for by that time party spirit -in Prussia would run less high. The strength of that party spirit was -ominously shown on the occasion of the marriage of the Prince's sister, -Princess Louise, when the great nobility of Prussia ostentatiously -absented themselves from the festivities. - -General von Gerlach, who as we have seen extracted from the King of -Prussia that dry admission that the rumours of the English engagement -were well-founded, drew also a more interesting comment on the news from -a very different personage. Bismarck, who was already regarded as a man -with a future, and at the time held an important diplomatic post at the -Diet at Frankfort, wrote to the General on April 8, 1856, a commentary -which was in some ways extraordinarily prophetic: - -"You ask me in your letter what I think of the English marriage. I must -separate the two words to give you my opinion. The 'English' in it does -not please me, the 'marriage' may be quite good, for the Princess has -the reputation of a lady of brain and heart. If the Princess can leave -the Englishwoman at home and become a Prussian, then she may be a -blessing to the country. If our future Queen on the Prussian throne -remains the least bit English, then I see our Court surrounded by -English influence, and yet us, and the many other future sons-in-law of -her gracious Majesty, receiving no notice in England save when the -Opposition in Parliament runs down our Royal family and country. On the -other hand, with us, British influence will find a fruitful soil in the -noted admiration of the German 'Michael' for lords and guineas, in the -Anglomania of papers, sportsmen, country gentlemen, &c. Every Berliner -feels exalted when a real English jockey from Hart or Lichtwald speaks -to him and gives him an opportunity of breaking the Queen's English on a -wheel. What will it be like when the first lady in the land is an -Englishwoman?" - -Not less interesting in their way are the comments which Prince -Albert's brother, Duke Ernest, made on his niece's betrothal: - -"The Royal House of Prussia has long afforded in its genealogical -history a singular spectacle of waverings between the West and East of -Europe. While family alliances between Orthodox Russia and Catholic -Austria were almost wholly excluded, the Protestant faith did not at all -prevent the Hohenzollerns from having a strong leaning towards the -family of the Tsars, and the connections which were thus made -undoubtedly exerted their influence upon Germany. The Crimean War may be -regarded as a political lesson on this concatenation of circumstances. -Was it not most extraordinary that even before peace had been concluded -with Russia, the Royal House of Prussia was, in its matrimonial aims, on -the point of exhibiting a marked tendency towards the West of Europe? -The union of a Prussian heir-apparent with a Princess of my House, with -its numerous branches, was an event which at the time unquestionably -seemed opposed to the Russian tradition. - -"If we remember how at the end of the war everyone looked upon my -brother as the active force against Russia, though at the beginning this -was by no means clear, the marriage of a Prussian Prince who was -destined to the succession with a daughter of the Queen of England -necessarily possessed a decided political character. My brother, -however, loved his eldest daughter too well to be influenced entirely -by political considerations in respect of her marriage; and I often had -an opportunity of observing that the chief wish of his heart for many -years had been to see his favourite child occupy some exalted position. -With paternal ambition, he was wont to picture to himself his promising -daughter, whose abilities had been early developed, upon a lofty throne, -but, more than all, I know that he was anxious to make her also truly -happy. The Prince of Prussia, above all other scions of reigning Houses, -afforded the greatest hopes for the future." - -There was another Court at which the news of the engagement was regarded -with mixed feelings. The Emperor Napoleon at first received the -Anglo-Prussian alliance almost with dismay. He feared that, by -strengthening Prussian influence, it would have the effect of weakening, -and possibly destroying, the French understanding with England. But he -allowed himself to be reassured by Lord Clarendon, who declared that -Queen Victoria's affection for the House of Prussia was private and -personal, and had nothing to do with politics. Prince Frederick William, -returning by way of Paris as a successful suitor, had brought the -Emperor a letter from the Queen, and to it Napoleon replied, rather -coldly: - -"We like the Prince very much, and I do not doubt that he will make the -Princess happy, for he seems to me to possess every characteristic -quality belonging to his age and rank. We endeavoured to make his stay -here as pleasant as possible, but I found his thoughts were always -either at Osborne or at Windsor." - -It was on this visit of the Prince's that the Empress Eugénie made the -following comments in a letter to an intimate friend, which, in view of -those later events in which Moltke played so great a part, possess a -pathetic significance: - -"The Prince is a tall, handsome man, almost a head taller than the -Emperor; he is slim and fair, with a light yellow moustache--in fact, a -Teuton such as Tacitus described, chivalrously polite, and not without a -resemblance to Hamlet. His companion, Herr von Moltke (or some such -name), is a man of few words, but nothing less than a dreamer, always on -the alert, and surprising one by the most telling remarks. The Germans -are an imposing race. Louis says it is the race of the future. Bah! Nous -n'en sommes pas encore là." - -There was also a neighbouring sovereign to whose opinion all those who -appreciate the complex dynastic relations of that period will be -inclined to attach importance. This was the King of the Belgians. - -Though he was in no sense the noble, selfless human being Queen Victoria -took him to be, King Leopold was nevertheless a very shrewd judge of -human nature, and had evidently seen enough of the Princess Royal to -note certain peculiarities in her character which had escaped the -loving, partial eyes of her parents. This is clearly shown in a letter -written by Queen Victoria in the December of 1856. In this letter there -is a passage, prefaced by "Now one word about Vicky," in which the Queen -protests that she has never seen her daughter take any predilection to a -person which was not _motivé_ by a certain amiability, goodness, or -distinction of some kind or other. She goes on to say: "You need be -under no apprehension whatever on this subject; and she has moreover -great tact and esprit de conduite." - -This surely makes it clear that King Leopold was aware of the sudden -fancies which the Princess Royal, even at that early age, often showed -to those who attracted her, and that for no sufficient reason. Probably -in this case he was thinking of the Princess Royal's passionate -attachment to the Empress Eugénie--an attachment which lasted all -through her youth, and which perhaps had more justification for it than -some other of her enthusiasms for individuals. - -In England, at any rate at first, the news of the engagement was -received rather coldly, almost as if it was a _mésalliance_, though the -knowledge that it was really a love-match did much to reconcile public -opinion. The following passage from a letter written by Mr. Cobden, at -this time the triumphant protagonist of the Anti-Corn Law League, -reflects as well as anything the general feeling that the bridegroom -was indeed "a lucky fellow": - -"It is generally thought that the young Prince Frederick William of -Prussia is to be married to our Princess Royal. I was dining -_tête-à-tête_ with Mr. Buchanan, the American Minister, a few days ago, -who had dined the day before at the Queen's table, and sat next to the -Princess Royal. He was in raptures about her, and said she was the most -charming girl he had ever met: 'All life and spirit, full of frolic and -fun, with an excellent head, and a _heart as big as a mountain_'--those -were his words. Another friend of mine, Colonel Fitzmayer, dined with -the Queen last week, and, in writing to me a description of the company, -he says that when the Princess Royal smiles, 'it makes one feel as if -additional light were thrown upon the scene.' So I should judge that -this said Prince is a lucky fellow, and I trust he will make a good -husband. If not, although a man of peace, I shall consider it a _casus -belli_!" - -To the bride's parents, if not to herself and her betrothed, the fact -that the marriage negotiations were not quite pleasantly conducted must -have been not only painful but astonishing. It was actually suggested -that the ceremony should take place in Berlin, but Queen Victoria very -properly scouted the proposal, which was really in the circumstances -disagreeably like an insult. She wrote in her emphatic, italicising way -to Lord Clarendon, the Foreign Secretary: - -"The Queen _never_ could consent to it, both for public and private -reasons, and the assumption of its being _too much_ for a Prince Royal -of Prussia to _come_ over to marry _the Princess Royal of Great Britain -IN_ England is too _absurd_, to say the least. The Queen must say that -there never was even the _shadow_ of a _doubt_ on _Prince Frederick -William's_ part as to _where_ the marriage should take place, and she -suspects this to be the mere gossip of the Berliners. Whatever may be -the usual practice of Prussian Princes, it is not _every_ day that one -marries the eldest daughter of the Queen of England. The question -therefore must be considered as settled and closed." - -In view of all this and of what was to befall the Princess Royal in the -land for which she even then cherished so fond an affection, and of -which she had already formed so high an ideal, there is something -intensely pathetic in the blindness of her parents to the real -conditions of her future life. This blindness is shown with amazing -clearness in the sentence, certainly inspired and very likely written by -Queen Victoria herself, which concludes the chapter, in Sir Theodore -Martin's _Life of the Prince Consort_, dealing with the betrothal of the -Princess Royal: - -"No consideration, public or private, would have induced the Queen or -himself [_i.e._, Prince Albert] to imperil the happiness of their child -by a marriage in which she could not have found scope to practise the -constitutional principles in which she had been reared." - -The idea that the Prussia of that day, or indeed of any day, would have -amiably afforded a foreign princess scope to practise constitutional -principles of any sort seems extraordinary, and yet, as we shall see, -there was some little justification for it at the time, though it was -quickly swept away by the course of events. - -The confirmation of the Princess Royal took place on March 20, 1856, in -the private chapel at Windsor Castle. The Princess was led in by her -father, followed by her godfather, the King of the Belgians, who had -come to England on purpose, and the Royal children and most of the -members of the Royal family were present, as were also the Ministers, -the great officers of State, and many of those whom Disraeli was wont to -describe as the "high nobility." - -In fact, everything was done to make the rite a State ceremony--a -striking contrast to the more recent practice by which the princes and -princesses of England have all been confirmed privately, in the presence -of their near relatives only. - -The second Lord Granville, the statesman who shared with the Princess -Royal the flattering nickname of "Pussy," wrote to Lord Canning this -lively account of the confirmation. The inaudible Archbishop was J. B. -Sumner; his Lordship of Oxford was the Samuel Wilberforce, called by his -enemies "Soapy Sam," who played a conspicuous part in the Court and -social life of the period: - -"Had a slight spasm in bed; sent for Meryon. It was well before he came. -He desired me not to go to Windsor for the confirmation of the Princess -Royal. I went, and am none the worse; my complexion beautiful. It was an -interesting sight. As Pam observed, 'Ah, ah! a touching ceremony; ah, -ah!' The King of the Belgians the same as I remember him when I was a -boy, and he used to live for weeks at the Embassy, using my father's -horses, and boring my mother to death. The Princess Royal went through -her part well. The Princess Alice cried violently. The Archbishop read -what seemed a dull address; luckily it was inaudible. The Bishop of -Oxford rolled out a short prayer with conscious superiority. Pam -reminded Lord Aberdeen of their being confirmed at Cambridge, as if it -was yesterday. I must go to bed, so excuse haste and bad pens, as the -sheep said to the farmer when it jumped out of the fold." - -There was certainly too much pomp about the Princess Royal's -confirmation for the taste of another spectator, Princess Mary of -Cambridge, afterwards Duchess of Teck. She succeeds in drawing in a few -words a remarkably vivid picture of what happened: - -"The ceremony was very short (the service for the day being omitted) and -not solemn enough for my feeling, although the anthems were fine and -well-chosen. It was followed by a great deal of standing in the Green -Drawing-room, where the Queen held a kind of tournée in honour of the -Ministers, who had come down for the confirmation; after which dear -Victoria, who looked particularly nice, and was very much impressed with -the solemnity of the rite, received our presents on the occasion, and -about half-past one we sat down to lunch _en famille_ as usual." - -It was on April 29, 1856, that the betrothal was publicly announced on -the conclusion of the Crimean War, and in the following month the -Princess appeared as a débutante at a Court ball at Buckingham Palace. - -This spring "Fritz of Prussia," as his future father-in-law called him, -came to pay a long visit to his fiancée. It is curious that Queen -Victoria, in spite of her strong belief in love as the only right -foundation for an engagement, had by no means the English notion of -discreetly leaving the young people a good deal alone together. On the -contrary, she seems to have entirely adopted the Continental practice of -chaperonage; a passage in a letter written by her to King Leopold shows -that she was always with them, and that she naturally found it very -boring, but she endured it because she thought it was her duty. - -Prince Frederick William was still in England when in June the Princess -Royal met with rather a terrifying accident, which is worthy of mention -because it showed how strong was her character and how high her physical -courage. - -The Princess was sealing a letter at her writing-table, when suddenly -the sealing-wax flamed out and the flames caught her muslin sleeve. Her -English governess, Miss Hildyard, was fortunately seated close to her, -and her music mistress, Mrs. Anderson, was also in the room, giving -Princess Alice a lesson. They sprang at once to the Princess's -assistance and beat out the flames with a hearthrug; but not before her -right arm had been severely burned from below the elbow to the shoulder. -She showed the greatest self-possession and presence of mind, her first -words being: "Send for Papa, and do not tell Mamma till he has been -told." - -The Princess Royal had a long engagement, probably the longest that any -lady of her rank has had, at least in modern times, but the months as -they went by were fully occupied with her father's sedulous preparation -of her intellect, as well as with the more frivolous preparations of her -trousseau. In May 1857 Parliament voted for the Princess a dowry of -£40,000 and an annuity of £4000--a provision which does not now seem to -have erred on the side of generosity. But it must be remembered that -what economists call "the purchasing power of the sovereign" was -considerably greater then than now, and to find the modern equivalent -of these sums one would have to add probably as much as 25 per cent. - -Prince Frederick William, attended by Count Moltke, paid another visit -to England in June, and made his first public appearance with the -Princess at the Manchester Art Exhibition. The young couple seem to have -corresponded on quite the old-fashioned voluminous scale. After the -Prince had gone home again in August, Moltke writes to his wife that the -Princess had written a letter of forty pages to the Prince, and he adds -the sarcastic comment: "How the news must have accumulated!" - -Whatever the aide-de-camp may have thought, the Prince himself was -certainly a happy lover in his own characteristically serious way. We -find him a few months later writing to his French tutor, the Swiss -Pastor Godet, a long and moving letter, in which he alludes very frankly -to the difficulties which even then surrounded his position. Then, going -on to speak of his coming marriage, he says: - -"Yes, if you knew my betrothed you would, I am sure, thoroughly -understand my choice, and you would realise that I am truly happy. I can -but bless and thank God to have given me the happiness of finding in her -everything which ensures the true union of hearts, and repose and calm -in home life, for I do not care, as you know, for the world, which I -find empty and with very little happiness in it." - -The seventeenth birthday of the Princess Royal, the last she was to -spend with her family before her marriage, was saddened by the death of -Queen Victoria's half-brother, Prince Leiningen. The Royal family were -all extremely fond of him, especially the Princess Royal, to whom he had -ever shown himself a most affectionate and kindly uncle. This was the -first time the Princess had come in close contact with death, and it -made the more impression on her owing to the passionate grief which her -grandmother, the Duchess of Kent, showed at the loss of her only son. - -The wedding had now been fixed for January 25, 1858, and already in -October the bride had taken leave of those places in Balmoral which were -dear to her. Of this Prince Albert writes to the widowed Duchess of -Gotha: - -"Vicky suffers from the feeling that all those places she visits she -must look upon for the last time as her home. The Maid of Orleans with -her 'Joan says to you an everlasting farewell,' often comes into my -mind." And in another letter: "The departure from here will be heavy for -all of us, particularly for Vicky who is going away for good, and the -good Highland people who love her so much say: 'I suppose we shall never -see you again,' which naturally upsets her." - -These rather sentimental farewells had been going on for a long time. -Queen Victoria, in a letter a fortnight before the wedding, says that -her daughter had had ever since January 1857 a succession of emotions -and leave-takings which would be most trying to anyone, but particularly -so to so young a girl with such powerful feelings. The loving mother -goes on to say that she is much improved in self-control, and is so -clever and sensible that her parents can talk to her of anything. - -Her other parent, in a letter to his grandmother, spoke of the frightful -gap which the separation for ever of this dear daughter would make in -the family circle, and then, with his characteristic optimism, he adds -that in Germany people seem ready to welcome her with the greatest -friendliness. - -Here perhaps is the place to consider what sort of a country was the -"Germany" whither Prince Albert was sending his cherished daughter as -future Queen. - -To begin with, it was not yet "Germany" at all; it was Prussia. We are -well accustomed in the twentieth century to regard Germany as one of the -Great Powers of Europe, with her enormous army and her expanding navy -and mercantile marine, with all else for which the Fatherland stands in -science, letters, and industry. It is necessary, however, to realise -that the Princess Royal's marriage was to bring her to what was then a -very different country. Prussia was in fact not to be compared in power, -wealth, or security with the Princess's native land. Including Silesia, -Brandenburg, and Westphalia, the country only had a population of some -seventeen millions in 1858, or about that of England alone. The revenue -was comparatively insignificant, but the army numbered 160,000 officers -and men; the navy had 55 ships, 3500 officers and men, and 265 guns; -while the mercantile marine is given as 826 ships of 268,000 tons. - -The Germanic Confederation had superseded the Confederation of the Rhine -formed by Napoleon. It included Austria, as well as Prussia and the -various German States, and by the nature of its constitution it was weak -where it should have been strong. The jealousy felt by Austria for the -hegemony of Prussia among the smaller German States, and the internal -jealousies of those States among themselves, almost doomed the -Confederation to impotence. Indeed, the primary object of the -Confederation, namely, the maintenance of the external security of the -States, was in constant danger, owing partly to the complicated -regulations for voting in the Diet, partly to a military system which -was full of compromises and certain to produce, on the outbreak of war, -a maximum of confusion and a minimum of efficiency. - -The constitutional liberties of the individual States had been gravely -menaced by a series of feudal decrees passed between 1830 and 1840; -while in 1850 the Confederation had actually suppressed the constitution -of Hesse-Cassel. In Prussia itself the Manteuffel Ministry had been -working, beneath the cloak of the constitutional reforms granted in -1850, to establish a centralised police State on the model of the French -préfet system combined with typical Prussian mediævalism. - -[Illustration: THE PRINCESS ROYAL - -VICTORIA ADELAIDE MARY LOUISA - -BORN NOVEMBER 21, 1840] - -It was in 1847 that King Frederick William IV uttered the famous words -that he would never allow a piece of written parchment to be placed, -like a second Providence, between God in heaven and his country. Now the -constitution of only two years later did seem to be such a piece of -written parchment, but this was only in appearance, because it did not -settle by organic laws the crucial questions of political liberty, but -left them in practice to the Chambers which it called into existence. -The task of Baron Manteuffel's Ministry, therefore, resolved itself into -obtaining a sufficiently reactionary Parliament which could be trusted -to remove the foundations of political liberty laid by the great -constitutional lawgiver, Stein, and his follower, Hardenburg. - -It was not till 1855, three years before the Princess Royal's marriage, -that a thoroughly servile Chamber was obtained. The two principal -reforms effected by Stein, namely, the localising of the administration -and the independence of officials, were abolished, and the -administration was carefully centralised on the French model, and the -whole official class was made dependent upon the Government. This latter -object was effected by an ingenious theory--that any opposition to a -constitutional Ministry which enjoyed the confidence of the sovereign -became constructively an offence against the Crown, and therefore -punishable. - -It is significant that it took five years before a really servile -Chamber was obtained, even by these methods. The Prussian mediævalists -did not altogether like the police supremacy established by the -Manteuffel Ministry; but, on the other hand, by their alliance with the -Ministry they had the satisfaction of staving off certain reforms which -they especially dreaded, notably the equalisation of the land tax, the -removal of the rural police from the control of the lord of the manor, -and the liberal organisation of the rural communes. Moreover, they were -given practical freedom to do what they liked in ecclesiastical and -educational administration. - -It must be remembered that, while England has had from time to time her -mediævalists, they have, on the whole, failed to make any real -impression on politics, and have exerted their influence only in the -province of religious belief and in that of art. It was different in -Prussia, where feudalism as a practical system had a much longer life. - -Numerous small States within the kingdom of Prussia, with their feudal -powers and rights, had to be broken up by the Great Elector as a first -step towards a Prussian nationality. It was really by continuing the -Great Elector's work in this respect that Stein had aroused that -national movement which eventually threw off the French yoke. But -Frederick William III had set himself to reorganise the provincial -States on the basis of a strict observance of their historical rights. -This reorganisation did not satisfy the mediævals because it failed to -provide any real check upon the bureaucratic character of the remaining -part of the King's administration. - -At the time of the Princess Royal's marriage there still survived an -extraordinary number of little States, each with its ruling family, and -for the most part as poor as they were proud. - - - - -CHAPTER IV - -MARRIAGE - - -It is the universal testimony that at the time of her wedding the -Princess Royal was at the height of her youthful beauty and charm. This -is not the mere flattery of courtiers, to whom all Royal ladies are -beautiful as a matter of course; it is the opinion expressed by a -multitude of observers in contemporary private letters, diaries, and -reminiscences. And of all the descriptions of her at this time in -existence the most lifelike we owe to a German lady of rank, one of the -Princess's future ladies-in-waiting, Countess Walpurga de Hohenthal, who -afterwards married Sir Augustus Berkeley Paget, British Ambassador in -Rome and Vienna. This lady gives in her book of reminiscences, _Scenes -and Memories_, this vivid vignette of her Royal mistress as she looked -just before her marriage: - -"The Princess appeared extraordinarily young. All the childish roundness -still clung to her and made her look shorter than she really was. She -was dressed in a fashion long disused on the Continent, in a -plum-coloured silk dress fastened at the back. Her hair was drawn off -her forehead. Her eyes were what struck me most; the iris was green -like the sea on a sunny day, and the white had a peculiar shimmer which -gave them the fascination that, together with a smile showing her small -and beautiful teeth, bewitched those who approached her. The nose was -unusually small and turned up slightly, and the complexion was ruddy, -perhaps too much so for one thing, but it gave the idea of perfect -health and strength. The fault of the face lay in the squareness of the -lower features, and there was even a look of determination about the -chin, but the very gentle and almost timid manner prevented one -realising this at first. The voice was very delightful, never going up -to high tones, but lending a peculiar charm to the slight foreign accent -with which the Princess spoke both English and German." - -As we have already seen, Queen Victoria felt strongly that it was not -every day that even a future King married the daughter of a Queen of -England, and she was resolved to surround the ceremony with all possible -pomp and circumstance. The reader may for the most part be spared the -details of these functions. What is interesting to us, looking back on -that age which seems so remote from our own, is the curious note of -tearful sentiment, which some would now call by a harsher name, yet -mingled with high hopes and pathetic confidence in the future. - -The Court spent the early part of January 1858 at Windsor Castle, and on -the 15th, the day of the departure for London, the Queen wrote in her -diary: - -"Went to look at the rooms prepared for Vicky's 'Honeymoon.' Very -pretty. It quite agitated me to look at them. Poor, poor child! We took -a short walk with Vicky, who was dreadfully upset at this real break in -her life; the real separation from her childhood! She slept for the last -time in the same room with Alice. Now all this is cut off." - -And we may quote, too, a characteristic passage from a letter written to -the Queen by her sister, the Princess of Hohenlohe-Langenburg, with -reference to another young Royal bride: - -"Poor little wife now! I have quite the same feeling as you have on -these dear young creatures entering the new life of duties, privations, -and trials, on their marrying so young. Alas! the sweet blossoms coming -in contact with rude life and all its realities so soon, are changed -into mature and less lovely persons, so painful to a mother's eye and -feeling; and yet we must be happy to see them fulfil their _Bestimmung_ -(destiny); but it is a happiness not unmixed with many a bitter drop of -anguish and pain." - -By the 19th all the Royal guests had arrived in London, among them the -King of the Belgians with his sons, the Prince and Princess of Prussia, -and Princes and Princesses in such numbers that the accommodation of -Buckingham Palace was taxed to the uttermost. "Such a house-full," says -the Queen in her diary. "Such bustle and excitement!" Between eighty and -ninety sat down to dinner at the Royal table daily. "After dinner," says -the same record, "a party, and a very gay and pretty dance. It was very -animated, all the Princes dancing." - -The first of the public festivities was a performance at Her Majesty's -Theatre of _Macbeth_, by Helen Faucit and Phelps, while Mr. and Mrs. -Keeley appeared in a farce. This was the first of four representations, -organised at the Queen's command in honour of the marriage, and each was -made the occasion of an extraordinary popular demonstration. A great -ball, at which over a thousand guests were present, was given at the -Palace, and there was also a State performance of Balfe's opera, _The -Rose of Castille_. - -Prince Frederick William arrived on January 23, and on the next day -Queen Victoria writes: - -"Poor dear Vicky's last unmarried day. An eventful one, reminding me so -much of mine. After breakfast we arranged in the large drawing-room the -gifts (splendid ones) for Vicky in two tables. Fritz's pearls are the -largest I ever saw, one row. On a third table were three fine -candelabra, our gift to Fritz. Vicky was in ecstasies, quite startled, -and Fritz delighted." - -More magnificent presents kept on arriving, and the Queen goes on: - -"Very busy--interrupted and disturbed every instant! Dear Vicky gave me -a brooch (a very pretty one) before Church with her hair; and, clasping -me in her arms, said: 'I hope to be worthy to be your child!'" At the -end of the day the Queen and Prince "accompanied Vicky to her room, -kissed her and gave her our blessing, and she was much overcome. I -pressed her in my arms, and she clung to her truly adored papa with much -tenderness." - -Of the wedding itself Queen Victoria made herself the historian for all -time, and we cannot do better than quote her vividly emotional account -of the scene: - -"Monday, January 25.--The second most eventful day in my life as regards -feelings. I felt as if I were being married over again myself, only much -more nervous, for I had not that blessed feeling which I had then, which -raises and supports one, of giving myself up for life to him whom I -loved and worshipped--then and ever! Got up, and, while dressing, -dearest Vicky came to see me, looking well and composed, and in a fine -quiet frame of mind. She had slept more soundly and better than before. -This relieved me greatly. Gave her a pretty book called _The Bridal -Offering_." - -Before the procession started for the Chapel Royal at St. James's -Palace, the Queen and the Princess were daguerreotyped together with -Prince Albert, but, says the Queen, "I trembled so, my likeness has -come out indistinct." Her Majesty continues: - -"Then came the time to go. The sun was shining brightly; thousands had -been out since very early, shouting, bells ringing, &c. Albert and -Uncle, in Field Marshal's uniform, with bâtons, and the two eldest boys -went first. Then the three girls in pink satin trimmed with Newport -lace, Alice with a wreath, and the two others with only _bouquets_ in -their hair of cornflowers [the favourite flower of Queen Louise of -Prussia and of all her children and descendants], and marguerites; next -the four boys in Highland dress. The flourish of trumpets and cheering -of thousands made my heart sink within me. Vicky was in the carriage -with me, sitting opposite. At St. James's took her into a dressing-room -prettily arranged, where were Uncle, Albert, and the eight bridesmaids, -who looked charming in white tulle, with wreaths and bouquets of pink -roses and white heather. - -"Then the procession was formed, just as at my marriage, only how small -the _old_ Royal family has become! Mama last before me--then Lord -Palmerston with the Sword of State--then Bertie and Alfred. I with the -two little boys on either side (which they say had a most touching -effect) and the three girls behind. The effect was very solemn and -impressive as we passed through the rooms, down the staircase, and -across a covered-in court. - -"The Chapel, though too small, looked extremely imposing and -well,--full as it was of so many elegantly-dressed ladies, uniforms, &c. -The Archbishop, &c. at the altar, and on either side of it the Royal -personages. Behind me Mama and the Cambridges, the girls and little boys -near me, and opposite me the dear Princess of Prussia, and the foreign -Princes behind her. Bertie and Affie, not far from the Princess, a -little before the others. - -"The drums and trumpets played marches, and the organ played others as -the procession approached and entered. There was a pause between each, -but not a very long one, and the effect was thrilling and striking as -you heard the music gradually coming nearer and nearer. Fritz looked -pale and much agitated, but behaved with the greatest self-possession, -bowing to us, and then kneeling down in a most devotional manner. Then -came the bride's procession and our darling Flower looked very touching -and lovely, with such an innocent, confident, and serious expression, -her veil hanging back over her shoulders, walking between her beloved -father and dearest Uncle Leopold, who had been at her christening and -confirmation. - -"My last fear of being overcome vanished on seeing Vicky's quiet, calm, -and composed manner. It was beautiful to see her kneeling with Fritz, -their hands joined, and the train borne by eight young ladies, who -looked like a cloud of maidens hovering round her, as they knelt near -her. Dearest Albert took her by the hand to give her away. The music -was very fine, the Archbishop very nervous; Fritz spoke very plainly. -Vicky too. The Archbishop omitted some of the passages." - -Sarah Lady Lyttelton, too, noted the calm and rather serious, though -happy and loving, expression of the Princess's look and manner--"not a -bit of bridal missiness and flutter." - -Another eye-witness of the scene supplies a moving touch: "The light of -happiness in the eyes of the bride appealed to the most reserved among -the spectators, and an audible 'God bless you!' passed from mouth to -mouth along the line." - -The Queen's description proceeds: - -"When the ceremony was over, we both embraced Vicky tenderly, but she -shed not one tear, and then she kissed her grandmama, and I Fritz. She -then went up to her new parents, and we crossed over to the dear Prince -and Princess [of Prussia], who were both much moved, Albert shaking -hands with them, and I kissing both and pressing their hands with a most -happy feeling. My heart was so full. Then the bride and bridegroom left -hand in hand, followed by the supporters, the 'Wedding March' by -Mendelssohn being played, and we all went up to the Throne Room to sign -the register. Here general congratulations, shaking hands with all the -relations. I felt so moved, so overjoyed and relieved, that I could have -embraced everybody." - -The young couple drove off to Windsor for a honeymoon of only two days, -as was then the custom with Royal personages. - -"We dined," says Queen Victoria, "_en famille_, but I felt so lost -without Vicky." In the evening, however, there came a messenger from -Windsor with a letter from the bride, containing the news that the Eton -boys had dragged the carriage of the Prince and Princess from the -railway station to the Castle, and that they had been welcomed by -immense crowds and with the greatest enthusiasm. All London, too, was -illuminated, and there were great rejoicings in the streets. The Duke of -Buccleuch made it his business to mingle with the humblest people in the -crowds, and he afterwards greatly pleased the Queen with his account of -their simple, hearty enthusiasm. - -Of those two days at Windsor, the bride, thirty-six years later, when -she was already a widow, spoke to her old friend, Bishop Boyd Carpenter. -She received the Bishop in the red brocade drawing-room which overlooks -the Long Walk, a room which awakened memories: "We spent," she said, -"our honeymoon at Windsor. This room was one of those we occupied. It -was our private sitting-room. I remember how we sat here--two young -innocent things--almost too shy to talk to one another." - -The Court moved to Windsor on the 27th, and on the following day the -bridegroom was invested with the order of the Garter. On the 29th the -Court returned to town, and in the evening the Queen and Prince Albert, -and the bridal pair, went in state to Her Majesty's Theatre. The -audience demanded the National Anthem twice before and once after the -play, two additional verses appropriate to the occasion being added. -Prince Frederick William led his bride to the front of the Royal box, -and they stood to receive the acclamations of the house. - -On January 30 the Queen held a Drawing-room, at which there were no -presentations, "only congratulations," and the Princess wore her wedding -dress and train. In the evening the eight bridesmaids, with their -respective parents, came, but though there were no young men, they all -danced till midnight. - -The dreaded separation was fast approaching. Those were days in which -people of all classes seemed to give freer play to their natural -emotions than they do now, and the actual parting at Buckingham Palace -may almost be described as agonising. "I think it will kill me to take -leave of dear Papa!" were the words of the Princess to her mother. "A -dreadful moment, and a dreadful day," wrote the Queen. "Such sickness -came over me, real heartache, when I thought of our dearest child being -gone, and for so long--all, all being over! It began to snow before -Vicky went, and continued to do so without intermission all day. At -times I could be quite cheerful, but my tears began to flow afresh -frequently, and I could not go near Vicky's corridor." - -Even the less emotional but not less warm-hearted Princess Mary of -Cambridge writes in her diary of February 2: - -"A very gloomy, tearful day! At eleven-thirty we drove to the palace to -see poor dear Vicky off. It was our intention to wait downstairs; but we -were sent for, and found dear Victoria [the Queen] surrounded by a -number of crying relations in the Queen's Closet. It was a sad, a trying -scene. We all accompanied her to the carriage, and, after bidding her -adieu, Mamma and I hurried to one of the front rooms to see her drive up -the Mall." - -There exists a private photograph, or rather a daguerreotype, taken of -the Princess Royal that morning, her face unrecognisable, swollen with -tears. - -It may be imagined how delighted the populace were when they saw that, -though it was snowing hard, their Princess had chosen an open carriage -for her drive through the London she even then loved so well and went on -loving to the very end. The route taken was through the Mall, Fleet -Street, Cheapside, and over London Bridge, and in spite of the terrible -weather enormous crowds gathered to see the last of the bride. The -stalwart draymen of Barclay and Perkins's brewery shouted out to the -bridegroom in menacing tones, "Be kind to her or we'll have her back!" - -The Princess was accompanied by her father and her two elder brothers; -and at Gravesend, where the Royal yacht, the _Victoria and Albert_, was -waiting to take her and her bridegroom across the Channel, the scene was -again most affecting. The Prince Consort was deeply moved but he was -determined to appear composed, and he kept his look of serenity. Not so -the Prince of Wales and Prince Alfred; they wept openly, and their -example was followed by many, for there was something profoundly moving -in this departure of the Daughter of England--as Cobden had called -her--for a country of which the great majority of Englishmen and -Englishwomen at that time knew little or nothing. - -Perhaps the general feeling among the educated classes of the England of -that day is best reflected in a leading article in the _Times_, which -said: - -"We only trust and pray that the policy of England and of Prussia may -never present any painful alternatives to the Princess now about to -leave our shores; that she will never be called on to forget the land of -her birth, education, and religion; and that, should the occasion ever -occur, she may have the wisdom to render what is due both to her new and -her old country. There is no European State but what changes and is -still susceptible of change, nor is this change wholly by any internal -law of development. We influence one another. England, indeed, has ever -been jealous of foreign influence, and she would be the last to -repudiate the honour of influencing her neighbours. For our part, we are -confident enough of our country to think an English Princess a gain to a -Prussian Court, but not so confident to deny that we may be mutually -benefited, and Europe through us, by a greater cordiality and better -acquaintance than has hitherto been between the two countries." - - - - -CHAPTER V - -EARLY MARRIED LIFE - - -The bridal journey to Berlin was in the nature of a triumphal progress, -and it was well that the Prince and Princess were both young and full of -healthy vitality. At Brussels they were present at a great Court ball -given in their honour, but early the next morning they were again on -their route, and all the way there were receptions, addresses of -congratulations, &c., to be received and answered. - -It was probably at Brussels that the Princess received a touching letter -from her father, written on the day after her departure from England:-- - -"My heart was very full when yesterday you leaned your forehead on my -breast to give free vent to your tears. I am not of a demonstrative -nature, and therefore you can hardly know how dear you have always been -to me, and what a void you have left behind in my heart: yet not in my -heart, for there assuredly you will abide henceforth, as till now you -have done, but in my daily life, which is evermore reminding my heart of -your absence." - -Three days later Prince Albert again wrote to her: - -"Thank God, everything apparently goes on to a wish, and you seem to -gain 'golden opinions' in your favour; which naturally gives us extreme -pleasure, both because we love you, and because this touches our -parental pride. But what has given us most pleasure of all was the -letter, so overflowing with affection, which you wrote while yet on -board the yacht. Poor child! well did I feel the bitterness of your -sorrow, and would so fain have soothed it. But, excepting my own sorrow, -I had nothing to give; and that would only have had the effect of -augmenting yours." - -To Stockmar, whose son, Baron Ernest Stockmar, was appointed Treasurer -to the Princess Royal on her marriage, he wrote: - -"Throughout all this agitated, serious and very trying time, the good -child has behaved quite admirably, and to the mingled admiration and -surprise of every one. She was so natural, so childlike, so dignified -and firm in her whole bearing and demeanour, that one might well believe -in a higher inspiration. I shall not forget that your son has proved -himself in all ways extremely useful, and takes and holds his ground, -which, among the Berliners, is no easy matter." - -The progress to Berlin was, at any rate, by no means dull; it was marked -by plenty of incident, sometimes not of a pleasant nature. For instance, -when the bridal pair were entertained at a great Court banquet at -Hanover, whether by malice, or more probably by sheer stupidity, the -feast was spread on the very gold dinner-service which had been a -subject of dispute between Queen Victoria and King Ernest, a dispute -which had been decided by the English law officers of the Crown in -favour of Hanover. The Princess Royal, who knew all about the affair, -felt deeply hurt, but she did not allow this to be noticed except by her -intimate entourage. - -In Magdeburg Cathedral the crowd became so obstreperous in their eager -desire to see the Princess that shreds of her gown, a dress of tartan -velvet, were actually torn off her back. - -Just before Potsdam was reached, the famous Field-Marshal Wrangel, who -had played so great a part in the Revolution of 1848, jumped into the -train. After he had complimented the Royal bride, he sat down on a seat -on which had been placed an enormous apple-tart which had just been -presented to the Princess at Wittenberg, a town noted for its pastry. -Fortunately the old soldier took the accident in good part, and joined -in the hearty laughter which accompanied the efforts of the Princess and -her ladies to clean his uniform. - -The whole of the Prussian Royal family assembled at Potsdam to greet the -bride and bridegroom, who made their State entry into Berlin on February -8. It was a fine day, but the cold was of an intensity never before -experienced by the Princess. Nevertheless, she and her ladies were all -in low Court dresses, and, by her express wish, the windows of the -State carriages were kept down, so that the eager populace might be the -better able to see inside. - -The drive lasted two hours and ended at the Old Schloss, where the -Prince and Princess found once more the whole of the Prussian Royal -family assembled, headed by the then King and his Queen. As the Queen -embraced the bride, she observed coldly: "Are you not frozen?" The -Princess replied with a smile; "I have only one warm place, and that is -my heart!" - -It is a curious fact that on that night of the State entry into Berlin, -when every house, and especially every palace and embassy, was -brilliantly illuminated, the English Legation alone remained in -darkness. This was simply because the gas company had undertaken to do -more than it could accomplish, for gas had never been used for public -illumination in Berlin before that night. Still, the circumstance was -long remembered by the more superstitious of the Berliners. - -The youthful bride made a very favourable impression on those who saw -her on that first day in Berlin. Her manner was singularly quiet and -self-possessed, and she found a kind and suitable word to say to -everyone. Yet, even so, feeling ran so high in Prussian society, and -especially at the Court, that Lord and Lady Bloomfield, the then English -Minister and his wife, made a point of avoiding the Princess Royal, so -desirous were they of giving no cause of offence to the King and Queen. - -Meanwhile, the loving parents in London were kept busy in reading the -accounts, which poured in on them from every quarter, of their -daughter's reception in their new home. Thus, Queen Victoria's sister, -the Princess of Hohenlohe-Langenburg, writes from Berlin on February 17: - -"You know of everything that is going on, and how much she [the Princess -Royal] is admired, and deserves so to be. The enthusiasm and interest -shown are beyond everything. Never was a Princess in this country -received as she is. That shows where the sympathies turn to, certainly -not towards the North Pole." - -This was perhaps a little too _couleur de rose_, and when Prince -Frederick William telegraphed to his parents-in-law, "The whole Royal -family is enchanted with my wife," Prince Albert's dry comment, in -writing to his daughter, was that the telegraph must have been amazed at -the message. Nor did the anxious father fail to seize the opportunity -for a little sermon. In this same letter, dated February 11, he writes -to the Princess: - -"You have now entered upon your new home, and been received and welcomed -on all sides with the greatest friendship and cordiality. This kindly -and trustful advance of a whole nation towards an entire stranger must -have kindled and confirmed within you the determination to show yourself -in every way worthy of such feelings, and to reciprocate and requite -them by the steadfast resolution to dedicate the whole energies of your -life to this people of your new home. And you have received from Heaven -the happy task of effecting this object by making your husband truly -happy, and of doing him at the same time the best service, by aiding him -to maintain and to increase the love of his countrymen. - -"That you have everywhere made so favourable an impression has given -intense happiness to me as a father. Let me express my fullest -admiration of the way in which, possessed exclusively by the duty which -you had to fulfil, you have kept down and overcome your own little -personal troubles, perhaps also many feelings of sorrow not yet healed. -This is the way to success, and the _only_ way. If you have succeeded in -winning people's hearts by friendliness, simplicity, and courtesy, the -secret lay in this, that you were not thinking of yourself. Hold fast -this mystic power; it is a spark from Heaven." - -Admirable advice in a sense, but unfortunately too general to be of much -service to the warm-hearted, impulsive Princess, before whom lay so many -unsuspected pitfalls. Prince Albert believed, as he had said to his -son-in-law, that his daughter possessed "a man's head and a child's -heart," an allusion to the poet's words, "In wit a man, simplicity a -child." But Prussia was not Coburg, and even from Coburg Prince Albert -had now been away for nearly twenty years. He does not appear at all to -have appreciated either the situation which now confronted the Princess -Royal, or how little adapted she was by her temperament and her training -to meet it. - -In the Princess of Prussia (afterwards the Empress Augusta) her English -daughter-in-law ever had a true friend and ally, and during the forty -years which followed, the two ladies were on far better terms than -anyone could have expected, considering how entirely different had been -their upbringing and outlook on life. - -For example, Princess Augusta had been taught as a child to _tenir -cercle_ in the gardens of the Palace at Weimar--that is to say, she had -to make the round of the bushes and trees, each of which represented for -the moment a lady or gentlemen of the Court, and say something pleasant -and suitable to each! In this curious but extremely practical fashion -was inculcated one of the most fundamentally important duties of Royal -personages, and it may be suggested with all respect that the future -Empress Frederick would have benefited if she had had some similar -training. - -The Princess who was to become Queen of Prussia and the first German -Empress had been brought up at Goethe's knee. She belonged, in an -intellectual sense, to the eighteenth rather than the nineteenth -century. She knew French as well as she knew German--indeed, it is said -that she often thought in French, and perhaps her chief friend, at the -time of her son's marriage to the Princess Royal, was Monsieur de -Bacourt, the French diplomatist to whom the Duchesse de Dino's -diary-letters were for the most part addressed. Among her intimates were -many Catholics, and for many years it was believed in Berlin that she -had been secretly received into the Roman Church. As a young woman she -was full of heart and warmth of feeling, but she soon learnt, what her -daughter-in-law never succeeded in mastering, the wisdom of -circumspection and the painful necessity for prudence. She early made up -her mind to remain on the whole in shadow. While never concealing her -point of view from those about her, she yet never took any public part -in the affairs of State. - -During the Crimean War, when the whole of the Prussian Court was -pro-Russian, the Princess of Prussia had been pro-English--a fact which -naturally endeared her to Queen Victoria, but which had made her -Prussian relatives very sore and angry. When the Princess Royal arrived -in Berlin as the bride of the King of Prussia's heir-presumptive, the -Crimean War was already being forgotten. Among the Liberals there was -what may be called a pro-English party, and the joyous simplicity and -youthful charm of the Princess silenced criticism, at any rate for a -time. - -It must be remembered that the Princess Royal had left a young Court. At -the time of her marriage her parents were still young people--she made -them grandparents when they were only thirty-eight. But the Court in -which she now became an important personage was composed of middle-aged -men and women, with some very old people. There was still living in the -Court circle a lady who was said to remember Frederick the Great. This -was the Countess Pauline Neale, who had been one of Queen Louise's -ladies-in-waiting. She could recollect with vivid intensity every detail -and episode associated with Napoleon's treatment of the King and Queen. - -Of great age, too, was the gigantic Field-Marshal Wrangel, who had -actually carried the colours of his regiment at the battle of Leipzig. - -Another interesting personality in the Princess Royal's new family -circle was her husband's aunt, Princess Charles, sister of the Princess -of Prussia, who afterwards became the grandmother of the Duchess of -Connaught. She still bore traces of the wonderful beauty for which she -had been famed in the 'twenties, but was, of course, no longer a young -woman. - -Not long after the Princess Royal's arrival in Berlin, a German observer -wrote to the Prince Consort: "She sees more clearly and more correctly -than many a man of commanding intellect, because, while possessing an -acute mind and the purest heart, she does not know the word -'prejudice.'" - -Less than a month after her marriage, on February 17, the Prince Consort -sent his daughter a letter full of wise warning: - -"Your festival time, if not your honeymoon, comes to an end to-day; and -on this I take leave to congratulate you, unfeeling though it may sound, -for I wish you the necessary time and tranquillity to digest the many -impressions you have received, and which otherwise, like a wild revel, -first inflame, and then stupefy, leaving a dull nerveless lassitude -behind. Your exertions, and the demands which have been made upon you, -have been quite immense; you have done your best, and have won the -hearts, or what is called the hearts, of all. In the nature of things we -may now expect a little reaction. The public, just because it was -rapturous and enthusiastic, will now become minutely critical and take -you to pieces anatomically. This is to be kept in view, although it need -cause you no uneasiness, for you have only followed your natural bent, -and have made no external demonstration which did not answer to the -truth of your inner nature. It is only the man who presents an -artificial demeanour to the world, who has to dread being unmasked. - -"Your place is that of your husband's wife, and of your mother's -daughter. You will desire nothing else, but you will also forego -nothing of that which you owe to your husband and to your mother. -Ultimately your mind will, from the over-excitement, fall back to a -little lassitude and sadness. But this will make you feel a craving for -activity, and you have much to do, in studying your new country, its -tendencies and its people, and in over-looking your household as a good -housewife, with punctuality, method, and vigilant care. To success in -the affairs of life, apportionment of time is essential, and I hope you -will make this your _first_ care, so that you may always have some time -over for the fulfilment of every duty." - -Baron Stockmar had also been watching the details of the Princess's -reception in her new country with anxious interest. He, too, saw the -danger of a reaction, and he wrote a letter to the Prince Consort, in -reply to which the father, after commending the Princess's tact, said: - -"The enthusiasm with which she seems to have been everywhere received -exceeds our utmost calculations and hopes, and proves that the people -approved the idea of this alliance, and have found Vicky in herself -answer to their expectations. It is only now, indeed, the difficulties -of her life will begin, and after the excitement of the festivities a -certain melancholy will come over the poor child, however happy she may -feel with her husband. With marriage, a new life has opened for her, -and you would have marvelled at the sudden change and development which -even here became at once apparent. - -"We, that is, she and I, have, I think, remained, and I believe will -remain, the same to one another. She continues to set great store by my -advice and my confidence; I do not thrust them upon her, but I am always -ready to give them. During this time of troubles she has written less to -me, and communicated the details of her life, and what she is doing, -more to her mother. I had arranged this with her, but I hold her promise -to impart to me faithfully the progress of her inner life, and on the -other hand have given her mine, to take a constantly active part in -fostering it. You may be sure I will not fail in this, as I see in it -merely the fulfilment of a sacred duty. - -"What you say about an early visit had already been running in my head, -and I will frankly explain what we think on this subject. Victoria and I -are both desirous to have a meeting with the young couple, somewhere or -other in the course of the year, having moreover given them a promise -that we would. This could only be in the autumn. A _rendezvous_ on the -Rhine--for example at Coblentz--would probably be the right thing. This -does not exclude a flying visit by myself alone, which, if it is to be -of any use, must be paid earlier in the year. How and where we could see -each other I have naturally weighed, and am myself doubtful whether -Berlin is the appropriate place for me. I have therefore come to the -conclusion that I might go to Coburg, and give the young people a -_rendezvous_ there." - -The Princess Royal spent her first winter in Berlin in the Old Schloss. -The castle had not been lived in for a considerable time, and to one -accustomed to the even then high standard of English living and hygiene, -it must have seemed almost mediæval in its lack of comfort, and of what -the Princess had been brought up to regard as the bare necessities of -life--light, warmth, and plenty of hot water. - -The young couple were allotted a suite of splendidly decorated but very -dark and gloomy rooms; and none of the passages or staircases were -heated. The Princess, who had always been encouraged to turn her quick -mind to practical matters, and who delighted in creating and in making, -found her way blocked at every turn owing to the fact that nothing could -be done in the Old Schloss without the direct permission of the King. -Not only was Frederick William IV in a very bad and mentally peculiar -state of health, but to him and to his Queen any attempt to change or -modify anything in the ancient pile of buildings where his predecessor -had lived savoured of sacrilege. To give one instance, King Frederick -William III had died in the very suite of rooms allotted to the Prince -and Princess, and his children had piously preserved the -"death-chamber," as it was still called, in exactly the same state as it -was on the day of his death. This room was situated next to the -Princess's boudoir, and every time she went to her bedroom or -dressing-room she was obliged to pass through it. - -The Old Schloss was widely believed to be haunted, not only by the -"White Lady" but by other ghosts, and the door between the Princess -Royal's boudoir and the "death-chamber" would sometimes open by itself. -One winter evening, the Princess and one of her ladies were sitting -together in the boudoir. The lady, who was reading aloud, raised her -eyes and suddenly saw the door of the death-chamber, which was covered, -like the walls, with blue silk, open noiselessly, as if pushed by an -invisible hand. She stopped reading abruptly. The Princess asked -nervously, "What's happened? Do you see anything?" The lady answered, -"Nothing, ma'am," and, getting up, shut the door. - -But it would be absurd to suppose that the Princess allowed the -ungraciousness of the King and the material discomforts which surrounded -her at this time to cloud the beginning of a singularly happy married -life. She threw herself with eager zest into her husband's interests, -and for the time she seemed completely merged in him. Having regard to -the mental equipment and demands of the Princess, it is obvious that she -found in her husband great intellectual gifts. The theory that the -Prince was wholly influenced by his wife, who took the lead in all, -cannot be maintained. He was nine years older than the Princess, who was -little more than a child when they married, and his character and -outlook were formed long before. His uncle, Duke Ernest, testifies on -the contrary, to the influence which the Prince exerted over his wife. - -It must, however, be acknowledged that Prince Frederick William, -especially in these early days, agreed with the Princess in regarding -England as a perfect country with a perfect constitution. He was deeply -grateful to her for having left an ideally happy home to become his -wife, and his entire devotion was shown in many ways. Indeed, the only -thing in which the Prince Frederick William of these days seems to have -ever withstood the Princess Royal was in his refusal to give up his -solitary evening walk in the streets of Berlin. The Princess used to go -to bed quite early, and then the Prince would go out and walk about -quite unattended. - -Years later, in reference to her domestic happiness, the Empress wrote -feelingly to a friend: "The peace and blessed calm that I ever found in -my home, by the side of my beloved husband, when powerful influences -from outside were first distressing me, are blessings which I cannot -describe." - -Some of the conditions of the Princess Royal's new life were undoubtedly -very irksome to her. The tone of the Prussian Court in matters, not only -of religion and politics, but also of etiquette, was very much narrower -than that of the English Court. She seems to have found it impossible to -guard her tongue, to conceal her convictions, or to hold aloof from -political discussion. At "home," as she soon very unwisely began to call -England, she had been used to say everything she thought from childhood -upwards, sure of not being misunderstood, and reticence would have -seemed to her mean, if not absolutely dishonest. - -But it is difficult to say when the Prussian reactionary party first -became aware that in the bride of Prince Frederick William they had a -determined and a brilliant opponent. It must, however, have been fairly -early, for it is on record that during that first winter in Berlin "the -very approach of a Tory or a reactionary seemed to freeze her up." - -Nor is it easy to see how much the Princess's father, watching anxiously -from England, knew of this. She continued with unabated enthusiasm those -historical and literary studies to which the Prince Consort had -accustomed her, and she wrote him a weekly letter, asking his advice on -political questions. She wrote to her mother daily, sometimes twice a -day, but it was her father's influence which really counted with her, -and that remained quite unimpaired. It is reasonable to suppose that he -attributed whatever seemed to annoy and distress her in Prussian public -life to the still paramount influence of the dying King. But he -evidently did not at any time realise that, though factious persons -might be ready enough to use her in their own interests, no one in -Prussia really wanted to see a Princess dabbling in politics at all. -Thus, we find the Prince writing to Stockmar in March 1858: - -"From Berlin the tenor of the news continues excellent. Vicky appears to -go on pleasing, and being pleased. She is an extremely fortunate, -animating, and tranquillising element in that region of conflict and -indecision." - -And again: - -"Brunnow had reckoned upon Moustier from Berlin, whom he would have had -in his pocket, and through him Walewski. Now he gets the Duke of -Malakoff! He has not yet been able to realise the position, and is by -way of being extremely confidential; it is he alone who has made Vicky's -marriage popular in Berlin, where it was at first very unpopular, and he -weeps tears of emotion when he speaks of her!" - -To the Princess herself he wrote also in March: - -"You seem to have taken up your position with much tact. The bandage has -been torn from your eyes all at once as regards all the greatest -mysteries of life, and you stand not only of a sudden before them, but -are called upon to deal with them, and that too on the spur of the -moment. 'Oh! It is indeed most hard to be a man,' was the constant cry -of the old Würtemberg Minister, von Wangenheim, and he was right!" - -The Prince was generally philosophising, but even so the following, -written a few days later, seems an extraordinary letter for any father -to write to a girl not much over seventeen: - -"That you should sometimes be oppressed by home-sickness is most -natural. This feeling, which I know right well, will be sure to increase -with the sadness which the reviving spring, and the quickening of all -nature that comes with it, always develop in the heart. It is a painful -yearning, which may exist quite independently of, and simultaneously -with, complete contentment and complete happiness. I explain this -hard-to-be-comprehended mental phenomenon thus. The identity of the -individual is, so to speak, interrupted; and a kind of Dualism springs -up by reason of this, that the _I which has been_, with all its -impressions, remembrances, experiences, feelings, which were also those -of youth, is attached to a particular spot, with its local and personal -associations, and appears to what may be called _the new I_ like a -vestment of the soul which has been lost, from which nevertheless _the -new I_ cannot disconnect itself, because its identity is in fact -continuous. Hence the painful struggle, I might almost say the spasm, of -the soul." - -To the faithful Stockmar the Prince confided his belief: - -"As to Vicky, unquestionably she will turn out a very distinguished -character, whom Prussia will have cause to bless." - -The Prince's cherished scheme of a visit to Coburg began to take shape, -and he writes: - -"My whole stay in Coburg can only be for six days. To see you and Fritz -together in a quiet homely way without visits of ceremony, &c.--I dare -not picture it to myself too strongly. Talk it over with Fritz, and let -me know if I can count on you, but do not let the plan get wind, -otherwise people will be paying us visits, and our meeting will lose its -pleasant private character." - -Another letter, dated April 28, is interesting as showing that the -Prince was beginning to perceive some of the difficulties in his -daughter's path: - -"What you are now living through, observing, and doing, are the most -important experiences, impressions and acts of your life, for they are -the first of a life independent and responsible to itself. That outside -of and in close proximity to your true and tranquillising happiness with -dear Fritz your path of life is not wholly smooth, I regard as a most -fortunate circumstance for you, inasmuch as it forces you to exercise -and strengthen the powers of your mind." - -Nothing that concerned her but was of moment to her father: - -"I am delighted to see by your letter that you deliberate gravely upon -your budget, and I shall be most happy to look through it, if you send -it to me; this is the only way to have a clear idea to one's self of -what one has, spends, and ought to spend. As this is a business of -which I have had long and frequent experience, I will give you one rule -for your guidance in it, namely, to set apart a considerable balance -_pour l'imprévu_. This gentleman is the costliest of guests in life, and -we shall look very blank if we have nothing to set before him." - -During the first summer of their married life, the Prince and Princess -set up quite a modest establishment at the Castle of Babelsberg, and -this made the Princess very happy. - -Seated on a declivity of a richly wooded hill, about three miles from -Potsdam, and looking down upon a fine expanse of water, the little -Castle of Babelsberg commands a charming view of the surrounding -country. "Everything there," wrote Queen Victoria on her first visit, -"is very small, a Gothic _bijou_, full of furniture, and flowers -(creepers), which they arrange very prettily round screens, and lamps, -and pictures. There are many irregular turrets and towers and steps." - -It was at Babelsberg that the Princess Royal began to try and see -something of the intellectual and artistic world of Berlin. Neither the -husband nor the wife was under the dominion of the class and caste -prejudices which even now are so astonishing a feature of German social -life, and which were then even more powerful and far-reaching. That the -Prince and Princess should appear actually to enjoy the society of mere -painters and writers and scientists, whether they occupied any official -positions or not, seemed extraordinary and highly improper to the whole -bureaucratic element of Berlin, and must, we can well imagine, have -seriously offended the Prince's father. - -It is easy to be wise after the event. No one now can help seeing that -it would have been the truest wisdom for the young Princess to have -rigidly suppressed her natural tastes and intellectual interests, and to -have led a life of the narrowly conventional character which Prussian -princesses were expected to lead. But she was incapable of such -self-suppression, which would have seemed to her deceitful, and the mild -cautions and hints at prudence in her father's letters were pathetically -inadequate to the needs of her critical position. She was herself still -quite unaware of how closely she was being watched and criticised. "I am -very happy," she told a guest at one of the Court receptions, "and I am -intensely proud of belonging to this country." - -The more the Princess's social preferences aroused the suspicion and -indignation of the Court world, the more popular she became with the -"intellectuals," unfortunately not a profitable exchange for her as she -was then situated. We become aware of this by a passage in the -_Reminiscences_ of Professor Schellbach, who had been mathematical tutor -to Prince Frederick William. He writes: - -"The first words which the Princess addressed to me with the greatest -kindness were, 'I love mathematics, physics, and chemistry.' I was much -pleased, for I saw that the Prince must have given her a pleasant -account of me. Under the direction of her highly cultivated father, who -had himself studied it, Princess Victoria had become acquainted with -natural science, and had even received her first teaching from such -famous men as Faraday and Hoffman. Our beloved Princess soon revealed -her love for art and science, as well as her pleasure in setting -problems of her own. Her Royal Highness at first tried to go on with her -studies in physics and mathematics under my direction, but soon her -artistic work took up the remainder of time which the requirements of -Court life left to her." - -Early in June Prince Albert carried out his plan of visiting his -daughter and son-in-law, but it was at Babelsberg, not at Coburg, as he -had hoped. He was able to report to Queen Victoria: "The relation -between the young people is all that can be desired. I have had long -talks with them both, singly and together, which gave me the greatest -satisfaction." - -Prince Albert was, however, shocked to find the King of Prussia in a -terrible state: - -"The King looks frightfully ill; he was very cordial and friendly, and -for the half hour he stayed with us, did not once get confused, but -complained greatly about his state of health. He is thin and fallen -away over his whole body, with a large stomach, his face grown quite -small. He made many attempts at joking in the old way, but with a voice -quite broken, and features full of pain. '_Wenn ich einmal fort bin, -wieder fort bin_,' he said, grasping his forehead and striking it, 'then -the Queen must pay us a visit here, it will make me so happy.' What he -meant was, '_Wenn ich wieder wohl bin_.' 'It is so tedious,' he -murmured; thus it is plainly to be seen that he has not quite given up -all thought of getting better. The Prince's whole aim is to be -serviceable to his brother. He still walks very lame, but looks well. I -kept quietly in the house all day with Vicky, who is very sensible and -good." - -The Princess had special reasons for being "sensible" at this time, for, -to the great joy of the Prussian Royal family, she was enceinte. - -In August Queen Victoria and the Prince Consort paid a visit of some -length to their daughter. The Queen herself describes the visit as -"quite private and unofficial," although she carried in her train not -only Lord Malmesbury, the Foreign Secretary in Lord Derby's Government -(which had been formed in February), but also Lord Clarendon, his -predecessor, and Lord Granville, who had been Lord President of the -Council in Palmerston's Government. - -Prince Albert, at any rate, did not neglect the opportunity of studying -the political situation. He wrote to Stockmar a letter highly approving -the Prince of Prussia's political views, while his son-in-law he -described as firm in his constitutional principles and despising the -Manteuffel Ministry, the members of which he met with obvious coolness. - -The Berliners gave a hearty reception to Queen Victoria and Prince -Albert, and the Queen declared to the Burgomaster of Berlin that she -felt exceedingly happy there, because she had realised with what love -and devotion everyone was attached to the Royal house and to her -daughter. - -She was delighted with old Wrangel, whom she calls a great character. -"He was full of Vicky and the marriage, and said she was an angel." -There was a great deal of sight-seeing, mitigated by charming little -_gemuthlich_ family dinners, and a grand review at Potsdam. - -Prince Albert's birthday occurred during the visit, and one of the -Queen's presents to him was "a paper-weight of Balmoral granite and -deer's teeth designed by Vicky." "Vicky gave her portrait, a small oil -one by Hartmann, very like though not flattered, and a drawing by -herself. There were two birthday cakes. Vicky had ordered one with as -many lights as Albert numbered years, which is the Prussian custom." - -Her Majesty notes with pleasure the arrival of "our dear, excellent old -friend Stockmar," whose presence, however, by no means gave universal -satisfaction. Indeed, Sir Theodore Martin says frankly that, although -his visit was due solely to his desire to meet the Queen and Prince -Consort, it was viewed with rancorous suspicion by the aristocratic -party, who held in abhorrence the man whom they knew to be the great -advocate for the establishment of constitutional government in Germany. -He was even accused of actively intriguing for the downfall of the -Manteuffel Administration, having, it was said, "brought in his pocket, -all cut and dry from England, the Ministry of the new era." - -Stockmar's views of what was needful to raise Germany to her proper -place among the nations were unchanged, but age and infirmity had for -some time made him a mere looker-on. Nevertheless, it is probable that -neither the Queen nor Prince Albert in the least realised how -inadvisable, in the interests of the Princess Royal, was the old man's -visit. - -It must not, however, be thought that the Prussians were indifferent to -the Princess Royal's singular personal charm. We have a most interesting -glimpse of this in a long letter written to Queen Victoria by the -beautiful and brilliant Duchess of Manchester, herself a Hanoverian by -birth, who afterwards married the Duke of Devonshire and for many years -held a remarkable position in English society. - -The Duchess relates how well the Princess Royal was looking during the -manoeuvres on the Rhine, and how much she seemed to be beloved, not -only by all those who knew her, but also by those who had only seen and -heard of her. - -"The English could not help feeling proud of the way the Princess Royal -was spoken of, and the high esteem she is held in. For one so young it -is a most flattering position, and certainly, as the Princess's charm of -manner and her kind unaffected words had in that short time won her the -hearts of all the officers and strangers present, one was not astonished -at the praise the Prussians themselves bestow on her Royal Highness. The -Prussian Royal Family is so large, and their opinions politically and -socially sometimes so different, that it must have been very difficult -indeed at first for the Princess Royal, and people therefore cannot -praise enough the high principles, great discretion, sound judgment, and -cleverness her Royal Highness has invariably displayed." - -And the Duchess adds, on the authority of Field Marshal Wrangel, that -the soldiers were particularly delighted to see the Princess on -horseback and without a veil. - -The Royal visit to Babelsberg came to an end all too soon, and the -leave-taking was tearful and emotional in the extreme. Queen Victoria -wrote with natural feeling, "All would be comparatively easy, were it -not for the one thought that I cannot be with her at the very critical -moment when every other mother goes to her child!" - -In October of that first year of the Princess Royal's married life, her -father-in-law became permanent Regent, owing to the continued mental -incapacity of King Frederick William IV. This filled the young Princess -with intense satisfaction, which was increased when the new Prince -Regent declared it to be his intention strictly to adhere to the letter -and the spirit of the Constitution of 1850. The great bulk of the nation -rallied instantly round him, and it seemed as if the gulf between the -House of Hohenzollern and the people of Prussia had been suddenly -bridged. The Manteuffel Ministry fell in the following month, a general -election produced an enormous Liberal majority, and the hopes of the -Constitutionalists ran high. The Manteuffel Ministry was succeeded by -one of which Prince Charles Anthony of Hohenzollern was the President. -From this time forward Prince Frederick William regularly attended the -meetings of the Ministry, and Privy Councillor Brunnemann was assigned -to him as a kind of secretary and channel of communication on State -affairs. - -The Princess Royal imprudently expressed to a gentleman of the Court her -satisfaction at the change in the political situation, and her words, -being repeated and exaggerated, gave great offence to the Conservative -party, which was also the party of the King. The Princess's satisfaction -was of course shared by her father, who wrote to the sympathetic -Stockmar a letter showing no prevision of that great rock of Army -administration on which these high hopes were destined to be wrecked: - -"The Regency seems now to have been secured for the Prince. We have only -news of this at present by telegrams from our children, but are greatly -delighted at this first step towards the reduction to order of a -miserable chaos. Will the Prince have the courage to surround himself -with honourable and patriotic men? That is the question, and what shape -will the new Chamber take, and what will its influence on him be?" - -On November 20, 1858, Prince and Princess Frederick William moved into -the palace in Unter den Linden which was henceforth to be their -residence in Berlin; and on the following day, the Princess's eighteenth -birthday, there was a kind of dedicatory service in the palace chapel, -which was attended by all the members of the Royal House. - -[Illustration: HER ROYAL HIGHNESS VICTORIA, PRINCESS ROYAL 1856] - -This palace had been the scene of the happy life of the Prince's -grandfather, King Frederick William III, and of Queen Louise. The -intimate and beautiful family life that had filled these rooms was the -best of omens for the young pair, and the Princess Royal was delighted -with her new home. But the palace required to be brought up to modern -standards of comfort, and it was very difficult to have the alterations -approved by the moody and violent King. What he allowed on one day he -took back with hasty blame on the morrow. At last Prince Frederick -William obtained the Royal assent to those alterations which were -absolutely urgent, together with a grant of 350,000 thalers. Among other -improvements was added an eight-cornered "Gedenkhalle" or "Memory-Hall," -in which were placed the numerous wedding presents of the young pair, -and to these, from time to time, were added other rare and beautiful -objects. - - - - -CHAPTER VI - -BIRTH OF PRINCE WILLIAM - - -On January 27, 1859, Berlin was on the tip-toe of expectation. The -custom is that 101 guns announce the birth of a Prince, and only -twenty-one that of a Princess, and as in Prussia the Salic Law still -obtains, it may easily be imagined with what anxiety the Berliners -counted the successive discharges. There was indeed no need to wait for -the whole tale of the 101 guns, for the firing of the twenty-second was -enough to spread the glad news. - -The story goes that when old Field-Marshal Wrangel, "Papa Wrangel" as -the Berliners affectionately called him, left the palace, the populace -crowded round him and demanded to know what he could tell them. -"Children," he answered, "all is well! It is as fine and sturdy a -recruit as one could wish!" - -It soon became known, however, that all had not gone well with the young -mother and her child. There had been one of those unfortunate mishaps, -the exact truth of which it is always so difficult to disentangle, but -the following account, we believe, represents what actually happened: - -It had been Queen Victoria's wish that the Princess should be attended -in her confinement by Dr. Martin, her English doctor, as well as the -German Court physicians. About eight o'clock in the morning of January -27, one of the latter wrote to his English colleague, asking him to come -at once to the Palace. But the servant to whom the letter was entrusted, -instead of taking it to Dr. Martin's house, put it in the post, and it -never reached him till the afternoon. To that fact the Princess Royal's -friends always attributed the circumstances which resulted in the -weakness of the infant's left arm. Be that as it may, both mother and -baby were for a time in imminent danger. No anæsthetic was administered, -and the Princess with characteristic courage looked up to her husband, -who held her in his arms the whole time, and asked him to forgive her -for being impatient. None of those about her thought her strength would -hold out, and one of the German doctors actually said in her presence -that he thought she would die, and her baby too. But at last her ordeal -came to an end, and to her intense joy she was told that she had given -birth to a fine healthy boy. - -The news of the birth of their first grandchild was quickly flashed to -the anxious parents at Windsor. "A boy," ran the telegram, and Queen -Victoria characteristically replied, "Is it a fine boy?" But it was not -till the following day, so Prince Albert told Stockmar, that the courier -brought "our first information of the severe suffering which poor Vicky -had undergone, and of the great danger in which the child's life had -hovered for a time." To King Leopold the Prince wrote, "The danger for -the child and the sufferings for the mother were serious. Poor Fritz and -the Prince and Princess must have undergone terrible anxiety, as they -had no hope of the birth of a living child, and their joy over a strong, -healthy boy is therefore all the greater." - -On the evening of the baby's birth, the Prince Regent, also a -grandfather for the first time, held a reception of which we have a -vivid description from the pen of the dramatist, Gustav zu Putlitz, then -a member of the Prussian Landtag, and afterwards chamberlain to Princess -Frederick William. He says: - -"It was like a great family festival. Everyone hurried there with -congratulations, and when the young father, beaming with happiness, -appeared, the rejoicings increased. This delight is shared by all -classes of society, and is a testimony to the extent of the popularity -of the Prince and Princess." - -Prince Frederick William received on January 29 the congratulations of -the Prussian Chambers, to which he made the following reply: - -"I thank you very heartily for the interest you have shown in the joyful -event, which is of such consequence to my family and to the country. If -God should preserve my son's life, it shall be my chief endeavour to -bring him up in the opinions and sentiments which bind me to the -Fatherland. It is nearly a year to-day since I told you how deeply -moved I was by the universal sympathy which was exhibited towards me, as -a young married man, by the country as a whole. This sympathy it was -which made the Princess, my wife, who had left her home to come to a new -Fatherland, realise those ties of affection which have now, owing to the -birth of this son, become unbreakable. May God therefore bless our -efforts to bring up our son to be worthy of the love which has been thus -early manifested towards him. The Princess, to whom I was able to -communicate your intention, desires me to express her most sincere -thanks." - -The christening was fixed for March 5, but neither of the parents of the -Princess could be present. "I don't think I ever felt so bitterly -disappointed," wrote the Queen to Uncle Leopold. "It almost breaks my -heart. And then it is an occasion so gratifying to both nations and -brings them so much together that it is peculiarly mortifying." However, -the Queen consoled herself by doing all she could to mark the importance -of the occasion. She sent a formal mission to represent her and the -Prince Consort at the christening, consisting of Lord Raglan, the son of -the victor of the Alma, Inkerman, and Balaclava, and Captain (afterwards -Lord) de Ros, equerry to Prince Albert. They were both old friends of -the Princess, to whom her father wrote: - -"I was certain that the presence of Lord Raglan and Captain de Ros would -give you pleasure. Ours will come when they return, and we can put -questions to them. My first will be: Has the Princess gone out and does -she begin to enjoy the air, to which alone she can look for regaining -strength and health? Or is she in the way to grow weak and watery by -being baked like a bit of pastry in hot rooms? My second: Is she grown? -I will spare you my others. - -"Your description of the Prince's kindness and loving sympathy for you -makes me very happy. I love him dearly, and respect and value him, and I -am glad too, for his sake, that in you and my little grandchild he has -found ties of family happiness which cannot fail to give him those -domestic tastes, in which alone in the long run life's true contentment -is to be found." - -The baby Prince was duly christened on March 5, when he received the -names of Frederick William Victor Albert, and on the following day his -parents issued a touching expression of their gratitude for the sympathy -and congratulations they had received from the public. In it they -pledged themselves afresh to bring up their son, with the help of God, -to the honour and service of the Fatherland. - -After the special envoys had returned from Berlin, the Prince writes to -his daughter a letter on the duties of motherhood, which was decidedly -candid for those rather prudish days: - -"Lord Raglan's and Captain de Ros's news of you have given me great -pleasure. But I gather from them that you look rather languid and -exhausted. Some sea air would be the right thing for you; it is what -does all newly-made mothers the most good when their 'campaign is over.' -I am, however, delighted to hear you have begun to get into the air. Now -pass on as soon as possible to cold washing, shower baths, &c., so as to -brace the system again, and to restore elasticity to the nerves and -muscles. - -"You are now eighteen years old, and you will hold your own against many -a buffet in life; still, you will encounter many for which you were not -prepared and which you would fain have been spared. You must arm -yourself against these, like Austria against the chance of war, -otherwise you will break down and drop into a sickly state, which would -be disastrous to yourself, and inflict a frightful burden upon poor -Fritz for life; besides which, it would unfit you for fulfilling all the -duties of your station. - -"In reference to having children, the French proverb says: _Le premier -pour la santé, le second pour la beauté, le troisième gâte tout_. But -England proves that the last part of the saying is not true, and health -and beauty, those two great blessings, are only injured where the wife -does not make zealous use of the intervals to repair the exhaustion, -undoubtedly great, of the body, and to strengthen it both for what it -has gone and what it has to go through, and where also the intervals -are not sufficiently long to leave the body the necessary time to -recruit." - -The Princess had a favourable convalescence, during which her active -mind was troubled by an article on Freemasonry. Her father, to whom of -course she turned for counsel, had never consented to be initiated as a -Mason, though his sons, King Edward and the Duke of Connaught, both -became enthusiastic members of the craft. The Princess seems to have -been troubled by the idea that her husband's connection with the -order--he had been appointed patron of the Masonic Lodges of Prussia and -head of the Grand Lodge in Berlin--would in some way lessen the -confidence between them. Prince Albert endeavours to reassure her with a -paradox which she probably found quite unconvincing: - -"I will get Alice to read to me the article about Freemasons. It is not -likely to contain the whole secret. The circumstance which provokes you -only into finding fault with the Order, namely that husbands dare not -communicate the secret of it to their wives, is just one of its best -features. If _to be able to be silent_ is one of the chief virtues of -the husband, then the test which puts him in opposition to that being -towards whom he constantly shows the greatest weakness, is the hardest -of all, and therefore the most compendious of virtues, and the wife -should not only rejoice to see him capable of withstanding such a test, -but should take occasion out of it to vie with him in virtue by taming -the inborn curiosity which she inherits from her mother Eve. If the -subject of the secret, moreover, be nothing more important than an -apron, then every chance is given to virtue on both sides, without -disturbing the confidence of marriage, which ought to be complete." - -The baby Prince William thrived, in spite of the defect in his left arm, -which was shorter than the other. We have some entertaining glimpses of -him, and of his parents' pride in him, in the correspondence of -Priscilla Lady Westmorland. A German friend of hers, a lady of high -rank, wrote to Lady Westmorland when the Prince was only about a week -old: - -"I must tell you of my wonderful good fortune--I have actually seen this -precious child in his father's arms! You will ask me what this child of -so many prayers and wishes is like. They say all babies are alike: I do -not think so: this one has a beautiful complexion, pink and white, and -the most lovely little hand ever seen! The nose rather large; the eyes -were shut, which was as well, as the light was so strong. His happy -father was holding him in his arms, and himself showed traces of all he -has gone through at the time. The child was believed to be dead, so you -may conceive the ecstasy of everyone at his first cry." - -Prince Frederick William was indeed, as this lady put it, beside himself -with joy. He delighted in showing his baby to his friends and loyal -servants, calling him "mein Junge." - -In the early summer of 1859 the Princess Royal spent a happy holiday at -Osborne, and her English relatives and friends thought her -extraordinarily well and happy; it was also considered that she had -become much better looking. The Queen describes her as "flourishing, and -so well and gay," and as "a most charming companion," while Prince -Albert tells Stockmar that "We found Vicky very well, and looking -blooming, somewhat grown, and in excellent spirits. The short stay here -will certainly be beneficial both to her health and spirits." - -While the Princess was in England, she was asked by her parents if she -would make private inquiries as to any German princesses who might be -suited to become Princess of Wales, but the search does not seem to have -been successful. It was then that Sir Augustus Paget, who had been for -two years British Minister in Copenhagen, spoke to his fiancée, the -Princess Royal's lady-in-waiting, of Princess Alexandra. It was from -this lady, now Walpurga Lady Paget, that Queen Victoria and the Prince -Consort first heard of the beauty and many endearing graces of the -Danish princess. So impressed were they by her account that it was -arranged that the Princess Royal should meet Princess Alexandra -informally at Strelitz, in the palace of the Grand Duchess of -Mecklenburg. - -This meeting duly took place, and the Princess Royal wrote most -enthusiastically of the result of their informal interview. It was -directly owing to this fact that it was settled that the Prince of Wales -and Princess Alexandra should meet, as if by chance, in the cathedral of -Spiers with a view to making close acquaintance. - -The birth of Prince William brought a considerable change in the lives -of his parents. Babelsberg had become too small to make a convenient -summer home, and so the King granted them the use of the New Palace at -Potsdam, which is only about half an hour's journey from Berlin. - -This enormous rococo building with its two hundred rooms was erected by -Frederick the Great at the end of the Seven Years' War, in order to show -his enemies that he had plenty of money still left with which to go to -war again if necessary. Prince Frederick William was very fond of the -New Palace, where he had himself been born, and which was full of -reminders of his great namesake. Apparently the only thing he did not -like about it was its name, for it will be remembered that during his -brief reign he altered it to Friedrichskron. - -Queen Victoria, on her visit to Babelsberg in August, 1858, had gone to -see the Palace, and she describes it in her diary as "a splendid -building that reminded me much of Hampton Court--the same colour, same -style, same kind of garden, with splendid orange trees which in the cool -calm evening sent out a delicious smell. The Garten-Saal, one enormous -hall, all in marble with incrustations of stones, opening into a -splendid room or gallery, reminded me of the Salle des Glaces at -Versailles. There is a theatre in the Palace, and many splendid fêtes -have been given there. There are some rooms done in silver, like those -at Sans Souci and Potsdam, and all in very rich Renaissance style. The -millions it must have cost! But none of these palaces is _wohnlich_ -(liveable in). None like dear Babelsberg!" - -The Princess Royal was determined to make at any rate her own rooms in -the Palace _wohnlich_. After the fashion of the period, she surrounded -herself with portraits of her relations, and with paintings of her -various beloved English homes. There were endless souvenirs of her -childhood scattered about in her rooms--souvenirs of her Christmases and -of birthdays, little gifts presented to her as a child and young girl by -her grandmother, by her "Aunt Gloucester," and by all those who had -surrounded her during the days of her happy youth. - -It is curious to reflect that, twenty years after the Princess Royal -first took up her residence there, an English visitor was to write: -"Without Carlyle's _Frederick the Great_, Potsdam would be a collection -of mere dead walls enclosing a number of costly objects. Illuminated by -the book, each room, each garden wall thrills with human interest." But -when the Princess Royal first went there to make the New Palace her home -for a part of each year, it might much more truly have been described -as an arid and dusty waste, and that though it was surrounded by many -waters. The gardens were very stiff, indeed ugly, but the Princess's -active, creative mind saw their possibilities, and under her fostering -hand and taste they were transformed and made to yield the utmost of -beauty and delight. - -The New Palace henceforth became associated, in the minds of all those -who were truly attached to the Princess, with all that was best and most -peaceful in her life. It was there that she was able to set the example -of that helpful and happy country life which she had learned to value in -England, and it was not long before its simple domestic character became -known far and wide, and exercised an influence the extent of which it is -impossible to estimate. - -The Prince and Princess had a farm at Bornstedt, not far off, and there -the Prince delighted to become for the time a simple farmer, managing -himself all the details of the crops and the labourers, while the -Princess occupied herself with the poultry and her model dairy. It may, -indeed, be doubted whether the Prince and Princess found the farm a very -good investment financially, but that was of small importance compared -with the spiritual refreshment which they derived from this close -periodical contact with the simple, natural gifts of mother earth. - -Among the neighbouring villagers, too, they found plenty of scope for -the exercise of an intelligent philanthropy, in gradually modifying the -primitive ideas then prevalent on sanitation, and in caring for the -children and the old people. The Prince would himself sometimes teach in -the village schools. A pretty story is told that one day, when he was -questioning a class, he asked a little girl to what kingdom his -watch-chain and a flower in his button-hole respectively belonged, and -when she had answered correctly, he went on to ask, "To what kingdom do -I belong?" and the child replied, "To the kingdom of Heaven." - -In June, 1859, the war between Austria and the allied French and -Sardinian armies, culminating in the defeat of the Austrians at -Solferino, brought natural anxieties to the Princess. The Prince Regent, -while declaring the neutrality of Prussia, nevertheless ordered a -mobilisation of the Army for the protection of Germany, and -Major-General Prince Frederick William, commanding the First Infantry -Brigade of Guards, was appointed to the command of the First Infantry -Division of Guards. Though the Princess, thus early in her married life, -showed by her quietude that she was a true soldier's wife, it was a -great relief to her when the threatened danger was over and the -mobilisation rescinded on the conclusion of the Peace of Villafranca in -July. Prince Frederick William's promotion to command a division was -then confirmed by his father. - -The political situation, however, remained difficult, and Prince Albert -and his daughter watched it with anxious concern. The following passage -in a letter of his dated September is no doubt in reply to some comments -of hers on the position of Prussia and Germany in view of the rising -agitation for unity in Italy: - -"I am for Prussia's hegemony; still _Germany_ is for me first in -importance, Prussia as Prussia second. Prussia will become the chief if -she stand at the head of Germany: if she merely seek to drag Germany -down to herself, she will not herself ascend. She must, therefore, be -magnanimous, act as one with the German nation in a self-sacrificing -spirit, prove that she is not bent on aggrandisement, and then she will -gain pre-eminence, and keep it," and he goes on to point the moral in -the sacrifices which Sardinia had already made for the Italian idea. - -In November the Princess Royal paid a visit to England with her husband -in time to celebrate the Prince of Wales's birthday on the 9th, and -Prince Albert tells Stockmar: - -"We find the Princess Royal looking extremely well, and in the highest -spirits, infinitely lively, loving, and mentally active. In knowledge of -the world, she has made great progress." The visit lasted till December -3, and Prince Albert wrote to the Dowager Duchess of Coburg that Prince -Frederick William "has delighted us much. Vicky has developed greatly of -late, and yet remains quite a child; of such indeed is the kingdom of -Heaven." - -And after his daughter had gone back to Berlin, the loving father wrote -to her: - -"Your dear visit has left upon us the most delightful impression; you -were well, full of life and freshness, and withal matured. I may -therefore yield to the feeling, sweetest of all to my heart as your -father, that you will be lastingly happy. In this feeling I wait without -apprehension for what fate may bring." - -On this visit to England the Princess did not fail to see her old friend -and ruler, Sarah Lady Lyttelton, who records: - -"The dear Princess came in, habited and hatted and cockfeathered from -her ride, looking very well though in a _very_ bad cold. She embraced me -and received me _most_ kindly, and took me into her magnificent -sitting-room, where I spent almost an hour with her, till she had to go -and change her dress for luncheon. She talked much of her baby and -inquired after everybody belonging to me and seemed as happy as ever." - - - - -CHAPTER VII - -ADVICE FROM ENGLAND - - -The year 1860 was on the whole a happy one for the Princess Royal. It -brought her a long visit from her parents and the birth of her eldest -daughter, but on the other side of the account the relations between her -two countries, England and Prussia, became perceptibly worse. - -For the New Year her father sent her one of his customary letters of -sagacious counsel, in which may be detected a certain note of uneasiness -as to the development of his daughter's powers of self-control: - -"You enter upon the New Year with hopes, which God will surely -graciously suffer to be fulfilled, but you do also with good -resolutions, whose fulfilment lies within your own hand and must -necessarily contribute to your success, also happiness, in this -suffering and difficult world. Hold firmly by these resolutions, and -evermore cherish the determination, with which comes also strength, to -exercise unlimited control over yourself, that the moral law may govern -and the propensity obey,--the end and aim of all education and culture, -as we long ago discovered and reasoned out together." - -It is remarkable that early in this year Prince Frederick William -appears to have been for a time the centre of the hopes of the -reactionary party. The Junkers actually planned to bring about the -resignation of the Prince Regent, and to induce Prince Frederick William -to assume the supreme power and govern without a constitution, which -formed the great obstacle to their military ambitions. This scheme -argued an extraordinary misapprehension, not only of Prince Frederick -William's honest, straightforward character, but also of all his -political ideals. He was, especially at this period of his life, a pure -Constitutionalist, with a profound admiration for the free polity of -England, and it would be difficult to imagine any form of government -which would have seemed both to him and to his wife more immoral, as -well as more certain to entail a counter-revolution, than a military -dictatorship. It is perhaps not without significance that in March a -British warship was launched at Portsmouth and was named _Frederick -William_ by way of compliment to the husband of the Princess Royal. - -In June there was a parade at the Königsberg garrison, at which the -Prince Regent said to his son, "Fritz, I appoint you to the First -Infantry Regiment, the oldest Corps in the service," and about a month -afterwards the young commander was promoted to the rank of -Lieutenant-General. - -The Princess Royal's eldest daughter was born on July 24, and was -christened Victoria Augusta Charlotte, being known as Princess -Charlotte till her marriage in 1878 to the Hereditary Prince of -Saxe-Meiningen. Queen Victoria records the news of the baby's birth in -her usual vivid style: - -"Soon after we sat down to breakfast came a telegram from Fritz--Vicky -had got a daughter at 8.10, and both were well! What joy! Children -jumping about--everyone delighted--so thankful and relieved." - -Only the day before there had come a letter from the Princess Royal -containing the intelligence that Prince Louis of Hesse was ardently -desirous of paying his addresses to Princess Alice, the Princess Royal's -much-loved sister and companion of her childhood. To this Prince Albert -refers in writing to his daughter: - -"Only two words of hearty joy can I offer to the dear newly-made mother, -and these come from an overflowing heart. The little daughter is a -kindly gift from heaven, that will (as I trust) procure for you many a -happy hour in the days to come. The telegraph speaks only of your doing -well; may this be so in the fullest sense! - -"Upon the subject of your last interesting and most important letter, I -have replied to Fritz, who will communicate to you as much of my answer -as is good for you under present circumstances. Alice is very grateful -for your love and kindness to her, and the young man behaves in a manner -truly admirable." - -A few days later the anxious father writes to the young mother one of -his curious medical homilies: - -"I hope you are very quiet, and keep this well in mind, that although -you are well, and feel yourself well, the body has to take on a new -conformation, and the nervous system a new life. Only rest of brain, -heart, and body, along with good nourishment, and its assimilation by -regular undisturbed digestion, can restore the animal forces. My -physiological treatise should not bore you, for it is always good to -keep the GREAT PRINCIPLES in view, in accordance with which we have to -regulate our actions." - -But it was not all physiological treatise that was despatched from -Osborne to Berlin. The Prince has an amusing reference to the busy -importance with which the little Princess Beatrice, who was then three -and a quarter years old, regarded the arrival of her first niece: - -"The little girl must be a darling. Little maidens are much prettier -than boys. I advise her to model herself after her Aunt Beatrice. That -excellent lady has now not a moment to spare. 'I have no time,' she -says, when she is asked for anything, 'I must write letters to my -niece.' - -"It will make you laugh, if I tell you that I have christened a black -mare Ayah (as black nurse). I lately asked the groom what was the -horse's name, which I had forgotten. 'Haya,' was the answer. 'What?' I -asked. 'We spell it Hay, Why, Hay.' You should call your Westphalian -nurse, 'Hay, Why, Hay!'" - -It had been arranged that the Queen and Prince Albert should pay their -visit to their daughter and son-in-law at Coburg at the end of -September. By a most unfortunate chance there had occurred about the -middle of the month one of those "incidents" which are sometimes, when -mishandled by officialdom and magnified by offended national pride, -allowed to exercise an influence ludicrously disproportionate to their -real triviality. The Macdonald affair, as it was called, at one moment -threatened to bring about a serious breach between England and Prussia, -and as it was unquestionably one of the causes of the dislike and -suspicion with which the Princess Royal was to be regarded by a section -of the Prussians, it is worth while to record it in some detail. - -A Scottish gentleman, a certain Captain Macdonald, had a dispute about a -seat in a railway carriage at Bonn. He knew no German, was ignorant of -Prussian law, and very likely behaved, or was considered by the -authorities to have behaved, in an autocratic manner. However that may -be, he was not only ejected from the carriage but was committed to -prison, where he remained from September 12 to 18. On the 18th he was -tried and fined twenty thalers and costs. The English residents at Bonn -warmly espoused his cause, and Captain Macdonald seems, apart from the -original dispute, to have had reason to complain of violence used to him -and also of his treatment while in prison. It was also particularly -unfortunate that at the trial the Staatsprocurator, or public -prosecutor, should have denounced the behaviour when abroad of English -people generally. "The English residing and travelling," he said, "are -notorious for the rudeness, impudence, and boorish arrogance of their -conduct." - -This accusation, whether well founded or not, naturally seemed to -English lawyers and the English public a piece of gratuitous -irrelevance, intended merely to excite prejudice against Captain -Macdonald. It is impossible now to apportion the blame for the way in -which the incident was allowed to embitter public opinion in both -countries. The affair dragged on for months--indeed, it was not finally -disposed of till the following May. There were questions in Parliament, -Lord Palmerston was extremely angry, and an article in the _Times_ -served to pour oil on the flame. - -In the circumstances the incident inevitably rather dashed the joy of -the happy family party at Coburg. The Queen conferred with Lord John -Russell, then Foreign Secretary, whom she had brought with her, and she -alludes in her journal to "the ejection and imprisonment (unfairly, it -seems) of a Captain Macdonald, and the subsequent offensive behaviour of -the authorities. It has led to ill blood, and much correspondence, but -Lord John is very reasonable about it, and not inclined to do anything -rash. These foreign governments are very arbitrary and violent, and our -people apt to give offence, and to pay no regard to the laws of the -country." - -The Queen and Prince Albert arrived at Coburg on September 25, and the -Princess Royal delighted in visiting with her father the scenes of his -boyhood. She went with the guns to a drive of wild boars, and almost -every day there was an expedition to some interesting place in all the -relief of _incognito_. One day Prince Albert had a narrow escape. He was -alone in an open carriage when the horses ran away. With great presence -of mind, he jumped out, and happily got off with nothing worse than a -few cuts and bruises. Gustav Freytag, the distinguished German novelist -and dramatist, was received, and the Queen records that there was much -conversation with him after dinner. As we shall see later, Freytag was -admitted to the confidence of the Princess Royal and her husband, and he -repaid their kindness in strange fashion. - -It was on this visit that the Queen saw her eldest grandchild for the -first time. Writing on September 25, she says: - -"Our darling grandchild was brought. Such a little love! He came walking -in at Mrs. Hobbs's [his nurse's] hand, in a little white dress with -black bows, and was so good. He is a fine, fat child, with a beautiful -white soft skin, very fine shoulders and limbs, and a very dear face, -like Vicky and Fritz, and also Louise of Baden. He has Fritz's eyes and -Vicky's mouth, and very fair curly hair. We felt so happy to see him at -last!" - -This was the beginning of an enduring friendship between grandmother and -grandson, and no one with any historical imagination can help recalling -the last scene of that friendship, when this fine little boy, grown to -be a mighty Emperor, hastened to share the grief of the English people -at the death-bed of their great Queen. - -The Queen was evidently much attracted by the already characteristic -energy of the little Prince, for there are references to him all through -her records of this visit: - -"Dear little William came to me as he does every morning. He is such a -darling, so intelligent." "Dear little Wilhelm as usual with me before -dinner--a darling child." "The dear little boy is so intelligent and -pretty, so good and affectionate." "Had a last visit from dear Stockmar. -Towards the end of his stay, dear little William came in and played -about the room." "The darling little boy with us for nearly an hour, -running about so dearly and merrily." "At Cologne our darling little -William was brought into our carriage to bid good-bye. I felt the -parting deeply." - -Prince Albert wrote to the Duchess of Kent: "Your great-grandson is a -very pretty, clever child--a compound of both parents, just as it should -be." - -Mrs. Georgina Hobbs, the nurse mentioned above, first went to Germany as -a maid in the service of the Princess Royal on her marriage, and was -afterwards promoted to be chief nurse to the Royal children. Prince -William and his brother and sisters were devotedly attached to "Hobbsy," -as they called her, and it was from "Hobbsy" that they learnt English, -for their parents always talked German to one another. - -The Princess Royal, perhaps naturally, preferred to have her children's -nursery arranged and conducted on the English rather than on the German -model, but who can doubt that in this, as in other matters of even less -importance, she would have done better to have studied the -susceptibilities of her adopted country? Indeed, Dr. Hinzpeter, who was -afterwards appointed the tutor of her sons, bears witness that her -nursery management became a great subject of gossip among the Berliners, -and stories were even current of corporal punishment administered before -the Court to princes with dirty faces. It is true that Dr. Hinzpeter -describes these stories as mythical, but the fact that they were -circulated and believed helps to account for the Princess's growing -unpopularity. - -At this period Prince Albert was seriously disturbed by the attacks -which the _Times_ was constantly making on Prussia and everything -Prussian. In an article in the _Saturday Review_, recommended by him to -his daughter, it was said: "The only reason the _Times_ ever gives for -its dislike of Prussia, is that the Prussian and English Courts are -connected by personal ties, and that British independence demands that -everything proceeding from the Court should be watched with the most -jealous suspicion." - -The Prince was honestly indifferent to the insinuations against himself -by which these attacks were frequently pointed, but he was reasonably -anxious about the bad effect they would have in Germany. Writing to his -daughter on October 24, after his return to England, he refers to the -Macdonald affair, which had already become acute: - -"What abominable articles the _Times_ has against Prussia! That of -yesterday upon Warsaw and Schleinitz is positively too wicked. It is the -Bonn story which continues to operate, and a total estrangement between -the two countries may ensue, if a newspaper war be kept up for some time -between the two nations. Feelings, and not arguments, constitute the -basis for actions. An embitterment of feeling between England and -Prussia would be a great misfortune, and yet they are content in Berlin -to make no move in the Bonn affair." - -It was only too true that the Prussian Government was in no hurry to -settle the Macdonald affair. The bitterness which it engendered did not -die out till long after its formal termination in May of the following -year, and undoubtedly it contributed far more than was suspected at the -time to increase the delicacy and difficulty of the Princess Royal's -position. It was actually thought in Germany that she inspired the -attacks in the British Press. "This attitude of the English newspapers -preys upon the Princess Royal's spirits and materially affects her -position in Prussia," so wrote Lord Clarendon. - -This autumn and winter Prince Albert, in spite of many political and -other anxieties and a sharp attack of illness, faithfully continued to -instruct his daughter in the art of government. - -It does not seem ever to have crossed his mind that such instruction, -though admirable in itself, was ill-advised in view of his pupil's -position. The ideal woman in Prussia was then, and still is to a large -extent, one who, conscious of her intellectual inferiority, contents -herself with managing her household and children. If this view obtained -with regard to women in private stations, much more was it considered to -be the duty of princesses of the Royal House to abstain from any active -interest in public affairs. But either Prince Albert did not appreciate -this, or it is possible that he thought his daughter to be freed by her -exceptional ability from the ordinary restrictions and limitations of -her rank. There is yet a third possibility--that he did not altogether -trust his son-in-law's political judgment, and was anxious to give him, -in the troublous times that seemed impending, an help-meet who could -influence him in the right, that is in the Coburg, direction. Whatever -may have been the reason, the Prince certainly continued to the end of -his life to cultivate his daughter's knowledge and grasp of public -affairs. - -In December, 1860, the Prince Consort received from Berlin a memorandum -upon the advantages of a law of Ministerial responsibility. Its object -was to remove the apprehensions entertained in high quarters at the -Prussian Court as to the expediency of a measure of this kind. This -memorandum was the work of the Princess Royal, and it is easy to imagine -what a storm of indignation would have arisen in Prussia if by any -accident or indiscretion the knowledge that the Princess had written -such a paper had leaked out. - -Still, it was undoubtedly an able piece of work. Sir Theodore Martin -says that it would have been remarkable as the work of an experienced -statesman; and, as the fruit of the liberal political views in which the -Prince had been at pains to train its author, it must have filled his -mind with the happiest auguries for her fulfilment of the great career -which lay before her. "It would have delighted your heart to read it," -were his words in writing to Baron Stockmar. - -To his daughter he sent a long and flattering reply beginning: "It is -remarkably clear and complete, and does you the greatest credit. I agree -with every word of it, and feel sure it must convince everyone who is -open to conviction from sound logic, and prepared to follow what sound -logic dictates." - -This pathetic faith in the potency of logic in political affairs is hard -to reconcile with the Prince Consort's earlier and sounder dictum that -feelings, not arguments, constitute the basis for actions. It is evident -from the rest of the letter that the Princess had laid it down that the -responsibility of his advisers does not in fact impair the monarch's -dignity and importance, but is really for him the best of safeguards. -She had gone on to discuss the proposition that the patriarchal relation -in which the monarchs of old were supposed to stand towards their people -was preferable to the constitutional system which interposes the -Minister between the sovereign and his subjects. Her father's comments -on this would have seemed to many Prussians most heretical doctrine to -be imparted to their future Queen. - -The patriarchal relation, he says, is pretty much like the idyllic life -of the Arcadian shepherds--a figure of speech, and not much more. It was -the fashionable phrase of an historical transition-period. Monarchy in -the days of Attila, of Charlemagne, of the Hohenstaufen, of the Austrian -Emperors, of Louis XI, XII, XIII, XIV, XV, &c., was as little like a -patriarchal relation as anything could be. On the contrary it was -sovereignty based upon spoliation, war, murder, oppression, and -massacre. That relation was sedulously developed in the small German -States, whose rulers were little more than great landed proprietors, -during a short period in the eighteenth century, and was cherished out -of a sentimental feeling. It then gave way before the Voltairean -philosophy during the reigns of Frederick II, Joseph II, Louis XVI, &c., -was turned topsy-turvy by the French Revolution, and finally -extinguished in the military despotism of Napoleon. - -The Prince went on to say that in the great war of liberation the people -and their princes stood by one another in struggling for the -establishment of civic freedom, first against the foreign oppressor, and -then as citizens in their own country; and the treaties of 1815, as well -as the appeal to the people in 1813, decreed constitutional government -in every country. The charter was granted in France, and special -constitutions were promised in all the States; even to Poland the -promise of one was made, although there, as well as in Prussia and -Austria, that promise was not kept. Then came the Holy Alliance and -introduced reaction into Germany, France, Spain, and Italy, by dint of -sword and Congress (in 1817-1823). Once more the patriarchal relation -was fostered with the sentimentalism of the Kotzebue school, and the -betrayed peoples were required to become good children, because the -Princes styled themselves good fathers! The July Revolution, and all -that has taken place since then, sufficiently demonstrate that the -peoples neither will nor can play the part of children. - -As for the personal government of absolute Sovereigns, Prince Albert -declared that to be a pure illusion. Nowhere does history present us -with such cases of government by Ministers and favourites as in the most -absolute monarchies, because nowhere can the Minister play so safe a -game. A Court cabal is the only thing he has to fear, and he is well -skilled in the ways by which this is to be strangled. History is full of -examples. Recent instances have occurred where the personal discredit -into which the Sovereign has fallen makes the maintenance of the -monarchy, not as a form of government, but as an effective State -machine, all but impossible. When, as in the case of the King of Naples, -this result has arisen, all that people are able to say in defence is, -"He was surrounded by a bad set, he was badly advised, he did not know -the state the country was in." To what purpose, then, is personal -government, if a man in his own person knows nothing and learns nothing? - -The Sovereign should give himself no trouble, said the Prince in -conclusion, about details, but exercise a broad and general -supervision, and see to the settlement of the principles on which action -is to be based. This he can, nay, must do, where he has responsible -Ministers, who are under the necessity of obtaining his sanction to the -system which they pursue and intend to uphold in Parliament. This the -personally ruling Sovereign cannot do, because he is smothered in -details, does not see the wood for the trees, and has no occasion to -come to an agreement with his Ministers about principles and systems, -which to both him and them can only appear to be a great burden and -superfluous nuisance. - -How these doctrines would have been regarded by probably the majority of -Prussians appears from another letter which the Prince wrote a fortnight -later. His daughter had sent him an article from the Conservative -_Kreuz-Zeitung_, and on it he comments: - -"The article expresses in plain terms the view that _Monarchy_ as an -institution has for that party a value only so long as it is based upon -arbitrary will; and so these people arrive at precisely the same -confession of faith as the Red democrats, by reason of which a Republic -is certain to prove neither more nor less than an arbitrary despotism. -Freedom and order, which are set up as political antitheses, are, on the -contrary, in fact, synonymous, and the necessary consequences of -_legality_. 'The majesty of the law' is an idea which upon the -Continent is not yet comprehended, probably because people cannot -realise to themselves a dead thing as the supreme power, and seek for -_personal_ power in government or people. And yet virtue and morality -are also dead things, which nevertheless have a prerogative and a -vocation to govern living men--_divine laws_, upon which our human laws -ought to be moulded." - -Christmas brought the customary exchange of loving gifts. Prince Louis -of Hesse, now the betrothed of Princess Alice, joined the family circle -in England, and Prince Albert writes to his daughter in Berlin: - -"Oh! if you, with Fritz and the children, were only with us! Louis was -an accession. He is a very dear good fellow, who pleases us better and -better daily. In my abstraction I call him 'Fritz.' _Your Fritz_ must -not take it amiss, for it is only the personification of a beloved, -newly-bestowed, full-grown son. - -"But to return to the dear Christmas festival! Your gifts which were -there have caused the highest delight, and those we have yet to expect -will be looked for with impatience. To the latter belong Wilhelm's bust, -Fritz's boar's head--for which in the meantime I beg you will give the -lucky huntsman my hearty thanks. Wilhelm shall be placed in the light -you wish when he issues (I hope unbroken) from his dusty box. The album, -which arrived yesterday morning, is very precious to us, as it enables -us to live altogether beside you--in imagination. - -"Prejudice walking to and fro in flesh and blood is my horror, and, -alas, a phenomenon so common; and people plume themselves so much upon -their prejudices, as signs of decision of character and greatness of -mind, nay of true patriotism; and all the while they are simply the -product of narrowness of intellect and narrowness of heart." - - - - -CHAPTER VIII - -DEATH OF THE KING OF PRUSSIA - - -On January 2, 1861, died the King of Prussia, Frederick William IV, and -his brother, the Prince Regent, succeeded as William I. Prince Frederick -William became Crown Prince of Prussia, and henceforth the Princess -Royal was called, both in England and in Germany, the Crown Princess. - -In the _Letters of Queen Victoria_ there is a most impressive account, -written by the Princess Royal, and there published for the first time, -of the death of the King of Prussia. The event moved her the more deeply -because, not only was she present at the death-bed, but it was really -her first sight of death. - -The King had been ailing so long that those about him had ceased to be -specially anxious. On Monday evening, December 31, the Prince and -Princess Frederick William were sitting at tea with the Prince Regent -and the Princess of Prussia, when there was brought bad news from San -Souci, but still nothing to make them particularly uneasy. In the middle -of the night, or rather early next morning, they were called up with the -intelligence that all hope for the King had been abandoned. - -Without waiting for any kind of carriage, although, as the Princess -notes, there were twelve degrees of cold Réaumur, she and Prince -Frederick William hurried on foot to the Prince of Prussia's palace. -From thence they went in a special train to Potsdam. There they found -the King dying, and the members of the Royal family standing round -watching the death struggle. The painful scene went on till five the -next afternoon, when Prince Frederick William wisely sent the Princess -off to bed. At one o'clock in the morning of January 2 they were again -called, with the news that the King had not many minutes more to live. - -The letter in which all these facts are recorded is a remarkable -composition, especially when it is remembered that the writer was only -twenty. We may be sure that any thought of literary effect was far from -her, and yet no one, reading it now after the lapse of so many years, -can be insensible to the poignancy of this simple, unstudied, almost -artless description of the scene in the death-chamber--the dim lamp; the -silence broken only by the crackling of the fire and the death-rattle; -the Queen, Elizabeth, continually wiping the perspiration from the dying -man's forehead. - -But the letter also shows how really noble was the new Crown Princess's -outlook on life. She speaks with the warmest affection of her -parents-in-law: "May God bless and preserve them, and may theirs be a -long and happy reign," and she goes on to describe the King as he lay -dead, peaceful and quiet like a sleeping child. She could hardly bring -herself to believe that this was really death, "that which I had so -often shuddered at and felt afraid of"; there was nothing dreadful or -appalling, only a heavenly calm and peace. - -The Crown Princess also speaks with deep feeling for the Queen Dowager, -who had never really liked her, and who, as we know, had been in -sympathy so pro-Russian all through the Crimean War. But this grief -brought the two together as perhaps nothing else could have done, and -the Princess says: "She was so kind to me, kinder than she has ever been -yet, and said I was like her own child and a comfort to her." - -Prince Albert was evidently greatly moved by his daughter's letter. In -his reply he reminds her that in one of the most impressive experiences -of life she was now older than himself. "The more frequently you look -upon the body, the stronger will be your conviction that yonder casing -is not the _man_, yea, that it is scarcely conceivable how it can have -been. In seeing and observing the approach of death, as you have been -called upon to do, you have become older in experience than myself. I -have never seen anyone die." To Stockmar the Prince wrote that "The -Princess, now Crown Princess, has in the late trying time at Berlin -again behaved quite admirably, and receives on all sides the most entire -recognition." - -That same eventful January of 1861, the Princess lost two firm and -loyal friends in Lord and Lady Bloomfield. She parted with them with -great regret, and presented to Lady Bloomfield a bust of little Prince -William done by herself. - -At that time it must indeed have seemed to the Crown Princess as if all -her own and her husband's hopes and aspirations for a full and useful -public life were about to be amply fulfilled. The new King had not only -always been an affectionate father to his only son and heir, but he had -also been marked among the princes of his time for his liberal opinions -and English sympathies. - -The third anniversary of the Crown Princess's marriage came very soon -after the death of the old King, and writing on that day to her mother -she said: "Every time our dear wedding day returns I feel so happy and -thankful--and live every moment of that blessed and -never-to-be-forgotten day over again in thought. I love to dwell on -every minute of the day; not a hope has been disappointed, not an -expectation that has not been realised, and much more--that few can -say--and I _am_ thankful as I ought to be." - -Soon after the accession of William I, Herr Max Duncker was formally -attached to the Crown Prince as a channel of communication in State -matters. Duncker had been Professor of History at the Universities of -Halle and Tübingen, and had also obtained some practical experience of -politics as a member of the Frankfort and Erfurt Diet, and as a Prussian -deputy. He had indeed been chosen by Stockmar for the position of -confidential adviser to the Prince, with whom and with the Princess he -was already in favour; and he saw in his new post an opportunity of -sowing seed which might one day spring up and bear fruit an -hundred-fold. - -In March the death of the Duchess of Kent deprived the Crown Princess of -a grandmother to whom she had been very warmly attached, and with whom -was associated all the events of her happy childhood and girlhood. - -On receiving the unexpected news, for the Duchess of Kent had only been -really ill a few hours, the Princess started for England, not entirely -with the approval of her father-in-law. The Prince Consort, who in this -matter of his daughter's relations to her father-in-law always showed -exceptional tact, wrote and thanked the King: "Her stay here has been a -great comfort and delight to us in our sorrow and bereavement, and we -are truly grateful for it." - -The problem of the Schleswig-Holstein duchies and the unfortunate -Macdonald affair combined to draw England and Prussia still further -apart. It is true that the latter was formally settled in May, but the -bad feeling it created was not appeased. Lord Palmerston said in the -House that the conduct of the Prussian Government had been a blunder as -well as a crime, while the Prussian Foreign Minister (Baron von -Schleinitz), then on the eve of his retirement, retaliated with a stiff -rejoinder. - -A leading article in the _Times_, backing up Palmerston's view, is -described by Prince Albert, in a letter to Berlin, as "studiedly -insulting." At the same time the Prince saw clearly that Schleinitz had -made a mistake in mixing up the Macdonald affair with _la haute -politique_. "In Germany the idea of the State in the abstract is a thing -divine; here it means the freedom of the individual citizen." And he -goes on to say that the feeling in England ought to teach Prussia that -mere talk will not do. - -"Prussia has been always talking of being the only natural and real ally -of England, but since 1815 she has taken no part in any European -question. Prussia sets up a claim to stand at the head of Germany, but -she is not German in her conduct. The Zollverein was the only really -German action to which she can point. She leads Germany, not upon the -path of liberty and constitutional development, which Germany (Prussia -included) requires and desires. I can imagine that with the high -military pretensions to which she has laid claim for the last forty-five -years, she suffers under an oppressive consciousness that her army is -the only one which during this long period has not been called into -action. I repeat, however, that a large, liberal, generous policy is -the preliminary condition for an alliance with England, for hegemony in -Germany, and for her military renown." - -[Illustration: HIS ROYAL HIGHNESS - -PRINCE FREDERICK WILLIAM OF PRUSSIA - -PAINTED AT BUCKINGHAM PALACE, JUNE 1857, BY WINTERHALTER] - -These were the views with which the Crown Princess was steadily -indoctrinated. It is possible that she found them a little too cool and -impartially objective for her patriotism, but if so, there is no trace -of such disagreement in Prince Albert's correspondence. - -It was fortunate that Prussian opinion was at this time distracted by -the thought of the coming coronation of the new King. The ceremony -raised certain questions which, though nominally concerned with mere -ceremonial, possessed in reality considerable importance from a -constitutional point of view. The principal question was whether the -oath of allegiance traditionally taken by the estates of the realm was -consistent with the new constitutional law desired by the King. -Apparently the King wished the oath to be taken, but was dissuaded by -his Ministers, and it was decided that his Majesty should simply be -crowned at Königsberg in the presence of the Landtag. - -In July, 1861, the Crown Prince, who had gone with the Crown Princess to -pay a visit to Queen Victoria, wrote from Osborne a long and remarkable -letter to his father, a passage in which shows how constantly he -consulted his wife on questions of high politics. - -The Crown Prince begs the King not to regard the coronation with -repugnance on account of the omission of the oath of allegiance. He -describes the act of assuming the crown as a despotic act, and as solemn -proof that the crown is not conferred by any earthly power, in spite of -the prerogatives abandoned in 1848. He goes on to argue that the -ceremony will compel the Great Powers to show deference to Prussia by -sending ambassadors, and that therefore it ought to take place in -Berlin. In this way it would exhibit the development of Prussia. -Frederick I, by being crowned at Königsberg, marked the beginning of a -new era for the State, but now a coronation at Berlin would mark the new -future which opened out for Prussia as the defender of the united German -territories. The Crown Prince advised that the King and Queen should go -to Königsberg before the coronation in Berlin, either to receive the -oath of allegiance or to hold a great reception, and then he goes on: - -"I have ventured, dear father, to express my opinion quite frankly, -though you may perhaps be surprised by my strong inclination for the -coronation ceremony. The fact is simply that I have often calmly -discussed this with Vicky as the only desirable conclusion, when I saw -the increasing difficulties arising in your mind with reference to the -oath of allegiance." - -These opinions of the Crown Prince's, in which his wife evidently -concurred, would hardly have been approved by Prince Albert. They show -the future Emperor Frederick in a new light--no longer as the liberal -constitutionalist, the firm admirer of England's free polity, but as the -champion of the divine right of the Hohenzollerns, with a splendid -vision of a united Germany under the military protection of Prussia. At -the same time there is that qualifying sentence in which the Crown -Prince refers to the plan of a coronation at Berlin almost as if he and -his wife had been driven to recommend it as the only solution of the -King's difficulties regarding the oath of allegiance. - -The whole question becomes the more interesting in the light of a -remarkable piece of dynastic history which was revealed for the first -time at the jubilee celebrations of the Emperor William II in June, -1913, in an address by Professor Hintze at the Berlin University. It -seems that his Imperial Majesty was informed, before his father's death -in 1888, that upon that event a sealed document of high importance would -be placed in his hands. When he read it, he found that it was the -political testament of his great-uncle, King Frederick William IV of -Prussia, brother of the Emperor who made united Germany. - -As its name implies, the paper contained King Frederick William's advice -to his successors on the Throne of Prussia. Part at least of these -counsels was deemed to be possibly so seductive to Sovereigns of a -certain temperament that the Emperor William II felt it his duty to -commit the whole paper to the flames. The Royal testator, who inherited -from his mother, Queen Louise, an exceedingly exalted idea of the rights -of the Crown, recommended his successors to revoke the written -Constitution which he himself had granted his people. But he had a high -sense of the obligations of his kingly word and of his Royal oath, and -accordingly he advised any of them who might take the step to take it -before he had sworn to observe the Constitution at his coronation. - -The Emperors William I and Frederick III seem to have been content with -ignoring the testament. It was left for their successor, William II, -fearful lest it might one day tempt some "young and inexperienced ruler" -into dangerous paths, to destroy it. His apprehensions were curiously -strong. He felt, he told Professor Hintz, as if he had a barrel of -gunpowder in his house, and he knew no peace until he had got rid of the -terrible document. - -We need not discuss here whether these apprehensions were well founded. -What is of the highest interest is the knowledge, thus come to light -after so many years, of this extraordinary political testament. It had -unquestionably been read at this time, July, 1861, by the new King -William I, and it is equally certain that it had not then been read by -the Crown Prince and Crown Princess. Probably the knowledge of the -document would have modified the views expressed in the Crown Prince's -letter from Osborne. In any case, it seems so far to have influenced the -new King that he rejected his son's advice and adhered to his decision -in favour of a coronation at Königsberg, which duly took place there -with all suitable pomp on October 18. - -Among the very few published letters of the Crown Princess is one which -she wrote to her mother describing the ceremony. She modestly declares -herself "a very bad hand at descriptions," but no one who reads the -letter now would possibly agree with that. On the contrary, she shows -the same remarkably vivid and picturesque power of narration of which we -had an example in her account of the death-bed of King Frederick William -IV. - -The fact that the day chosen for the coronation was her husband's -birthday gave the Crown Princess great pleasure, as also that an English -artist, Mr. George Housman Thomas, was commissioned to paint a picture -entitled "Homage of the Princess Royal at the Coronation of the King of -Prussia." - -Lord Clarendon, who was the British Special Ambassador on the occasion, -writing to Queen Victoria on the day after the coronation, observed that -"_the_ great feature of the ceremony was the manner in which the -Princess Royal did homage to the King. Lord Clarendon is at a loss for -words to describe to your Majesty the exquisite grace and the intense -emotion with which her Royal Highness gave effect to her feelings on the -occasion. Many an older as well as younger man than Lord Clarendon, who -had not his interest in the Princess Royal, were quite as unable as -himself to repress their emotion at that which was so touching, because -so unaffected and sincere." - -Lord Granville also wrote to Prince Albert, "One of the most graceful -and touching sights ever seen was the Princess's salute of the King." - -Lord Clarendon added in his letter to the Queen, not very prudently: "If -his Majesty had the mind, the judgment, and the foresight of the -Princess Royal, there would be nothing to fear, and the example and -influence of Prussia would soon be marvellously developed. Lord -Clarendon has had the honour to hold a very long conversation with her -Royal Highness, and has been more than ever astonished at the -_statesmanlike_ and comprehensive views which she takes of the policy of -Prussia, both internal and foreign, and of the _duties_ of a -Constitutional King." - -Unfortunately, Prussia was far from desiring the wife of the Heir -Apparent to entertain any views, statesmanlike or other, on either -domestic or foreign policy. - -Lord Clarendon also told the Queen that the Princess was appreciated and -beloved by all classes. Every member of the Royal Family, he said, had -spoken of her to him in terms of admiration, and through various -channels he had had opportunities of learning how strong was the feeling -of educated and enlightened people towards her. - -There is significance in the English statesman's reference to "educated -and enlightened" people. He must have been aware that the majority of -Prussians of that day were neither educated nor enlightened in his sense -of the words, and that the Princess was really only appreciated by the -small intellectual group who were flattered by the recognition which she -and the Crown Prince bestowed on them. But Lord Clarendon was perhaps -disposed to see everything _en beau_, for the Crown Princess mentions -that the King and Queen showed a marked cordiality to him, contrasting -with the stiff etiquette observed in their reception of the other -Ambassadors. - -To return to the Crown Princess's account of the coronation. She -contrives to give in comparatively few words an unforgettable picture of -the _coup d'oeil_ in the chapel--the Knights of the Black Eagle in -their red velvet cloaks, the various colours of the uniforms, and the -diamonds and Court dresses of the ladies, all harmonised by the sun -pouring in through the high windows. The Princess says that she herself -was in gold with ermine and white satin, while one of her ladies wore -blue and the other red velvet. "Dearest Fritz was in a great state of -emotion and excitement, as we all were." The King looked so handsome -and noble with the crown on, and the moment when he put the crown on -the Queen's head was so touching that there was hardly a dry eye in the -chapel. - -The Princess's keen sense of humour was stirred by the large assemblage -of princes and other notables. "Half Europe is here, and one sees the -funniest combinations in the world. It is like a happy family shut up in -a cage!" and she mentions as an example the Italian Ambassador sitting -close to a Cardinal. There is also a young prince of Hesse who nearly -dies of fright and shyness among so many people; he at once excites the -sympathy of the warm-hearted Princess, though she herself had no -experience of the agonies of shyness. - -But the Princess was even more diverted by a compliment which the King -paid her: - -"The King gave me a charming little locket for his hair, and only -think--what will sound most extraordinary, absurd, and incredible to -your ears--made me second _Chef_ of the 2nd Regiment of Hussars! I -laughed so much, because really I thought it was a joke--it seemed so -strange for ladies; but the Regiments like particularly having ladies -for their _Chefs_! The Queen and the Queen Dowager have Regiments, but I -believe I am the first Princess on whom such an honour is conferred." - -Possibly the Princess thought at first that she was being appointed -honorary cook to the regiment! In any case it is curious that she -should not have known of the custom of conferring such distinctions on -Royal ladies, which obtains in the British Army as well as on the -Continent. - -We have no means of knowing how the Crown Prince and Crown Princess -regarded the new King's declaration at Königsberg--that declaration -which amounted to an explicit assertion of the divine right of Kings. -But in Queen Victoria's Letters there is a curious revelation of the -anxiety with which Her Majesty regarded the constant attacks of the -_Times_ on everything German, and particularly everything Prussian. She -even wrote to Lord Palmerston about it, suggesting that he might see his -way to remonstrate with the conductors of the journal. "Pam" did see his -way, and he got an entertaining answer from the great Delane, then at -the zenith of his power, which he forwarded to her Majesty. The editor -says that he would not have intruded advice on the Prussians during the -splendid ceremonies of the coronation "had not the King uttered those -surprising anachronisms upon the Divine Right." - -We learn from a letter written by Lord Clarendon to Queen Victoria that -the Crown Princess was much alarmed at the state of affairs in Berlin at -this time. The King saw democracy and revolution in every symptom of -opposition to his will. His Ministers were mere clerks, content to -register his decrees, and there was no one from whom he sought advice, -or indeed who was capable or would have the moral courage to give it. -The King would never accept the consequences of representative -government or allow it to be a reality, though at the same time he would -always religiously keep his word and never overturn the institutions he -had sworn to maintain. Such was this experienced statesman's diagnosis -of the situation, arrived at after an audience of the Crown Princess. - -The Princess celebrated her twenty-first birthday on November 21, 1861. -In the letter which she received from her father, almost the last which -he was ever to write to her, one detects a pathetic note, as if the -Prince, wearied and out of health, actually foresaw his approaching -death and wished to give her his parting counsel and blessing: - -"May your life, which has begun beautifully, expand still further to the -good of others and the contentment of your own mind! True inward -happiness is to be sought only in the internal consciousness of effort -systematically directed to good and useful ends. Success indeed depends -upon the blessing which the Most High sees meet to vouchsafe to our -endeavours. May this success not fail you, and may your outward life -leave you unhurt by the storms, to which the sad heart so often looks -forward with a shrinking dread! Without the basis of health it is -impossible to rear anything stable. Therefore see that you spare -yourself now, so that at some future time you may be able to do more." - -The death of Prince Albert on December 14, 1861, at the age of -forty-two, profoundly affected the lives of both his widow, on her now -lonely throne, and his idolized daughter in Berlin. It is evident from -Queen Victoria's correspondence that she was quite unprepared. Her -letters to King Leopold almost up to the last are full of the most -pathetic hopefulness, and she certainly wrote in the same vein of cheery -optimism to Berlin. The blow fell therefore with all the more stunning -effect on both mother and daughter--indeed, it is hard to say which of -the two felt more utterly crushed and broken-hearted. - -The Crown Princess, as we have seen, was much more her father's child -than is usual in family life in any station. The tie between them was -something deeper and stronger even than the natural affection of parent -and daughter; he had sedulously formed her mind and tastes, and he had -become the one counsellor to whom she felt she could ever turn in any -perplexity or trouble, sure of his helpful understanding and sympathy. -Very soon after her marriage, in a letter to the Prince of Wales, she -dwelt on their father as the master and leader ever to be respected: -"You don't know," she wrote, "how one longs for a word from him when one -is distant." - -Nor did the Princess, like many daughters, allow her marriage to weaken -this tie; indeed, the thought of the physical distance between them -seemed to bring them, if possible, spiritually nearer. For her mother, -the Princess felt the tenderest and most filial affection, writing to -her every day, sometimes twice a day, about the little details of her -personal life. But though she and her father only wrote to one another -once a week, it was to him that she poured out her full self, the total -of her varied interests in politics, literature, science, art, and -philosophy. The citations already made in the preceding pages from the -Prince's letters to her show, not only the many fields over which their -correspondence ranged, but also the singular charm of their mutual -confidence. It would be difficult to find in history a more touching and -beautiful example of spiritual and intellectual communion between father -and daughter. - -And now this great solace and stay of the Princess's life is suddenly -withdrawn from her, practically without any warning. If only she had -known, even suspected, that there was danger, how she would have hurried -to him! No one with any imagination and human sympathy can think of it -without profound pity. - -During the first weeks which followed the receipt of the telegram -announcing his death the Crown Princess fell into a silent, listless -state, only rousing herself to bursts of grief which were terrible to -witness. The simple religious faith to which her mother turned could -not, unfortunately, bring her the same consolation. In her extremity it -was on her husband that she leaned. He was untiringly patient and -tender, though it must have been most painful for him to be told that -she felt as if her life was over and she could never be happy again. - -It is surely true to say that in these difficult days the Crown Prince -revealed the essential nobility of his character quite as much as he did -in the great spectacular moments of his life--on the stricken field and -in the glory of conquest. Many a husband would have shown a certain -resentment at his wife's absorption in her father, but it is clear that -the Crown Prince, far from feeling any such petty jealousy, brought his -wife the truest consolation by understanding and himself sharing in her -sorrow. He knew what a really remarkable man Prince Albert was, he had -felt the charm of his personality and of his intellectual gifts; and so -we find him looking back on this bereavement, in a letter written some -months later to his old tutor, M. Godet: - -"Our whole life is, if such a thing be possible, increasing in happiness -daily. All the tribulation, all the bitterness, of my outside life, and -of what I may call my practical life, I am able to leave behind me when -I reach the door which leads to my 'home.' We had the great grief of -losing my dear father-in-law, the most intimate and tender friend of my -wife, and to me a true second father. It came like a clap of thunder on -our peaceful, happy life. We are now deprived of him whom we thought -would help to guide us during many many years, and now the British -Sovereign is bereft of her only help, while Europe is deprived of one of -her most brilliant and most distinguished minds." - -It may reasonably be doubted whether to the Crown Princess the -prolongation of her father's life would have been of great service. We -cannot feel at all sure that in her critical relations with Bismarck, -for instance, his counsel would always have been of the safest kind. He -had not brought her up to be the wife of an autocratic sovereign, still -less that of the wife of an Heir Apparent; she was brought up as might -have been a Prince of Wales in a constitutional country. - -By an unfortunate irony of fate, all those who warmly and sincerely -sympathised with the point of view of the Prince Consort, and of herself -and the Crown Prince, were not Prussians; they were--in the phrase then -generally used--Coburgers. This was pre-eminently the case with -Stockmar, and in a less degree with Bunsen and other Liberal Germans. -The mere fact that they were not Prussians discounted any value their -opinions might otherwise have had, both with the then King of Prussia -and with those who surrounded him. - -Fortunately for the Crown Princess, the course of public events soon -came to rouse her from her apathy and grief. - -Early in that same December which saw the death of the Prince Consort, -the Prussian elections had resulted in large democratic gains, thus -considerably weakening the Ministry. In a memorandum addressed to the -Crown Prince just before he left for England to attend the funeral of -his father-in-law, Duncker prophesied the fall of the Ministry, and for -the first time suggested the plan of calling Bismarck to office. In his -reports during the Ministerial crisis which followed, Duncker warned -both the Crown Prince and the Crown Princess of the danger of trying to -govern at one time with the Liberals and at another with the -Conservatives. He advocated a Ministry composed of business rather than -party men, who would know how to govern as Liberals on a Conservative -basis; and he again urged that Bismarck should be utilised to strengthen -the Ministry. - -The Crown Princess after her bereavement seemed to cling the more -closely to the ties which bound her to the land of her birth and of her -father's adoption, and this, as we shall see later, provoked a good deal -of criticism in Berlin. She went to England as often as she could, or -perhaps it would be truer to say as often as her father-in-law could be -induced to give his permission. - -Her first visit after the Prince Consort's death was in March, 1862. -Princess Mary of Cambridge went to Windsor especially to see her cousin. -She says: "We found her well, and better in spirits than we expected." -But it must have been a very sad and mournful time, for the Queen was -"rigid as stone, the picture of desolate misery"; and everything -reminded the Crown Princess of the father she had lost. - -In the following May, the Crown Prince, at the special request of Queen -Victoria, represented his father at the Great Exhibition of 1862, but -the Crown Princess, much to her regret, could not accompany him. He had -served as chairman of the committee appointed to secure an adequate -representation of German arts and industries, and had thus greatly -promoted the success of the enterprise. - -The Crown Princess, however, went to England at the end of June to be -present at the quiet wedding of her favourite sister, Princess Alice, to -Prince Louis, afterwards Grand Duke of Hesse. It was solemnised at -Osborne on July 1. - -On August 14, 1862, a second son, Prince Henry, destined to be Germany's -Sailor Prince, was born. The choice of his name seems to have troubled -his grandmother, Queen Augusta. She wrote to her son from Baden: "My -dear Fritz, your first letter moved me deeply, because of your -affectionate heart, and because of all the particulars it contained -about our beloved Vicky. I certainly anticipated that your son would be -called Albert, for that name, no matter whether it is more or less -German, really ought to be handed down as a legacy from the -never-to-be-forgotten grandfather--and I believe that Queen Victoria -expected it too." - -As a matter of fact the baby was christened Albert William Henry, but -probably what Queen Augusta meant was that he ought to have been -generally known as Prince Albert instead of Prince Henry. - -It might have been expected that the birth of three healthy children, -two of whom were boys, would have, at least in a measure, disarmed the -hostility with which the Crown Princess was regarded by a powerful -section in Prussia. But these people were dissatisfied because the -arrival of the children naturally strengthened the position of the -Princess, and they also feared that the Princes in the direct line of -succession to the throne would be brought up under English rather than -Prussian influence. - -There was, it must be admitted, a certain justification for the belief -that the Crown Princess had never really ceased to be an Englishwoman. - -In 1855 there had been presented to Prince Albert a remarkable young -Englishman who was destined to play a considerable part in the life of -the Crown Princess. This was Robert Morier, already well and -affectionately known to Baron Stockmar, who even styled him his "adopted -son." It was natural that Prince Albert should take a warm interest in -the young man who came to him with such credentials--indeed, Morier was -quickly made to understand that the Prince wished him to prepare -himself in every way for diplomatic work in Germany. And in January, -1858, at the time of the Royal marriage, Prince Albert did everything in -his power to have Morier appointed attaché to the British Embassy in -Berlin. - -Morier had another good friend in the Princess of Prussia, the Princess -Royal's mother-in-law. She had known, not only Morier but his -distinguished father, for many years, and it was her personal wish, -which she expressed to Lord Clarendon, that the young man should be sent -to Berlin in order that he might be of use to her son and her -daughter-in-law. It need hardly be said that Morier was also on intimate -terms with Ernest von Stockmar, who at the same time was appointed -private secretary to the Princess. - -Morier obtained the appointment, and it was the beginning of a lifelong -intimacy with Prince Frederick William and the Princess Royal. He became -and remained one of their most trusted friends and advisers, a fact -which undoubtedly injured his diplomatic career. When, many years later, -it was proposed that Sir Robert Morier, as he had then become, should be -appointed Ambassador in Berlin, his name was the only one which was -absolutely vetoed by the then all-powerful Bismarck. - -Probably because Morier had a remarkably strong and original -personality, he at once aroused jealousy, dislike, and suspicion; he was -even said to influence the then dying King, as afterwards he was -supposed to influence King William through Queen Augusta, and the Crown -Prince through the Crown Princess. - -When one now reads the very frank letters written by Morier to English -relations and friends, one cannot help feeling an uncomfortable -suspicion that the contents of some of them may have gone back to -Germany, perhaps in exaggerated and distorted versions, in spite of the -great precautions taken to keep their contents secret. One observation -in one of his letters certainly leaked out--namely, that his long -experience of German little statesmen had taught him that "like certain -plain middle-aged women, they delight in nothing so much as to talk with -pretended indignation of attacks supposed to have been made upon their -virtue!" Such judgments, when barbed with a sufficient measure of truth, -are apt to rankle. - -It must not be thought for a moment that Morier was incorrect in his -official relations in Berlin, but his remarkable ability and strength of -character gave importance to his known Liberal and Constitutional -sympathies. Had he been a diplomatist of merely ordinary qualifications, -there would have been hardly need to mention him at all, but as a matter -of fact he was an important factor in the complex situation of the Crown -Prince and Crown Princess at this period. - -A passage in Theodor von Bernhardi's diary, written in November, 1862, -exhibits the feeling in Berlin aroused by the Crown Princess's visits to -England: - -"Conversation with Frau Duncker. I showed myself very impatient and -discontented over the repeated long visits the Crown Princess made to -England. 'She has nothing to do there and nothing to seek,' I exclaimed. -Frau Duncker replied: 'The Crown Princess has her own views and her own -will; her views and resolutions are very quickly formed--but when -formed, there is nothing to be done against them.' Further conversation -showed me that the Crown Princess cannot distinguish between our -Three-thaler Diets and the English Parliament; that she thinks -everything here must be just as in England; the Government must ever be -by majority, the Ministry always chosen by the majority--that she tries -to force these views on her husband, and that Max Duncker fights against -it as much as he can. Max Duncker let me see that he is ever trying to -set this young couple by the ears; their ideas cannot be acted upon -here." - -The formation in the spring of a new Prussian Cabinet composed entirely -of Conservatives placed the Crown Prince in a considerable difficulty, -because he had openly given his support to the late Liberal Ministry. -Duncker's advice to him was that he should absent himself for a time, -and that he should thereafter be present at the Ministerial councils -without himself taking part in the discussions. This advice was -accepted, and when the Ministry endeavoured to remove Duncker to an -appointment at Bonn University, the Crown Prince prevented it by -emphatically declaring that he did not wish to lose his counsellor. - -The events which followed,--the crisis on the subject of military -reforms, and the accession of Bismarck to office,--were regarded by the -Crown Prince with something like dismay, but he was disarmed by the -King's threats of abdication. The Crown Princess's secretary, the -younger Stockmar, in particular, strongly urged that the Crown Prince -should not intervene, as it was essential that he should preserve his -position removed from party strife. - -The Crown Prince saw the wisdom of this advice, and on October 15, 1862, -he started with his wife on a long visit to Italy. As the guests of the -Prince of Wales, they joined the English Royal Yacht _Osborne_ at -Marseilles, and went to Sicily and the coast of Africa, including Tunis, -where they visited the Bey at his castle, and the ruins of Carthage. At -Naples the Crown Princess enjoyed herself particularly, sketching and -taking long walks and excursions in all the delights of _incognito_. -November 21, the Princess's twenty-second birthday, was spent by her in -Rome, where the party made a long stay. After visiting other Italian -cities, they returned to Berlin by way of Trieste and Vienna, having -been away altogether rather more than three months. - -It was this tour which laid the foundation of the great love for Italy -and for Italian art which henceforth was a marked characteristic of the -Crown Princess. - -In the December of 1862 the Crown Prince and Princess made a short stay -in Vienna. The American historian, Motley, was visiting Austria at the -time, and it was characteristic of the Princess that the only person, -outside the Imperial family, whom she desired to see was this brilliant -writer. He gives a charming account of the interview in a letter to his -mother: - -"She is rather _petite_, has a fresh young face with pretty features, -fine teeth, and a frank and agreeable smile and an interested, earnest -and intelligent manner. Nothing could be simpler or more natural than -her style, which I should say was the perfection of good breeding." - -The Crown Princess told Mr. Motley that she had been reading Froude with -great admiration, and she was surprised to find that, though Motley -admired Froude and had a high opinion of him as an historian, he had -been by no means converted to Froude's view of Henry VIII. The Princess -was evidently disposed to admire that polygamous party, and was also a -great admirer of Queen Elizabeth. The Princess also spoke of Carlyle's -_Frederick the Great_, which she had just read, but we are not told -whether she agreed with Motley's view that Carlyle was a most immoral -writer, owing to his exaggerated reverence for brute force, so often -confounded by him with wisdom and genius. - - - - -CHAPTER IX - -FIRST RELATIONS WITH BISMARCK - - -After the death of Prince Albert, the relations between the Crown -Princess and Bismarck become of absorbing interest to the student both -of politics and of human nature. - -Bismarck seems to have first met Prince Albert in the summer of 1855, -when Queen Victoria and the Prince paid their state visit to Paris. In -his _Reminiscences_, Bismarck says that in the Prince's manner to him -there was a kind of "malevolent curiosity," and he convinced -himself--not so much at the time as from subsequent events--that the -Prince regarded him as a reactionary party man, who took up sides for -Russia in order to further an Absolutist and "Junker" policy. Bismarck -goes on to say that it was not to be wondered at that this view of the -Prince's and of the then partisans of the Duke of Coburg descended to -the Prince's daughter. - -"Even soon after her arrival in Germany, in February, 1858, I became -convinced, through members of the Royal House and from my own -observations, that the Princess was prejudiced against me personally. -The fact did not surprise me so much as the form in which her prejudice -against me had been expressed in the narrow family circle--'she did not -trust me.' I was prepared for antipathy on account of my alleged -anti-English feelings and by reason of my refusal to obey English -influences; but, from a conversation which I had with the Princess after -the war of 1866, while sitting next to her at table, I was obliged to -conclude that she had subsequently allowed herself to be influenced in -her judgment of my character by further-reaching calumnies. - -"I was ambitious, she said, in a half-jesting tone, to be a king or at -least president of a republic. I replied in the same semi-jocular tone -that I was personally spoilt for a Republican; that I had grown up in -the Royalist traditions of the family, and had need of a monarchical -institution for my earthly well-being: I thanked God, however, I was not -destined to live like a king, constantly on show, but to be until death -the king's faithful subject. I added that no guarantee could, however, -be given that this conviction of mine would be universally inherited, -and this not because Royalists would give out, but because perhaps kings -might. 'Pour faire un civet, il faut un liévre, et pour faire une -monarchie, il faut un roi.' I could not answer for it that, for want of -such, the next generation might not be Republican. I further remarked -that, in thus expressing myself, I was not free from anxiety at the idea -of a change in the occupancy of the throne without a transference of the -monarchical traditions to the successor. But the Princess avoided every -serious turn and kept up the jocular tone, as amiable and entertaining -as ever; she rather gave me the impression that she wished to tease a -political opponent. - -"During the first years of my Ministry, I frequently remarked in the -course of similar conversation that the Princess took pleasure in -provoking my patriotic susceptibility by playful criticism of persons -and matters." - -In this passage we have evidently a perfectly frank expression of -Bismarck's real feeling, and it gives an extraordinarily vivid picture -of these two remarkable personalities, facing one another with watchful, -guarded, measuring glance, like two duellists awaiting the signal for -combat. - -That Bismarck to a great extent misunderstood the Princess is plain -enough, and indeed it would have been extraordinary if he had understood -her, so different was she from any normal type of German lady. But there -is abundant evidence that he did not underrate her intellectual ability, -though it must have been a perpetual astonishment to him to find such -mental powers in a woman, and there were even moments when the aims of -the two, generally so wide apart, seemed actually to converge. It is -curious to speculate how different the course of history might have been -if the Princess had added to her other qualities that tact, prudence, -and power of judging human character, which were surely alone wanting -to make her one of the most remarkable women who have ever held her -exalted rank. - -The greatest injustice which Bismarck did the Princess lay in his -suspicion--to use a mild term--of her German patriotism. The Prince -Consort had consistently pursued the ideal of a union of the German -States under the leadership of Prussia as the champion of German -Liberalism. Such a new-born Germany might, or might not, have become the -ally of England, but the Prince Consort must certainly be acquitted of -any Machiavellian designs for the benefit of his adopted country; the -supreme end he had in view was undoubtedly the happiness and greatness -of Germany, and both his wife and his daughter knew and shared his aims. - -From 1858 to 1861 the Prince Consort's influence in Prussian politics -may almost be described as paramount; but the happy relations between -England and Prussia were broken, partly by the inability of King William -to share the liberalism of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, which -seemed to him positively anti-monarchical, partly by anti-Prussian -feeling in England, and partly by the claim of the Prussian Liberals to -dictate to the Crown on the question of army reorganisation. - -Prince Albert did not live to see how completely his hopes had been -shattered, and his premature death deprived his daughter of his counsel -at the very moment when Bismarck came into office in the full tide of -Russophil reaction and Anglophobia. - -It is difficult to realise, in view of later events, how strong was the -distrust which Bismarck inspired at the beginning of his accession to -power. It was known that he desired an alliance with Napoleon III, and -it was even believed that he would be capable of ceding German territory -to France. - -The trend of popular opinion was significantly shown on March 17, 1863, -when the fiftieth anniversary of the Proclamation "To my People" was -celebrated, and the foundation-stone of a memorial to Frederick William -III was laid in Berlin. - -Nothing that the authorities could do to give distinction to the -occasion was omitted. The Crown Prince, who had just been appointed to a -high post on the staff, commanded the military parade, and was present -with his father at the festivities in honour of the survivors of the War -of Liberation and the Knights of the Iron Cross. The citizens of Berlin, -however, were conspicuous by their absence, and the popular feeling was -expressed by the great writer, Freytag, who said in an article in a -Liberal newspaper: "All good Prussians will pass this day quietly, -seriously, and will consider the means by which they may best preserve -the illustrious House of Hohenzollern for the future welfare of the -State." - -The first real efforts made by Bismarck to alienate the King from the -Crown Prince and Princess date from the year 1863, just when the -Princess was beginning to recover her spirits and normal state of mental -health. - -"Every kind of calumny was spread," wrote Morier, "respecting the -persons supposed to be the Prince's friends. Spies were placed over him -in the shape of aides-de-camp and chamberlains; conversations were -distorted and imagined, till the Dantzig episode brought matters to a -climax, and very nearly led to the transfer of the Prince to a -fortress." - -This episode, a speech delivered by the Crown Prince at Dantzig, -possessed all the importance that Morier attributes to it, and it must -be admitted that it was in the circumstances a highly imprudent -utterance, for it dragged the differences between the Crown Prince and -his father into the light of day. - -The speech was delivered to the municipality of Dantzig on June 5, 1863. -In it the Crown Prince referred to the variance which had occurred -between the Government and the people, by which he meant a new ordinance -restricting the freedom of the Press. This variance, he said, had -occasioned him no small degree of surprise; and he added: - -"Of the proceedings which have brought it about I know nothing. I was -absent. I have had no part in the deliberations which have produced this -result." - -Although the Crown Prince went on to pay tribute to the noble and -fatherly intentions and magnanimous sentiments of the King, nevertheless -the speech naturally created a great sensation, not only in Germany, but -in other countries too. A correspondence followed between the Prince and -his father, in which the former, while asking pardon for his action, -offered to resign all his offices. Bismarck professes to have himself -succeeded in making peace between the two, quoting to the King the text: -"Deal tenderly with the boy Absalom," and urging that it was not -advisable to make his Heir Apparent a martyr. - -Bismarck's own account of the circumstances which led up to the speech -is significant for its emphasis on the dates. He says that the Royal -ordinance on the subject of the Press appeared on June 1; that on June 2 -the Crown Princess followed the Prince to Graudenz; and that on June 4 -the Prince wrote to the King expressing disapproval of the decree, -complaining that he had not been summoned to the councils in which the -step had been discussed, and enlarging on his view of his position as -Heir Apparent. This obviously suggests, without exactly saying so in -plain words, that the Crown Prince's speech on June 5 was inspired by -his wife. But behind both the Crown Prince and the Crown Princess, -Bismarck thought that he detected the hand of Morier. And yet it is on -record that Morier had not seen the Crown Prince or had any kind of -communication with him at the time, before, or after, the Dantzig -episode; in fact, it is quite clear, from letters Morier wrote to Ernest -von Stockmar, that both he and his German correspondent sincerely -regretted the Crown Prince's action. - -The Crown Princess, however, seemed doomed to be associated with this -unlucky speech. Not long after the affair was apparently settled, a -remarkable and obviously inspired statement appeared in the _Times_ to -the following effect: - -"While travelling on military duty the Prince allowed himself to assume -an attitude antagonistic to the policy of the Sovereign, and to call in -question his measures. The least that he could do to atone for this -grave offence was to retract his statements. This the King demanded of -him by letter, adding that, if he refused, he would be deprived of his -honours and offices. The Prince, in concert, it is said, with her Royal -Highness the Princess, met this demand with a firm answer. He refused to -retract anything, offered to resign his honours and commands, and craved -leave to withdraw with his wife and family to some place where he would -be free from suspicion of the least connection with the affairs of -State. - -"This letter is described as a remarkable performance, and it is added -that the Prince is to be congratulated on having a consort who not only -shares his liberal views, but is also able to render him so much -assistance in a momentous and critical juncture. It is not easy to -conceive a more difficult position than that of the princely pair -placed, without a single adviser, between a self-willed Sovereign and a -mischievous Cabinet on the one hand, and an incensed people on the -other." - -Naturally this version of the affair, with its open reference to the -influence of the Crown Princess, aroused fresh excitement. Ernest von -Stockmar, the private secretary of the Crown Princess, was said to have -communicated the substance of the statement to the _Times_. Who really -did so has never been revealed. - -The unfortunate Stockmar, in any case, knew nothing of the matter; he -would have given much to find out who was responsible. Indeed, this new -complication to an already painful and suspicious affair so distressed -Stockmar that he fell ill, and had to resign his position as secretary -to the Crown Princess. This was for her a real misfortune, as even the -most spiteful and prejudiced of her critics could not accuse the old -Baron's son and pupil of being anything but a sound and patriotic -German. - -Bismarck was good enough to accept the Crown Prince's assertion that the -statement was inserted in the _Times_ entirely without his cognizance, -and he thought it was inspired by Geffcken; in fact, he attributed it to -the same quarter to which, as he believed, the Crown Prince owed the -bent of his political views, namely, the school of writers who extolled -the English constitution as a model to be imitated by other nations, -without thoroughly comprehending it. - -What wonder, then, observed Bismarck, that the Crown Princess and her -mother overlooked that peculiar character of the Prussian State which -renders its administration by means of shifting Parliamentary groups a -sheer impossibility? The party of progress were then daily anticipating -victory in their struggle with prerogative, and naturally took every -opportunity to place the situation "in the light best calculated to -influence female minds." - -In the following August, Bismarck says, the Crown Prince visited him at -Gastein, and there, "less under the sway of English influences," "used -the unreserved language of one who sees that he has done wrong and seeks -to excuse himself on the score of the influences under which he had -lain." - -This attitude, however, if it was ever really adopted, was certainly -short-lived. A fresh difference broke out between the Crown Prince and -the King on the subject of the former's attendance at Cabinet Councils, -and on this point the Crown Prince undoubtedly held firm. Bismarck -prints his marginal notes on a memorandum sent by the Crown Prince to -his father. In these notes the whole constitutional position of the -Crown Prince is discussed, but we are here only concerned with the -following references to the Crown Princess: - -"Especially necessary is it that the intermediary advisers, with whose -aid alone his Royal Highness can be authorised to busy himself with the -consideration of pending affairs of State, should be adherents, not of -the Opposition, but of the Government, or at least impartial critics -without intimate relations with the Opposition in the Diet or the Press. -The question of discretion is that which presents most difficulty, -especially in regard to our foreign relations, and must continue to do -so until his Royal Highness, and her Royal Highness the Crown Princess, -have fully realised that in ruling Houses the nearest of kin may yet be -aliens, and of necessity, and as in duty bound, represent other -interests than the Prussian. It is hard that a frontier line should also -be the line of demarcation between the interests of mother and daughter, -of brother and sister; but to forget the fact is always perilous to the -State." - -In the autumn of 1863 Queen Victoria was staying at Coburg. She sent for -Morier and had a long talk with him on the growing difficulties which -seemed to encompass the Crown Prince and Princess. The fact that Morier -ventured to hint that any appearance of interference on the part of -England would be very prejudicial to the interests of their Royal -Highnesses, and that a suspicion that the Crown Prince was being -prompted from over the water would materially diminish in the eyes of -the Liberal party the value of his opposition, shows that there was -something, even then, to be said for the feeling which Bismarck so -sedulously fostered. - -During the summer of 1863, the Crown Princess accompanied her husband on -a long tour of military inspections in the provinces of Prussia and -Pomerania, and her Royal Highness performed the ceremony of naming a -warship, the _Vineta_, at Dantzig. - -This tour caused a good deal of discomfort to the Crown Prince and -Princess, for in most of the towns they visited the municipal -authorities ostentatiously refrained from celebrating the occasion; on -the other hand, the populace as a rule received the Royal pair with -abundant loyalty. - -We have a curious glimpse of the sort of impression made in East Prussia -by the Crown Princess in a private letter written by a member of the -Progressive party, who afterwards became a confidential friend of the -Crown Prince. This gentleman says that everyone was pleased with the -Crown Princess, for she showed that she had a mind of her own. She -informed a certain official that she read the _Volkszeitung_, the -_National-zeitung_, and the _Times_ every day, and that she agreed -entirely with those newspapers--in the circumstances an amazingly -imprudent statement. It was, indeed, such a shock to the official that -it reduced him to blank silence. - -The breach between the Crown and Parliament was not the only question -with which Prussia was troubled at this time. The summer of 1863 was -also marked by the attempt of Austria to take the solution of the German -question into her own hands by initiating a scheme for reforming the -Federal Constitution. - -The Emperor Francis Joseph invited the Princes and the free cities of -Germany to a conference at Frankfort to discuss the reorganisation of -the Germanic Confederation. King William was inclined to accept this -proposal, but Bismarck held other views; and a further invitation from -the Emperor that the King should send the Crown Prince to the Congress -of Princes, was also declined. - -Nevertheless the Congress was held, and there was also held a sort of -family gathering of what Bismarck would have designated "the Coburgers" -at Coburg. Queen Victoria was there, and in August the Crown Princess -joined her, quickly followed by the Crown Prince. - -Lord Granville, who was a close observer of the complicated intrigues of -the Congress, wrote to Lord Stanley of Alderley: "The Princess Royal is -very Prussian on this Confederation question." - -The Crown Prince's views on the subject were expressed in a letter which -he sent to his wife's uncle, Duke Ernest, early in September. From this -letter it seems clear that, whereas at first he had been inclined to -favour the Austrian move, he altered his views when Austria showed her -hand by demanding from the Congress a simple vote of assent or dissent -to her project of reform. He mentioned that he had asked the King for -permission to be absent from the meetings of the Cabinet, and indeed he -paid with his family a long visit to Italy. - -From Italy the Crown Prince and Princess proceeded to England, and that, -with visits to Brussels and Karlsruhe, took up the rest of the year. - -It must not, however, be thought that during this absence from Germany -the Crown Prince and Princess ceased to take an interest in politics; on -the contrary, they followed with the closest attention, what was indeed -a serious constitutional crisis in the autumn of 1863. - -In October, after they had started for Italy, the Crown Prince wrote to -Bismarck: - -"I hope that, to use your own words, your efforts in the present -difficult position of the constitutional life of our country may be -successful, and may accomplish that which you yourself describe as the -urgent and essential understanding with the national representatives. I -am following the course of events with the deepest interest." - -The constitutional crisis turned on the rejection, by the Upper House -and the Crown, of the Budget which had been adopted by the Lower House. -The King, as advised by Bismarck, was for governing without a -constitution, but the Crown Prince, with his strong predisposition in -favour of the English constitutional system, which had by this time -been developed by Queen Victoria, could not help regarding his father's -attitude as jeopardising the security of the Crown. - -The Crown Prince's position was particularly difficult because he was -appealed to by all parties--by the Liberals, who looked forward to the -day when he would be King of Prussia as perhaps not very far distant; -and by the Conservatives, who adjured him to support the Government on -dynastic grounds. - -Of the two parties, the Liberals appeared to have the best of it, for -the prolonged absence of the Crown Prince and Crown Princess was -naturally interpreted in Germany as indicating, if not their sympathy -with the Liberal party, at any rate their dislike of the existing -Government. - -But events were shaping themselves in such a way that the Dantzig -affair, with all that had led up to it and had followed it, was soon to -be forgotten in a crisis of much greater moment, and one which brought -to the Crown Prince his baptism of fire. - -It was during the visit of the Crown Prince and his family to England -that King Frederick VII of Denmark, the last of his dynasty, died, and -the question of the succession to the Duchies of Schleswig-Holstein -immediately became acute. - - - - -CHAPTER X - -THE WAR OF THE DUCHIES - - -Palmerston is reported to have said on one occasion, that there had been -only three men in Europe who really understood the Schleswig-Holstein -question. One of them was himself--and he had forgotten it; the second -man was dead; and the third was in a mad-house. - -But the members of the Royal Houses of England, Prussia, and Denmark -considered that, without being either jurists or diplomatists by -profession, they understood the question quite well enough to take -different sides with ardent enthusiasm. The question came, in fact, like -a dividing sword, and not for the first time it brought war in its train -between Prussia and Denmark. The British Royal family was placed by its -intimate ties with both combatants--the Prince of Wales had married -Princess Alexandra of Denmark in March, 1863--in a position of peculiar -delicacy, which was not rendered easier by the fact that public opinion -in England warmly espoused the cause of Denmark. - -If it was not easy for Queen Victoria and her advisers to steer a -prudent course, the position of the Crown Princess in Berlin was even -more difficult. She met the crisis with her customary courage, and she -applied to its solution the teachings of that constitutional liberalism -which she had imbibed from her father. - -The Princess felt very strongly that the honour as well as the interest -of Prussia--or perhaps one should say her interest as well as her -honour--required the nation to play an unselfish part, and to seek -indemnity in the moral prestige to be derived from the settlement of -this ancient racial feud. As future Queen of Prussia, the Princess -wished to see the interests of the Crown identified with the -constitutional rights of the people; she desired to see the inhabitants -of the duchies once more contented, loyal subjects of Duke Frederick of -Schleswig-Holstein. It was not her fault, nor was it within her -knowledge, that the solution which Bismarck even then contemplated, and -which he was ultimately able to carry out, belonged to a wholly -different order of ideas. - -It is necessary, in a brief retrospect, to show how this question of the -duchies had become like an open sore, poisoning the relations between -Denmark and Prussia. Perhaps the most fertile cause of trouble lay in -the fact that Schleswig and Holstein, though grouped together by -historical circumstances, were each very different in the character of -its population and their real or supposed rights. - -We need not go back further than 1846, when King Christian of Denmark -declared the right of the Crown to Schleswig-Holstein. His son and -successor, Frederick VII, on his accession in January, 1848, proclaimed -a new constitution uniting the duchies more closely with Denmark. This -step caused an insurrection and the foundation of a provisional -government. Prussia thereupon came to the help of the duchies and -defeated the Danes near Dannawerke. After a fruitless attempt at -intervention by the Powers, hostilities were renewed, and in April, -1849, the Danes were victorious over the Holsteiners and Germans. There -was further fighting and further diplomacy, until in July, 1850, the -integrity of Denmark was guaranteed by England, France, Prussia, and -Sweden. This was quickly followed by the defeat of the -Schleswig-Holsteiners by the Danes at the battle of Idstedt. Early in -the following year the Stadholders of Schleswig-Holstein issued a -proclamation placing the rights of the country under the protection of -the Germanic Confederation. - -This led to the Treaty of London of 1852, by which the possession of the -duchies was assured to Denmark conditionally on the preservation of -their independence and the rights of the German population in them. Now, -Holstein belonged to the Germanic Confederation, but the treaty -stipulated that Schleswig was not to be separated from Holstein, though -it was a point of honour with Denmark not to give up Schleswig. - -The natural successor of King Frederick VII in the duchies was his -kinsman, Duke Christian of Sonderburg-Augustenburg, who, in May, 1852, -resigned his hereditary claim in return for a sum of two and a half -million thalers. This settlement might have been excellent but for two -facts--first that it had not received the assent of the Germanic -Confederation; and secondly, that Duke Christian's two sons violently -objected to it--indeed, the elder son, the Hereditary Prince Frederick, -made a formal declaration of his rights of succession. Moreover, it must -be admitted that Denmark showed a cynical disregard of the conditions in -the Treaty of London respecting the independence of the duchies and the -rights of their German population. The Schleswig Assembly complained and -protested, and even petitioned the Prussian Chamber of Deputies, who -actually promised aid to the duchies. - -At last the crisis came in March, 1863, when the King of Denmark granted -to Holstein a new and independent constitution, but annexed Schleswig -which did not belong to the Germanic Confederation. Thereupon the -Confederation invited Denmark to withdraw this constitution. So far from -doing so, however, the Danish Parliament proceeded to ratify it only two -days before the death of King Frederick VII, whose successor, King -Christian IX, was forced on his accession, owing to a menacing uprising -of popular feeling in Denmark, to sign the new constitution annexing -Schleswig. - -[Illustration: HER ROYAL HIGHNESS - -PRINCESS FREDERICK WILLIAM OF PRUSSIA - -MARRIED JANUARY 25, 1858] - -The glove was thus thrown down for Germany to pick up; the Hereditary -Prince Frederick assumed by proclamation the government of the duchies, -and appealed to the Germanic Confederation for the support of his -rights. The majority of the German Governments sided with him, -especially the Grand Duke Frederick of Baden, brother-in-law of the -Crown Prince; while the Lower House in Prussia declared by a large -majority that the honour and interest of Germany demanded the -recognition and active support of the Hereditary Prince. It will be -evident from what has been said above that Prussia had plausible and -even sound reasons for her intervention, the chief of which was the -popular feeling prevailing in Schleswig. - -Now, it so happened that the Crown Prince and Princess had a strong -personal as well as political interest in the question of duchies. The -Crown Prince and the Hereditary Prince Frederick were old friends. They -had first met as fellow-students at the University of Bonn. The -Hereditary Prince had afterwards served in the First Regiment of the -Prussian Guards, he had been often at the Prussian Court, and the Crown -Prince was the godfather of one of his children. Naturally, therefore, -the Crown Prince and Princess were favourable to his claims. - -There is now no doubt that Bismarck had some time before resolved in -principle on the annexation of the duchies, but of course he did not -show his hand until it suited him, and above all he studiously concealed -his plans from the Crown Prince. Indeed, the Crown Prince's personal -relations with Bismarck were at this time practically suspended, if only -because he happened at the time to be in England, where, however, the -prevailing sympathy with Denmark did not influence him or the Crown -Princess. In a letter written to Duncker from Windsor in December the -Prince says that he has "daily defended the cause of my dear friend Duke -Frederick, well backed up by my wife, who exhibits warm and absolutely -German feelings in a most moving degree." - -The Crown Prince and Princess would certainly have recoiled with horror -from Bismarck's secret design of annexing the duchies. How little they -understood the Minister's plans is curiously shown in the letter of the -Crown Prince just referred to. He took the view that Prussia ought at -once to occupy the duchies in order to establish the Hereditary Prince -there. Bismarck, he says, hated the Augustenburg family and considered -the national aspirations of Germany as revolutionary, desiring on the -contrary to maintain the Treaty of London and strengthen Denmark. The -Crown Prince in fact thought that Bismarck had been too late, and that -his policy was opposed to the proper assertion of Prussia's position. - -Events now moved fast. The troops of the Germanic Confederation -expelled the Danish troops from Holstein, and the Hereditary Prince was -proclaimed throughout the duchy. The Augustenburg party, who were aware -of the hostility of Bismarck to their candidate, endeavoured to win over -the King of Prussia through the medium of the Crown Prince; but -ultimately, aided no doubt by certain imprudences on the part of the -Hereditary Prince, Bismarck had his way. Both Austria and Prussia -separated from the majority of the Diet, demanding that the King of -Denmark should annul the new constitution annexing Schleswig, already -mentioned, and announced that they would jointly manage the affairs of -the two duchies. - -In January, 1864, Austria and Prussia issued an ultimatum to Denmark, -and in February began the war, which was somewhat euphemistically -described as "undertaken by Austria and Prussia to protect the ancient -rights of the German province of Schleswig-Holstein, in danger of -extinction from Denmark." - -It was considered essential in Berlin that a Prussian officer should be -in command of the allied troops, and this could only be effected by -calling on the venerable Field-Marshal von Wrangel, as he alone was of -superior rank to the officer at the head of the Austrian forces. - -Von Wrangel, therefore, although he was much too old and eccentric for -such responsibility, took the supreme command in right of his rank, but -the Crown Prince was attached to his staff, with the understanding that -he was to prevent the aged Field-Marshal from coming to any unfortunate -decisions. Events showed that this was extremely necessary--indeed, -nothing could have been more useful than the Crown Prince's tact in -dealing with the rivalries among the divisional commanders, and also in -altering the extraordinary, and sometimes positively insane, orders -given by von Wrangel himself. As a rule the Crown Prince was able to -persuade the old man to make the necessary alterations, but there were -occasions on which he was compelled, on his own responsibility, either -to suppress an order altogether or in some other way to prevent it from -being carried out. - -The English Royal family were deeply divided in their sympathies in this -war, but the Crown Princess, as her husband had written to Duncker, was -wholly German in her feelings. She wrote to her uncle in Coburn: "For -the first time in my life I regret not being a young man and not to be -able to take the field against the Danes," and there is reason to -believe that it was her influence which decided Queen Victoria to -restrain the bellicose Palmerston, who would have liked England to -support Denmark by force of arms. - -In these circumstances it seems all the more monstrous that Bismarck's -friends actually charged the Crown Princess with betraying the secrets -of the Prussian Government to the English Ministers. Her complaints to -the King only received as answer that the whole thing was nonsense, and -that she should not treat it seriously. But the fact that the slanderers -were never punished caused these calumnies to be long repeated, and even -in part believed. - -By the side of the Crown Prince and Princess there stood, in Bismarck's -estimation, Queen Augusta, who had ever been the energetic champion of -the Coburg doctrine of a liberated and united Germany under the -leadership of Prussia. In his profound disbelief in Liberalism, Bismarck -played the obvious game of raising the cry of foreign dictation. By -means of his instruments in the Press and elsewhere, he set himself to -exhibit England as at all times seeking to influence Germany for her own -ends and often against German interests, for promoting her own security -and the extension of her power, "lately through women, daughters and -friends of Queen Victoria." - -This campaign was only too successful, and it must soon have become -obvious, both to Queen Victoria and to her daughter, that the -unification of Germany by means of Prussian Liberalism was not in the -range of practical politics. At the same time Bismarck risked a great -deal. Nothing would have more completely upset his plans than a war with -England over the duchies, and, as we have said, he was saved from that -danger largely owing to the fact that Queen Victoria was influenced by -the Crown Princess to withstand the chauvinism of her Ministers. - -Throughout the campaign of 1864, the Crown Prince won the deep affection -of the troops, not only by himself sharing their hardships, but also by -his constant kindness and care for their comfort. Though he showed -himself a true soldier and even a strategist of no small ability, the -Crown Prince had no illusions about the horrors of war, which he now saw -for the first time. He was deeply moved by the terrible sights he -witnessed on the field of battle and in the hospitals. After the victory -at Düppel in April, he would have been glad if an armistice had been -concluded, and he wrote to Duncker: "You will understand how heavily my -long absence weighs on me, for you know what a happy home I have waiting -for me." - -He had not long to wait, however, for on May 18 the supreme command was -transferred from Field-Marshal von Wrangel to Prince Frederick Charles, -the "Red Prince," and so the Crown Prince's mission came to an end. He -joined the Crown Princess at Hamburg. She had originally meant to -proceed as far as Schleswig in order to do what she could for the -wounded in the hospitals, but, in obedience to urgent advice, she did -not go further than Hamburg. The Crown Prince's journey thither, covered -with all the laurels of successful warfare, was a triumphal progress. - -As this campaign was the Crown Prince's baptism of fire, so to the Crown -Princess it was a revelation and a call to action. On the occasion of -the King of Prussia's birthday in March, the Crown Prince and Princess -had presented him with a sum of money as the nucleus of a fund for -helping the families of soldiers who had fallen or been disabled in war, -and on the eve of the battle of Düppel the Crown Prince drew up an -appeal on behalf of this institution, which afterwards bore his name. - -But the war with Denmark revealed an even greater need than that of the -care of the soldiers' wives and families. The Crown Princess saw with -surprise and horror that the medical service of the troops in the field -was practically non-existent. She remembered the achievements of -Florence Nightingale in the Crimean War, and, though she was at the time -herself more or less disabled, she undertook the heavy task of -organising some sort of an army nursing corps. For this work, so -appropriate for a soldier's wife, she was admirably fitted. Indeed, the -War of the Duchies gave the Princess for the first time real scope for -the exercise of her remarkable powers of organisation. - -The Crown Princess, however, does not seem to have grown more prudent as -time went on. There is a curious revelation in Bernhardi's diary in May, -1864, of her unfortunate habit of praising England to the disadvantage -of Prussia. Says Bernhardi: - -"After dinner conversation with the Crown Princess. She asked after -England; supposed that I had enjoyed England very much; once there, one -always longed to go back. I said: 'Yes, life is full in England.' She -said with a very peculiar expression: 'Yes, one misses that here.' I -thought to myself, however, that only the material interests are greater -and more far-reaching than with us; in many ways life is richer here -than there." - -Fighting, with intervals of diplomatic action, went on after the Crown -Prince's return from the front, until peace was signed at Vienna on -October 30. By this instrument the King of Denmark surrendered the -duchies to the allies, and agreed to a rectification of the frontier and -the payment of a considerable war indemnity. It was understood that -Schleswig and Holstein were to be made independent, but differences of -opinion arose between Austria and Prussia on this point, which led -ultimately to the dissolution of the Germanic Confederation and the -Austro-Prussian war of 1866. - -Delightful glimpses of the family life led in the summer of 1864 by the -Crown Prince and Princess, and of her musical, literary, and artistic -tastes, are given in letters written by Gustav Putlitz, the dramatist, -to his wife. Putlitz was at this time chamberlain to the Crown Princess. -His letters are too long and detailed to be quoted in full, but the -following extracts will give a good idea of how deeply impressed this -distinguished writer was with the vivid, eager personality of the -Princess: - -"_June 26._--I passed a most delightful hour yesterday in this way. As I -was going through the drawing-room, I found the Crown Princess with -Countess Hedwig Brühl, the former looking for the words of a song of -Goethe's, which she remembered in part, while Hedwig played the air. I -found the song in Goethe for them. Thereupon we had a most interesting -conversation about books. The Crown Princess is wonderfully well read; -she has absolutely read everything, and knows it all more or less by -heart. She showed us a reproduction of a drawing she had done in aid of -the Crown Prince's Fund. It is a memorial of the victory at Düppel, and -represents four soldiers, each belonging to a different arm of the -service. The first is shown before the attack in the morning; the second -is waving the flag at noon; the third, wounded, is listening to a hymn -in the afternoon; while the fourth, victorious with a laurel wreath, -stands in the evening at an open grave. The last is extremely natural -and impressive, without any sentimentality. The conception shows real -genius, and it is carried out most artistically. This youthful princess -is more cultivated than any other woman I know of her age, and she has -such charming manners, which put people entirely at their ease in spite -of etiquette. She is not allowed to ride, and so she is accustomed to -drive out daily for several hours, and practises pistol-shooting. In -fact she possesses a wonderful mental and physical energy." - -"_June 27_ (after dinner).--This morning the Crown Princess sent for me -in the garden. I do not know what she is not devoted to--art, music, -literature, the army, the navy, hunting, riding. On leaving she went -down the mountain on foot, and I went with her through woods soaked with -rain. She took out of her pocket the last issue of the _Grenzboten_, and -gave it to me. It is amazing that she remembers everything she reads, -and she debates history like a historian, with admirable judgment and -firmness. After dinner she sang English and Spanish songs with a -charming voice and correct expression." - -"_June 29._--After breakfast we went for a four hours' drive. The Crown -Princess wanted every variety of wild flower we could find, and she knew -the Latin, English, and German names of each kind. Every time we stopped -she got out of the carriage and picked a flower which her sharp eye had -detected, and which was not in the bouquet." - -The party moved to Stettin, and Putlitz describes how the Crown Princess -beguiled the journey with a constant stream of brilliant conversation on -politics, literature, and art, as well as on more frivolous subjects. - -When they arrived at headquarters and found the Crown Prince, she saw -that everything was in disorder, and immediately, with characteristic -energy, she began directing the rearrangement of furniture and the -hanging of pictures. She herself was going on to Potsdam, but she was -determined that her husband should be as comfortable as possible at -Stettin. Says Putlitz: - -"Furniture was put in its place, pictures were hung, wall-paper -selected--all the things having been brought from Berlin. Afterwards we -went all over the house with the architect, and the Crown Princess -issued her orders in the most practical and business-like way. Then we -drove out and bought more furniture, and the things required for the -Prince's washstand and writing-table. All the things were suitable, and -chosen with care. We had an interesting conversation about English -literature and drama. I am kept in perpetual astonishment by her natural -behaviour, so many-sided, and full of judgment and sense." - -When they arrived at the New Palace, Putlitz happened to say that he had -never seen more of it than the room where people wrote their names in -the visitors' book. At once the Princess showed him all over it. - -He draws a charming picture of a tea-party at the Palace. The young -mistress, wearing a simple black woollen dress, sat at a spinning-wheel, -and as she span she sang snatches of all kinds of songs, accompanied by -one of her ladies. Not far off, a chamberlain was reading poems by -Geibel, or prompting others by Goethe and Heine which were recited by -the Princess. - -Putlitz cannot help recalling historical memories of the palace which -was built by Frederick the Great in ridicule of Austria and France; -which had seen the curious entertainments of his successor; had been -decorated by Frederick William III in the stiff fashion of his day; had -been opened by Frederick William IV to an intellectual and artistic -audience at representations of _Antigone_ and _A Midsummer Night's -Dream_; "and was now the home of modern cultivation freed from -formality." - -The Princess, indeed, wanted a sort of history of the New Palace to be -written, and she consulted Putlitz about it. A few days later they -discussed Frederick William III and Queen Louise, how the latter was -always idealised, and how the former had become popular in spite of his -roughness. - -In his delightful book, _My Reminiscences_, Lord Ronald Gower gives a -most interesting account of a visit which he paid in this summer of 1864 -to the Crown Prince and Princess, "two of the kindest and most amiable -of Royalties," as he calls them. They met Lord Ronald and his mother at -the station, in defiance of Royal etiquette, and took them off to the -New Palace: - -"We dined at two P. M. and we had to dress in our evening things for -this repast. It took place upstairs in a corner room, with the walls of -blue silk, fringed with gold lace. The Princess very smart, in a -magenta-coloured gown with pearls and lace. The Crown Prince in his -plain uniform, with only a star or two, which he always wears. 'It is a -custom,' he said, 'and looks so very officered.' After dinner we went to -the Crown Princess's sitting-room; the furniture there is covered with -Gobelins tapestry--a gift of the Empress Eugénie." - -Here Lord Ronald found some of the Princess's own paintings, including -those lately finished, representing Prussian soldiers, his account of -which it may be interesting to compare with that of Putlitz: - -"One of these paintings was of a warrior holding a flag, inscribed _Es -lebe der König_. The second a soldier looking upward. He has been -wounded, and he wears a bandage across his brow; a sunset sky for a -background. This is inscribed _Nun danket alle Gott_. The third is -another soldier looking down on a newly-made grave. Of these three I -thought the second by far the best. There was another painting, also by -the Princess, representing the Entombment." - -The visitors were taken out driving: "We could judge of the popularity -of our hosts, for everyone that we passed stopped to bow to them, and -those who were in carriages stood up in them to salute as the Prince and -Princess passed by." - -The arrangements about meals seem extraordinary to modern taste. Lord -Ronald says: - -"Tea was served at ten in the evening in one of the rooms on the ground -floor of the Palace. They call it the Apollo Room, I believe. It was a -curious meal, beginning with tea and cake, followed by meat, veal, and -jellies, and two plates of sour cream. For this repast one was not -expected to don one's evening apparel a second time." - -The visitors breakfasted upstairs with the Crown Prince and Princess and -their children, in a room lined with pale blue silk framed in -silver--not, perhaps, the best possible background for "the Princess in -her favourite pink-coloured dress." Then, "the Princess showed us her -private garden, and here she picked a clove, which she gave me with her -own little hand." - -Lord Ronald mentions the children with approval, but Putlitz, whose -visit was much longer, got to know them really well: - -"_July 2._--The Royal children are very charming and well trained. The -Crown Princess is strict with them, which is very praiseworthy in so -young a mother, who is relieved by her rank of the duty of taking an -active part in their education, for which she has not the time. People -will indeed be surprised at this talented and cultured nature, when once -her will has full scope." - -The children on their side seem to have taken to Putlitz with -enthusiasm. He gave the boys rides on his head, and he records with -pride that "they came running from quite a long way off when they -caught sight of me." He also records an accident--little Prince William -being thrown from his pony--which must have reminded the mother of that -day at Windsor when she was so distressed at a similar though more -dangerous mishap to her brother, the Prince of Wales. - -One morning after breakfast, says Putlitz, he met the Crown Prince and -Princess on the terrace, "both full of almost infantile gaiety." Soon -afterwards the children appeared. Prince William was riding his pony, -when his hat fell off and hit the pony between its ears; the animal -reared, and the Prince was thrown off on his back. Both parents remained -quite calm, and apparently took no notice; whereupon the Prince mounted -again and went on riding. It is not difficult to imagine the mother's -pang of terror beneath that outward calmness. Well may Putlitz praise -the sensible upbringing of the children, which made them perfectly -natural, well-behaved, and obedient. - -But it is the remarkable personality of the Crown Princess which chiefly -interests this literary man turned courtier. One moment she is -instructing him to write to a poet and thank him for a copy of verses; -at another she is arranging a picnic party in her own little garden near -the Palace. Someone, generally Putlitz himself, reads aloud after tea, -and if the poem or story is pathetic the Crown Princess is moved to -tears. At other times they have music, generally glees, followed by good -talk on literature or on contemporary politics and personages, about -whom both the Crown Prince and the Princess speak with a candour which -astonishes Putlitz. He cannot praise enough this delightfully informal, -unaffected, and yet exquisitely cultivated and intellectual family life: - -"Here one feels absolutely secure from intrigue, and only meets with -frankness and clear intelligence. All evil designs must necessarily fail -in the end before such qualities." - -The dramatist felt also the great charm of the Crown Prince's -personality. He says that the two natures of husband and wife are each a -perfect complement of the other, and each exercises on the other an -unmistakably happy influence. It is at the same time significant that, -while emphasizing the perfect harmony of the marriage, he does not -hesitate to say that the Crown Prince, notwithstanding the more -brilliant qualities of the Princess, still preserves his simple and -natural attitude and his undeniable influence. - -And when the time comes to say good-bye, Putlitz sums up his experiences -to his wife: "I have been entertained by a most highly dowered Princess -and a most marvellous woman, full of intellect, energy, culture, -kindness, and benevolence." - -On September 11, 1864, a third son was born, Prince Sigismund. This -little Prince was destined to have but a brief life. He was born the -child of peace, the Emperor Francis Joseph becoming his godfather, but -he died almost on the very day that Prussia drew the sword against -Austria in the war of 1866. - -That same autumn the Crown Princess paid her first visit to Darmstadt, -to stay with her best loved sister, Princess Alice. The latter wrote to -Queen Victoria a charming account of the visit, in which she said: "I -always admire Vicky's understanding and brightness each time I see her -again. She is so well, and in such good looks as I have not seen her for -long. The baby is a love and is very pretty." - -In October the Crown Prince and Princess, with their four children, -started for La Farraz, in Switzerland. They left immediately after the -birthday of the Crown Prince, which day was also that of the baptism of -Prince Sigismund. The Prince wrote just before leaving Potsdam to an -intimate friend: - -"The older I grow, the more I come to know of human beings, the more I -thank God for having given me a wife like mine. What happiness it is to -leave behind one all one's anxieties and all the troubles of this life, -to be alone with those we love! I trust that God will preserve our peace -and domestic happiness. I ask for nothing else." - - - - -CHAPTER XI - -HOME LIFE AND RELIGION - - -The successful campaign against Denmark had drawn all German hearts -together. Neither the Crown Prince nor the Crown Princess had ever been -unpopular with the army, who felt really honoured by that honorary -colonelcy which had so much amused the Princess. The Danish War greatly -increased their popularity, and the year that followed was probably one -of the happiest of their lives. They adored their children, who were -being thoroughly well brought up, and, with the one paramount exception -of the Prince Consort's death, no great bereavement had cast its shadow -over their family circle. - -The Crown Princess had early determined in her social life to consider -neither party spirit nor high official position; she preferred to gather -round her a remarkable society of interesting and distinguished -people,--scholars, theologians, archæologists and explorers, artists, -and men of letters. She was always passionately fond of music, and many -a young performer owed his or her first introduction to the public at -the winter concerts which she organised, while no British painter or -writer of eminence ever came to Berlin without receiving an invitation -to the New Palace. - -One of the most striking testimonies to the Crown Princess's -intellectual interests is to be found in a letter written to Charles -Darwin, in January, 1865, by Sir Charles Lyell. The great geologist says -that he had had, - -"An animated conversation on Darwinism with the Princess Royal, who is a -worthy daughter of her father, in the reading of good books and thinking -of what she reads. She was very much _au fait_ at the _Origin_ and -Huxley's book, the _Antiquity_, &c. &c., and with the Pfahlbauten -Museums which she lately saw in Switzerland. She said that, after twice -reading you, she could not see her way as to the origin of four things; -namely, the world, species, man, or the black and white races. Did one -of the latter come from the other, or both from some common stock? And -she asked me what I was doing, and I explained that, in re-casting the -_Principles_, I had to give up the independent creation of each species. -She said she fully understood my difficulty, for after your book 'the -old opinions had received a shake from which they never would recover.'" - -It may seem an intrusion on what should be sacred ground to touch on the -religious belief of the Crown Princess, but it is a subject on which -there have been a certain number of misstatements, and it may therefore -be well to set forth plainly the material facts. - -The present generation perhaps hardly realises what a period of -intellectual ferment had set in just at the time when the Princess's -mind was most eagerly absorbing all that she could read and hear on the -subject of religion and philosophy. She was twenty when _Essays and -Reviews_ appeared: she was twenty-two when Colenso published his book on -the Pentateuch: twenty-three when Renan's _Vie de Jésu_ appeared: -twenty-four when Strauss's shorter _Leben Jesu_ was published: and in -one year from the time in her life at which we have now arrived _Ecce -Homo_ was to appear. Most important of all, Darwin had published his -_Origin of Species_ in 1859, when the Princess was nineteen, and it is -evident from Sir Charles Lyell's letter that she had not only read but -understood that epoch-making book. Of all the giants of those days -Darwin alone remains a giant; the lapse of time, as well as the work of -other scholars and thinkers, has reduced the intellectual stature of -those other writers whose work seemed of such crucial importance when -the Princess was a young woman. - -It was indeed a period when many thought that the old sound, even -impregnable, position of Christianity had been not only undermined but -overthrown. Strauss, for example, honestly believed that he had entirely -destroyed the historical credibility of the four Gospels. The Princess -herself came to Germany at a moment when the Tübingen schools were the -intellectual leaders, and Strauss was their prophet, and the training -which she had undergone under the superintendence of her father had -prepared her to sympathise rather with the attack than with the defence. -It is easy now to see that orthodoxy was not then very fortunate in its -champions, and that the overwhelming weight of the scholarship and -intellectual strength of the time belonged to the advanced thinkers. -Moreover, it must be remembered that much of the religion of that day -was mere lip-service, a conventional orthodoxy which, while it resisted -investigation and inquiry on the one hand, failed to bear practical -fruit in conduct and life. - -Only a few months after the Princess had arrived in Prussia as a bride, -the then Prince Regent, her father-in-law, made a speech which attracted -great attention, not only in Germany but in Europe generally. In it he -said it could not be denied that in the Lutheran Church, the established -church of Prussia, an orthodoxy had grown up which was not consistent -with the basic principles of the church, and the church, in consequence, -had dissemblers among its adherents. All hypocrisy, the Prince -continued--and he defined hypocrisy as ecclesiastical matters which are -utilised for selfish purposes--ought to be exposed wherever possible. It -was in the whole conduct of the individual that real religion was -exhibited, and that must always be distinguished from external religious -appearance and show. - -When such language could be used from the very steps of the throne, it -may be imagined how great was the intellectual ferment in which everyone -who thought and read at all was necessarily involved. Naturally the -eager, impulsive Princess, with the intellectual courage and sincerity -which her father had implanted in her, could not stand aloof. But if, at -this time of her life, she seemed to abandon the old orthodox positions, -it is not less true to say, that, while paying the penalty at the time -in unhappiness and spiritual disquiet, she ultimately reaped the reward -of an even firmer faith. She came to see, indeed, that the deepest -religious convictions are not the fruit of philosophical speculation or -of textual criticism, but of experience. - -In the years that followed, the Princess was destined to be a near -spectator of great events--of the progress and ultimate triumph of -Bismarck's policy of blood and iron; while in her own home she suffered -the bitter pain of the death of her children, of sister, of brother. -Even what seemed surely the crowning tragedy of her husband's brief -reign and swift end was not all. That cruel malady, the origin of which -still defies research, and which often, as in her case, kills slowly -with lingering torture, seized upon her in her stricken widowhood. - -Yet the successive ordeals through which she passed seemed but to -strengthen her grasp upon the realities of life, and the Christian -faith took on for her a new meaning and became the rock to which alone -she clung. She left a most striking expression of her religious belief, -written in the summer of 1884, at a time when she had no prevision of -the fiery trials which were still in store for her. Long as the passage -is, it is worth quoting in full: - -"When people are puzzled with Christianity (or their acceptance of it), -I am reminded of a discussion between an Englishman and an advanced -radical of the Continent (a politician). The latter said, 'England will -become a republic as time advances.' The Englishman answered, 'I do not -see why she should. We enjoy all the advantages a republic could give us -(and a few more), and none of its disadvantages.' Does not this -conversation supply us with a fit comparison when one hears, The days of -creeds are gone by, &c? I say 'No.' You can be a good Christian and a -Philosopher and a Sage, &c. The eternal truths on which Christianity -rests are true for ever and for all; the forms they take are endless; -their modes of expression vary. It is so living a thing that it will -grow and expand and unfold its depths to those who know how to seek for -them. - -"To the thinking, the hoard of traditions, of legends and doctrines, -which have gathered around it in the course of centuries remain precious -and sacred, to be loved and venerated as garbs in which the vivifying, -underlying truths were clad, and beyond which many an eye has never -been able to penetrate. It would be wrong, and cruel, and dangerous to -disturb them; but meanwhile the number of men who soar above the -earth-born smallness of outward things continues to increase, and the -words in which they clothe their souls' conception of Christianity are -valuable to mankind; they are in advance of the rest of human beings, -and can be teachers and leaders by their goodness and their wisdom. So -were the Prophets and the Apostles in their day, and so are all great -writers, poets, and thinkers. That the Church of England should now -possess so many of these men is a blessing for the nation, and the best -proof that the mission of the Church on earth has not come to an end." - -Side by side with this we may quote some lines which brought the Empress -Frederick comfort in her last hours of suffering: - - "All are stairs - Of the illimitable House of God. -... And men as men - Can reach no higher than the Son of God. - The perfect Head and Pattern of Mankind. - The time is short, and this sufficeth us - To live and die by; and in Him again - We see the same first starry attribute, - 'Perfect through suffering,' our salvation's seal, - Set in the front of His humanity. - For God has other words for other worlds, - But for this world the word of God is Christ." - -We must now take up again the thread of the Crown Princess's life, when, -unshadowed by any sense of impending doom, she was absorbed in her -husband and children and in her intellectual and artistic pursuits. - -Early in the year 1865 the Crown Princess had the joy of welcoming her -sister, Princess Alice, on a visit to Berlin. Princess Alice wrote to -the Queen: "Vicky is so dear, so loving! I feel it does me good. There -is the reflection of Papa's great mind in her. He loved her so much and -was so proud of her;" and she adds a vivid little picture of the baby: -"Sigismund is the greatest darling I have ever seen--so wonderfully -strong and advanced for his age--with such fine colour, always laughing, -and so lively he nearly jumps out of our arms." - -It was a great pleasure to the Crown Princess when her husband was -appointed to the curious office of Protector of Public Museums. -Thenceforward they both took a very active part in the management of -these institutions, and it was owing to their efforts that the Old -Museum has but few rivals in Europe in completeness and arrangement. - -Prussia was then very backward in the practical application of art to -industry, but the Crown Princess, who had seen how much her father had -achieved in this direction in England, was determined to do all she -could to secure a similar improvement in her adopted country. Early in -1865 she caused a memorandum to be drawn up setting forth the necessity -of founding a School of Applied Art on the model of similar institutions -in England. The movement thus started by the Crown Princess led -eventually to the foundation of the Museum of Industrial Art at Berlin, -which is connected with the School of Applied Art. - -It was largely due to the active support and interest of the Crown -Prince and Princess that applied art not only found a home in Prussia, -but in the course of time reached so high a pitch of excellence that -other countries are now fain to learn from Germany. The Crown Prince and -Princess, also, both suggested and themselves supervised the collection -and arrangement of an exhibition of artistic objects in the Royal -Armoury at Berlin. This, by showing Prussian craftsmen what had already -been done, greatly promoted the development of applied art. - -But all was not sunshine during this peaceful, happy year, for during -its course the Crown Princess lost the constant support and loyal help -of Robert Morier. Although the whole of his diplomatic career had been -given up to Germany, although he had devoted himself entirely to the -study of the political, social, and commercial conditions, and of the -relations between Prussia and England, it was arranged that he should be -transferred to Athens. - -Morier parted with the Crown Prince and Princess on December 15, and it -is on record that the Princess wept bitterly on saying good-bye to him. -Bismarck and his followers were proportionately delighted at getting rid -of him. But their joy was premature, for the Athens appointment fell -through, and Morier was finally transferred to Darmstadt as Chargé -d'Affaires, a change due to the personal intervention of Queen Victoria. - -It must be remembered that Bismarck generally looked at things from a -personal point of view. He had found by experience the value of secret -agents, of whom he made constant use, and so he believed that every one -whom he disliked, whom he feared, whom he wished to conciliate, made use -of them too. To his mind Robert Morier was a secret agent, and it was -his great desire to isolate the Crown Prince and Princess from everyone -who did not belong directly to his own party. - -While at Darmstadt Morier remained in touch with the Crown Prince and -Princess, and it was he who advised the selection of Dr. Hinzpeter as -tutor to their eldest son, afterwards the Emperor William II. Dr. -Hinzpeter, who had been a friend of Morier for some time, was an -authority on national economy and social reform, as well as a man of the -highest personal character. - -In the summer of 1865 Frau Putlitz and her husband were the guests of -the Crown Prince and Princess at Potsdam. This time it is the wife who -records her impressions in a series of letters to her sister. She was -quite as fervent an admirer of the Crown Princess as Putlitz was, and -her letters really supplement and complete his letters, for they supply -the feminine point of view. - -Frau Putlitz was perhaps most impressed by the Crown Princess's -versatility--the ease with which she could turn from a gay and smiling -talk about bulbs, for instance, to the serious discussion of the -profoundest subjects of philosophy. Naturally, this feminine observer -notes the Princess's style of dressing, which she greatly admires as -being both simple and perfect. "There is," she says, "a charm about her -whole presence which it is impossible to describe." Her way of speaking, -too, was fascinating, and though she declared that her German had an -English accent, Frau Putlitz found it delightfully soft. Shakespeare the -Princess frequently quoted, and one morning she read long passages with -an expression which was warmly approved by the dramatist, Putlitz -himself, who might be allowed to be a good judge. Frau Putlitz thought -that the special charm of the Princess consisted in her entire -simplicity and naturalness, which was exemplified in her never uttering -banal, used-up phrases. - -Of the children we have some glimpses; they are described as perfectly -charming and very lively. The Princess told Frau Putlitz how anxious she -was to have Prince William educated away from home with other boys of -his own age, and this intention, as we know, she afterwards carried out -in the case of both Prince William and Prince Henry. Little Prince -Sigismund is pronounced to be really a delightful child. The Princess -spoke with deep feeling of her father, whom she scarcely mentioned -without tears, and she brought out all her souvenirs of him which she -kept with loving care. - -We are also shown the Princess among her books and pictures, the -Princess singing old Scottish ballads and English hymns, the Princess -painting flower-pieces, and above all the Princess as a gardener. Frau -Putlitz compares the neatness of the Princess's own little garden, laid -out by herself, to that of a little jewel-box. Enormous strawberries -grew on beds of white moss under the beech hedges, and a gigantic lily -brought by the Crown Prince from Hamburg was exhibited with pride. Frau -Putlitz was surprised at the Princess's practical knowledge of -horticulture, and the thoroughness with which she set about it. - -These are not, to be sure, matters of great importance in themselves, -but it is interesting to see how completely the charm of the Princess's -personality fascinated both husband and wife, who were by no means -ordinary observers. - - - - -CHAPTER XII - -THE AUSTRIAN WAR: WORK IN THE HOSPITALS - - -We come now to the outbreak of the war with Austria, which arose -directly out of the war with Denmark, and which, as we now look back -upon it, seems to fall naturally into its place as part of Bismarck's -_politique de longue haleine_ for the unification of Germany. - -The Royal personages of his time were to Bismarck only pawns in the -great game on which he was ever engaged. It is impossible to read his -life and other literary remains without being struck by the contempt -which he entertained for at any rate the great majority of those -belonging to the Royal caste, though the management of them sometimes -tried all his powers. It is significant that at one moment Bismarck had -practically made up his mind to espouse the cause of the Prince whom he -habitually called "the Augustenburger" in the Elbe duchies, and it was -only after a prolonged interview with the Prince himself that he changed -his mind, finding him to be, from his point of view, quite -impracticable. - -As a rule, however, those Royal personages whom Bismarck looked upon as -pawns were actually not only content but proud of the position; the -capital exceptions were of course the Crown Prince and Princess, who -steadily resented and fought--sometimes successfully--against Bismarck's -efforts to relegate them to a position in which they would not count at -all. - -It is curious to observe how Bismarck always managed to turn to account -even circumstances which seemed at first sight most prejudicial to his -designs. Thus in June 1865 the Budget, which included the payment of the -bill for the Danish War, was rejected by the Liberal Deputies in the -Chamber, but it was this which enabled Bismarck to take the plunge and -govern without the constitution. - -This rejection of the Budget was followed by the Convention of Gastein -in August, by which Austria was to have the temporary government of -Holstein, and Prussia that of Schleswig. Such an arrangement contained -no element of permanence, and was indeed an obvious step on the way -towards annexation. To the hereditary claims of "the Augustenburger," -which the Crown Prince had most loyally continued to support, it dealt a -fatal blow, and it is particularly interesting to note that Bismarck -implored the King to keep the negotiations which led up to the -Convention absolutely secret from the Crown Prince. He frankly told his -sovereign that if a hint should reach Queen Victoria, the suspicions of -the Emperor Francis Joseph would be aroused, and the whole negotiations -would fail, and he added, "Behind such failure there lies an inevitable -war with Austria." - -The secret was duly kept from the Crown Prince; he received the news of -the Convention with amazement, and it served to increase--if that was -possible--his detestation of Bismarck's policy. - -The year 1866 therefore began with the gloomiest prospects from the -point of view held by the Crown Prince and Princess. The Chambers were -opened, but quickly prorogued, and Prussia openly prepared for war. -Bismarck saw that the moment was most favourable, for Austria was in -want of money, and was also beset with domestic difficulties in Hungary, -while he himself had already practically arranged for the support of -Italy. Austria was thus driven to demand the demobilisation of Prussia, -and this was supported in the Federal Diet by Bavaria, Saxony, Hanover, -Hesse-Cassel, and other States. Thereupon, on June 14, Prussia declared -the Germanic Confederation dissolved, and war began on the 18th. - -We have become so much accustomed to the conception of a united Germany -that it seems now extraordinary that in this war Prussia, with the -Northern States, should have been ranged against, not only Austria, but -Hanover and Hesse-Cassel, with Saxony and Bavaria. - -It thus fell out that the Crown Princess and her sister, Princess Alice, -were on opposite sides--a singular penalty which Royal personages are -liable to pay for the privileges of their rank. The circumstance -naturally increased the maternal anxiety of Queen Victoria. There is no -doubt that she believed that Austria would win, and when the result -proved that she was wrong, her distrust of Bismarck was increased, not -by his success, but by the use which he made of it. - -Princess Alice's correspondence with her mother reveals how much she was -affected by the prospect of this civil war, as she calls it. There are -constant references to "poor Vicky and Fritz." On the eve of the -outbreak she told her mother that her husband, Prince Louis of Hesse, -intended to go to Berlin for a day just to see Fritz and explain how -circumstances now forced him to draw his sword against the Prussians in -the service of his own country. - -We have already noted the extent to which the Crown Prince was excluded -at this time from State policy, but as far as he possibly could, even up -to the eleventh hour, he continued to oppose the idea of war. The -moment, however, that the die was cast and war was declared, he became -the simple soldier, intent only on his military duties and ardently -desiring a victory for Prussia. - -The Crown Princess's second daughter was born on April 12, and was -christened Frederica Amelia Wilhelmina Victoria. - -In May, the Prussian Army was divided into three Corps, of which the -second was placed under the command of the Crown Prince, who was also -appointed Military Governor of Silesia during the mobilisation. - -Immediately after the christening of the little Princess, the Crown -Prince joined his staff at Breslau. But he left under the most mournful -auspices. Just before his departure the baby Prince Sigismund, whom -Princess Alice had described as "that beautiful boy, the joy and pride -of his parents," fell suddenly ill, and, what seemed particularly cruel -and unnecessary, even the doctor in attendance on the sick child had to -leave for the front. - -There is a very sad reference to the illness of her little nephew in a -letter written by Princess Alice on June 15: "The serious illness of -poor little Sigismund in the midst of all these troubles is really -dreadful for poor Vicky and Fritz, they are so fond of that merry little -child." - -Prince Sigismund's disease was at first difficult to diagnose. As a -matter of fact it was meningitis, and very soon it became clear that -there was no hope. On June 19 the child died, at the very moment when -his father was addressing his troops at Niesse, and the Crown Princess -found herself alone, without anyone near or dear to her to share her -bitter grief in this, the second great loss of her life. - -Queen Augusta journeyed to the front to tell her son of his bereavement. -He, however, more fortunate than the Crown Princess, had much to absorb -every moment of his time and thoughts. But after the war was over, in a -speech made to the Municipality of Berlin, the Crown Prince alluded -briefly to his loss. "It was a heavy trial to be separated from my wife -and my dying boy. It was a sacrifice which I offered to my country." - -In the _Reminiscences of Diplomatic Life_ published by Lady Macdonell, -widow of Sir Hugh Macdonell, a fact is revealed which shows how the -mother's heart must have hungered for Prince Sigismund. - -Lady Macdonell became on terms of considerable intimacy with the Crown -Princess, who was evidently impressed by her sympathetic nature. One -day, when they were going down a corridor in the New Palace, the -Princess suddenly unlocked a door, and in the room to which the locked -door gave access was preserved surely one of the strangest and most -pathetic forms of consolation to which a bereaved mother ever had -recourse. Lady Macdonell writes: - -"I saw a cradle, and in it a baby boy, beautiful to look upon, but it -was only the waxen image of the former occupant, the little Prince -Wenceslau [a mistake for Sigismund], who had died when the Crown Prince -went to the war of 1866. How pathetic it was to note the silver rattle -and ball lying as though flung aside by the little hand, the toys which -had amused his baby mind arranged all about the cradle, his little -shoes waiting, always waiting--at the side." - -When, five years later, Prince and Princess Charles of Roumania lost -their only child, Princess Marie, at the age of three and a half, the -Crown Prince wrote a letter of condolence to Prince Charles, who was -Prince Sigismund's godfather, in which he said: - -"May the grace of God give you strength to bear the hopeless grief, the -weight of which we know from our own knowledge! In imagination I place -myself in your attitude of mind, and realise that you must both be -benumbed with sorrow at seeing your sweet child dead before you, knowing -that you can never again see a light in her dear eyes, never again a -smile on her face! Certainly it is hard to say: 'Thy will be done!' I -put this text on the tomb of my son Sigismund, your god-child, because I -know of no other consolation; and yet I cannot overcome that pain -to-day, though many years have already gone by, and though God has given -me a large family. Time does undoubtedly blunt the keenest edge of a -parent's anguish, but it does not take away the weight of sorrow which -goes with one for the rest of one's life. That my wife is united with me -in these sympathetic thoughts you know." - -The course of the war of 1866 is well known, and there is no need to -trace it in detail. The operations of the Crown Prince with the Second, -or Silesian, Army exercised a crucial influence on the whole campaign. -Field-Marshal Count von Blumenthal, who, as Chief of the Staff, saw the -whole of the operations, bears testimony to the brilliant strategic -dispositions of the Crown Prince, which were particularly exhibited in -the defeat of the Austrians at Nachod and the subsequent engagements. -Von Blumenthal notes that the Crown Prince possessed, not only an -extraordinary power of self-control and coolness, but also, what is not -always found even in the greatest military leaders an instinctive -perception of how much he could leave to subordinates, while himself -keeping a firm hand on the general course of action. The soldiers -themselves adored him, for he always managed to find time to visit the -wounded in the field hospitals, as well as to encourage by his inspiring -utterances the troops in line. - -The manner in which the Crown Prince effected a junction with Prince -Frederick Charles and the First Army was most masterly; he came up -exactly at the right moment and at the right place. Unfortunately, as -generally happens, politics intervened, and the Crown Prince was -prevented from following up the victories with as much energy as he -desired--indeed, it seemed to him that there was a conspiracy to tie his -hands and control his movements. He even dropped a hint in the -sympathetic ear of von Blumenthal that if this treatment continued he -would ask the King to relieve him of his command. Happily this was not -necessary. The King himself assumed the supreme command on July 1, and -two days later there came the crowning mercy of Königgrätz, or Sadowa, -when the Austrians, under Benedek, were totally defeated. It was for his -services at this great battle that the Crown Prince was decorated with -the Order "Pour le Mérite." - -Of Bismarck's exertions in this war, an English observer who was with -the Prussian Army has left the following striking picture: - -"Bismarck believes in himself and fully so. He believes he was called on -to do a certain work, and that he is quite able to accomplish it. His -power of endurance is very great. He often sits up night after night -working hard. During this campaign he has never slept more than three -hours out of the twenty-four: this is less than the great Napoleon, who -under similar circumstances took four hours' sleep. But constantly -continued work has had an effect upon him: his face is seamed all over, -he has dark lines under his eyes, and the eyes themselves are bloodshot. -He looks like a man who is knocked up by overwork, and yet he is gay and -jovial, pleasant and cheery. What surprised me most was his thorough -openness in conversation. Without the least reserve he spoke of his -intentions, of the future of Prussia and of Germany. For an hour and a -half he thus went on. His resolve is indomitable, and he also feels -certain of going through the work before him. The King is of course a -mere tool in his hands; but it shows his great skill and dexterity in -turning such an instrument to serve his purpose. I do not think him -Liberal in the sense that you or I are Liberal. There is no doubt but -what he thinks best he will enforce, and that what he does is, he -believes, for the good and glory of Prussia." - -[Illustration: H.R.H. THE PRINCESS FREDERICK WILLIAM OF PRUSSIA PRINCESS -ROYAL OF GREAT BRITAIN AND IRELAND AND THE INFANT PRINCE FREDERICK -WILLIAM VICTOR ALBERT, MAY 1859] - -Further Prussian victories followed, and the negotiations for peace -exhibited a curious rearrangement of the three personalities concerned. - -Bismarck was strongly in favour of concluding peace very much on the -terms offered by Austria, partly because he feared French intervention, -and partly because he saw the imprudence of pressing home her defeat so -deeply upon Austria as to leave her with a burning desire for revenge. -He wanted to look forward, in the diplomacy of the future, to a friendly -Austria. The King, however, could not bear to sacrifice, as it seemed to -him, the result of the expenditure of so much blood and treasure, and he -wished to follow up the Prussian victories, without having any very -clear idea of what further gains could thereby be made. - -In these circumstances it was the Crown Prince who came forward as the -mediator between the King and his Minister; it was the Crown Prince who -supported Bismarck against his father. What really clinched the matter -with the King was Bismarck's threat to resign. At the critical Council -of War there was a dramatic scene. The King turned to the Crown Prince -and said, "You speak, in the name of the future;" and when he found that -his son agreed with Bismarck he gave in, and consented, as he himself -described it, to bite into the sour apple. - -Nevertheless, the terms of peace were not at all bad for Prussia. Her -great object, namely, the dissolution of the Germanic Confederation, was -secured; she obtained a considerable accession of territory, including -Schleswig and Holstein, Hanover, the Electorate of Hesse, and other -territories, which covered more than 1300 square miles, with a -population of over four millions. Moreover, in August, 1866, on the -invitation of the King of Prussia, the Northern States of Germany -concluded a treaty of alliance, offensive and defensive. Thus was -established the North-German Confederation, which was joined by Saxony -in the following October, and formed an important step on the way to a -united German Empire. Altogether the Confederation consisted of -twenty-two States, and the first meeting of the Deputies was held at -Berlin on February 24, 1867. - -It was suggested that the Crown Prince should become Governor-General of -Hanover, thus newly annexed to Prussia. It was thought that this plan -would to a great extent console Hanover for losing her status as a -kingdom, especially as the Crown Princess was closely related to the -dispossessed monarch, King George V. The Crown Prince, however, -insisted on arrangements which would have made Hanover altogether too -independent to be agreeable to Bismarck, and so the idea was not carried -out. - -On the close of the war of 1866, the Crown Prince and Princess proceeded -to Haringsdorf, a little village on the shores of the Baltic, to which -the Princess and her children had been sent on account of the cholera, -which was then very prevalent in Potsdam. - -While there the Princess still busied herself with plans for the care of -the wounded in the war. She had already assigned a great part of the -palace at Potsdam for the nursing of wounded officers, and a little -later on she proceeded with her husband on a long visit to Silesia. -There they greatly improved the organisation of the war hospital at -Hirschberg. Everything was under their personal supervision, and, thanks -to their energy and kindly encouragement, the work was undoubtedly much -more efficiently done than it would otherwise have been. - -The Crown Prince had ridden with his father over the stricken field of -Königgrätz, doing what they could to succour the wounded and the dying. -How deeply the horrors of war had been impressed on the Prince's mind is -shown by the words he wrote in his diary on the night of the battle: "He -who causes war with a stroke of the pen knows not what he is calling up -from Hades." - -As for the Crown Princess, though she had been spared the sight of the -worst horrors, she had nevertheless seen enough to enable her, with her -eager, imaginative sympathy, to share in the fullest degree her -husband's intense feeling. She never felt she could do enough to -mitigate the sufferings of the soldiers, both on the battlefield and -afterwards in the weary months of convalescence in hospital. This autumn -she organised an enormous bazaar at the New Palace in aid of the -wounded, to which contributions came from all over the world. The Crown -Prince himself went round collecting money for the soldiers, and the -whole enterprise brought in a large sum for the fund. - -The years that followed up to the outbreak of the war with France were -not very eventful. - -At the beginning of 1867, the Crown Prince and Princess stayed a while -at Dover, where they met Princess Alice and her husband, who went back -with them to stay for a few weeks in Berlin. They afterwards went -together to Paris, at the invitation of the Emperor and Empress of the -French, in order to visit the great International Exhibition then being -held there. The Crown Prince had served as president of the Prussian -Committee for the Exhibition. Their stay in France gave great pleasure -to the Crown Princess; the two sisters visited many philanthropic -centres, and made an exhaustive survey of French art. It was on this -visit to Paris that the Crown Princess first conceived the idea of the -School of Design in Berlin which now bears her name, for she was greatly -impressed by the imaginative fertility of the Parisian craftsmen, and by -the perfection of their work. - -The Crown Princess left Paris before her husband. Princess Alice wrote -to her mother on June 9: "Dear Vicky is gone. She was so low the last -days, and dislikes going to parties so much just now, that she was -longing to get home. The King [of Prussia] wished them both to stop, but -only Fritz remained. How sad these days will be for her, poor love! She -was in such good looks; every one here is charmed with her." - -The Crown Prince had induced his father to visit the Exhibition, and the -King, who brought Bismarck with him, had a magnificent reception from -the Imperial Court. The Crown Prince and Princess did not abate their -interest in politics, and they certainly shared Bismarck's view at this -time that an arrangement with France was in every way desirable in order -to avert war and to consolidate the gains of 1866. - -In the autumn a terrible scarcity, almost amounting to famine, in East -Prussia afforded a fresh opportunity for the practical sympathy of the -Crown Prince and Princess. Together they organised a relief fund and -relief works by which the sufferings of the population were much -mitigated. - -It was on February 10, 1868, the anniversary of Queen Victoria's -wedding, and of the Crown Princess's christening, that another son was -born, who seemed sent to fill the terrible gap which the death of Prince -Sigismund had made two years before. The child was christened on the -King of Prussia's seventy-first birthday, at Berlin, receiving the names -of Joachim Frederick Ernest Waldemar. The Princess's fourth son was a -beautiful and clever child, and his death, which was to follow when he -was only eleven years old, was perhaps the deepest grief that fell on -his parents. It is significant that when the Emperor Frederick chose his -last resting-place, he desired to lie by the side of this child. - -In the spring of 1868 the Crown Prince paid a visit to Italy in return -for the visit paid to Berlin by Prince Humbert the year before. The -Crown Princess did not go with him, but she followed with deep interest -and pleasure the accounts of his reception, which were remarkably -enthusiastic, and also politically useful, for it prevented the -accession to power of a Ministry hostile to Prussia. - -In 1869 the Crown Princess received a long visit from Princess Alice at -Potsdam, and the two sisters spent their mother's birthday, May 24, -together. Princess Alice spoke in a letter to Queen Victoria of the -delightful life "with dear Vicky, so quiet and pleasant, which reminds -me in many things of our life in England in former happy days, and so -much that we had Vicky has copied for her children. Yet we both always -say to each other that no children were so happy, and so spoiled with -all the enjoyments and comforts children can wish for, as we were." -Again, on June 19, "Vicky was very low yesterday; she has been so for -the last week, and she told me much of what an awful time she went -through in 1866 when dear Siggie [Sigismund] died. The little chapel is -very peaceful and cheerful and full of flowers. We go there _en passant_ -nearly daily, and it seems to give dear Vicky pleasure to go there." - -The two sisters spent a happy time together at Cannes in the late autumn -of 1869, while their respective husbands were abroad. The Crown Prince, -with Prince Louis of Hesse, visited Vienna, Athens, Constantinople, and -the Holy Land, and went on thence to Port Said for the opening of the -Suez Canal. In Jerusalem the Crown Prince took formal possession in the -name of his father of the ruined convent of St. John, ceded by the -Sultan for the erection of a German Protestant Church. The two Princes -joined their wives at Cannes shortly before Christmas. - -On their way home the Crown Prince and Princess spent a week in Paris, -staying at an hotel. The Crown Princess was surprised to see how changed -the Emperor Napoleon was since they had seen him last. She thought him -ailing and dejected. In the course of conversation, the Emperor -mentioned that he had a new Minister, a certain M. Ollivier. - -The Crown Prince and Princess returned to Berlin on the morning of the -New Year, 1870. The next time the Crown Prince met Napoleon III was on -the morning after the capitulation of Sedan. - - - - -CHAPTER XIII - -THE FRANCO-GERMAN WAR - - -The year 1870 opened with no premonition of the tremendous events it was -to bring forth. - -Princess Victoria had been born on the eve of the Austrian War in 1866, -and now, on the eve of this yet greater struggle, on June 14, 1870, the -Crown Princess gave birth to her third daughter, Princess Sophia -Dorothea Ulrica Alice, who was destined to become Queen of the Hellenes. -The candidature of Prince Leopold of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen for the -throne of Spain was announced on July 4, and after fruitless attempts at -intervention by the Crown Princess's old friend, Lord Granville, then -the British Foreign Minister, war was declared between France and -Prussia on July 15. - -At the time of the little Princess's christening, which took place at -the New Palace on July 25, there were few present at the ceremony who -were not under orders for the front, and most of the men were already in -their campaigning uniform. Emotion, anxiety, and excitement made the -even then old King William feel unequal to the task of holding his -little granddaughter at the baptismal font according to his wont, and -this duty was performed for him by Queen Augusta. The fact that the -Kings of Würtemberg and Bavaria were the child's godfathers marked the -decision of those States, with Baden and Hesse-Darmstadt, to throw in -their lot with Prussia in the war, as the deputies of the North-German -Confederation had also done. - -The christening was one of special splendour and solemnity, the two -outstanding figures in the congregation being Bismarck, in his uniform -of major of dragoons, and Field-Marshal Wrangel, now in his eighty-ninth -year. Among the guests at the christening were Lord Ronald Gower and -"Billy" Russell, the famous war correspondent. Two or three days before, -they had been received by the Crown Princess at the New Palace, and Lord -Ronald writes: "The Princess expressed almost terror at the idea of the -war, and was deeply affected at the sufferings it must bring with it. -She feared the brutality of Bazaine and his soldiers, should they invade -Germany." - -After the christening, King William and Queen Augusta held a kind of -informal court in the curious hall known as the Hall of the Shells, full -of memories of Frederick the Great. Early the next morning the Crown -Prince slipped away out of the palace to spare his wife the agony of -parting. - -Even at such a moment as this, the Crown Princess's private and personal -anxieties were embittered by circumstances which she was unable to -modify or affect. Although England was not only ignorant, but was to -remain, like the rest of the world, in ignorance for many years, of the -falsification of the famous Ems telegram, sympathy with Germany as the -supposed injured party in the quarrel was by no means universal. - -It is true that on the morrow of the declaration of war the _Times_ -described it as "unjust but pre-meditated--the greatest national crime -that we have had the pain of recording since the days of the first -French Revolution." Nevertheless, France by no means, lacked -sympathisers in England--indeed the Crown Princess was much distressed -at the way in which her native country interpreted the obligation of -neutrality. The Prussian Government considered that the exportation of -coal and arms to France was a breach of neutrality; and the attitude of -England during the Danish War was still remembered and resented in -Germany. - -Bismarck, with what Europe has now become aware was gross hypocrisy, -observed to Lord Augustus Loftus, the British Ambassador in Berlin, that -"Great Britain should have forbidden France to enter on war. She was in -a position to do so, and her interests and those of Europe demanded it -of her," a sufficiently cynical observation on the part of a man who, as -we now know, had himself forced on the conflict at the eleventh hour. - -To Queen Victoria the Crown Princess confided her troubles: "The English -are more hated at this moment than the French, and Lord Granville more -than Benedetti. Of course, _cela a rejailli_ on my poor innocent head. I -have fought many a battle about Lord Granville, indignant at hearing my -old friend so attacked, but all parties agree in making him out -_French_. I picked a quarrel about it on the day of the christening, -tired and miserable as I was. I sent for Bismarck up into my room on -purpose to say my say about Lord Granville, but he would not believe me, -and said with a smile, '_But his acts prove it_.' Many other people have -told me the same. Lord A. Loftus knows it quite well. Fritz, of course, -does not believe it, but I think the King and Queen do." - -Meanwhile, France was complaining bitterly of Lord Granville's "cold, -very cold" attitude. Then suddenly, on July 25, the _Times_ published a -draft secret treaty which had been proposed by the Emperor Napoleon to -Prussia in 1866. The terms were--(1) that the Emperor should recognise -Prussia's acquisitions in the late war; (2) the King of Prussia should -promise to facilitate the acquisition of Luxemberg by France; (3) the -Emperor should not oppose a federal union of the Northern and Southern -German States, excluding Austria; (4) the King of Prussia, in case the -Emperor should enter and conquer Belgium, should support him in arms -against any opposing Power; and (5) France and Prussia should enter into -an offensive and defensive alliance. - -This disclosure caused an enormous sensation, and Queen Victoria was -much shocked at the apparent revelation of French greed and duplicity. -Writing to the Queen, the Crown Princess observed: "Count Bismarck may -say the wildest things, but he never acts in a foolish way,"--an -interesting pronouncement when one remembers how keen had been and was -to be the struggle between these two powerful and determined natures. - -As a matter of fact, Bismarck did not hesitate to admit that the -document was authentic, but he insisted that he had never seriously -entertained the proposal, which came entirely from the Emperor. Not long -afterwards, on the day of the battle of Wörth, the game of "revelations" -was taken up by General Turr, who disclosed proposals made by Bismarck -in 1866 and 1867 for the annexation of Luxemberg and Belgium by France. - -But already all such recriminations and discussions seemed merely of -academic interest; already everything was swept from the mind of the -Crown Princess save the necessity for hard work and intelligent -organisation. With an ardour natural to her generous and sympathetic -temperament she threw herself into everything that could mitigate the -sufferings and promote the welfare of both combatants and -non-combatants. Prussia's two former wars had given her an amount of -experience which she was now able to turn to the best account. -Spontaneously, without any advice or prompting from others, she wrote -the following letter to the whole German world, her desire being to -touch the hearts, not only of those Germans at home, but also of those -who had settled overseas, in America and elsewhere: - - "Once more has Germany called her sons to take arms for her most - sacred possessions, her honour, and her independence. A foe, whom - we have not molested, begrudges us the fruits of our victories, the - development of our national industries by our peaceful labour. - Insulted and injured in all that is most dear to them, our German - people--for they it is who are our army--have grasped their - well-tried arms, and have gone forth to protect hearth, and home, - and family. For months past, thousands of women and children have - been deprived of their bread-winners. We cannot cure the sickness - of their hearts, but at least we can try to preserve them from - bodily want. During the last war, which was brought to so speedy, - and so fortunate, a conclusion, Germans in every quarter of the - globe responded nobly when called upon to prove their love of - Fatherland by helping to relieve the suffering. Let us join hands - once more, and prove that we are able and willing to succour the - families of those brave men who are ready to sacrifice life and - limb for us! Let us give freely, promptly, that the men who are - fighting for our sacred rights may go into battle with the - comforting assurance that at least the destinies of those who are - dearest to them are confided to faithful hands. - - "VICTORIA CROWN PRINCESS." - -This eloquent appeal met with the splendid response which it deserved, -and although practically every German Princess of the time took a more -or less active part in the care of the wounded and of the families of -the soldiers, it was soon realised that the Crown Princess was the -master mind to whom all must look for their orders. - -Queen Augusta supervised the ambulance and hospital services in Berlin, -while the Crown Princess moved to Homburg and started on the -organisation of a series of field-lazareths, being most efficiently -helped in her labours by her sister, Princess Alice, who herself -organised and actively supervised four field hospitals in Darmstadt -itself. - -The Crown Princess began by turning the old military barracks at Homburg -into a hospital, the existing hospital being set aside for the use of -wounded French prisoners. She also built at her own expense two -magnificent wards, and they--doubtless partly because they were new -buildings--showed far more satisfactory results in lower death-rate and -shorter convalescence than did the wards in any other of the German -military hospitals. - -The Victoria Barrack, as the new wards were called, was built of wood on -a brick foundation. In addition to the wards, the building contained a -good store-room, lined with glass cupboards, in which was kept a -quantity of old linen which Queen Victoria had sent for the wounded. -Each ward contained twenty-four beds. A feature which the German -doctors and nurses regarded with decidedly mixed feelings was a system -of ventilation which enabled the whole building to be opened from end to -end when required. - -By the Crown Princess's orders, the very simplest and plainest -appliances compatible with health and comfort were used. Thus the -necessary furniture was all of varnished deal. By her wish, too, a great -effort was made to give a bright and homelike appearance to each ward, -and this, like the special ventilation, was quite a new idea to both -German patients and German doctors. In the corners of each ward stood -large evergreen shrubs, and on every table were placed cut flowers in -glasses. Whenever the Crown Princess received a personal gift of -flowers, she immediately sent it off to the hospital, often bringing a -bouquet and arranging it herself. Nothing in the Victoria Barrack was -used which could conceal any dirt; for instance, the crockery was white -and the glass plain. - -The Crown Princess attended the military hospitals daily. She went -through every ward, and spoke to every patient; and she was quite as -regular in her attendance on the wards containing the French prisoners -as she was on those where the German soldiers lay. In this way she came -into personal association with ordinary people of a class of whom -Princesses see as a rule little or nothing. With many of the soldiers -who were then tended under her supervision and care she kept in touch -long after the war was ended--indeed, she was always eager to help in -after life any of those whom she had known at Homburg, or who had fought -under her husband's orders. - -But the Crown Princess did far more than the work associated with her -name at Homburg. It was owing to her promptness and her energy that a -long line of military hospitals was rapidly organised along the whole of -the Rhine Valley. - -At the end of the campaign of 1866 the Crown Prince and Princess had -founded the National Institution for Disabled Soldiers, and by the -special order of the King it was given the name of the Victoria -Institution, because the Crown Princess had suggested and instigated its -creation. At the close of 1871, this Institution, again at her -suggestion, was placed upon a wider footing, and applied to the whole of -Germany instead of only to Prussia. - -There is no need here to describe the course of the war itself. A vast -literature, both technical and general, has grown up round it, and there -are many people by no means yet old who remember vividly that immense -and sanguinary struggle. To the Crown Prince was assigned the command of -the Third Army, in which nearly every State of both North and South -Germany was represented, including the Bavarian Corps and the Divisions -of Würtemberg and Baden. Once more the Prince proved his fitness for -high command, perhaps most notably at the battle of Wörth, when his -admirable dispositions and his unhesitating resolve that even the last -man must if necessary be staked were the main causes of the victory. Yet -the Crown Prince said to the great German writer, Freytag, who was with -him in this early part of the war: - -"I hate this slaughter. I have never desired the honours of war, and -would gladly have left such glory to others. Nevertheless, it is my hard -fate to go from battlefield to battlefield, from one war to another, -before ascending the throne of my ancestors." - -Much as he hated war, the Crown Prince never hesitated, as weak -commanders have always done, to pay the necessary price of victory in -human lives. Among the troops, "Unser Fritz," as they called him, -quickly became extraordinarily popular--indeed, their devotion to their -leader formed a strong and politically useful link between men who had -actually fought against one another so recently as the Austrian War. - -Throughout the campaign, the Crown Prince and Princess corresponded -daily. The siege of Paris had begun on September 15, and the Crown -Prince was at Versailles on his birthday, on October 18, almost the -first birthday he had spent away from his wife since their marriage. -When he woke in the morning he found on his table a small pocket-pistol, -and a housewife, filled with articles for daily use, from the Crown -Princess. - -There is a very interesting glimpse of the Crown Princess in December -1870, that is, during the middle of the war, in Prince Hohenlohe's -Memoirs. He was asked to lunch with her, and they had a long talk about -public affairs. The Princess was very dissatisfied concerning the -proposed Convention with Bavaria, and it seemed to the statesman that -both she and Princess Alice were enthusiastic for the idea of a united -Empire without any exception, and that neither sister liked the proposal -of federation. The Crown Princess listened attentively, however, to -Hohenlohe's defence of the special nature and justification of the -Bavarian claims, but it is evident that she agreed with her husband on -the question of coercing the Bavarians, if it should be necessary. - -The two sisters were together as much as was possible during those -terrible months of hard work and anxiety. Princess Alice spent half of -the December of 1870 in Berlin, and wrote to her mother: "It is a great -comfort to be with dear Vicky. We spend the evenings alone together, -talking or writing our letters. It is nearly five months since Louis -left, and we lead such single existences that a sister is inexpressibly -dear when all closer intercourse is so wanting!" - -On Christmas Eve there arrived at the house at Versailles where the -Crown Prince was then living a huge chest, and he asked his hostess and -her family to share his Christmas cake, "for," said he, "this cake was -baked by my wife, and you will much oblige me by tasting it." He then -chatted to them about the Christmas festival in his own happy household, -and translated the letters of the Crown Princess and of his two elder -children. Long afterwards this lady wrote to a friend a letter which has -since been published: - -"In those fateful days we learnt to know the good and open heart of the -late Emperor. We were fortunate indeed to be under the protection of -that stately and friendly gentleman, who appeared to us, as we now think -of him, to have been a good genius who warded off mischief from our -household." - -The Crown Princess was accused of having interfered to prevent the -bombardment of Paris. Thus Busch writes on December 24, 1870: - -"Bucher told us at lunch he had heard from Berlin that the Queen and the -Crown Princess had become very unpopular, owing to their intervention on -behalf of Paris; and that the Princess, in the course of a conversation -with Putbus, struck the table and exclaimed: 'For all that, Paris shall -not be bombarded!'" - -As a matter of fact, though both Moltke and the Crown Prince considered -that the right tactics would be to starve out Paris by a strict -investment, the bombardment, which was urged by Bismarck for political -reasons, was delayed, not by any slackness on the part of the Third -Army, but simply by insufficient preparation of the siege-train in -Berlin. The Crown Princess suffered bitterly from Bismarck. She knew -well that he was indispensable, the man of the hour, but he would never -trust her. He often held back important political news from the Crown -Prince for fear it should leak out through the Crown Princess to -England. In this he did her an injustice so gross that it could not be -atoned for by his own tardy acknowledgment of the fact in _Thoughts and -Remembrances_. - -On January 25, 1871, we learn from Busch that Bismarck said of the -English who wanted to send a gunboat up the Seine to remove the English -families there: - -"They merely want to ascertain if we have laid down torpedoes and then -to let the French ships follow them. What swine! They are full of -vexation and envy because we have fought great battles here--and won -them. They cannot bear to think that shabby little Prussia should -prosper so. The Prussians are a people who should merely exist in order -to carry on war for them in their pay. This is the view taken by all the -upper classes in England. They have never been well disposed towards us, -and have always done their utmost to immure us. The Crown Princess -herself is an incarnation of this way of thinking. She is full of her -own great condescension in marrying into our country. I remember her -once telling me that two or three merchant families in Liverpool had -more silver-plate than the entire Prussian nobility. 'Yes,' I replied, -'that is possibly true, your Royal Highness, but we value ourselves for -other things besides silver.'" - -After the capitulation of Sedan, the Crown Prince issued from Rheims an -appeal for the wounded soldiers and the relatives of the killed and -wounded. In it he spoke of his happiness in commanding in the field an -army in which Prussians fought side by side with Bavarians, -Würtembergers, and men of Baden, and declared that the war had created -one German Army and had also unified the nation. - -Later on, when the German armies sat down before Paris, the Crown Prince -allotted some of the large rooms of the Palace of Versailles for a -hospital, and himself supervised the arrangements. All through the war, -indeed, he showed the keenest interest in the hospital service, and was -constant in his visits to the wounded soldiers. Here we may trace the -influence of his wife, who eagerly awaited all that he could tell her in -his letters about poor men to whom her woman's heart went out with such -ardent sympathy. The Crown Prince took pains to supply the patients with -interesting reading, and at his suggestion the editor of a Berlin -Liberal paper sent many hundreds of copies of it daily to the military -hospitals. This, however, was not approved at headquarters, and an order -was actually issued by von Roon, forbidding the distribution of the -paper. - -Such incidents illustrate the difficulties with which both the Crown -Prince and the Princess had to contend. The presence at Versailles, not -only of the King and Bismarck, but of a cohort of German princes with -their retinues, as well as numerous diplomatists, Ministers, and other -official personages, did not make the Crown Prince's position easier. He -had been raised after the fall of Metz to the highest rank in the army, -that of General Field-Marshal, the promotion being communicated to him -in a letter from his father bearing grateful testimony to his brilliant -successes in the field, notably the strategic advance by which he -covered the left of the main army and enabled it to overcome Bazaine's -forces. But this elevation in rank does not appear to have been of much -practical value to him. - -Naturally both the Crown Prince and the Crown Princess took the keenest -interest in the question of the Imperial title. - -By the end of November, 1870, Baden, Hesse-Darmstadt, Würtemberg, and -Bavaria had all joined the North-German Confederation by treaty. Early -in December, the King of Bavaria, in a letter to the King of Saxony -which was really written by Bismarck, nominated the King of Prussia as -Emperor of Germany, and the North-German Parliament, after voting large -supplies for the continuance of the war, adopted by an overwhelming -majority an address requesting the King to become Emperor. His brother -and predecessor had refused the Imperial crown proffered him by the -Frankfort Parliament, on the ground that the legal title was -insufficient, but now that the dignity was tendered by the Sovereigns -and the people of Germany, it was not possible for the King to refuse. - -Neither the King himself, however, nor the older Prussian nobility liked -the change, which, it was feared, might transform the almost -parsimonious austerity of the Prussian Court into something like the -pomp and extravagance with which other sovereigns had surrounded -themselves. Bismarck, who considered all such matters as titles and -heraldic pomp to be only important because they influence men's minds, -was disposed to agree with his Sovereign's feelings, but it was the -corner-stone of his policy to conciliate the South German States. - -To the Crown Prince, on the other hand, with his strongly idealistic -nature and his highly developed historical imagination, the conception -of the Empire won by the sword made an irresistible appeal. He was ready -to see in it a revival of the old Empire, by which the King of Prussia -should be, not first among his peers, but the overlord of all Germany. - -It is significant, however, that King William was proclaimed, in the -Hall of Mirrors at Versailles, not Emperor of Germany, but German -Emperor. This was on January 18, 1871, the anniversary of the day on -which the first King of Prussia had crowned himself at Königsberg. The -Crown Prince supervised all the arrangements for the ceremony, and it -was his idea to form a kind of trophy of the colours of the regiments -which had won glory at Wörth and Weissenburg, Mars-la-Tour, Gravelotte, -and Sedan. Before this trophy the King pronounced the establishment of -the German Empire. On the same day by Imperial rescript the new Emperor -conferred on the Crown Prince and on his successors as heir apparent the -title of Imperial Highness. - -The preliminaries of peace were not signed till February 26, and we -have, in a letter written two days later by his friend, Herr Abeken, an -interesting glimpse of the feelings with which the Crown Prince regarded -these great events, and also the reliance which he placed on the aid of -his wife. The Crown Prince told Abeken that he was fully conscious of -the tremendous responsibility now incumbent on him. It was thrice as -great as that which lay on him as Crown Prince of Prussia, but he did -not shrink from it. God had already given him a blessed help and support -in his wife, by whose assistance he hoped to fulfil his great work. - -The Crown Prince had the satisfaction of leaving behind him in France as -friendly feelings towards him personally as could well be entertained by -the vanquished for a victorious foe. He had distinguished himself among -the German leaders by his moderation in victory, by his stern repression -of excesses, and by his chivalrous tributes to the bravery of his -enemies. - -The Crown Princess, absorbed in her labours among the suffering -soldiers, was scarcely aware at the time of the venomous feelings still -cherished against her in Prussia, and it was with an exultant heart--as -"German" as her most captious and suspicious critics could have -wished--that she welcomed the conclusion of the great conflict. - -Berlin was reached on March 17, 1871, though no official reception then -took place, the Royal carriage in which the new Emperor and the Crown -Prince were to be seen side by side, could only proceed at foot's pace -through the dense masses who crowded the streets. - -Later, in response to the call of the great crowd who thronged about his -palace, a window opened, and the Crown Prince was seen in the midst of -his family beside the Crown Princess, with his youngest child, the -little Princess who had been born at the beginning of the war in his -arms. - - - - -CHAPTER XIV - -PUBLIC AND PRIVATE ACTIVITIES - - -When the great struggle was over at last and peace was declared, the -Crown Princess had a pleasant opportunity of exercising the generosity -and delicacy which formed perhaps the most notable part of her -many-sided and impulsive character. - -M. Thiers had sent to Berlin as French Ambassador the Comte de Gontaut -Biron. Although allied by birth to several great German families, M. de -Gontaut, as he was generally styled, found his position in Berlin a very -painful one. France lay in the dust at the feet of the only real -conqueror she had ever known. The whole of the huge war indemnity had -not yet been paid off, and French territory was not yet free from the -foot of the invader. There were also all kinds of comparatively -unimportant, yet vexatious and annoying, outstanding points which still -awaited settlement, and till these were arranged Germany refused to give -up certain prisoners confined in German fortresses. - -Moreover, Bismarck, though outwardly conciliatory and courteous, did not -seek to spare the French Ambassador as a more generous and sensitive foe -would have done. M. de Gontaut was actually expected to be present at -each of the splendid Court and military fêtes which were then being -given to celebrate the foundation of the new German Empire for the -victorious return of the Prussian Army to the capital. - -From the very beginning of his difficult task, the Ambassador found firm -and kind friends in the Crown Prince and Princess. On the occasion of -his first audience the Crown Princess came forward with kindly, eager -words, telling him that she and her husband had just read with the -greatest pleasure the memoirs of his grandmother, that Duchess de -Gontaut who, as Gouvernante of the Royal children, played so great a -part in the Revolution, and later, in the Restoration. The Princess went -on to speak of her intense satisfaction and relief at the declaration of -peace and she concluded with the words: "We know that you have made a -great sacrifice in coming to Berlin; and we will do everything in our -power to make your task less painful." - -When M. de Gontaut was later joined by his daughter, the Crown Princess -did all she could to make the daily life of this young French lady as -agreeable as was possible in the circumstances, and in this she had the -warm sympathy and assistance of the Empress Augusta, who, as we know, -had many old and affectionate links with the Legitimist world to which -the Ambassador belonged. - -The Crown Princess's youngest child, who afterwards married Prince -Frederick Charles of Hesse, was born on April 22, 1872, and was -christened Margaret Beatrice Feodora--Margaret after the Queen of Italy, -whom the child's parents both regarded with warm affection. - -Queen Margherita came to Berlin for the ceremony, and a great fête was -given at the New Palace. It was more like an English garden party than -anything previously known at the Prussian Court, but the Crown Princess -had a way of making her own precedents. She caused invitations to be -sent, not only to the nobility and the hosts of officials who had a -prescriptive right to be present at such a function, but also to persons -who were merely distinguished for their literary, artistic, or -scientific achievements. - -The months which followed ushered in a peaceful period of happiness and -rest for the Princess. Her magnificent work during the war had won her -warm friends and admirers in every class, but of more moment to her than -her own personal popularity was that enjoyed by the Crown Prince, whose -relations with the military party now became much pleasanter in -consequence of his achievements in the field and the enthusiastic -devotion felt for him throughout the army. - -Unfortunately for the Crown Prince and Princess, Bismarck's position had -been even more radically transformed by the war, and the Minister's -domination over his already aging sovereign grew more and more obvious. -It was an open secret that the Emperor and his heir differed on many -important questions, and the gulf between them was sedulously widened by -Bismarck's jealous prejudice against the Crown Prince. Incidents that -would have been in ordinary circumstances too slight to mention now -revealed, even to strangers, the friction which was symptomatic of -deeper disagreement. - -The Crown Prince, as we have seen, set much store by the new Imperial -honours which the war had brought to his House, and he was always very -punctilious in speaking of his father as "Emperor" and of his mother as -"Empress." The Emperor, however, habitually still spoke of himself as -"King" and of the Empress as "Queen." The story goes that on one -occasion the Emperor, addressing some lady in the presence of his son, -observed that it was extraordinarily mild for the time of year, and that -"the Queen" had brought him some spring flowers which she had picked out -of doors that morning. The Crown Prince answered, "Yes, so the Empress -told me." "I did not know you had already seen the Queen to-day," -remarked his father. - -The experiences she had just gone through had shown the Crown Princess -the inadequacy of the existing hospital organisation in Germany. From -her point of view, and from that of the English ladies who had rendered -her such great assistance in creating--it was nothing less--the Army -Nursing Service, a more scientific training for nurses was evidently -the first necessity; and in securing this she was particularly helped by -Miss Lees, afterwards Mrs. Dacre Craven, who had been a friend and -associate of Miss Nightingale. - -In 1867 the Crown Princess had drawn up a memorandum in which she laid -it down that the best nurses would prove to be those who would combine -the obedience of the Catholic Sisterhoods with a more scientific and -comprehensive training. The Kaiserwerth Institution, where Florence -Nightingale had gained valuable experience, did not give a sufficiently -scientific education, and she came to the conclusion that a nursing -school must be established in Berlin, where ladies, who should be given -a distinguishing dress and badge, should be trained. The outbreak of the -war of 1870 interrupted this scheme, but now that the pressing emergency -was over, the Princess returned to her old scheme, the fundamental -principle of which was that it should be carried out by educated and -refined gentlewomen, preferably orphans. They were to have a three -years' theoretical and practical course, followed by a course of monthly -nursing, and were to pass an examination to test their proficiency. - -In the face of strong opposition, both on the part of the medical -profession and of the middle classes in Germany, the Princess organised -this society of trained lady nurses, who tended the sick poor in their -own homes. The society began in a very quiet, humble way, but now you -could not find a German, man or woman, who would not admit that this was -a splendid addition to the philanthropic institutions of the country. -The Princess also founded a society for sending the sick children of -poor parents out of the larger towns into the country or to the seaside. - -It need hardly be pointed out that in each of these cases the Crown -Princess copied peculiarly British institutions, and this no doubt was -partly why they aroused such indignant opposition. - -All through her life one of the Princess's mental peculiarities was that -of thinking it impossible that any reasoning human being could object to -anything that was obviously in itself a good and wise measure. To oppose -a scheme simply because the idea of it had first originated in England -or in France was something that she could not understand, so far removed -was she from certain littlenesses of human nature, as well as from the -dominion of national and racial prejudice. - -The Crown Princess, and in this also she was warmly supported by her -husband's approval and sympathy, wished the new Empire to bestow more -recognition on those Germans who had attained distinction in the arts of -peace rather than of war. Encouraged by the knowledge that her work -during the country's wars had at last won a measure of national -understanding and gratitude, she again did every thing in her power to -break down the old Prussian Court barrier between the "born" and the -"not born." But, as might have been predicted, the Princess's efforts -were fairly successful as regards the latter, though not as regards the -former. - -To German women of all classes, the Princess's interest in science -seemed both eccentric and unfeminine. She had attended, when still a -very young woman, some lectures given in Berlin by the great chemist, -Hoffmann, who dedicated to her, in later years, his book, _Remembrances -of Past Friends_--a compliment which pleased and touched her very much. - -Her practical love of art was also regarded as uncalled for in a Royal -lady and indeed unnatural in the mother of a large young family. She had -a studio built in the palace, where she worked under the teaching of -Professor Hagen, and she also studied under von Angeli. She was fond of -visiting the studios of Berlin painters, particularly of the two Begas, -of Oscar the painter, and Reinhold the sculptor, where she sometimes -made studies as a student, and where she sometimes was herself the -study. She and her husband were always great friends of the various -artists. Among the names that recur constantly in this connection are -those of Anton von Werner, to one of whose children the Crown Prince was -godfather, and Georg Bleibtreu. - -The New Palace in Berlin was nicknamed "The Palace of the Medicis," -because of the enthusiastic encouragement which its owners always gave -to what they believed to be genius, or even talent. The Crown Princess -not only entertained persons of distinction in art and literature, but, -what was less easily forgiven her, any foreign scientists and artists of -eminence who came to Berlin, were eagerly invited by her, generally to -informal tea-parties. - -But in time even the Princess realised that it was hopeless to try to -blend the two elements. Unfortunately, she never took the trouble to -hide her preference for people who interested and amused her to those -who were merely "hoffahige." The Prussian nobility were amazed and -affronted that a Prussian princess should esteem so lightly the -possession of numerous quarterings, and it was a bitter grievance that -their future sovereign and his consort actually preferred the society of -painters and musicians and similar persons whom they regarded as -nobodies. - -At the same time, she was always on cordial and pleasant terms with -diplomatists, who as a rule combine the advantages of good birth with -intelligence and culture and the most delightful of professions. For -many years of her life her greatest personal friends were Lord Ampthill -(at the time Lord Odo Russell) and his wife, a daughter of that Lord -Clarendon who had expressed so high an admiration of the Princess -Royal's mental gifts. - -But perhaps the Crown Princess most surprised and offended her -husband's future subjects by her pro-Jewish attitude. In this she showed -extraordinary courage and breadth of view. For example, she accepted the -patronage of the Auerbach schools for the education of Jewish orphans, -and that at a time when the whole of Berlin, from the great official -world to the humblest tradesman, was taking part in the Judenhetze. - -The Crown Princess was indeed, as we have seen, extremely broad-minded -in matters of religion. She heartily despised the type of mind which -attacks Jews as Jews, or Catholics as Catholics. She showed this in -March, 1873, when she spoke strongly to Prince Hohenlohe about the -hostile policy the Prussian Government was then pursuing towards his -church. She observed that in her opinion those called upon to govern -should influence the education of the people, as that of itself would -make them independent of the hierarchy, and she added: "I count upon the -intelligence of the people; that is the great power." But Hohenlohe -drily answered: "A much greater power is human stupidity, of which we -must take account in our calculations before everything." - -What we should call the middle classes were incensed by certain other -activities of the future Empress. From the very first the Crown Princess -had been ardently desirous of improving the position of the women of her -adopted country. But the German woman of that day was quite content -with the place she then held, both in the public esteem and in the -consideration of her menfolk; the fact that in youth she was surrounded -with an atmosphere of sentimental adoration made up, in her opinion, for -the way she was treated in old age and in middle age. - -Even so, the efforts made by the Crown Princess in time bore fruit. They -comprised the Victoria Lyceum, founded in June, 1869, but placed--and -here one reluctantly perceives a certain want of tact on the part of the -foundress--under the direction of an English lady. There were also, -under the special patronage of the Crown Princess, Fraulein Letze's -school for girls of the upper classes, and the Letteverein. Other -educational establishments which owed much to her sympathy and direct -encouragement were the Victoria and Frederick William Institute, and the -Pestalozzi-Froebel House, and these are only a few of the educational -establishments in which she took an active and personal interest. -Perhaps the most admirable of them all was the Victoria -Fortbildung-schule, which gave girls the means of continuing their -education after they had left school. - -In another matter concerning the education of women the Crown Princess -was violently opposed to German public opinion. She was a firm believer -in the value of gymnastic exercises and outdoor games for girls, and -that at a time when they were practically unknown in Prussia. The first -lawn-tennis net ever seen in Germany was put up in the grounds of the -New Palace at Potsdam, and she was unceasing in her efforts to introduce -gymnasiums into girls' schools. - -In the winter of 1872, the Crown Prince fell ill of an internal -inflammation, and though the critical period was soon over, he took a -long time to recover his strength. Margaretha von Poschinger reproduces -in her life of him an extraordinary utterance said by the _Rheinische -Kurier_ to have been made by the Crown Prince to his wife at this time: - -"The doctors say that my illness is dangerous. As my father is old, and -Prince William is still a minor, you may not improbably be called upon -to act temporarily as Regent. You must promise me to do nothing without -Prince Bismarck, whose policy has lifted our House to a power and -greatness of which we could not have dreamed." - -The interest of this is considerable if we could be sure that it was -authentic, and not simply what the newspaper wished the public to -believe that the Crown Prince had said. It may well be that Bismarck, -who was in the habit of providing for every contingency, was alarmed by -the Crown Prince's illness, and desired to consolidate his own position -in the event of the Crown Princess becoming Regent. - -After a long convalescence at Wiesbaden the Crown Prince returned with -his wife to Berlin in the spring of 1873. In the summer they went to -Vienna for the International Exhibition, and while there they called, -quite without ceremony, on von Angeli, the painter. The Crown Princess -invited him to come to Potsdam to paint her husband's portrait; he -accepted the commission, and it was the beginning of a long friendship. - -Von Angeli speaks with enthusiasm of the simple and charming home life -of the Crown Prince and Princess, who often entertained him. He notes -that, while there was much talk of a literary, artistic, and scientific -kind, politics and military matters were never referred to. For the -Crown Princess the painter had the highest admiration--indeed, he says -she was gifted with every adornment of mind and heart. She made such -progress in painting that von Angeli declares himself proud to call -himself her instructor. The Crown Prince took a keen interest in his -wife's success, and was himself encouraged to begin working, both in -charcoal and in colour. - -As regarded the relations between England and Germany, the Crown -Princess had an increasingly difficult part to play during the years -that immediately succeeded the war. France and Germany--the former with -far more reason--both considered that they had been badly treated by -Great Britain during the conflict. Prince Bismarck either was, or -pretended to be, watchful and apprehensive of the state of feeling in -France, and Moltke, following his lead, spoke at a State banquet as if -war might again be forced on Germany by France. - -Urged, as Bismarck and his friends believed, by the Crown Princess, but -really by the advice of Lord Granville, Queen Victoria, in 1874, made a -personal appeal to the German Emperor. In her letter, after observing -that England's sympathies would be with Germany in any difference with -France, she added the significant qualification, "unless there was an -appearance on the part of Germany of an intention to avail herself of -her greatly superior force to crush a beaten foe." - -In reviewing the life of the Empress Frederick as a whole, it must never -be forgotten that the Emperor William was not expected to reach, as in -fact he did, an extraordinary old age. After the Franco-Prussian War, -everyone of any intelligence, from Bismarck downwards, attached great -importance to the Crown Princess's views and feelings; they believed -that she had established a commanding influence over her husband, and -that the moment he succeeded to the throne she would be the real ruler. -Accordingly, the further intervention of Queen Victoria in 1875, when a -German attack on France appeared imminent, was the crowning offence of -the "British petticoats." - -Queen Victoria, as is well known, wrote a personal letter to the Tsar, -who responded by going himself to Berlin. The "British petticoats," it -is true, had resented what appeared to be the act of aggression of -France before the falsification of the Ems despatch had been revealed, -but they were angered by Bismarck's conspiracy with Russia in denouncing -the Black Sea Treaty; and his opposition to a law of Ministerial -responsibility, which might have given the new Empire a constitutional -basis, showed the impossibility of any real political sympathy between -the Minister and the Princess who had been trained in the school of -Prince Albert. - -The consequence of Queen Victoria's successful intervention was indeed -far-reaching. The ten years which followed were probably the most -anxious of Bismarck's whole life. France, by the prompt payment of the -Indemnity and in other ways, had shown a most disquieting power of -revival after the war. In addition, the understanding with Russia, which -was the pivot of Bismarck's foreign policy, having been broken in his -hands, he was obliged to recast his policy from the foundations; and, -though he succeeded in his immediate aims of separating England and -France on the one hand, and France and Russia on the other, his -resentment against the Crown Princess and her mother as the origin of -all his troubles burned all the more fiercely. - -[Illustration: FREDERICK WILLIAM - -CROWN PRINCE OF PRUSSIA - -AFTER THE FRANCO-PRUSSIAN WAR] - -After each quarrel--for quarrels there were--between the all-powerful -Minister and his future sovereign, a peace, or rather a truce, was -generally patched up, and Bismarck would be invited to some kind of -festivity at the Crown Prince's palace. A shrewd observer has recorded -that on such occasions his manner to the Crown Princess was always -courteous, but to the Crown Prince he was often curt to the verge of -insolence. - -So intense was the feeling aroused among Bismarck and his followers, -that the Crown Prince and Princess found life in Berlin almost -intolerable, and they began spending a considerable portion of each year -abroad. - -The many philanthropic, social, and political interests of the Crown -Princess were never allowed to interfere with her family life and -duties. Very soon after the war, both she and the Crown Prince began to -give much anxious thought to the education and training of their eldest -son. We have a significant glimpse of how the question moved the -conscientious father in a passage in the Crown Prince's diary written on -January 27, 1871, while he was still in the field: - -"To-day is my son William's thirteenth birthday. It is enough to -frighten one to think what hopes already fill the head of this boy, and -how we are responsible for the direction which we may give to his -education; this education encounters so many difficulties owing to -family considerations and the circumstances of the Berlin Court." - -The Crown Princess was the victim of much malevolent and ignorant -criticism when it was realised that the old traditions were to be -broken in some important particulars. The civil element was to be at -least of equal importance as the military in the training of Prince -William, and he and Prince Henry were sent to the ordinary "gymnasium," -or public school as we should call it, at Cassel, a little town in the -old Duchy of Hesse, which the parents deliberately chose because it was -some distance from Berlin. The sanction of the Emperor William had to be -obtained for this plan, and though he gave it there can be little doubt -that he really disapproved. - -This "magnanimous resolve, heretofore unexampled in the annals of our -reigning families," was indeed regarded with mixed feelings by the -country generally. It was not, as was supposed by many, an English idea -to send their heir to the throne to an ordinary school. The Prince of -Wales had not been educated at all on those lines, and there was -certainly no precedent in the Royal House of Prussia. The plan was not -without risks, but on the whole it succeeded admirably. By the special -wish of the parents, the two princes were treated just like other boys; -they were addressed as "you," and were called "Prince William" and -"Prince Henry." "No one," said an English newspaper correspondent, -"seeing these two simple, kindly-looking lads in their plain military -frocks, sitting on a form at the Cassel Gymnasium among the other -pupils, would have guessed that they were the two young Imperial -Princes." - -The Princes had one privilege accorded them; they lived with their -tutor, Dr. Hinzpeter, but this circumstance certainly did nothing to -reconcile Bismarck to the plan. - -Bismarck gives a significant account of his meeting with Hinzpeter at a -time when public opinion was busy with the Polish question, and the -Alvensleben Convention aroused the indignation of the Liberals in the -Diet. Hinzpeter was introduced to Bismarck at a gathering at the Crown -Prince's. "As he was in daily communication with the Royalties, and gave -himself out to be a man of Conservative opinions, I ventured upon a -conversation with him, in which I set forth my views of the Polish -question, in the expectation that he would now and again find -opportunity of giving expression to it." Some days later Hinzpeter wrote -to Bismarck that the Crown Princess had asked to know the subject of -their long conversation. He had recounted it all to her, and had then -reduced it to writing, and he sent Bismarck the memorandum with the -request that he would examine it, and make any needful corrections. This -was really courting a snub, which Bismarck hastened to administer, -flatly refusing Hinzpeter's request. - -The Princess's English ideas prevailed in the physical education of her -children, and in her care to occupy them with such innocent pursuits as -gardening. But the mother's desire that her eldest son should not be too -much under the glamour of military glory was defeated, partly by the -boy's own firmness of character, partly by the events of history. The -three great wars which culminated in the foundation of the German -Empire--the Danish, the Austrian, and the French--covered the period of -his boyhood, and his earliest recollections of his father were of a -great soldier going forth to win the laurels of victory over the -successive enemies of his country. The young prince in fact spent most -of his impressionable years in the full influence of that hero-worship -for Frederick the Great which formed the strongest link between the -father and the son, though it is plain that each admired his great -forebear for different reasons. - - - - -CHAPTER XV - -THE CROWN PRINCE'S REGENCY - - -In the January of 1874 the Crown Princess went to Russia to be present -at the marriage of her brother, the Duke of Edinburgh, with the Grand -Duchess Marie Alexandrovna. Unlike most Royal personages, many of whom -regard such functions as weddings as duties to be endured, the Crown -Princess thoroughly enjoyed the experience. The Emperor Alexander was -charmed with her cleverness and enthusiasm, and gave her a ruby -bracelet, which she was fond of wearing to the end of her life. - -The Princess had the pleasure of entertaining the Prince and Princess of -Wales on their way home from St. Petersburg. It was the first time the -Princess of Wales had appeared at the Prussian Court since the War of -the Duchies, and her wonderful beauty and charm of manner greatly -impressed all those who were brought in contact with her. - -The Crown Princess gave a splendid fancy dress ball at the New Palace in -February, 1874. To some who were present it recalled the costume ball -given by Queen Victoria and Prince Albert at Buckingham Palace nearly -thirty years before. The Crown Princess, who was devoted to Italy and -to Italian art, decided that the entertainment should be known as the -Venetian Fête. She herself wore a replica of the dress in which Leonora -Conzaga was painted by Titian. Later there was painted by von Angeli a -portrait of the Crown Princess in this dress. - -The Crown Prince and Princess spent the spring of 1875 in Italy, -including a long stay in Venice. There they entertained the painter -Anton von Werner, who has left an enthusiastic account of their visit. - -He records that the Princess drew and painted with real industry, now -sketching the unequalled treasures of the past, now studying the effects -of light or shade on the canals or in the square of St. Mark's. The -painter was astonished, not only at the Princess's powers of technique, -but also at her artistic sympathy and feeling. She seemed to know -intuitively what would make a fine sketch. On the evening of her -departure, he says, this artist Princess carried away with her an -unforgettable picture. The Grand Canal was covered with a fleet of -gondolas, each lighted with torches, while the full moon shed her -radiance over the noble palaces and the Rialto Bridge. - -Von Werner adds that the Princess, in spite of the many claims on her -time, had since that time persevered in all her artistic studies, and he -particularly mentions von Angeli, Wilberg, Lutteroth and Albert Hertel, -as painters who helped and inspired her. She did life-sized portraits -of her children, Prince William and the Hereditary Princess of -Saxe-Meiningen, in addition to numerous pencil and water-colour sketches -of really remarkable artistic merit. - -In the October of that year the Crown Prince, in a long letter to his -old friend, Prince Charles of Roumania, mentions that the Princess is -more industrious and successful than ever in painting and drawing, and -does marvels in the way of portraits. He also describes how his wife led -her Hussar regiment past the King. She did it, he says, magnificently, -and looked extremely well in her simple yet becoming uniform. - -The Crown Princess was of great assistance to her husband in his scheme -of adding a Royal Mausoleum to the Berlin Cathedral, which should be a -kind of Pantheon of the House of Hohenzollern. There were to be statues -of all the Electoral Princes and Kings, with inscriptions relating the -history and exploits of each. This involved a great deal of historical -research, of which the Princess took her share, as also in the -composition of the more detailed historical memoirs or character -sketches of his ancestors to which the Crown Prince also devoted -himself. - -A visit to Scheveningen in 1876 enabled the Crown Princess to study, -much to her delight, the historical and artistic treasures of the old -cities of Holland. - -It will be remembered that the Crown Princess, many years before, had -had scruples about her husband's association with Freemasonry. She was -perhaps reassured by a speech which he delivered in July, 1876, when -Prince Frederick of the Netherlands celebrated his sixtieth anniversary -as Grand Master. Freemasonry, he declared, aimed at love, freedom, and -tolerance, without regard to national divisions, and he hoped it might -be victorious in the struggle for intellect and liberty. This speech is -particularly interesting because, only two years before, the Crown -Prince had resigned his office in Grand Lodge in Berlin owing to the -opposition he encountered in striving to carry out certain reforms in -the craft. - -1877 was an eventful year in the Prussian Imperial family. In February, -Prince William received his commission in the Foot Guards; Princess -Charlotte was betrothed to the Hereditary Prince Bernhard of -Saxe-Meiningen; and Prince Henry made his formal entry into the Navy. - -In April of this year it became known that Bismarck had made one of his -not infrequent threats to resign, and Bucher wrote to Busch to tell him -the news: "It is not a question of leave of absence," he said, "but a -peremptory demand to be allowed to retire. The reason: Augusta, who -influences her aging consort, and conspires with Victoria (the Crown -Princess)." - -The year 1878 opened brightly for the Crown Princess, for in February -her eldest daughter, Princess Charlotte, was married to Prince Bernhard -of Saxe-Meiningen. Prince Bismarck, however, excused himself from -appearing at the ceremony on the pretext of ill-health. - -It was at this marriage, the first of the Crown Princess's family -weddings, that her brother, the Duke of Connaught, made the acquaintance -of his future wife. - -In the month of May came the attempted assassination of the Emperor by a -youth called Hodel. The Emperor then had a marvellous escape, but on -June 2, which happened to be a Sunday, the aged Sovereign was driving -down Unter den Linden when, from an upper window of an inn called "The -Three Ravens," Nobeling, a Socialist, fired two charges of buckshot into -the Emperor's head and shoulders. Violent hæmorrhage set in, and for -some hours it was said, first, that he was dead, and secondly, that if -not dead he could not survive the day. - -The Crown Prince and Princess were then in England, and the news reached -them at Hatfield, where they were staying with Lord and Lady Salisbury. -Within a very short time of the receipt of the telegram, they started -for Berlin, finding on their arrival that the Emperor had recovered -sufficiently to sign an order conferring the Regency on the Crown -Prince. - -The Regency was hardly more than titular, for the old Emperor stipulated -that his son was only to "represent" him, and that the government was to -be carried on as before in accordance with the Emperor's known views. As -to that, Bismarck had his own ideas, and he succeeded in overcoming the -Crown Prince's natural hesitation at accepting such a position. - -Nevertheless, it was an extraordinarily sudden and dramatic change in -the whole position of the Crown Prince and Princess. In the first place -it absolutely put an end to the plan, which had been seriously discussed -and on the whole approved by Bismarck, that the Crown Prince should -become Governor-General or Lieutenant-Governor of Alsace-Lorraine. -Obviously this scheme was no longer practical. The Emperor was old and -his wound was serious; the accession of his son seemed imminent. - -It is curious to recall that, so far back as January, 1862, Queen -Augusta, speaking to Prince Hohenlohe, had observed: "The King and I are -old people: we can hardly hope to do more than work for the future. But -I wish we could look forward to a happier state of things for our son." -She was destined to live thirty years longer, and to survive the son to -whom she ever proved herself a loyal and devoted mother, while her -husband, whom even then she described as old, was destined to live more -than another quarter of a century--almost as long, in fact, as the son -who succeeded him for so tragically brief a reign. - -But now, in 1878, it seemed as if the Crown Prince, even in the unlikely -event of his father's recovery from his wound, must become virtual ruler -of the German Empire. - -A very few days, however, made it clear that Bismarck was determined to -allow the new Regent as little authority as possible beyond that -conferred by the signing of State documents, and that he was to have no -practical influence on foreign politics. But fortune, then as always, -seemed to single out Bismarck for special favour, for in the -all-important matter of Russo-German relations the Crown Prince was far -easier to manage, in so far as any management of him was necessary, than -the old Emperor, who was fondly attached to his nephew, the Tsar -Alexander II. - -Those months, during which the Crown Prince exercised in theory a power -which he certainly did not possess in reality, were among the most -trying of all the trying months the Crown Princess ever passed through, -the more so that the Berlin Congress, which she and the Prince had gone -to England to avoid, opened on June 13. Among those who sojourned in -Berlin during those eventful days, and whose presence must have been a -pleasure to the Princess, were Lord and Lady Salisbury. - -But during the Congress the Crown Prince and Princess kept rigidly apart -from even its social functions, the only exception being that the Crown -Prince gave an official dinner in the King's name to the -plenipotentiaries. The Crown Princess stayed out at Potsdam, while the -Empress refused to appear in any official way; she treated her son -entirely as if he were already Emperor. - -Most serious was the sharp division caused between the father and son by -the decisions of the Congress. The Crown Prince, who had a life long -dislike and suspicion of Russia and of Russian state-craft, was supposed -to have favoured England, and the old Emperor, to the very end of his -life, considered that Germany had not done as well at the Congress as -she should have done. He ascribed the fact--probably most unfairly--to -the Crown Prince instead of to Bismarck. - -Meanwhile, all kinds of gossip were rife as to the Crown Princess's -efforts to influence her husband, for by the public at large the Regent -was regarded as all-powerful. - -To give an example of how the Princess was misunderstood and misjudged; -when Hodel attacked the Emperor, the latter declared that he did not -wish the full severity of the law to be exercised. But when Nobeling's -far more serious attempt at assassination followed, public opinion -demanded that Hodel should be condemned to death. The Crown Prince, as -Regent, had to sign the death warrant, and it became known that he had -told a personal friend how very painful it was to him to sign it. It -was widely believed that this over-scrupulousness, for so the good -Berliners considered it, was due to the influence of the Crown Princess; -yet as a matter of fact she had been, from the first, of opinion that -Hodel, who had certainly meant to kill his Sovereign, should be -executed. - -In spite, however, of Bismarck's determination to make him a cypher, the -Crown Prince did not allow himself to be put wholly in the background. -To the Minister's great annoyance, he opened a personal correspondence -with the new Pope, Leo XIII, in the hope of putting an end to the -Kulturkampf. Though at the time it did not seem as though the Prince had -succeeded, it laid the foundations for the ultimate solution of the -problem. - -The Regent also appointed a certain Dr. Friedberg, a distinguished -Jewish jurist, who belonged to the Liberal party, to a very high -judicial post. Curiously enough, this was the only appointment the Crown -Prince made which was not afterwards revoked. The Emperor William I -retained Friedberg, but refused to bestow on him the Black Eagle even -after he had served for nine years in office. Ten years later, when the -Emperor Frederick was on his way home from San Remo after his father's -death, he received a Ministerial delegation at Leipzig, and, on seeing -Friedberg, he took the Black Eagle from his own neck and placed it about -that of his old friend. - -By the end of the year, the Emperor was quite himself again. On a -certain memorable evening in December, he appeared at the Opera and was -the object of an extraordinary popular demonstration. The next day he -wrote an open letter to the Crown Prince, thanking him in the warmest -terms for the way in which he had fulfilled his duties as Regent. - -It was rumoured at the time--it is difficult to know with what -truth--that the Crown Princess would have liked, after the recovery of -her father-in-law, that a special post should be created for her -husband. But, on his side, the Crown Prince said to an English friend -that he had no wish to find himself the fifth wheel of the coach, and -that he hated having only a semblance of authority. - -During that visit to England which was so suddenly interrupted by -Nobeling's attempt on the Emperor, Mr. Goschen, the statesman whom Lord -Randolph Churchill afterwards "forgot" at the time of his dramatic -resignation, was asked to arrange a meeting between the Crown Prince and -Princess and George Eliot. The novelist thus describes the party in a -letter to a friend: - -"The Royalties did themselves much credit. The Crown Prince is really a -grand-looking man, whose name you would ask for with expectation if you -imagined him no royalty. He is like a grand antique bust--cordial and -simple in manners withal, shaking hands, and insisting that I should let -him know when next we came to Berlin, just as if he had been a -Professor Gruppe, living _au troisième_. _She_ is equally good-natured -and unpretending, liking best to talk of nursing soldiers, and of what -her father's estate was in literature. We had a picked party to -dinner--the Dean of Westminster, the Bishop of Peterborough, Lord and -Lady Ripon, Dr. Lyon Playfair, Kinglake, Froude, Mrs. Ponsonby (Lord -Grey's granddaughter), and two or three more 'illustrations'; then a -small detachment coming in after dinner. It was really an interesting -occasion." - -This was the kind of party which the Crown Princess thoroughly enjoyed, -though even then her shyness always struck those who met her for the -first time. On this occasion she opened her conversation with George -Eliot by saying, "You know my sister Louise?"--and George Eliot's -comment is "just as any other slightly embarrassed mortal might have -done." - -On December 14, the anniversary of the Prince Consort's death, the Crown -Princess suffered another, and a hardly less terrible bereavement. - -Her beloved sister, Princess Alice, Grand Duchess of Hesse, after losing -one child from diphtheria and devotedly nursing her husband and her -other children, herself fell a victim to the malady, the treatment of -which was not then so well understood as it is now. The sisters had been -fondly attached to one another from childhood, and after Princess -Alice's marriage the tie was drawn even closer. They had been -inseparable during the Franco-Prussian War, and for many years the -happiest days spent each year by the Crown Princess were those when she -was able to pay a flying visit to the Grand Duchess, or when the Grand -Duchess was able to spend a few days at Berlin or Potsdam. - -But there was yet another and an even more bitter sorrow in store for -the Crown Princess. In March, 1879, her third son, Prince Waldemar, died -in his eleventh year. He was a clever, affectionate, merry-hearted boy, -and would have been his mother's favourite child, if she had allowed -herself to make differences between her children. Like the Princess -herself, he had been intellectually far in advance of his years, and he -had had as tutor a distinguished professor, Herr Delbrück, who succeeded -Treitschke in the Chair of History at the Berlin University, and -afterwards played a considerable part in German thought and even in -German politics. - -It is shocking to have to record an example of the prejudice which was -even then still felt in certain circles in Germany against the bereaved -Crown Princess. A minister of the sect who called themselves the -Orthodox Protestants, when he heard of the death of the young Prince, -observed that he hoped it was a trial sent by God to humiliate her hard -heart. This monstrous utterance must have found its way into print, or -to the ears of some singularly ill-advised human being, for the -Princess came to know of it, and in her then state of anguish it gave -her more pain than perhaps even the minister himself would have wished -to inflict. - -It was natural that the mother's heart should at this moment turn with -keen anxiety to her son, Prince Henry, who was then serving abroad in a -German warship. She imagined him in the midst of all sorts of perils, -and she begged the Emperor to allow him to return home at once. But the -Sovereign, though expressing kindly sympathy, was obliged, in view of -the rigid rules of the service, to refuse her petition, and the Princess -had to bear as best she could this addition to her burden. - -At this time the Crown Princess's relations with Bismarck had undergone -some improvement. On February 23, 1879, Bismarck gave to Busch a most -unflattering picture of the old Emperor, but he described the Crown -Princess as unaffected and sincere, like her husband, "which her -mother-in-law is not." He observed that it was only family -considerations (the Coburger and the Augustenburger more than the uncle -in Hanover) that made the Crown Princess troublesome, formerly more so -than at present. "But she is honourable and has no pretensions." - -It was thought that the Crown Princess was sadly in need of mental -change and refreshment after the two terrible blows which had deprived -her of her child and of her sister. She, therefore, went to stay in -Rome _incognito_ during the April of 1880, being only attended by a -lady-in-waiting and her "chambellan." To those of her English friends -whom she happened to meet she spoke constantly of her dead son, saying -that he had been the most promising of her children, and that she felt -as if she could never be resigned to her loss. In answer to a kindly -suggestion that she had so many duties to perform that she would soon be -taken out of herself, she said: "Ah, yes, there is much to do and one -cannot sit down with one's sorrow, but the mother who has lost her child -carries a heavy heart all her life." - -During her stay in Rome, the Princess spent almost the whole of each day -in the picture galleries, and in the evening she generally dined with -some of her English friends and members of the diplomatic corps. As was -always her wont, she managed to see all the more interesting strangers -who were just then in Rome, many being asked to meet her at the British -Embassy. One night, when Lady Paget asked her whom she would like to -meet, she answered instantly: "Cardinal Howard and Mr. Story" (the -American sculptor). The Princess, however, could not stay as long in -Rome as she would have liked, for she had to hurry back to be present at -the Emperor's golden wedding festivities. - -Fortunately for the Crown Princess, there came other thoughts to -distract her from her grief. She welcomed her first grandchild, the -Hereditary Princess of Saxe-Meiningen giving birth to a daughter, and in -April, 1880, her eldest son Prince William was betrothed to Princess -Victoria of the House of Schleswig-Holstein-Augustenburg, an alliance -entirely approved by his parents. The Crown Prince, in a letter to -Prince Charles of Roumania, said that it was really a love-match, and -that the young Princess possessed remarkable gifts of heart, mind, and -character, as well as a certain gracious dignity. It was also felt that -the marriage would be a sort of compensation to the Augustenburg family -for the loss of the Elbe Duchies. - -In September, 1880, the Crown Princess had the joy of welcoming back -Prince Henry from his voyage round the world, and the marriage of Prince -William took place in February, 1881, amid universal rejoicings. - -The Crown Princess's influence on the artistic life of Germany was shown -by a little incident connected with her eldest son's marriage. On the -occasion of the wedding the town of Berlin decorated the streets in a -particularly original and beautiful way, and other Prussian towns gave -the young people as a wedding present a really artistic table service. -The Crown Prince exclaimed: "And whom have we to thank that such things -can be done by us in Germany to-day? Not least my wife!" - -In the following March, when the Crown Prince was in Russia attending -the funeral of Alexander II, who had been assassinated by Nihilists, the -Princess received an anonymous threatening letter, informing her that -her husband would also fall a victim to the Nihilists in the next few -hours. She was in a dreadful state of agitation until reassuring -telegrams arrived. - -A son was born to Prince and Princess William on May 6, 1882, and the -old Emperor William telegraphed to the Crown Prince: "Praise and thanks -to God! Four generations of Kings living! What a rare event! May God -shield the mother and child!" - -In November of the same year, the Crown Princess had a curious -conversation with Prince Hohenlohe, who thus records it: - -"It may be that Christian consolation does not suffice one, but it is -better to keep this to oneself and think it over. Plato's dialogues and -the ancient tragedies she finds very consolatory. Much that she said was -true. But she is too incautious and hasty in her verdicts upon things -which are, after all, worthy of reverence." - - - - -CHAPTER XVI - -SILVER WEDDING: THE CROWN PRINCE'S ILLNESS - - -The Crown Prince and Princess now looked forward to celebrating their -silver wedding on January 25, 1883. - -The festivities were rather dashed by the sudden death, only four days -before, of Prince Charles of Prussia, the Emperor's brother. The old -Prince had never liked his English niece, and it was whispered in the -diplomatic world that he had much preferred to die before rather than -after the celebrations in which she was to be so conspicuous a figure! - -Preparations for commemorating the anniversary with due honour had been -made for fully a year before, and money was being collected for various -presentations, when it was intimated that the Crown Prince and Princess -wished the subscriptions to be devoted to public and philanthropic -objects. This made a great impression, and the central committee raised -the large sum of £42,000, mostly in quite small contributions. It was -presented to the Prince and Princess on February 16, with the request -that it should be used for charitable purposes chosen by their Imperial -Highnesses. - -The money was accordingly distributed among the various charities with -which the Crown Prince and Princess were connected, and some of which -they had themselves founded--such as the workmen's colonies for -reclaiming the unemployed and finding temporary occupation for them; -institutions for the technical and practical education of working men in -their leisure hours; the promotion of health in the home; the Victoria -School for the training of nurses; and the Victoria Foundation for the -training of young girls in domestic and industrial work. The city of -Berlin had a separate fund, which reached the round sum of £10,000, and -of this £5900 was spent on building a nursing institute. - -The death of Prince Charles caused the postponement of the festivities -to the end of February, when they were held in what we should call "full -State." The Prince of Wales represented Queen Victoria, and the Emperor -Francis Joseph also sent his heir apparent. - -The principal ceremony was both impressive and artistic, and there we -can trace the influence of the Crown Princess. It consisted in a -representation of the Court of Queen Elizabeth, arranged by the artists -of Berlin. The Crown Prince, in the uniform of the Queen's Cuirassiers, -and the Crown Princess in white satin and silver lace, led the -magnificent procession, in which all the Royal personages took part. -After the Crown Prince and Princess had taken their seats between the -Emperor and Empress, a dramatic representation of the Court of Charles -the Bold, of Burgundy, with its picturesque troubadours, was given, -followed by the Elizabethan Pageant. Then came what was perhaps the most -interesting scene of all--a large assemblage dressed to represent the -great painters of the Renaissance in Italy, Germany, and the -Netherlands, who advanced, one by one, and did obeisance to the Crown -Prince and Princess as patrons of the arts. - -In May, 1883, the Princess paid a private visit to Paris. She only -stayed three days, but during those three days undertook more -intelligent sight-seeing than most women of her then age would have -found possible. She was entertained at luncheon by Lord Lyons, and at -dinner at Saint Germain by Prince Hohenlohe, who in his diary rather -ungraciously observes: "Royal excursions with Royal personages are not -exactly among the pleasant things of life." - -During this visit the Princess said to a French friend that one of the -lives she would have liked to lead would have been that of a little -bourgeoise of the Rue Saint Denis, going on high-days and holidays to -the Théâtre Français. - -The Crown Princess was now able to carry out her cherished project of -building an English church dedicated to St. George in Berlin, largely -with the £5700 which was contributed in England for the silver wedding -celebrations. The wisdom of this employment of the money subscribed may -perhaps be doubted, for it can only have confirmed the idea prevailing -in some quarters that the Princess remained, and would always remain, an -Englishwoman in all her feelings and sympathies. However, the laying of -the foundation-stone, which the Crown Princess performed herself in the -spring of 1884, was carried out with considerable ceremony. - -The Crown Prince made a speech on the occasion, in which he recalled -that King Frederick William IV had assigned one of the rooms in the -palace of Monbijou to the use of the English congregation, and that the -King's brother, the then Emperor, actuated by the same feelings, had -granted the land on which the church was to be built. The Crown Princess -took the keenest interest in the building, and followed the carrying out -of the architect's plans in every detail. - -After the death of Field-Marshal Baron von Manteuffel, Stadhalter of -Alsace-Lorraine, it was suggested that the Crown Prince might be his -successor, but the old Emperor refused to consider the notion, while -being willing to consider the appointment of the young Prince William. -It is said that the Crown Princess herself went to her father-in-law and -begged him not to put so great an affront on her husband. The post was, -therefore, conferred on Prince Hohenlohe. - -In the November of 1885, Matthew Arnold paid a visit to Germany in order -to obtain information as to the German system of education. The Crown -Princess was keenly interested in the inquiries he was making. With her -usual energy, she went to considerable personal trouble in order to help -him, and she arranged, among other things, that Mr. Arnold should make a -short stay on Count Redern's property, in the Mark of Brandenburg. - -In one of his letters Arnold gives a charming account of a soirée at the -New Palace: "The Crown Princess came round the circle, and I kissed her -hand, as everyone here does when she holds it out. She talked to me a -long time, and said I must come and see her quietly, comfortably." A few -days later he dined at the palace, the only other guest being Hoffmann, -the great chemist. Arnold sat next the Crown Princess, who "talked I may -say all dinner. She is very able and well-informed." - -A day or two later came a message asking him to tea with the Crown -Princess: "She was full of the Eastern question, as all of them here -are; it is of so much importance to them. She talked, too, about -Bismarck, Lord Ampthill, the Emperor, the Empress, the Queen, the -Church, English politics, the German nation, everything and everybody -indeed, except the Crown Prince and herself." - -Mr. Arnold was very anxious to meet "the great Reichs-Kanzler" himself, -but this was not easy, as the great man was reputed to be almost -inaccessible: but the Crown Princess herself wrote and asked Bismarck -to receive her compatriot. - -Matthew Arnold was struck by the lack in Berlin of what certainly exists -in London and Paris, namely, an agreeable, cultivated society consisting -mainly of upper middle-class elements. He observed that in Berlin there -was, in addition to the Court, only groups of functionaries, of -soldiers, and of professors. - -As may be gathered from much that has already appeared in this volume, -the Crown Princess was ever pathetically anxious that England and -Germany should be on the most friendly terms of confidence and -affection. Consequently she went through some days of considerable -anxiety, in the spring and early summer of 1884, over the "inciden" of -Angra Pequena. When Lord Granville decided to recognise German -sovereignty in this territory, the Crown Princess was quite as pleased -in her way as Bismarck was. Lord Ampthill, in a letter to Lord -Granville, observes: "The Crown Princess, who dined with us last night, -was beyond measure happy at the general contentment and altered tone of -the Press." - -This Lord Ampthill, the Lord Odo Russell of former days, was a valued -friend of the Crown Princess. She was always, naturally, on terms of -friendship with her mother's representative in Berlin, but Lord -Ampthill's appointment had given her special satisfaction. The -Ambassador's premature death in 1884 was a great grief to the Princess, -and the day after his death the Crown Prince himself came to the villa, -where Lord and Lady Ampthill had lived near Sans Souci, to lay a wreath -on the coffin. - -The health of the old Emperor now began to give occasion for anxiety. He -had been born on March 22, 1797, and when he reached his eighty-seventh -birthday in 1884, it seemed as if his course was almost run. In the -circumstances the Crown Prince and Princess could scarcely help -anticipating the time when, as it then seemed, the great powers and -responsibilities of the throne would be theirs. But it is certainly true -to say that the feeling of duty was paramount in their minds, and that -nothing was further from their thoughts than to covet the Imperial -purple for its own sake. They regarded it as the symbol of all that they -were determined to do for the welfare and happiness of the people. - -Even if they had been blind to the apparently immediate consequences of -the old Emperor's failing health, they would have been enlightened by -the altered demeanour of Prince Bismarck. He showed clear signs of a -desire to cultivate better relations with the Heir Apparent and his -family, and he even attended an evening party given by the Crown -Princess on the occasion of her birthday. - -Not long afterwards, early in 1885, the Crown Prince sounded Bismarck -as to whether, in the event of the Emperor's death, he would remain in -office. The astute Chancellor said that he would, subject to two -conditions, namely, that there should be no foreign influences in State -policy, and that there should be no Parliamentary government; it is said -that the Crown Prince assented with an eloquent gesture. - -The real tragedy of the Crown Princess's life surely lies in these years -of waiting. She could not--assuredly she did not--for a moment wish that -the old Emperor should die. She had nursed him devotedly during the long -illness caused by Nobeling's attempted assassination, and it is a -significant fact that she alone had been able to persuade the stern old -soldier to leave his hard camp bed for a soft invalid couch. She knew as -well as anyone the Emperor's noble qualities, and she cherished for him -a warm and filial affection. - -Yet it was patent, especially to all those who shared the strong -political and constitutional opinions of the Crown Princess, that the -aged Sovereign had outlived his usefulness to his country. She could not -help being conscious that in her husband, and in herself, too, there -lay, capacities of national service of which William I and his consort -had never dreamed. - -If the word "disappointment" is used of the Crown Princess's -long-deferred hopes, it was in no sense the baulking of any commonplace -ambition. The tragedy lay in the failure of the pure and single-hearted -dedication of her husband and herself to bettering the lot of those -vast, silent millions on whose pains and toil the pomp of thrones and -empires, the exquisite refinements of civilisation, the discoveries of -science, and the delights of art and literature, seemed to her to be all -ultimately based. - -The sympathies of one of the most warm-hearted women who ever lived were -thus continually torn and divided, for, while it seemed to her loyal -nature an act of treachery to look forward to the old Emperor's death, -she was continually being reminded, by the demeanour of those about her, -that that event, which would so entirely transform her position, was -expected almost daily. - -In the midst of this subtle mental and spiritual conflict, the Crown -Princess was struck by yet another arrow from the quiver of fate, -inflicting an anguish of anxiety which even her bitterest enemies would -surely have wished her to be spared. - -In April, 1886, the Crown Prince suffered from a severe attack of -measles, which probably left him in a weakened state, as this disease is -apt to do when it attacks a man over fifty. However, he was thought to -have recovered sufficiently to visit the King and Queen of Italy on the -Riviera in the autumn, and it was there, while out driving, that the -Prince caught a severe cold, which brought on an affection of the -throat. - -The Princess herself undertook, with great efficiency, the chief -responsibility of nursing the patient. But the throat affection did not -yield to treatment, and the terrible suspicion that it might never so -yield must often have assailed the Princess, even in these early months -of her husband's illness. But she did not betray the anxiety gnawing at -her heart; on the contrary, she showed throughout a gallant optimism -which, as we now look back on it, seems intensely pathetic. - -It was the more necessary that the Princess should never for a moment -relax her cheerfulness, because the patient himself soon began to suffer -from periods of deep depression. To one friend he even said that his -time had already passed away, and the future belonged to his son; to -another he declared that he had become an old man and stood with one -foot in the grave. - -On the Emperor William's ninetieth birthday, March 22, 1887, the sailor -son of the Crown Princess, Prince Henry of Prussia, was formally -betrothed to his cousin, his mother's favourite niece, Princess Irene of -Hesse. - -During the festivities given in honour of the event, it began to be -whispered among the guests that the Crown Prince's throat affection was -more serious than had as yet been acknowledged. But it is said that the -word "cancer" was only first mentioned in connection with the case when, -in deference to the highest medical advice of Berlin, he was sent to -Ems to be treated for "a bad cold with bronchial complications following -on measles." - -The Crown Prince and Princess, with their family, went to Ems in the -middle of April and spent a month there. Not only did this bring no -improvement, but the patient became perceptibly worse. He was brought -back to Berlin, and a consultation of the most eminent medical experts, -including Bergmann, Gerhardt, and Wagener, was held, as the result of -which a growth in the throat of a malignant character was diagnosed. - -Bismarck in his _Reminiscences_ contradicts two curious stories which -are worth notice, if only for the reason that they have obtained a -certain amount of currency, and one of them is even to be found in an -English work on the Emperor William II. - -The first of these stories is that, after his return from Ems, the Crown -Prince signed a document in which, in the event of his surviving his -father, he renounced his succession to the throne in favour of his -eldest son. There is not, says Bismarck, a shadow of truth in this -story. - -The other statement is that any heir to the Prussian throne who suffers -from an incurable physical complaint is, by the Hohenzollern family law, -excluded from the succession. The importance of this provision, if it -really existed, is obvious; and, at the period we have now reached, when -the physical state of the Crown Prince became a subject of intense -public interest, it obtained wide currency and no small amount of -credit. If, on a strict interpretation of such a rule, the Crown Prince -was excluded from the succession, it might have been argued that his -eldest son was also incapable of succeeding, owing to the weakened state -of his arm. But Bismarck declares categorically that the Hohenzollern -family law contains no provision on the matter at all, any more than -does the text of the Prussian constitution. - -Bismarck goes on to say that the doctors who were treating the Crown -Prince resolved at the end of May to carry out the removal of the larynx -under an anæsthetic without having informed the Prince of their -intention. The Chancellor, however, immediately raised objections; -required that they should not proceed without the consent of the Prince; -and, further, that as they were dealing with the successor to the -throne, the consent of the head of the dynasty should also be obtained. -The old Emperor, therefore, after being informed of the circumstances by -Bismarck, forbade the doctors to carry out the operation without the -consent of the Crown Prince. - -It must be remembered, in considering the diagnosis of the German -experts, that laryngology was at that time almost in its infancy, and it -was natural that the Crown Princess should have clung desperately to the -belief that a mistake had been made. Indeed, it is said that Professor -Bergmann himself advised that the opinion of some other eminent throat -specialist should be obtained before it was decided to have recourse to -surgical interference. - -This was the position when the eminent English throat specialist, Dr. -(afterwards Sir) Morell Mackenzie was summoned. There is no need here to -go over in detail the painful controversy which was engendered by this -step, and which was embittered, not only by thorny questions of -professional etiquette, but also by irrelevant political passions. Our -purpose is rather to state the principal facts, and leave the reader to -form his own conclusions. - -The Crown Princess was widely believed to have insisted that the English -specialist should be called in simply because of her English prejudices, -and this was considered an affront to the medical profession in Germany. -As a matter of fact a list of the most eminent throat specialists in -Europe was drawn up. One was a Frenchman, another a Viennese, and the -third was Morell Mackenzie. The Frenchman was discarded for political -reasons, the Viennese for other reasons, and it was a consensus of -political and medical opinion which led to the choice of the English -specialist. - -On May 20, 1887, Dr. Morell Mackenzie arrived in Berlin. The German -physicians informed him that they believed they had to deal with a -cancer, but they desired his diagnosis. Mackenzie performed more than -one small operation to serve as a basis for a microscopic examination, -which was entrusted to Professor Virchow, probably the greatest -physiologist then living. It was Virchow who reported, to the exultant -relief and joy of the Crown Princess, that, while he found a certain -thickening of the membrane, he had "discovered nothing to excite -suspicions of a wider and graver disease." - -Henceforth there was a party in Berlin who were convinced that the -growth, if growth it was, in the Crown Prince's throat was benign. But -it may serve as an illustration of the passions which the whole affair -aroused when it is stated that there were many who asserted that Virchow -had been deliberately deceived, and that the English specialist had -refrained from submitting to him those portions of the membrane which -would have clearly shown the presence of malignant disease. It was this -monstrous accusation which chiefly served to inflame the controversy on -both sides. - -Virchow's report greatly relieved the anxieties of the Crown Prince and -Princess at the time, and, relying on it implicitly, they went to -England with their daughters in the middle of June for three months. -They stayed at first on the healthy heights of Norwood, in the south of -London, going later to Scotland and the Isle of Wight. - -While at Norwood they saw many distinguished English people, though even -then the Prince was prohibited from uttering a word above his breath. -Those who met the Prince at this time were painfully struck by his -appearance. He was much thinner, but the Princess, who, being always -with him, did not notice the gradual change which had come over him, was -full of hope. Indeed, she found time to continue her interest in social -work. She was present at a gathering held in Drapers' Hall to promote -the training of women teachers, and her old friend Lord Granville made a -charming little speech about her youth. - -The Crown Prince was present with his wife at Queen Victoria's Golden -Jubilee, and it is still remembered how great an impression was made on -the London populace by his knightly figure in his white Cuirassier -uniform. His was the central and by far the most magnificent presence, -like some paladin of mediæval chivalry, in the mounted escort of princes -which surrounded the venerable Sovereign on her way to and from -Westminster Abbey. - -During their stay in Scotland, the Crown Prince was asked by a gentleman -to name his steam launch. He chose the name _The White Heather_, showing -how his thoughts travelled back to the day, nearly thirty years before, -when he had gathered on a Scotch mountain the symbolic sprig of white -heather to give to the Princess Royal. - -The Crown Prince and Princess returned to Germany in the middle of -September, and proceeded to Toblach, in the Tyrol. But the climate there -was considered too chilly, and the patient was moved to Venice at the -end of the month. It was from Venice that the Prince wrote to an old -friend a pathetic letter full of hope, in which he said that the real -trouble was now overcome, and that it was only necessary to avoid -speaking and catching cold. Early in October the Prince was again moved -to Baveno, on Lake Maggiore, and at the beginning of November to the -Villa Zirio, at San Remo. From San Remo the Princess telegraphed for Dr. -Morell Mackenzie, who arrived on November 5. - -The Villa Zirio was a comfortable house standing in its own grounds. The -first floor, which consisted of two suites of large rooms, was occupied -by the Crown Prince and Princess. On this floor were also the rooms of -the Princess's lady-in-waiting, Countess von Bruschl. The second floor -was assigned to the three young princesses and the rest of the suite. - -Unfortunately, owing to the great curiosity and anxiety felt all over -Europe as to the progress of the Crown Prince's illness, the little -Italian town was filled with newspaper representatives, their -headquarters being a large hotel opposite the Villa Zirio. In fact, -during the winter of 1887-8, all the world was watching the race between -the two lives--that of the ninety-year-old Emperor, and that of his son, -already stricken with a mortal disease, on whom so many fair hopes -rested. - -The Crown Prince and Princess owed a great deal, at this troubled -period of their lives, to the devotion and vigilant loyalty of their -friend and servant, Count Theodor Seckendorff, whose official position -in the Crown Princess's Household was that of "chambellan." - -Seckendorff was once well described by an English friend as "the -Baldassare Castiglione of the present day." He was, indeed, "the perfect -courtier." His father, a distinguished diplomatist, had been attached to -the Prussian Legation in London, and so the Count knew England and the -English intimately. Indeed, he had obtained leave to accompany Lord -Napier of Magdala on the Abyssinian campaign, and he was also with that -distinguished commander on the North-West frontier of India. Afterwards -he was on the staff of the Crown Prince in the Franco-German War, and -was chosen by the latter to be one of the officers to escort Napoleon -III to Wilhelmshöhe. Thereafter the Count's relationship with the Crown -Prince and Princess became even closer. - -A man of fine literary and artistic taste, and a really good artist, -Count Seckendorff spoke English, Italian, and French with ease and -distinction, and he retained--what few men and women seem able to retain -in the world of Courts--a great simplicity of manner and absolute -sincerity of nature. While patriotically devoted to his own country, he -was also a true lover of England, and he always did everything that lay -in his power to ease the often strained relations between the two -nations. After the death of the Empress Frederick, Count Seckendorff -continued in faithful and kindly touch with her native country. He -organised the Loan Exhibition of British Art in Berlin as late as 1908, -and his premature death, two years later, caused much sorrow to a large -circle of attached friends in both London and Berlin. - -To return to the life at San Remo; in a letter written about this time -the Crown Princess says: - -"We are passing through a time of heavy trial, but the knowledge that -the nation has not forgotten us, and that it hopes and sympathises with -us, is a perpetual source of comfort. If it be God's will, this -confidence will remain the Crown Prince's most valued future possession, -and be the greatest help to him in achieving his noble ideals. Who can -tell how many days may yet be granted to him? But when we see him so -virile and fresh, we can only trust to the strength of his constitution -and believe that his health will not fail him in carrying out his -duties, though even in the happiest circumstances he will have to -economise his strength and use his voice as little as possible." - -From San Remo, too, the Crown Prince wrote to his beloved French tutor a -touching letter, in which occurs the following passage: - -"As to the life we are leading here, it could not be more intimate and -more _gemütlich_. First of all, my wife nurses me as might a true Sister -of Charity, with a calm and knowledge truly admirable. Our daughters -surround us with their loving tenderness, and the Riviera is a -delightful climate and does us much good." - -Even then, the Crown Princess had not given up hope. Her husband still -looked in good health; he slept well, and his appetite was excellent. - -On December 1, the Princess herself wrote to M. Godet: - -"We are profoundly touched by the many proofs of sympathy which reach us -from all sides. I cannot help feeling that it must make you very happy -to know that all the care you took, in old days, in developing that pure -and noble soul, has now brought to him these universal tributes of -respect and confidence." - -Alas, even then the Prince had heard from the physicians his sentence of -death, which he received with the same stoicism he had shown on the -field of battle. - -Christmas came, and was celebrated with characteristic kindliness by the -Prince, who arranged magnificent gifts for his wife and the little -circle of intimate friends at San Remo. But his health steadily -declined, and a sudden operation had to be performed early in January. - -Meanwhile the aged Emperor had caught a chill in the severe Berlin -winter. His magnificent constitution was already enfeebled by age, and -to his physical weakness were now added the distress and anxiety caused -by the news from San Remo, which became continually more and more -disquieting. The end soon came, and the stout old soldier sank and died -on March 9, 1888, less than a fortnight before his ninety-second -birthday. - - - - -CHAPTER XVII - -THE HUNDRED DAYS' REIGN - - -On the morning of March 9, 1888, the Crown Prince was walking in the -gardens of the Villa Zirio, when a telegram was brought to him. He took -it up with languid interest, but when he read the address, "To His -Imperial Majesty the Emperor Frederick William," there was no need to -open the envelope, and it is said that his habitual self-control -deserted him, and he burst into tears. - -A pathetic, and yet in its way a magnificent, scene followed in the -great drawing-room on the ground floor of the villa. The Households of -the new Emperor and Empress had assembled there and stood in a circle -waiting.... - -Suddenly the Emperor appeared, and we have the following striking -description from one who claims to have been a witness of what occurred: - -"He had become handsome again, as in the radiant days of his youth. His -beard, with a few silver streaks, glowed in the brilliant light cast by -the chandelier. Tall and well built, he dominated the entire company. -His blue eyes were slightly misty. His delicate complexion, now -heightened with a little colour, seemed to show the real tranquillity -which had taken possession of his soul; and his mouth with the red lips -had now that fascinating smile which characterised him. With a firm step -he walked straight to a small table in the middle of the drawing-room -and wrote--for the tube in his throat prevented him from speaking--a few -lines, which he signed. An officer read out the paper aloud--it was the -announcement of the death of the Emperor William I and of his own -accession as Frederick III. The Emperor then walked towards the Empress, -made a long and reverent bow, paying full homage to his wife's devotion, -and with a grave and tender gesture passed round her neck the Ribbon of -the Black Eagle." - -It is also recorded that the Emperor walked up to Dr. Morell Mackenzie -and, after shaking him warmly by the hand, wrote for him the following -words: "I thank you for having made me live long enough to recompense -the valiant courage of my wife." - -The Emperor Frederick, with the Empress and their daughters, set out for -Berlin on March 10, making what was then the swiftest journey in the -records of Continental travel. The only interruption, and that was very -short, was to enable the Emperor to receive the greetings of his old -friend, King Humbert of Italy, who had himself travelled by forced -marches for the purpose. - -Amid a terrible storm of sleet and snow, on the night of March 11, the -Imperial party entered Berlin. - -Those who then saw the Emperor, whatever their political predilections, -were amazed at his look of health and strength. For months past a thick -veil of secrecy had been drawn over the life at the Villa Zirio. -Naturally, therefore, rumour had had it all her own way, and in Germany -the general pessimism was undoubtedly fostered by the medical -profession. They had persuaded themselves that the Emperor was already -_in articula mortis_, and the Empress was openly censured for bringing -him back at all. It was even believed by many that he might very well -die on the journey owing to the sudden transition from the warm, equable -climate of San Remo to the biting cold of Berlin. - -The one certain fact which had been published was that he had undergone -the operation of tracheotomy, and that he could not speak owing to the -tube in his throat. But, apart from that, to the general astonishment, -the Emperor was, or seemed to be, not very different from his normal -condition. At once he took up the reins of power, granting audiences, -and dealing for many hours every day with State affairs. - -Though the joy with which the friends of the new Emperor and Empress -hailed their accession was dashed by the thought of how brief must be -the new reign, yet it is abundantly evident that no such idea occurred -to the Empress herself, and that very fact seems to enhance the -poignancy of the whole tragedy. - -At the beginning of the Emperor Frederick's reign, a distinguished -German wrote to a friend: "The Empress, as you have rightly judged, is -making her way among the people. However brief her tenure of power will -be, the more will the public at large perceive the truly astounding -richness and resource, the practised leadership, and the affectionate -disposition of that rare creature. She is indefatigable, and gives a -fresh indication of the grand aims she has in view each day." - -It is significant to note how all those who knew the Empress even -slightly welcomed the fact of the Emperor's accession. Thus Mrs. -Augustus Craven: "Somehow I hope the present Emperor will live. Anyhow I -am thankful that he is still alive, and that _she_ is Empress of -Germany, also that perhaps after all the very great deal there is in her -is not to be lost for Germany and for Europe." - -The feeling in the Court and political world is clearly shown in the -_memoirs_ of Prince Hohenlohe. He was received by the Empress a week -after her return to Berlin, and he says that he found her unchanged; -"her frank and cheerful manner filled me with astonishment." - -Three days later Prince Hohenlohe noted in his diary that already -officials were complaining of the interference of the Empress in public -business. - -[Illustration: THE LATE EMPRESS FREDERICK] - -Bötticher told him that she had induced the Emperor to refuse his -signature to the Anti-Socialist Bill, and that he had only given way -after Bismarck had explained the matter to the Empress. The Minister -added that the Emperor had little power of resistance to the influence -of the Empress, and that she, again, was under the influence of "certain -advanced ladies." If the Emperor's illness, he went on, was of long -duration, all kinds of things might happen, but if the Emperor were -well, or should become so, the influence of the Empress would diminish. - -A few days later Prince Hohenlohe was himself able to judge how far this -was true about the Empress, for he went out to call on his Sovereign at -Charlottenburg, and found him with his wife. The Empress excused her -presence by pleading the necessity of supporting the Emperor during the -audience. The whole of the conversation had to be carried on, so far as -the Emperor was concerned, by means of writing-tablets. Hohenlohe -observed that the Emperor would benefit by the amount of work he had to -do, at which the Sovereign nodded approvingly. At the end of the -interview: - -"The Emperor placed his hand on my shoulder and smiled sadly, so that I -could hardly restrain my tears. He gave me the impression of a martyr; -and, indeed, no martyrdom in the world is comparable with this slow -death. Everyone who comes near him is full of admiration for his -courageous and quiet resignation to a fate which is inevitable, and -which he fully realises." - -But it is plain that the Empress had not yet resigned herself to -consider his death as in any way imminent. Later in the same month, -Hohenlohe had an audience of the Empress, and during their conversation -she said something which made it clear to her old friend that she still -entertained illusions as to her husband's real condition--indeed, he was -himself so shaken by what she said that he wrote in his diary: "It is -perhaps possible that the illness will be of long duration. The -expectation of a speedy end has not yet been confirmed." - -There can be no doubt that the accession of the Emperor Frederick was -expected in not a few quarters to mean the almost immediate fall of -Bismarck, but this expectation left out of account various important -factors of the situation. Both the new Emperor and his Empress, though, -as we have seen, they profoundly disapproved of Bismarck's policy as a -whole, nevertheless fully realised the Chancellor's patriotism and the -unparalleled services which he had been able to render to the German -people. Bismarck, in his own account of his relations with the Emperor, -recalls that they began as far back as 1848, when Prince Frederick -William was only seventeen, and he had since received from him various -proofs of personal confidence, notably on the occasion of the Dantzig -episode in 1863. This confidence was, Bismarck declares, quite -independent of political principles and differences of opinion, and -though many attempts to shake it were made from interested quarters, -they had no permanent success. - -Later Bismarck also asserted roundly that the Emperor Frederick made it -easy for him, by his amiability and confidence, to transfer to him the -affection he had cherished for his father. He was both more open than -his father had been to the constitutional idea of Ministerial -responsibility, and also less hampered by family traditions in adjusting -himself to political necessities. And Bismarck goes on to state that -"all assertions of lasting discord in our relations are unfounded." - -On the subject of the Crown Princess's influence Bismarck said: - -"I could not assume that his wife had the same kindly feeling for me; -her natural innate sympathy for her home had, from the beginning, shown -itself in the attempt to turn the weight of Prusso-German influence in -the groupings of European power into the scale of her native land; and -she never ceased to regard England as her country. In the differences of -interest between the two Asiatic Powers, England and Russia, she wished -to see the German power applied in the interests of England if it came -to a breach. This difference of opinion, which rested on the difference -of nationality, caused many a discussion between her Royal Highness and -me on the Eastern question, including the Battenberg question. Her -influence on her husband was at all times great, and it increased with -years, to culminate at the time when he was Emperor. She also, however, -shared with him the conviction that in the interests of the dynasty it -was necessary that I should be maintained in office at the change of -reign." - -It is interesting here to recall that on August 31, 1870, after the -battle of Beaumont, Busch obtained from Bismarck the following opinion -of the then Crown Prince: - -"He will be reasonable later on, and allow his Ministers to govern more, -and not put himself too much forward, and in general he will get rid of -many bad habits that render old gentlemen of his trade sometimes rather -troublesome. [It is to be feared that this uncomplimentary allusion is -to the old Emperor.] For the rest, he is unaffected and straightforward; -but he does not care to work much, and is quite happy if he has plenty -of money and amusements, and if the newspapers praise him." - -A very superficial judgment of the Emperor Frederick, and the suggestion -that he was too fond of money is particularly gratuitous. As a matter of -fact, only the year before his accession, in 1887, a certain Frenchman, -Ballardin by name, died, leaving the whole of his fortune, valued at -several million francs, to the then Crown Prince. M. Ballardin appeared -to have been so embittered by disputes with the French authorities that -he determined to show his hatred and contempt for his native country by -the novel method of bequeathing his property to the German Crown Prince, -who, however, absolutely refused to accept even the smallest portion of -the legacy. That is certainly not the action of a man who could be -accused of a love of money. - -It may here be stated, on this subject of money, that when the Emperor -Frederick succeeded to the throne, there was in the hands of Baron Kohn, -the private banker of the old Emperor William, a sum of fifty-four -million marks (£2,700,000), which was bequeathed to the Emperor -Frederick as a kind of family treasure, to be controlled by the head of -the House of Hohenzollern for the time being. When the Emperor Frederick -died, however, it was found that the great bulk of this money had been -invested abroad by his orders in the name of his widow; her uncle, the -Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, and her cousin, King Leopold of Belgium, -being the trustees. It is even asserted that the late Prince Stolberg -resigned at the time his office of Minister of the Imperial Household in -consequence of what he considered the diversion of this sum of money -from the Hohenzollern family. According to another version, however, -only a portion of this money became the absolute property of the -Empress, the remainder being hers for life, with power of appointment -among her younger children. - -To return to Busch; he also obtained from Bismarck a curious anecdote of -the Empress: - -"I took the liberty to ask further what sort of woman the Crown Princess -was, and whether she had much influence over her husband. 'I think not,' -the Count said; 'and as to her intelligence, she is a clever woman; -clever in a womanly way. She is not able to disguise her feelings, or at -least not always. I have cost her many tears, and she could not conceal -how angry she was with me after the annexations (that is to say of -Schleswig and Hanover). She could hardly bear the sight of me, but that -feeling has now somewhat subsided. She once asked me to bring her a -glass of water, and as I handed it to her she said to a lady-in-waiting -who sat near and whose name I forget, 'He has cost me as many tears as -there is water in this glass.' But that is all over now." - -This incident about the glass of water evidently much impressed -Bismarck, for he told it to Busch again some months later, when he said -of the Crown Princess, "She is in general a very clever person, and -really agreeable in her way, but she should not interfere in politics." - -The Empress's relations with Bismarck after her husband's accession were -more pleasant than they had ever been before. The Emperor naturally -leaned upon his wife, and her influence perhaps appeared greater than it -was. But, whatever its precise extent, Bismarck, with his intensely -practical mind, saw that it was at any rate a factor in the situation, -and he made use of it accordingly. It was, indeed, as natural for him to -cultivate her good will now, as it was for him a little later to heap -contumely and insult on her head. Such conduct was utterly -incomprehensible to the Empress, with her upright, loyal nature; she -would have suffered less from the Chancellor had she been able to find -the key to both his greatness and his littleness. - -But, even at this time, when Bismarck had the strongest reasons for -conciliating the Empress, there was one question, that of the Battenberg -marriage, on which he felt compelled to do battle with her, and in which -he vanquished her in fair fight. - -The Empress, different as she was in many respects from her mother, was -absolutely at one with Queen Victoria in her views of everything which -should regulate family life. Thus, she was as firm a believer in the -importance of securing happy marriages for her sons and daughters as the -Queen had proved herself to be. That the union of two human beings -should be guided by State considerations was to her abhorrent. She had -welcomed with eager delight her niece, Princess Irene of Hesse, as a -daughter-in-law; she knew that the latter's sister, Princess Victoria, -had formed a happy marriage with Prince Louis of Battenberg. Now it was -Prince Louis's brother, Alexander of Bulgaria, who had been from boyhood -a favourite with her sister, Princess Alice, whom the Empress desired to -see married to her second daughter, Princess Victoria. The alliance had -been mooted some four years before, but was then considered, by Bismarck -especially, as quite out of the question, if only because the hero of -Slivnitza had earned the intense hostility of the Tsar Alexander. - -In July, 1885, Bismarck told Hohenlohe that, whereas the Emperor and the -Crown Prince were in favour of the marriage of Princess Victoria with -the King of Portugal, the Crown Princess and the young Princess herself -preferred the Prince of Bulgaria, and that there was "great skirmishing" -going on over the business. - -More than a year later, in October, 1886, the old Emperor himself spoke -to Hohenlohe of the matter, and with some bitterness, declaring that the -Crown Princess and Princess Victoria still entertained the idea of this -alliance. He said he had questioned the Crown Prince, who had denied it, -and he further observed that in politics his son was ruled by his wife. - -In 1888 the Empress still desired the marriage because she believed that -the affections of her daughter were seriously engaged. But, changed as -were all the conditions of her own and the new Emperor's life, she at -once found arrayed against her the same powerful influences as before, -with the addition of that of her eldest son, the new Crown Prince. The -difference of opinion in the Imperial family became known to the whole -of Europe, and was very frankly discussed in the English and Continental -Press. Matters seemed at a deadlock. On the one side were ranged the -Empress and all those Royal personages who by kinship or marriage were -connected with the Battenberg family; on the other were the Crown -Prince, Bismarck, and, it was whispered, the Emperor Frederick himself, -who had a great dislike to any marriage that savoured of a -_mésalliance_. - -This was the position when Queen Victoria arrived at Charlottenburg to -visit her stricken son-in-law. Bismarck, with his usual unerring eye for -the potentialities of a situation, seized the opportunity. He sought an -audience of the Queen, and succeeded in convincing her by his arguments -that the Battenberg alliance was really extremely inadvisable. Not until -she found her mother ranged among the opponents of the marriage did the -Empress yield, and consent, to use her own phrase, "to sacrifice her -daughter's happiness on the altar of the Fatherland." - -We have a slightly different, and probably less accurate, account of the -termination of the affair in Hohenlohe's journal of May 17, 1888: - -"The Empress had said that in the end it would be no misfortune if -Bismarck did retire. This was at once retailed to him, whereupon the -newspaper war. Malet reported to Queen Victoria at Florence that it was -very disadvantageous for English interests that the Queen should appear -to interest herself in the Battenberg match. It would be well, more -particularly in view of her impending visit to Berlin, to prevent people -from thinking she favoured the marriage. The English Ministry also -concurred in this. Thereupon Queen Victoria wrote a severe letter to her -daughter, the Empress; and during her stay also she expounded her views -in an energetic fashion, which produced unhappy and tearful scenes. The -relations between Queen Victoria and the Imperial Chancellor have shaped -very well. They were enchanted with each other." - -The Empress's belief that she had been fighting for her daughter's -happiness added a special bitterness to her defeat at the hands of -Bismarck. It may, however, be stated that the day came when the Empress -Frederick acknowledged that she had been mistaken, at least to some -extent, in the qualities which she had attributed to Alexander of -Battenberg, and she lived to see her daughter make a happier marriage -than the Battenberg alliance would probably have ever been. - -Not the least pathetic feature of the Hundred Day's reign was the -gallant persistence of the Empress in fulfilling the duties of her new -station. She only held one Court, and one who was present has left a -vivid description of the strange scene: - -"The Empress was dressed in the deepest mourning, indeed wrapped in -black from head to foot, her face hidden by a crape veil, while a long -procession of women likewise veiled in crape filed past the throne, -their black gowns high in the neck and skirts banded with crape a -quarter of a yard wide, while long folds of double crape fell upon the -floor in guise of Court trains." - -On May 24, the marriage of Prince Henry, the second son of the Emperor -and Empress, to his cousin, Princess Irene of Hesse, was celebrated at -Charlottenburg. It was a bright and happy day in the midst of sadness, -and everything was done to surround the ceremony with brilliance. - -Death was now drawing very near to the doomed Emperor. On June 1 he was -conveyed by boat from Charlottenburg to the New Palace, where he had -been born, where he had spent the happiest days of his married life, and -the name of which he now changed to "Friedrichskron." But he was not -allowed to die in peace; his last days were disturbed by what is known -as the Puttkamer incident. - -Puttkamer, a typical Bismarckian, had been Minister of the Interior for -seven years. In his official announcement of the old Emperor's death, he -had actually made no allusion to the new Emperor; the latter in -consequence insisted on the Minister's retirement as the condition of -his signing the Bill prolonging the life of the Reichstag to five -years. Puttkamer's resignation was gazetted on June 11, and on the same -evening Prince Bismarck gave a dinner at which the fallen Minister was -the guest of honour. - -The Emperor Frederick died at Friedrichskron on June 15. The first -message written by the widowed Empress was to the aged Empress Augusta: - -"She whose one pride and happiness it was to be the wife of your son -grieves with you, afflicted mother. No mother ever had so good a son. Be -proud and strong in your sorrow." - - - - -CHAPTER XVIII - -EARLY WIDOWHOOD: THE FALL OF BISMARCK - - -It is said that one of the last acts of the dying Emperor was to place -Bismarck's hand in that of the Empress as a token of reconciliation. But -there was no reconciliation. On the contrary, the Emperor Frederick was -no sooner dead, than Bismarck once more became all-powerful, and -ruthlessly he used his power. - -The accession of the young Emperor William was followed by an astounding -outburst of violence against the Empress Frederick on the part of -Bismarck's tools, his agents in the Press and elsewhere--indeed, the -Empress once told an intimate friend that no humiliation and pain which -could be inflicted on her had been spared her. - -The first humiliation took a strange and terrible form; a cordon of -soldiers was drawn round the New Palace, when the Emperor Frederick was -known to be dying, in order that no secret documents might be removed -without the knowledge of the new Emperor. - -The Empress, aware that this was the work of Bismarck, requested an -interview with him, but Bismarck replied that he had no time, as he was -so fully occupied with his master, the new Emperor. As a matter of -fact, everything at the New Palace which the late Emperor or the Empress -Frederick considered to be important had been placed out of Bismarck's -reach. For a considerable time these private papers were entrusted to -the care of a person in the Empress's confidence, who resided outside -the country, ultimately they were sent back to Germany. - -Unfortunately not all the late Emperor's papers had been so carefully -guarded, and, to the anguish of his widow, his memory became involved in -acute, and it may even be said degrading, controversy. - -In the well-known review, the _Deutsche Rundschau_, Dr. Geffcken, a -Liberal publicist who had been honoured by the Emperor Frederick's -friendship, published extracts from the diary of the late Sovereign. -They were designed to defend his memory against his traducers, and in -particular to prove that it was he who suggested the united German -Empire. It seems that the diaries were found locked up at the Villa -Zirio, and it was stated that they were given, or at least shown, by the -Emperor Frederick to Baron von Roggenbach, the Baden statesman. - -Bismarck at first affected to believe, and apparently he succeeded in -persuading the Emperor William, that the published extracts were -forgeries. The offending number of the review was accordingly -suppressed, and Geffcken was arrested on September 29 on a charge of -high treason. He was acquitted of criminal intention in the following -January, and in the interval the _Cologne Gazette_ charged Sir Robert -Morier, then British Ambassador in St. Petersburg, with having given -information to Marshal Bazaine of the movements of the Prussian forces -in 1870. Fortunately Morier was able to produce convincing documentary -evidence of his innocence, but it was generally felt that this monstrous -attack on the Empress Frederick's old friend was really directed against -the Empress herself. - -The Empress behaved with the greatest dignity and self-restraint during -this time of bitter persecution, and in the many diaries and memoirs of -the period we can find but one reference which reveals how she really -felt. This reference is in Sir Horace Rumbold's _Recollections_. He -tells of the deep feeling with which the Empress spoke of the suffering -she had passed through and the wrongs she had endured. "She spoke of -them with an exceeding bitterness, emphasising what she said with -clenched hands and betraying an emotion which suddenly gained me, and -more than explained the Queen's well-known reference to her as her 'dear -persecuted daughter.'" - -It may be asked why the young Emperor William did not intervene to -protect his mother from the hostility of his Chancellor. Unfortunately -there is no doubt that at this time there was an estrangement between -mother and son. Years before, Bismarck had taken precautions to prevent -the heir presumptive to the throne from imbibing the liberal principles -of both his parents, and had caused him to spend the impressionable -years of early manhood entirely under the influence of his grandfather, -the old Emperor, and the military glories of the new Empire. Bismarck no -doubt thought that he had obtained a complete ascendancy over his new -master. It was significant that whereas on his accession the Emperor -Frederick had addressed his first message to the nation at large through -the Chancellor, the Emperor William addressed his first messages to the -Army and Navy, the civilians having to wait a day or two for their -recognition. Another indication of the character of the new régime was -afforded by the Emperor William's reversal of his father's decision to -name the New Palace, Friedrichskron. - -These and other incidents show how the Emperor began his reign under the -domination of Bismarck, but it is pleasant to record that the -estrangement from his mother, which the old Chancellor undoubtedly -fostered, was not of long duration. - -It is curious how seldom, among the many studies, criticisms, and -estimates of the Emperor William II, we find his extraordinary -versatility attributed to the influence of heredity; and yet it is easy -to see now that the Empress Frederick ought to have enjoyed much greater -popularity in Germany than she did as a matter of fact enjoy at any -time, if only because she was the mother of such a son. - -We can best perhaps realise the remarkable qualities which the Empress -brought into the House of Hohenzollern by comparing her eldest son with -his predecessors on the throne. King Frederick William IV had a mind -which appeared incapable of appreciating matters of greater importance -than the etiquette of Courts and the prescriptions of mediæval heraldry. -As we know, during the last years of his life his intellect was clouded -much in the same way as was that of King George III of England. King -Frederick's brother and successor, the old Emperor William, possessed -remarkable strength of character combined with little capacity or -intellect, as Bismarck very frankly explained, both to his creature, -Busch, and in other recorded expressions of opinion. As for the Emperor -William's father, the ill-fated Frederick, it was no doubt from him that -the son derived that dash of romantic idealism characteristic of both -monarchs. - -But undoubtedly William II was always much more the son of his mother -than of his father, which seems, indeed, to be the rule in families of -less exalted rank. We have seen how the Empress really received from her -father the training of a man, and, it may be added, of an extremely -versatile man. If fate had compelled her eldest son to earn his own -living in a private station, it is extraordinary to think of the number -of professions in any one of which he could have attained a competence, -if not indeed high distinction. From his mother, rather than from his -father, he inherited a great appetite for work and an extraordinary -aptitude for detail; and he showed himself at different times to have -had in him the making, not only of a soldier and a sailor, but of a -musician, a poet, an artist, a preacher, and an orator. - -Compare this with his grandfather, the old Emperor, who, if he had not -been born in the purple, could only have been a soldier, and not, it -must be added, one who could have held very high commands. Compare him -again with his father; the Emperor Frederick, if he had not been born in -the purple, though he certainly showed greater military capacity than -the old Emperor, nevertheless would probably not have been happy or -successful in any private station other than that of a great moral -teacher. - -The Emperor William's affinity to his mother in character, temperament, -and accomplishments becomes the more striking the more it is -investigated. He shared with her a certain impulsiveness, a deficiency -in what is ordinarily called tact, which really amounts to a -constitutional inability to appreciate the effect which a particular -word or action will necessarily have on other people. This, which seems -a negative quality, is really a positive one, interwoven with a high -courage and a contempt for the mean little dictates of conventional -prudence, which have always commanded the admiration of generous minds. -This remarkable similarity between mother and son assuredly furnishes -the key to the somewhat complex question of their relationships at -different periods. They were in fact too much alike for their relations -to be always harmonious. - -The widowed Empress did not owe all her unhappiness to Bismarck alone. -In 1889 Gustav Freytag published a volume of Reminiscences of the -Emperor Frederick which attracted a great amount of attention, more -perhaps than they intrinsically deserved. But Freytag's position among -German writers as novelist, poet, dramatist, and historian, was so great -that everything he wrote had its importance, and in addition to that it -was known that he had at one time been admitted to the confidence of the -then Crown Prince, whose political Liberalism he appeared to share. - -Freytag was a Silesian by birth, and this no doubt did him no harm with -the Emperor Frederick, who was warmly attached to Silesia, and delighted -in the graphic pictures of life in that province which Freytag drew in -his novels. The Empress made Freytag's acquaintance in the early years -of her married life--indeed, the first German novel which she read with -her husband was Freytag's _Soll und Haben_. The novelist had been -presented to the Prince Consort by his patron, Duke Ernest of -Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, and it was natural in all the circumstances that the -Crown Princess and her husband should have shown the great writer marked -signs of favour. - -It is all the more extraordinary, therefore, that in his Reminiscences -Freytag should have drawn such a picture of the Emperor Frederick as -must have deeply distressed his then newly-made widow. It was a picture -which she herself knew to be inaccurate, and which indeed could only -gratify the personal hostility of Bismarck and his adherents. There is -no need to linger long over this picture, but it demands some notice -because it, so to speak, gathers together in a convenient form the -principal features of what may be called the Bismarckian view of both -the Empress and her husband. - -It has been said that Freytag apparently shared the Crown Prince's -Liberalism, but he was also steeped in Prussian particularism, and it -was this that brought him to his almost blind admiration of Bismarck, -and rendered him incapable of appreciating the political conceptions of -the Emperor Frederick. Freytag, indeed, was a bad judge of character, -the presentation of which was his weak point as a novelist. - -Allusion has already been made to the fact that the Crown Prince invited -Freytag to accompany him with the Third Army in the Franco-German War, -and the Reminiscences terminate soon after the battle of Sedan. After -1870 the Crown Prince hardly ever saw Freytag, and never with any real -intimacy; yet on this slender foundation of knowledge the novelist -revived, under the specious cloak of affection, some of the worst -charges of the Reptile Press, and of the insulting commentary which -Bismarck published on the late Emperor's diary. - -The principal charge for our purposes here is that the Crown Prince was -subjected to foreign influence, and was entirely dominated by his wife. -In effect Freytag suggests that through the Crown Princess, Princess -Alice, and other members of the English Royal family, important secrets -of German military movements reached the French commanders. "Both the -Empress Frederick and Princess Alice," he says, "wrote to their august -mother and the family in London, and what crossed the North Sea could be -sent to France again in letters a few hours later. It is therefore not -unnatural that the French learned by way of England a variety of news -about our army which with greater propriety would have remained -concealed." - -Such a charge is incapable of complete disproof, but at any rate it is -obvious that Freytag could know nothing of the contents, either of the -Crown Prince's letters to his wife, who was at that time working day and -night in the German hospitals, or of the letters of the Crown Princess -and her sister to their relations in England. Yet he describes Princess -Alice as "at heart during the whole of the war a brave German woman," -which is a plain insinuation that the Crown Princess had not her whole -heart in the success of the German arms. The whole plan of _dénigrement_ -is the more subtle, for Freytag professes the most ardent admiration for -the ability of the Crown Princess, her rich natural gifts, and her keen -soaring intellect. At the same time he says: - -"The Crown Prince's love for her was the highest and holiest passion of -his life, and filled his whole existence; she was the lady of his youth, -the _confidante_ of all his thoughts, his trusted counsellor whenever -she was so inclined. Arrangements of the garden, decorations of the -house, education of the children, judgments of men and things, were in -every respect regulated by him in accordance with her thoughts and -wishes. It is perfectly intelligible that so complete an ascendancy of -the wife over the husband, who was destined to be the future ruler of -Prussia, threatened to occasion difficulties and conflicts, which, -perhaps, would be greater for the woman than the man--greater for the -wife who led and inspired the husband whose guidance she ought to have -accepted." - -Here again we see the limitations of Freytag's undoubtedly great -intellect, as well as his instinctive German middle-class conception of -woman's sphere. To the North-German the idea of woman as a comrade, as -being even approximately on a level with her husband, was then, and is -still to a great extent, inconceivable. In that view of matrimony the -wife is really a chattel, or at best a respected housekeeper. - -It may be asked, how could Freytag have supposed that the Emperor -Frederick would have submitted to such domination on the part of his -wife? The answer is that Freytag's conception of the emperor's character -was hopelessly erroneous. He is obliged to confirm his title to be -considered the originator of the idea of a German Empire, but he -attributes it to a mere love of pomp and ceremony, a passion for Court -millinery. The plain truth is that few monarchs have been simpler in -their personal tastes than the Emperor Frederick; the etiquette, the -monotony, and the restraint of Court life bored him, and he was never so -happy as when he could escape to the congenial society of savants, -artists, and writers. It is certainly true that his imaginative and -poetical gifts induced him to try to infuse some elements of dignity and -meaning into the routine of Court ceremonial, but that he cared for such -ceremonial in itself, or attached to it any greater value than that of -symbolism, is frankly absurd. - -Freytag even accuses the Crown Prince of having been ready to risk civil -war in order that he might secure the creation of the Imperial dignity -after the Franco-German War. This is based on a misapprehension of the -Prince's discussions with Bismarck at Versailles. The Crown Prince -believed that force would be unnecessary, and that the South German -States would accept the Constitution proclaimed by the majority of the -Princes assembled at Versailles. It is possible that he would have -advocated compulsion if Bavaria and Würtemberg had thrown themselves -into the arms of Austria, but he well knew that that contingency was in -the last degree improbable. - -Early in 1889 the Empress Frederick suffered another bereavement which, -though not of course to be compared with many which she had endured, -nevertheless added perceptibly to her state of melancholy and -depression. This was the death of the venerable Empress Augusta, which -broke a much valued link with the happy past. From those days in the -early fifties when that highly-bred and highly-cultivated Princess had -become "Aunt Prussia" to the Royal children at Windsor, and even more -after the marriage of the Princess Royal, she had remained a loyal and -most kindly and affectionate friend to her daughter-in-law. The two -Royal ladies looked upon life from widely different angles, and the -elder must often have disapproved of the way in which the younger -interpreted her duty. But the Empress Augusta never faltered in her -admiration and affection for one who was so entirely unlike herself, and -in these latter days the death of the Emperor Frederick had brought -them, if possible, even more closely together. - -The dramatic fall of Bismarck--the "Dropping the Pilot" of Sir John -Tenniel's memorable cartoon in _Punch_--occurred in March, 1890. It -could hardly have been regretted by the Empress Frederick, but she was -far too magnanimous, and we may add too well aware of Bismarck's -incomparable services to the Empire, to regard the event as in any sense -a personal triumph for herself. - -What is truly astonishing, in view of all that had passed, is that the -fallen Minister should have turned to her for sympathy, and should even, -according to some authorities, have begged her to exert on his behalf -her now growing influence with her son. It is said that she then -reminded him that his past treatment of her had deprived her of any -power of helping him now, but such an answer does not accord with what -we know of the Empress's whole character. She was surely incapable at -such a moment of adding anything to the humiliation of her old enemy. -Besides, Professor Nippold speaks of Bismarck's having himself written: -"Her influence over her husband was very great at any time, and became -greater with the years, to culminate at the time when he was Emperor. -But also in her was the conviction that my position close to the throne -was in the interest of the dynasty." - -There are, indeed, different versions of what took place in the now -famous interview between Bismarck and the Empress Frederick. It is quite -possible that she regarded the Minister's dismissal from office as an -imprudent and even dangerous step. However that may be, Prince Hohenlohe -declares that Bismarck did not entreat the Empress to intercede for him -with the Emperor; he merely said, when the Empress asked if she could do -anything for him, "I ask only for sympathy." But he certainly did ask to -be received by her in audience, although he must have vividly remembered -the insolent message which he had sent her immediately after the Emperor -Frederick's death, when she had requested him to come to her. - -A year later, at Homburg, Prince Hohenlohe and the Empress Frederick had -a long conversation over the Bismarck affair. She said she was not at -all surprised at his dismissal, that "Bismarck was of a combative nature -and would never cease to fight. He could do nothing else." She talked of -previous incidents, of Bismarck's groundless distrust of her, and of the -Empress Augusta, and expressed the opinion "that we had only to thank -the old Emperor's quiet gentleness for any success of Bismarck's. He was -a very dangerous opponent, but not a Republican. He was too Prussian for -that. But the Brandenburg-Prussian noble was determined to rule, though -it were with the King." - - - - -CHAPTER XIX - -THE PLANNING OF FRIEDRICHSHOF: VISIT TO PARIS - - -The Empress's relations with her son improved after the fall of -Bismarck. She was particularly touched by the many tributes which he -paid to his father's memory, and she now felt encouraged to try and -build up again the fragments of her tragically broken life. - -The Emperor William had placed at his mother's disposal the palace in -Unter den Linden in Berlin where the Emperor and Empress Frederick lived -while they were Crown Prince and Princess, as well as the Charlottenhof -at Potsdam, and the Schloss at Homburg. - -Charlottenhof is in the Royal grounds at Potsdam, at some distance from -the New Palace. It was built by Frederick William IV in 1826, in -imitation of a Pompeian villa, and in the grounds are fountains, -statues, and bronzes which were brought from Herculaneum and Pompeii. - -As to Homburg, the Empress had always been very fond of the place; she -had often spent part of the summer at the old Schloss, and she valued -its associations with the daughter of another British Sovereign, for the -delightful gardens to which Thackeray refers in _The Four Georges_ were -laid out by the Landgravine Elizabeth, daughter of George III. - -When the Empress Frederick decided to build a house after her own heart, -it was to the neighbourhood of Homburg that her thoughts naturally -turned. Perhaps another reason which governed the choice of that -neighbourhood was the fact that the widowed Empress's beloved brother, -King Edward, was so fond of the place, and for many years went there -each year. - -Some account of Friedrichshof will be not only interesting but really -necessary for our purpose, for this noble castle and estate at Cronberg -in the Taunus mountains were so entirely the creation of the Empress's -own mind and taste that they throw a strong light on her personality and -character. - -Her Majesty was able to build Friedrichshof out of the large sum, -estimated at nearly a quarter of a million, which she had inherited from -an intimate friend, the Duchess of Galliera, within a few months of the -Emperor's death. - -In the days when as Crown Princess she was living at the old castle at -Homburg, the Empress had once visited Cronberg. - -After the tragic events of 1888 her Majesty longed to have a place of -her own where she could occupy her mind in building and improving. The -Empress remembered the visit to Cronberg, and as the inquiries she -caused to be made as to its climate, soil, and so on, proved -satisfactory, she decided on the purchase without delay. The owner was -one Dr. Steibel, son-in-law of Mr. Reiss, a Manchester manufacturer who -built the short line of railway connecting Frankfort with Cronberg. The -property consisted of a villa and a few acres, but, as some neighbouring -properties were bought up, the estate was enlarged to some 250 acres. -Fortunately the pine forests surrounding the estate were communal -property. - -The Empress resolved that Friedrichshof should be primarily a memorial -to her husband, a sort of model _domus regalis_, as was shown by the -pathetic inscription on the porch, "Friderici Memoriæ." - -The first thing to do was to make roads, and this, with draining, -building, and planting, occupied fully four years, from 1889 to 1893. - -The villa of Dr. Steibel was practically demolished, and in its place -rose a stately mansion in the style of the early sixteenth century. -There are many examples of this style, which marks the period of -transition from Gothic to Renaissance, to be found along the Rhine and -throughout Hesse and Nassau. The schloss itself and the stables, which -are in the style of a Rhenish or Hessian farmhouse, as well as the -out-buildings, were all designed by Herr Ihne, a famous Berlin -architect; but the Empress herself personally superintended the carrying -out of all his plans. - -The Empress's first idea was to call the place Friedrichsruh, but it was -pointed out that name might cause confusion with Prince Bismarck's -estate in the north of Prussia. The name Friedrichshof was then -suggested by Princess Victoria, and finally adopted. - -The improved relations between the Emperor William and his mother were -exhibited early in 1891. He was desirous of testing the real feeling of -the Paris populace towards Germany, and so with his sanction, possibly -even at his direct request, the Empress Frederick went to Paris. - -If her visit had been a success, there is no doubt that the Emperor -would have next proposed to visit Paris himself, as he had long been -keenly desirous of doing. But the memories of the Franco-Prussian War -were more lasting than the Emperor imagined, and his mother's mission, -so far as it was intended to improve Franco-German relations, was a -failure. - -It was on February 19, 1891, that the Empress Frederick arrived in -Paris. Her visit, though not technically of an official character, could -not be called _incognito_, as she and her daughter, Princess Margaret, -attended by a considerable suite, stayed at the German Embassy. - -The general surprise in Paris was so marked that a _communiqué_ was -issued to the French Press. In this it was pointed out that the Empress, -having consented to accept the position of patroness of an art -exhibition about to be opened in Berlin, had asked some notable French -artists to contribute paintings. A number of these, notably M. -Bouguereau and M. Detaille, had accepted, and she had felt bound to come -to Paris and thank them personally. - -It was erroneously said, not only in the French but also in the German -papers, that this was the first visit the Empress had paid to Paris -since the Franco-Prussian War. This was not the case. She had been there -three times, but on the previous occasions she had stayed at the Hotel -Bristol, and had travelled in real _incognito_. - -The first three or four days of her stay, whatever the public thought of -the reason assigned for it, passed off well. The Empress visited a -considerable number of studios and picture galleries, and she also made -large purchases in some of the curiosity-shops for which Paris has -always been famous. The German Ambassador gave a dinner party each -evening in honour of his august guest, and many members of the -Diplomatic Corps, notably Lord and Lady Lytton, were asked to meet her. - -Meanwhile, the German Press, which had been kept beforehand completely -in the dark as to the visit, was now devoting to it a great deal of not -very kindly attention. It was hinted that the young Emperor wished to -effect a thorough reconciliation with France, and with this idea in view -had asked his mother to _tâter le terrain_. These hints aroused the -susceptibilities of the Boulangist party. Much ill-feeling had been -awakened by the arbitrary suppression of the Ligue des Patriotes, and -long before the Empress's visit a huge protest meeting had been -arranged. The meeting was held, and inflammatory speeches were delivered -in favour of "la Revanche," but no insult of any sort was levelled at -the Imperial visitor. In fact the Empress later testified to the perfect -courtesy which she had received from every class of Frenchman and -Frenchwoman. - -It suddenly became known that twice--once alone with the German -ambassador, and then, on another day, attended by a large suite--the -Empress had driven out from Paris to view the ruins of the Palace of -Saint Cloud, believed by the French to have been wantonly destroyed by -the Prussians in 1870. The Empress also visited Versailles and the -neighbouring battlefields. - -The news of these excursions aroused very bitter feelings among many -otherwise sober and sensible Parisians, to whom the memories of l'Année -Terrible, and especially of the Prussian occupation of Versailles, were -still painfully vivid. Their indignation was intensified when it became -known that some ill-advised Government official had directed that a -laurel wreath placed at the foot of the monument to Henri Regnault, the -greatest French painter of his generation, who was killed at Buzenval, -in the last desperate sortie from Paris, should be removed on the -occasion of the visit of the Empress to the Ministry of Fine Arts. - -This was indeed pouring oil on the fire! It was rumoured that this -special act of tactless stupidity would be the subject of an -interpellation in the Chamber. The depth of feeling aroused is -illustrated by one fact, which did not, however, find its way into the -Press. All those painters who had accepted the Empress's invitation to -exhibit at Berlin received each morning, till their acceptances were -withdrawn, the following _macabre_ visiting-card: - - "HENRI REGNAULT, - "69e battalion de marche, 4e campagnie, - "BUZENVAL." - -Meanwhile, the less responsible section of the Paris Press had also -added fuel to the flame by such headings as "Insultes aux -Français"--"Visites Impériales à Saint Cloud et à Versailles," &c. - -The French Government reluctantly informed the German Ambassador that it -would be advisable that the Empress, who had already prolonged her visit -for several days longer than had at first been arranged, should leave -Paris. On February 26 the following note was sent to the Press: "The -Empress Frederick will leave Paris to-morrow morning for London at 11:30 -_via_ Calais." As a matter of fact, the Imperial party left for London -the next day by the ten o'clock express _via_ Boulogne. - -But the "incident" was by no means over. The French artists who had -accepted the invitation to exhibit their works at Berlin all withdrew -their acceptances, and as a result the German Press burst forth into -most violent and coarse abuse of France and of the French. Indeed, it -looked at one moment as if nothing could prevent the two nations from -rushing at each other's throats. - -The Empress was greatly distressed, and it is on record that she wrote -to her son a long private letter, pointing out that she had been -personally very well received, and indeed most courteously treated, -during her stay in Paris. - -It is clear that in France all parties, and even those members of the -Diplomatic Corps who were personally attached to the Empress, regretted, -if they did not blame, her imprudence, for what had finally lighted the -tinder was the expedition to Versailles. With all her love of French Art -and her sympathy with the French "intellectuals"--her great admiration -for Renan was well known--the Empress Frederick had always taken on the -whole what may be called the German view of the French character--that -is, she regarded the French as gay, frivolous, and lacking in ballast -and in the deeper qualities of humanity. If they had been what their -Imperial guest believed them to be, the nation as a whole would have -shrugged its shoulders and diplomatically remained silent, however -_froissée_ it might have been at such lack of tact on the part of a -great personage. - -Some months later the Empress spoke of the matter to English friends -with deep regret, but still with a curious lack of understanding. She -even mentioned the subject to the then French Ambassador in London, M. -Waddington, eagerly telling him that she had experienced nothing but -respect and even sympathy during the first part of her visit, and -expressing her astonishment and distress at the feeling her visit to -Versailles and the battlefields round Paris had provoked. She had -brought herself by then to share Queen Victoria's view, namely, that the -whole thing had been a more or less histrionic demonstration against the -French Government. - -It showed, however, the Empress's largeness of mind that during this -same visit to England which followed her hasty departure from France she -spoke with the warmest admiration of the verse of Paul Déroulède, the -great chauvinist leader of the Revanche party. - -This was the last intervention of the Empress Frederick in public -affairs. - -In the following year the Empress had the grief of losing a very old -friend in the person of Lord Arthur Russell. Of these three gifted -brothers, who were at once so alike and so different, she said -pathetically: "The chief charm of the two others to me used to be that -they were Lord Odo's brothers, until I came to know them well and to -appreciate each other for his own sake." - -There burst forth, late in the year 1892, a most extraordinary scandal, -in which the Empress Frederick, although the affair was almost -ostentatiously unconnected with her, could not but be deeply interested. - -Various members of the Imperial family, as well as members of their -Households, began to be assailed with scurrilous anonymous letters, -which not only contained shrewd and well-aimed abuse of each individual, -but which also revealed all sorts of shameful secrets to those from whom -they had been sedulously hidden. Long-buried family skeletons were -dragged out into the light of day, and no one was spared. Indeed, the -greatest sufferers were those most closely clustered round about the -throne. There was, however, one exception. The widowed Empress was -neither attacked nor even mentioned, and the attempt was evidently made, -by the writer or writers of these extraordinary communications, to -respect, as far as was possible, the feelings and prejudices of the -Emperor's mother. - -Nothing was left undone to discover the perpetrators of this most evil -and incomprehensible practical joke, if practical joke it was. At first -it was supposed that the letters emanated from two people, presumed to -be husband and wife, but soon it became clear to thoughtful -investigators, and these comprised all the more intelligent members of -the Berlin Court world, that many more than two or even three persons -must be implicated in the conspiracy. Indeed, the Empress Frederick is -said to have observed to a friend that she felt sure that many of those -who had at first been victims had now become aggressors, and that -practically everybody was taking the opportunity of slinging mud by way -of revenge for real or fancied injuries. - -This is not the place to deal with the long and complicated story of -what came to be known as the anonymous letter scandal. No really -satisfactory conclusion was ever attained. Even now German opinion, -notably among those chiefly concerned with the exhaustive investigation -which took place by the Emperor's command, is hopelessly divided. The -affair ended in the imprisonment--unjust as it turned out--of a high -Court official, in a fatal duel, and in many tragi-comedies. - - - - -CHAPTER XX - -LIFE AT FRIEDRICHSHOF - - -For many interesting details and anecdotes in the following chapter, we -are indebted to a valuable pamphlet entitled, "Reminiscences of Victoria -Empress Frederick," by Professor G. A. Leinhaas, her honorary librarian. - -During the building of Friedrichshof the Empress took up her residence -at Homburg and drove over every day, being on the friendliest terms, not -only with the architect and builder, but also with the masons and the -other workmen. One might say that she watched the laying of nearly every -stone, and she must have felt sorry when the work was done. Still, there -was plenty of occupation left for her, when the building was finished, -in superintending the furnishing and other arrangements. At this time -she showed not the least sign of failing health or strength--indeed, for -her age she was remarkably strong and even robust. - -There is no need to enlarge upon the details of the drawing-rooms and -other apartments of the castle, but some of the pictures and sculpture -were of particular interest. For instance, there were many curious -portraits of members of the House of Hanover; a sketch, by Titian, of -the Emperor Charles V of Germany; a fine portrait of Frederick the -Great; and many busts and statues of the Empress's relatives, including -a beautiful marble bust of her son, little Prince Waldemar. - -The fireplace in the library deserves mention, being of Istrian stone in -the Venetian style--indeed, all through the castle the fireplaces were -of remarkable artistic beauty. Thus, that in the great dining-room was -of marble supported on columns, and surmounted by a bust of the Emperor -Frederick. - -In the library was placed a replica of the altarpiece in Cologne -Cathedral, representing the Adorations of the Magi. The bookcases, -running nearly all round the room, contained the Empress's collection of -some thirty years. One case was devoted entirely to books dedicated to -her, and the authors of many of them had been admitted to her personal -friendship. Another section contained all the books written on the -subject of the English Royal family, and many of these were gifts with -inscriptions in Queen Victoria's large, clear handwriting. - -Every book in the library had been examined by the Empress, and many of -them had been read and re-read. This was notably the case in the section -devoted to political economy, a subject in which she was intensely -interested. Here were to be seen all the works of Jeremy Bentham, a gift -from Dean Stanley; here, too, were kept the Empress's marvellous -collection of autographs, begun when she was twelve years old, and -containing the handwriting, not only of practically all the Royal -personages of Europe, but also of statesmen, artists, and literary and -scientific men, who had all made their mark in their several callings. - -The Empress was indeed a collector. Her possessions afforded her intense -pleasure; to use her own expressive phrase: "One loves one's own things -so much; one strokes them with one's eyes." - -There was arranged in glass cases her collection of coins and medals, -which contained some particularly fine and rare examples from the -Brandenburg-Prussian, English, French, and Vatican mints. One case was -devoted to a numismatic portrait-gallery of her own relations. - -Her collection of photographs, each properly titled, took up 300 -portfolios. When going over these the Empress would wax enthusiastic -over the views of the places where she had herself stayed, particularly -those in Italy, such as Rapallo, S. Margherita, Baveno, and Portofino. A -favourite city of hers was Triest, of which she seemed to know every -stock and stone. - -In the library, too, there was much to recall the Emperor Frederick. -Every word that her husband had ever written, however trivial, the -Empress carefully preserved. All his marginal notes were treated with -fixative, and one of her chief cares when sending any books to -institutions was to make sure that there was nothing written in her -husband's own hand in them. - -[Illustration: THE LATE EMPRESS FREDERICK] - -The Empress was fond of collecting curiosities,--bits of old oak, old -sculpture, and silver--and she amused herself from time to time in -bargaining for these things in cottages and dealers' shops. Nor was she -superior to the familiar pride of the collector in displaying her -treasures afterwards and explaining what bargains she had secured. The -Empress, especially as a young woman, did not care very much for -reading, though she was fond of being read aloud to, as are most Royal -personages. She was, however, passionately interested in books, and it -is recorded that in her tenth year she spent all her pocket-money on -them. As she grew older, she read more, but she read in order to -instruct herself rather than for pleasure. As a matter of course she -always read all those books published in her native country which made -any stir, whether they were memoirs, books of exploration, essays, or -novels. - -At half-past ten every morning (Sundays excepted) the Empress went into -her library to work. She was an extremely rapid reader, and if her -intellectual interests--science, theology, philosophy, history, -literature, archæology, art, economics, hygiene--may have seemed too -discursive there is abundant evidence to acquit her of dilettanteism. -She possessed in all these different branches a solid foundation of -knowledge, which enabled her to understand and appreciate the -discussions of experts. Like her brother, King Edward, she possessed in -a high degree the truly Royal gift of assimilating knowledge from -conversation, and she had been so well "grounded," so to speak, that -whenever she talked with a specialist in any subject she knew just what -questions to ask. - -When reading a book, the Empress almost always made notes in the margin. -This is interesting as showing how restlessly alive, and in a sense -over-stimulated, her brain must always have been. It is perhaps a -fortunate thing during her long illness, for even then she never felt -any wish to be idle, or to sit alone and think of herself. - -In the grounds of Friedrichshof her Majesty was able to indulge to the -full her love of gardening. Not only did she know the Latin names of -every plant and flower, but she was a really practical gardener, able to -design landscape schemes. - -The rosery, for instance, was her creation. About half an acre in -extent, it resembled the rosery at Birkhall, on the Balmoral estate. It -sloped gently upwards, divided into numerous little terraces, bearing -double rows of half-standard roses, and it was bounded partly by a -creeper-clad wall, and partly by trelliswork over which roses were -trained. In the flower-beds of her ordinary garden her Majesty showed -her strong preference for old-fashioned English flowers--indeed, -throughout she evidently aimed at reproducing the mingled beauty and -repose so characteristic of English gardens. All kinds of trees, too, -she planted, and many have the added interest of an iron tablet -recording that it was planted by some Royal or distinguished visitor. - -The Empress certainly had no lack of occupation and interest at -Cronberg. She had always been fascinated by restoration and excavation -work, and fortunately Cronberg possessed both an old castle and an old -church, which she eagerly set herself to preserve for future -generations. At the old Burg she found many ancient remains, such as -arrowheads, keys, &c., and, most important of all, several Gothic iron -"Ofenplatten." She was interested in every detail. Once she spent a long -time hunting for a passage-way which she knew must be there because of -the "pechnaze," or slit in the wall through which boiling lead used to -be poured in mediæval sieges. When out riding she always kept a keen -look-out for survivals of the past. Thus she was much interested in the -iron crosses to be found in the Taunus, and she proposed to draw all the -different kinds and publish a book about them. - -To the restoration of Cronberg Church the Empress devoted an immense -amount of personal trouble. Two Ministers and some important officials -had to be approached before the order from the Cabinet was obtained -granting the necessary financial help. When it was at last issued, the -Empress herself brought it to Cronberg, and, arriving there in the -evening, carried it the first thing in the morning to the pastor. Hardly -a nail was put in the church without her knowledge. She studied and -re-studied for months the details of windows, doors, hinges, &c. Her -delight was great when under the whitewash she discovered some frescoes -of the fifteenth century. - -A tablet was put up in the choir setting forth what the Empress had done -for the restoration of the church, but here the truly modest nature of -the woman showed itself. She had the tablet removed from the choir, and -refixed in a place high up where it is practically unseen. - -It is pleasant to look back on these comparatively happy years at -Friedrichshof. The Empress as a rule dressed very simply in black. Her -only jewellery were two gold rings, one with a sapphire and two -diamonds, and the other a smooth ruby, while a miniature of the Emperor -Frederick hung round her neck. She was up early every morning. She liked -to see everything bright and gleaming in the Castle, and not a speck of -dust was allowed. At eight o'clock it was her habit to go out riding for -two hours. She was an excellent horsewoman and full of daring; even when -nearing sixty she still jumped difficult ditches and obstacles, and she -always rode young and spirited animals. Once she was pushed against a -wall by a frisky horse, and later she had the more serious accident -which some think brought about her final illness. But even in the worst -weather she never gave up her morning ride. - -During her widowhood the Empress had at last the joy of knowing that she -was really loved and understood by her neighbours, both gentle and -simple. She was regarded at Cronberg much as Queen Victoria was regarded -in the neighbourhood of Balmoral. She made herself acquainted with -practically the whole population, not only with the poor, on whom she -was able to shower intelligent gifts and much practical good advice, but -also with that difficult intermediate class who, all the world over, -generally remain out of touch with the great house of the village. - -People of this class dwelt in little châlets which began to spring up -over that healthy and beautiful neighbourhood, but even their thorny -pride was not proof against the Empress's friendliness, in which there -was never any touch of condescension or patronage. There were not a few -artists living in the neighbourhood, and with some of these the Empress -was on specially intimate terms. She was fond of dropping in and finding -them at work. The Empress was full of quaint conceits and ideas; thus, -when she was going to see an artist or anyone in whom she took a special -interest, she liked to choose his birthday for the visit. Her energy was -extraordinary. One observer who saw a great deal of her in her widowhood -declares that she used to go upstairs and downstairs like a young girl, -and when she greeted the company assembled at table every compulsion of -etiquette seemed to be instantly removed. - -Naturally Cronberg benefited by her great knowledge of hygiene. To the -elaborately equipped hospital which she founded there, she gave the most -punctilious care. She often cut her roses herself and took them to the -sick. The Empress also built a poorhouse, a Victoria school, and a -library for the people, and she arranged the Victoria and Kaiser -Friedrich public park. She hated leaving Cronberg every autumn: "The -departure is dreadful to me," she said on one occasion: "when I am -travelling I feel like a mussel without its shell." - -Professor Nippold, in his book on the first two German Emperors, has -drawn a very sympathetic and understanding picture of the Empress -Frederick. - -She had, he says, a most cheerful temperament, and a rapid eye for the -humorous, in spite of so many terrible blows of fate. She always saw -everything from the good side and quickly forgave people their faults; -no one was allowed to speak ill of anyone in her presence. She was often -misunderstood and unjustly accused, and when she saw things written -against her in the papers she was terribly wounded. For instance, it was -said that she had prevented the building of a tower on the "Altkönig" -for the public to enjoy the view, but the fact was that she had never -heard anything about the proposal. Sometimes she could hardly be -restrained from answering some of these base accusations. She was also -accused of parsimony, and her income was enormously exaggerated. The -claims on her purse were innumerable. She had forty-two philanthropic -institutions which she had to help, and in one year there were -thirty-seven bazaars, to each of which she had to send gifts. Altogether -her expenses were enormously heavy. - -When the Empress is blamed for being a thorough Englishwoman, let it be -said at once, exclaims Professor Nippold, that everything good and -praiseworthy in England she tried to introduce into her own adopted -country. She was always vexed and pained when things were said against -England, more especially in the case of England's colonies. "The -English," she would say, "arrange everything in the Colonies most -beautifully,--roads, railways, post, telegraphs, hospitals, schools, and -police, and then everyone, to whichever nation he belongs, can trade -undisturbed. And I cannot think that for that England should be thanked -in such an evil way!" Many people regarded it as an injustice to Germany -that she should have had such warm sympathies with England. She was -through and through an Englishwoman, if not by descent, yet by every -impression received in childhood and by education. - -The professor goes on to express the opinion that no Englishman or -Englishwoman, of whatever age, ever gives up his or her nationality and -love of country, in whatever circumstances they may find themselves, "a -contrast to so many Germans, who are far less faithful to their -nationality. The Empress Frederick, as eldest child of Queen Victoria of -England, had the title of Princess Royal, and she could not help feeling -herself the first princess of a wonderful Empire of very old culture, -and this proud feeling never left her." - -This estimate and defence of the Empress is particularly valuable as -coming from a man of shrewd intelligence and observation, who was -himself a German. - -On another occasion Nippold wrote of the Empress with clear insight: -"One thing this distinguished woman never understood--to hide her -feelings. She never posed; everything was sincere in her in the true -sense of the word." - -In her will the Empress left Professor Nippold a letter-weight, which -she had used every day, as a souvenir of a conversation they had had one -evening in her study. This letter-weight, which always lay on her table, -was composed of an old Roman bronze--a broken Sphinx figure--on a marble -slab. A ring bound this figure to the slab, and the inscription engraved -was: "This stone was picked up by H.R.H. Princess Elizabeth on the walk -of Frogmore, 1808." - -Professor Nippold goes on to say that while the Empress was talking to -him one evening a telegram arrived which obviously had to do with the -crisis which led to the Greco-Turkish War. As Nippold saw that she was -much preoccupied with the telegram and had to think of the answer, and -yet did not want to send him away, he delicately asked to be allowed to -wait and look at the pictures. When the Empress resumed the -conversation, the professor asked about a picture which hung in the -study. She named the different figures in the group, among them being -that young Princess Elizabeth who had found the stone. - -That she should have left Nippold the letter-weight showed, as he truly -says, the wonderful memory and kindly attention in which consists _la -politesse des Princes_. - -The Princess Elizabeth married one of the last Counts of Hesse-Homburg. -Since then a monument to that Royal house has been erected in Homburg, -and in the Emperor's speech at the unveiling on August 17, 1906, -occurred these words: "I commemorate the Landgräfin Elizabeth, a -daughter of George III of England. She was a real mother to this country -and worked and cared for her adopted fatherland. The Homburgers to this -day think of her with real thankfulness and reverence." - -Professor Nippold gives a characteristic letter which he received from -the Empress, evidently on the subject of those historical studies of -the House of Hohenzollern to which, as we have already mentioned, the -Emperor Frederick at one time devoted himself with ardour. The letter is -so interesting, especially in the views which it expresses on the -subject of royal biography, that to quote it in full needs no apology: - - "DEAR PROFESSOR,--Many thanks for sending the separate pages from - the _Deutsche Revue_ of February, and for your excellent report, - which has so much in it that does my heart good. You mean well and - truly, not only as regards history, but also with the noble men who - now lie in their graves, and whose deeds and influence should be - properly appreciated in wide circles and through the proper medium. - - "The work grows, however, even as you work upon it; the subject - becomes more and more important, and one should ask oneself whether - the time has come thus to lift the veil. Would it not be wiser and - more cautious to close these papers for the _Revue_, and then to - continue your labours, so that later a book could appear for which - we could utilise this material, but not lightly or too soon? The - letter of which you send me a copy--from our Kaiser Friedrich - Wilhelm IV--should not, for instance, appear without the letter - from my father, but that would arouse a fearful storm of - discussion. In the political world there is so much tinder ready - that one must do all one can to avoid bringing in anything - exciting. - - "As long as Bismarck is alive, it is very difficult! Also these - things affect my mother, so that I should like very much to have a - serious talk with you before the publication continues in the - _Deutsche Revue_. Professor Ranke has handled the life of Friedrich - Wilhelm IV as the Court here wished it to be treated. Similar books - have now appeared, with authorisation, with regard to the Kaiser - Wilhelm, and in Weimar, I believe, someone is writing a book on the - Kaiserin Augusta. All these writers, however, are strictly - conservative and orthodox in religion (therefore one-sided), and of - all those currents which flowed into the lives of the dead, no word - is spoken, in the sense that I mean. It is impossible thus to omit - and yet give the public a true picture of the persons, of their - time, and of the parts they played. You will see for yourself the - consequences of such publication. You have more experience than I, - and perhaps you can reassure me." - - - - -CHAPTER XXI - -LAST YEARS - - -During the last years of her life, the Empress Frederick paid repeated -visits to England, where she had many attached friends. - -She much enjoyed a visit to the Bishop of Ripon in 1895, when she was -able to study the wood carving in the cathedral, as well as Fountains -Abbey and other places of historical interest. It was characteristic of -her that only a few moments before she left Ripon, while she was -actually waiting for the carriage to take her to the station, she -exclaimed, "How much I should like to paint this view!" Drawing -materials and a paint-box were brought her; she sat down, and in a few -minutes produced a charming sketch of the cathedral amid fields and -trees. - -As an artist the Empress was undoubtedly far more than a mere amateur, -especially in sculpture. It is said that on one occasion, having given a -commission to the famous German sculptor, Uphues, for a colossal statue -of the Emperor Frederick, she visited his studio one day when he was at -work on the clay model. This did not seem to her to promise a good -likeness, and she thereupon set to work on the clay herself, and in -about half an hour she quite transformed the model, so that when it was -carried out in marble it became universally recognised as the best -presentment in existence of the Emperor's features. Uphues also made a -bust of the Empress herself, which was set up in 1902 on the Kaiser -Friedrich Promenade at Homburg. - -The Empress had first met the Boyd Carpenters in 1866, soon after the -death of Prince Sigismund. She happened to hear a sermon from the then -Canon Boyd Carpenter which brought her much comfort, and the -acquaintance then begun developed into warm friendship. - -The Bishop had a great admiration for the Empress's sympathetic alacrity -of mind. "She had wide range," he writes, "and quick intellectual -sympathies; she understood a passing allusion; she followed the track of -thought; there were no irritating delays; there were no vacant -incoherences in an observation, which show that the thread has been -lost. She had read; she had thought; she had travelled; she had -observed; she had mixed with many of the foremost minds of the time; she -had taken practical part in many great and humane enterprises. -Consequently her range was large, and her mental equipment was well -furnished and ready for use. Conversation with her could never become -insipid." - -The Empress always did everything she could to improve Anglo-German -relations, and the feeling aroused by the famous telegram which her son -sent to President Kruger in January, 1896, keenly distressed her. She -wrote to her old friend Sir Mountstuart Grant Duff: - -"But even this most sad episode between our two countries has not shaken -my faith in our old opinions that there are many, many higher interests -in common, why we should get on together and be of use to each other in -helping on civilisation and progress. I trust that a good understanding -will outlive hatred and jealousy." - -And again: "When I think of my father and of all his friends and of our -friends, it appears to me almost ludicrous that Germany and England -should be enemies." - -In 1897 the Empress Frederick took part in the Diamond Jubilee, driving -in the procession with Princess Henry of Battenberg. The sight of the -two widowed sisters, who had put aside their grief to join in that great -day of national rejoicing, deeply touched many of the spectators. The -Empress herself wrote of this occasion in which she "gladly and -thankfully joined with proud heart": - -"The weight of lonely, hidden grief often feels heaviest when all -surroundings are in such contrast. And yet the heart of man is so made -that many feelings find room in it together; so gratitude and -thankfulness mingle with memories so sad that they can never lose their -bitterness." - -Madame Waddington, the wife of that old Rugby and Cambridge man who -filled with such distinction the post of French Ambassador in London, -has left a record of a conversation she had with the Empress in August, -1897. Madame Waddington, who was an American by birth, was struck by a -question the Empress asked her, namely, whether she did not find it -difficult to settle down in France after having lived ten years in -London--"the great centre of the world." Madame Waddington replied that -she was not at all to be pitied for living in Paris, that her son was a -Frenchman, and all his interests were in France. She adds: "Au fond, -notwithstanding all the years she has lived in Germany, the Empress is -absolutely English still in her heart." - -They had some talk about Wagner, and Madame Waddington informed the -Empress that there was a difficulty as to the performance of _Die -Meistersinger_ at the Grand Opera owing to the fact that Frau Wagner -considered the choruses too difficult to translate or to sing with the -true spirit in any language but German. The Empress replied: - -"She is quite right; it is one of the most difficult of Wagner's operas, -and essentially German in plot and structure. It scarcely bears -translation in English, and in French would be impossible;--neither is -the music in my mind at all suited to the French character. The mythical -legends of the Cycle would appeal more to the French, I think, than the -ordinary German life." - -The Empress was a real connoisseur in music, of which she had a wide -knowledge, though her skill as a performer was considered to be inferior -to that of Queen Victoria. - -Like her mother, the Empress Frederick was a great letter-writer. She -wrote in a mixture of German and English, choosing the most telling -expressions, and she was in constant communication with various -distinguished Englishmen for years. To them she sent long and very frank -letters about everything that interested her, especially foreign -politics. - -As has been already indicated in this book, the Empress was in the habit -of showing far more clearly than most Royal personages allow themselves -to do, exactly what she felt about those whom she met even for the first -or second time. This found either an answering antagonism or a -reciprocal liking in those with whom she was brought in contact. - -Many of the distinguished men whom she heartily admired speak of her, -and that in their most secret letters and diaries, with an admiration -approaching enthusiasm. But now and again comes a discordant note. Such -may be found in Mr. G. W. Smalley's _Anglo-American Memories_. - -The old journalist describes her in a way which gives a far from -pleasant impression of the Empress towards the end of her life. He was -presented to her by the then Prince of Wales at Homburg, and the first -thing he noticed was that, though she was very like Queen Victoria, her -manner was less simple and therefore had less authority. He also -criticises her dress, and observes that both the late Queen and her -eldest daughter "showed an indifference to the art of personal -adornment." - -Mr. Smalley admits that the Empress has a much greater vivacity than the -Queen, but he thinks that this vivacity becomes restless, and that her -mind can never be in repose. He says drily that, from her marriage and -down to the day of the Emperor Frederick's death, she had lived in a -dream-world of her own creation, her belief being so strong, her -conviction that she knew what was best for those about her so complete, -that the facts had to adjust themselves as best they could to that -belief and that conviction. - -As was the Empress's way when a stranger, and especially a foreigner, -was presented to her, she at once began to talk of Mr. Smalley's country -and of what she supposed would interest him. Instead of allowing him to -say what he thought, she plunged directly into American topics, -especially commenting on what she supposed to be the position of women -in the United States. It soon became clear, or so he thought, that she -had a correspondent in Chicago from whom she had derived her -impressions. "She talked with clearness, with energy and almost -apostolic fervour, the voice penetrating rather than melodious." - -Mr. Smalley said to himself that all that she asserted might be true of -Chicago, but of what else was it true? And he was evidently much nettled -that she generalised from the "Windy City" to the rest of the United -States. - -Instead of seeing, as probably most women would have seen, that she was -speaking to an auditor who was fast becoming prejudiced, the Empress -continued to unburden herself in the frankest, freest way to this -journalist whom she had never met before. She even seems to have touched -on politics, on Anglo-German relations, on the internal affairs of -Germany: - -"Never for a moment did this dreamer's talk stop or grow sluggish. -Carlyle summed up Macaulay in the phrase 'Flow on, thou shining river'; -he might in a sardonic mood have done the same to this Princess." - -It was an illuminating interview, declares Mr. Smalley, throwing light -on events to come as well as on those of the past, and he goes on to -explain that multitudes of Germans shared Bismarck's distrust of the -Crown Princess, and believed that she wanted to Anglicise Germany. He -reiterates what has so often been said--that she told all-comers that -what Germany needed was Parliamentary government as it was understood -and practised in England. In little things as in great she made no -secret for her preference for what was English over what was German: - -"Judgment was not her strong point, nor was tact; if I am to say what -was her strong point, I suppose it would be sincerity. Her gifts of mind -were dazzling rather than sound; impulse was not always under control. -Her animosities once roused never slept, as Prince Bismarck well knew." - -Seldom has a more prejudiced view of the Empress been given to the -world, but it is interesting as showing how she sometimes impressed -those who had been fascinated by the Bismarck legend when they were -brought into passing contact with her eager, enthusiastic mind. - -To a fall from her horse at Cronberg in the autumn of 1898 may be traced -the beginning of that merciless disease which ultimately killed her. - -It was a bad accident. The horse reared and the Empress fell on the -wrong side on her head with her feet under the horse and her habit still -clinging to the saddle. Her head was much bruised, and her right hand -was injured and trodden on by the horse. She was not at all frightened, -indeed she took it very calmly, observing: - -"I have ridden for fifty years, and it is natural that an accident must -come sooner or later. But I shall ride to-morrow. I'm going to try and -paint and write some letters in spite of my hand." - -But her injuries did not yield to treatment, and very soon began the -long martyrdom of pain which she bore for more than two years with the -same stoic fortitude which the Emperor Frederick had shown. The disease -was undoubtedly cancer, and it is suggested that it had been gathering -force for quite a number of years. However that may be, it was certainly -known in 1900 that a cure was impossible. - -The most terrible feature of these last months was the severe pain which -seized her at intervals. It was characteristic, both of her courage and -of her kindly nature, that during these attacks she would not see even -the members of her family, to whom the sight of her sufferings would -have been so distressing. But in the intervals she occupied herself with -conversation, or one of her ladies would read aloud to her, and she even -painted a little. Her son, the Emperor, was constant in his attentions, -coming over almost daily from Homburg, but even he was only allowed to -remain with her a few minutes at a time. - -Physically the patient had suffered a great change. Her cheeks, which -had been round and apparently in the bloom of health, gradually became -thin and sunken, and her face assumed that curious transparent paleness -which is the unmistakable sign of approaching death. - -It is said that when the Empress received the news of Queen Victoria's -death, in January, 1901, she said to those about her: "I wish I were -dead too." But for more than six months longer she bore with -extraordinary fortitude the chronic suffering which the most able -physicians were unable to relieve. Her consideration for those around -her was constant. On one occasion, in a spasm of agony, she cried out -loudly and seized the nurse's hand; then at once apologised: "I am so -sorry, I am afraid I hurt you." The nurse said afterwards, "I have only -been with the Empress for a week, but already she has filled me with -higher ideals, and I am going back resolved to be a better nurse than -ever." - -As long as it was possible, the Empress continued her painting and -drawing; and to the very end she was especially happy when she was able -to work with some practical object in view, such as the laying out of a -new rose-garden or suggesting alterations in architectural plans. Her -greatest pleasure--and she was intensely susceptible to happiness even -during the last six sad months--was a visit from her eldest brother. -When she was expecting King Edward, she supervised closely every little -arrangement made for his comfort and convenience, and while doing so she -would be wheeled in her bath-chair about the rooms he was to occupy. - -She felt most deeply the attacks which were then being made in Germany -on England, and even on King Edward, at the time of the Boer War. An -article in the _Vossische Zeitung_, which observed that such attacks on -a constitutional Sovereign were unworthy of a great nation, gave her -much satisfaction. - -King Edward paid his last visit to his sister at Cronberg in February, -1901. A contemporary chronicler notes that everything was arranged to -show that the visit was meant for the Empress Frederick and not for her -son. This was doubtless by the wish of the Emperor himself, for, though -he did all due honour to his uncle, meeting him at Frankfort and -conducting him across the lovely Taunus Valley, to the very door of -Friedrichshof, he took leave of King Edward at the threshold, so that -the brother and sister might be alone at their first meeting. - -Among the last English visitors received by the Empress at Friedrichshof -were her old friends, the Boyd Carpenters. This was in May, 1901. - -They found her on their arrival lying on a couch in her beautiful -garden, and the Bishop was struck by her likeness to Queen Victoria--a -likeness enhanced by the black dress and by the form of hat which she -wore. The Empress rejoiced in the spring and in the colour which was -spreading everywhere through her garden. She still took a practical -interest in everything concerning the beautiful home she had created. -The Bishop gives one instance: the great blue face of the clock, the -tower of which dominated Friedrichshof, needed re-painting. Before she -decided what exact tint should be used, she caused slips of paper giving -different shades of blue to be held up against the face of the clock. -Then she made up her mind. - -Once, as they passed through the flower garden together, she quoted to -the Bishop the words, "The effectual prayer of a righteous man availeth -much." Another time, looking round at the beauty of the trees she had -planted, she said, "I feel like Moses on Pisgah, looking at the land of -promise which I must not enter." - -When parting from Mrs. Boyd Carpenter, for whom she had a great regard, -the Empress gave her a bracelet of her own, one she had often worn and -with which she had affectionate associations. - -To the Bishop she gave a seal which had belonged to Queen Victoria, and -which had been in the room when the Queen died. It commemorated a picnic -in Scotland, in which the Queen, the Prince Consort, and Princess Alice -had shared. The seal, mounted in silver and set in Aberdeen granite, was -a cairngorm found by Prince Albert and Princess Alice on that day. - -The Bishop remained with her a moment at the very last, and she said to -him, "When I am gone I want you to read the English Burial Service over -me." And then she characteristically explained to him exactly what would -have to be done to make this possible. When the end came three months -later, thanks to the prompt acquiescence of the Emperor, his mother's -wishes were carried out. - -The Empress became much worse at the beginning of August, and, by the -wish of her son, Canon Teignmouth-Shore was telegraphed for. He arrived -at Friedrichshof on August 5, and in the presence of the Emperor and the -Empress's daughters the Canon knelt down and offered some prayers from -the Office for the Visitation of the Sick. The whole sad scene, he says, -was quite over-powering and far too sacred for him to describe. "The -dying Empress was at first slightly conscious, and I could see a gentle -movement of her lips as we said the Lord's Prayer." - -Towards six o'clock in the evening the Canon was again summoned to the -sick-room. "The sweet noble soul was just passing away. I said a few -prayers at the bedside, concluding with the first two verses of that -exquisite poem, 'Now the labourer's task is o'er.'" - -A butterfly flew into the room and hovered for awhile over the dying -Empress, and when she had breathed her last it spread its wings and flew -out into the free air again. - -The Emperor desired Canon Teignmouth-Shore to arrange with Dr. Boyd -Carpenter for a private funeral service to be held at Friedrichshof. - -On the following Sunday the Canon preached a funeral sermon in the -English church at Homburg. In it he made a statement with regard to her -Majesty's religious views which deserves quotation: - -"The religious conceptions which inspired and guided this life, alike in -its humblest and in its loftiest spheres of action, were, as I believe, -neither crude nor complex nor dogmatic; they were clear and simple and -broad--an absolute faith in the Fatherhood of God, and in the -Brotherhood and redeeming love of Him who died that we might live." - -The Lutheran funeral service, which was held in the parish church of -Cronberg, was most impressive in its simplicity. At one point of the -service the Crown Prince and three of his young brothers rose from their -seats, and, having put on their helmets, drew their swords and took -their places at each corner of the coffin of their grandmother, where -they remained until the end of the service. - -This old church, which, as we know, the Empress had herself restored, -dates back to the middle of the fifteenth century. On the organ, which -is of exquisite tone, Mendelssohn often played when he visited the -Taunus. - -Perhaps the most touching of all the hundreds of wreaths sent for the -funeral was one of simple heather which had been made by the Emperor's -younger children. Attached to it was a sheet of black-edged paper on -which they had all written their names in large childish characters. - -The Empress was buried beside her husband and her son Waldemar in the -Friedenskirche at Potsdam, and the sarcophagus over her tomb is by her -artist friend, Begas. - -Of memorials to her, there is the bust at Homburg already mentioned. In -the English church at Homburg, where she attended divine service for -the first time after the death of her husband, is a memorial consisting -of four reliefs, placed in the spandrels of the arches in the aisle, -representing the four Evangelists. A striking statue of the Empress in -coronation robes by Gerth was unveiled by the Emperor William in -October, 1903. It is opposite the statue of her husband in the open -space outside the Brandenburg gate at Berlin. - -So lived, and so died, this most gifted and generous lady, who was -rendered illustrious, not by the symbols of her Imperial station, but by -her many winning qualities of heart and intellect. - -We cannot do better than quote in conclusion from the remarkable -tributes which were paid to her memory by the late Lord Salisbury and -the late Lord Spencer. - -Lord Salisbury, who was then Prime Minister, in moving an address of -condolence with King Edward in the House of Lords, summed up in masterly -fashion both the beauty and the tragedy of the Empress's life: - -"When the then Princess Royal left these shores, there was no person, -either of contemporary experience or in history, before whom a brighter -prospect extended itself in life, and all that could make it desirable -spread itself before her. She had a devoted husband, himself one of the -noblest characters of his generation, who probably centred in himself -more admiration than any man in his rank or in any rank. She had every -prospect of becoming the Consort of the Emperor--an absolute -emperor--of the greatest of the Continental Powers. She had every hope -that she would share fully in his illustrious position, and in no small -degree in the powers that he wielded. This was before her for nearly -thirty years, and in that time she had all the enjoyments which were -derived from her own great abilities, her own splendid artistic talents, -and from the powers which she exercised over the artistic, æsthetic, and -intellectual life of Germany. She occupied an unexampled position. Then -suddenly came the blow, first on her husband and then on herself. By -that fell disease--which probably is the most formidable of all to which -flesh is heir--her dream of happiness, of usefulness, and glory was -suddenly cut short. The blow, in striking her husband, struck herself in -even greater degree; and she felt--she could not but feel--how deeply -she shared in all the disappointments, all the sufferings, that attached -themselves to his history. When he had been Emperor only a few weeks, he -died, and then she spent her life in retirement. Her health failed, and -she, too, fell under the same blow, passing through years of suffering, -with the sympathy of all connected with her and all those who knew her. -She was deeply valued in this country by those who knew her, and they -were very many. She had an artistic and intellectual charm of no common -order; she spread her power over all who came within her reach; and her -gradual disappearance from the scene was watched with the deepest -sorrow and sympathy by numbers in her own country and in this." - -The motion was seconded on behalf of the Opposition by Lord Spencer, -who, it will be remembered, was a near kinsman of that Lady Lyttelton to -whom was entrusted the charge of the Empress's early childhood: - -"Her Imperial Majesty had no ordinary character. Brought up with the -greatest care and solicitude by her Royal and devoted parents, she early -and ever afterwards showed the highest accomplishments, not only in art -but in literature. She was herself an artist of no small merit, and her -power of criticism and influence in art was even of a higher order. In -this age, which had been so remarkable for the enormous number of -persons who have joined in endeavours to alleviate the sufferings of the -human race, whether in peace or in war, I venture to think that no one -stands in a higher position than the Empress Frederick of Germany. -During those wars, in which her illustrious husband played such a -splendid part, she exerted herself to do all she could to alleviate the -sufferings of the wounded, and she had ever in peace used her endeavours -to promote the same objects among the suffering poor of her country. No -one, I am sure, will be remembered in the future with more affection and -devotion on this account than her Majesty. She was always sympathetic -and energetic with regard to other matters. There was nothing which -stirred her sympathies or energies more than the education and -improvement of her own sex. She did much in this respect in her adopted -country; but we cannot consider her life without remembering the -beautiful simplicity and earnestness of it. She was devoted to duty, and -although she suffered intensely during her life when her noble husband -was afflicted with the terrible disease which took him off, and during -the sad years in which the same malady afflicted her, she always showed -a patient endurance which will remain an example for all mankind. I -cannot but refer to her great charm in private as well as in public -life. It so happened that very early in my life, before she was married, -she honoured me with her acquaintance. It was only on rare occasions I -had the privilege of continuing that acquaintance, but I have from time -to time within the last few years seen her Majesty, and I shall always -recall, as one of the most delightful recollections of my life, the -charm and influence of her conversation." - - - - -INDEX - - -Abeken, Herr, 243 - -Aberdeen, Lord, 48 - -Adelaide, Queen Dowager, 3, 28 - -Albert, Prince, 1, 2, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9; - his children's affection, 11, 12, 209; - Exhibition of 1851, 16, 17; - view of German politics, 26, 27, 37, 38, 46, 47, 53, 113, 122, 124-131, 136, 138, 139, 162, 165, 166; - training of the Princess Royal, 32-35; - her betrothal, 36-38, 41, 45-50; - and marriage, 60-68; - letters to his daughter, 71, 72, 74-76, 80, 81, 87-89, 103, 105-107, 113, 114, 115, 117, 118, 124, 127-132, 135, 138, 148; - visits to his daughter, 119, 122; - acquaintance with Morier, 155; - first meeting with Bismarck, 162; - theory of monarchy, 127-130; - narrow escape, 120; - death, 149-151, 153 - -Alcott, Miss, 14 - -Alexander of Bulgaria, Prince, 310, 313 - -Alexander I, the Tsar; Alexander II, 22, 263, 267, 278 - -Alexandra, Queen, 108, 109, 177, 263 - -Alice, Princess (Grand Duchess of Hesse), 4, 6, 11, 12, 48, 60, 62, 106, 116, 131; - wedding, 154, 197, 205, 212, 214, 222, 223, 233, 236, 237; - death, 273, 323, 324 - -Althorp, Lord, 6, 8 - -Ampthill, Lord and Lady, 252, 284, 285, 286, 338 - -Anderson, Mrs., 50 - -Angeli, Von, 251, 256, 264 - -Arnold, Matthew, 281-284 - -Augusta, German Empress, 17, 19, 25, 27, 39, 60, 77, 78, 154, 156, 157, 185, 214, 228, 230, 233, 246, 267, 305; - death, 326, 327, 328, 353 - -Augustenburg, Duke Christian of Sonderburg-, 179 - -Augustenburg, Hereditary Prince Frederick of Sonderburg-, 180-183, 210, 211, 275 - -Austria, Emperor Francis Joseph, 174, 197, 211, 280 - - -Babelsberg, 90, 92, 96, 109, 110 - -Bacourt, Monsieur de, 78 - -Baden, Prince Regent of, 38 - -Ballardin, M., 306 - -Barclay & Perkins's draymen, 68 - -Battenberg marriage, the, 306, 309, 312 - -Bavaria, King of, 228, 241 - -Bazaine, Marshal, 228, 241, 317 - -Beatrice, Princess (Princess Henry of Battenberg), 118, 356 - -Begas, 251 - -Benedek, 218 - -Benedetti, 230 - -Bergmann, Prof., 289 - -Bernhard of Saxe-Meiningen, Prince, 266, 267 - -Bernhardi, Theodor von, 157, 188 - -Bismarck, Prince, opinion of the English marriage, 39; - relations with Crown Princess, 152, 153, 162-167, 256, 258, 275, 285, 286; - relations with Morier, 157, 207; - accession to office, 159, 166; - Dantzig incident, 168, 169; - relations with Crown Prince, 175, 285, 286; - policy on Scheswig-Holstein question, 182, 185, 210-211; - attitude to royal personages, 210; - Austrian war, 210-212, 217-221; - visit to Paris, 223; - at a royal christening, 228; - Franco-German war, 228-230, 239-240, 245, 248; - the Imperial Dignity, 241, 242, 255; - "British petticoats," 256-258; - and Hinzpeter, 261, 267; - and the Regency of the Crown Prince, 267-271, 283, 284; - and the Crown Prince's illness, 289, 290; - relations with the Emperor and Empress Frederick, 302-307, 308-312, 313-319, 321-326, 353, 360, 361; - fall, 327, 328 - -Bleibtreu, 251 - -Bloomfield, Lady, 39, - and Lord, 74, 136 - -Blumenthal, Field-Marshal, 217 - -Bornstedt, country life at, 111 - -Bötticher, 303 - -Bouguereau, M., 333 - -Boyd Carpenter, Bishop, 66, 353, 354, 364, 365 - -Brühl, Countess Hedwig, 189 - -Brunnemann, Privy Councillor, 97 - -Brunnow, 87 - -Buccleuch, Duke of, 66 - -Buchanan, Mr., 45 - -Bucher, 238, 266 - -Bunsen, Baron, 27, 152 - -Bunsen, Mme., 25 - -Busch, 238, 266, 275, 306, 308, 319 - - -Canning, Lord, 47 - -Carlyle, 110, 160, 360 - -Charles Anthony of Hohenzollern, Prince, 97 - -Charles of Prussia, Prince, 279, 280 - -Charles of Prussia, Princess, 79 - -Charles of Roumania, Prince and Princess, 214, 265, 277 - -Charlier, Mme., 10 - -Charlotte, Princess, 1 - -Charlotte, Princess (daughter of the Empress), 117, 265-267, 277 - -Christian IX of Denmark, King, 180, 188 - -Churchill, Lord Randolph, 272 - -Clarendon, Lord, 30, 34, 42, 93, 125, 143, 144, 145, 147, 156, 252 - -Cobden, 45, 69 - -Coburgers, the, 174, 185 - -Colenso, Bishop, 200 - -Connaught, Duke of, 106, 267 - -Consort, Prince. _See_ Albert, Prince - -"Court Circular," official, 8 - -Craven, Mrs. Augustus, 302 - -Craven, Mrs. Dacre, 249 - - -Dantzig incident, the, 167-170 - -Darwin, Charles, 199 - -Delane, John, 147 - -Delbrück, Prof., 274 - -De Ros, Captan, 103 - -Déroulède, Paul, 337 - -Detaille, M., 333 - -_Deutsche Revue_, 352 - -_Deutsche Rundschau_, 316 - -Devonshire, Louise Duchess of, 95 - -Dino, Duchesse de, 78 - -Droysen, J. G., 34 - -Duff, Sir M. E. Grant, 356 - -Duncker, Frau, 158 - -Duncker, Herr Max, 136, 153, 158, 182, 184, 186 - - -Edinburgh, Duke of, 63, 64, 69, 263 - -Edward VII, King, 6, 12, 14, 19, 20, 62-64, 69, 106, 109, 149, 159, 177, 260, 263, 280, 330, 344, 358, 363, 364 - -Eliot, George, 273 - -Elizabeth, Landgravine, the, 329, 351 - -Elizabeth of Prussia, Queen, 134, 135 - -Ernest of Hanover, King, 73 - -Ernest of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, Duke, 3, 38, 41, 85, 174, 307, 322 - -Eugénie, Empress, 19, 20, 43, 44, 193, 222 - -Exhibition, of 1851, 15, 16, 17; - of 1862, 154; - of 1867 (Paris), 222 - - -Faraday, 92 - -Faucit, Helen, 61 - -Fitzmayer, Colonel, 45 - -Frankfort Congress, 174 - -Frederick Charles of Hesse, Prince, 247 - -Frederick Charles of Prussia, Prince, 186, 217 - -Frederick, Grand Duke of Baden, 181 - -Frederick, Prince of Netherlands, 266 - -Frederick, the Emperor-- - As Prince Frederick William of Prussia-- - First visit to England, 15-18, 25; - betrothal, 29-32, 39, 43; - visits England again, 51; - marriage, 61-70; - admiration of England, 85; - pride in his eldest son, 102, 103, 107, 108; - New Palace at Potsdam, 109-111; - country life at Bornstedt, 111, 112; - military promotions, 112, 116, 166; - hope of the Junkers, 116 - As Crown Prince-- - Death of King Frederick William IV, 133-135; - his father's coronation, 139-146; - death of his father-in-law, 149-152; - visits to England, 154, 175, 292, 293; - to Italy, 159, 224, 287; - to the East, 225; - to Paris, 225; - the Dantzig incident, 167-169; - relations with Bismarck, 167, 173, 175, 182, 210, 211, 219-222, 239, 248, 268-272, 285, 286; - admiration of England, 171; - Schleswig-Holstein question, 180-183; - in the Danish War, 184-188; - hatred of war, 186, 221, 236; - work for soldiers and their families, 186, 222, 235, 240; - family life, 188-197, 207-209, 256; - the Austrian War, 213-215, 217-221; - freemasonry, 106, 266; - the Franco-German War, 229, 235-240; - the Imperial Dignity, 242, 243; - regency, 267-271; - illnesses, 255, 287-298; - silver wedding, 279-282 - As Emperor-- - Accession, 299, 300; - journey to Berlin, 300; - State business, 301-302; - relations with Bismarck, 302-305, 309-314; - monetary position, 306-308; - death, 314; - Freytag's reminiscences, 321-325 - -Frederick, the Empress, Physical descriptions of, 58, 59, 160, 161, 362 - As Princess Royal-- - Birth, 1, 2; - christening, 3, 4; - education and childhood, 6-20; - first meeting with her husband, 15-19; - visit to Paris, 19, 20; - betrothal, 29-31; - training by her father, 33-35; - confirmation, 47-49; - an accident, 50; - marriage, 58-70; - arrival in Berlin, 74; - reception, 75-83; - the Old Schloss, 83, 84; - influence of and on her husband, 85; - conditions at the Prussian Court, 86; - Babelsberg, 90; - social preferences, 91, 92; - visits of her parents, 92-97; - new residence in Berlin, 98-99; - birth of Prince William, 100-114; - New Palace at Potsdam, 109-111; - country life at Bornstedt, 111, 112; - birth of Princess Charlotte, 116, 117; - interest in politics, 86, 87, 98; - paper on ministerial responsibility, 126, 127; - nursery management, 123 - As Crown Princess-- - Description of death of King of Prussia, 133-135; - anniversary of marriage, 136; - coronation of her father-in-law, description, 139-147; - colonel of Hussar Regiment, 146, 198, 265; - political views, 148, 157, 158, 175, 185, 187, 223, 284; - death of her father 149-153; - relations with Bismarck, 152, 162-165, 166, 169-172, 184, 185, 211, 212, 238, 239, 266, 267, 275, 285, 286; - love of England, 188; - visits to England, 153, 154, 158, 175, 267, 272, 273, 292, 293; - love of France, 245, 246; - birth of Prince Henry, 155; - position in Prussia, 155, 156; - relations with her husband, 157-159, 168, 169-172, 196, 197, 258, 270; - visits to Italy, 159, 275, 276; - favourite newspapers, 173; - patriotism, 165, 175, 184, 185, 238, 239, 244, 267; - popularity, 173, 198, 247; - Schleswig-Holstein question, 178-182; - work for army and other nursing, 187, 233-235, 248, 249; - family life, 188-197, 207-209, 224, 225, 255, 256; - artistic tastes, 188-190, 192, 193, 251, 252, 256, 264, 277, 278, 280; - musical tastes, 189, 190, 191, 192, 195, 198; - literary tastes, 189, 190, 192, 195, 199; - as botanist, 190; - interest in science, 251; - pistol-shooting, 190; - education of children, 194, 195, 208, 209, 259-261; - social preferences, 198, 199, 251, 252, 253, 273; - religious position, 199, 204, 253, 278; - art and industry, 205, 206, 223; - bereavements, 214, 216, 273, 274, 275; - work for soldiers and their families, 222, 231, 233, 234, 235; - visits to Paris, 226, 281; - work for education, 253-255, 280, 283, 293; - visit to Russia, 263; - affection for the old Emperor, 286; - her husband's last illness, 287-298 - As Empress, 299-314; - relations with Bismarck, 303-305; - influence over her husband, 303, 307, 308, 309-313; - the Battenberg marriage, 309-313; - her first and last Court, 313; - death of the Emperor, 314 - As Dowager Empress-- - Relations with Bismarck, 315-318, 322, 323, 353, 361; - relations with her son, the Emperor William II, 315-318, 329, 332; - comparison with him, 318-321; - planning of Frederickshof, 329-332; - life there, 340-366; - patriotism, 323, 324, 356, 357; - visit to Paris, 332-337; - death of Empress Augusta, 326, 327, 332; - the anonymous letter scandal, 338, 339; - collections, 341-343; - reading, 343, 344; - gardening, 344, 345; - restoration work, 345, 346; - personal tastes, 346-348; - philanthropy, 348; - character sketches, 348-350, 354, 358-361; - views on royal biography, 352, 353; - visits to England, 354; - artistic tastes, 354, 355; - musical tastes, 357, 358; - religious position, 352, 353, 366, 367; - last illness, 361-365; - death and funeral, 366-368; - tributes in the House of Lords, 368-371 - -Frederick the Great, King of Prussia, 79, 109, 110, 192, 228, 262, 341 - -Frederick VII of Denmark, King, 176, 179 - -Frederick William III, King of Prussia, 57, 83, 98, 166, 192 - -Frederick William IV, King of Prussia, 18, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 36, 38, 55, 74, 83, 92, 93, 97, 98; - death, 133-135; - political testament, 141-143, 157, 192, 282, 319, 329, 352 - -Freemasonry, 106, 266 - -Freytag, 121, 166, 236, 321, 325 - -Friedberg, Dr., 271 - -Froude, 160, 273 - - -Galliera, Duchess of, 330 - -Garter, Order of the, 67 - -Geffcken, Dr., 170, 316 - -Geibel, 192 - -George of Hanover, King, 220, 221 - -Gerhardt, 289 - -Gerlach, General, 28, 29, 39 - -Germany in 1858, 53-57 - -Gerth, sculptor, 368 - -Gloucester, Duchess of, 3, 110 - -Godet, Pastor, 51, 151, 297 - -Goethe, 77, 189, 192 - -Gontaut Biron, M. de, 245, 246 - -Gontaut, Duchesse de, 246 - -Goschen, Mr. (afterwards Lord), 272 - -Gotha, Dowager Duchess of Saxe-Coburg and, 4, 52, 113 - -Gower, Lord Ronald, 192, 193, 228 - -Granville, Lord, 22, 47, 93, 144, 174, 227, 230, 257, 285, 293 - -_Grenzboten_, 190 - - -Hardenburg, 55 - -Hagen, Prof., 251 - -Heine, 192 - -Henry of Prussia, Prince, 156, 209, 259, 260, 261, 266, 275, 277, 288, 313 - -Hertel, painter, 264 - -Hildyard, Miss, 50 - -Hintze, Prof., 141, 142 - -Hinzpeter, Dr., 123, 207, 261 - -Hobbs, Mrs., nurse, 121, 122 - -Hodel, 267, 270 - -Hoffmann, 92, 251, 283 - -Hohenlohe, Prince, 237, 253, 268, 278, 281, 282, 302, 304, 310, 311, 328 - -Hohenlohe-Langenburg, Princess of, 60, 75 - -Howard, Cardinal, 276 - -Humbert, Prince (afterwards King of Italy), 224, 287, 300 - -Huxley, 199 - - -Ihne, Herr, 331 - -Irene of Hesse, Princess, 288, 309, 313 - - -Keeley, Mr. and Mrs., 61 - -Kent, Duchess of, 4, 20, 52, 63, 122; - death of, 137 - -Kinglake, 273 - -Kohn, Baron, 307 - -_Kreutz Zeitung_, 130 - -Kruger, President, 356 - - -Lees, Miss, 249 - -Leiningen, Prince, 52 - -Leo XIII, Pope, 271 - -Leopold I, King of the Belgians, 3, 30, 43, 47, 48, 49, 60, 63, 64, 102, 103, 149, 307 - -Leopold, Prince of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen, 227 - -Letze, Fraulein, 254 - -Loftus, Lord Augustus, 229, 230 - -Louis, Prince (Grand Duke of Hesse), 117, 131, 154, 213, 222, 225, 237 - -Louis of Battenberg, Prince, 310 - -Louise, Queen of Prussia, 38, 62, 74, 98, 142, 192 - -Louise of Prussia, Princess (Grand Duchess of Baden), 15, 16, 38, 39, 122 - -Lutteroth, painter, 264 - -Lyell, Sir Charles, 199, 200 - -Lyons, Lord, 281 - -Lyttelton, Sarah, Lady, 6-14, 17, 65, 114, 370 - -Lytton, Lord and Lady, 333 - - -Macaulay, 360 - -Macdonald incident, the, 119-121, 124, 137, 138 - -Macdonell, Lady, 215 - -Mackenzie, Sir Morell, 291, 294, 300 - -Magdeburg Cathedral, 73 - -Malakoff, Duke of, 87 - -Malet, Sir Edward, 312 - -Malmesbury, Lord, 93 - -Manchester, Duchess of (Louise), 95 - -Manteuffel, Baron, 54, 56, 94, 97, 282 - -Margaret, Princess (daughter of the Empress), 247, 332 - -Margherita, Queen of Italy, 247, 287 - -Marie of Roumania, Princess, 216 - -Martin, Dr., 100 - -Martin, Sir Theodore, 26, 46, 94, 126 - -Mary of Cambridge, Princess (Duchess of Teck), 48, 68, 153 - -Mecklenburg, Grand Duchess of, 108 - -Melbourne, Lord, 3, 7, 23 - -Millet, J. F., 14 - -Monarchy in England, 2 - -Moltke, 43, 51, 238, 256 - -Morier, Sir Robert, 155, 156, 157, 167, 168, 172, 206, 207, 317 - -Motley, J. L., 160, 161 - -Moustier, 87 - - -Napier of Magdala, Lord, 295 - -Napoleon, Emperor of the French, 19, 31, 42, 166, 222, 225, 230, 231, 295 - -_National-zeitung_, 173 - -Neale, Countess Pauline, 79 - -Nightingale, Florence, 19, 187, 249 - -Nippold, Prof., 327, 348-353 - -Nobeling, 267, 270, 272 - - -"Old" Royal Family, the, 1, 23, 63 - -Ollivier, M., 226 - -Oscar, painter, 251 - - -Paget, Sir Augustus, 58, 108 - -Paget, Walpurga Lady, 58, 108, 276 - -Palmerston, Lord, 30, 47, 63, 120, 137, 147, 177, 184 - -Perry, Mr., 18, 32 - -Phelps, the actor, 61 - -Playfair, Dr. Lyon, 273 - -Ponsonby, Mrs., 273 - -Poschinger, Margaretha von, 255 - -Putbus, Prince, 238 - -Putlitz, Frau, 207-209 - -Putlitz, Gustav, 102, 188, 196 - -Puttkamer incident, the, 313 - - -Radziwill, Princess Elise, 16 - -Raglan, Lord, 103-105 - -Ranke, Prof., 353 - -Redern, Count, 283 - -Regnault, Henri, 334, 335 - -Reinhold, sculptor, 251 - -Reiss, Mr., 331 - -Renan, 200, 336 - -Ripon, Lord and Lady, 273 - -Roggenbach, Baron, 316 - -Roon, Von, 240 - -Rumbold, Sir Horace, 317 - -Russell, Lord Arthur, 337 - -Russell, Lord John, 3, 120 - -Russell, Lord Odo. _See_ Ampthill - -Russell, Sir. W. H., 228 - - -Salisbury, Lord and Lady, 267, 269, 368 - -_Saturday Review_, 124 - -Saxe-Meiningen, Hereditary Princess of, 117 - -Saxony, King of, 241 - -Schellbach, Prof., 91 - -Schleinitz, Baron, 124, 138 - -Schleswig-Holstein Duchies, 137; - history of, 177-181; - the war, 183-188 - -Seckendorff, Count, 295 - -Sigismund, Prince (Son of the Emperor Frederick), 196, 205, 209, 214-216, 224, 225, 355 - -Smalley, G. W., journalist, 358, 360, 361 - -Sophia, Princess (afterwards Queen of the Hellenes), 227, 228, 245 - -Spencer, Lord, 370 - -Stanley, Dean, 341 - -Stanley of Alderley, Lord, 174 - -Steibel, Dr., 331 - -Stein, 55, 56 - -Stockmar, Baron, 1, 10, 30, 32, 33, 72, 81-82, 88, 94, 95, 97, 101, 108, 113, 122, 126, 135, 137, 152, 156 - -Stockmar, Baron Ernest, 72, 156, 159, 169, 170 - -Stolberg, Prince, 307 - -Story, Mr., 276 - -Strauss, 200 - -Sumner, Archbishop, 47 - -Sussex, Duke of, 3 - - -Teignmouth-Shore, Canon, 365, 366 - -Tenniel, Sir John, 327 - -_Times, The_, 36, 69, 70, 123, 124, 138, 147, 169, 170, 173, 230 - -Titian, 264 - -Thiers, 245 - -Thomas, G. H., 143 - -Thürr, General, 231 - - -Uphues, sculptor, 354, 355 - - -Victoria of Hesse, Princess, 309 - -Victoria, Princess, daughter of Empress Frederick, 213, 214, 309-312, 332 - -Victoria, Princess of Schleswig-Holstein-Augustenburg, 277 - -Victoria, Queen, 1, 2, 3; - education of her children, 4-6, 8, 10; - Exhibition of 1851, 16, 17; - marriages of her children, 24, 25; - Princess Royal's betrothal, 29-31, 36, 37, 39, 42-44, 46-49; - a caricature, 28; - birth of first grandchild, 100-103; - sees him for first time, 121-123; - description of the New Palace, 109; - birth of Princess Charlotte, 116, 117; - death of Prince Consort, 149-151; - relations with Morier, 172, 207; - relations with Bismarck, 184, 185, 311, 312; - attitude in Danish War, 177, 184, 185; - Austrian War, 213; - Franco-German War, 229, 230, 231; - intervention on behalf of France, 256, 257; - visit to the Emperor Frederick, 311, 312; - the Battenberg marriage, 310, 311; - death, 362 - -Virchow, Prof., 292 - -_Volkszeitung_, 173 - -_Vossische Zeitung_, 363 - - -Wace, poet, 12 - -Waddington, M., 337, 356, 357 - -Waddington, Mme., 356, 357 - -Wagener, 289 - -Wagner, 357 - -Waldemar, Prince (son of Empress Frederick), 224, 274, 341 - -Walewski, 87 - -Wangenheim, von, 87 - -Wellington, Duke of, 3 - -Werner, Anton von, painter, 251, 264 - -Westmorland, Priscilla Lady, 107 - -Wilberforce, Bishop, 47 - -Wilberg, painter, 264 - -William I, German Emperor; as Prince of Prussia, 16, 17, 25, 26, 37, 39, 60, 65, 93; - regency, 97, 98, 102, 115, 116, 201; - succession as King William I, 133, 134, 137; - coronation, 139-141, 143, 147, 148, 157, 165, 166-169, 171, 172, 182, 183, 211, 218-220, 223; - Emperor, 227, 228, 230, 234, 235, 241-243, 256, 257; - attempted assassinations, 267-272; - failing health, 285-288, 294; - death, 297, 298, 306, 307; - character, 319, 320, 353 - -William II, German Emperor, birth and christening, 100-107; - and Queen Victoria, 121-123, 141, 142, 194, 195, 207, 208, 209; - education, 259-262, 265, 266; - betrothal and marriage, 277; - accession, 315-318; - comparison with his mother, 318-321; - relations with his mother, 329, 332, 356, 364, 365 - -Wittenberg, 73 - -Wodehouse, Lady, 22 - -Wrangel, Field-Marshal von, 73, 79, 94, 96, 100, 183, 228 - -Würtemberg, King of, 228 - - * * * * * - -Typographical errors corrected by the etext transcriber: - -two shy to talk=> too shy to talk {pg 66} - -indeed Crown Princess was much distressed=> indeed the Crown Princess -was much distressed {pg 229} - -au troisiéme=> au troisième {pg 273} - -Kaiser Freidrich Wilhelm IV=> Kaiser Friedrich Wilhelm IV {pg 352} - -life of Freidrich Wilhelm IV=> life of Friedrich Wilhelm IV {pg 353} - -Mendelsshon often played=> Mendelssohn often played {pg 367} - -coronation of her fatther-in-law, description, 139-147;=> coronation of -her father-in-law, description, 139-147; {pg 375} - -Redern, Count, 383=> Redern, Count, 283 - - - - - -End of Project Gutenberg's The Empress Frederick; a memoir, by Anonymous - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE EMPRESS FREDERICK; A MEMOIR *** - -***** This file should be named 43407-8.txt or 43407-8.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/4/3/4/0/43407/ - -Produced by Charlene Taylor, Chuck Greif and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This -file was produced from images generously made available -by The Internet Archive/American Libraries.) - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions -will be renamed. - -Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no -one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation -(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without -permission and without paying copyright royalties. Special rules, -set forth in the General Terms of Use part of this license, apply to -copying and distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works to -protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm concept and trademark. Project -Gutenberg is a registered trademark, and may not be used if you -charge for the eBooks, unless you receive specific permission. If you -do not charge anything for copies of this eBook, complying with the -rules is very easy. You may use this eBook for nearly any purpose -such as creation of derivative works, reports, performances and -research. They may be modified and printed and given away--you may do -practically ANYTHING with public domain eBooks. Redistribution is -subject to the trademark license, especially commercial -redistribution. - - - -*** START: FULL LICENSE *** - -THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE -PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK - -To protect the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting the free -distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work -(or any other work associated in any way with the phrase "Project -Gutenberg"), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full Project -Gutenberg-tm License (available with this file or online at -http://gutenberg.org/license). - - -Section 1. General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic works - -1.A. By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to -and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property -(trademark/copyright) agreement. If you do not agree to abide by all -the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or destroy -all copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in your possession. -If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic work and you do not agree to be bound by the -terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the person or -entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph 1.E.8. - -1.B. "Project Gutenberg" is a registered trademark. It may only be -used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who -agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement. There are a few -things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works -even without complying with the full terms of this agreement. See -paragraph 1.C below. There are a lot of things you can do with Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works if you follow the terms of this agreement -and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg-tm electronic -works. See paragraph 1.E below. - -1.C. The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation ("the Foundation" -or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection of Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works. Nearly all the individual works in the -collection are in the public domain in the United States. If an -individual work is in the public domain in the United States and you are -located in the United States, we do not claim a right to prevent you from -copying, distributing, performing, displaying or creating derivative -works based on the work as long as all references to Project Gutenberg -are removed. Of course, we hope that you will support the Project -Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting free access to electronic works by -freely sharing Project Gutenberg-tm works in compliance with the terms of -this agreement for keeping the Project Gutenberg-tm name associated with -the work. You can easily comply with the terms of this agreement by -keeping this work in the same format with its attached full Project -Gutenberg-tm License when you share it without charge with others. - -1.D. The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern -what you can do with this work. Copyright laws in most countries are in -a constant state of change. If you are outside the United States, check -the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this agreement -before downloading, copying, displaying, performing, distributing or -creating derivative works based on this work or any other Project -Gutenberg-tm work. The Foundation makes no representations concerning -the copyright status of any work in any country outside the United -States. - -1.E. Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg: - -1.E.1. The following sentence, with active links to, or other immediate -access to, the full Project Gutenberg-tm License must appear prominently -whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg-tm work (any work on which the -phrase "Project Gutenberg" appears, or with which the phrase "Project -Gutenberg" is associated) is accessed, displayed, performed, viewed, -copied or distributed: - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org/license - -1.E.2. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is derived -from the public domain (does not contain a notice indicating that it is -posted with permission of the copyright holder), the work can be copied -and distributed to anyone in the United States without paying any fees -or charges. If you are redistributing or providing access to a work -with the phrase "Project Gutenberg" associated with or appearing on the -work, you must comply either with the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1 -through 1.E.7 or obtain permission for the use of the work and the -Project Gutenberg-tm trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or -1.E.9. - -1.E.3. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is posted -with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and distribution -must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and any additional -terms imposed by the copyright holder. Additional terms will be linked -to the Project Gutenberg-tm License for all works posted with the -permission of the copyright holder found at the beginning of this work. - -1.E.4. Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project Gutenberg-tm -License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this -work or any other work associated with Project Gutenberg-tm. - -1.E.5. Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this -electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without -prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with -active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project -Gutenberg-tm License. - -1.E.6. You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary, -compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including any -word processing or hypertext form. However, if you provide access to or -distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg-tm work in a format other than -"Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other format used in the official version -posted on the official Project Gutenberg-tm web site (www.gutenberg.org), -you must, at no additional cost, fee or expense to the user, provide a -copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a means of obtaining a copy upon -request, of the work in its original "Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other -form. Any alternate format must include the full Project Gutenberg-tm -License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1. - -1.E.7. Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying, -performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg-tm works -unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9. - -1.E.8. You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing -access to or distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works provided -that - -- You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from - the use of Project Gutenberg-tm works calculated using the method - you already use to calculate your applicable taxes. The fee is - owed to the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark, but he - has agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the - Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation. Royalty payments - must be paid within 60 days following each date on which you - prepare (or are legally required to prepare) your periodic tax - returns. Royalty payments should be clearly marked as such and - sent to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation at the - address specified in Section 4, "Information about donations to - the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation." - -- You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies - you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he - does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg-tm - License. You must require such a user to return or - destroy all copies of the works possessed in a physical medium - and discontinue all use of and all access to other copies of - Project Gutenberg-tm works. - -- You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of any - money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the - electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days - of receipt of the work. - -- You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free - distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm works. - -1.E.9. If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic work or group of works on different terms than are set -forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing from -both the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation and Michael -Hart, the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark. Contact the -Foundation as set forth in Section 3 below. - -1.F. - -1.F.1. Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable -effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread -public domain works in creating the Project Gutenberg-tm -collection. Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg-tm electronic -works, and the medium on which they may be stored, may contain -"Defects," such as, but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate or -corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other intellectual -property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or other medium, a -computer virus, or computer codes that damage or cannot be read by -your equipment. - -1.F.2. LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except for the "Right -of Replacement or Refund" described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project -Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project -Gutenberg-tm trademark, and any other party distributing a Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all -liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal -fees. YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT -LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE -PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH 1.F.3. YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE -TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE -LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR -INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH -DAMAGE. - -1.F.3. LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a -defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can -receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a -written explanation to the person you received the work from. If you -received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium with -your written explanation. The person or entity that provided you with -the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in lieu of a -refund. If you received the work electronically, the person or entity -providing it to you may choose to give you a second opportunity to -receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund. If the second copy -is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing without further -opportunities to fix the problem. - -1.F.4. Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth -in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you 'AS-IS' WITH NO OTHER -WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO -WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE. - -1.F.5. Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied -warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of damages. -If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement violates the -law of the state applicable to this agreement, the agreement shall be -interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or limitation permitted by -the applicable state law. The invalidity or unenforceability of any -provision of this agreement shall not void the remaining provisions. - -1.F.6. INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the -trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone -providing copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in accordance -with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the production, -promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works, -harmless from all liability, costs and expenses, including legal fees, -that arise directly or indirectly from any of the following which you do -or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this or any Project Gutenberg-tm -work, (b) alteration, modification, or additions or deletions to any -Project Gutenberg-tm work, and (c) any Defect you cause. - - -Section 2. Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg-tm - -Project Gutenberg-tm is synonymous with the free distribution of -electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of computers -including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers. It exists -because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations from -people in all walks of life. - -Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the -assistance they need, are critical to reaching Project Gutenberg-tm's -goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg-tm collection will -remain freely available for generations to come. In 2001, the Project -Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure -and permanent future for Project Gutenberg-tm and future generations. -To learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation -and how your efforts and donations can help, see Sections 3 and 4 -and the Foundation web page at http://www.pglaf.org. - - -Section 3. Information about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive -Foundation - -The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non profit -501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the -state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal -Revenue Service. The Foundation's EIN or federal tax identification -number is 64-6221541. Its 501(c)(3) letter is posted at -http://pglaf.org/fundraising. Contributions to the Project Gutenberg -Literary Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the full extent -permitted by U.S. federal laws and your state's laws. - -The Foundation's principal office is located at 4557 Melan Dr. S. -Fairbanks, AK, 99712., but its volunteers and employees are scattered -throughout numerous locations. Its business office is located at -809 North 1500 West, Salt Lake City, UT 84116, (801) 596-1887, email -business@pglaf.org. Email contact links and up to date contact -information can be found at the Foundation's web site and official -page at http://pglaf.org - -For additional contact information: - Dr. Gregory B. Newby - Chief Executive and Director - gbnewby@pglaf.org - - -Section 4. Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg -Literary Archive Foundation - -Project Gutenberg-tm depends upon and cannot survive without wide -spread public support and donations to carry out its mission of -increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be -freely distributed in machine readable form accessible by the widest -array of equipment including outdated equipment. Many small donations -($1 to $5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt -status with the IRS. - -The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating -charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United -States. Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a -considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up -with these requirements. We do not solicit donations in locations -where we have not received written confirmation of compliance. To -SEND DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any -particular state visit http://pglaf.org - -While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we -have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition -against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who -approach us with offers to donate. - -International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make -any statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from -outside the United States. U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff. - -Please check the Project Gutenberg Web pages for current donation -methods and addresses. Donations are accepted in a number of other -ways including checks, online payments and credit card donations. -To donate, please visit: http://pglaf.org/donate - - -Section 5. General Information About Project Gutenberg-tm electronic -works. - -Professor Michael S. Hart is the originator of the Project Gutenberg-tm -concept of a library of electronic works that could be freely shared -with anyone. For thirty years, he produced and distributed Project -Gutenberg-tm eBooks with only a loose network of volunteer support. - - -Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks are often created from several printed -editions, all of which are confirmed as Public Domain in the U.S. -unless a copyright notice is included. Thus, we do not necessarily -keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper edition. - - -Most people start at our Web site which has the main PG search facility: - - http://www.gutenberg.org - -This Web site includes information about Project Gutenberg-tm, -including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to -subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks. |