TO-DAY'S ANNIVERSARIES.

Press, Volume LXVII, Issue 14193, 6 November 1911, Page 7

TO-DAY'S ANNIVERSARIES.

NOVEMBER 6. Julian, Knman Kmperor, bom 331 Guetavus Adolpbu.s. K.n« of Sweden, kili«l nt the hfcttlo of LiUzcn . 16.12 James f;rcg!>rv, inventor of the reflecting teiescope, Ixirn .. .. lfiie Collry Gibber, drnmatist, born .. 1671 Uattli ef .lennpncs; Austriane defcntt<l hy thf French .. .. .. 1T92 V'bilippe Kgalite, Diiko or Orlpnnj, guillotined at P.iris .. 37D.1

Louis Philippe. Duko of Orleans.— Tho career ot this prince affords <hi example of ambition overreaching it.self. Ho was never able to obtain a footing nt the court of Louis XVI the Kinp; and the Quc-en having an aversion to him, partly owing to lil** morals and partly to jealousy. Ho had eoine good qualities, novvever, nnd wn* not without some military abilities. Hd was a. frequent visitor to London, ■where ho was tho boon companion of the prince, who afterwards became Georgn IV., of not too g'orious memory, and, it is said, infected Young Franco with Anclomania in tho form of horaoracing and hard drinking. Ho was popular with the French p<?oplo owing to his profuse liberality, nnd when tho revolutionary ideas were beginning to take shops posed as the champion of liberalism and the levelling process, oven abandoning his titles and asSJirninc that of "Egalit«>." When tho great Rovolution came in its full forc«> however, ho appears to have beconio bewildered and regretted his playing with fire. It is even said that hu would_ havo emigrated to America, if his mistress had not refused to accompany him. The great blot on his name was the voting in tho National Convention for the death of tho King, his nephew, which feat a shudder even through th-j extremists. Whatever wero his aims—and it is thought hi« design was to become a, constitutional monarch—his voluntary humiliation and courting of tho democracy wero unavailing to save his own head from falling. Accused of royalwm and conspiracy, he was found guilty, and guillotined the same day in his forty-sixth year, meeting his death with .ill tho courage of his race. His son afterwards became King Louis Philippe— the "Citizen King" of France.