THE ROUMANIAN LOVE ROMANCE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXVIII, Issue 8662, 3 September 1891, Page 5

THE ROUMANIAN LOVE ROMANCE.

Prtis Association.— Klectrxc Telearaph.—Copyright, Bucharest, September 1. The dangerous illness of the Queen of mania is stated to have been brought about owing to hysteria, resulting from trouble over Miss Vacaresco's betrothal to the Crown Prince. Writing on the subject of the betrothal the Bucharest correspondent of the London Times says :—" Society in Bucharesb has been thrown into a great state of excitement by the rumoured betrothal of the heir presumptive Prince Ferdinand of Hohenzollern to Mdlle. Vacaresco, one of the Queen's maids of honour. Mdlle. Vacflrusca is a much-admired young lady and a great favourite of the Queen's, bub she is not of royal blood, and the Roumanians hold that in a country where party politics are very keen, the future King should marry a princess unconnected with the nation, and not a lady whose relatives have always stood in the forefront) of party warfare. One of Mdlle. Vacaresco's uncles is a well-known journalist the other was recently Minister in Vienna. At first society could not credit the rumour of the betrothal, but the King spoke on the subject to General lahovary, who at once declared that the proposed marriage was impossible. Upon the King remarking that he thought Prince Ferdinand had set his mind on the match, the General exclaimed :—' Well, sirs, the Prince can marry as he wishes, but if he does he will never reign.' A similar declaration was afterwards made to His Majesty by M. Lascar Catargi, and since then General Mano and M. Carp, ex-Ministers, who are both devoted to the King, have been heard to say that the proposed marriage would be fatal to the dynasty. This is the view taken in all political circles, though ft is not denied that among the masses the marriage of the heir presumptive with a born Roumanian might be popular," Writing, subsequently, an announcement having meantime been made that the marriage was abandoned, the same correspondent says :—' The Queen, who had set her heart on the match, is very angryindeed, something more than angry. Her Majesty's kindness of heart is proverbial, and her great fondness for Mdlle. Vacaresco caused her to espouse that young lady's interests with quite a royal enthusiasm. It is said that she first became acquainted with the state of Mdlle Vacaresco's feelings through some words spoken by her maid of honor , during a fit of somnambulism. Some people are ill-natured enough to suggest that) this somnambulism may have been feigned, but whatever may be the truth as to that, Queen Elizabeth forthwith did her best to bring the two lovers together. She began to drive about with the pair, she let herself be photographed with them both sitting at her feet; and, finally, when the secret came out and Ministerial opposition was raised, she spared neither entreaties nor menaces to gain her point. She threatened M. Catargi with dismissal from office; she entered the Council Room during a Cabinet Council, and made a personal appeal to the Ministers ; and she actually threw herself on her knees before Madame Lahovary, wife of the Minister of War, imploring her to persuade her husband. Is'alurally all this excitement has brought on a reaction, and the Queen is now ill in bed. It must be added that Prince Ferdinand is thoroughly miserable also. Had the matter rested with him alone he would have persevered in his project, and braved the consequences." -