Family Column.

Wellington Independent, Volume XVII, Issue 1795, 22 November 1862, Page 4

Family Column.

THE SCANDAL RESPECTING THE HUSBAND of the PRINCESS ROYAL. Wzextract tbe following from the Nelson Exakiiner, which journal frequently publishes most interesting Parisian gossip from " its own correspondent." Tbe nature of tbe following renders it peculiarly appropriate for our "Family Column." 'Addicted, as is this brilliant metropolis to tbe hatching of canards, the other capitals of tbis enlightened western world are not without a visible leaning towards the propagation of tbat particular and very unprofitable species of poultry. For several months past, various stories have been going the rounds of every European capital, all tending to show that tbe Crown Prince of Prussia was terribly proud and morose, desperately given to drinking, and extremely brutal in big daily life and manners; and tbat, consequently,, bis hapless wife was one of the most ill-treated and miserable of human beings. One "perfectly authenticated" story told how she is constantly seen witb pale face and ret! ■eyes, hardly able to restrain her tears wben qbliged to show herself in public; another narrated how her husband, having beaten ber many times, at length took to kicking ber, and dragging her about tbe room by ber bair; a third, improving upon this tragic account, stated that it was the growing wretchedness of his daughter, and tbe danger to which she was exposed by her husband's brutality, tbat had necessitated the last hasty visit ofthe lamented iPtftfce Consort to Berlin ; and a fourth expldiued the deep dejection of Queen Viotoria, kftfer the death of tbe Duchess of Kent, by inikin 3 * the discovery of her daughter's unhap piiijess cirriricide with decease ofthe Duchess. , ,, I % •fiavp hitherto refrained from noticing . the of all these painful rumours, simply because I have .been waiting for some oppoituoity of ascertaining, with tolerable certainty, whether they have or hare not aoy foundation j

in fact ; and, if I now allude to them, it is o because lam at last able to give them a com- q plete and unqualified denial. From one of the most trusted and trustworthy of the physicians I of the Royal Family of Prussia, and from one r of the Foreign Ministers resident at the Court 1 of Berlin, who have recently been here, I learn a that, not only is there not one word oi truth in 1 all these slanderous stories, but ihat tbey are in t direct opposition with the truth. According to 1 tbese gentlemen (both of tbem excellent au- 1 thorities in the matter), the young couple, on 1 whose heads will descend, in the natural course 1 of things, the Crown of Prussia, with all the i mystic '" rights divine" which King William i the First is primitive enough to imagine are 1 "inherent" therein, is one or the happiest to s be found in any station upon the surface of our little planet, the husband and wife mutually | adoring each otber, and outvying one another i in tbeir adoration of the two babies who have i already made tbeir advent in thf- nursery to < which the Prussians are looking wiih so much \ satisfaction. The Crown Prince never touches : spirits, takes very little wine, aud rarely goes beyond a single glass of beer. Tbe young couple live in a pretty little palace, in a new street, called the Victoria strasse, in honour of the Princess ; and tbey are to be seen, two or three times a day, walking out arm in arm, or in tbeir favourite little low open carriage, which the Prince always drives himself, chatting and laughing, evidently in the gayest spirits, and on the best possible terms with each other. Since the death of the Prince Consort, which has been a terrible blow to them, the young I pair are, of course, much less gay in manner than formerly ; but their good understanding is not likely to have been impaired by tbe great sorrow which they have shared together. The Princess possesses a very clear and sound-head au excelleut heart, and a very resolute will; she uever interferes in matters not fairly coming within tbe sphere of her present position and duties, but, wherevei she can act with affect, her action is very decided. She has not only introduced all manner of English ways into her own housekeeping arrangements, but has quietly got rid of several scores of little troublesome matters of detail in the stiff formalities of Court etiquette hitherto held sacred within the precincts of Prussoroyal rigidity. The King aud Queen are extremely fond of her, and let her have her way, from sheer affection for her, on many points in regard to which it is probable tbat they would have preferred seeing her manifest more respect for thtir mariinent ideas. The Queen, a good hearted and intelligent, but rather haughty woman, loves her daughter-in-law with en-> thusiasm, and never speaks of her without some endearing epithet, as "my beloved daughter,' "my darling Victoria," and so on. When she first went to Berlin she was, very naturally, the object of every sort of flattering atteution at Court, and the praises of her grace, her goodness, her esprit, and all the various qualities attributed to her, were dinned into ber ears unlit she was tired of hearing of ihem. " Your Royal Highness is so clever!" Your Royal Highness is so pretty!" Your Royal Highness is so veiy charming!" " Your Royal Highness will be so much beloved in Prussia !" "We are so delighted to bave your Royal Highness amongst us!" was repeated to the young bride in every tone, till, one day, when she had been informed of her perfections until she could stand it no longer, she rose from ber chair, saying, with a laugb, " dear ladies you are certainly extremely kind, and my Royal Highnes3 is really very much obliged to you," bowed gaily to the astonished circle of courtly flatterers, and tripped merrily out of the room. Whatever she does, or declines to do, she invariably justifies "by tbe remark, "Tt is always so in mamma's household ;" or " Mamma never does so ;" and she more thau mice met some attempt to show her that certain unceremonious doings of hers are not " proper" „ in a Crown Princes.-?, by the conclusive remark, " Mamma, who is Queen of England, does so and so ; it cannot, therefore, be improper for me to do so too." The people of the Court are always rather scandalised by ber innovations, but end by accepting them as improvements. They were inclined, for instance, to make a terrible row when the young Princess, a few days after her installation in her own home, put on her bonnet and shawl, and walked over to the Royal Palace, only a few hundred yards away, without even a footman following her. This proceeding was regarded as horribly undignified on tbe part of their future Queen, and tremendous were the remonstrances it excited. But the Princess declared that she was quite able to take care of herself, and that there was neither danger nor impropriety in her crossing a couple of streets by herself; that she had always been accustomed to move about freely, and that she should continue to do so. A few days after she had tbus given a shock to the " old ladies " of the Court, of both sexes, the young Princess still further horrified tbem by receiving, in a very simple morning dress, a lot of grandees who called to pay their respects to her. " I have been so very busy all day, in seeing to the carpets and curtains that are being brought in," remarked, her youthful Highness, " that I have not had a moment for making my toilette." " Did ever a Crown Princess of Prussia think of such a thing as looking to the putting down of carpets, and the putting up of curtains ?" exclaimed tbe old ladies, throwing up their eyes and hands, and perfectly aghast at such unceremonious doings. Tbe young mistress of the little palace had ! no sooner got her furniture in order, than she took in hand the women-servants of her establishment, insisting lbat they should wear white caps and white aprons as in England. The aprons were not very unwelcome, and no difficulty was made by the maids in regard to tbem ; but all Geimao women are accustomed to make r the greatest possible display of their hair, which , they braid wiih great care, stick full of gold and silver bodkins, and otherwise beautify to the utmost, and the idea of biding theii elaborately - rately ornamented tresses under muslin caps, > excited a slorm ol indignation and dismay. ' The Princess's order was met by a combined t refusal, every one of the servants declaring that nolbing should induce her to wear a cap. "Mamma's women servantsall wear caps, and all mine will wear them ; and those who do not choose to wear caps will immediately quit my . service," said the Princess, when informed oi the refusal of the maids to adopt the tidy En- . lish fashioh. Whenever the Prince and Princess give a ' State dinner in their palace, the latter has the two babies brought in as a matter of course, al i the dessert; athiug unheard-of iv the annals of ■ Prussian royalty. My informant was present, f with the rest of the elite of tbe diplomaticcircle. I at a diplomatic dinner given by tlu-in a couple i of days before he left Berlin. He says that , the two children, charmingly dressed, fat, f happy, and merry, were brought in to the i dining room as soon as the cloth was removed, 1 the baby placed ill the lap of its proud young i mother, and the elder child on its father's knee, • and duly compiimeuted, admired, and allowed , to take a minute drop of wive, and a little fruit, f with as little ceremony as though they were not J a King's grand-children. "The sight of the happy young couple, their 8 Relight in tbeir babies, and the pleasant do V mestic atmosphere of their, borne, all struck me ' constituting one of the very pleasantest sights I > have ever seen in my diplomatic career, and 1 the same feeling I have heard expressed hy

others of the guests," snid the diplomat in question, in recounting the scene. " The amount of influence exercised by the Princess," observed the same gentlemen, "is really most remarkable, when oue considers how very young she is, and how extremely stiff are the Prussian Court, and the people of Berlin in their notions. Her influence is felt in every direction, and is always most beneficial. With her common-sense English ideas and habits, her liberal and progressive sympathies, her constitutional predilections, and, above all, ] her frankness, simplicity, directness, and her j genuine goodness and kindness, she is doing ] wonders am >ng those slow germ in heads, and ber presence iv the Court of Prussia is a bles- 1 sing alike to its Princes and its people." The Princess is, as may well be imagined, a general favourite with all classes. My diplomatic friend, who bas often witnessed the cordiality with which the young pair are received on a'l public occasions, happened to be passing along the VictoriajStrasse, not long since, on' some public anniversary (the King's bit tb day, if I remember rightly), just as a crowd had assembled uuder the windows of the Crown Prince's palace, and were cheering its inmates in lusty style. One of the windows soon opened. and fc the Prince and Princess came out upon the balcony, the latter leading out tbeir little sou, and tbe former carrying in his arms the baby, which he held up, with a smile, to the admiration of his iuture heges, tossing it up, and holding il above bis head, while tbe little creature stuck its little fat thumb into its mouth, alternately sucking it, and laughing aud crowing, in a state of great delight, at which sight, the people, equally delighted, cheered tbe Priuce and his latnily more lustily than ever. The Priocess keeps up her old habits and avocations. She points very well, is a very good musician, reads a great deal, and takes an active interest in her household, She is very fond of gaidening, and, in her letters to her family, gives careful directions for the training, pruning and manuring of her favourite trees and plants, all planted with her own hands, in her gardens at Windsor and Osborne, One lady much at our own Court, tells me she has often seen her, before her marriage, coming in from an hour or two's hard work among limpets, with her apron full of green peas, or eariy ■ potatoes, which she wascairyingtothe kitchens, with an injunction that they were to be sent up in a dish by themselves to the Queen. Anoiher ■ tells me bow she has often seen her busy i among tbe pans of milk aud oream in her own ' private dairy, or with her arms covered with ' flour up to the elbows, deep in the manufacture of cake and pies, iv the beautiful little kitchen set apart for the housekeeping experiments of ! the royal childreu, where they mixed up dough, * whipped up syllabubs, baked, boiled, stewed, and did just as tbey pleased ; the milk and ■ butter, the eggs and the fruit, being all of their 5 own raising. ' The prin cess Victoria, a favorite with all . who know her, said, by those acquainted with , the members ofthe Royal Family of England, to be as good and charming as she is clever, is 1 an especial favourite witb the Empress Eugenic. During the visit of the Emperor and Empress r to England, the latter contrived to procure, * from some one about the Princess, the most ' exact measures of her person, and of the various * articles of ber toilet. From tbese measures, on ' her Majesty's return to Paris, she caused a doll I to be made, exactly representing the Princess ; and for this doll a rosseau, including every item of a most complete wardiobe, was prepared by ~ the first makers of tbe capital, Dresses, bonnets, mantles, shawls, shoes, under-clotbes, * everything that a young lady can be supposed to wear, were made for this doll, under the 1 Empress's personal superintendence, and all of tbe richest quality, and in the most exquisite I taste. The whole was then sent to the Princess by the Empress, with a charming letter, ' begging ber acceptance of the doll and her wardrobe. The beautiful and costly gift, presented with such ingenious delicacy, was received by the young princess wiih very natural r pleasure ; and many of the arlicles of her doll's wardrobe were worn by ber wbile at the Tuil 5 leries when she came to Paris with the Queen. " Prince Albeit, aud the Prince of Wales, in r 1855. t 1 How many changes seven short years may \ _ bring? How little was it supposed, when all _ Paris was agig for a sight of the Sovereign who j war rightly believed to be as exceptionally . happy in her domestic relations, as pre eminent j. in the dignity and splendour of her throne, 3 that the lapse of so brief a period was sufficient , lo change that happiness into mourning, and ', shroud the splendour of that position in the j gloom of a bereavement for which even the possession of a throne can offer no consolation ! c t Holloway's Ointment and Pills. — Gout, , Rhematism, Sciatica. — These maladies are always more or less connected withdisorder or disease of ' the digestive organs, hence the facility with which they yield to Holloway's remedies. Temporary alleviation responds immediately to the proper ap- ' plication of this soothing Ointment, while the ' Pills internally reduce the digestive functions to i order, and avert all inflammatory tendencies. f Nervous invalids will derive ease and consolation from the influence of these medicaments, which t are free from mercury and all noxious ingredients, [ Holloway's celebrated Ointment and Pills present . at a trifling outlay, the means of preserving the , health or uprooting diseases which have assailed t the body through accideut, luxury, indolence or other causes. How to get bid opFleas. — " A Sufferer" wrote ,tous a few days since as follows : — " Having entered upon some very old premises, I find them , much infested with fleas, L shall feel much obliged \ if any of your correspondents could inform me what means I should adopt to destroy them." — We gave our correspondent's query to a friend, who has sent >us the following reply : — " I can confidently re- ' commend the ' Persian Insect Powder,' sold by Mr. Keating, St. Paul's Church- yard, for destroying fleas. 1 have used it on house-dogs, cats, and fowls, with complete success. Mr. Keating also gives directions for using it in beds and other furniture A short time since a mother was lamenting over the number of fleas her young children had collected off their pet dogs, and in the fowl 1 sheds and houses, and asked me if I knew of a remedy, as it seemed to be almost impossible to exterminate them by hand. I suggested the Persian Insect Powder. A packet was obtained, and a small quantity Bprinkled at the foot of the children's bed, and the next morning 29 great i and small fleas were picked off the sheet among the powder, to the great delight of all parties con cerned. Where dogs and fowls are kept, and children play with them, as they will do, it is impossible to keep them altogether free from fleas in hot weathe ; and some of the vermin are sure to l (md their way to the nursery and bedroom, when f it is no doubt very difficult "to find them , and more so to catch them. By using the Persiau Insect Powder, however, they become insensible at once } on attempting to pass over it ; and if they do not \ die, which is mostly the case, they can bo picked up in the morning in a dormant state. This discovery ' eovery is a great boon to dumb house-pets, as well ! as to children and anxious mothers. If your cori respondent has felt them in his bed, tbis description will serve him so far; and if they be at other , parts of tho house, he had better arrange some I woolen material, as flannel or sheepskin, to attract , them, having it well sprinkled with tho « Persian t Insect Powder.' This powder is almost inodorou", and quite harmless to human beings and dumb animals. In the Austrian department of the lur ternational Exhibition there is a large collection of the flower from which this powder is obtained. ' A prize medal has been awarded for this collection, and Mr. Keating has contracted for the sole I supply for the United Kingdom." — (Extract Jrom ' Sett's Weekly Messenger, August 11, 1808.