" MARY OF THE SNOWS."

New Zealand Tablet, Volume I, Issue 44, 28 February 1874, Page 12

" MARY OF THE SNOWS."

A lettbb from Estella (Navarre) in the ' Daily News,' dated October 27, says : — " Our state of inaction has been pleasantly disturbed by the arrival of Prince Alfonso and hi 9 wife, Dona Blanca. He is a fine young man, though not so tall as Don Carlos. His wife is handsome, and has golden hair — a veritable princess of romance. In her semi* uniform of a blue Hussar jacket trimmed with fur over her black riding habit, and with a white Carlist cap and golden tassel, she lookt exceedingly well. Their reception was most enthusiastic. A letter in the ' Times ' reminds ns that Maria de las Nieve9, or Mary of the Snows, is the daughter of Don Miguel, late King of Portugal, whose other child is the sister-in-law of the present Emperor of Austria. The princess herself, two years ago, married Don Alfonso, and during the last ten mouths the youthful pair — for she is only twenty-one and her husband twenty-four— have gone through all the hardships of the war in Oatalouia. As a natural consequence she is idolized in Catalonia, and her presence iD a battle was looked upon ac a sure harbiuger of victory. Dona Blanca's fame has long since reached the King's followers, and his hoi- blooded and passionate Navai-ros were all burning with eagerness to sco thai lady of whom they heard so much. I determined, in consequence, to ride over to a village in the neighborhood of headquarters, so as to meet the royal cortege, and then witness the welcome sure to be given to Don Carles's sister-in-law. General Dorregaray rode past, conversing with Don Alfonso, a slight-built young man, very like Don Carlos in face, but a pi«my compared to him in stature. A few yards in rear of her hu&band came Doaa Blanca, the heroine of a thousand stories which arc freely circulated in the Peninsula. Slight, fragile, and rather under than over the usual stature, Dona Blanca sat on a coal-bhck Barbary chnr°er, which onco belonged to the eieray, with cormiiiiimte ease and akillT She waa attired in an Hussar's dark blue pelisse jacket, eiubroideicd vonnd the waist, and worn over a riding habit of tha sarno color. Very yreposccssi.ig and decidedly pretty would have boen the veidiot, if a jiuy composec. of London dowagers, and with dauohters of their own to bring out, couid have been asked to pass a judgment. But Mary of the Snows was eager to reach her destina= tion and after only a quarter of an hour's rest at Arazuza, to take some refreshment at Valdespina'a house, we continued the journey, accompanied by hundreds of the inhabitants of Estella, who had purposely walked out Lo kiss the hand of iheir renowned princess. The escort kept slightly in the rear, as there was no need of its services. The only self-constituted guardian who walked by the aide of the princess was an old cura, who from time lo time, when he saw hi 3 parishioners were too intrusive, freely boxed their cays, and cuffed them with his priest's cap. At last we reached Don Carlos's headquarters. The streets hero were literally paved with human heads, and the resounding vivas for Dona Blanca that rent the tir as she rode into the square might have recalled a British chenr. Don Alfonso himself was almost unnoticed in the rapturous applause given to his lady.