neu Laos A Life of the Piet King the Belgians—By Angus Holden. Sith 0 Tstrations.
Hutchinson, London, 18/-.
The first King of the Belgians is described here og the—greatest European of the 10th century. Free from: the sting prejudices nationalism, King Leopold developed a character and devotion which contrasted sharply with the intolerance around him. He was as a statesman infallible, his behaviour was perfectly Jeorrect. In the days of his youth, when ko made his frst matrimonial bid for throne in marrying Princess Charlotte of Wales, a young hoyden who did net disdain the girlish gigolo was credited with having armly expressed is intention to curb his bride's ebullitions. His second wife was even more subservient, although Jshe shared the throne with him. On their honeymoon" Louise-Marie. Jdaughter of King Louis Philippe, [ventured upon "a gay sally." She was Instantly crushed by her husband's withering reply "Pas de ploisanteries, Madame." In other words, Leopold of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld was the per~ feet Victorian. He might have provided a model for Mr. Salteena or have claimed. He was a great states man, his influence on Europe was re-Hmarkable, his long guidance of his niece, Queen Victoria, is part, of English history, and yet when he died there were few to mourn him. He was too correct, (00 infallible, and almost too impeccable in his, subjects eyes to, gain the wide popularity which more human and frailer monarchs might have commanded.
That accomplished schemer, Christian Frederick Stockmar, is called by Mr. Holden the architect of the Victorian because it was his [privilege to train three of the out-Standing figures of tke period, Leopold, Victoria of Kent, and Albert [the Good. "Never relax" was Stock-mar's motto, and the stiff backs of the Victorian frock-coats as they made their way to church, the hard discomfort of the armchairs and horsehair sofas, the deadly insipidity of the Jskeleton wax fruit ornaments and other atrocities of the period all pay cheerful tribute to Stockmar, and If he did not invent the phrase "Papa, potato, poultry, prunes and prism," then Dickens deserves great credit for seizing upon it as the symbol of Victorian tuition at its worst.
Underneath it all these Victorians: were very human and in between Leopold's first marriage, which. came toan untimely end owing to the [death of Princess Charlotte in chi Dirt, and his second marriage as King! fof the Belgians. he had a romantic morganatic marriage with the charm ug. if unintelligent, German actress, (Caroline Bauer. The romance, unfortunately, did not end gracefully. and Mr. Holden 15 impelled to admit that Leopold's treatment of Caroline provided the frst occasion on which his instincts as a gentleman were at fault.
The Hand of Destiny Queen Victoria curiously comes into Leopold's life in spite of the relationship due to the circumstance that her mother was His sister. For if it had not been for the death of Leopold's first wile, which prevented him from sitting on the throne of Englend as Prince Consort, Queen Victoria would never have been born, That seems fo be an astonishing statement. Mr. Molden justifies it, It will be recalled that Princess Charlotte was the heiress to the English throne and the daughter of George IV. When er gon was born dead, owing a the amazing incapacity and ignorance the court doctors ("two pompous and selt-satisfied gentlemen"), and the mother herself followed within a few hours, the English throne was without any heir beyond the three Brothers of the King, the Duke of Clarence, afterwards William IV, the Duke of Kent, and the Duke of Cambridge. The two first were both aver 50 and in that year, 1817. none of the free had been " married, except morganatically. They all abandoned their bachelorhood in the same year,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.