PRINCE WILLIAM OG GERMANY.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 1801, 28 March 1888, Page 3

PRINCE WILLIAM OG GERMANY.

The following ekelch of tho pweev«t Crown Prir.ce which appeared m " London Times" is m strong contract to the pen-portraits cf fcia father, tko Emperor Frederick III :— Already, it ia Btated, does Prit:ce WilUam f.samr.fi toma of the Laughlin'-s-j which youth mistakes for the •'• divinity whtoh do h hedge a king," but it ia not mauy yaara ego that he "was a kiati of nineteenth century German edition of Prnce Hal. M. L. Letapie haa recently published a putgotit sketch upon the' destined head of the Empir?. Prince William, b. 3 wri'.oe, even before he saw the H^ht of clay, had provoked Gnimodtiei which have lost nothing of their vigor. Is is an open secret that there is a lack of cordiality, approaching open hoatility, between the Princess Royal and Bismarck. When Prince Frederick William, full of experience of years of adventures, travel and study, f3ll m love with the eldest daughter of Q aeen Victoria, he Burprißfcd all good Prußelana. Blßmarck, when informed of the impending marriage, Is aaid to have replied brugquely, "He has no business to be allied to a daughter of the English house of Hapsburg. She will spoil the raoe of Hoheczollemß." On the 27th January, 1859, Prince William was born, and tho left arm of the infant waa shorter than the right When the disfigurement oould no longer be concealed it was Btated that a careless norae had let the child fall, and thuß caused the injury, but the Btory met with little credit. Bismarck's saying was repeated, and the young mother nursed a bitter wrath agalnßt the atateman, whose unfeeling remark had been thus swiftly verified. Since his marriage the Prince baa devoted himself to military service In real earnest. He is colonel commanding the second regiment of Husaatß oIE the Royal Guard, and of the first raglment of infantry of the guard, both being quartered at Potidam. He is also j honorary commandant of a number of other regiments, including the Pomeranian Grenadiers, the King's Body Guard, and the secoud regiment of the Landwehr. His dutieß keep him a great part of the year at Potsdam, where he reßides at the Mprble Palace. He occasionally goes off for a brief excursion bear-hunting with his friend the Crown Prince Rudolph of Austria, or to attend gome State function ; but otherwise he i 3 as much m quarters as the colonel of a garriscn regiment. Military critics say that the Prince is an adjutant, just as his grandfather is a corporal, m his soldierly instincts, However, he has the credit, undoubtedly well deserved, of possessing good military capacity, and ha* shown himself an excellent strategist at the fluid manucevres. He takes a lively interest m all questions of higher tactics, and studies hard under ths direction of Moltke. He attends all the councils, receives the advice of the leading gene'als, and ia a regular attendant at the monthly exercises of the office's of the War Academy. His sound criticisms, and the ingenious solutions that he propounds to tho problems given of high strategy, have already gained for him the title of the new Frederick the Ureat.

Notwithstanding his dißpos : tion for military i-cience, he is ss fond of " peeing " a3a Frenchman. Ec l;;ves to be se n, hie hor.-e gaLcping, sworl drawn, the r<d dolrran of the tl> ssare fluttering from his shoulders, the dust curling behind him, us if he always bad a charge of cavalry m hand. His personal appearance is not what is termed striking. A little abovj the average height, but not so tall or d'gnified aa his father and grandfather there is nothing about him to attract or repel- Bis face is like that of a thousand young German cfficerB — auburn hair, full blonde moustache, carefuly waxed at the points, blue eyep, straight nose, a trifli "bull-doggy" at the nostrils Trained m all athletic exercises, which he has loved from the time he was m pinafores, he is an exceptionally good swimmer. He can give points to the most expert groom io dressing down a horse, and as a rough rider he has put to shame the experts of more than one cavalry regiment. His fondness for muscular exercises tempts the young prince to poße more as a swashbuckler than as a gentleman and an officer. He vill swell his throat like a wrestler, clank his spurs, clash hiß sabretache, and rap out oaths — not the high toned ones of the army m Flanders, but such as a bullock teamster will use over a corduroy road.