THE OPPOSED MARRIAGE.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 1825, 26 April 1888, Page 3

THE OPPOSED MARRIAGE.

In view of tho interest which has lately been created by the powerful opposition shown to the projected marriage between Prince Alexander and the Prlnoesa Victoria, the following Bhort sketch of the royal lover, from the Duuedin " Evening Herald," will probably ha read with interest.

Prince Alexander of Battenburg (says a contemporary) is one of three brothers. The othera are Prince Henry, who married Princess Beatrice of England, and Prinoe Louis, a captain of the English navy, who visited Australia aa a lieutenant on Admiral Olanwilliam'a flagship — the Inconstant — in 1861; Ha is the eon of Prince Alexander of Battenburg (Hesse), brother of the late Empreaa of Russia, and was born April 5, 1835, Hie mother, born OountoHß von Kanclr, waß the daughter of a former Polish Minister of War, and waß ra'.aud to the rank of Princess on her morganatic marriage with the ruler of Hesse. The ex-Pdnce of Bulgaria it a Becond son of this union, an elder brother serving ia the English navy. Prince Alexander served with the Ruaaian army during the war with Turkey. Part of the time he rode in the ranks of the Bch Regiment of the Uhlans, and he was also attached to the staff of Prlnoa Charles of Roumania, aB well as to the Russian headquarters. He was present with Prince Charles at the siege of Plevna, and croased the Balkans with General Gourko. Soon after returning to Germany from the Russo-Turkiah campaign he was transferred from the Hesßlan Regiment of DragcODß, to which he had belonged, to the Prussian .Life Guardß, find did garrison duty in Potsdam. He was elected hereditary Prince of Bulgaria by the Assembly of JS T otableß at Tlrno'va, April 29fh, 1879 ; and by a vote of the Grand National ABafmb'y on July 13 b, 1881, ho was invested with extraordinary legislative powers for seven years. He wp.a appointed an houorary Knight Cjmpanion of the Order of the Bath in June, 1879. Prince Alexander's decision on the revolution of Philippopolia led to

the declaration of war against Bulgaria by King Milan of Servla In 1885, when the Prince at opce proved himaelf more than equal to his neighbor. Although the Balgarian army vraa the smaller and quits Inexperienced, Prince Alexander, by his great personal bravery and strategic skill, obtained several victories, and on the intervention of the European powers King Milan was obliged to consent to a treaty of peac<?, which waa signed at Buohareat By conneutirg to the union of the two Bulgarias Prince Alexander incurred tho jealousy and dlepTeaßure of the Cz'.r, who Bttuck his name r ff the Rußßlan army list. On August 22nd, 18?6, after the greater part of the gartißon of tho capital had been moved to the frontier on the pretext of aggressive movements on the part of Servia, Pricco Alexander was seiz3d In hia palace Jin tho night by some Bulgarian officers, compelled to Bign documents ao abdicating tho thronp, and was driven by his captors to Widdin, whence they proceeded with hint In a stosni yacht on the Danube to Turn Severlno. Russian machinations wore exposed In all the.l occurred subsequently, for it was openly nt<\ted that'Uho removal of the Prlnco liad become necessary for a bettor understanding with tho Czw, who would not l<;avo the country " without his poworfal protection," Princo Alexander was londly called fnr by the inhabitants, however, and 1 e on being liberated by hia kidnappers, returned to the capital and resumed the throne. By a most extraordinary turn, however, he placed himself In submission to the Czar, and when that potentate declared that ho could not approve of hia return to Bulgaria he again abdicated, stating <fa t he could not romi ia in Bulgaria because "the Cz»r would nut permit it." He shed tears to the officers of the palace in maktog tho announcement, and then, relieved of all responsibility, ie went home to Darmstadt. When it waa first proposed that ho should bocomo rnler of Bulgaria, Bismarck's advice waa sought. The laconic reply was " that It would give him experience," and it did. Now Prince Ferdinand of Coburg occupies the throne. Prlncesa Victoria is tha second daughter and third child of the Emperor of Germany, her mothar (the Empress) being the Prlncesi Victoria (Princeas Royal of Groat Britain), and her graudmother Qaeen Victoria. She waß born on April 12th, 1866, so ia just twenty-two years of atre. The attachment between her and Prince Alexander ia not of today, but was known in 1886, when that unluoky young man threw up the orown of Bulgaria, It was then said that Prince Bismarck was mnoh opposed to their betrothal, because of the resentment felt towards the Prince by the Czar, and hia feeling is now made clearer by the sensational action which la repotted to have been taken by him,

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