THE LATE PRINCE.

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume II, Issue 42, 17 April 1862, Page 6 (Supplement)

THE LATE PRINCE.

(From Uw Times.) When the grave closed over our lost Prince, the Garter King of Arms stood forth to proclaim his titles. We, in our place, have now to detail the leading events of his career and to chisel the dates upon his tomb. The dates are few, and the career is, above all, remarkable for its calmness. Seldom before has so much greatness been combined with so much of shadow and of silence. The temple of fame for Prince Albert has risen somewhat like the temple at Jerusalem, without the sound of the busy workman hewing and hammering. A life of silent growth and unobtrusive work lias yielded most precious fruit and has left a noble example, but its marked events are few ; and the Prince Consort will, no doubt, hereafter bo more famous for what he has been than for what he has done. Through the accident of his position, what he has done cannot easily be put into a tangible shape and meted out by line and rule. What he was we can easily appreciate, and run little risk of over-rating. Ilis Royal Highness Francis Albert Augustus Charles Emmanuel, Prince Consort, Prince of Saxc-Coburg and Gotha, Duke of Saxony, was born at Rosen an Castle, about four miles from Coburg, on the 26th of August, 1819. The family from which he sprung was remarkable for its ability, and of late years has acquired enormous, influence in Europe. AI this moment it is the strongest of all the mgmug families in the world, and holds a prouder position than that of any Ifapsburgs or Rourbons of old. For renown, we need not go back to the time when the ancestors of Prince Albert were Margraves of Meissen and Electors of (he Empire. The rise of the Coburgs to a first-rate position in European politics is but a few years old ; their rise into anything of importance is not half a century old. *Tho_ fortunes of tlic family were laid by Prince Albert’s grandfather, the fluke Francis Frederic Anthony, who bad a family of seven children. The first of these who took a great position was Prince Leopold ; ho married (ho Princess Charlotte, who seemed destined to establish the Coburg dynasty on the British throne, and has succeeded in fixing that dynasty on the throne of Belgium. After him came the Princess Victoria, who marrying the Duke of Rent, had the happiness of providing an heir—her most gracious Majesty, Coburg on. the mother’s side —for (he British crown. There was another brother, Prince Ferdinand ; ho had a son, named after himself, \yho married the Queen of Portugal, and through whom it now happens that a Coburg reigns in Lisbon. Another Prince of the same family, Augustus by uame, married a

daughter of Louis Philippe, and, indeed, there are three intermarriages between the Coburg and Orleans families, binding fast together the two chief royal houses in Europe. Wo reserve to the last all reference to Duke Ernest, the eldest son of Duke Erancis Frederic Anthony'. He had the paternal dominion of Saxe Saalfeld Coburg, which was afterwards changed to Saxe Coburg Gotha. He had not so large a family as his father. Ho had only two sons, but these two have in different ways kept up and spread the power of the house. It was but the other day that the elder, now Duke of Saxe Coburg and Gotha, took the rather unusual course of giving to the world an account of his career. Some of liis revelations were as curious as the fact of his writing a book at all, and proved the simplicity of his character. Still he showed in those pages how far his ideas were in advance of those current among the crowned heads of the continent—how pure were his motives, how noble his purpose ; and, though the work was to some extent a confession of failure, its effect was to raise the author in public esteem and to add to his moral influence. For his younger brother, who has gone down to the dust before him, a much brighter destiny was reserved. It has been Ids lot to plant the Coburg family in England, and to have made himself a name that will never die in the history of the greatest empire which the world has seen. His sou, a Duke of Saxony, will one day wield the British sceptre. His daughter, a Duchess of Saxony, is now the Crown Princess of Prussia. Others of his blood are ripe for now alliances, and it was in his person that the Coburg family became the most powerful in the world. Of Prince Albert’s education much has been said, but to us the chief point of interest is that it has been the model upon which he has improved in the education of his son, the heir apparent. It was diversified as much as possible, the young man being never left very long in any one place. At first the Prince, together with his elder brother, pursued his studies at the Castle of Ehrenborg, under his father’s eye. So they remained until 1535, when Prince Ernest was 17 and Prince Albert 16 years of ago. They were then taken by their father to visit the Courts of Berlin, Vienna, and Dresden, and to travel through Hungary. In May of the following year, the Duke took his children to another Court—that of St. James’s, where King William reigned. During his ’visit they stayed at Kensington Palace with the Duchess of Kent ; and here the first meeting between Prince Albert and the Princess Victoria took place. From London the two Princes went to Paris on a visit to Louis Philippe, two of whose daughters had married two of their uncles. And having thus got a glimpse of the world, they went to Brussels, partly to be near their uncle, King Leopold, partly to continue their studios. They had an English tutor, and they had the advantage of studying mathematics under Quctelet, who hud the very highest opinion of Prince Albert’s abilities. Thus prepared, the brothers were now fit for the University of Bonn, which they entered as students of law, and where they attended a great variety of lectures, some on the classics, some on statistics, those on jurisprudence, those on history, on philosophy, now and again on mathematics. Among the mimes of the learned men whose acquaintance the Princes sought are mentioned Welcker and SchlegcT. In the meantime their education in other arts than those which a University teaches was not neglected. They studied poetry, music, and drawing. Prince Albert could boast some skill as a composer of music, and ho made considerable progress as a painter. So the brothers lived for three terms at the University of Bonn, giving their vacation to a tour on foot into Switzerland ami the north of Italy. In 1839 their formal education might be regarded as complete ; in that year Prince Albert, then but 30, was declared of age, and towards the close of it be found himself, together with his brother, again at the Court of St. James’s, now ruled by the young maiden Queen, their cousin. The Queen gave her heart to Prince Albert, and was married to him on the 10th of February in the following year. At a meeting of her Privy Council in the previous November, she announced her intention of forming this union, and her words arc memorable. “I have caused you to be summoned,” said her Majesty, “in order that I may acquaint you with my resolution in a matter which deeply concerns the welfare of my people and the happiness of my future life. It is my intention to ally myself in marriage with Prince Albert of Saxo Coburg ami Gotha. Deeply impressed with the solemnity of the engagement which I am about to contract, I have not come to this decision without mature consideration, nor without feeling a strong assurance that, with the blessing of Almighty God, it will at once secure my domestic felicity and servo the interests of my country.” These anticipations have hitherto been fulfilled to the utmost. Of the Queen’s domestic felicity, and the bright promise of her family of four sons and five daughters, not a word has been said more than truth. Upon the more public question, as to the service which Prince Albert performed for the nation, the point which especially calls for remark is —that, having done a great work, and having fairly earned a great reward, his merits were never fully recognised, and it is not until wc have lost him that wo have discovered all his worth. Now, in making this admission we appear to be blaming ourselves—wo seem to confess an injustice. In rendering Prince Albert, however, bis due meed of praise, let us render to the English people their duo. The Prince was some twenty and odd years among us. During the first half of these he could have been little more than a learner —learning our language, learning our history, learning our ways. Ten years is but a short time for a foreigner to become naturalised among' us, and it was not until ten years had elapsed that Prince Albert made his first mark in this country. All that time ho had been taking root. At the end of it he felt the ground firm beneath him, and ho struck out the idea of the Great Exhibition. It was a great success, but we, at this distance of time, forget the novelty of the idea, and the doubtfulness with which it was received by men of eminence, sueb as the Duke of Wellington. Prince Albert, high as his position was, could scarcely have trusted himself to carry out that scheme in (he face of coldness and opposition before he fell himself thoroughly master of (he situ-

ation. The result of that work was to him an immense accession of popularity. People begun to discover that he had a will and a mind of his own, and that the country had somewhat to learn from him. Now, it is only from that time that Prince Albert can properly bo said to have attained his true position; and, therefore, it is only for about ten years that we have had real experience of him at the head of affairs. But, considering the nature of his work, ten years is a very short time for the discovery of a man’s reputation. It will show how slowly his anonymous kind of ■work comes to be known and appreciated, if -we call to mind the outcry that was raised against him eight year's ago, for his alleged improper interference in state affairs. Lord Aberdeen and others of our great statesmen crushed the outcry by admitting the facts. It was admitted that Prince Albert had been present at the interviews of her Majesty with ministers, was in the habit of seeing all State papers, and continually advised the Queen. But, how could it be otherwise ? How was it possible to reverse the relations of husband and wife ? The answer was complete; but the most remarkable thing about the whole affair was that for 13 years the Prince had been married to the. Queen, and yet it never entered into the minds of those who raised the scandal that the royal wife would have to turn to her husband for support and guidance. The Prince’s work was of the anonymous kind, and is it was not fully appreciated, it was chiefly because it was little known. That his merits were not entirely recognised is not an injustice, but a pure accident, which time would quickly have rectified. We may say roundly that the Prince had been but ten ycai’s in L the fulness and in the consciousness of his powers. But a few years more, and he would have been thoroughly understood. With regard to that part of the Prince’s work which was not anonymous, and which was regarded as peculiarly his own, full justice has been done to his reputation. With an income of little more than £30,000 a year, his means were fettered, but yet he accomplished great tilings. In him all the fine and useful arts hud a most ardent patron. His taste in music was very refined, and no man has done so much as he to direct the musical inclinations of (he metropolis. The sculptors ami painters can tell how he encouraged and led them. Even in the lower details of decorative art his influence has been profoundly felt, and those who might set their judgments in opposition to his could not fail to acknowledge the importance of his example in attaching weight to the trifling details of decoration. His interest in agriculture was exhibited in his model farms and in the zeal with which he contended for the prizes at agricultural show’s. In manufactures he took an equal interest, and was always ready to do his part in any great public undertaking—tlie opening of a bridge, the commencement of a railway, the laying the foundation of docks or of a museum. One of the points in his career with which he was most satisfied was his presidency of the British Association; and on assuming that ollice he made one his best speeches. Ilis speeches on public occasions were collected together some years ago, and form a remarkable testimony to his powers. The thought is always good, often original, and the moral tone throughout is pitched high, although eucrything is in good taste. The only weak part is the style, which, while manly and quite correct, is sometimes rather involved and on the borders of a haze. If, however, we complain of any deficiency of terseness and lucidity, we do not forget that the author is a German who had a German education, and from that point of view cannot praise the writing too much, as the triumph of a strong mind. Sometimes, indeed his words rose into eloquence of no mean order. His voice is now r hushed for ever. How sadly he will be missed in the coming t ime—in many a scientific gathering in many an artistic meeting! Notably, how will his presence be wanting to that Great Exhibition springing up under his auspices l at Kensington ! He will bo the more thought of because of his absence, and he will live more in our hearts because he is dead to our eyes.