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MARRIAGE OF THE DUKE OF EDINBURGH.

The House of Commons, on July 29, having gone into committee to consi >r the message of her Majesty relating in a further provision for the Duke of Edinburgh on his marriage with the Gnind Duchess Marie Alexandrovua of Russia, Mr Gladstone explained that it was unnecessary to address her Maje-:y in reply to her message, and observed in reference to the upproaching marriage, that it was contracted on grounds of " human and personal affection," and that it had the consecrating elements of mutual attachment. It would also, he said,. form a new tie of amity between two great empires. Passing then to the proposition, which the Government on their responsibility were prepared to recommend, he reminded the house that in 1866, when the Duke of Edinburgh attained his majority, he was granted an annuity of .£15,000 a year, subject, however, to the condition that in the event of his succeeding to the duchy of SaxeGotha it would be within the power of the Crown to revoke or reduce the amount. That event not having occurred it was proposed that the annuity of the Prince should be increased to .£25,000 a year, and that in the event of his Royal Highness predeceasing the Grand Duchess she should have a provision of £6,000 a year during her life. This amount was one which, in the opinion of the Government, did not err on the side of parsimony, and could not be excepted to on the ground of excess. He also reminded the House that the value of a gift became enhanced by the ready manner in which it was given. In supporting the proposition, Mr Plunt (the only ex-Cabinet Minister on the Opposition Treasury bench) observed, that although the days had gone by when dynastic marriages affected the fate of nations, it was still a matter of congratulation that so happy an alliance as that of an English Prince with the only daughter of the Czar was calculated to cement still further the good feeling which existed between the two countries. It was, he added, customary to leave the provision to be made on these occasions to the discretion of the advisers of the Crown; but he felt persuaded that if a larger sum had been asked the House would have freely granted it. Resolutions in accordance with the proposition of the Prime Ministere were then agreed to, and Mr Gladstone stated that a bill to give effect to them would be carried through the House with all possible despatch. We have a new religious difficulty, remarks the Manchester Guardian (July 16), which seems to sit heavily on not a few sensitive consciences. The Duke of Edinburgh, as we have already informed our readers, is about to marry a ladv who is a member of the Greek Church. What, then, becomes of the Act of Settlement, and of all the other guarantees for the perfect orthodoxy, the untainted Protestantism, of our Royal Family ? Nothing of the kind has ever occurred since the Revolution; for, of course, no loyal true-blue Englishman can ever think of treating the Fourth George's affair with Mrs Fitzherbert as a case of valid marriage. No; English princes and princesses have for 200 years been true to the Protestant genius of the nation; and when they have assorted themselves, or been assorted by others in wedlock, no Papist or other heretic has been allowed to enter our royal circle. But we are living in strange times. One of the Queen's daughters has married a commoner. That was a shock to many; but Lord Lome was at least as sound a Protestant as ever lent his support to the British throne. There is a view of the approaching wedding in which it appears as a very innocent business —at any rate 60 far as the Protestant interests of this realm are concerned. The Grand Duchess Maria, we are told, will retain her faith, but the children of the marriage are to be strictly brought up in the creed of William 111. That is one source of comfort; but we have another to offer. The Duke of Edinburgh, if an English prince, is also heir presumptive to the ducal crown of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, and it is Duke Ernest's heir rather than Queen Victoria's second son who is about to lead the Russian Princess to the altar. The Prince of Wales has a numerous family, and our Protestant institutions are safe. The Guardian (London paper), says: —In other royal marriages no question of religion has occurred., The princes and princesses who have been imported from Germany have found no difficulty in merging in the English church the special form of Lutheran or reformed Protestantism in which they had chanced to have been brought up. But the Grand Duchess Marie is presumably a member of the Greek Church. Will she be able to do the same ? At any rate, it is promised that the children shall be brought up in their father's communion. Between the Greek and English Church there has been no sharp opposition and no treasure of bitter memories, such as unhappily keeps open the gap between us and Rome; put, on the contrary, a steady tradition of a uniform though rare interchange of courtesy and communion. Of late years several incidents—such as the honorable repeption of a Greek prelate in this country, and a friendly correspondence between the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Patriarch of Constantinoplehave combined to revive among ourselves a sense of this ancient friendship; and we may well hope that it may prove sufficient to allow a distinguished member of one communion to accept the other.

« SCIENTIFIC " HOAXES. " QEdipiis," in the Melbourne Leader, writes:—Scarcely a year passes without some i : i'tic pretender trying to foist up'-ri the public a scientific hoax, after tlie style of that which was fathered upon Herschel about llie discovery of inhabitants in the moon. The latest sensation of the kind is given in a Californian paper, and its nature may be inferred from the complex heading of the article. It. runs on in these words :—" The burninif pit.—An appalling discovery by scientists.— A descent to Hades.—Five governments, including the United Slates, secretly combine. —Investigating the igneous theory of the earth's centre.—The earth's crust broken. —Molten condition of the globe determined.—A fright in Belgium.—Bursting forth of an artificial volcano. —Whole villages overwhelmed. —Overflow of a perennial ocean of subterranean lava.—The savans dismayed. —37,810 feet 6 inches below the earth's surface.—A remarkable report. —All of Northern Europe threatened with inundation.—The United States already assessed and paid $87,000." This is the bill of fate presented to those who have a liking to sup on horrors. The American editor candidly admits that he is unable to explain why the full report of these wonders was preceded by no telegraphic information. He can only suppose that the wires were taken possession of by the Government in order to prevent the alarm from spreading. The only wonder about the affair is that the editor did not get over the difficulty by taking credit for having had the whole particulars wired to him exclusively.

Permanent link to this item
Hononga pūmau ki tēnei tūemi

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/HBT18731121.2.11

Bibliographic details
Ngā taipitopito pukapuka

Hawke's Bay Times, Issue 1527, 21 November 1873, Page 23

Word count
Tapeke kupu
1,191

MARRIAGE OF THE DUKE OF EDINBURGH. Hawke's Bay Times, Issue 1527, 21 November 1873, Page 23

MARRIAGE OF THE DUKE OF EDINBURGH. Hawke's Bay Times, Issue 1527, 21 November 1873, Page 23

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