The Temuka Leader SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 1889. THE LATE EMPEROR AND ARCHDUKE.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1854, 16 February 1889, Page 2

The Temuka Leader SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 1889. THE LATE EMPEROR AND ARCHDUKE.

Death has rid Europe of two great men, who, had they lived, would, without doubt, hare exercised great influence for good in their respective countries. These two men were the Emperor Frederick, of Germany, and the Archduke Rudolph, Crown Prince of Austria. Of the sad and untimely end of the late Emperor Frederick, we have all heard a great deal. With his many amiable and good qualities we have also been made acquainted. He was, according to all accounts, a great soldier and a great statesman, and his ambition was to liberate his country from the military despotism of Prince Bismarck. Had he lived and been given good health, he would have extended the liberties of his people by modelling their institutions on those of Great Britain, but, unfortunately for his country, he was cut down on the threshold by which he was entering on his career of usefulness. Enough, however, is already known concerning “Frederick the Noble,” but of the Archduke Rudolph very little is known. He was, however, the best beloved man in all Austria, and could never appear in public without meeting with a most enthusiastic reception. He was a man of varied attainments, an orator of the first order* and aj capital linguist. There are in the Empire of Austria about 27 distinct nationalities, each having a distinct language of its own, and the late Archduke could converse fluently in all of them. He could also speak some of the other continental languages, He was well versed in law and science, and was accredited with being the best ornithologist of the present day. Above all, and before all, his views on politics were liberal and progressive, and in him were centred the. hopes of those who desired to improve the condition of the people of Austria. One of the cablegrams stated that when a priest refused to sing a requiem for the repose of his soul the congregation sang it, and forced the sexton to toll the bell. This illustrates the affectionate regard in which he was held. The priest of course refused to officiate because the circumstances surrounding the death of the Archduke precluded it, but to this the people paid no attention. All they thought of was that their prince, whom they loved, was dead, and they resolved that so far as they were concerned every respect should be paid to his memory. The fact that in the face of ecclesiastical disfavor the people took this course, shows how truly beloved the late Archduke was, and the reasonable conclusion to come to is that he was beloved because he was kind and sympathetic. Like the Emperor Frederick he regarded the well-being of the people over whom he would have ruled had he lived before and above all other considerations, and he did not disguise his intention to ameliorate the condition of his subjects so far as he could when he reached the throne. But like the Emperor Frederick he was not destined to carry out his intentions, Unfortunately his career was cut short, just at the age of 30 years, and the circumstances connected with his death are not such as would entitle his memory to universal veneration. However, the less said on such a matter the better. Princes with whom we are more closely connected have regarded as a matter of very little import the offence which caused the Archduke to take his own and another’s life. But passing over such matters, we cannot but regret the loss which Europe has sustained in both the Emperor Frederick and the Archduke Rudolph. Had they both lived to reign as monarchs of the adjoining countries, the advantage tp their Respective countries would,

undoubtedly have been great. They were both clever, thoughtful, and sympathetic; they entertained the kindest intentions towards their people, and, by all accounts, they were fully determined to carry out reforms of a beneficent nature. But it would seem that there is a destiny which shapes the ends of nations as well as of individuals, and that generally it is those favorable to the social improvement of the people who go first of all. It would appear as if even Fate had thrown her influence on the side of vested interests and crushing tyranny. Both the Emperor Frederick and the i Archduke are gone, and they have not left any equals behind them. The successor of the. Emperor is well known. He entertains no such opinions as were held by his father, and Prince Bismarck still reigns supreme. As regards the successor of the heir-apparent to the throne of Austria, nothing is known so far. "We learned from the cable news that the Archdulre Karl had renounced his right to succeed to the throne in favor of the Archduke Ferdinand; second, that he had renounced it in favor of his son Francis, and, thirdly, that he had delayed taking any action in view of the possibility of an heir being born to the late Archduke. The Archduke Karl is a brother of the Emperor Francis Joseph, and is 55 years of age; Archduke Ferdinand is two years younger, and is head of both the Tuscany and Modena branches of the Royal family. Ferdinand is only a distant relation of the Emperor Francis Joseph, and the commonsense reading of the cablegrams, therefore, is that the Archduke Karl has renounced his right to succeed to the throne in favor of his own son Francis, who is now about 25 years of age. Nothing is knbwn of the latter, and it is doubtful whether he will ever fill the place left vacant by the late Archduke. Without any reference to the cause of the late Archduke’s death, the loss of both himself and the late Emperor is very great so far as the countries interested are concerned, and as we are always most desirous of seeing the capacity for diffusing human happiness extended, we regret the death of both the late Emperor and the late Archduke.