would be no privation compared to the enormous advantage of being one's own master, and of being on equality with most people, and able to know men and the world, as they are, and not merely as they please to show themselves to please us."

Hence it appears, there are always two views, the view others have of your position, and the view you have of it yourself. This we are apt to forget in any case but our own. We see the outside show, the glitter and the pomp, but the annoyances, the inconveniences, and the responsibilities of high positions we fail to realise.

THE PRINCESS AT HOME.

Following the teaching of her "dear, adored papa!" it was the constant aim of the Princess to make for her husband a bright and comfortable home, and she succeeded in spite of self, which as she somewhere says, "Constantly turns up, like a bad sixpence." She made dresses, managed all her nursery accounts, studied medical works that she might be able to attend to the ailments of her family without incessant dependence upon others, and was even interested in the question of "porridge" for her eldest daughter. But above all she was deeply interested in the moral and spiritual welfare of her children. "It is not physical ill one dreads for them," says one of her letters, "it is moral: the responsibility for their little lent souls is great!" Among other things she trained them to love and be generous to the poor, and was delighted when they would give to poor children some of their own unbroken toys. Referring to what must have been an admirable letter from Her Majesty the Queen, she says, "What you said about the education of our girls I entirely agree with, and I strive to bring them up totally free from pride of their position, which is nothing, save what their personal worth can make it.. . . Í feel so entirely as you do on the difference of rank, and how all-important it is for princes and princesses to know that they are nothing better or above others, save through their own merit; and that they have only the double duty of living for others and of being an example-good and modest. This I hope my children will grow up to." Could anything be more admirable than such a view of Royal duties and responsibilities?

Outside her own home life and work, the training of her own early years clung to her, and filled her with beneficent designs for the welfare of others. Sometimes she would go incog. with her old servant, and find her way through the Darmstadt slums to carry succour to a wretched home; and sometimes she would organize a bazaar and be the life and soul thereof and of all the sewing and committee meetings connected therewith.

She gave her name, because she gave her heart and soul to various societies, such as "The Alice Hospital," the "Alice Society for Aid to Sick and Wounded," and "The Alice Society for the Education and Employment of Women," the "Alice Lyceum," &c.

THE HOME IN TROUBLE.

The mention of some of these is suggestive of her own home trials. Her husband was called to the war, and in the Franco-German campaign,

when she knew that he was at the front, sharing equally with others the hardships of the field, neither sleeping under a roof nor on a bed for ten days together, and that amid incessant rain, with nothing to drink, and but little to eat, fighting sometimes for eight hours at a stretch, with men falling in masses on either side of him, we may understand her feelings. Add to this her work among the sick, the wounded, and the dying in the hospitals, work done with a bleeding heart as she saw fine young men die hard deaths in presence of heart-broken widows and mothers-sights which made her "curse the wickedness of war again and again."

The world knows how devotedly she nursed her father, and how faithfully she stood by the bedside of her brother, the Prince of Wales. We heard too of the first sad shock which cast its shadow upon the brightness of her home, in the sudden and tragic death of her child Fritz, who was one moment playing by favour in her bedroom, and the next was picked up insensible from the stone terrace below, to die close clasped to her well-nigh broken heart. Yet out of it all the Lord brought good. At one time the Princess used openly to doubt the existence of God, but the death of that child was the means of breaking down her philosophical conclusions, and of bringing her back in faith and prayer to the "God who rules the world and each single one of us." Then when her home was visited with that terrible disease diphtheria, her husband and five children being prostrated with it at one time, and when as the others passed the crisis of the trial, her baby, her "sunshine," was torn from her distracted breast, no murmur escaped her lips. God," said she, "has called for one life, and has given me back five for it; how then should I mourn ?"

Thus did she come to taste the "peaceable fruit" which grows, to such as cultivate it, on the tree of sorrow, and eating that she needed nothing more. Worn out with watching and anxiety she fell a victim to the same dire disease which attacked all the rest, taking it, as is supposed, by resting her grief-stricken head one day upon her sick husband's pillow.

Born in 1843, married in 1862, she died on the 14th of December, 1878, exactly four weeks after the death of her child, the princess May, and precisely seventeen years since the muffled bells rung out to England and the world the death of her noble father, the Prince Consort.

The time may come amid the revolutions of the ages when kings and queens, princes and princesses, grand dukes and grand duchesses, and all the splendid titles which adorn royal and noble names will become memories of the past, but even then so long as the virtues which adorned the Princess Alice are found among the ladies of this or any land, we shall have no need to mourn the loss of empty names. The substance will remain if the shadows flee away, for

"Howe'er it be, it seems to me,

"Tis only noble to be good.

Kind hearts are more than coronets,
And simple faith than Norman blood."

J. FLETCHER.

A Young Englishwoman's First Visit to Switzerland.

LETTER I.

Metz, August 1st.

MY DEAR MARY,-I did not think of writing before we reached Chamouni, but we have been most unexpectedly detained here at Metz, the famous stronghold of Lorraine. We cannot go on till after midnight, and as you want a full account of all we see and do, I had better write down at once our experiences thus far.

We left home on the day fixed, and arrived at Harwich pier about 10.0 p.m., where we found the Antwerp steamer waiting. We went on board at once, and were soon steaming out of the harbour. Next morning I was early on deck, and found we had just passed Flushing and entered the estuary of the Scheldt, which is several miles wide. We had still fifty or sixty miles to sail up the river; but it was not very interesting, as the morning was showery, the land low and very flat, and the river too wide for us to see the dykes.

But in a while we came in sight of the spire of Antwerp cathedralone of the highest in the world. Then Antwerp itself came into view, and it was pleasant enough now, as we got nearer, to see the fine old city, and the shipping on the busy river. On arriving at the landingplace the custom-house officers came on board to examine the luggage, but we had not much to inspect; so we were soon on shore, looking round on the lively scene with great interest. It was my first sight of a foreign city, and everything looked strange; but I was most struck with the dress of the working people. The men and boys wear dark blue blouses, and such curious wooden shoes! how they manage to keep them on is a wonder to me. They are quite different from the clogs worn in the north of England. The women have a kind of long loose print jacket, and thick white caps, which even little girls wear. It was very curious to observe how much the people seem to live out of doors, for we saw many eating and drinking in front of the numerous cafés. But the cathedral delighted me the most, and Rubens' grand pictures which are in it, especially that of the Descent from the Cross.

We left Antwerp late in the afternoon of the same day for Brussels. We did not, however, tarry long there, but taking our seats in the comfortable German Express, were soon on our way again. At first all went well. The country we passed through was pretty and well-cultivated, and the rich fields of golden grain looked well as the sun set brightly over them. The towns and villages are near together, for Belgium is a densely-populated country, but all looked nice, and the people had a well-to-do appearance which was pleasant to see. We had a very good carriage, and I was thinking how comfortable we should be for the night, when our speed began to slacken, and soon we came to a dead stop.

There had been an accident, and the line was completely blocked,

A FIRST VISIT TO SWITZERLAND.

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but whether anyone was hurt we could not ascertain. We had all to get out with our luggage, and walk as best we could past the debris of the ruined train to another on the other side, which was waiting for us-our train going back with the unfortunate passengers.

It took a long time to get all the people and luggage over, and there was such a confusion and Babel of tongues as I never heard before. At last we went on again, but at a much slower speed. We crossed the German frontier about midnight, and were all turned out to have our luggage examined. Such a scene! About half-past two this morning we arrived at Metz, where we were bidden to get out, as the train would go no farther. Here was a predicament to be in-turned out of the train at this untimely hour, in a foreign city, where none of us had ever been before.

Most fortunately a small omnibus was waiting at the station, which we entered, and at length arrived safely at the Hotel de L'Europe. This is a place with an historic interest, for it was here Marshal Bazaine signed the articles of capitulation after the siege of Metz. Next morning we were speedily reminded that we were no longer in a free country, for on going downstairs the head of our party had to sign a paper for the police, stating the place of his birth, his profession, present residence, and why he and the rest of us had come to Metz. Fancy anyone having to do such a thing in England! After breakfast we went out to see the town and its fortifications. It is a quaint old place, with very narrow streets, through which, however, the tram-cars manage to run. We were much interested in all we saw, especially the fortifications. There is a regular network of these stretching one behind another for miles round the town. They have been greatly strengthened since the Germans got possession, and I think the French will have hard work if they ever get it back again. The country round is very pleasant, but I should not like to live here-there are far too many soldiers to please me. We could not move in any direction without seeing troops of them. The population and trade (tanning) have greatly decreased since the war, and the people seem poor and dejected-looking. Almost all the well-to-do families left the place rather than submit to the German government, and I am not surprised, for their rule is a hard one. There is a nice public garden here, with a fine statue of Marshal Ney. I thought he looked out of place there now, with his old enemies, the German soldiers, parading about him. In our walk we crossed the river-the beautiful blue Moselle; and while we were looking at the great cavalry-barracks we saw a cart-load of hay coming to the town, but to our surprise it was not allowed to cross the bridge till two soldiers had thrust their lances through it in several places. What that was for we could not make out, but it seemed a strange proceeding.

I do not envy the feelings of a French family, who came here when we did, and go on to Vevey by the night train. They have been to visit the battle-fields to-day, I believe. They looked very grave at table d'hote, while several German officers laughed and talked merrily enough.

But my room is wanted, and so I must hastily conclude.

L. W.

LETTER II.

Chamouni, August 6th.

WE left Metz by the midnight express. After a time the sun rose bright and beautiful above the mountains of the Black Forest at our left, and gilding the tops of the Vosges on our right, with a soft rosy light that was very pleasant to see. Nearing the Swiss frontier, the Jura mountains rose grandly before us, and about 6.0 a.m. we arrived at Basle, called by its people the "Queen of the Rhine." After a hasty

breakfast we were off again, this time by a Swiss train, which is on the American plan, and not so comfortable as the German express. As we left Basle and entered the beautiful scenery of the Jura mountains, my spirits rose with the pure free air, and I felt full of joy with the thought that I was at last in Switzerland, the country I have read and heard so much about, but till lately never expected to see. The scenery of the Juras is beautiful, very like that in the neighbourhood of Matlock, but on a much grander scale. We had peeps into deep green valleys, and pretty hamlets nestling among the forest-clad hills; then again all was wild and bare, with mighty limestone crags and rushing torrents.

After a ride of some hours we came to the Swiss plain, for the little country is not all mountains. I think by the appearance of the people, and the pleasant towns and villages, this is the most prosperous part of Switzerland. There were miles upon miles of vineyards. After passing the lakes of Bienne, and Neuchatel, we came in sight of the lake of Geneva, and the Alps, which had for some time been hid from our view by a range of hills, now burst upon our sight in their full grandeur. Never, while memory lasts, shall I forget that magnificent scene, or the awe and rapture that filled my soul as I beheld it; but I will not attempt to describe it for you-it is beyond my power.