Schloshold-Markheim is hanging in the
balance. Lord Vernon is the only man
in the cabinet capable of dealing with
the situation, which is as delicate as can
be imagined. On the one side are arrayed
the sympathies of our reigning
house and perhaps even our own
honour; on the other, the plainly expressed
desires of the German Emperor.

"The late Prince Christian left no direct
heirs, so that, in any event, the succession
must be through a collateral
branch. The claims of the rivals, Prince
George, of Schloshold, and Prince
Ferdinand, of Markheim, are therefore
evenly balanced. On one side of the
scale, however, the German Emperor
has thrown the weight of his influence.
On the other side is the moral influence
of practically all the rest of Europe, but
this will scarcely be of any value to
Prince Ferdinand unless he can enlist
the active support of Great Britain,
which, it may be, Lord Vernon, though
reluctant to withhold, will find impossible
to give. It is not to be denied that,
from a disinterested view-point, Prince
Ferdinand seems by far the more worthy
of the two claimants.