taken place in Scotland for three hundred years.

Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh, married the favourite child and only daughter
of the late Emperor of Russia, and sister of the Czar. On the death of
Duke Ernst of Coburg-Gotha, brother of the Prince-Consort, he succeeded to
the ducal throne on August 24, 1893, as Duke Alfred of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha.
He died in 1900. Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught, wedded the daughter of
Prince Charles, 'the Red Prince' of Prussia; and Leopold, Duke of Albany,
took for his wife Princess Helena of Waldeck. Prince Leopold had had a
somewhat suffering life from his childhood, and he died suddenly while
abroad, on March 28, 1884, leaving behind his young wife and two little
children, one of whom was born after his death.

On July 27, 1889, Princess Louise, eldest daughter of the Prince of Wales,
was married to the Duke of Fife. Preparations were being made to celebrate
another marriage, that of the Duke of Clarence and Avondale, eldest son of
the Prince of Wales, to Princess Victoria Mary (May) of Teck, in January
1892; but to the sorrow of all, he was stricken down with influenza
accompanied by pneumonia on January 10th, and died on the 14th. The Queen
addressed a pathetic letter to the nation in return for public sympathy,
which was much more than a mere note of thanks and acknowledgement.

OSBORNE, _January_ 26, 1892.

I must once again give expression to my deep sense of the loyalty and
affectionate sympathy evinced by my subjects in every part of my
empire on an occasion more sad and tragical than any but one which
has befallen me and mine, as well as the nation. The overwhelming
misfortune of my clearly loved grandson having been thus suddenly cut
off in the flower of his age, full of promise for the future, amiable