this suite, in which are counted, in addition | hand, she was fetched by a royal yacht so to the envoy's children, the secretaries, attachés, and the chaplain to the embassy.

soon as she came in sight of the British coast. At the Russian court, official audiences for ambassadresses do not appear to have been introduced until 1762. These ceremonial privileges were very strictly kept up at the Papal court. When a foreign envoy had his audience on arriving, the Pope sent his wife his greeting and blessing, and soon after she was granted a solemn audience, at which three sofa cushions were given her for a seat. The details of this ceremony were arranged most carefully, and indeed the Papal See displayed the strictest accuracy in all such official matters, which it inherited from the Byzantine court, so notorious for its exaggerated and clumsy grandeur.

The ceremonial claims of ambassadresses were finally regulated at the Congress of Westphalia, and Moser writes on the sub

selves at this great meeting in all their splendor, and on this occasion brought forward several claims, which were afterwards converted into a rule." These claims referred chiefly to the ceremonies which the ambassadresses wished to see observed in their mutual intercourse; and owing to the length of the congress, disputes on points of etiquette broke

As regards the ceremonial claims of the ambassadress, they attained their highest development at the French court, under Louis XIV. The official character of an ambassadress was scarcely allowed at the court of the German emperor, and, in fact, there were great variations at the European courts in the nature of the distinctions granted to her. So much, however, may be established, that an ambassadress has a right to a solemn and official audience on arrival and departure, which is generally accompanied with the same pomp as is employed for her husband. It has been stated that in former times it was a very general rule for these ladies to be permitted to sit down in the social circles of emperors and queens; but this statement is not quite correct, for this privi-ject, "The ambassadresses displayed themlege was expressly refused at the English court, and that of the German emperor. Moser gives a detailed account of the solemnities usual at the several European courts. At the French court the ambassadress was fetched by the Introducteur des Ambassadeurs "in a royal coach, for an audience with the queen," in whose apartments she met the king, who kissed her on the fore-out, which must at times have been very head. As she entered the palace, all the sentries presented arms, and she was led to the Hall of the Ambassadors, where she met a lady in waiting, who placed herself on her Left hand, and accompanied her to the queen's apartments. As the ambassadress entered, the queen rose; the former made a feint to kneel, but the queen prevented her, and kissed her on the forehead. She then was handed a tabouret, on which to sit among the duchesses present. The solemnities at the leave-taking audience were the same; and after these audiences there was usually a banquet. In the same way the ambassadors paid solemn visits to the royal princesses, and very frequently to the Minister of Foreign Affairs.

The same solemnities took place at these audiences at the court of Spain; and Louis XIV. expressly obtained from this court reciprocity in the ceremony to be observed with his ambassadress. A perfectly similar ceremony was also observed at the English court, with this difference, that the ambassadress was not allowed to sit down, but on the other

welcome, when we reflect on the dearth of amusement supplied by the cities of Münster and Omabrück. On this occasion, a fashion which has since been maintained at several courts, was introduced, of observing, on the arrival of an ambassadress, exactly the same ceremonial as on the arrival of an envoy. The latter received the first visit from his colleagues, according to their rank, either in person, or by a card. Each came as quickly as he could, and no particular succession was observed. The precedence of the European sovereigns had not yet been finally settled, and so it often happened that when an envoy fancied that a visit paid to another ought to have been paid to him, the most obstinate disputes began, which often terminated by producing a war between the countries which the quarrellers represented. We need only turn to Wicquefort, or Callière's "De la Manière de Négocier avec les Souverains,” to form an idea of the countless disputes of this nature, which frequently led to the most piquant scenes. The Popes, especially Julius II., tried at

In

times to stop this source of squabbling, by the departure of the newly married couple; drawing up a table of precedence for Euro- but when his appeal to the monarch had no pean sovereigns; but it was not recognized. result, he expressed himself satisfied. The first rank was granted, without opposi- the previous century a Prussian envoy betion, to the envoy of the German emperor; haved with even less gallantry to a Danish but France, Spain, England, and at a later ambassadress. She claimed precedence, but date, even Sweden, contended for the second he most unceremoniously thrust her back. place.

The Congress of Vienna deprived ambas sadresses of the chance of quarrelling with one another, or with the envoys. The reg

These disputes of the envoys were taken up at the Congress of Westphalia by their wives, who carried them on much more vio-ulations drawn up on March 19, 1815, delently and recklessly than their husbands did. There was abundant opportunity for this, because the rule was strictly adhered to that every newly arrived lady should return the visits of her female companions, exactly in the same rotation as they had been paid to her. Moreover, as every envoy had brought his wife to Münster, there was ample score for squabbles for precedence in this little town, where they were shut up so long. Moser gives us a long list of examples of this nature; and the wife of Servein, the French envoy, seems to have distinguished herself most by her quarrelsome temper. On her journey to Münster she had had a dispute at the Hague with the Princess of Orange about the first visit, and she carried on the same game at the Congress of Westphalia. Thus, for instance, this lady and the Countess Sannazar, ambassadress from Mantua, had a tremendous quarrel, because the latter paid the first visit to Madame Brun, the Spanish envoy's wife. Her husband had a similar quarrel with the Hanseatic envoy, because the latter paid the first visit to the Spanish ambassador. In consequence of these quarrels, banquets at this congress often terminated with sanguinary conflicts among the servants; and similar quarrels occurred at the Congress of Nimeguen. Moser tells us of one between the French and the Spanish ambassadors, because the latter received the first visit from the wife of the Swedish envoy, when she appeared in public after her confinement. Ever. the envoys themselves were not always so gallant as to avoid squabbles with the ladies about precedence. M. de Brenne records such a case as occurring between the French ambassador and the English ambassadress, on the occasion of the marriage of Charles I. with the French Princess Henrietta. The envoy was not willing to allow his colleague's wife an envied seat in the king's coach upon

cided that ambassadors at the different courts should rank according to the date on which their arrival was officially announced to the court. By this most simple arrangement, which now holds good at every court in Europe, the old disputes for precedence among the envoys are abolished, and nothing is left to the ambassadresses but to yield to the new order of things. Formerly the preten sions of envoys and their wives to precedence over persons of a non-ambassadorial charac ter, were very far-fetched; and at times it happened that they claimed precedence of the princes and princesses of the court to which they were accredited. Imperial and royal envoys at times considered themselves superior to the princes and electors to whom they were sent; they even expected cardi nals to yield to them; and Moser tells us of a quarrel of this nature between Cardinal Grimani and a Spanish ambassadress, in 1702, which led to a terrible fight between their servants in the streets of Rome. A papal decree, however, expressly claimed, in 1750, precedence for cardinals. Such cases, after all, are isolated, and the ambassa dresses, as a rule, only demanded to be ranked immediately after princesses of the blood. At the Roman court they had car ried on for many years a quarrel for prece dence with the princesses of the Houses of Colonna and Ursini. It commenced in the time of the first ambassadress, Countess Olivarez, and cropped out again every now and then. Similar disputes between ambas sadresses and ladies belonging to the nobil ity, took place repeatedly in these countries; and Wicquefort tells us of one between Countess Lilienroth, wife of the Swedish en voy, and a Countess Horn, which led to a sharp exchange of notes between her husband and the States-General. There are no established rules as to the rank of envoys and their wives, although various formal

treaties have been made on the subject be- ambassadresses, when belonging to a differ tween different states. As a rule, consider-ent creed from that of their husbands, have able difficulty arises as to the position of a right to a special form of worshp, and this ambassadresses to the Minister of Foreign question may be of practical importance in Affairs and their wives. At the French court countries like Spain, Turkey, etc. This there used to be entire equality; but now- privilege is almost universally conceded, by a-days these ministers appear to have prece-writers on the subject, to ambassadresses, on dence of ambassadors at nearly every court. The rank of ambassadresses is most certainly determined in our country, where they rank after the viscountesses, although they take precedence of those ministers who are not members of the nobility.

upon the latter asked for his passport, and laws, or peremptorily settled by the foreign went off to his native land. Lucky is the sovereign. These principles are applicable envoy who has not a wife so jealous of her privileges as the Countess Lilienroth, and who appears to have caused her poor husband incessant trouble.

to the wives of all envoys, and especially to ambassadresses, who, as we have seen, possess a more independent title to their privileges than the mere fact of belonging to their An occurrence, which might have had se- husbands' suite. Moser has written a sperious consequences, took place at Vienna in cial treatise on the subject, "How long an 1730, with the wife of the Prussian envoy, ambassador's widow enjoys the privileges of Von Brandt. She was driving, with her her deceased husband; " and one of the cases daughter, past a religious procession, and which he quotes is interesting. The wife of the mob, excited by a priest, insisted on the a foreign envoy at the Viennese court retwo ladies getting out, and on their refusal, mained there when a widow. No time was they were forcibly dragged forth by two men. settled during which she must return home, The Austrian Government had the latter or lose her privileges and be regarded as a at once thrown into prison, and they after-private person, and hence, when she died, wards asked pardon of the envoy on their a few years after, she still held the ambasknees, and in chains; but the priest escaped sadorial privileges, which had never been rewithout any punishment, because the Gov-called during her lifetime. Upon her death, ernment declared that it had no jurisdiction the question was raised whether these privover him. As undoubted as the inviolabil- ileges were applicable to her will, and the ity of ambassadors' wives, is their freedom from the jurisdiction of the foreign state; and these, as well as all other privileges, remain equally valid after their husbands' death. The practice of the several courts has always been the same in this respect, although some writers have now and then made the arbitrary assertion that, by the death of an envoy, his widow at once returns to private life. This idea originates from a confusion between the functions of the embassy and its privileges: the former certainly cease through the demise of the envoy, but not the latter. Should these cease and determine before the return of the ambassador and his suite to their native country, it only takes place at the expiration of a certain period, which is either decided by the

Imperial Court of Exchequer gave an opinion to the contrary effect. Moser attacks this judgment, and declares that the court was incompetent to decide the question, because the lady was not subject to its juris diction during her lifetime.

As a rule, a period is allowed in most countries for the duration of the ambassadorial privileges of the widow of an envoygenerally one year; and the same is the case if the ambassadress should remain in the foreign capital, after her husband's recall, or with him. After the expiration of this time, the ambassador's wife becomes a private person, just in the same way as if she had returned home immediately upon her husband's recall.

CHARADE.-I have always had some doubt on the solution, Good-Night, said to be Praed's "own," of his Charade, “Sir Hilary," and have not seen the American interpretations. GoodNight does not, certainly, satisfy the first two syllables of prayer. I venture to propose another solution, and, as the charade is short and not always at hand, I append it, with the interpretation in brackets :

"Sir Hilary charged at Agincourt: Sooth 'twas an awful day!

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