Around the World with a King

by William N. Armstrong

  Prince William of Prussia and Princess Augusta Victoria of Schleswig Holstein (1881).

  An invitation was received from the King's Consul-General of Sweden and Norway, to enjoy a yachting excursion about the North Sea, but it could not be accepted. One of the Swedish illustrated papers represented the meeting of the British Queen and the Hawaiian King, in which the ancient royal etiquette of kissing was observed. The letterpress was: (The Queen), "Sire, you are a bad fellow; you bit me." She hesitates, then continues:-"but you are such a sweet thing you may kiss me again."

  The King reviewed a large body of infantry the next day, but the little skeleton in the royal closet rattled incessantly, for he was repeatedly asked, "How large is your Majesty's army?" But this time, in the presence of the magnificent German force, he faced the truth and meekly replied, "I have no army."

  At noon we went to Potsdam again and dined with the Red Prince, and called upon Prince William in order to take leave. The King thanked him for directing a review of the artillery, cavalry, and infantry; the Prince replied that he regretted that the Emperor, also his father, and his brother, Prince Henry, were absent, and urged the King to remain and visit some of the German cities. We visited Krupp's gun factory at Essen. Many persons were presented to the King in the office of the gun factory. He desired to decorate Mr. Krupp, but in the multitude of presentations he mistook an old gentleman for Krupp and conferred the honour on him; this was an embarrassment which was subsequently relieved by correspondence and explanations.

  Franz Joseph I, Emperor of Austria (1881).

  CHAPTER XXVII

  Vienna — The Royal Family Represented by Archduke Albrecht — Mr. Phelps, the American Minister, and Mr. Schuyler, the United States Consul-General — A Yale Jubilee — The King Reviews Austrian Troops — Proposed Guarantee of Hawaiian Independence — The King En joys Himself on the Prater — Reporters — Paris — No Reception by the French Government — Unravelling the Mystery — Our Bad Manners — Question of Declaring War Against France — Reconciliation — An Incident of the Commune — Minister St. Hilaire Calls — Requests for Decorations — Count de Lesseps — The Ballet Girls at the Opera.

  WE left for Vienna without hope of seeing the royal family, as it had left the city for the summer season. One of the Emperor's aides, and a captain of the navy who had visited Hawaii, received us, together with the King's Consul—General residing in Vienna. At the Imperial Hotel many officials called, among them the Archduke Albrecht, the only member of the royal family in the city. Mr. William Walter Phelps, the American Minister at the Austrian court, and Mr. Eugene Schuyler, the American chargé d'affaires at Bucharest, my old college friends, also called, and were presented to the King. After their presentation was made with due ceremony, they retired to my apartments and we had a Yale jubilee. It was a singular incident that three friends, intimate in college days and afterward, should suddenly meet in the capital of the Austrian Empire: one as the Minister of the United States, another already distinguished as a diplomat and scholar, and the third as the Minister of the Polynesian ruler of about the smallest kingdom of the world. We discarded for the time, however, all earthly distinctions, and when, later, the King asked what song we were singing in my apartments, I replied, "It's a Way we Have at Old Yale." For the purpose of recalling our old associations we converted the large centre table of the apartment into the old fence in front of ancient South College, and were once more boys of Old Eli. I, the oldest of the three, have outlived them, for these splendid men died at the noon of their lives, before they had even cast shadows.

  That evening the King dined with Mr. Phelps and then occupied the Emperor's box at the Royal Opera. The next day he reviewed the Imperial troops stationed in the city; it was said that he quickly and intelligently distinguished the difference in the drill tactics of the Austrian and German armies.

  There were rumours published in the press that the King intended to sell his islands to some European Power; but these were mere jests. To one of the newspaper correspondents, however, he said, while denying these rumours, that the European Powers should unite in a joint guarantee of the independence of his kingdom. He was still under the influence of the Italian adventurer, although, aside from it, he had a vague feeling that he was confronted with the "manifest destiny" of the United States. Any active movement at this time toward obtaining such a guarantee would have involved us in trouble, as the United States would have firmly declared to the European Powers that the King's islands were within "the sphere of American influence," and such a guarantee would have been resented as an unwarrantable interference. Mr. Phelps and Mr. Schuyler, on my suggestion, quietly but earnestly, in a conversation with the King, urged him not to make any effort to secure such a guarantee, and he abandoned the scheme.

  Elisabeth, Empress of Austria (1881).

  The King unfortunately, with the Austrian gentlemen attending him, visited one of the noted music and beer gardens, the Prater, and was placed in a conspicuous place; he drank wine and beer, and, while walking about the place, was approached by a pretty Viennese girl who bowed to him and asked him to dance with her. He instantly assented, and was soon waltzing, and surrounded by a large crowd, who watched him with much interest. The reporters of the Viennese newspapers were the most persistent and impudent news-gatherers we met in Europe; they swarmed in our hotel, noted and published the names of the dishes of which the King ate and the number of glasses of wine which he drank, his manner of holding a napkin, and the smallest details regarding his dress. A legion of them followed him to the beer-garden. The following morning the newspapers published picturesque and exaggerated descriptions of his dancing in the Prater; and these were sent by telegram to many cities of Europe, including Paris, to which place we were next to go; and with these was sent a statement, without foundation, that the Emperor of Austria had requested him to leave the empire.

  The people gathered in the Prater, however, approved of the King's democratic manners, and when the band rendered the Hawaiian national anthem they rose and uncovered. The press editorially spoke of the King as a good-natured, enlightened, and liberal monarch, a suitable model for a European ruler; the correspondent of the London "Times" reported to his paper that the Austrian government had gone out of its way to make his visit an agreeable one.

  When we reached Paris no representative of the French government met us; for the first time in the tour we met the cold shoulder, and we were without knowledge of the reason for it. The King was much aggrieved at this want of hospitality, for the French Foreign Office had sent him a telegram, while we were in London, inviting him to attend the Fetes of July in Paris, as the President's guest. I advised the King to assume his incognito and pay no attention to the French court. He was, I suspected, anxious to get the decoration of the Legion of Honour, and insisted on an explanation, as his government had a treaty with France, and a French diplomatic commissioner resided at his own court. As I now had some experience in the ways of royal etiquette, I resorted to a very simple plan of finding the reason for this apparent discourtesy. I called upon the Minister from Portugal to the French Republic, who was an old and kindly man with large experience in public affairs. He received me cordially, upon which I frankly told him what the situation was and asked his advice. He advised me to call at the Foreign Office at once and inquire. I called, with some feeling of humiliation, but believing that it was wise to do so under the circumstances. I was courteously received by the Chef du Cabinet, who in a polite manner, without any arrogance, said that the King "had not reciprocated the courtesies of the French government," for he had failed to notify it of his presence in Paris while in transit to London, and, moreover, had declined to accept the invitation to the Fêtes of July; he had even neglected to inform the government of his intention to visit Paris. I replied by stating that we much regretted any neglect of the requirements of etiquette; it arose from our residence in a distant part of the world. He then said that these errors would be overlooked, but Presid
ent Grévy would leave the city within an hour, and it would be impossible to arrange an interview. M. Mallard, the introducer of ambassadors, he said, would call upon the King, but there were no longer any court entertainments, as the season had closed and everybody was out of town.

  President Grévy of France (1881).

  I reported this interview to the King and his Chamberlain, both of whom were dissatisfied with it, and especially the intimation that we were ignorant of the forms of royal etiquette. This sudden suppression of modesty by our royal party certainly amused me. I believed that it might be due to some vanity inspired by our gracious reception in London, Berlin, and Vienna.

  I then said if the King would make no concession the acts of the French government might be regarded as offensive and would justify a prompt declaration of war. As we were already within the city, the Chamberlain, as Colonel commanding, could represent the army itself, and seize the heights of Montmartre, and then work around and spike the guns of Mont Valerien; while his Majesty, with the maps before him, could direct the general campaign; and I, as a diplomat, could at the proper time negotiate the terms on which we would accept the surrender of the city.

  The King refused to resort to harsh means, but described the French Foreign Office as a "mean lot." He then took a drive in the Bois de Boulogne and visited the Hippodrome. On his return, M. Mollard, the introducer of ambassadors, called, and, after courteously discussing our errors, placed the President's box in the Opera at the King's service, and asked him to visit Versailles and the porcelain works at Sevres. This interview closed the incident; the prices of stocks on the Bourse were not disturbed; a State paper placing before the world our reasons for declaring war against France was not written.

  Trivial incidents, like small matches, may explode great magazines. Had the incident not been closed at this time, six months later the Hawaiian fleet of sixty double war-canoes would have appeared off Havre, and Europe been CiJ.St again in convulsions. I take to myself much credit for avoiding this catastrophe.

  M. St. Hilaire, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, called upon the King. He spoke of the unbroken amity which had existed between the two countries. This was not true, for reasons which I have before stated. The Minister regretted, he said, that the President had been unable to meet the King, but would receive him if he remained in Paris for another week. Not at this time, but after his return to his own kingdom, decorations were exchanged with the French government.

  I had told the King of an incident of the massacre of the Communists by the Versailles troops in 1870, of which I was aware because I was in Paris just before and after it occurred. He wished to see the spot on the Heights of Montmartre where it occurred, and we visited it. A boy twelve years of age served one of the Commune field-pieces with great skill, while it was planted behind one of the street barricades. By a flank movement of the Versailles troops the few remaining Communists, with the boy, were captured, and at once were placed in line to be shot. "Mon capitaine," asked the boy, "give me three minutes to take this watch to my poor grandmother in the next street; it is all she has left." "Yes," replied the captain, thinking that he would never return. Within three minutes the boy appeared, took his place before the muskets, said, "Captain, I am here," and fell with the next volley.

  At this time Colonel George Macfarlane, who was a member of the King's staff, arrived from the Hawaiian kingdom and continued with the royal party until it finished its tour. He reported to the King that there was tranquillity at home, and that his Majesty's subjects awaited his return with schemes of prosperity which would make their idle lot still more idle.

  After brief visits to the former site of the Bastille, the Conciergerie, the site of the ancient Hotel de Ville, the galleries of the Louvre, the Palace of Versailles, and the porcelain works at Sevres, the King was quite ready to leave, as the weather was so warm.

  During the few days we were in Paris numerous requests were made for decorations. Merchants, politicians, and idle men about town wished to secure some of these distinctions given by royalty. One who claimed to be a savant desired an Order because he had discovered some new bugs; another claimed that he had served on a warship which had visited Hawaii; another, that he was the author of a great book; another, that he had killed a ferocious tiger in Algeria. While the decorations of the Spanish republics of South America could be readily obtained, they did not have the seal of monarchy on them and were much discredited. But these were refused by the King, as he now held them in much esteem, since he had secured high standing in the courts of Europe.

  The Count de Lesseps called on us, and asked his Majesty to dine at his residence in Passy. We there met the Countess, a young and charming woman with nine children. After the dinner there was a reception to which many people came; it was the only occasion on which the King met Parisian women. He noticed their vivacity and faultless dress; no doubt they had much amusement at our expense, for the majority of them did not know where the King's country was situated; one of them placed it in the Gulf of Mexico, and another near Patagonia.

  The Count said that a canal would at some time be constructed across the Isthmus of Darien; but he did not then foresee that he would himself promote it, and that the scandal attending it would for ever cloud his great reputation. He hoped that the Hawaiian Islands (Îles de Sandwich) would become the great free port of the Pacific.

  During the rendering of "Aida" at the Opera tlie King visited the green-room, and the ballerines showed him the exercise which kept their limbs supple. They were told that the King was a very proper person; he was not un roi pour rire, and had a corps de ballet of his own numbering a hundred. Whereupon one of them asked him how they danced. He replied, like the nautch-dancers, and one of them then fell to a clever imitation of it, closing with a cancan which nearly put the King's nose in jeopardy. With the recent example of the Prince of Wales before him, he visited the office of "Figaro" and became a subscriber. "This," said one of the reporters, "will enable him, when he comes here to live as a subsidised monarch, to speak French and understand the chansons of the opera bouffe."

  The Ministers of Spain and Portugal called on the King, and told him that he would be officially received in Madrid and Lisbon, but that the King of Spain was at a watering-place and would not be able to meet him.

  CHAPTER XXVIII

  At the Spanish Frontier — The Escurial — Reception at Madrid — Our Car Derailed by a Cow — Portugal — The Royal Car — Received by the King and Queen — The Little Skeleton Again — Mutual Decorations — Dam Fernando — Portuguese in Hawaii — Cintra — Pena — A Magnificent Outlook — Dinner with the Portuguese King — A Narrow Escape for Vasco da Gama as Told by His Descendant — A Bull — Fight — Good — Bye to Portugal — The Monarchs Embrace — Negotiating a Treaty — The King Starts for Home via Spain, France, England, Scotland, and the United States — The Valet's Estimate of His Position.

  A the Spanish frontier we were received with some ceremony; we left the train for a brief visit to the Escurial. The Governor of the place met us, and led us down to the vaults where the bodies of the dead kings and queens were laid; through the rooms of the palace, with its fine tapestries; and then, with a guard of honour, we returned to the train. At Madrid, carpets were spread in the railway station for the royal feet, and a large crowd, which was there to see a Polynesian king, was kept in order by a detachment of troops. The Governor of Madrid took us in state carriages to the palace, through which we strolled, and thence to the Plaza. Afterward we dined and drove to the station. The Governor asked the King to revisit Madrid on his return from Lisbon; for he said he had been instructed by the Regent of Spain to entertain his Majesty.

  As there was no sleeping-car on the train which took us to Portugal, we dozed in chairs and on the floor. At a station we passed a train in which were two of our Hawaiian white compatriots travelling for pleasure, and we ended a miserable night by the derailing of the car by a cow. The trainmen first spent half an hour inspecting the
mangled beast; and then, with infinite talk and the smoking of many cigarettes, devised plans for restoring the cars to the rails, which was finally done after much delay.

  The Queen of Spain(1881).

  At Badajoz, on the Spanish frontier, the Portuguese officials placed us in the royal car of their King, which they had brought from Lisbon, at which place we arrived early in the morning. The Portuguese Chamberlain met us, with the royal carriages, and with an escort of cavalry we went to the Hotel Braganza, before which stood a battalion of infantry.