CHAPTER 10 THE ROYAL YOUNG PEOPLE
CHAPTER 10 THE ROYAL YOUNG PEOPLE
Many people had thought that the Russians hoped to get control of India. If they had succeeded in doing so，the Queen would have been saved the sorrow that came to her from a revolt of her Indian troops which was known as the Sepoy Mutiny. The commanders of the troops were English，but most of the rank and file were either Muslims or Hindus. The Muslims looked upon the cow as sacred，and the Hindus regarded the pig as dirty，therefore，when gun cartridges were given them greased with a mixture of fat from both animals，the soldiers of both peoples were very angry. Another trouble was that the English government had declared that no one should lose his property on account of any change in his religious belief，and this decree aroused the anger of the native priests. The revolt was one of the most fearful events known in history，for even women and children were murdered as brutally as if the Sepoys had been wild beasts.
January 1858 was the time that had been set for the marriage of the Princess Royal，and although India was not entirely defeated，the Sepoys were so nearly under control that England could join in the wedding rejoicings. Buckingham Palace was crowded with guests，so many princes and princesses that when they went to the theater，they made，as the Queen said，“a wonderful row of royalties.”“Macbeth”and three other plays were performed in honor of the occasion. For a week，eighty or ninety persons sat at the Queen's dinner table every day. There were operas，dinner parties，dances，concerts，and a great ball at which one thousand guests were present.
“Fritz，”as the family called Prince Frederick William，had brought to his bride a necklace of pearls，which the Queen said were the largest she had ever seen. Wonderful，luxurious gifts were showered upon the bride and groom，and the wedding made them happy beyond their dreams. But then the princess remembered that going with“Fritz”meant leaving her father and mother，and she burst into tears.
A few days later came the final goodbyes，and these were much harder than if the bride had not been of the royal family，for kings and queens can make few visits. It was a very tearful time，“a dreadful day，”wrote the Queen. “I think it will kill me to take leave of dear papa，”the bride had said to her mother，but the moment of parting had to come. The snow was falling fast，but all the way to the dock at Gravesend were beautiful decorations and crowds of people，and on the dock were companies of young girls wearing wreaths and carrying flowers to lay before the feet of the bride. “Come back to us if he doesn't treat you well，”called a voice from the crowd，and the steamer moved slowly away from the dock. Prince Albert watched it for a few minutes，then returned to the Queen，who was lonely in her great palace，so lonely that even the sight of baby Beatrice made her sad，reminding her that only a few hours before the little one had been in the arms of the beloved oldest daughter.
“The little lady does her best to please him，”Prince Albert had written on the day of the Princess's engagement；but now she had thousands of people to please，and the father and mother at home waited anxiously for letters and telegrams and reports of friends to know what welcome the Germans had given to their daughter，for so much of her future comfort among them depended upon the first impression that she made. “Dear child，”wrote Prince Albert to her，“I should have so liked to be in the crowd and hear what the multitude said of you.”He had already received a proud and excited telegram from Fritz，—“The whole royal family is charmed with my wife.”The Princess Hohenlohe，the Queen's beloved half-sister，wrote from Berlin，“The enthusiasm and interest shown are beyond everything. Never was a princess in this country received as she is.”
Later in the year，the royal father and mother contrived to make a fortnight's visit to Germany，and found the“Princess Frederick William”“quite the old Vicky still.”Prince Albert's birthday was celebrated during their stay. The children at home were also celebrating it with the Duchess of Kent. They recited poems and played their pieces of music and exhibited the pictures that they had drawn. Several days earlier，they had all sent birthday letters to Germany，and these letters were given a prominent place on the“presents table.”The Queen's gift to her husband was a portrait of baby Beatrice，done in oil. The Princess did not forget the Scotch home that she loved，and among her gifts to her father was an iron chair for the Balmoral garden.
The farewells had to be said much too soon. Then came the return to England and the other children. They were growing up fast. The Prince of Wales was at Oxford，not idling his time away. Alfred，who was now fourteen，had just passed his examination and received his sailor's appointment. The examiners would have been satisfied with fifty correct answers，but the Prince had presented eighty；and when his father and mother landed at Osborne，there he stood on the dock in his naval student's uniform，half-blushing，and looking as happy as a boy who was not a prince would have looked after coming out of a three-days’examination with flying colors. Several months earlier，Prince Albert had watched him prepare a sail in a strong breeze，and said it almost took his breath away to see him“do all sorts of things at that dizzy height.”
The circle of children soon began to widen，for early in 1859 Princess Vicky became the mother of a boy，and the Queen，not yet forty years of age，was a grandmother. The child was named Frederick William Victor Albert. Ever since her marriage，the Princess had kept up a constant correspondence with home. She wrote her mother every day，sometimes twice a day，telling all the little events of her life. To her father she sent every Monday long letters on general topics，and he always sent a reply two days later. No one knew better than he the difficulties that lay before her in making her home in a foreign country，and often his letters gave her bits of advice that had come from his own experience. Sometimes they were little pictures of home life.
After the birth of Frederick William Victor Albert，the letters from Germany never forgot to tell the latest news about the little German baby；and the English letters quoted the sayings of baby Beatrice，whom Prince Albert called“the most amusing baby we ever had.”One day he wrote of this little one，“When she tumbles，she calls out，‘She don't like it，she don't like it. 'she came into breakfast a short time ago with her eyes full of tears，moaning，‘Baby has been so naughty，poor baby so naughty，as one might complain of being ill or of having slept badly.”
While Buckingham Palace had still its merry group of children，the two older sons，“Bertie”and“Alfie，”were on their way across the ocean. Prince Alfred was making a voyage to the Cape of Good Hope，and the Prince of Wales was going to Canada. During the Crimean War，the colony had raised and equipped a regiment to aid the mother country，and had most urgently invited the monarch to visit her lands in the west；but because of the exposure and fatigue it was not thought wise for her to accept the invitation. Canada had then asked that one of the Princes should be appointed governor. They were far too young for any such position，but the promise was made that the Prince of Wales should visit the colony. In the spring of 1860 it was decided that he should go early in the autumn.
The Prince was delighted with the expedition，and was ready to be pleased with whatever came to hand. In Newfoundland a ball was given for him，and he danced not only with the ladies of the official circle，but with the wives and daughters of the fish-merchants，and had the charm to make himself liked by all. “He had a most stately manner and bearing，”said the wife of the Archdeacon. “God bless his pretty face and send him a good wife，”cried the fishermen. His visit to Canada was not all amusement，for he had the usual royal duties to perform. He opened an exhibition，laid the last stone of the Victoria Bridge over the St. Lawrence，and laid the corner stone of the new parliamentary buildings at Ottawa. No fault could be found with his manner of attending to such duties，but he won the hearts of the people less by laying corner stones than by singing with the band one day when they chanced to play some of his favorite airs. He saw an acrobat walk across Niagara Falls on a tightrope. “I beg of you，don't do that again，”he said earnestly to the performer. “There is really not the least danger；I would willingly carry you over on my back，”replied the fellow，but the Prince did not accept the offer.
When Mr. Buchanan，President of the United States，heard that the Prince of Wales was coming to Canada，he wrote to the Queen，inviting the Prince to visit him at the White House，and assuring her that her son would receive a very cordial greeting from the Americans. The city of New York meant to have a royal visit all to herself，and therefore sent a special invitation for him to come to that city. The United States showed no lack of interest in the young man. Reporters from the leading American papers followed him about in Canada；and when he crossed to Detroit，he found the whole city illuminated，and the streets so crowded that he had to slip into his hotel by the side entrance. He visited the grave of Washington，and planted a tree by the tomb of the man who had prevented him from becoming the ruler of all North America. His visit to the White House lasted for five days，and at its close，President Buchanan wrote to the Queen：“In our domestic circle he has won all hearts.”
In New York a ball was given for him which he enjoyed；but he was far more enthusiastic over a parade of the New York Fire Department. Six thousand firemen in uniform turned out one evening，all with lighted torches except those who manned the ropes. A wonderful trait in both his parents was their feeling that honors shown them were not merely actions due to their position，but were marks of courtesy and kindness；and the Prince showed this same characteristic，for at the review he cried with grateful delight，“It is splendid，and it's all for me，every bit for me！”
On the Prince's return voyage he was so delayed by contrary winds that two warships were sent out to search for him. He reached home late in November，and on his return a letter was written to President Buchanan by the Queen，expressing her gratitude for the kindness shown her son and speaking very warmly of the friendship between England and the United States.
While the Prince of Wales was receiving the honors of the western continent，the sailor brother was on his way to South Africa. When he landed at Cape Town，the English governor accompanied him on a short tour through the English possessions，during which he laid the first stone of the famous breakwater in Table Bay. He was cheered and feasted and received with all the honors that could be devised so long as he was on land；but when he returned to his vessel，he was no longer treated as a prince；for aboard ship he was simply a sailor and in no way different from the other naval students. When the chief of an African tribe came to visit the ship，he saw the young Prince wearing no shoes and helping the other sailors to wash the decks. The chief went away wondering，and a little later，he and his councilors sent to the English a most interesting letter. It read：
“When the son of England's great Queen becomes subject to a subject，that he may learn wisdom，when the sons of England's chiefs and nobles leave the homes and wealth of their fathers，and with their young Prince endure hardships and sufferings in order that they may be wise and become a defense to their country，when we see these things，we see why the English are a great and powerful nation.”
When the two brothers returned to England，they found that their sister Alice had followed the example of the Princess Royal and had become engaged. The fortunate man was Prince Louis of Hesse. Prince Albert wrote to his daughter in Germany saying，“Alice and Louis are as happy as mortals can be.”
Not long after these cheerful times，a deep sorrow came to the loving heart of the Queen. In the midst of the days that were so full of care for her children，her home，and the duties of state not only in England，but also in Africa and Asia，the constant thought of the Queen had been her mother's comfort. When the daughter could not be with her mother，letters were sent every day，and frequently several times a day，and nothing was neglected that could add to the Duchess's ease and happiness. For some time she had not been well，and in the spring of 1861 came the dreaded summons to her sickbed. In a few hours she was gone. “Oh，if only I could have been near her these last weeks！”wrote the Queen to King Leopold.
Save the sovereign herself，there was no woman in England whose death would have affected the whole country so deeply. Statesmen recalled the days when the Duchess of Kent was left alone in a strange land，without means，disliked by the reigning king，and weighed down by the responsibility of educating a child to stand at the head of the nation. In the character of their sovereign，they saw proof of the able，devoted，conscientious manner in which this sacred duty had been performed；and the address of sympathy sent by Parliament to the sad Queen was as sincere as if it had been written by a personal friend，and not by a body of lawmakers. “It is a great sorrow to me not to have Feodore with me now，”wrote the Queen to King Leopold；but neither he nor the Princess Hohenlohe was able to be present at the last services.
“I cannot imagine life without her，”said the Queen sadly；but nevertheless，life had to go on. Others may sometimes stop to mourn，but the duties of a sovereign may not be neglected even for sorrow. A new cause of anxiety had arisen that came nearer home than even the sufferings of the Crimean soldiers. War had broken out in the United States，and the supply of cotton to England was rapidly diminishing. If the cotton supply failed entirely，the mills of England would have to stop，and the sufferings of the manufacturing districts would be intense. The government made an earnest effort to increase the amount of cotton imported to England from India；but the emergency was so sudden that even during the first few months of the war，there were many honest，hardworking people in England who were greatly in need.
注释
save[seiv]vt. 免除，使…免于伤害
sepoy[´siːpɔi]n. （1947年以前）英印军队中的印度士兵
mutiny[´mjuːtini]n. 兵变，哗变
commander[kə´mαːndə]n. 司令官，指挥官
rank and file普通成员，士兵
Muslim[´muzlim；´mʌzlem]n. 穆斯林，穆罕默德信徒
sacred[´seikrid]adj. 神圣的
cartridge[´kαːtridʒ]n. 子弹筒，弹药
grease[ɡriːs]vt. 涂脂于
on account of因为
decree[´dikriː]n. 法令
priest[priːst]n. 神父，牧师
brutally[´bruːtli]adv. 残忍地
royalty[´rɔi∂lti]n. 王族成员
Macbeth[mək´beθ]n. 《麦克白》（莎士比亚著名悲剧之一）
shower（on/upon）[´ʃauə]vi. （似以阵雨般）大量或慷慨地赠予
tearful[´tiəful]adj. 含泪的
dreadful[´dredful]adj. 可怕的，令人不快的
take leave of向…告别
dock[dɔk]n. 船坞，码头
multitude[´mʌltitjuːd]n. 群众，民众
Hohenlohe霍恩洛亚：12世纪出现的德国皇族
contrive[kən´traiv]v. 设计，策划
fortnight[´fɔːtnait]n. 两星期（十四天）
portrait[´pɔːtrit]n. 肖像，人像
idle away time虚度光阴；idle v. 虚度，游手好闲
examiner[iɡ´zæminə]n. 主考者
blush[blʌʃ]v. 脸红，羞愧
with flying colours面有喜色，成功地
e.g. He finished the race with flying colors. 他在赛跑中大获全胜。
breeze[briːz]n. 轻风（二级至六级的风）
take one's breath away使屏住呼吸
widen[´waidn]v. 扩展，加宽
keep up correspondence with sb. 与某人保持通信联系
tumble[´tʌmb∂l]n. 跌倒，摔跤
moan[məun]v. 呜咽
naughty[´nɔːti]adj. 淘气的，不听话的
complain[kəm´plein]v. 抱怨常与of或about连用
Bertie伯蒂，阿尔伯特的昵称
Alfie阿尔菲，阿尔弗雷德的昵称
the Cape of Good Hope好望角，南非一省，省会开普敦。1488年葡萄牙航海家迪亚斯首次绕过非洲南端地峡时给“好望角”命名。
colony[´kɔləni]n. 殖民地，侨民
exposure[ik´spəuʒə]n. 暴露，曝光
fatigue[fə´tiːɡ]n. 疲乏，疲劳
expedition[´ekspi´diʃ∂n]n. 远征，派遣
come to hand到手，接到
Newfoundland纽芬兰，加拿大东部一省，包括纽芬兰岛和附近岛屿。圣·约翰是其首都和最大城市。
bearing[´bɛ∂riŋ]n. 举止，风度
archdeacon[´αːtʃ´diːkən]n. 执事长（教会中一种职位）
parliamentary[´pαːlə´mentəri]adj. 国会的
find fault（with）挑剔，批评
airs[´ɛəz]n. 曲调，歌调，旋律
acrobat[´ækrəbæt]n. （走钢丝的）杂技演员
tightrope[´taitrəup]n. （=tight＋rope）绷索
Buchanan James Buchanan詹姆士·布坎南（1791—1868）美国第十五任总统，任期1857—1861年
domestic[də´mestik]adj. 本国的，国内的
parade[pə´reid]n. 检阅，游行
fire department消防队=fire brigade
fireman[´faiəmən]n. 消防队员
man[mæn]vt. 操纵，为…配备人手
e.g. manned spaceship载人飞船
trait[treit]n. 显著特点，特性
characteristic[ˌkæriktə´ristik]n. 特性，特征
governor[´ɡʌv∂nə]n. 总督
breakwater[´breikwɔːtə（r）]n. 防浪堤
Table Bay塔布尔湾，大西洋的一个小海湾，位于南非西南部，它形成了开普敦港。
devise[di´vaiz]v. 设计，想象
tribe[traib]n. 部落，部族
deck[dek]n. 甲板，舰板
endure[in´djuə]v. 耐久，忍耐
defense[di´fens]n. 护卫，防御（体系）
Hesse黑森：位于德国中西部，原西德一州
mortal[´mɔːtl]n. 凡人，人类
neglect[ni´ɡlekt]vt. 忽视，疏忽
summons[´sʌmənz]n. 召唤
sickbed[´sikbed]n. 病床
save[seiv]prep. 除…之外
recall[ri´kɔːl]vt. 回忆，回想
means[miːnz]n. 金钱，巨大财富（此意使用的是mean的复数，谓语动词用复数。）
e.g. His means are more than adequate. 他的财富绰绰有余。
weigh down负担，受压
e.g. He was weighed down with cares. 他因忧虑而心情沉重.
conscientious[´kɔnʃi´enʃəs]adj. 尽责的，负责的
sincere[sin´siə]adj. 诚挚的，真诚的
lawmaker[´lɔːmeikə（r）]n. 立法者
service[´səːvis]n. （宗教）仪式
War此处指Civil War美国内战，即南北战争，1861年至1865年美国北方联邦与南部联盟之间的战争。
diminish[di´miniʃ]v. 减少
mill[mil]n. 工厂，制造厂
earnest[´əːnist]adj. 认真的，重要的
need[niːd]n. 贫困或不幸的状况
e.g. The family is in desperate need. 这个家庭极为贫困。