11 OCTOBER 1913, Page 1

The Brunswick controversy has broken out again in Germany owing

to the Concerted action of Hanoverian newspapers in asserting that Prince Ernest Augustus, who is now the husband of the Emperor's daughter, has not renounced his rights to the kingdom of Hanover. Before his marriage Prince Ernest Augustus wrote a letter to the Imperial Chancellor which was accepted by the Chan- cellor as the equivalent of renunciation. Even if the rights to Hanover were not literally abrogated in the letter it surely satisfied the case well enough, since Prince Ernest Augustus on his betrothal became a Prussian officer and swore loyalty to the Emperor. It was universally supposed that in due course after his marriage Prince Ernest Augustus would he allowed to ascend the Ducal throne of Brunswick. The Guelph agitation in Hanover, however, has now drawn attention to the undoubted fact that the Prince's letter is not a verbal renunciation of the Hanoverian throne. The Prussian press says in effect, " Well, if there has not been a formal renunciation there will have to be." The Chancellor seems to have made a mistake in publishing the letter, for instead of soothing public controversy it has aggravated it.