24 JULY 1869, Page 14

FLUNKEYISM.

[TO THE EDITOR OF THE "SPECTATOR.")

trust that in justice to our countrywomen you will admit these few lines, in mitigation of a statement in the "News of the Week" of your last issue concerning the disgusting flunkeyism they show towards Royalty. I happened to be in the Botanical Gardens the day the Princess Mary was there, and met her twice in the course of the afternoon ; neither time was she either followed or crowded upon, or, as far as I could see, specially noticed, beyond people looking round when first told who she was. She was preceded by one of the officials of the Garden, who begged people to make way for her at the flower-stands, which they did immediately. Not a policeman was visible, and certainly none was required to preserve the Princess from molestation. Let us hope that the disgusting story about the Prince of Wales's cherry- stones may be as mythical as the cordon of policemen and the ladies rushing after Princess Mary in mobs, and making little clutches at her dress, in the Botanical Gardens. We are vulgar enough, but there is a lower deep, which, I trust, we have not yet reached, except in your informant's imagination.—I am, Sir, &c.,

AN ENGLISHWOMAN.

[The story about the cherry-stones was related at length in a regular report of the ceremony at 'Watford; and for the other incident, we had the testimony of three witnesses. We are glad to believe they exaggerated, but similar incidents are reported every day.—En. ,Spectator.]