31 OCTOBER 1896, Page 2

The marriage of the heir to the Italian throne with

Princess Helen " of Montenegro, which took place on October 24th, was not a very splendid affair, only one member of a European Royal house being present, and at the religious ceremony no dignitaries of the Church of Rome. The Vatican, though pleased at the "conversion" of the Princess, and her acceptance of the document of renunciation —a translation of which we print elsewhere—is still so much at variance with King Humbert that there was difficulty in selecting either a church or a prelate to read the service, which was at last performed in a comparatively obscure building by a "mitred abbot." The aristocracy of Italy, moreover, think that the Montenegrin family is Scarcely Royal enough or the heir of so long descended a line. The marriage, howerer, seems popular among the people, who are pleased with the unusual beauty of the bride, who had noted with alarm the chance of a failure in the direct Succession, and who believe 'that the wedding is as acceptable to Russia as if the Princess had been a member of the Imperial house.