The Queen of Holland appears to be really recovering. The
bulletins have been reduced to one a day, the devoted Queen- mother occasionally leaves her daughter's bedside, and even the persistent rumours of a slow convalescence and a tempo- rary Regency are dying away. There is, of course, always danger after typhoid of relapses, but the most reasonable forecast is that in a month or two the Queen will be equal to the performance of her duties. This is good news, not only for the Dutch, who attribute all good qualities to their Sovereign, but for all Europe. The Queen's death, like the death of Frederick VII. of Denmark, might have precipitated all manner of lurking jealousies and ambitions. Every German believes that Holland belongs "by nature" to Germany, and expects his Emperor, when opportunity of making it German arrives, to run risks rather than let that opportunity slip. Note carefully that Prince Albrecht of Hohenzollern, now acting as Regent in Brunswick, is men- tioned in German papers as one of the nearest to the Dutch succession. One seems to remember that when the Duke of Augustenburg pleaded his pedigree right to Schleswig- Holstein, Prince Bismarck talked about wringing a chicken's neck.
