10 OCTOBER 1840, Page 12

ROYAL ECCENTRICITIES.

CHEISTINA of Sweden in her youth resigned a throne to cultivate philosophy : the King of Holland, it is reported, is about to resign his in age fur love of a woman. Cummr:s the Fifth whiled away the hours of his retirement by examining the inaellinery and movements of watches : it would scout that NVi LTA AM of Orange intends t, devote them to the inspection of a more curious piece of mechanism. But our modern darns ANTONY—our hero of the new " All 14 Love, or the world well lost "—contrasts not only with his royal predecessors in the nut of abdicating thrones : he contrasts still more curiously c, it h himself. I fe might have been all that the Belgians have called him, and ten times worse, had he let their priests alone. It was his attempt to oblige aspirants to the priesthood to receive part of their education in the Universi- ties in corn:nen with the pone; men (1(':,tillCd to other professions, that threw the clergy into the ranks of opposition, and made them fill the ears of the peas:1;11u with tales of " theist German Professors." In the linty noon of life he lost one throne fa' philosophy, and when passed his grand climacteric he gives up another for a lady. He inverts the order of e':1,terme—piay:i time cynic ia the prime of life, and " the hot tailed:A " in decrepid age. In one feature of his character, hoe. ever, he is unvarying, true to himself. Ile lost many hearts in Belgium by an unkingl,.• t:averness to (Alga in money- making speculotions : Ly resigmeg the throne he settles the ques- tion whether the guarantee fi,r pa:. merit of the interest on till loans contracted for public works bilk on the King or heir-apparent, and thus saves his private fortune.