NEWS OF THE WEEK
THE country has been saddened this week by the death of the Duke of Clarence and Avondale, the ultimate heir to the Throne, whose betrothal to the Princess Mary of Teck has brought his name into all men's mouths. The Duke, it is believed, caught cold at the funeral of Prince -Victor of Hohenlohe-Langenberg, and on Friday week was compelled to take to his bed with influenza, com- plicated, the doctors perceived, by congestion of one lung. The fever was severe, the temperature rising to 107 ; but no serious result was expected until Monday, when it was seen that both lungs had become affected. By Tuesday evening delirium had set in, and the doctors in their next day bulletins warned the public that the gravest danger was apprehended. On Wednesday night there was for a time a slight improve- ment, but the Prince's vitality was never strong, and at 915 a.m. on Thursday he died. The grief of the Princess of Wales, a most affectionate mother, is overwhelming ; but the country thinks first of the Princess May, the expectant bride whose hopes have been so cruelly blasted. The mourning is universal, for though the Prince was little known, the circum- stances have touched all hearts; and any grave misfortune to the Royal House calls out the sleeping loyalty of the people.
