Duke Charles being dead, and Duke William an old and
child- Teas man, there will probably be a grand scene of intrigue for the right of succession to the Duchy, and we venture on the precliction that either a Hohenzollern or our own Prince Alfred will ultimately get it. The heir after Duke William is the King of Hanover, but he is barred by the decision, formal or informal, of the Federal Council that he resisted the unity of Germany. His son is also barred unless he makes terms, not yet made ; and the next heir is the Duke of Cambridge, who, again, when German Duchies are in question, is heirless. As, however, the local Diet, though its vote is important, will not be allowed to elect a duke, as the Duke of Cambridge would make a fair Sovereign, and as Prince Alfred would have the support of his sister the future Empress, of the Romanoff family, and of every Coburg everywhere, we should say his ultimate chance, local Salic law notwithstanding, was a very good one ; indeed, a great deal better than that of any single individual. The prize is worth contention, and the settlement must be soon, as the Emperor will not allow the example of a really popular election to be set, and that might follow the sudden death of the old man now reigning. It would be curious ifthe Hohenzollerns won, and thus extinguished the very name of Guelph in Germany, where it is as old as the history of the Empire.
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