The Brunswick succession question has suddenly been revived by the
action of the Diet of the duchy. The legiti- mate heir, the Duke of Cumberland, having refused to renounce his claims to the kingdom of Hanover, which was incorporated in the kingdom of Prussia after the war of 1866, the duchy has been governed by a Regency since 1885. Now, however, instead of forthwith appointing a successor to Prince Albrecht, the Diet is desirous of seeing the dispute between the Emperor and the Duke settled, and has called on the Council of Regency to petition the Imperial Chancellor, as President of the Federal Council of the German Empire, to take steps to effect a settlement. That the Duke will waive his claims to the Hanoverian Crown seems improbable, and without such renunciation the Federal Council is not likely to reinstate him as ruler of Brunswick. It is suggested, how- ever, that a way out might be found by the Duke's giving a solemn guarantee that he would never tolerate in the duchy any intrigues directed against the Constitution of the German Empire, by which Hanover is guaranteed to the Hohenzollerns as an integral part of Prussia. In other words, the Duke would not be called on to renounce his claim, but to pledge himself to do nothing to further it. The feasibility of such a solution appears to commend itself to the able Berlin corre- spondent of the Times. For ourselves, we find it hard to believe that the Emperor will see his way to consent to an arrangement showing such exceptional consideration for the feelings of the Duke of Cumberland.
