692 



OBITUARIES, FOREIGN, (WEHL ZEUNER.) 



ture, tapestries, china, etc. in Hertford House are val- 

 ued at 3,000,000, and those in the two houses in 

 Paris at nearly as much. 



Wehl, Peodor, a German litterateur, born in Kunzen- 

 dorf, near Breslau, Feb. 19. 1821 ; died in Hamburg, 

 Jan. 22, 1890. He entered the military academy in 

 Berlin, and afterward studied at the university. Under 

 the inspiration of the Komantic school he wrote " Her- 

 mann von Siebenreichen," " Constantin," "Holdcr- 

 lin'3 Liebe," u Ehre und Liebe," the comedies en- 

 titled " Alter schiitzt vof Thorheit nicht " and u Wer 

 zuletzt lacht, lacht am besten," and " Keise nach 

 Glilck" and "Der Mann der Toten," two < poetical 

 tales. In early manhood he came under the influence 

 of the Young Germany movement, which he described 

 in one of his later books, " Das Junge Deutchland" 

 (1887). This period he began with the satirical poem 

 " Der Teufel in Berlin," which was suppressed and 

 its author imprisoned for six months in the Madge- 

 burg fortress. He edited the " Wespen " and " Ber- 

 liner Stecknadeln," which were stopped by the cen- 

 sors, and then the "Telegraph" and the Jahreszei- 

 ten" successively. The comedies that he now wrote 

 were played on all German stages. Among \hern 

 are " DieTante aus Schwaben," "Eine Frau vvelche 

 die Zeitungen liest," and " Allerhand Stroiche." He 

 wrote a multitude of stories, some of which were 

 gathered in the collection issued first under the title 

 " Aller weltsgeschichten " (Breslau, 1862) and were 

 reissued later under that of " Dunkle Blatter aus der 

 Geschichte Italiens." Settling in Hamburg, he wrote 

 a history of the literary life of the city and founded 

 "Die D'cutsche Schaubuhne" for dramatic criticism. 

 In 1863 he removed to Dresden, continuing the "Schau- 

 buhne" till 1865, and in 1862-'64 the "Heimath." 

 His essays on Shakespeare and the great German 

 dramas were reprinted under the title of " Didaska- 

 lien "(Leipsic, 1867). In 1870 he became the manager 

 of the Stuttgart court theatre, and for fifteen years 

 he endured the vexations and disappointments that 

 are portrayed in his book entitled '' Funfzehn Jahre 

 Stuttgarter Theater leitung." When free to resume 

 literary work he returned'to Hamburg and composed 

 the reminiscences of Young Germany, another vol- 

 ume called " Zeit und Menschen," covering the peri- 

 od from 1863 to 18S4, "Aus dem fruheren Frank- 

 reich," and " Der Kuhm im Sterben." 



Willem III, King of the Netherlands, born Feb. 19, 

 1817 ; died at the castle of Loo, Nov. 23, 1890. He was 

 the eldest son of Willem II and Queen Anna Paulov- 

 na, daughter of the Czar Paul. He was educated by 

 private tutors, becoming conversant with the language 

 and literature of France, England, and Germany, and 

 passed creditably through the university course at 

 Leyden, taking the degree of doctor. In his youth he 

 became infatuated with a passion for Malibran, the 

 singer, who procured a divorce with the intention of 

 marrying the heir to the throne, but was induced to 

 accept the violinist De Beriot as her husband. In 

 June, 1839, the Prince of Orange married Sophia, 

 second daughter of the King of 'Wurtemberg. His 

 romantic grief for Mine. Malibran, in memory of 

 whom he composed dirges and mournful nocturnes, 

 and his subsequent amours with Mile. Ambre, Mme. 

 Musard, and other celebrities of the stage, made his 

 wife very angry and wretched, and shocked his fellow- 

 countrymen, who felt some uncomfortable apprehen- 

 sions when the wild prince came to the throne, on 

 March 17, 1849, as to nis social influence, but knew 

 that their political destinies were safe, for he had 

 manifested sympathy with the popular desires. In- 

 heriting a fortune estimated at 100,000,000 florins, 

 ho signalized his accession by giving up half of 

 the civil list, and devoted himself to developing the 

 liberal institutions accorded in the new Constitution 

 signed by his father shortly before his death. He 

 abrogated the concordat that had been concluded 

 with the Holy See in 1827, though a Koman Catholic 

 hierarchy was re-established four years later. He 

 turned his attention with good effect to a reform of 

 the colonial administration, and took an enthusiastic 



interest in the reclamation of lands submerged by 

 Haarlem lake that had been begun in 1840 and wa's 

 concluded in 1853. During the Crimean War he ob- 

 served the strictest neutrality. In 1862 he signed a 

 law for the abolition of slavery in the Dutch West 

 Indies. When Prussia, after the conclusion of the 

 treaty of 1867 guaranteeing the neutrality of Luxem- 

 burg, complained of the acts of the Luxemburgers 

 and threatened to occupy the grand duchy, King 

 Willem declared that he would maintain the treaty. 

 He interested himself in humanitarian doctrines, and 

 took pleasure in signing the act of 1870 abolishing 

 the death penalty. He showed always a deep con- 

 cern in the welfare and prosperity of the nation and 

 helped greatly to further the unexampled develop- 

 ment of wealth ami progress that distinguished his 

 reign. 'He appeared frequently in public, and in his 

 addresses he displayed knowledge^ good sense, and 

 political tact. In 1876, on the occasion of the opening 

 of the Amsterdam ship canal, he discussed the project 

 of draining the Zuyder Zee like an expert. His pri- 

 vate life was more -scandalous after he became King 

 than before, and grew still more so as he advanced 

 in years. He was an intelligent lover of art, and 

 had a passion for music, had operatic artists for 

 his constant companions, and amused himself by 

 arranging costly musical feasts at Loo. By Queen 

 Sophia he had two sons, Willem Nicholas, Prince 

 of Orange, born Sept. 4. 1843, and Prince Alexander, 

 born Aug. 25, 1851. Queen Sophia was one of the 

 best educated ladies in Europe. She could speak 

 nearly^ every European language fluently, was famil- 

 iar with literature, art, and science, and interested 

 herself in her advancement, and from her progressive 

 political opinions was known as the " red queen." 

 Her friendship for John Lothrop Motley and the in- 

 terest that she took in his history secured for him 

 the facilities for research. For many years before her 

 death she lived separate from her husband in her 

 house in the wood, Known as the " Huis in t'Bosch," 

 that she had given up to Motley while he was writ- 

 ing his history of the Dutch Eepublic. The royal 

 pair were accustomed to meet once a year for an ex- 

 change of greetings in a vaulted chamber in the palace 

 at Amsterdam. Notwithstanding their estrangement, 

 the King was overcome with emotion when the Queen 

 died in 1877. The Prince of Orange, who became a 

 stranger to his family and country, died after a career 

 of dissipation in Paris. The other son was afflicted 

 with an incurable spinal disease. The houe of a col- 

 lateral heir was destroyed by the sudden death of 

 Prince Hendrik, the King's brother, in January, 

 1879, a few days after Willem had married the youth- 

 ful Princess Emma of Waldeck-Pyrmont with the 

 object of making the succession sure. By his second 

 wife he had two daughters. The family law pre- 

 cluded succession in the female line, but it forms no 

 part of the Netherlands Constitution. As the Prince 

 of Wiede and Prince Albrecht of Prussia, descended 

 through their mothers from Willem I, might advance 

 rival claims, a special constitutional law was adopted 

 settling the crown on the Princess Willeminc, who 

 will attain her majority in 1898, and her heirs, and in 

 default of direct descendants to the King's sister, 

 and her heirs, male or female. 



Zeuner, Karl, a German explorer, born in Emmend' 

 ingen, Baden, in 1852 ; died in Lagos, West Africa, in 

 April, 1890. His father was a Protestant pastor. At ' 

 the beginning of the war of 1870 he left the lyccum at 

 Eastatt to join the army as a volunteer, and after hia 

 return from the campaign he entered the military 

 school at Engers, and at the beginning of 1872 was 

 commission eof as an officer in the regiment in which 

 he had served during the war. When the colonial 

 undertakings of the Imperial Government offered him 

 a chance for active and adventurous service, he placed 

 himself at the orders of the Foreign Office, prepared 

 himself by learning English and prosecuting the 

 study of natural history, in which he was already 

 versed, and on Oct. 2, 1887, sailed with Dr. Zint- 

 graff for Cameroons. He was stationed for the next 



