Page:EB1911 - Volume 22.djvu/358

Rh branch of the Lubomirskis. But, in general, though the title “ prince ” implies descent from one or other of the ruling dynasties of Russia, it is in itself of little account, being exceedingly common owing to its being borne by every member of the family. The predicate of “ Serene Highness,” though borne by certain magnates who were princes before they became Russians—as in the case of the families mentioned above—is not attached to the Russian title of “ prince ”. In some cases, however, it is conferred with the title by imperial warrant (e.g. Lieven, 1826).

The title of “ prince ” is also borne by the descendants of those Greek Phanariot families (see ), e.g. Mavrocordato, Ypsilanti, Soutzo, who formerly supplied hospodars to the Turkish principalities on the Danube. In the Ottoman Empire the rulers appointed to the quasi-independent Christian communities subject to it have usually been designated “ prince,” and the title has thus come to signify in connexion with the Eastern Question a sovereignty more or less subordinate. As such it was rejected on behalf of the Bavarian prince Otho, when he accepted the throne of Greece, in favour of that of “ king.” On the other hand, the substitution, in 1852, in Montenegro of the title of “ prince and lord ” (knyaz i gospodar) for the ancient title of vladika (archbishop) certainly implied no such subordination. The only other instance in Europe of “ prince ” as a completely sovereign title is that of the prince of Monaco, the formal style having been adopted by the Grimaldi lords in 1641.

In Great Britain “ prince ” and “ princess ” as titles are confined to members of the royal family, though non-royal dukes are so described in their formal style (see ). Nor is this use of great antiquity; the custom of giving the courtesy title of “ prince ” to all male descendants of the sovereign to the third and fourth generation being of modern growth and quite foreign to English traditions. It was not till the reign of Henry VII. that the king's sons began to be styled “ princes ”; and as late as the time of Charles II., the daughters of the duke of York, both of whom became queens regnant, were called simply the Lady Mary and the Lady Anne. The title of “ princess royal,” bestowed on the eldest daughter of the sovereign was borrowed by King George II. from Prussia. Until recent years the title “ prince ” was never conferred on anybody except the heir-apparent to the Crown, and his principality is a peerage. Since the reign of Edward III. the eldest sons of the kings and queens of England have always been dukes of Cornwall by birth, and, with a few exceptions, princes of Wales by creation. Before that Edward I. had conferred the principality on his eldest son, afterwards Edward II., who was summoned to and sat in parliament as prince of Wales. But Edward the Black Prince was the original grantee of the principality as well as of the dukedom, under the special limitations which have continued in force to the present day. The entail of the former was “ to him and his heirs the kings of England ” and of the latter “ to him and his heirs the first-begotten sons of the kings of England.” Hence when a prince of Wales and duke of Cornwall succeeds to the throne the principality in all cases merges at once in the Crown, and can have no separate existence again except under a fresh creation, while the dukedom, if he has a son, descends immediately to him, or remains in abeyance until he has a son if one is not already born. If, however, a prince of Wales and duke of Cornwall should die in the lifetime of the sovereign, leaving a son and heir, both dignities are extinguished, because his son, although he is his heir, is neither a king of England nor the first-begotten son of a king of England. But, if instead of a son he should leave a brother his heir, then—as was decided in the reign of James I. on the death of Henry, prince of Wales, whose heir was his brother Charles, duke of York—the dukedom of Cornwall would pass to him as the first-begotten son of the king of England then alive, the principality of Wales alone becoming merged in the Crown. It has thus occasionally happened that the dukes of Cornwall have not been princes of Wales, as Henry VI. and Edward VI., and that the princes of Wales have not been dukes of Cornwall, as Richard II. and George III.

But even now the cadets of the reigning family can only by royal intervention legally be saved from merging, as of old, in the general untitled mass of the people. The children of the sovereign other than his eldest son, though by courtesy “ princes ” and “ princesses,” need a royal warrant to raise them de jure above the common herd; and even then, though they be dubbed “ Royal Highness ” in their cradles, they remain “ commoners ” till raised to the peerage. In 1905 King Edward VII. established what appears to be a new precedent, by conferring the titles of “ princess ” and “ highness ” upon the daughters of the princess Louise, duchess of Fife, created “ princess royal.”

This use of the word “ prince ”—which has in England so lofty a connotation—to translate foreign titles of such varying importance and significance naturally leads to a good deal of confusion in the public mind. It is not uncommon in English society to see, e.g. a Russian prince, who may be only the cadet of a family not included in the Almanach de Gotha, given precedence as such over the untitled members of a great English ducal family, and treated with some of that exaggerated deference paid to “ royalty.” On the other hand, the insular complacency of many Englishmen is apt to regard all German princes with a certain contempt, whereas the title is in Germany sometimes associated with sovereign power, sometimes with vast territorial possessions, and always with high social position.

See, Du Cange, Glossarium, s.v. “ Princeps," ed. G. A. L. Henschal (Niort, 1883); John Selden, Titles of Honour (London, 1672); Almanach de Gotha (1906); H. Schulze, Die Hausgesetze der regierenden deutschen Fürstenhäuser (3 vols., Jena, 1862–1883); H. Rehm, Modernes Fürstenrecht (Munich, 1904).

PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND, a province of the Dominion of Canada, lies between 45° 58' and 47° 7' N. and 62° and 64° 27’ W. The underlying geological formation is Permian, though outliers of Triassic rock occur. The coal seams supposed to underlie the Permian formation are apparently too deep down to be of practical value. The rocks consist of soft red micaceous sandstone and shales, with interstratified but irregular beds of brownish-red conglomerates containing pebbles of White quartz and other rocks. There are also beds of hard dark-red sandstone with the shales. Bands of moderately hard reddish-brown conglomerate, the pebbles being of red shale and containing white calcite, are seen at many points; and then greenish-grey irregular patches occur in the red beds, due to the bleaching out of the red colours by the action of the organic matter of plants. Fossil plants are abundant at many places. Beds of peat, dunes of drifted sand, alluvial clays and mussel mud occur in and near the creeks and bays.

Physical Features.-The island lies in a great semi-circular bay of the Gulf of St Lawrence, which extends from Point Miscou in New Brunswick to Cape North in Cape Breton. From the mainland it is separated by Northumberland Strait, which varies from 9 to 30 miles in width. It is extremely irregular in shape, and deep inlets and tidal streams almost divide it into three approximately equal parts; from the head of Hillsborough river on the south to Savage Harbour on the north is only one and a half miles, while at high tide the distance between the heads of the streams which fall into Bedeque and Richmond Bays is even less. North of Summerside the land nowhere rises more than 175 ft. above sea-level; but between Summerside and Charlottetown, especially near north Wiltshire, is a ridge of hills, running from north to south and rising to a height of nearly 500 ft. From Charlottetown eastwards the land is low and level. The north shore, facing the gulf, is a long series of beaches of fine sand, and is a favourite resort in summer. On the south, low cliffs of crumbling red sandstone face the strait. The climate is healthy, and though bracing, milder than that of the neighbouring mainland. Fogs are much less common than in either New Brunswick or Nova Scotia.

Area and Population.—The greatest length of the island is 145 ni., its greatest breadth 34 m., its total area 2184 sq. m.