The visit to Corfu came to an end on 1st May. There was a great display of fireworks, and the _Ariadne_ and the _Royal Oak_ were dressed with red and blue lights. Unfortunately there was a sad accident which occurred just as the illuminations were over. One of the sailors fell overboard, and though a most careful search was made, nothing was ever seen or heard of him again except just the splash as he fell into the water.
On the following day the Royal party arrived at Brindisi, and returned to London over-land, stopping a little while in Paris, where they were treated with the most marked attention by the Emperor and Empress of the French.
As may be easily imagined, the King is very popular all over France, and he has had many curious and interesting adventures when going out in the semi-_incognito_ which he affects when travelling for pleasure. On one occasion, shortly after the end of the war, he visited the battlefield of Sedan attended by General Teesdale. He was naturally anxious that his identity should not become known, for French susceptibilities were very keen at that time, and he had no desire to appear to glory over his brother-in-law’s brilliant victories. When the time came to pay the hotel bill General Teesdale found with great dismay that he had no ready cash; the King was in an equally penniless condition; while any telegram sent would have disclosed the identity of the Royal visitor. At length, after much discussion, the equerry made his way to the local _Mont de Piété_ and placed both his own and King Edward’s repeater in pawn.
Among the formal acts of ceremony which King Edward performed during this year was the unveiling of a statue of the late Mr. George Peabody. In the speech which he delivered on this occasion he alluded in the warmest terms to his feeling of personal friendship towards the United States, and his enduring recollection of the reception which had been accorded to him there.
THE FRANCO-PRUSSIAN WAR--THE KING’S ILLNESS
The outbreak and progress of the Franco-Prussian war were naturally watched with the keenest interest at Marlborough House. Two of the King’s own brothers-in-law were serving with the German forces, while, on the other hand, he not only had many close ties with France, but from childhood had always regarded the Emperor and Empress of the French with special affection. When public subscription lists were opened in aid of the ambulances, which distributed medical aid impartially to the sick and wounded on both sides, King Edward gave a liberal donation; and when the Empress Eugénie fled to England, one of the first visits which she received at Chislehurst was from the King and Queen Alexandra.