arried his daughters to foreign princes--one to Prince Roland
Bonaparte, and the other to Prince Radziwill. The Prince of Monaco
shares the profits, amounting in the gross to some fourteen millions of
francs annually. The people of his wretched principality are relieved of
all taxes, even for gas and water--which secures their gratitude and
silence: the profits from the gaming-tables pay for all. I believe it
pays the entire expenses of the municipality, so that the prince has
simply to draw the remainder of his share in this inhuman plunder.

Religion has been drawn in as a veil, as is so often the case with
unscrupulous persons. Churches have been built to quiet and satisfy the
Roman Catholic conscience,[D] after so many shocking deaths had
occurred, or rather to "whitewash" the scandal. The Pope was satisfied
with the liberality of the great gambling Croesus, and gave his
blessing. Indeed, so religious has the place become that on Good Friday
the Passion play is acted in the Cathedral, and without the least sense
of incongruity.

The powerful alliances made with unscrupulous and needy princes of
France and Russia by the family of the Croesus Croupier and Co., have
enormously increased their power. Hence the difficulty in dislodging
them.

But it is an international matter. Monte Carlo is a curse to the people
of every nation who pass through it, and the voice of the civilized
world should be raised to insist on its absolute suppression. The Prince
of Monaco should be given to understand that he must do this, or cease
to exist as a petty independent power. _We_ English, who are so earnest
to prevent even small nuisances in our own land, where it is an
indictable offence for a poor itinerant Italian organ-grinder to refuse
to "move on" when ordered; where the owner of an overloaded dust-bin,
vitiating the atmosphere, is called to account;--_we_, proudly the
foremost in suppressing wrong and upholding the right, should surely not
be backward in striving to uproot this hell upon earth--existing solely
for the inhuman greed of a few selfish individuals; this plague-spot
threatening deadly contagion to soul and body, and causing misery,
madness, and suicide of thousands of our fellow-creatures.[E]

While these pages are passing through the press, the author is greatly
gratified to see the noble exertions Italy is making, both in her
Parliament and through the press, for the suppression of this gambling
principality--re