[Illustration: _Alice. 1878_] ALICE GRAND DUCHESS OF HESSE PRINCESS OF GREAT BRITAIN AND IRELAND BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH AND LETTERS _WITH PORTRAIT_ NEW YORK & LONDON G. P. PUTNAM’S SONS The Knickerbocker Press 1885 _Press of G. P. Putnam’s Sons New York_ Dedicated TO HIS ROYAL HIGHNESS THE HEREDITARY GRAND DUKE AND TO THEIR GRAND DUCAL HIGHNESSES THE PRINCESSES VICTORIA, ELIZABETH, IRÈNE, ALIX OF HESSE AND BY RHINE [Illustration] CONTENTS. PREFACE. BY HER ROYAL HIGHNESS PRINCESS CHRISTIAN vii CHILDHOOD AND GIRLHOOD, 1843-62 11 IN HER NEW HOME, 1862-65. 1862 31 1863 49 1864 71 1865 88 AT HOME AND AT WORK, 1866-72. 1866 123 1867 168 1868 199 1869 216 1870 235 1871 266 1872 284 TRIALS, 1873-1877. 1873 300 1874 321 1875 339 1876 348 1877 356 THE END, 1878 368 CONCLUDING REMARKS 383 APPENDIX. A WATCHER BY THE DEAD 391 A SKETCH IN MEMORIAM, DECEMBER 14, 1878. BY SIR THEODORE MARTIN, K.C.B. 398 LINES IN MEMORIAM 406 [Illustration] [Illustration] PREFACE.