Unveiling of the Imperial Portrait at Tirol Castle

Meran, 19 August. We believe we are rendering no unwelcome service to the readers of the Bote by communicating verbatim, as an addition to our report of yesterday, the address delivered by the District Captain, Herr Kopp, on the occasion of the ceremonial installation of the portrait of His Majesty our most gracious Emperor in Tirol Castle. It reads:

Upon the mountain height of the former mountain stronghold, which was built by the Romans after the subjugation of Rhaetia and named Teriolis, but later abandoned to decay following the end of Roman rule, now stands the principal and ancestral seat, Tirol Castle, built by the sons of Albert, Count of Chur-Rhaetia and Vinschgau, Berthold and Albert, who in the year 1140 assumed the title of Count of Tirol.

For over two hundred years, and specifically until the year 1363, the territorial princes had their residence here.

After the possessions of Tirol had passed, in the aforementioned year, through the only daughter of Count Heinrich of Tirol, the well-known Margaretha Maultasch, to her cousins, the Dukes of Austria, Tirol Castle served as the seat of the provincial captains on the Adige.

Tirol Castle was recognized as the principal center and, I might say, the heart of the entire land, from which life and vigor radiated to all parts; in it was honored the sacred seat of the territorial princes, who borrowed their name from it and bestowed it upon the entire country. Hence among the ancients the saying had become customary:

"Only the master of Tirol Castle is the master of the land of Tirol."

Under the Royal Bavarian government, and specifically in the year 1808, Tirol Castle was sold at auction to Baron Sebastian von Hausmann.

But the ever-faithful town of Meran repurchased the ancient, renowned ancestral castle of Tirol, taking advantage of the fine occasion of the homage celebration for His late Majesty Emperor Franz to present the deed of donation, drawn up on 20 May 1816, together with the key to the castle, to the reunited father and territorial sovereign.

Since that year, Tirol Castle has been an imperial castle and stands under the very special protection of the Imperial Austrian Government. Under Austria's scepter, many an honor has already been bestowed upon this castle.

In the year 1838, an investiture with the Sandhof in Passeier was personally announced by His Majesty Emperor Ferdinand I to a grandson of Andreas Hofer, who had served the Emperor and the beloved fatherland of Tirol with such distinction. Austria's emperors wished to have the portraits so dear to the people of Tirol displayed in this castle. For this reason, the handsomely adorned portraits of His late Majesty Emperor Franz and His Majesty Emperor Ferdinand grace the princely hall of the ancestral castle of Tirol.

Following this fine example of his august ancestors, and in order to give the honest people of Tirol, unshakeable in their loyalty, a renewed pledge of His special supreme affection, as well as to fulfill a long-felt general wish, our currently reigning Emperor Franz Joseph deigned, as early as January of the current year, to order most graciously that His portrait in the colonel's uniform of the brave Tyrolean Kaiserjäger Regiment be painted for the hall of the ancestral castle and sent thither. — This precious and most welcome gift, by which not only the municipality of Tirol, but also the neighboring town of Meran and our entire fatherland of Tirol feel highly honored, has now arrived here, and today, as we celebrate the high birthday of our most gracious sovereign, the ceremonial unveiling of His supreme portrait shall take place.

Filled with heartfelt joy, I now proceed to this sublime act and unveil the so dearly cherished likeness of our most gracious Emperor, whom may God bless and preserve for a very long time for the welfare of his many and faithful peoples!

A hearty, threefold cheer to our chivalrous Emperor Franz Joseph!

Lana, 19 Aug. On the 14th of this month, a severe thunderstorm broke over an alpine pasture in the Ulten Valley, where a lightning strike hit a herd of cattle, killing 17 head. A herdsman standing nearby was merely stunned and knocked down, soon recovering. The meat of one head of cattle turned completely blackish, while that of the remaining beasts remained usable. All the animals that were facing the striking lightning were killed, while several that were facing away remained unhurt.