THE House of Habsburg appears to be always in the shadow of some fresh disaster. Its recent history recalls the horrors of a Greek tragedy. The venerable Emperor, upon whom a crushing blow has again fallen, has seen in turn his brother, Maximilian of Mexico, foully slain; his son and heir dead in circumstances round which hangs an impenetrable mystery; his Consort assassinated; and now the presumptive successor to his throne slain, together with his wife, in the Bosnian capital, Sarajevo. The death blow seems to have been delivered by a young Serb student, who may or may not have been merely the tool of a body of conspirators, to whom the late Archduke Franz Ferdinand was obnoxious on account of his supposed hostility to the aims of the Serbs of the Kingdom of Servia. Throughout the civilized world the tragic news of this double assassination sent a thrill of horror, which was immediately followed by a passionate feeling of pity for the aged Emperor-King in this his crowning sorrow. It is too early to speculate on the effect this tragedy may have upon the politics of Europe. For the moment all that is possible to say is that a successor to the late Archduke's right of succession exists in the person of his nephew, the Archduke Karl Franz Joseph, who may be expected to carry on the policy of the Austro-Hungarian State.