The weekly Shasta courier. [volume] (Shasta, Calif.) 1872-190?, 1873-08-02
The Laces Of a Princess.


which was first begun in February
1870, in the United States Circuit
Court in the Southern District of New
York, is again on the calendar for trial
This case presents some new points Of
singular and romantic interest. 1t may
be remembered that the plaintiff s attor-
neys sued the railroad company Tor
$4,000 damages for the loss OF certain
laces or lace dresses taken from the
trunks or baggage of the Baroness de
Fralof while on journey from Albany
to Niagara in November, 1869. The
case was tried but was not decided IN
February, 1870, the jury disagreeing as
to the amount of damages which should
be paid by the company, six deciding
in favor of the full amount claimed by
the plaintiff, and six varying in their
opinion from 81 900 to $4,000.
In her deposition the lady said /;
I" My name is Olga de Maluta de Fra
loft. My maiden name is Manziretf.
l am a. resident of Russia and have
estates in different countries. My hus-
band is in the active army of Russia, a
colonel of dragons, of the cavalry OF
the Grand Duchess Catherine. l think
he has been made general lately. l
am of the highest and oldest aristoc-
racy of Russia, of the Princes of Tartary.
am the adopted daughter of the
Princess Manziref, my aunt, now
dead"
She said the lost laces were inherited
from her grandmother and four aunts.
They were all antiques. None were OF
mesh or pattern now made. They
were all from two to two and half
centuries old.
81 left six of my trunks in London,
and brought six with me. l had many
valuables besides my jewels, such as
cashmere shawls, fur cloaks, Siberian
sables, toilet of ermine furs, and one
of astrakan, a white cashmere opera
cloak embroidered with gold, and
twelve or fourteen hats from Paris,
dresses of velvet, of silk, and of muslin.
Several handsome silk dresses, made in
Paris, ready for the laces to be sewed
on them when worn. My dresses were
always made in that manner. l also
had six dozen pairs of dress kid gloves
and four dozen pairs of riding and trav
cling gloves.
Il valued the laces at 100000. l
had the laces complete for five different
dresses. Each set peculiar, and all its
laces complete for the skirt, corsage,
hair, and mantilla, and for some tunics,
and for others, points or scarfs.
The lady described the six dresses
she wore as follows -
"My bridal dress had three founces.
Each founce was two feet in width.
1t was of Mechlin lace; sometimes
through mistake called regency lace. l
do not mean it was made in Mechlin,
not by any means. 1t was of the
Mechlin mesh, antique Malines it was
sometimes called There was in this
set all the laces for the corsage, the hair
and mantilla.
1.-The second dress was of old point
d Angleterre. Two founces, cape or
fichu, and some smaller laces. 1t was
of the Elizabethan period. The Queen
of England is the only person in the
world who has any lace like it.
{" The third dress was of Flemish
lace. also very old, two founces two
and half feet wide, also lace for the
corsage, mantilla and hair. The small
laces of this set were very valuable.
The next dress had five founces
of point d'Alencon, not modern point,
nor the point revived by Napoleon l.,
but the antique lace made two hundred
years ago, first in Alencon.
Z" The fourth dress was of some Rus
sian lace, like that made in the lace
schools of Russia established by Peter
the Great.
1.-The fifth dress was of Flemish lace,
and the laces of the sixth dress were
similar, but am not sure they were of
the Flemish stitch"
New York lace experts who had seen
and examined the dresses confirm her
statements as to the quality and value
of the laces, and the loss is heavy even
to Russian princess.