The democrat. [volume] (Weston, W. Va.) 1868-1874, 1874-11-23
A KING IN TROUBLE.
us ID CAPTURED by iis Enemies on this
High Seas,

uo ID CAPTURED BY iia Enemies on thS
High Seas,
It Is the King OF Patagonia who is
in trouble now and an officer Of the
Argentine Confederation Is his captor.
The original name OF his Patagonian
Majesty is Monsieur orelie De- Ton.
niens. he Is native OF sInny France,
and by education q lawyer. Joining
himself to company Of Gauls Of his
own kidney, De Tonniens went to Pata-
gonia, where he established q colony
near the straits Of Magellan. Now,
Patagonia, as the well.fersed reader
need not be informed, ID m unbeatable
country for permanent place Of abode.
Even royal establishment, one would
suppose, would hardly tempt a gay
Frenchman TO long live there. But
near the Magellan straits arc some
islands reported to be rich In guano.
tits guano that has enriched Chill, and
the sharp Frenehnten thought they saw
a chance to make . fortune from the
fertilizing deposits Of the Patagonian
coast, The people Of that land are
guileless and simple as their own at.
tire. Though tho climate is not tropi-
cal, they Usually 1nd o light garb 81
dried grass, and guanaco skins sufficient
for all purposes Of comfort and fashion.
When Bougainyille and 0artoret were
the only voyagers who pretended to
any knowledge OF Patagonia, We were
deluded with the fancy that the Pata-
gonians were O race Of giants. This
was q safe and credible statement. Mo-
body could contradictit. rs pE
"So geographcrs, In Afric maps,
With savage pictures flll their gaps,
And DER nninhAbItAbO downs
Place elephants for want OF toWns.p
But, although the Patagonians arc
not giants, they arc trustiul race ;
and when De Tonnieps, with his eye on
the guano beds, asked them TO choose
him king, they were doubtless tickled
with the idea. Heretofore they had
had no government OF any sort, unless
that feudal' tie that compelled the
weakest 10 give the strongest q few e1-
ira trusses Of pampa grass or guanaco.
skins could be called government. M.
De Tonniens was made King Of Pata.
gonia, and, with his credentials in his
pocket, he hied him back TO the Repub.
lic Of France, 10 negotiate q loan on his
guano deposits. His success was not
specially brilliant; but some OF his old
compatriots subscribed to the great
Patagonian loan. The French brokers
and agriculturists know little about fer
tili2ers, and they exchanged their crisp
twenty.franc notes for royal Patagonian
bonds secured by collateral guano.
Returning to his realm, King 0relie
De Tonniens was oyerhanled by m Ar.
gentine man.of-war. ,.sliif fes.I
The Argentine Government claims a
part oil Patagonia; Chill claims an
other part. The two nations have
never thought 1t worth while TO go to
war about the miserable country but
King orelie was aprize not TO be de-
spised. He was usurper, or, as we
should more accurately put 1t, claims
ant. Being n mischievous person, with
money about him, he was, so 10 speak,
nabbed. Therefore the Department OF
Dordogne rises up and demands Of the
Duke Decazes, French Minister OF
Foreign Affairs, that this violation OF
international comfy shall be inyesti.
gated. stiu NO vltfo7 p
The ducal Secretary OF Foreign
Affairs must be puzzled by this appli-
cation. Whats the King Of Patagonia
to him that he should make q row?
Tho thrifty Dordognese, who have put
their savings into Patagonian bonds,
think that the Secretary hasa good deal
to do about this breach Of international
lawi It happens, however, that their
old friend has formally renounced his
French citizenship. In order to secure
the suffragea Of the artless Patagonians
he became one Of them. IL is not
likely that the archives OF that far.off
land contain evidence Of this fact but
Chilian newspapers have said that NJ.
De Tonnieng abiured the country Of
his birth, and by some pagan rite was
admitted into the fellowship Of the
Patagonian freeholders. Whether this
be SO or,not, il stands TO reason that q
Frenchman, however French he may
be, cannot become the reigning mon.
arch Of even . Patagonian and indie.
pendent nation without at least tenn.
porarily waiying his original rights Of
citizenship. At any rate the Argen.
tines have got him, and what they will
do with him, and how the matter will
terminate, q the great question in
South America.