New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1877-12-08
mn dN1OyELLI CASE.

The case of the Countess Lambertini, who
Processes to be the iegtlmate daughter OF the
late Cardinal Antoncll, and claims, in that
character. q considerable share Of bis estate,
has AGAIN been postponed, bat it is not likely
to he abandoned. Like a celebrated case on
this si,o of the water. the dispute over the
dead mans fortune will 90 on, with 4 ruthless
disregard of the sanctities and decencics OF
life and the claimant can only win the money
she demands b. defaming the memory Of
her father. Indeed, the AntOnelli case appears
TO be one of peculiar atrocity. The brother
and nephews of the deceased, to whom the
estate was left by the Will, are rich men, who
owe almost everything to the late Cardinal,
but they seem to have no scruple about sub
hitting his private life TO scandalous cNamina-
ton before an unfriendly court and the daugh-
ter or alleged daughter. is willing not only 10
dcfile the grave OF one parent, but even, ac-
cording to The LoadoR Times to produce her
mother, who is said to be a lady OF good reputc
and rank, and compel her to acknowledge in
court that she was once Cardinals mistress.
We can hardly understand in America a state
of society in which such Il suit Is possible, OF
system Of law which affords ground for it.
The cardinal was n man more generally mis-
understood than any other conspicuous char
acter of his time, and it was his peculiar fate
to be misunderstood alike by his friends and
his cnemies-most of all, perhaps, by the pom
tiff who employed him. Secret, reserved,
plausible, adroit and cold, he hid his heart
from everybody, and he cherished no dan
gerOus enthusiasts. He came of fam
lily of mountaInecrs on the Neapotan
border, plain rustics in moderate circum-
stances There were five brothers, and
they all went to Rome to seek their for
tunes, one becoming in time a banker, others
merchants, and Giacom0 entering the prela-
ture. In the Papal States the prclaturo was
the civil service Of the Government It's
members, even the higher ones, were not ne
cessarlly in orders, but "prelatc" in orders
seemed to have n better chance OF advance
mcnt than layman, and so Giacomo
went Just as far into the church as
he thought his worldly interests required.
lie stopped short at the degree of
deacon, never rising to the priesthood even
when he became cardinal, never saying mass,
hearing confessions, or dlscharging any of the
other duties of the ministry; but he took the
usual VOW of chastity. He was not a church
man in anything but the dress and the name
His tastes his pleasures, and his official func-
tons were all secular He was the last OF thc
old school of statesmen in purple, vino
modelled themselves upon RicAelieu and
Mazarin, and covered diplomacy with
the cloak of religion. Under Gregory
XVI be was a successful administrator of the
finances. Plus *. made him head Of the
Treasury IN the first years Of his reign, partly
because he had shown ability for the place,
partly because he was esteemed liberal 1t
was in 1918, the year of revolutions, that he
became Prime Minister, and his appointment
even then was looked upon rs Il victory for
Young Italy
If he was the last of the old school Of cardi-
nals perhaps we should say that he was also
the last Of the old school of diplomatist5 He
made il a point of honor to be n7crulable.
His own colleagues did not know what his
policy really was. The Italian Liberals were
equally deceived when they cheered him in
1913 and cursed him in 18I9. In his inter-
course with the foreign representatives, with