The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1880-11-13
saturday MORNING, NOV. 1s.
Foreign Titles.
tCornhill.1p

tSoInnii. ~
& The highest order of foreign nobility is that
OF the mediatized princes of Germany. They
represent houses which once exercised sover-
eign power, and are still accorded semi-regal
honors. On this point Britons caring for these
things should beware of supposing that every
foreign prince is Highness. The vast
number Of them are entitled to no other recog-
milton of their rank than "Prince," or "Mon
Prince" and this need not be repeated more
than once in the conversation. One saws adj
visedly the vast number for Russian princes
alone can be counted by thousands, not to say
tens Of thousands. There are said to be GOO of
the house of Galitzin alone.
Scarcely inferior In dignity to the mediatized
princes are the members of those Genital
Houses, the chiefs of which, by decision of
the German Diet of 1929, have right to the
title Of "Most Illustrious Count (Erlaucht)
They are all counts-father, son, grandson,
great-grandson, they and all their male de-
scendants ad infinitum.
The serene and illustrous compose mighty
host occupying 12I closely printed pages of the
Almanach de Gotha. Next to them in univer-
sally recognized rank are those princes of the
Holy Roman Empire (all the sovereign and
mediatized princes of Germ any are princes of
the empire: the emperors of Germany having
been also emperors of the Romans) whose titles
were honorary from the first. Three English
peers, the Dukes of Marlborough and Leeds
and Earl Cowper are princes of the empire.
1t may be added that the Earl of Denbigh and
Lord Arundel of Wardour are counts of the
empire Lord Denbigh claims to come of the
same stock as the Emperor of AUSTRIA but the
best title of his family to fame is that it pro-
duced the author of Tom Jones'"
Amongst other British subjects enjoying
ioreign titles are the Duke of Hamilton, who
s Duke of Chatelherault in France; the Duke
a Wellington who is Prince of Waterloo in
the Netherlands, and Duke of Vittoria and
Grandee of the first class in Spain; Earl Mel
son, who in Duke of Bronte in Italy; the Earl
of Clancarty, Marquis of Hensden in the Meth
erlands; Sir Nathaniel Rothschild, an Aus
TRAN baron; Mr.. Albert Grant, an Italian
baron and Sir Edward Thornton, Count Of
Cassilhas in Portugal. This last title may be
called semi-heredtary, having been granted to
Sir Edwards father for three lives and no
more. Sir Edwards is the second life.
The title of marquis carries more prestige
with 1t nowadays in France than that of the
duke; and for this reason The Empire made
no marquises ergo, marquis unless the son
or 1mperialist duke) must derive his title
from the old dynasty; and it is unquesiionably
more honorable to have been ennobled by the
Pompadour than by Napoleon. The first en-
peror created some thirty dukes and princes
all more or less men of TALENT but none OF
their sons or grandsons appear to have done
frowned upon by the monarchy. On the con-
trary, everything was done by the Bourbons to
conciliate the marshals. Soult was President
of the Council to Louis Philippe, and ultimate
ly gloried in the magnificent title of Marshall
General of the Armies of France His son,
the Marquis of Dalmatia was named Secretary
Of Legation at Vienna, whence arose an un-
foreseen difficulty. The court Of Austria OBJ
jected to receive man whose title was taken
from an Austrian province, though the matter
was ultimately arranged. By the courtesy Of
nations sovereign is allowed in one instance
land one only to confer title taken from q
locality In brother soyereign's dominions. A
soldier who has won victory may be ennobled
would cheerfuly accord their full honors to
Prince of Wagram or Duke of Magenta
The same rule holds good in the case of naval
victories. Spain would have no right to OBJ
iect to viscount Trafalgar, or Holland to an
Earl OF Camperdown.
Apropos Of Holland, it is not generally
known that the old Ears of Holland-the
English earls OF the house of Rich-and the
late Lords Holland (house of Fox derived
their title from district of Lincolnshire called
enough name at one time, signifying Hollow
Land or Valley, though some say 1t meant
wooded land. The first English title derived
from place out of England was that of
the earldom of Oxford, on Admiral Russell,
the victor of La Hogue. 1t was near Cape
Barfleur that the battle was won, hut the
French fleet was followed up into the Bay or
La Hogue and terribly handled there: But
there is another Anglo-foreign title which has
no such martial origin, yet against which no
protest was ever raised.
A youthful Due d'Enghien, whom his rela-
tiyes frequently tipped, laid by his pocket
money till he had amassed fifty louis when he
took the purse to his father and proudly ex-
hibited its contents, expecting to be praised
for his economical habits. The Prince of
Condo emptied the purse and flung the con-
tents out of the window. ''Lst that be les
son to you, SIR" he then said, turning to his
son, ito think and act more like gentleman"
Too many of the peers of England descend
from merchants or lawyers to make it likely
that one of them should ever exhibit such a
reckless contempt for the stamped ettgy of
the monarch.
There is a finer story, of Spanish gra ndee,
where the sentiment of Eoblesse oblige and
the highest commercial spirit Tin its true es-
sence) are happily blended. Somebody forged
the Duke OF Ossuna's name, appending it to
bill for 1000 ducats. On the bill being pre-
sented, the duke saw that the signature was
counterfeited, but paid the money at once.
The name of Ossuna was not to be dishonored
by q rascal. 1t would be uncharitabIe to ask
whether second forged bill of the same
amount would have been equally honored
Non oD1,eid p0SSemus.
Talking of the Spanish aristocracy it may
be observed that the titled part of it is by no
means SO large as is supposed. The heads of
noble families number 1900, and they alone
as rule, bear titles. Even the eldest son of q
duke (say of Alicante would only be called
Don Juan or Don Alfonso d'Alicante durlng
his fathers lifetime. The younger sons re-
main simply Dons-the Spanish equivalent of
Esquires. AS to qualifications they are lightly
esteemed, inasmuch as even beggar must be
addressed as Your Grace (Merced) The
superscription on an envelope addressed to
duke would be, - reccslentissimo Senior
Marshal Serrano writes to her lord.
1t may not be generally known that one
great family, that of the Princes of Lara, are
claimants to the crown of Spain. They con-
tent themselves, however, with filing pro-
test at the accession of each new king or queen;
after which record of their wrongs they return
to cigarettes and leisure of more or less dig
nifed kind. Possibly since Byron sang, the
name of Lara is better known in Britain than
Castillo
Italy has power of mobiles, mostly mar.
quises when they are not princes. Some do
mains, notably that of San Donate (now in the
market confer titles. 1t was from his estate
OF San Donate that Count Antonio Demidoft
wuo udrrieu Inc TT uCeSS MatnliQe bO0aparte,
derived his title of prince Similarly the ten
ure OF Arundel Castle confers an English
earldom, but Parliament has taken very good
care that it shall never be sald-at any rate till
the heirs of the old earl are extinct, and their
name is legion.
The Roman nobility of to-day is smitten
with Anglomania. They hunt, they dress as
much as possible like Englishmen, and they
talk English even among themselves, often
too. the with purest accent. This facility for
pronouncing our language correctly is shared
by them with the Maltese.
All Monacans are noble, this distinction hav-
ing been conferred on the inhabitants of the
principality by the Emperor, Charles II. The
Republic of San Marine claims and exercises
the right to confer titles. These are to be
bought at reasonable prices and with no troub-
lesome examination into character or antece-
dents. A year or two ago San Marine created
an apoihecary '"Duc de Bruc'. and named
him Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plen-
ipotentiary" to the French Republic. The Duke
gave up the medical profession, announcing
that he had been summoned to "high diplo-
matte service" but was not above starting
kind OF Universal Pill Company of which his
Grace constituted himself chairman.
word as to the Belgian nobility. 1t must
be divided into two classes: l. Those who de.
III thosr