New-York tribune., 1880-02-16
LEADING TOPICS IN PARIS
SOCIETY AND POLITICS.

lFRoM THE REGULAR CORRESPONDENT OF THE IhIBOSE'I
PARIS, Jan. 3O-The " hen party" Is couTtly
German institution. If lady of sovereign status
or of ROYAL or Imperial blood. is travelling in
cognito, she cannot properly be invited to any
but a "hen partyD If she is in distress Of
mind and expecting hourly to learn of the
death OF father mother, there
would be nothing to shock good Frous were
she to seek dervatvc at n sociable hen " gath
ering. The Duchess OF Edinburgh has not yet called
on Madame Grevy. Her excuse for not being more
attentive to the Presidents wife is the dying state
Of the Empress of Russia. But she has gore to
second hen party at the house of the Countess de
Pourtales, who born and brought up at the Rob
ertsau Castle near Strasbourg, and knew Intimately
the hesse Darmstadt family. 20 whom the Dueh-
of Edinburgh is closely related indeed, TINS
house owes ts the grandfather of the Countess It's
grand ducal rank, which, on a report he made was
conferred by Napoleon. There were only married
LADIES' asked to meet the Duchess. and feminine
musicians hired to sing and play before
her Hebness. Madame de P0urtales Is a rank
Bonapartst. She only invited, therefore Bona
partist ladies, some of whom were of Slav origin
There were, for instance, Madame de CourVai
nee Bibesco. who gives the fastest routs in
Paris; and Madame BrancovanO nee Ghika
Tea was handed round. The workable was intro
duced and there was much chit chat about fancy
iddle-faddles for babies wear. furniture embroi-
dery in needle-wOrk. knickknacks for bszaara, and
about the Warsaw point laoes, which are greatly
patronized at the Hotel Lambert when manufac-
tured by Polish ladies.
Pbe Duchess of Hesse-D e-Darmstadt is 4 stout Ger
man woman, and is gay and good-naturcd to those
about her, but she has domiDeerng will. and does
not bear contradiction. The Duke has been reduced
TO play second-fddle to her literally we'll as met
aphorically. He is the cousort, and not she; and
as their family increases, he becomes very stay-at-
home, and q vigilant hOuse-steward. Both be and
she are passionateY fond Of music and their eldest
daughter already plays very charmIngly airS ar
ranged for lltte hands on the piano.
This branch OF the ROYAL Family OF Eng
land is the least English They are always "on
the wing" and are brought up by their mother with
q Russo-German bias. The Duke Is a Russian as
we'll as an 7gsh admiral, and draws his pay regu-
lary from the British and Russian treasures lie
is colonel OF German regiment. for which he
also draws salary, and Will be a fcudatory
hereafter of Emperor William. for he
is the heir presumptYe 10 the Grand Duke Ernest
OF Saxs-C -CobuTg-GOtha la case he succeeds To the
Grand Ddchy, and 10 the palaces, parks and chases
attached 10 the title, his English pension wilNirop.
On the principle OF making hay while the sun
shines, he diligently checks home accounts
and puts by money; lie loves music, because ilis.
TO the pianC-fOrte accompaniment OF the Duchess is
a cheap pastime and IL keeps her " at home when
she is abroad.
of havIng TO give precedence TO the Quccms
younger daughters none OF whom made
brilliant matches. 1t also annoys her TO have
10 walk behind the Princess Oi Wales. whose
father was a the creation and the creature OF
the Gar Nicholas. lt will be time enough when
she Is Grand Duchess, with nominally sovereign
Crown TO 20 to the dTawing-TOOms at Buckingham
Palace when the Marchloncss of LOrne and the
Princess Beatrice viii be Obliged 20 yield prece-
dence to her. But against the Uncle Ernest dies
her ROyal HIRhness Will be in the situation Of
The Little Woman who lived in a shoe" Her
nursery fills with alarming rapliIty; IL seems
but yesterday since she was bride. There Is now
% carriage tull of babies, which IS driven every
forenoon in the Bois de Bonlogne. The Duke pre-
cedes the cdilOw offspring in brOugham,
with an aldede-camp at his side, and large family
barouche eOntaIuingHusses and babies brings the
rear. The Last time the Royal infants were IN Paris
fed. Ii Is good thing for British taxpayers that
ON the death OF the grand D0ke OF saxe-COburg the
Edinburgh branch Will have 10 further claims upon
John Bull.
DISTRESSING THE CzAR.
The Duchess, am told has come from the South
of France laden with jewel caskets which her dyng
mother brought with her from ST. Petersburg. In
themselves they constitute an Imperial fortune.
The Empress was afraid that if she died the En-
peror would 1--WE them to his present tay0rite. who
MAY hereafter be raised 20 the throne. BesaHdnccS
are not rare in the history of TIE Imperial family
of Russia Catherine |. a peasant. and the
eldest son of the Car disnherited and shut up
in a monastery TO make way for her son. Ammo OF
Holstein-GOttOrp who was Duchess oil COur-
land before she came in for the Throne OF
all the Russlas, was in love with Marshal
SAKE. the great-grandfather OF George Sand and
the natural son of August OF Saxony ard Aurora
Kaoigsmark They were SetrOthed 20 each other
and would have been married had not accidental
circumstance. brought 10 hight an amorous
adventure OF the rOugh-and-ready soldier.
nuchaq4 Anna then leiT-
anparent to the Crown of Muscovy he conceived u
nassion for maid of honor. The pair used to meet
IN a aarden-house and their Irritation went many
months. But as they were in the trysting-place
ON an October night frost set in. In
trying to return 10 the palace they had Several
falls and in the court yard the maid of honor broke
her arm and Marshal SAKE his leg. Pain Obliged
them to cry out for help. The adventure came to
the ears of the Duchess, who instructed her
courtiers to play rough pranks on her suitor. whom
when he asked for all explanation, she dismissed
with contumely.
The Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh have also
been entertained at dinner by Lord Lyons. The
Ducbess of Manchester Prince Orloff and the differ
ept members of the British Embassy were asked TO
meet tbem Her Imperial and Royal Highness,
when last at Cannes made pilgrimage to the NOR
tuary chapel of her eldest brother, the Czarewteh
| Nicholas, who died there in 1853. 1t Is
a small Byzantine structure. A carpet
worked in Berlin wool and ordinary cross stitch ID
snread before the altar. The pattern OF this piece
Of decorative Deedlework is common ana the color
mo ia crnde. Around the chapel there pleasure
or1und planted with cypress 6nd myrtle. When
beIater a In blossom Towering sprays pUcked from
IL are sent TO the EMPRESS WHOSE beit was "rapPeu
| up in her eldest son.
JULES SIMON AssAILED.
Tread with regret this morning an attack upon
| n Jules Simon in the RepubliQao Francaise. The
wrath which breaks out in that journal hai
been for some time brewing. Jules Simon ha'
beep il-used twelve months agol by the
men at whose feet the official ball Is
now rolling. He was a very proper can
didate last February for the Presidency of the