The Arkansaw traveler., 1886-03-20
"A PRINCE INTERVIEWER
Luke Sharp, in Detroit Free Prsss,l

Rome. Besides being a prince he was the richest man in italy, and. perhaps. Il the truth were known, the richest man in the world. h IS2o his father died and left him a tremendous fortune. This inn mense sum Ptince Torlonia increased, principally by gigantic agricultural i'm provements in Italy and investments in buildings in Rome. His wealth at the time of his death must have been some, thing enormous and it is all inherited by his only daughter, who is married to one of the Borghese family, her husband hay. ing taken the name of ToIlonia. About four wears ago l had the pleasure of meet ing Prince Torlonia twice during stay ID Rome The first interview came about in this way: Th> Nsv. Mir. Van Meter, who for many years has laborcd unceas- ingly in K ,me. establishing schools and accomplishing great works, both educa- ,ional and evangelical, in the old city, was a personal friend os Prince Torlonia. IL is rather strange that the most uneom- promising Protestant in Rome, and 2 man who has deliberately chosen poverty as his lot in lie that he might spend all he receives fov the benefit of others, should be friend of the most uneom- promising Catholic and the richest man in Italy. But such was the case. Their friendship began about a blow. The Protestant clergyman was a tenant of a house belonging to the Catholic Prince He kne~ the absorbing intere t the prince had in all matters pertaining to agricul- ture. He also knew the wretched ap pliances the peasantry of Italy had for the tilling of the ground. Mir Van Meter wrote to the Gale Manufacturing com pany of America and told them that he wanted to present 6rst.class American plow to the great farmer-prince of Italy. The company manufactured plow with all he modern improvements, finished n up in the finest style and nickel plated it. This implement was sent to the Rev. Mir. Van Meier at Rome and he in turn pre- ] sented it to P'lnce Torlonia. There was deal of diplomacy needed to induce the prince to accept the gift, but the clergy. l man was equal to the occasion and the American plow found quarters in the rorlonia palace. The pnnce was won derfully pleased with it and had it set up ,n one ot the rooms of his palace to be admired by his numerous friends. He exhibited it in different parts of Italy and Sheiever he could introduce the Ameri- can plow to the soil of Italy he did so 1 He was somewhat astonished and some- what disappointed that Mr. Van Meter would accept no return for the gift, but after the blow episode the ToTlonian pal ACC had always an open door for the clergyman and his friends. Mir. Van Meter invited me to visit the prince with hlm. and as my opportunities for con. versing with princes in America had been somewhat limited was very glad to ac- cept the invita- ion. The Torionia palace IS situated in the very center of Rome aud. if 1 remember rightly, on the Place di Venszia. On the opposite side of the quare IS the palace of one of the foreign em oassies-l think that of the Austrian government. The Torlonia palace is a huge square building. the windows of which are barred with iron as if it were a prison.
 A great arched entrance led from the squ ire into spacious stone paved court with the usual fountain, and the wind ows of the four sides of the palace looking down on il. Our pArty consisted of Mir
 md Mrs J,hp R Whitney. of Pniladel phia and Broin Mawr, wi h the Rev. Mir. VAn Meter and myself P.ssirg into a large archway we turaed throngh a door to the left into the outer off e of the prince. It was full of clerks and had very much the appearance ot an fiji C oi a wholesale house in London. Passing through this we came to another office of 4 similar z. in which more clerks were engaged, and then into a third off e iu which the prince sat at plain, hat-topped desk with drawers down the sides. at bis right hand and his left. Opposite him sa, his private secretary, Farther on ap- peaTec several rooms more luxuTiously furnished, and at the end, seen through he vista of doors from the first entrance into this palace of bus,ling business was the statue of nymph in pure white mar ble which had curious moonlit effect as cen at the end of semi obscure room trough tunnel of dc zen doorways all ID line.
 The prince received us very cordially. He was a short old man with shrewd business face and very plainly dressed | He conversed with us in three lau- eusges He spoke to Mrs Whitney in French, spoke Italian to the clergymap, md soon found he had to come down to plain, unadorned English If he wanted any opinion from me His English, he said with a comical smile, was a sain to him, and although we assured him thA, he spoke English very well, indeed, for it hardly does to tell a prince that there is anything that he cannot do we'll, yet he had evident difficulty in expressing him. se!! in that language. He spoke very enthusiastically about America and about its being the great granary of the world No country he said, could ever compete with it in agriculture He had cone something, he added for poor Italy in that matter, but he could never hope to see i, rival even the poorest of the American states Ooe of the party spoke to him about coming to America. but he shook bis head and said that bis day for | that had gone by-he vas too old. A. ter this short talk we were taken through nlarA rf this n~tnan IS nafz@a