Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1886-11-14
LIFE amosa msLiLONAuSEs.
Nh. p.,.,s whese fSsrcu Adospn
xssbsebt,d Ltves.


h, The death OF the dosager Baroness
.lsmes dc Rothscbild, writes CORE
.nondert Of the New York Sun. ny
,be close connection which binds to-
getber what. in Paris, Is called Ia
o,onde .jmU0,e, q great deal oil vics-
,ious sayety IL put a stop TO, revealing
how very dominant the jewish element
has become IN the highest circles.
second death in the same circle Will
OILY intensity the disastrous effects so
far as social gatherings on a great
,cale ore concerned, a. Baron Meyer
"a Rothschild, who died last week. Is
the father Of some Of our brilliant wo-
men of fashion.
With unlimited wealth at the service
or even the most costly capilces. the
Ro,hscbilds never hesitate intimately
tossiisfy them, even II at the outset the
Thirty ard prudent instincts OF tSe'r
rare nrompt them to bargain AMI drive
thrifty contracts a. if difference OF
20 in the hundred was allsimportant IN
. transaction. When Baron Adolphe,
who married his cousin OF Vienna, hah
one Of those fits of mortal enam which
seem like the hereditary curse OF their
opulence, he suddenly conceived NO
lent desire 10 possess the villa Pregpy,
a small domain situated on the love-
lest hillside Of the slopes overlooking
the Lake Of Geneva, about two miles
distant from the city, and possessing
every charm that nature and SWISS
scenery can confer. lie narrowly, eager
ly disputed the price, but finding the
owner firm he consented to give tne
sum required, for, as be remarked I;
Z" Pregny has the one thing which, with
all my money | cannot get, for can
not grow trees six hundred years old"
That was twenty years ago, and the
unpretending little villa was at once
swept away and magnificent building
erected on the site where it stood. 1t
is square, something after the style OF
the old French chateaux, and its daz-
cling Wilderness prOclaiIns its recent
origin as much as the absence OF
all antecedents or associations. The
tourist and the traveller are rarely al
lowed the privilege of visiting Pregny.
The owners do not follow the example
of the grdnde seigneurs of England,
Italy, and France, who, when they are
the possessors of historic houses filled
with treasures Of art, consider them
selves only as landlords, and deem it
duty to admit the stranger to view their
heritage.
The entrance to the principal court
is by splendid wrought-iron gates /; the
gardens are SO marvellously laid out
that on comparatively restricted ex'
panse the roads and paths seem to
stretch and wind for miles. The grounds
are profusely stocked with rare shrubs
and flowers, conseryatories blazing with
exOtics, winter.gardens containing g.
gantic tropical trees, aviaries filled With
foreign birds Of rare plumage. A
riding. school like the one at Chantllly
can be converted into summer ball
room; numerous guardians in gray
liveries pace the grounds they sec that
not leaf rests on the yelvety syards,
that not faded blossom remains on
plant OF shrub.
In the interior of the residence gold
is profusely scattered Oh tables, mir
rors, walls, aud ceilings; the carved
cabinets contain within their glass
doors a varied collection of antique
china, worries, old silver, and jegelry,
purchased wholesale for fabulous prices
at the antiquaries, VINO have a standing
order to forward any rare specimen.
All around the garish and human mag
nifcence of Pregny lies in oppressive
contrast the statelier, calmer, grander
magnifcence of lake, mountain, AMI
sky.
A few years after having bought the
villa Nine. Adolphe was no longer
satisfied with seeing the lake from
her windows ard terraces ; she wished
to be on its very margin, and 50
she had q pavilion built a mila
lower down, near the pretty little
haven of Gentbron, literally bathed BY
the blue waters. This singular con-
struction is called La Gitana, like her
famous yacht, aud consists of lofty
vault, under which the boat lies az an-
cher. Above are an immense saloon,
lit by huge windows, and two smaller
apartments; at the rear kitchens and
Offices. but no bedrooms. The Bs'
roness always returns to the big house
to sleep, but she spends most Of her
DAYS at la Gitsna, and holds there her
afternoon teas. When the receptions
are on a greater scale, early in the
morning the chefs, stewards, and foot
men come down from Pregny and luxI-
rious luncheon il prepared, after which
the guests are taken for sail on the
lake. Every Friday the whole ho1se
party is taken over to Amphion, near
Eyian, whero the Prince de Besaraba
Brancoyan, who died the other day,
has a delightful chalet. Between the
two establishments there Is rivalry Of
rece ptions and festivals {; eacn gn' d
yacht, snd on certain days sCt asiie fJl
regattas quite fotills Of boats stol,
that part Of the lake, each having It's
own well-known colors. The crew o
the Gitana, a maFvellously swift craft
are always dressed in spotlesS white.
Baroness Adolphe, albeita hospita5l'
end courteous hostess, IS very strict AM
positive about her invitations; no per
son hidden to Pregny may take more
than three days for seudlog an answer
If no acceptance il given within TIN:
( limit, the invitation is considered can
celled, ard after the third refusal, what
ever reason may have prompted II, IN,
name Of the guest is erased from th'
list and he re.enters Pregny only as {
casual visitor. But neither the BarOI
nor Baroness shine by their punctuality
and consideration for others. Their
is emphatically not the politeness o
kings, and they were on one occasion
made to feel that they could not Away
indulge in inexactitude with sbsolnt
impunity.
Among other jewellers on the sh)r
OF the lake are Sir Robert Peel (brOthe
Of the speaker and Lady Peel, wh