Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1890-06-08
OUR NOBILITY.
BarOns, Counts, Titled Ladies of
the Diplomatic Legations.
Who They Are. What They Are and How
They Entertain-Baron de Strive
and His $4,000 a Year.
English Minister and Lady Pauneefote-Two
Handsome Bachelors of the French and
German Legations.
copyrighted 1907


Special correspondence Of the Gazette.
WASHINGTON, June 5.-Our nobility al
Washington centers in the diplomatic
ircle. We have American princes by
the hundreds, but the simon pure, una
dulterated blue blood which flows only in
the veins of those with titles before their
names is almost confined to the families
of the foreign ministers. Every legatio
has its count or baron and there are
countesses and baronesses by the score.
The most mawkish, sentimental whipper-
snapper among the attaches has enough
titles before and after his name to fill a
sheet of note paper and the toadies of our
society are constantly bending the knee
before nominal greatness. Not a
few of the counts are bona fide and some
of the barons are noble both in name and
in deed. The baron de Strive, the head
of the Russian legation, has had a long
diplomatic career and he comes of a fam
lily which embraced the great astronomer
who was the first director of the Imperial
observatory at st. Petersburg. There
was no brighter woman in Washington
Grant called her the most accomplished
lady he had ever met. Baron de Strive
is one of the richest of the Washington
ministers. He gets about $40 600 yearly
for entertaining, and he has number
of rich men among his attaches. Every
one has heard of Alexander Greger who
started Washington society to paper
chasing during the last administration,
and who is such patron of out-of- door
sports. He has the finest horses in
Washington, and be has Russian groom
who is as broad as he is long, who drives
him about in Russian droschky. One
of his horses has pedigree of l20 years,
and Mr.. Greger is one of the best looking
of the diplomats in the saddle.
The English minister has q title
Queen Victoria knighted him in 1874 and
he is knight of the Commander of the
Bath, and has the grand cross of st.
Michael and St. George. Lady Paunce-
fote is the daughter OF noted Indian
army officer. Her name was Cubbitt,
and she is descended from the famous
lord mayor of that name. She has had
long experience in English society, and
she is we'll fitted to aid Sir Julian in get
ting rid of the $40 900 which the English
government allows him for wiuing and
dining. The British legation here is
perhaps the best house for entertaining
in Washington. 1t is an immense red
brick and stone structure, and it belongs
to John Bull. The English government
gives its minister q residence and pays
for his furniture, and Sir Julian is SAID
to have fortune in his own right.
His s. family is delightful one.
no has three daughters one of
whom, Miss Maud Pauncefote, has ap-
peared in society this winter. She is a
tall, graceful girl of more than ordinary
attachments and culture. She is fond of
novels, is devoted to horses and dogs,
likes music and is apparently as fond of
American things as the other Washington
girls are fond of English fads. She
dresses well and her mother has some of
the finest diamonds in Washington. AT
one of the receptions here Sir Julian
wore about his neck the red ribbon of the
order of the Bath and his other kniRhtly
decorations, and the attaches and secre-
taries of the legation came out with brass
buttons on their dress coats, which, by
the way, were adorned with velvet. Sir
Julian s servants are dressed in livery
and his coachman and footmen have bugs
on their hats.
The French minister is count. His
name is Theodore de Roustan. He is q
short round dark-faced mau of forty
five and Is q great favorite with the Ia
dies of Washington society. He was q