New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-02-01
A REAL TARTARIN.
THE FRENCH KING OF THE SEDANGs.

Tho adventures of "Tartarin de TamscOn,'
which have been so amusngly described by Al
nhonsp Daudet are a striking counterpart OF the
romantic existence Of VI. de Mayrena, otherwise
Marie the First King Of the Sedangs. who has
lust died in his palace on the Island OF llo-Alan
This outlandish majesty-by birth trenchmaA-
was certainly man very much out OF the COM
mon. and resembled the Great lartarn III more
ways than one
NJ dc Mayrena was once a well-known Paris
clubman but having got rather rapidly through
his fortune he retired 10 n little house when he
nossessed near IIonilles. in the Department OF
Seineet-O Disc. few miles from Paris. ana was
soon forgotten Bored to death by the monotony
of country life, he suddenly seized win Inc
spirit of adventure, and. packing ms trunk. ne
started for the far-EaSt without more aiO iheIe
he visited several semi-savage tribes ana aller
roaming round for space OF elght HlolllIs' Hhaiy
settlod down in Indo-China among the Sedangs,
who consented, on his promise to Obtain lot 'hem
fine aid and protection of France, to make him
their king. Oblivious Of the fact that he had left
at uonilIes a wife and several children. Marie
7 welded a young Sedang beauty. to whom ne
had taken violent fancy, and began to rule his
new country in good earnest. and displayed great
talent in grinding out of his yellow SUBJECTS al
that could be had from them. As time went on,
however. the supply of money necessary to Keep
nm ROYAL spendor was exhausted, and Ills Majesty,
Marie the First. obtained leave Of absence under
the preteXt of going to raise the necessary luhus
in France On arriving in Paris. he took up MS
quarters at the Grand Hotel formed Mihlstfy'
appointed his chamberlains. and equerrles' ana
instituted various royal orders, with which-iot
a consideratiOn-he decorated his numerous
friends Parisians are an enthusiastic race anu
the noble King of the Sedangs became at once the
race. Invited everywhere. he soon was one vi
tbe best known and most admired figures among
the Tout Paris" and right royalty dld thls
singular man enjoy himself His court presented.
nevertheless striking contrast WIN those oil dii
his brother sovereigns in so far that the posts Oh
honor granted by Marie the First mad 70 DE pau
for by the recipients thereof Instead vi IT,
ceivinr q salary from the Crown. the Ministers.
chamberains. eQuerrles and other diShI''i'e'
had TO pay their monarch subsidy-and pretty
heavy one at that-for the privilege OF serNIlS
him. This extraordinary mode of procedure some
r,bat cooIed the ardor of the newly appointed
Sedang officials; and when the King tried to raise
more funds by applying to several leading Dahh-
ers whom he urged to found company caleo
"Grande Exploitation des Mines dor ct dAreeho
du Sedang," His Maiestys encourage were the
first to put spokes in his wheels society aiso
began to turn cold shoulder on him. peihg very
much disappointed in monarch who gave neither
balls nor receptions and who was ever re@uS "
borrow a dozen Napoleons
Thoroughly disguised, Marie ! shook the duSo
of his native land from his sandals and departed
in solitary grandeur for Ostend, leaving behind
him his once brilliant court There he met VITA
well-descrved success and his adventures in Bel
riur coupletelv throw in the shade the most
fantastic of Lecocq's or Suppe's comic operas Ills
dunes were innumerahlc, for Marie J. far rom
being an ordinary adventurer, was man oil
great talent and prepoSSessing appearance, ana
could when he chose, be exceedingly Winning
and persuasive. In few weeks he had run up
a tremendous bill at the best hotel OF OStehi'
Unable 10 settle il, he left in the hands OF the
unsuspecting Bonface lis royal crown, carefully
scaled up in a silver casllet, engraved with me
arms of >cdang II was not until several weeks
after the KINGS departure that the worthy BEL
cian surprised and made curious by not hearing
from his nigh and mighty patron, Ventured 10
omen the valuable parcel. His horror may he
imagined when he found that it contained unseI
dadem set with colored glass, worth about $40.
In the meanwhile the enterprising monarch had
hccn in brussels, where he had succeeded IN 50
comDlctcly convincing a wealthy manufacturer
named SOME Of the existence of his superb king
dom beyond the seas, that this smplc-mlnded
and generous individual actually advanced nm
sum of 40, 600 francs for the purpose OF helping
him to create new fields of commerce in winch
he lSomzcl was TO have an important share
Moreover he supplied the enraptured King win
p ouantity of magnificent presents for His MaIestys
leading subjects, including lot of jewelry ana
several dozen elaborate musical boxes, to be offered
20 the wives and daughters of the principal
Sclang chiefs Several Belgian officers, won over
Ly NJ SOME TO the cause OF Marie |, constltuted
themselves a commission of explorers and started
at once with the sovereign Of Sedang for mao
China. a fact which the crcdulouS Ostend hotel
keeper found ont to lis dismay upon his arrival
at Brussels, whittier he had posted in hot haste
after the discovery of the swinde perpetrated
upon him.
On the way 10 Singapore the King conducted
himself in SO unbccoming a fashion that the Bel
gian officers who had joyously embarked on
the expedition lost all their Illusions ana went
so far as TO openly quarrel with their hero. Mare
|, intoxicated by success, had thrown OIL
his mask too soon, and his suite, seeing
at last in whose hands they had placed themselves
broke of all relations with him and returned 10
their faherand by the first steamer leaving Sihsa-
pore after their arrival in that town. Not III
the slightest way disturbed or abashed by thls
coutretemps Marie | lived mcrrIly IN singapore
for a few weeks, and, having made the acPualh,t-
ance of two Frenchmen, NM. NIllerOy and Scol1
Nj Veroy was the brother of the French 'ouf;
sui and NJ Scott Il retired sea captaln-ne ATTACHING.
himself to them, lavishcd part of VI. Somzeii
Az. 900 francs them in entertainments OF az
kinds and finally prevailed upon them 10 accom-,
many him TO the Island of To Man. On landing
there NJ Villcroy and VI. Scott Immediately saw saw
how far they had been deceived and tremenG:O o
quarrel took place between them and the ME,
The next nitrning NJ Nieroy was found ueS99
in his tent, and NJ. Scott, who barely escapra
with his life returned TO Singapore, where ;n y,
charged His Majesty King Marie with polsolilann.,
NJ Villcroy lIe declared that this lmprudeIss
monarch always carried deadly poison on ~ NJ
person and was in the habit of extracting one1 Il
ence from his subjects by threatening TO uSe om ~
an Them should they prove obduratc 10 his com.
mands Steps were about TO be taken for ,is
arrest of the alleged criminal when news T us
nalatial hut What the real cause of his deats
l. n was imnnssihlc 10 lind ont: some say lnaa.