Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-01-23

not nearly SO numerous - soms people like TO
make them out
In conversation with q writer for The STAR
a member of one of the foreign legations
laughed about this the other day and pointed
to several notices of himself in newspapers pub
lished outside of Washington wherein he was
alluded to variously a marquis. count and
baron, whereas in reality he has no title of no.
bility at all. He said il struck him very
strange that in q republic like ours he should be
SO often put down in the public press as having
a title which he had no right or desire to lay
claim to.
POSSIBLE ENPIASATroN.
The explanation is found perhaps in the
strange desire to heap honors, or so-cailed
honors. upon the head OF every foreign resi-
dent In some countries q diplomatic position
IN itself confers title upon an individual and
In nearly all monarchies it is pretty TO lead
to titles, for with the possible exception OF the
military and naval service there are no duties
which a sovereign is so ready TO recognize as
the successful performance Of diplomatic
1utes- III foreign minister negotiates q sue
eessful treaty with this country he is pretty
sure 10 have some new handle or some letters
signlfying new honors added to his name.
NO TITLED REPRESENTATIVES, OF FRANCE.
In taking up the titles of the diplomats who
reside in Washington il will be well to begin
with our sister republic, France. Strange so
say there is not now single titled individual
on the French legation. This is something
thas has not happened for long time, but
since Count Sala went homo the legation has
been without any scion of nobility. The new
minister Is plain Monsieur Patenotre. OF course
france confors 40 titles of nobility now. but
the old titles maic in times gone by are still re-
tanned by courtesy. They carry with them no
meaning ana confer no privileges. A French
count Is the eldest son of marquis, but the
marquis has nothing tangible to leave the count
when he dies except the empty title, which may
be cast aside withoutany Consequences. These
French titles are very much though an
American having been once a Senator left the
title OF Senator to his son.
There are hundreds OF these useless titles in
france, and many rlarquises, counts and chew
alters are having a hard time to keep their
heads above water and make an honest living
They come over TO America, too, sometimes,
AID 1t Is not long since one of them was
discovered waiting upon the guests of fash
lonable restaurant in New York. He reaped the
crop which sometimes falls to the share of
the clever foreign titled husbandman
and married a rich American girl. But be had
exceptional luck, and most of his compatriots
hnd that they must sink or swim, according to
their own abilities, withoutany help from their
titles.
GERMANS REPRESENTATIVE.
In Germany, of course, q title means more
than it does in France, for Germany has an
emperor and all the grades of nobility are his
especial care. DIR. Won Hollcnben is tho new
German minister. He has no designation Of
nobility except the Won. which, like the French
de, is supposed to signify gentle birth His
predecessor, Won Arco Valley, was a fuli-nedged
count. high title with the Germans: before
him was commoner, Won Alvensleben, and
before that Baron Eisendecker.
NO PRINCE IN THE DIPLOMATIC CORPS.
There is no prince in any legation at present,
which ia uuucual far NJ oil
is the commonest in some countries In other
countries it is the highest. If Great Britain.
for instance, were to send a prince TO this
country as diplomatic representative she
would have to take one OF the royal family,
for they are the only princes she has. IL Ger
many wanted prince he, too, would have to
come OF a sovereign clan. Bismarck, tits true.
is a prince, but not of Germany proper. On
the other hand Russian princes are SO com.
mon as not to be worth looking for They
may be encountered by the thousands, and il
has been estimated that there are GOO of them
belonging to the house of Galitzin alone III
the father OF a family is o prince all the chill
dren are princes, and all of their children and
SO on. BY natural progression it would be
fair to presume that in course Of time trav-
eler will be able to paraphrase the remark about
England and the fools and America and the
colonels and say that the population Of Russia
is LOO, 0O0, 900, mostly princes.
ENGLASD's BARoNEr MrNIsrra.
Coming to our old rival, England, there are
not many titles in her legation. Her last
minister was a lord. and Of one OF the noblest
and most powerful families Of Great Britain.
The present minister is not . lord, although
some newspapers in other cities are fond OF
calling him 30. He 10 Sir Julian Pauncefote,
G. c. NJ. c., K. c. B. He is not even genuine
baronet, his knighthood being Of recent cres-
ton and not inherited. His father Was Robert
Pauncefote. esq, OF Preston Court, Gloucester
Shr In Ir,l.. l.
1852, was afterward attorney general of Hong
Kong, and in 1873 filled the rather insignificant
Office Of chief justice Of the Leeward Islands. I
The next year he was knighted by patent and |
made assistant under secretary Of state for the |
colonies. In 1876 he was appointed assistant |
under secretary OF state for foreign afairsL In |
1850 he was made c. b and K. c. NJ. g. and |
in 1882 became permanent under secretary Of |
state for foreign affaira In 1885 he received |
the Grand Cross Of the Order OF st. Michael |
and st. George.
Thus it will DO seen that Great Britaiu's min |
lister is to o very great extent q self-made man,
none Of his honors or titles having been due to |
inheritance. He is probably proudest Of the /
G. c. N. G. which follows his name. This /
means Grand Cross St. Michael and st. George |
and is an order issued to subjects holding "high
and confidential Offices within her majesty's /
colonial possessions, and in reward for services
to the crown in relation to the foreign affairs
OF the empire" II il not . very numerous
order, and Sir Julian stands high in it.
In the order of precedence in England he ID /
No. 32S on the baronct list; that 10 TO say there
are 327 knights who have . right to walk into
or out of . room ahead OF him. but this 10
really not bad rank when is is considered that
there are over ], 200 knights who have to walk
back of him. Sir Julians ia the only title in
the British legation At present, the other mem
bers generally contenting themselves with the
prefix ''the honorable" . designation which
extends to the ladies as we'll Is the men Accord
ing as their relationship to great man allowsit.
Suppose there was q marquis in the British
legation2
II there we're he would simply be . hieher
titled Britishsr than We usually get, for mar
gus In England Is Q very exalted rank, end vet /
on the continent it means very little.
MEANINGS OF TITLES vARY.
Right here IL 10 we'll to caution the reader
against accepting . title in ono country -
meaning the same thing In another. u has
been seen what Q difference there 70 in princes.
and the same 10 true Of the title marouis In |
France II 10 high hereditary ornament, rank
ing next to duke; in China Il has crept into Q /
singular use and 10 applied to one or two of /
the highest diplomatic ofiicials; in Japan Is IL
used, too, and means great deal, but In Italy, /
where mobiles are very common, . large pro-
portion OF them are marquises, and the title /
means Little or nothing. Count, too, which u |
. very high rank in Germany and Russia. 10 Q /
very small one in Italy and most other con- /
tinental countries.
ITALY oRNpa A NAnours