New-York tribune., 1893-11-26
THE GOSSIP OF PARIS.
SORROW IN DUCAL FAMILIES.
POOR OLD DE LESsEPs-A DUKES POEMS
TILL cENTIRY

II Is with req letter, out Will d NciJ
black one. that the ducal families of France will
record the centennial anniversary of 1793 for GER
taJnIy there has never since that fatefu epoch
been a year which has brought so much mourn
ing and sorrow into the grandest houses of our
nobility. No less than five dukes have passed
over TO the great majority since January last,
and the heads Of several other ducal families
are in mourning. either for the loss Of their
wives Of their brothers Of their sisters. Ihe
first of the dukes to go was the Due de Morte-
mart: then followed the Due de Rohan. The
next to die was the young and brilliant Duo
d.Irzes. then the octogenarian Marshal Mac
Afahon Duke of Magenta: and lastly, just
week ago. on the morrow Of dinner which ne
had attended at the Jockey Club. the Due de
Beauffremont one of the heroes Of the war Oh
1870 who Jointly with General the Marquis oc
Gallifet commanded that splendid cavalry
charge at Sedan which drew forth from En-
peror William who witnessed 1t from nelgh-
bcrlng hill "Oh les braves gems" ION, the praVe
fellowsD. The Due de Beaunrenont succeeueu
10 the title only year ago, upon the uea'h VI
his elder brother. and. like him, had Deeh Sill
gularly unfortunate in his domestic relauohs'
his wife a sister of the late Prince de Chimav'
who died as Belgian Minister of Foreign AHalrs'
having eloped many years ago with the fuma-
nian Prince George Bibesco. whom she married at
Bucharest after obtaining a divorce of doubtfui
validity in Germany. TIL" Duke de Poignac'
whose uncle Prince Edmond, is reported 10 pe
engaged to be married to Miss Winneretta
Singer. formerly the wife of Prince Scey-Mont-
beliard mourns the loss of his popular ana
charming Duchess; and the Due de Sabran
wears Grape for the loss of his brother, VINO dls-
tinguished himself in the war Of 1870 as well as
aiyp
sister-in-law. the Comtesse Edmond de Sabran.
Inasmuch as each of these deceased aristocrats
nossessed an extensive number of relations no
one need be surprised to learn that large num-
bcr of the houses Of the Faubourg Saint German
will remain closed this winter, much to the re-
s,et Of the numerous debutantes who have been
looking forward to this season for making their
first appearance in society.
While these dukes have been attracting pop
ular attention either in their own deaths or In
that of near and dear relatives. there is another
ora noted for his democratic opinions and for
his former intimacy with Gambetta, who mas
been distinguishing himself Of late as poet
as we'll as the organizer and director OF some
of the most remarkable archaeological dls-
coveries that have been made in the land OF the
Pharaohs during the present generation. 1t
is the Due de Dino formerly known as the
,s bv the way, the husband of the former Miss
Adele Sampson, of New-York. The Duke has
lust brought out at the great publishing house OF
Lemerre a dainty volume of verses entitled
"salut vous," which is dedicated to Madame
Adele Livingston Sampson. Marquise de Talley-
rand -Perigord Duchesse de Dino" The first
poem in the book Is addressed to her. The
preface is written by Nine. Juette ADAM
who pays a well-merited tribute to the bold
ness and the ring of the strophes. which ac-
cording to her give one every now and again
the disposition to eXclaim, "Bien touche. just
as II the Duke were handling rapier in lieu
of a pen and had touched his adversary in
vital SPOT The Duke, Notwithstanding his
title and his ancestry, Is a thorough democrat at
heart, almost as much so. perhaps, as his
friend the Marquis Henri de Rochefort-Lus-
saye; and when the great strike took place at
Amin 1t he who appeared upon the scene.
bringing good advice. ana, Iar more
to the point, pecuniary assistance, to the
wretched miners. Fifty years of age, with
mustache brushed up military fashion, ne
bears in his features the impress Of the fact
that he has served his country the battle
field both in Mexico under Bazaine. and against
the Germans in 1870. Indeed, so greatly did
he distinguish himself at the battle of Cham
pigny that his name put forward for the
Cross Of the Legion Of Honor, which he de-
clined on the ground that he had the mis-
fortune 10 have one Of his brothers, the Comtc
Archambauld de Talleyrand-Perigord, serving
against France as captain of cavalry in the
Prussian army.
NM Brentano, of the Avenue de rOpera, have
earned the good will Of all artists, both French
and foreign, by causing the arrest and prosecu-
ton of named Favare. whom they
discovered forging the name of Forain Willcttc
and of other well-known artists to productions
of his own. The culprit was sentenced TO four
months Imprisonment, and it is hoped that
the penalty imposed may have the effect Of
putting stop to. or at any rate checking TO a
certain extent, the large trade which Is done
here in forged sketches and paintings. All
picture dealers not honest as the NM
Brentano and some are known to derive large
profits from the sale of pictures which they |
are aware are spurious, but which they dis |
pose OF as being authentic, greatly to the dis |
gust not only of the artists themselves but |
also to that Of the art-loving public. One Of
Forain's most popular caricatures depicts an
artist who, having failed to sell paintings un-
der his own name Is cynically recommended
by his wife to take his portfolio and sell a |
few "Corots," spurious ones Of course; and, |
under the circumstances. IL must be regarded az |
constituting an odd coincidence that Forain |
himself should have been of the first to |
figure in the law courts here as the victim |
of a fraud Of this character.
Memories of the most brilliant days Of the |
Empire were recalled the day before yesterday |
by the banquet, at the Restaurant du Boeuf |
Ia Mode, Of the Cent Gardes. the survivors of !!
the superb bodyguard OF Emperor Napoleon |
III. They were all men Of magnificent appear
gt@f,,r and
silver breastplates huge helmets, light blue |
tunics. trimmed with gold lace and high boots, |
used to line the stairs and guard the doors of |
the State apartments whenever any great |
function took place. After the fall Of the EN- |
pire many Of them entered political life as Re-
pubiicans, being moved thereto by the scenes |
that they had witnessed while palace duty |
during the Napoleonic reign Five of them
even were incriminated in the Commune and |