New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-07-02
CAN TITLES BE BOUGHT?
AND IF so, WHERE, AND AT WHAT PRICE |?

times sncc my arrival in this country and which
7 find contained in letter from reader of The
Tribune among my mail to-day. A very wide
snread impression seems to prevail that titles are
marketable commodity. and this is TO a certain
ovtent horne out by the adj, ertisements that oc-
casonay appear not only in the European, but
o,so in the American press, Offering to secure
SnanjsE Italian or German titles for those who
chose TO pay for them The people who adver-
tise thus are unworthy of any attention unless
II he on the part Of the police authorities. For
they are swindlers Of the type which you Genom-
nate here as green goods men. They squeeze all
the money that they can out of the aspirlnt for
nobillary honors under the pretcXt of preliminary
expenses and registration, and then when they
have got all out of him that they can they either
prcsent him with bogus parchments, or else laugh
i'm his face aware that he is in nine cases out OF
ten unwilling to incur the publicity and rdlcule
involved by any attempt on his part TO prosecute
them for obtaining money under false pretences'
Strictly speaking, there is only one country IN
the Old World whore nObiliary titles are openly
and publicly sold by the Government at nNeu
.arin. Strangely enough, it is republic. the
most ancient as well the most diminutiVe IN
Furope. namely that of San Marine, and the revc-
nre derived therefrom is devoted to the maintc-
nance Of the State Founding Asylum. With this
oxcention there is no civilized country in the
world yLorn nobiliary titles are object of legal
bor,cr and sale and all statements TO the con-
+rarv are untrue. / suppose that what has con-
trhutod more than anything else to the exist
,nco Of the erroneous impression that prevails on
,Lis subject is the fact that heavy registration
dues are eXacted by the Chancery OF the sover-
zion who confers the title. The money thus paid
However. does not 90 into the private treasury of
the so-caled Fountain of Honor but into the
national cxcheuuer. In some countries the ices
ere more heavy than in others, the rates as RUE
beinq proportionate TO the condition OF the ma
,ional resources Thus in Spain, Portugal and
Italy AT both the Papal and the royal Chanceres,
Tho registration fees are very large amounting to
about $50 900 in the case of the creation OF
Duko. $4,000 for the title Of Prince, $4,000
for that of MARQUIS, $1,000 for that Of Count,
end GO 600 for that of Baron In England, on
the other hand the charge levied by the Govern
mont under the denomination of registration lces
for the roval letters patent are $4,000 III the case
Of a Duke. 81 800 for a Marquis, Sl,2oo LOT an
Earl. 81 900 for Viscount, $50 for ha1oh'
title CARRYING with it a seat III the House OF
Lords. $500 for a BarOnet. and Sl5O only Tor
Knioht In Germany the dues of this kind are
60 oncrous that Prince Bismarck has absolutely
declined 10 assume make use OF the tl'lc ol
Duke Of Lauenburg. conferred upon nm oy inc
present Emperor on the ground that he couIu nut
arord 10 nav the ten or fifteen thousand dollars
demanded as Government fees FOR the reglSTd-
ton OF the letters patent containing the grant oil
tbo dionitv 7 NAV add that the late Emperor
William paid out of his pocket the rcgstra-
.ion faes AT the time when the title Of Prince was
conferred upon his Chancellor, and that OF Count
upon Moltkc and Bumentha In France OF
course, the present republican regime coniers no
titles, but as long the Government was Oh d
monarchical character newly created barohs We're
forced TO pay a fee of $3.50 francs TO the Treas
ury for the registration of the handle to thelr
name.
MILLION DOLLARS FOR A PEERA"E.
Although I maintain that. with the exception
az the tiny State of San MarinO there Is no coun-
try in Europe where nobiliary titles constitute d
lepitimately purchasable commodity. yet eau
NOT deny that they may be Cbtalned nor alone
on the Continent. but even in Great Britain DIV
means If a malicious use of money. In England
lord Brassey and several other pebeian-oorn
members Of the Upper House of Parliament are
indoh,od for their peerages to their munifcent
contributions 70 tho electoral campaign funis OF
,loir marty Sir j. Blundcll Maple the retail
furniture dealer in the Tottenham court h,'''
received his kniehthood at the close OF 'n' i'S'
Salisbury Administration in return Tor MS gcner-
OILS subscriptions 10 the Tory party fund al 'h'
Carlton Club Indeed, il ia pretty generally Dc
centod az a recognized rule by both OF thn gred'
English political parties that Contributions u
their respective campaign funds are reco-ni@"oi'
by the grant Of title proportloha'e 10 'ne 'iNo
oT tho donation. Thus. Lord Brassev's monetary
navments in behalf Of the Liberal cause ar" s'a'cu
10 have amounted TO close upon 81 .ooo'ooo ne''ie
no received his peerage, while about hilf 'ha
onoun. is needed 10 secure baronetcy.
.rn+her financial method by which noplllarN
titles NAV b. obtained in England is by confirm
utinc To some charity or benevolent scncme II
which ROYALTY is interested As an llIu'"d'io"
Of this 7 need only refer 20 the cas-" ol th'
voaltb, merchant of ST. Pauls Churchyari. who'
not content with possessing portuguese We
county yearncd for English Daron"tcy
gentleman who mas for many years chJoN'' VIZ
entire confidence of his future King ana queen
Larnono1 70 become acquainted with the mHr-
chants aspirations, and, remembering tl'N Wv
Princess of Wales was warmly inter'sei IN I'll"
establishment of a species of Home for IN" Lazy
Students attending the Royal College Of Music at
c6nth Kensington. lie induced the wOuld-be baro-
net "a announce himself as willing to contribute
sone forty or fifty thousand pounds toward TIE
erection Of 4 building for this purpose and for Its
endowment, the establishment in question TO DC
c,,Ied the Alexandra Home The merchant was
ioinod in his good work by one Of the most emil
mont huilding contractors in England, like him
self an asprant for titular distinction. and who
undertake charge Of the construction az a figure
fer below even cost price. Both these gentlemen
have since been rewarded with bafohet'hS' anu
,lor vanity has therefore been turncl = good
account, since it has been made u serve schemes
90 n,,hl;c utility and benevocnce, Just in the
,,,o ,,a,, az in the little republic Of San Marino.
,,h,ro os have stated above, the proceeds OF IN"
s,,o Of nobiliary titles are devoted to the main
,o,.oco NJ tbe local founding asylum Among
other people vino have obtained handles to thei,
names by means OF muniicent subscriptions ana
oon,rpntiors 70 nubc charities and institutions