New-York tribune., 1894-10-14
THE CHATEAU SEASON.
ADJUSTMENTS OF FRENCH SOCIETY.
y COUNTRY HOUSE TRAGEDY-A GERMAN AT
THE LONGCHAMPS RACES-BERN-
UARDTS NEW PLAN.

Paris, OCTOBER 4.
Chatea,s and country houses are now ablaze
with light every night throughout the length
and breadth OF France The chateau season is
ir full swing and Judging by what we learn
here Of the amateur theatricals. the shooting
parties the picnics and balls which are taking
place. there has been no dimlnution In gayety on
account Of the death OF the Comte de iar's'
Neither the Vicomtesse de Tredern at the
Chateau de Brissac. nor the Baroness Morlo oe
rIsle at the Chateau de Belore. nor even the
Princess Amadee de Broglie. has changed III
the slightest the programme Of her customary
autumn festivities. and 1t is astonishing how very
marked and widespread is the indifference mani
, tested by the French aristocracy to the loss
which the Contesse Ce Paris and the Due DOR
leans have lust sustained Chateau life in France
il utterly different to the counry-house existence
in England or even elsewhere on the Continent
There is, on the whole. less freedom and more
Visible effort on the part OF host and hostess TO
provide entertainment for their guests lns'ead
OF leaving them to their own devices the gay
eties succeed one another as rapidly as al farls'
and the consequence Is that instead OF the au-
tumn months being period Of rest and recupera-
tion. returns to the city at the close OF
stay in the country even more faugued than on
starting out.
At one Of the Chateaus. namely that OF De
Bois Roger in the valley of the Eure. the sea-
son has, however. been brought TO close by
somewhat tragic incident. During picnic at
which the greater part Of the chateains oi the
district were represented. the horses attached
to one Of the carriages boted. capsizing the
vehicle Those who kept their seats. including
the Comtesse de Well -Castel. the Nicomte de
serlay and the Comtesse de Voize sustained only
I1,,ic do DiC iCDf
who jumped out Of the carriage when the horses
started to run away. was picked up dead. win
his neck broken He the Of that
Nine de Reiset who was for so many years
lady in waiting to Prncesse Mathilde Bonaparte'
70 whose patronage indeed, the Reiset family is
indebted for whatever social prestige it now pos
eesses NJ Reiset the father of the Nicomte,
was originally one Of the curators of the Louvre,
but through the influence Of the Prncesse he
was intrusted with several diplomatic missions
in Italy In connection with which he received the
rank Of Minister Plenipotentary. His title OF
Count he owed to the Pope and 1t Is illustra-
tive Of the manner in which titles are now borne
in France that each Of his SONS should style
himself Vicomte. In pre-Revolutionary days
II was customary for the eldest son OF a
French Count to assume the title of Niscount
until his fathers death. the second son con-
tenting himself with the title Of Baron the
third with that Of Chevalier, while the re-
mainder of his sons merely pre1Xed the nool1ary
predicate Of de- to their name This was all
very we'll with titles granted by French Kings
in bygone days; but there is absolutely no raison
d'etre for the application of this legally obso-
lete and exclusively Gallo rule TO modern titles
obtained, often In return for cash. from alien
notentates And when we find the three sons
Of a Papal Count, each styling himself Vicomte,
Il will readily be seen that an element OF ridicue
is infused into the present system of ttular dis
tinctions in France. I may add that 1t has at
tracted no end of comment that the Comtesse de
Vieil-Castel should have occupied seat In the
same carriage as the Inflated young Nicomte'
For in the exceedingly scurrilous. though clever
and satircal memoirs Of the late Comte Horace
de Well -Castel father-in-law Of the Comtesse,
there Is no man more mercilessly rdculed ana
held up to contempt than the old Comte Reiset.
his wife coming in for a goodly share OF the
abuse.
Prince Fuerstenberg. who is now here ana
who has attracted a considerable amount OF at
tention by entering several of his horses for the
Longchamps races. being. I believe, the first
Prussian nobleman and officer to do this since
the war Of 1870. has numerous French afiilia-
TONS and relatives. and encounters. therefore.
less ill-will than would fall TO the lot OF the
majority Of his countrymen. His wife woman
of remarkable charm and beauty, is half
sister Of the Prince de Sagan. being the daughter
of the old Due de Talleyrand by his marriage
with the daughter Of the Marechal de Castellane
Another half brother Of the Princess Fuersten-
berg is the Due de Montmorency while her half
sister Valentine is married to the popular
Vicomte d'Etchegoyen. The Prince and Princess
Fuerstenberg have for many years been In the
habit Of spending several months here. especially
so since the Princes quarrel with Emperor VIII
lam, who by no means shares the prediction
OF his grandfather the old Kaiser. for the couple
Shortly after the present Emperor's accession
10 the throne he took occasion to lecture Prince
Fuerstenberg in private. and in public
against the extravaganza OF the life which ne led
At his superb palace In the Wilhem-strasse. at
Berlin declaring that by his display Of luxury he
vas corruptng the simple customs OF the officers
corps Of the First Dragon Guards. Prince Fuer-
stenberg replied curtly that he considered that
he was himself the most competent judge Of his
manner Of life. we'll a. Of the question as to
whether or not he was extravagant and at the
same time he assured the Emperor In no
measured tones that he had not the slightest in
tention of changing in any particular his mode
of living. He thereupon rendered his resgna-
tion. and asked to be placed on the retired list
of his regiment, a demand which was at once
GRANTED. Since then he has sold his palace in
the Wilhelm strasse and left Berlin for good his
only interests there consisting In the part share
with Count Henckel-Donnersmarck in news
paper which reflects the Views and policies Of
Prince Bismarck opposed to the Government
Quite recently the Prince has been acting as
the entertainer Of his warm friend the Prince
of Wales, at Baden Baden. where he is the life
and soul OF the race committee. and where he
has distinguished himself during the past sum
mer by the marked courtesy and attention which
he lavished upon the Comte de Clermont-Ton-
nerre, the first French officer whose colors have
been seen on a German racecourse since the war