New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-11-03
TOPICS IN PARIS.
PRINCE 1,oBANOFF~s LIST OF "EMIGRES'-
A FLUTTER AMONG THE ARIsToCRATs

that Prince LObanoff the chancellor OF the NUS
sian Empire IL about TO publish work eh'i'e"
"Dictionnaire des Emgres. which IL mas TAKE"
him no less than twenty years 10 conphe' -
contains the "dossers and etats-cl'hs Va i''
less than 1850 families of the french aiis-
tocracy who emgrated at the time OF the e'e"'
revolution a hundred years ago, ana iurh's"e"
documentary and indisputable evidence Oh """'
beca,ne Of the bearers Of all the great names that
figure in the annals OF the Court OF queen MAJ
Antonette at Versailles. In order to appreciate
che rao,,nss with which the news Of the forth
coming appearance of this book of the ffihoe "as
heen received here il IL necessary 10 eNpiaii
that nerhaps two-thirds of the French hoonhH'
or to nut the matter more correctly. those WHO
claim 10 constitute the arstocracy, nave Only
ouestionable right to the titles and 10 me names
tina, they be7r. ,
A. the time of the overthrow of King LOUIS
XVI. at the close of the last century, 'he Inns
sacres OF the arstocrats were by no means No
fined TO this city. They extended throughout ''e
length and breadth Of France, the peasants
svervwhere save IN Brittany and in the Nendee'
rising against their lords killing ana DESTROY
ing everything which they could lay ha"us
upon Castles chateaux. manor-houses' chape's'
were razed to the ground end in the genera rum
there disappeared most Of the family papers ana
historical
wiped out OF existence such as. for instance the
De Crosics and the De Piriacs etc. While IN other
instances members OF the family, generally the
cadets thereof. managed to save their lives py
emigrating from the country at the time when
the Inflated Kings two brothers took to flight
A few of these emgres took up their abode IN
England but the vast majority Of them estaD-
ushed themselves in Austria. where they were
received with particular kindness in consequence
of the relationship of their Queen, Marie An
tonette. to the Imperial House of Hapsburg, While
the remainder went TO Russia, where Emperor
Alexander showed himself exceedingly hosptabe
and generous.
MARRYING IN FOREIGN LANDS.
As time went on and thee seemed to be little
prospect of any Bourbon restoration ever taking
place the Emigres scattered, a few, such as Tor
instance the Due De Richeeu. the creator ana
Governor of Odessa. attaining high ONCE ana OF
fetal rank in the land of their adoption, While
most OF them married among the people or the
country and if their wives did not happen to be
rich were compelled TO work for their hVing'
often at the most humble occupations. When
nearly a quarter of a century later the emperor
Napoleon was finally overthrow and the Bour-
bons were restored to the throne. most OF the
Emigres had died off. and their children WERE III
many cases ignorant either of their iather true
rank or of the fact that the fortunes Of their
family could be in any way affected by the estao-
ushment of Louis XVIII King of France
Aware Of this state of affairs. hordes OF adven-
turers took advantage thereof to assume names
and titles 10 which they had no vestige of right
explaining when questioned as TO the authen-
ITCHY of their claims that they had lost their
family papers during the Reign of Terror
There was no means just then Of investigating
their pretensons and, moreover, the spirit of
disaffection was 50 strong throughout France
against the Bourbons. owing to their having been
restored to throne by the foes Of France, that
King Louis XVIII only too glad to increase
the number of his adherents by abstaining from
a too stringent inquiry into their claims
Several generations have passed since then, and
the descendants of these pseudo mobiles had every
reason TO believe that question would ever be
raised as to the authenticity of their boosted
lineage so much that we hear more in France
about people being descended from the CRU
saders' than In any other country that partici-
pated In those medieval expeditions to the Holy
Land To them Prince Lobanoff appears
In the role of a Nemesis. Possessed of unpar-
alleled advantages for the examination of the
state archives Of Russia. especially those OF
Car Alexander l. he has awaited himself of his
long stay at Vienna Ambassador TO eX-
anime the Government records with relation to
those French mobiles who settled in Austria
and Hungary at the close of the last century,
and each year he has spent his leave or ap-
sence in Paris looking through the state docu-
ments concerning the time OF the restoration,
at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and at the
Bbliotheque Rationale The three years that
he spent in London as an Ambassador to the
Court of St James were likewise devoted in
a great measure to researches at the Record
Office and the British Museum, in the pur-
suance of his self-imposed task, which he now
regards as complete. In word, he has
succeeded in finding out what has become of
almost every one Of the French mobiles who
emigrated from France at the close OF the last
century Ii is scarcely possible to estimate
the Importance of this great work, which can
not but afford great satisfaction to the repuD-
lican regime here, since 1t will cut away the
ground from under the feet OF many or the
most ardent and active members or the mon
archical party by showing that both their
names and their titles are but borrowed
plumes.
BARON MOHRENHEIMs SUCCESSOR.
1t is a friend of Prince Lobanoff by-the-by,
who is about to take the place here OF Baron
Mohrenhem the Russian Ambassador. Inc
latter has owed the retention of his present
office TO the fact that he negotiated the marriage
OF the late Car and Princess Dagmar, OF Den
mark and had II not been for the influence Of the
Danish Court he would long ere this have been
placed on the retired list. The new Emperor Is
less kindly disposed toward him than was his
father and now that the influence Of the widowed
Czarina at the Court OF st. Petersburg has been
supplanted By that of the young Empress. the
Baron has naturally been compelled to give up
what had always been considered as the prize
Of the diplomatic profession OF Russia, namely,
the Paris Embassy. His successor is the million
aire Senator Pootzoff, who has hitherto been the
Secretary General Of the Council Of the Empire.
He is well known here having long been accus-
g toned to spend at least four months Of the year
in France. possessing superb mansion In the
city, and a chateau and large park swarming
with game, in the neighborhOod of Versailles.
Nine Polotzoff is woman OF rare ability and
charm and In her younger days known