Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1899-06-01
ARE RULERS OF EMPIRES.
HOW SOME PEOPLE BECOME
SMALL WORLD RULERS.
A Number of Small Domains Scattered
Over the Globe, Many of Them
in Out-of-tbe-Way
Places.

Some people have a mania for buy
ing up or annexing odd, out-of-the-wav
corners of the world, and setting them
selves up as independent sovereigns
Only few months back attention was
called, through the medium of con.
sular report. TO the case of n French
man who had purchased a small island
near Newfoundland and built thereon
q fort He also. 1t is said, hoisted the
tri-color. and enlisted under its folds
seventeen men and boy. Some Of the
London dailies seemed inclined for
awhile to treat this little burlesque an
sereux. OF course, 1t all mattered not
one jot. Indeed, there must be hun.
dreds of these baby empires scattered
about the globe.
There is one off Malta An Italian
count bought tiny rock islet, built
upon it handsome castellated resi-
dence, constructed a bastion. mounted
.Jfevs. elttad caalpans4 aid praclaimof
himself monarch of all he surveyed
The Maltese military authorities oh
jected. however. to the cannons, and
these are now represented by printed
wooden dummies. They look very for.
midable though. seen from tile sea.
Although il is not officially recog-
nized by our government. it is never
theless a fact that n tiny British en-
pire exists almost in the very center
of German East Africa. 1t is only
three square miles i'll extent and is
administered and governed by a
Scotchman named Macpherson. who
obtained il by Il treaty from the orig
inal owners of the soil. Subject only
TO the nominal approval of the Ger
man inrerial high commissioner the
Gaelic monarch makes his own laws
Furnishes evil-doers, and even coins his
own money: The latter, however. does
not pass current outside his own do
minionS.
Culiously enough, the above is not
the only Macpherson who is king
in his own right, for another of that
name rules over Duce island, an iSo-
lated atoll in the southern Pacific. His
subjects consist Of his wife and
daughters. and some twenty coolies all
of whom are engaged in the prepare
ton of copra. From here to lnacces-
sible island. rugged waye-laShed
storm-rent rock in the southern ATTAIN
tie. is il far. cry Yet even here an
empire" has been founded, although
t,F
named Collins. can boast of but four
subjects all told They are his wife,
two grown-up SONS, and sailor VINO
was Snipwrecked there some years
ago. and elected to throw in his lot
with the Islanders The little colony
gains living by harpooning the seals
and sea-elephants that visit the place
in large numbers at certain seasons Of
the year.
Even Europe military ridden. blood
stained Europe-can boast of more
than one baby-empire. There Is OF
course. first of all Monaco. on the
Mediterranean. between France ana
ITALY. II is about three miles long
by one and a half broad and the whole
available space being occupied by pri-
waite residences, boarding houses, and
hotels, it presents the curious specta-
Gle of country without either agrieul-
ture trade. or manufacture. Never
thelesS. It manages to support a pop
ulaton of some 1900 souls. and an
,''army" of l26 men. Andorra and san
Marine are miniature republics. me
tirst-named nestles among the Pyre-
mean mountains. and has an area OF
115 square miles and a population OF
about COCO. The latter, beautifully
situated IN the hills near Riminii, on
the .hdriaiic, Is governed by TWO
regents" and a council of sixty. Al
though the area is but SO square miles,
and the whole opulation barely exceeds
5000 souls. there is an army command
ed by several generals. and titles
and decorations are freely bestowed
for consideration The capital also
boasts of fortified castle. with
two-feet-deep moat and properly
dungeons. Iiechtenstein, II tiny pFlh-
cipality on the upper Rhine, another
nominallY independent state, between
the Tyrol aud Switzerland. is probably
the only country in the world WHOSE
inhabitants pay absolutely no taxes %
any kind. either directly or Indirectly
They are also free from the bugbear
of CONSUMPTION. which oyershadoNs
practically all the rest of conuehtal
Europe Luxembourg. created an ihde'
pendent state by the treaty of LONDON
in 1867. Is less fortunate mat Hfi
ncighhor in this respect hut her staho'
ing army only numbers 325 men
japanese Romance.