The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1899-05-30
PEACE DELEGATES.
Advanced Age OF Some of tho Dip.
lomats Taking Part in the Confer
cncc-Pcrsonnl characteristics.

Advanced Age OF Some of tho Dip.
lomats Taking Part in the Confer
cncc-Personnl characteristics.
Washington Post: A peculiar feature
about the peace conference now in SEES
sion at The Hague is the advanced age
Of the principal delegates. Baron de
Staal, the Russian principal representa-
tive; Count Munster. the Kaisers dele
gate: the Danish plenIpotentlary and
King Humbert's chief delegate, Count
NiSra, are all inflrm old septuagenari-
ans and martyrs to govt, while Sir Ju-
liam Pauncefote. the English delegate;
the Duke Of Tetuan. OF Spain. the Meth
erlands pienipotentiary, and the repre-
sentatives Of Austria and Belgium are
nearer seventy than sixty. How. old
Count Nigra Is may be gathered from
the fact that he was Italian ambassa-
dor to the court OF the Tullleries during
the last eleven years of the reign Of
Napoleon Ill, where, .togethe.. with his
friend. Prince Metternich. he escorted
the Empress Eugene through the de-
serted palace to carriage on the day
of the overthrow of the empire. when
she had been abandoned by all her
courtiers.
Nigra commenced his career as sec
rotary to Cuvour, The latter entered
the ministry Of foreign affairs at Turin
q few hours before leaving for Paris
early in the tifties. and. addressing one
Of the chiefs Of departments, exclaimed
brusquely:
Here, have you not some 'assInotto'
Literally translated little Donkey
whom l can take with me to Paris In
lieu OF Blanc"
Certainly" replied the chief OF bu-
reau, and then turning to young clerk
who was standing on step-ladder. FL
ing away some papers, said: Here. Nj
era. his excetiency wants to speak to
you"
The "assinotto" has figured as ambaS-
sador of Italy at the courts of the
Tullleries, ST. Petersburg. st. James,
and Vienna without Interruption for
nearly forty years. and under the cir
cumstauces 1t may be doubted whether
there Is at the peace congress any
statesman who Possesses n more pro-
found experience OF diplomacy or
more extensive knowledge of men and
OF affairs. Certainly he Is the with
est member of the congress. and / al
ways remember a remark which he
made TO me one evening at u dinner
in London. l had asked him whether
1t were true that the three powers.
namely. Germany, Austria and Italy,
were marching In arm. ..r. =
Yes, chere madam. that Is just what
We are doing now. But we are very
much like three men going out bear
hunting arln-ln-arm. Whether we shall
maintain that attitude when Wa meet
the bear Is quite another question:" re-
piled the count, laughing.
While ambassador at the court OF
the Tuilleries In the palIny days OF the
French empire. he was second only In
brilliancy to Princess Pauline Meter
mich. whose principal collaboration he
was in all the comedicttas and charades
which enlivened the imperial villegl-
AZURE at Fontainbleu, st. Cloud or Com
piesnc. Count Nigra has generally
been credited with n sentiment some
what stronger than mere admiration
for Empress Eugene. and It Is possibly
owing to this fact that he has re-
NAMED single all his life. This con-
SlluEy. iONtNCIs IN vi StHtl-
mental nature. and at no time has been
colorcd by politics. The count has
never permitted his heart to interfere
with his head, or to render him in any
way unworthy Of the praise bestowed
upon him by CaVour. who was wont to
declare that ,Nigra was the only real
diplomatist In Europe-bcsldes himself.
How little Nigra permitted his heart to
get the better OF his head may be gath
cred from the fact that 1t was due to
his urgent advice that Italy rcfrained
from taking up arms In behalf Of
France in the war OF 1870. Prince Net
ternich. 1t may be remembered, gave
identicalIy similar service TO his own
sovereign. Emperor Francis Joseph.
They both admired Eugenle deeply. but
were too patriotic on that account to
associate their respective countries with
France, which they were convinced be-
forehand would be defeated.
Count Munster. too. the principal
German delegate, Is n very genial and
witty man. Az an Illustration thereof
| may recall the following Incident,
which happened to witness ut Paris,
where the count was then, Ms to-day,
German ambassador. The count was
driving with his daughter In the phae-
ton past guard house In the neigh
horhood OF the Bois dc Boulognc. The
soldiers stationed there had Just re-
ccivad their daily rhtiOns. and one OF
them. more mischlevous than the rest,
deliberately hurled his heavy military
bread ut the bead Of the German am
bassador. The count. who Is half an
Englshmnn. and who. In his younger
days. was an adept crlcketcr. deity
caught the loaf. md, stopping his trap
n moment expressed aloud and smiling
ly his thanks for the gift. stating that
he would give It on his return home to
his horses. which were exceedingly
fond of that particular kind Of bread.
Thereupon he whipped up and drove Off,
leaving the other soldiers. laughing and
Jeer!nE ut. their comrnde who thus
found himself deprived OF the most i'm
portant part OF his days rntions. On
the next day this little Incident found
It's way into the Partisan newspapers,
md rnptrIbutcI fnnro thnn ,ny,I,tn, -