The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1900-12-18

The Poorest Priae~ss Ia Europe-rhe
kinE . Melancholy Child.

in fair0pe. aud ~ was the KIM Of
Franee. ths successor o. the grand Roi.
H~nr, osauihier-vHlars has. like some
others. treated this subject and has oeen
81 fortunate a. TO gei access 70 unedi'ed
doeuments-among ofhers. 20 ths CORE
sf.sndence Of the father u she Princess.
stanislas Lssrcxy n=ki IL has used the
'Anrales DC Nienlu. q collection 81 parrrs
. concerning the ceremonies % the mar
rlaxa. ard a collection of documents con-
raralnx the embassy a. the Duke a Antin.
The Regent Of France. the Duke or
leans wished fret 90 marry Louis Nv To
a spanish Infanla. and this pro1ect was
the ohfs--t 81 the Duke a. 81 = mon
MISSION 20 spain REGARDING which the
celebrated writer gives so many details
lr hlr Memoirs Louis XIV was almost
Ga ID when the lnfanta came 90 Paris on
the a o. March. I712. she. go. was
child Public opinion vas very much OPP
posed 20 the proposed union. which prom
ised 10 heir TO the throne for many
years After the death o. the Regent the
power feli into the hands ~ Heur. de-
Bourbon. who was called Monsieur u
Due He had for his mistress Madame de
prIe bold and ambitious woman. very
inlrnlcal 90 Spain because some OF her
uretsusious had been repulsed by the
court o. spain. aud ~ was probably
through her influence that the marriage
a. Louis Ky with the fnfauta was bro
ken or The lnfanta was entering on her
esenth year when she was sent back 20
Spain Louis Nv was himself at the dime
entering his fifteenth year. He was very
handsome very strong for MS age hr
had been very badly brought up by VILE.
roi. was very childish. and D'Argenson
saws that ITO bc childish consists in
being amused by frivolities and TO-
sudden inoonstanuy-a sort OF pretty de-
fec which sometimes laFts Tor htiN
years -" The King. however was OF
/ melancholy disposition. ami was as tsnid
a. ne WAS proud Vileroi had taught nam
tnat everything belonged 10 him. tout cc
peuple est a vous." re sincerely realized
this Hts grand passion was hunting lie
found his distractions In the forest al
Rambouiuet a. Marty. AT Meudon he
paid no attention TO tho ladies % the
Court and avoided their society He wac
uniformity very uncivil and almost rude
10 the Young Infanta, and was well ri"as-
ed when she ives sent away. but the min
listers thought that ~ was time TO find a
wife for the King
Many we're the lists Of Prfncesses that
we're of age many tho reports of the am
haSsadors as 20 their years, the religion
their haalth their alliances. our national
archives have preserved these reports.
which are very curious. Marie Leszczyn-
ska did not figure la them Tine hfat
list OF the Secretary OF Foreign Anaira
has no less than a hundred Tames, forty
f0slr were al once eliminated because the
Princesses we're more than y years OH.
other reductions affected twenty-niue can
didates who were under u years; ten
German Processes were struck on as be-
longing 90 cadet branches which possess
"a no sovereignty. There remained on the
list only seventeen Princesses-the lnfanta
OF Portugal a Princess Of Denmark. two
daughters OF the Prince OF Wales, two
/ aaughters OF the Gar the daughter %
! the King OF Prussia two nieces Of his I'M
/ Gle some other German Princesses. the
| eldest daughter OF the Duke Of Lorraine.
4 daughter % the Duke Of Modena, the
two sisters OF NJ le Due. Mile. de Sens
and Mle\ie Vermandois.
After a long examination. the list was
/ reduced to four names. tire two 9a1gs2-
/ ters Of the Prince OF Wales. with Miles.
| de- Sens and de NermandOs. The choice
! ~ the advisers 81 NJ 10 Duo fell definite
I b. on Mile de Vermandols. She was. 10
I be sure. q French Princess being Bour-
| bon Condo. but had not Louis XIV con-
| irived the marriage Of the Duke de Bar
I ~. hi. grandson. to Mile dOrlesus? Mile
Dc Vermandois was the sister OF NJ. le
l Due AMI the advisers ne chose paid their
| court to him by recommending her She
was at the convent Of Fontevrault. Pres
| idert Henault in his Memoirs. tells us
| that the Duchess de Bourbon. her mohter.
accompanied by Nine he Prize. went to
Fontevrault 10 make her the Offer of the
| hand Of Louis Ky. Nile. de Nerman-
| dois declined the honor OF the King +
hand and would hardly look on Nine. de
| Prize. her brothers favorlte. There Is no
official account % this visit: u has been
/ denied BY some historians that Nine. de
/ Prize accompanied the Duchess de Bour-
bon. The fact f.. that this marriage pro-
/ iect was abandoned.
Prince Mcntchkoff made overtures 10
| the French court IN the name OF Cathar-
| Inc OF Russia. He offered Louis XIV the
/ hand OF the Princess Elizabeth. who was
/ OF The same age. In order 20 bring VI.
| IL Duo 10 her views. Catharine engaged
/ 10 procure for him the hand OF the daugh-
/ ter OF Stanisiaa I.eszczynski. the eX-hine
| Of Poland. and 20 give him the throne
Of Poland The French minister. NJ dc
/ Campredon. raised objections TO the
Princess Elizabeth: he reproached her
chiefly with the low extraction OF her
mother-a grave accusation in those
times. Catharine's offer was not accept
3D. and the pretense given was the dr.
ference Of religion.
THE refusal OF France" says NJ eau
| thier-Villars. had very grave conse-
| quences IL determined the policy OF Rus
STA during the eighteenth century. and its
| effects have been felt 10 our day. AnN-
lous to take n place IN tho political world
and 10 figure in the European concert, the
| empire Of the Gar solicited the patron
age OF the French government. but the
French government did not undersiau
IT, Russia was thus thrown on the side
Of Austria: an alliance was formed "a
l7a6 between the two countries. and the
Slav empire opened itself to the German
immigration. NJ lc Duo DID not even feel
tho great harm he was doing his coun.
try"
The name OF Marie Leszczynsin had
been pronounced during the negotiation
and q was on her THAI NJ 10 Duo finally
fixed his eye Her father. Stanislas Lesz.
czynaki. Palatine OF Ponansia. had beer
placed on the throne OF Poland by Charles
XII. after the battle OF Poltava. he lost
his ephemeTal crown ana began the lifs
OF an exlled and dethroned sovereign "a,
appealed to the French regent ana TO Leo
pold. Duke OF Lorraine. and Obtained j
subsidy. with permission to live Ia wis.
sembourg "in this illusory court OF Wis.
sembourg. between a father who smoked
a pipe an day and an ever-complain.
ing mother. grew up Marie Lesz,
czYnska. q mild, timid girl, spending hel
time Ia working AZ church ornaments
Ia lT21 the Marquis dc Courtenvaux (whs
became In 1906 Marshal dEstrees). asket
for her hand. but ne was a mere colonel
/ a.. fsfr.a. .....sr4 - ~ a.a-