New-York tribune., 1903-02-22


| done 20 this famous and charming Princess
Pauline. When he first knew her she was the
"prettiest fright imaginable"-if we may thus
translate French term for which there IS m
exact English equivalent. The piquant, Irregular
features which we see in the accompanying mr.
trait made her say of herself II am the monkey
a la noder' She had fine dark eyes, sparkling
with wit and intelligence. very pretty hair a
figure the most perfectly graceful, tall, slight
and thoroughbred. shapely hands and feet, and
to crown All. Ie plus grand air du monde" The
veterans who perhaps remember her az
the most fascinating woman at the French
court during the Second Empire viii appreciate
RumboId's reference to that supreme instinct
delegance' which distinguished the daring
Austrian. 1t bordered On genius. he says, and
well entitled her to rank among the leading ar
tistic influences of the age. even though the
novel departures in dress and manner. and the
freedom Of speech she occasionally INDUCED in,
may have led to regrettabIe eccentrieities OF
style and taste the part Of too many Of her
would-be imitators-
That which in her was the exuberance OF in
vention and fancy the spontaneous outcome OF
temper the most yivaciOuS and original, too
easily degenerated with than into sheer vUi-
garity or caricatUre. 1t may, perhaps. be grant,
ed that the models she held up 70 the town were
not always formed the most approved canoGS
I II
way answerabe for the offences against good
taste of those who. in their clumsy efforts to
copy, simply parOdied her. Like a comet, she
was at times fantastic in her course, but as a
comet too brilliant and splendid and Of a lEstre
beyond compare in the armament Of fashion.
She is certainly not to blame if the trumpery
stars which she crossed in her path went gyrat-
ing after her in such painfully erratlc style
Those only who know her well can say how
straight and fearless has been her course
through life; how great her devotion 20 Unat
o
testify TO her faithfulnesS to her friends, her
downright sincerity and dislike Of ali hUmbug,
her sound Judgment when not carried away by
passion or prejudice. / enjoyed the privilege OF
her friendship for years. and never knew her
otherwise than true and frank and loyal, and,
for one in so prominent a position, sIngulaTiy
unaffected and unSpoilt. Last but not least,
she is the best company, and amusing bey ond
words.
At St Petersburg Runbold had much to DO
with the old Chancellor Gortchacow, who was.
he thought the wittiest but one of the most su-
perficiaI of statesmen. His vanity was prodig-
ious and fatterers were generally able to man
age him as they would. The Russo-Greek Cata-
cazy-whom he sent to Washington-with adula-
ton and quick wittedness maintained a hold on
the old gentleman which was entirely unjuSti-
fed by his services to the government The
Engiishman gives a pleasant glimpse OF the
stern Car. Alexander III. listening with pater-
nal pride behind the half open door of the apart
ment wherein his bright eyed, fair haired young
daughter Marie-afterward Duchess Of Edin-
burgh-was receiving the foreign diplomats for
the first time; he shows us the blessing Of the
Neva, whereat the principal personages. includ-
ing his majesty. having to remain hatless in the
freezing cold all wore more or less artistic wigs
over their own hair; and he writes of a meeting
with the venerable General Meyendorff who
was coaxed to tell his experiences in the terrible
campaign of ISL
retreat, he told US that he had once been sent
late in the afternoon with pressing orders for
some troops in the direction of SmOlensk. In the
fading daylight he would certainly have lost his
way on the bOundieSS and featurelesS frozen
plain but for a track which the pursuing Rus
slams had marked by planting upright IN the
snOWdriftS the cOrpseS of the enemy that had
fallen by the way. For considerable distance,
in fact. he had ridden literally through an ave-
nue. of frozen Frenchmen.
Concerning another Russian general, one OF
great renown. whom RumboId knew Ambas-
sador TO Turkey our author is siEguIarIy frank.
This was General Ignatev-, to whom was once
given the descriptive nickname of The Father
of Lies He as in reality constitutiOnaLy in
accurate, Rumbold declares-almost naIvely so.
his misstatements being often absurdly object
less. Lord Lyons used to say that whenever the
general came o see him at Therapia, and when
asked whether he had come by road or by
water, replied e. g., that he had driven out in
his carriage. one might lie certain to see his