The Irish standard., 1903-08-22
one, is much less illustrious in point
of ancestry than those of Colonna and
of QrSini With which h0wayar il is

of Orsini, with which, however, it is
allied by marriage. The founder of
its fortunes was that Don Agostino
Chigi, who acted as banker to Pope
Leo y. 1t is related of him that on
one memorable occasion. when the
pontiff had honored him With his pres
ence at Il banquet given ut his cele-
DRAFTED FarneSe palace. on the right
bank of the Tiber. he. fter the termin-
alton Of the repast. flung the whole of
| the Suberb gold service used thereat
| into the river. declaring that he was
determined that plate thus sanctitied
| by the use of his holiness should never
be used again. The pope was vastly
impressed by this compliment. and
ward in happy ignorance of the fact
that Don -AgOstino had taken the pre-
caution to place a net. carefully con-
cealed from view, beneath the surface
of the water, so that after the depar-
ture of the holy father from the palace
he experienced 10 difficulty wlltso-
ever in recovering possession of his
gold plate. On the death of the pres
ent marshal Of the conclave and of the
holy seat the office will PASS to his
son. Don Ludovico. sometimes known
as Prince of Farnese. who has served
in the Italian army and Won some dis
tinctlGl by his ";lllantry in the wars
with Abyssinin. The postmaster gen
eralship of the holy see is held 10y the
head of the house of MaSSimo which
claims to he the most ancient family
of the Roman patriciate, and is allied
by marriage With Il number of the
reigning dynaStie> OF Europe. Thus
| the mother IF the present postmaster
| general of the papacy WAS Il princess
of the sovereign house of Savoy The
| princes wife is Il daughter of the
French royal duchess of Berry. and IL
half-siSter of that prince known MS the
count lie ChHmbord. who on the alb
| nicHtion of his grandfather. King
Charles \, ut the time of the Paris
revolution of 1870. rri"ncd for Il few
hours as King Henry V of France.
The postmaster generals younger son
is married to the Spanish Infanta
HeatriN of bourbon. daughter of Don
Carlos, While the elder son. Don Fran
| rrSco MaS>imO, prince of .\rSoli. who
will on his fathers demise become
postmaster general, is married to Il
| daughter of that Princess Brancadcio.
| whose mother was Miss Elizabeth
| Field of New York Prince Camille
R">pi"hosi. who is lieutenant general
| i'm command of the Noble Guard of the
| pnpHcI has an American SiStcr-ill-law
| in the wife of his elder brother. Don
| Giuseppe. She was Il Miss Marie
Reed. of New Orleans. Baron Myer
| Won SclnllnScc. head of an ancient
patrician Swiss family and command
| or of the Swiss Guard, will he sue
crrlel in that dignity by his son. mar
ricd to an American woman. Prince
ltuSl'oi holds tlc title of grand mas
ter OF the st. llospice of the apostolic
lGlacc. and is likewise principal cham
| hrrlHin Of the cape and of the. sword
TO the puntitf. Several members of
this family. Which traces back its de-
scent in an umhlollen line for seven
hundred years. have married .Ameri-
cans. among them having been the late
Don Emmanuel RuSpol. mayor of
Rome. whose widow WAS Miss Jose
phine Curtis. of New York. while her
Stcpson. Don Mario Ruspoli. attached
for time to the Italian embassy ut
Washington. married Palma de Talley-
rand PcrigorG. whose mother the mar
| uuicSe de Talleyland -periYurd so we'll
known in New York society. WAS for
mcrly Miss Bessie Curtis of New
York
The marquis Sacchct, who is grand
marshal of the court of the vatican. is
may be said to owe his fortune to the
fact that while an officer of the Noble
Guard Of the pope he managed to Sc
cure both the heart and the hand of
Donna Maria Rnrbcrini. the only
daughter and lcircss of the last of
the Rarherini princes. Donna Maria,
who is Il beautiful woman. brought to
her husband not only an enormous
fortune, but likewise the famous Bar
berini palace. the picture gallery and
library of which are both of world
wide fame. the former containing the
celebrated portrait of Beatrice Cenci,
while the library comprises no less
than 1000 MSS. of extraordinary value
Leo Nil. With whom the young officer
was Il particular favorte. not only
authorized him to assume his wife {
name of Barberin, but likewise hcl
fathers title of Prince PaleStrina. Tie
Rarberini palace, it may be added. is
constructed in great part with stones
taken from the coliseum. which leo
to the old Roman saying that what
the barbarians had spared the Bar
berinis had spoiled" Among the cham
. berlains of the cape and sword, who
strictly speaking should now los.