New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1905-09-29

The Duke Of Orleans being without country
and possessing rights OF citizenship OF any
~scognized State. absolutely unprecedented
auestion has arisn IN connection with the new
80 that ne has discovered in the Arctic Seas.
As q general ruAe when explorers discover new
land they take possession thereof in the name OF
their government and hoist the latter's nag Ihelr
nation IS thereupo1 regarded becoming invested
with the rights Of sovereignty over the newly dis
covered territory unless indeed IT declines TO avail
itself Of the privilege
On general principles every man is regarded as
being the citizen OF some State other and as
subject to its government and its laws; and being
4pso facto barred from the exercise OF any sover-
eigu rights save those with which he may happen
70 be invested by its statutes and constitution, he
cannot OF his own accord assume sovereignty over
any new land which he may discover He may
have proprietary rights, but the Sovereignty over
the new Territory IN question belongs to the State
70 which he Is subject Even King Leopold, after
he had explored the greater part Of the Congo
Valley through his agents. spent millions OF dol
lars IN opening il up 10 trade and had hoisted his
flag everywhere. was not regarded possessing
any sovereign tights 'over what is now known as
the Congo FREE State until he hAd been. invested
Herewith by the great powers assembled in inter
national congress at Berlin.
Now the Duke OF Orleans has been deprived not
oaly judiciaIly also legslatively Of his French
nationality and citizenship. has been banished
from French soil He has, therefore. no right to
ny the French nag. to raise il over any land that
ter n Frances name. Nor does France acquire
any sovereign rights over any discovery that he
may make
True. there are other pretenders. But they are
and all Of them accorded what may be de-
scTbed as honorary citizenship Of the countries in
which they have established their homes. Thus
Don Carlos, in the lawsuits which he has been
carrying on with his daughters in the Austrian
courts the subject Of their dead mothers prop
erty. has described himself an Austrian citIzen
and SO has the Duke Of Braganza the Ieeft1r7fst
pretender to the throne Of Portugal Prince Vic
tor SapoIspn. the Bonapartist pretender. on the
other hand enjoys the rights Of Belgian citizen
ship 5ust in the same way that Emperor Napoleon
III prior TO his accession The throne possessed
first Of ali. Swiss citizenship and afIer that the
rights OF an English subject, taking the cath az
allegiance to Queen Victoria and 10 the British
Crown when he was in as a special con-
stable IN the Chartist troubles IN and about Lon
don.
But the Duke Of Orleans is Z wanderer on the
face OF the earth The governments Of Austria Of
Belgium and Italy have all raised objections TO
his setting up his halne permanently on their terri
tory not wishing to have II used as the headcuar-
tiers for couspiracies against the French republic
True he has q country seat IN England. which he
inherited from his grand-uncle. the Duo dAu-raIe
But. cold shouldered at the Court Of St Janes's
ostracized by society, barred from mosf. of the
London clubs and expelled from several others by
reason Of his repeatedly professed aninosi1y tow
ard the English reigning family and everything
British. he would be the last person on earth TO
claim English citizenship Yet in view CT the fact
that he was born in England and that he served
for time officer OF the English army, re-
eev5ng q commission as such (after graduating
from the English Military College at Sandhurst)
the hands OF, his venerable relative and bene-
factor, Queen Victoria. whom he shanefuIly
i1sulUed & public ke1ter the time Of the Boer
var IL is question whether he IS not, all
things considered, English subject, and whether
Great Britain is not entitled to the fruits Of his
discovery.
The land in question lies between Northeast Green
land and Sptzenbergen, and it is remarkable tha,
while the coasts of both Of these territories have
been mapped the intervening sea should have been
wholly neglected by explorers. Indeed, the dukes
discovery shows that we have been mistaken in be-
Ney1ng the Arctic Ocean be a where there
vas no geographical trophy Of importance left 10
conquer except the North Pole.