New-York tribune., 1905-12-11

Natalie Nogel Won FTiesenhof. hitherto known as
| Count Alexander Welsburg. is suing the reign
! ing Grand Duke of Oldenburg for recognition as
"a fun nedged prince of the blood. and entitled as
such to the possible succession to the throne or TO
the regency. instead Of being regarded as hereto
! fore a morganatc of the late duke The
latter devoted himself to the writing of popular
farces. and end Of them have been represented
on the Teutonic stage in America as written by
a. Quenther" or by 81 Maier,' the pen names
under which he to conceal his Identity.
lie was Il half brother of the late Grand Duke
o. Oldenburg, uncle therefore of the reigning
grand duke and through his mother, Princess Ce-
ella of Vasa, had in his veins the blood of Gus
! tavus Adolphus, the famous reformer KING OF
Sweden and hero of the Thirty Years war.
The mention of his recalls to MIND the
fact that not only is the present King OF Sweden
a successful playwright but that the new queen
OF Norway-that is TO say, the Youngest daughter
of King Edward of England-has likewise written
a play It has never Yet been produced on any
stage, and Queen Maud is rather chary about ad-
mitting her responsibility for it. Those. however
who have been accorded the privilege of perusing
1t are unanimous in praising its delightful sense
OF humor the one quality more than any other
which she will need in order TO bear with the
somewhat sombre and serious minded character
of the people of the land of her adoption.
1t is asserted that she does not altogether relish
the manner in which she has been compelled to
submit to the change in the names, not only OF
her husband but also of her little boy. For where
as her husband from Charles has developed into
King Haakon, her little boy, from Alexander has
become Olaf. He is a wonderfully clever little te-
low for his age, and. although so young not only
presents the most extraordinary likeness to his
English grandfather, King Edward, but has like
wise acquired all of little mannerisns of the
latter which are a constant source of entertain
ment to the entire royal family of England
in enumerating these royal playwrights l. OF
course should not omit the name of Grand Duke
Constantine itch of
only wrote a Muscovite rendering of Shakespeare's
Hamlet but actually produced it upon the stage
of the Winter Palace Theatre at St Petersburg,
himself taking the role Of the Danish Prince
sPoILING A GOOD STORY.
So much publicity has been given to the story to
the effect that DR.. Buckland, Dean Of Westminster
Abbey. had inadvertently swallowed, while staying
with the Earcourts at Vunham Park the petrified
heart Of Louis XIV of France, that it may be as
wei! to explain that there is little reason for
believing this amusing story, and consequently the
suggestion that fnasmuch as the mummlned reno
toe tough to have been digested 1t might stlii
be found in the coffin of the Dean, who died shortly
afterward and who lies buried in Westminster
Abbey, falls to the ground. The story rests on the
assertion that when the royal tomb of the Abbey
Church at st. Denis profaned during the
Revolution at the end of the eighteenth century,
one of the Canons managed to possess himself OF
the heart of the Grand Monarque, and that it was
intrusted by him to an English statesman, who
conveyed 1t to England.
Now, all the records, official and eccesiastic, as
well contemporary memoirs, go to show that
the heart of Louis XIV never at any time at
st. Denis prior to the Revolution The heart, in
cordance with the Kings own wish removed
from his body Immediately after his Demise and
conveyed to the Jesuits' Church. known the
Church of ST Louis and ST Paul, in the Rue st. An
toine. The heart placed by the Jesuits in a
silver heart-shaped box. supported by two bronze
angels. In 1892 the silver claimed by the
lutionary government went into the national melt
ing pot. The heart was. however, rescued by the
Jesuit fathers. and preserved by them until the
restoration when it turned over to Louis
XVIII, who had it iuclosed in a silver gilt casket |
and deposited in the vaults of st. Denis There it
is preserved to this day, along with the hearts of
King Louis XVIII of King Henry " and Of
Queen Marie de Medicis. But these relics are never
shown to the public.
MARQUIsE DE FONTENOY