New-York tribune., 1908-01-17
the millions amassed by the old banker Ferrari.
Who was starved to death amid his gold.

PREMIER PEER OF FRANCE COMING.
his duchess TO attend the wedding of the latter's
brother, the Due de Chadlnes. Miss Theodore
Shonts on February Is next holds the rank of
premier peer of France. The precedence OF the
dukes OF Uzes such dates from the time of Louis
Mi. who exact that all persons bearing titles
should register them IT court and prove their right
thereto by documentary evidence. There being
much discussion and conflict as the priority and
superiority of rank aad lineage. the King decided
that the dukes should enjoy their precedence in
accordance with the order of their registration and
that the one who recorded his name first was to
have the precedence ever afterward the peer
who arrived later. Knowing this the Duke Of
Uzes and the Duke of Luynes set forth almost
simultaneously from Paris for the Registers Office
al Versailles and each strove TO reach there before
the other. The Duke of Uzes, finding that NJ de
Luynes on the point OF winning the race, de-
liberately caused his coachman TO drive into the
Luynes equipage. upsetting It and It's occupant
into the ditch. Then. whipping up his own horses
he reached the Registers office in time 20 be en-
rolled the first peer Of the realm All ami
mostly between the DukeG de Luynes and the Uzes
this account has died out, and the present Due
de LIynes. tenth bearer of the title and chief OF
the family TO which his cousin. the Due de Chaul-
nes. belongs is married TO the only sister OF the
Duke Of Uzes.
The Duke OF Uzes is very rich rather. will be
when his mother the duchess dowager dies, ioF
she owns half Of the Veuve Clcquot champagne
concern. The famous Widow Clicquot was not oi
bourgeois birth as generally believed, but OF noble
origin her father having been Baron Ponsardin-
Had il not been for the topsyturvydom consequent
upon the revolution the close of the eighteenth
/ century il is doubtful whether she would have
been permitted by her family to render herser
guilty Of such a mesaIliance that which she
committed in marrying the Rheims banker, enc
quot ClicQuot sort of amateur WINE grower
the wines of the champagne district being at that
time very little known He died when his wife was
about twenty-eight and his w6ow thereupon car
and even inventing a process for clarifying wine
In 1921 she took into partnership with her young
man OF the name OF Were. who was manager of
the Clicquot bank and who had saved it from ruin
by exceedingly clever act of financial foresight.
BY this time her wines had acquired such great
celebrity that, in conjunction with Werle, she de-
cided TO wind up the bank and 10 invest all its
capital in the wine business. WerIe's grandson,
Count de Werle, allied by marriage to some of
the randest houses of the French nobility is still
a partner in the Cicquot concern. Nine. Clicquot
survived until 1856. She had enly one daughter.
married TO the Comte de Chevigne (author Of the
famous ''Comtes Remois'), and their only daugh-
ter became. in turn the wife of the Comte de
Moatemart. and mother. therefore, of the Duchess
Dowager of Uzes. The latter is consequently the
great-gTanddaughter Of old Widow CcQuot and
inherited ali her property. including the castle OF
Boursault, in which the old lady died the age
ninety. MARQUISE DE FONTENOY.