The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-01-31
THE CASTELLANES MAKE
 RECORD AS SPENDTHRIFTS
..s........s..........ssess

taire called Versailles "the bottomless pit of extravaganza" yet the "Sun God for his great palace. where 10000 re- tainers lived and for the Grand Trianon for Mime. de Maintenon. and for the mag nificent park and gardens, with the most remarkable fountain in the world, spent out of the royal treasury only S200, 0000 900. The house that Count de Castelane built in the Avenue du Bols de Boulogne, which could be put in part of one of the wings of the palace at Versailles, cost g, ,00O,0OO to build, and as much more, it is said, to furnish. It is gorgeous inside with tap estries and frescoes that Mme. de Main tenon would have envied.
 There have been many lavish entertain ments within the pink marble walls. Those whom Count Boni delighted to honor had all that the appetite of a Lucullus could desire. There was the re- membered visit of the King of Portugal, Dom Carlos, who was slain few months ago. Even the official honors of France, prof4igate in her courtesy to royal visit ors, paled before the private entertain ment of the Count and Countess de Castellane Every delicacy that could be devised was served at the banquets, every trapping that money could procure to add luster to the affair was got, re- gardless of the thousands of francs that went to get 1t. There were echoes Of that superb affair when the Countess filed her petition for divorce. It will not soon pass into oblivion.
 Keeping up the display in a manner be- fitting the palace where he lived cost sums that would stagger small principality. There were servants innumerable in liv- cry that was heavy with gold lace; there were the finest automobiles and horses and carriages for every occasion. When ever the Count or the Countess de Castei- lane moved they went about In manner befltting a Prince and Princess royal.
 Then there were two estates to be kept up; one, Rochecotte, In Touraine; the other. Boutissante, which, as was recent ly cabled to the world, the Countess. who was paying the interest on the mort gages that covered 1t. never saw.
 "Where is Boutissante2 asked the
 Princess of the Prince de Sagan as she was telling me recently facts to disprove some of the cruel things that have been
 said about her. Where is Boutissante?
 I do not even know. never went there" And vet TOO, 900 francs of the 1000, 900 that
 were spent in the il years she was Coun- tess de Castellane went toward paying the interest on mortgages upon these two estates.
 It is only fair to the Count de Castel-
 lane to say that, of course, his wife spent
 part of the sl1OOo,OO0 that Messrs Cou- dert Bros. sent to her from New York. but even with that admission the sum seems incredibly large. Figuring it down to minutes, the 100000 represent an | average of $363 spent in each and every | waking moment of the Count de Castel- 1 lane during those years of plenty, allow ing him eight hours to sleep untroubled by thoughts of the vanishing millions. In the aggregate the amount represents twice as much as the United States paid for Alaska. considerably more than Ma
 poleon received for the Louisiana Pur- Ri AI.ar. ffo I'm. terest on the national debt of moro than
 one important country.