New-York tribune., 1910-01-07
LEOPOLD'S PAPERS
Those IN His Foreign Homes
Seized by Enjoys.

recently TO some of BeigiumlS representa-
tives abroad For no sooner had Leopold
II breathed his last than, by order Of his
successor. steps were at once taken to
cure possession OF the papers and corre-
spondence of the dead monarch in his
various residences abroad. Thus, he had
q ground floor apartment in the immediate
neighborhood of the Arc de Triomphe.
in Paris: a small house in London. the
chateau Of Belaincourt near Paris now
occupied by Baroness Vaughan and his
two natural sons; villa on the French
Riviera and an apartment at Wieshaden.
understand that he also had a Buen
Retro in Switzerland and another in the
outskirts Of Naples, the object of all these
temporary homes being to enable him to
indulge in his passion for travelling
about. either alone or with the Baroness
Vaughan. without attracting the attention
or inviting the publicity involved by stay
ing at a hotel Much of his Journey
ing was done by motor, and with his long
white beard concealed beneath his motor
ing cloak and his eyes hidden by goggles.
IT was difficult to recognize him when on
his trips through France. Germany, Aus
tria Italy and Switzerland
One Of the drawbacks of these many
residences was the danger of dishonesty
on the part Of the doInestics employed;
not SO much in the matter of the filching
OF vaiuables as in the theft of confidential
papers and documents, which in wrong
hands might prove a source of endless en-
barrassment and trouble to himself to his
government and. above all, to his sue
cessor. That is why the Belgian diplo-
matte representatives abroad lost no time
f. placing every vestige OF the papers, cor
respondence and documents which they
oo.,Id Ip5 tn tho late EinOrc +arra
under lock and key without an instant's
delay after his death.
This they Were enabled TO do by means
Of that international agreement according
10 which sovereigns and princes of the
reigning houses enjoy in foreign countries
the same eXtra-territorial rights AS their
envoys that is TO say their abodes, even
II merely temporary and no matter how
insignificant. are regarded as just as much
exempt from local jurisdiction and as
much part and parcel Of their own terri
tory as their embassies. Consequently the
Belgian ministers were able TO fulfil the
instructions which they had received with
out any Interference On the part of the
police or judicial authorities of the gov
ernments to which they were accredited
and were regarded as so many Belgian Of
ficials performing Belgian Official duties on
Belgian territory.
Sometimes the labors or Foreign envoys
IN this connection are of a much more deli
cate character. as, for instance when they
are called upon to seize the papers. not
OF a royal parsonage, but of some states
man OF their own nationality who has died,
more or less suddenly, in the country in
which they are stationed, papers which it
Is of great political Importance should fall
into no alien hands.
Thus some years ago Baron Ressmann
after retiring from the post of Italian Am
bassadoTi in consequence of a quarrel with
Premier Crispi, settled on the banks of the
Seine. where he died rather suddenly 1t
was OF great Importance that his papers
should not fall into French hands, nor yet
that they should become the prey Of the
baron s domestic entangIements. Accord
ingly, the Italian Ambassador to Paris
Immediately stepped in and seized all the
papers, as he did also on the occasion of
the death in Paris of the Comtesse de
Castigliona.
The late Sir Edward Malet, too. while
representing Queen Victoria at Berlin, was
obliged on one occasion TO step in and
seize all the papers of Sir William White.
who had succumbed to a sudden attack of
illness in the Prussian capital while on
his way home to England from Constan-
bassador TO the Porte. In this particular
instance the matter was rendered more
painful by the objections raised and the
obstruction proffered by the widowed Lady
White, woman of Russo-German birth
who saw in this action on the part Of Sir
Edward a lack Of confidence in her loyalty,
which she described as a gross 3ndignity.
1t Is just a question whether Sir Edward
had any legal right to make this seizure
or whether, from the strict point of view
of law, there was any justification for the
italian Ambassadors pouncing down upon
the papers and correspondence of the
Baron de Ressmann and of the Comtesse
de Castiglione. But if it is illegal. the
various governments shut their eyes there
70. and, in fact, are always ready to assist
one another. relying upon receiving sim
fiar consideration in analogous cases
COURT OF BRUSSELS REORGANIZED
King Albert is making a clean sweep OF
all the members of the household of his
uncle. Count John d'Oultremont, who
throughout the greater part of the late
reign was grand master of the court Of
Brussels, has already rendered his resig-
nation, and the various other members of
the encourage of Leopold such as the two
Barons Goffinet, Carton de Wiart Colonel
tne Baron Snoy, and others, have already
taken their departure or else are leaving
There are several reasons for this In
the first place. the new King wishes to en-
phasize the fact that under his reign the
court Of Brussels will be different in every
respect from what it was in the days of
Leopold II, and that former conditions
which excited SO much criticism at home
and abroad, will no longer prevail Albert
knows full well that his uncle was a great
deal too arbitrary and masterfuI to permit
himself 10 be guided by those around him.
save the Baroness Vaughan and that he
cannot really hold Count John d'Oultre-
mont nor the other principal officers of the
late Kings environment responsible for the
atmosphere Of the court Of Brussels during
the last twenty years. Still, at the same
time, he feels that they have been identified
herewith IN a very conspicuous manner
Then, too. his own relations with Leo
pold, in spite of all that has been said To
the contrary. were not always pleasant.
while during the closing years of the life of
his father the Count of Flanders, the latter
was not on speaking terms with his brother
Leopold. The Barons Goffnet and their
colleagues were, of course, obliged TO side
with their employer. the late King and
were often the instruments OF his displeas-
ure as exercised against Albert and against
his parents. Naturally, he cannot there
fore feeI F.a rffc1tlarIv aarSfaI +o,,ya~a H..