The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1910-05-10
ny Ia NlAnou1sE DE FoNTENoy

/ u VIC" 10 GltHSeS IN succession TO
! the throne, but also at st. Peters.
burg. There. have been recently a num-
Der of imperial family councils held
there and it Is learned that the re-
suit OF these deliberations has been
the definite elimination from the line
Of succession to the Russian crown of
no less than five princes OF the blood,
namely, Grand Duke Michael. the only
brother of the Gear: his cousins
Grand Dukes Cyril. Boris and Andrew,
all sons of tho late Grand Duke piadi-
mir, and the latters brother, Grand
Duke Paul. who was an uncle OF the
! present Emperor.
1t is Grand Duke Paul,s only son.
Grand Duke Demetrius Paulovitch, now
eighteen years of age. who comes next
in line. of succession 10 the throna
who VIII be entitled TO the regency
OF the empire in the event of the
Cars illness or of his demise before
/ little Alexis comes of age. Grand Duke
Demetrius's only sister married.,that
Prince William OF Sweden who paid a
prolonged visit To the United states a
few years ago. and made so many
| friends during HIS stay here
/ Demetrius whose mother, the favor
lte daughter OF the King of Greece.
died six days after. his birth. has been
brought up altogether By his aunt, the
widowed Grand Duchess sergius, re-
CARDS her as his mother. and will On
her demise inherit. Jointly with his
sister. all OF the immense fortune be-
queathed to her BY her murdered hus-
band. He is good looking. tall. CHEEKY,
| very popular. and has managed thus
! far to keep himself free of scrapes: and
II has been arranged that In view of
the responsibilities that are In store
for him, he is 10 visit during the sum-
lner and fail the various rulers OF
Europe. with Tie object of becoming
| personally acquainted With them. With
many he Is nearly related. being y
4! grandnepiew of the Queen DoWager
| Denmark. a grandson of the King and
lQueen of Greece, while most OF the
other. princes and princesses of the
1 reigninG houses of the Old World are
his first or second cousins.
/ Royal Indiscrctions.
/ TO readers OF these letters IL Will
lie hardly necessary to explain at any
1 length the reasons which have led TO
the elimination OF the five grand dukes
above mentioned from the succession.
] With regard TO the Cars only sur
| wing brother. Michael 1t is due TO
/ his several "anaires de occur, some
| of which have been OF an extremely
| scandalous character, resulting in his
condemnation by q jury of honor. COM
posed OF his fellow officers Of the
Guard at st. Petersburg. and in his
| Punishment by the Emperor to the
| town of OreI, in Central Russia, where
he Is attached TO an ordinary infantry
| regiment, instead of 10 the crack di-
| vision of the Guards at st. Petersburg.
The three sons of the widowed Grand
/ Duchess Vladimir were already black
listed as far as the succession was con-
| cerned, until a few years ago. through
her refusal 10 become n convert from
] Lutheranism to the national church OF
/ Russia, and now. since she has Joined
the latter, the decision to exclude them
from the throne has been definitely de-
termined through the marriage OF
Grand Duke Cyril to the former Grand
\ Duchess of Hesse, who is not only a
/ d!vorcee, but also his first cousin.
/ unions of this degree of consanguinity
/ being strictly prohibited by the ma
] tional church of Russia. As the En-
peror is not only the temporal, but
also the spiritual ruler of Russia and
/ consecrated at his coronation as the
supreme pontitf thereof 1t Is obviously
| impossible to have a prince filling that
/ position who has violated one OF us
| principal canons.
The behavior of his brother Grand
Duke Boris, is such as to cause his
cousin. the Gear. TO compel him TO
spend the greater portion OF his time
abroad, chiefly in Paris 1t may be
4 remembered that when he was in
i America his conduct showed so little
i regard for American principles OF pro.
priety that when he visited President
Roosevelt at oyster Bay, and lunched
4 there. Mrs. Roosevelt pointedlr left
1 the house on the very morning OF ms
arrival. and remained away until after
his departure, in order to avoid benz,
i compelled to welcome HIM. IN Parls'
| he is maintaining the traditional repu--
tation of Russian grand dukes Tor tast
living. without however. l poss os ,,is
4 father and his uncle, Grand DUKE
Alexis. which relieved their moral short,
j comings Of vulgarity. AS for Grand
banished TO a garrison in Siberia while
i his father was still alive. on account
Of general misconduct at st Peters
1 burg and still remains there,
self from the succession to the = th rene
8Iby his ridiculous marriage with Olga
i Karnovitch divorced wife Of the, I'M
savory General Pistolkors, after nay
car 10 refrain from perpetratins such ,rS,
an Uncomfortable act OF folly, The
woman, Who now bears the title of
\ Countess Hohenfelsen, and whose N n,
grand duke are the talk Of Paris. IS
banished from Russia. she lived WIN ,
the grand duke for years before ll ns,al
marriage her former husoashu IL; i.ei .,a
Pistolllors, forming part or TINS me- ,
mage trois' as the grand dukes pfin-
|cipal aide-de-camp.
seryia's Advance.
Crown Prince Alexander Of servla,
) twenty-five years OF age, M t neet
STAYING in Paris, MS ms; ~ n4si - Tie he
throne, seven years ago, when he wa, was
5 a boy of barely fifteen, VINO nag g. pG 81,
: tersburg. under the care of his moth moth
ers sisters, Grand Duchesses s.al'a
and Militia, Of Russia; He !, mas anars neh en-
I the President OF the French republic
at at the Elysee Palace, where = dinner
MAS given in his honor, and has NOW !
left for Rome, where he IS 10 Viz, ~
! his aunt. Queen Helen, staylng. az LIN, me
!, ouirimal where his only sister PIN
cess cess Helen Of servia, has been making
her home for several 'n ssrHIsn pa Grown
!, his fathers only. brother, Prince AT ( ",
}, sene, who Is seriously All there, nn Z.
whose death would be grsat Il re Was
. at one time proposed to confer mon
t|hin an important IN Ms, 1ne I ~ :