The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1910-06-21
az Ia MAnQrIsE DIE roNTENoY

BY LA MARQUIsE DE FoNTESoY.
@ouNT BIRGER MoERNER, whose
imissndin ns ma a. rg To- wealthy
ilah, New South Wales. daughter
and heiress of John c. Mcmillan. of
Airntully, Scotland. has Just been an
nounced. Is the son of the nobleman
OF the same name who was FOR so
many years grand master OF the house
hold to the Dowaeer Queen of Swe-
den. He himself is attached TO the
ROYAL household. and is about the
only member left in Sweden OF fam
lily that has played very important
role in the history of that kingdom IT
is family to whom the now reign
! ing dynasty OF Bernadotte may be
I said TO owe in a very large measure
! their throne OF Sweden, and il Count
Burger Moerner is to-day the sole one
of his line left in Sweden 1t is be-
cause of most sensational tragedy
/ which took place some fifteen or TWEEN
! " years ago. at Stockholm and which
resulted in one of its members seeking
refuge here in the United States. while
+ the others returned TO Prussia, from
which they had sprung more than 200
] years previously, secured German let
i tiers of naturalization and settled down
in the Rhine provinces. one of them
being now capta!n of the imperial
/ navy and the other Prussan provin-
/ cial governor.
Their Swedish title of Count Moer
ner of Morianda dates from the reign
from the beginning of the eighteenth
century. throughout all of which the
Moerners PLAYED an important role.
the royal family. At the beginning
of the nineteenth century, Count
Charles Moerner, captain OF the
de-camp OF Charles Kill, the last of
the Nasa Kings of sweden. was dis
patched by his master with letter to
Emperor NAPOLEON at Paris; Prince
IA lot tl ENF nj al shn hon
dish crown, had just died. very sud
denly King Charles was anxious to
nominate the German Duke of Angus
tenburg in his place. and %, secure his
election by the national legislature.
but before so doing wished to sound
4 Emperor Napoleon about the matter.
Count Moerner. aware of the extreme
unpopularity of the Duke of 4AuguSten-
burg and of his incapacity as a gen
eral and as statesman. came to o, the !,
that the duke was wholly unftted for
the Swedish crown, and thereupon de-
termined to select some other candi :
date for the throne.
1t would take too much space to de-
scribe here the amazing intrigues by
means of which this Young Swedish
that the French Marshal Bernadotte
would he the most likely man for his
purposes set to work TO bring apou,
not only Bernadottes candidature; but
The count delivered his letter tc
Napoleon in due order. but manaGet
, to convey TO the Emperor. the I'm
preston that 1T did not really. repre-.
: sent the views Of the King: that tbs
t latter had been more or less compe Zee
to write 1t by means OF court ,niiu'
: ences aimed against France. and =
the Duke of Augustenburg was Ger
man prince, bitterly opposed to M Nal
: leonic predominance in Europe p, Ih 1,m.
I vii SllCCaaIed
s sWedes then II Paris. NOTABLY y ceun
Wrede, and thereupon he |, suggesstea i {
@ 1t would be for his own interests :.
:. have one of his own marshals as crow " !,
Prince at stoekholm 1feyepH st an,
: stronghold at the entrance OF the pa
, tic.
Napoleon did not like Be ana,l, de 4 4
n military genius, but. Moerner and hi
: friends, with Bernadotte and his NJ
merouS adherents PLAYED Their ia ain
: any Written answer to the King, per
: mitted Moerner to return to Stock 2 OH
! where the count com Inad ina s, | &c
Charles Nil and to the leaalnE snbur
was particularly obnoxious to Napo
S leon and to France. and likewise int
It mated that the Emperor had sHg Is ean
Marshal Bernadotte as sultapis Gan
n didate for the dignity of Grown Prince
n When the election was held; not Ion o.
" afterwards, by the rati99n nfnra le 81 "a
Duke Of Augustenburg was deteate
g by an Overwhelming majority and
= vote was passed rendering the |, i heil
- apparentship to the crown 10 be Sc "a
- delegates Of the Swedish Sing an
% Parliament in Paris to notify Berna
a dotte of his election there was Is a, me-
> Count Moerner hung IRE. Napoleof
'r suddenly became suspicious that \
N had been used for az naa lntris smn,o aa
without his psrmia&an to bolster Y