The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1912-11-28
Wife of Turkish Ambassador to
Court of St. James Is
Given Credit.
BY Ia MARaUIsE DE FONTENOY.

BY Ia MARQIISE DE FONTENOf.
TT is to say the least, strange that
the Red Crescent Society, which Is
4 the Moslem counterpart OF the Eu-
ropean and American Red Cross So
ciety, should have been founded by
woman who is not only a Christian. but
likewise by birth a Russian IL Is
Nine. Rifaat. wife Of the Turkish am
bassador to the court of 81. James.
and daughter of that General Won Ken.
nenkamp who played SO important q
role as a commander of cavalry during
! the Russo-J japanese War. She is
member of that Orthodox Greek rite or
Christianity to which all the Balkan
Mathematics now engaged in fighting
/ the Turks belong and which is also
the state Church In Russia and Ru-
mania. She is on terms OF great init
macy with Queen Olga of Greece and
her Russian daughter in law. Princess
Nicholas. known prior to her marriage
as Grandduchess Helen Vladinirovna.
At the time when Nine. Rifaat found
ed the Red Crescent Society. and which
did good work in Trfpolf. her husband
was minister Of foreign affairs at Con-
stantinople At one moment he was
gazetted as envoy Of the Sublime Porte
at Washington. But he declined to as
sumo the post, owing TO its being so
far away. and secured instead the mis-
sion of representing his country at
Athens, whence. at the request Of Ed
ward VII, he was promoted 10 the
Turkish Enthusiastically In London.
Prince George Valentine Btbesoo.
who has already achieved some fame
as one Of the most daring aviators In
Europe. has presented to the Ruman-
ran War Department his entire Meet OF
aeroplanes. ton in number. ana repre-
senttng the most up-to-date types OF
the craft for aerial navigation. This
s.ft. added to the seven asroplanes A.
ready owned by tho Rumanian aemy.
places the latter IN the foremost rank
in the matter Of air-sooueinI.
The prince IL Q son Of the late Prince
George Btbescoe and Of his Belgian
wife. Princess Valentine de Caraman-
Chimaj a lady who was at one time
married to General the Due de Bauf-
fremont, Of the French army. from
whom she eloped in a very sensational
manner with Prince Bibesco. She IS
sister Of the late Prince Joseph CnlmaE.
who was minister OF foreign AFFAIRS OF
Belgium and is an aunt Therefore OF the
present and fourth Prince OF Chimay'
the ex-husband Of Clara Ward, OF De-
troit. Mich.
The Bibescos. unlike most Of the Ru-
,nanian mobiles who assume the nte
az nrince have obtained an author!-
zation from Francis Joseph to use IL
as a foreign but not as an Austro-
HUNGARIAN title in his dominfons In
Rumania itself all nobaliary titles have
4,een abolished as we'll As IN the other
Ra,nuan States including Servfa, Greece
and Bulgaria.
When tn 1890 the late Prince George
Bbesco was appointed by KING
ChaNes's government to be commis
sioner-Reneral for Rumania to the
Yart. international Exhibition, the Of
ffcial Gazette at Bucharest referred 10
him. in recording has appointment. as
Mr.. George B,besco He objected to
being thus styled and demanded tnat
the decree should be modified In such
a manner as to describe him by what
he claimed to be his correct title 10
this the then Rumanian Premier.
George Cantacuzene. demurred He
called the attention Of George Btbesco
to that noteworthy paragraph OF the
national Constitution Of Rumania
which abolished all nobiliary titles ana
d!sttn ctions in the kingdom. forbtdding
their use. besides pointing out that ne
himself, the Premier. although cniel
OF a formerly imperial house. that OF
Cantacuzene, which re!gned at Constan-
t;nople In the fourteenth century. was
perfectly content to call himself MI.
Cantacuzene instead on prince
The Bibescos have played great
role in the history Of Rumaria- Thus,
the grandfather OF the donor of the
fleet of aeroplanes to the Rumanian
army was that wonderful old George
Bibesco who in is43. at the age OF Tor
~. was elected by the people OF Walla-
CHA and MoIdavia. now known oE the
name Of Rumania, as ,he!r Hospodaf or
Prince for Life the election being con-
firmed by the sublime Porte wnich N
those days exercised rights OF SOW
eredsn over all the Balkan States. It
was ne who abolished slavery. who
transformed Bucharest into \ Western
and civilized city. who endowed the
entire country with a system OF high
ways etS- Eventually overthrow. he
took up his residence abroad and made
his home in Paris. where he died IN
1873. All OF HE four CONS distinguish
ed themselves IN one way or another,
the late Prince George being decorated
with the Legion OF Honor for conspic-
uous gallantry az a French on1cer In
the Mexican campaign and again on the
battle fields OF 1879.
4 curious feature OF the war which
has been raging in the Balkans for the
past ave or six weeks Is the mystery
which prevails with regard 70 King
Peters fre-eating eldest SON. the ex-
Crown prince George Of Servia- Never
has there been a war in which princes
OF the blood have been 20 extensively
represented King George of Greece as
well as his sons aDG grandsons have
all been in the field The King OF Mon
tenesro and his sons have also taken
a very active part in the operations
AGAINST the Turks. So. too. have the
Crown Prince OF Bulgaria and MS
younger brother: while their father the
King has been in supreme COMMAND OF
his troooS in the field King Peter OF