New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1912-07-29
PRINCE ELM DtM|D0FF
Cars New Envoy at Athens Is
His Richest Subject.

4, Europe that OF Demidoff stands in
.,o popular eye for literally boundless
,,o.,,h Under the circumstances. the
,.,o-,s oppointment of Prince Elm Demi-
soS 10 represent him in Greece as his
Minister Plenipotentiary constitutes an
,.,,ance that the next season at Athens
iii nc exceptionally brilliant. For Prince
I'D Princess Elm are still comparatively
oyng ard are good looking and Of par.
.io,,,arlv happy temperament with nor
.o,,, the means but also the inclination
% rromote social gayety and indulge in
,,osnitallty OF the most lavish descrip-
ton.
Film Demidoff is accustomed to do
.hings in a large way. and as an IN
g,ance thereof 1 may mention that when
,t,or his schooling at Elton the time
,o,,e for his passing the necessary Rus
s,on University examinations requisite for
= d,plomatic career he absolutely de-
Lined 10 interrupt his stay on the Riviera
nv returning to ST. Petersburg for the
,urpose. Instead, he caused all the en-
,r,ining members of the faculty OF the
University Of St Petersburg to come to
hin, at Nice in a special train placed by
him At their disposal From the mo-
,ant they left the Russian capital until
,beir return they were entertained most
loxuriousIy on board the train as we'll as
Of Nice as his honored guests. In the
circumstances it is not astonishing that
he should have passed his examination
with flying colors.
The prince has been attached in turn
n the embassies Of Vienna, London ana
Paris, as we'll as 20 the legation NJ CO.
nenhagen. and everywhere has been
success especially In England. Wnere
both he and his beautiful wife, Countess
sophie Worontzoff- Daschkoif daughter OF
the viceroy of the Caucasus, became IA
vorite friends Of Edward VII and queen
Alexandra and frequent guests at SAND
bingham. Besides being diplomat anu
also a SPORTSMAN 20 his finger tips trirce
Elm has achieved q considerable amount
~ fame as an explorer and has written
a most interesting book on that remote
and otherwise almost unknown quarter oil
the world called Kamchatka, Where ne
discovered new lakes, new mountain
ranges. new fauna. new fora and new
tribes even that had never before seen
white man.
With his wife. VINO accompanied MN
IN his Kamchatkan explorations me
prince srert some time In the cspila' 81
that province, where Bering, who gave
his name to the strait, lies entomoeu
beneath handsome monument. Il have
mentioned the princes wealth as coios-
sal and 1t is indeed beyond estimation
since a norton of his income is derived
from apparently inexhaustible quarrles
Of malachite and lapis lazuli and equally
rich gold. silver and platinum mines.
Moreover. a great part Of the mineral
wealth Of the Demidoff estates remains
as vet totally undeveloped.
No members Of the Russian diplomatic
service enjoy to such degree the intimacy
Il the imperial house OF Romanoff as does
Elm Demidoff. He was sort OF chid
ly adoption OF Car Alexander Ill 1Ea'
Tn;Deror. in the years Immediately pre-
ce1inc the death Of his elder brother,
Nicholas. fell deeply in love with Prln-
,ess Marie Metschersky, and was bent
N marrying her. To prevent the mat0"
Alexander II sent his younger son OH on
s,ne military mission TO the Caucasus
ana while he was away Princess Marie
was led to believe that the absent granu
duke had abandoned her. and was coaX"u
into marriage with the late Prince PAU
osrojdofr. Broken hearted when she dis
covered this. she died less than a year
later. after giving birth 10 Prince Elm
Demidoff. who as he grew UP became an
OBJECT Of Alexander MS particular az
lection, reminding him as he did OF the
one romance Of his youth
on the other hand, Princess Elm may
be said 70 have been brough- up with the
present Car, his brothers and his sisters
Her father and mother, Count and Count
ess Worontzoff- Daschkoff, were the prin-
cipal dignitarIes Of Alexander Ills house,
hold from the time Of his happy mar
rage 10 Marie sister Of Queen A'eXah-
dra, and both remained until the Car
death the most trusted confidants ana
constant companions Of their imperial
master and mistress.
Indeed. when their daughter Sophie
married, Empress Marie felt almost as
" SQc WAS dselSlliE ~ tiiC N'NNN'Ae Va
Of her own children.
n Is hardly necessary to recall here
that the founder OF the House Of Demi-
def was a blacksmith of the province Of
lula, Nikita Demidoff by name. Peter
the Great, when travelling in that region,
happened to break one Of his most valu-
able English pistols, which Niliita sue
ceeded in mending so quickly and well
that the Autocrat was overjoyed, and,
asking his name, promised TO remember
him. The smith was beginning to think
that he had been forgotten, when there
came an official document loaded with
imperial seals. granting him the freehold
Of 9 largo tract OF imperial land In the
district Demidoff went TO work on his
new property, began by developing the
iron mines he found there. built foun-
dries, made cannon for the government
started silver mining anu became so
wealthy and useful a citizen that Peter
Ne Great, delighted at having discov-
cred this wonder, ennObled him in l724,
bestoHing upon him large additional
tracts Of imperial domain in the Urai
Mountains
The patent OF nobility carried with IT no
title, but IL invested the ex-blacksmith
with all the privileges then enjoyed by
the Russian aristocracy, including that OK
owning serfs. 1t was HE great-grandsoh,
Nicholas Demidof, who established him
self in Florence at the end Of the eigh-
tenth century and purchased the fief OF
San Donate, which in those days carried
With it the Florentine title OF count. HIS