The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1912-03-04
MONTEBELLOS HAVE
LITTLE BLUE BLOOD

d'affairos OF France in the United
States during the presidency OF Con
oral Grant. Both the late marquis,
when charge d'affaireo In London, and
the now widowed Marauise do Monte
Victoria, and when there was a qucs-
ton OF their returning inithcr as am
bassador and ambassadress. she cauS-
ed tho French government TO he in
! formed that they were personae non
gratae.
The antipathy of tho Queen dated
from the time of the death OF the Prince
Imperial of France. Montebello was
then charge d'affaires in London, and
had Issued invitations for n grand din
ncr at the embassy. On the very day
that the latter was 10 take place, news
was received in London that the prince
had been killed in South Africa by the
Zulus. The Queen At once caused the
French charge d'affaires to be notified
that she desired him to postpone his
dinner. Her message was equivalent
TO command, since foreign embassies
accredited to q court arc considered
part and parcel OF the latter subject 10
! Its rules and regulations, as Well as to
the wishes OF the monarch in all mat
tcrs relating to ceremonial etiquette.
The MontcbclloS. however fearing that
the postponement OF the dinner would
be misntcrpretcd by the government
at Paris and ascribed to sympathics
on their part with the Bouapartes and
would thus interfere with promotion,
turned deaf ear to Queen Victoria's
message, and gave their dinner, which
proved a Hat failure, as most of the
principal guests excused themselves at
the last moment from putting in an
appearance. Queen Victoria was very
wroth. and gave expression to her
anger In no measured terms, exclaim-
ins, In referring to the marquis, Tie
should have remembered that 1t was
the srand-uncic of the Prince Imperial
VINO had raised his stuble-boy OF a
grandfather to DO a duke and field
marshal. These favors were surely
worth the few sauces that would have
been wasted If VI. dc AIontebello had
postponed his dinner
OF course. the great Napoleon gen
erously endowed tho Dukedom of
Monticello whom he created tt in favor
OF his favorite marshal. Jean Lannes,
whose death OH the field OF battle mar
rcd his Sovereigns satisfaction over his
great victory OF EsslinS. But the foun-
dalton OF the financial fortunes or the
family is due to the formerly reigning
house of Portugal. The marshal was
nj one moment amba ssador OF France
washcrwoman whom Sardou has por-
trayed as Madame Sans-G Gene" In his
popular drama OF that title, gave birth
to son, who afterwards bccume the
second Duke of Montebcllo, the father
| OF the present duke. In accordance
with custom and etiquette, tho Prince
Regent of Portugal ofliciated as god
father to the child. and on the christ
enng day, shortly before the ceremony
he happened, while strollinE through
the royal palace with tho marshal to
pass a room where Il quantity OF uncut
diamonds which had just arrived from
Brazil were being stored away. Open
ing box which was full of these gems
; the Prince Regent asked the marshal
: to mold out his chapeau. and then
joining his hands together In the form
o. bowl, hlled them three times in
succession with diamonds as full as
nc could hold them. and empticd them
into the hat eNclaimins: This first
handful Is for my godson. the second
IS Tor the amhassa dress, and the third
is Tor the AMBASSADOR" These dia-
monds We're afterwards disposed Of bv
/ the marshal for several millions of
| lrancs at Amsterdam, and constituted
the basis OF the financial fortunes OF
the house OF Montcbcllo, which have
been vastly increased by the VINEYARD
at Enernhy, and the champagne CON
Germ there which bears their name.
| the label on the bottles being adorned
with the ducal arms.