The Washington herald., 1912-08-30
European Court Gossip
OF Interest to Readers


Dampierre Chateau. about which there
has been 30 much said in connection with
the visit Of the Prince Of Wales. 10 In
the bottom Of deep vale. approached
from the road by broad downhiil ave-
nue.. having on one side stables and ken.
neis. and on the other news. similar TO
those in the Place dArmes in Versailles.
The mansion is in the Louis XIII style,
and Is entered from q bridge across .
good-sized pond into which water is
gathered artificially, to be held In by =
small lock-gate. It Is OF red brick faced
with cut freestone and Of q cheering sp-
pearance.
In warm weather the climate Is oppres-
sive. and at all times relaxing. On the
park side a long, wide. uphill avenue, cut
out in, a forest. faces the chateau. The
inside Of the house Is quite as cheerful
as the outside. The grandfather Of the
present Duke de Luyaes brought Ingres
to Dampierre TO decorate the ceiling OF
the music room, yet It Is not strikingly
handsome. II lacks nobleness and the
polychrome statue Of Minerva. also set up
by the present dukes grandsire. and nine
feet high, gives the effect Of a reel In
bottle. She has sapphire eyes and rich
mosaic work on her peplun, but eyes and
all else lack divinity and artistic inspir-
alton.
The principal rooms are on the ground
floor. Quite at the end is low square
room sacred to Louis XIII. and hung In
funereal black velvet feurs-de-lys. It has
for its only furniture a solid silver statue
Of that King. but without the hanging
tongue spoken OF so clearly by Lord Her
bert, Of Cherbury, and Hurduin. and
which. they agree in speaking Of as an
absolute impediment to speech, a reason
why Louis XIII, nevea save as a rare
formality. held q council nor had q fair
favorite. nor could chat with his own
wife. and left SO free a hand to RICHIE
lieu. 1t hung permanently like the tongue
of King Charles dog.
This silver statue is supposed to repre-
sent him at the age of twelve and makes
him out a smart and rather handsome
boy. The grandfather Due set up this
statue as a sort of bravado to Michelet,
Henri Martin. and other historians. who
revived the scandals current in the seven
teenth century about the Piedmontese Al
bert de Luynes, the youth employed TO
feed the Kings falcons. He won favor In
Louis XIII to make and set
snares for birds In the Versailles marshes.
where We now see fountains. tho grand
canal" and the Swiss lake" On becom-
ing all in all TO the King he compassed
and accomplished the massacre Of Con-
cini, the queen dowager's favorite, and
brought about the trial and execution for
witchcraft OF Leonora Galigni. Concini's
wife. This hoisted into power Cardinal
whom the queen mother had
made her secretary. He forgave the
Duchesse de Chaulnes and Chevreuse her
plots against himself on condition that
she bestowed the hand of her only child
with Dampierre estate as an immediate
gardens on Luynes. She swallowed the |
humble pie.
The present Due de Luynes' physique !
must be relaxed by the vapor bath cli- |
mate Of Dampierre beyond the power Of |
seaside air TO brace up. He seems always |
to be at the slackest tension, whether in |
regard to nerve. muscle, flesh, or morale. /
This laxity OF tissue impairs the mouth. |
cheeks. eyelids, and even affects his walk |
and bearing. But he is wealthy. his wife |
still wealthier, and his mother-in-law, the |
noted Duchesse dues. wealthiest. She =
I was who subscribed 3O0o,0 600 francs to !
The Boulangist pool formed at the time !
20 upset the republic. De Luynes also is |
4 good royalist and so far as his physi- |
al constitution permits. rather enterpris-
ng. In fact, ever since he became the
,hief of the royal organizations he has
'een running backwards and forward
between Paris and Wood Norton. like q
shuttle. The King Cthe
DUO dOrleans) long since made him his
irst gentleman grand chamberlain and
DersOnaI renreSeptatiya a
Having accepted an invitation to DAM
,ierre. the Prince of Wales naturally
ould not do less than accept one TO
iaintenon from the Duchesse de Noailles,
Zee du Luynes. She and most OF the
mpenitent Royalists who rank as the
lonofficial friends Of the prince came
rst into relation with the Teck side OF
lis family at Sheen House. where the
,omte de Paris lived and kept a court
+ noble and political partisans who had
pooled with Gen. Boulanger. 1t was
n the neighborhood of the White Lodge,
Maintenon Chateau, like that of Dam
ierre. is in a dell, and surrounded with
-ater. There are some fourteenth CEN
lry towers. with a chapel and connecting
added by Nine. de Maintenon.
rho furnished the new part and the
hapel pretty much as it is now. and not
great expense. DtuTOOul is |
aid to have afforded hospitality to Louis
Nv. She gave this estate-which was n
resent from him-to her niece on her
marriage with a Due de Noailles.
One never now talks of the Duke de
Toailles, but of the Duchess. One reads
the papers OF such or such a parsonage
eing her guest The ducaf pair have two
aughters, but no son. The eldest is six
zen, and said to have high spirits. and
r.uestrian and other enterprise She bears
ne fourteenth century royal name of
olanda- The second. Elizabeth. who is
vo years younger. is not out yet Each
ill have a dowry Of about 800 900 francsI
year.
Italy still has hidden surprises which
ould make It worth while for the
,holar to study her artistic treasures,
nd to delve among her archives. There
perhaps no story of the Middle Ages