The Washington herald., 1913-02-18
COURT GOSSIP ON SUBJECTS
OF GREAT GENERAL INTEREST

History provides many precedents TO
the handsome rewards which. no doubt
will be accorded their generals by th'
Balkan States.
The triumph" the highest homo
known to the Romans, was not SO easli!
bestowed. The victor had to have Ger
tain rank; the war, then concluded, nae
to result in an extension Of the STATE
boundaries; at least 5000 Of the enemy
had TO have been slain. These condl
tons obtained. the streets were dressed
v with garlands and amid appiauouik
crowds the general drove by seated n
a four-horse chariot. Robed In purple
and gold and crowned with laurel ne
} held in his right hand a laurel prahcn
and in his left an ivory sceptre
The records of modern warfare contain
nothing more romantic than the story Oh
the first Napoleons marshals. Men oi
the humblest birth. they joined the
French army as prtvates. Yet oS
strategic genius they helped in conquer
ing Europe. Nap0eon. whose success
was largely due to their work, was lavish
in his rewards, Principalities and duke
doms were showered upon sons OF peas
ants. Two of their number, indeed, be-
came kings Murat, whose father kept
an inn, asceuded the throne or Naples.
Bernadotte was chosen as their ruler by
the people of Scandinavia: His descend
ant to-day is the husband of the British
Princess Margaret, OF Connaught
The titles conferred upon the French
marshals did not lapse with the fall OF
Napoleon. Several are borne to-day by
their successors. In some cases his mar
shals were created peers Of France long
after their leader had gone to St Helena.
1t was tho ablest of these men whom
wellington. the Iron Duke" was called
upon to combat in the Peninsular war.
farr ior uyif
the names of Massena, Prince of Eslingen
and Duke of Rivoli, who began life as
a cabin boy, and of Soult, Duke of Dali
malta His prevalence against the VIC
tors of so many battles, and finally
against their master, accounts for Well
ington being granted honors unequaled
Ii the history of England These dis
tlnctions were achieved after seven years
of warfare and at the age of forty-siS.
Landing in Portugal in 1905 as the Hon.
Sir Arthur Wellesley, the victory or
Talavera in the following year saw him
raised to the peerage as Baron Duoro
tafter the Iberian River of that name).
and Viscount Wellington. In lsl2 he
was advanced to an earldom and granted
n pension of Ee,ooO a year few months
later he was created Marques and
given G100,O00 in cash. Returning to
t.nSldnO III loli, ne Was iaiSco ~ 'hS
dignity of a Duke of Wellington and
given a further grant of G400, 900.
Spain and Portugal. the scene OF his
successes, also united to do him honor.
OF the former kingdom he became
Duke of Ciudad Rodrigo and grandee
of the first class, and was presented
with fine estate Portugal hailed him
as Duke of Vittoria. Marques of Torres
Vedras. and Count of Nimiera- After
hafa hn r
chased for the duke the estate of Strath-
fieldsaye, at cost of E26O, 900. The King
of the Netherlands, grateful for his res
toraton to the throne, created the VIC
tor of Belle Alliance a FRINGE of Water
loo and presented him with large estates.
Other distinctions included the Order OF
the Garter and the Golden Fleece and
the rank of field marshal in eight
European armies.
Marlborough is remembered the only
ether British general to attain the rank
of duke-Won in the war of the Spanish
succession. Blenheim Palace, the estate |
G. Woodstock, and a pension of G4eeo
a year also We're tokens of his grateful
King and countrys appreciation. A |
German title that of Prince of Minden-
helm, was a further tribute TO his
prowess- !
Elevation to the peerage long has been
the form of rewardinG the most distin- |
guished military service IN Britain. and
the roll of the House OF Lords has been |
increased by the addition of a number |
of names of these men of deeds. No |
where have these titles been won so fire. |
quently as IN India. Robert Give, TO
whom Britain owes largely the posses
sion of that great dependency, for his
victory at Plassey, received only the re-
ward of an Irish barony. But his coun-
Try felt that something more was Que
his memory, and his son was advanced
to the earldom of Powis. thus reward
ing a son for the brave deeds of his
father.
Sir George Harris won a peerage Tor
his conquest of Mysore. The Sikh wars
of the early '40s of the last century.
resulting in the annexation of the Pun
lab, brought viscounties to Sir Hugh |
Cough, the British commander, and to
Sir Henry Harding. the Governor Cen
eral. The latter. also a Peninsular
hero and grandfather OF the present
Eiceroy of India, showed his patriotic
Spirit in accepting service under Cough
as second in command. Cough received
4 pension of 5000 a year to be con-
tinued to two successors to the title.
and Hardinge one of 5000 year for
a like period.
The Indian mutiny brought a peerage
to Sir Colin Campbell, brother to the
then Duke of Argyle, who effected its
also baronetcies to several
That conferred on tine gallant
Havelock was awarded under tragic cir
as he died ere the news of
his elevation reached him. Lady Have
Jock was granted the rank of a baronet's
widow. Her son was made baronet.
and each was granted a pension of El,WO
, year A like pension accompanied the
paronetcy given to Sir James Outram
[.Bayard of India'0. and was continued
10 his son, who died recently. q;
Lord Napier, of Magdala. raised to the .
beerage for his Abyssinian successes.
kas the last British general to be given :
hereditary pension. But in recent times =
-ords Roberts, Wolseley. and Kitchener
lave been voted personal money grants !,
10 maintain their peerages.
Rank elevations like these were be-
ltowed only i'll one other of the Euro
bean states to so great an extent, name
Y, in Prussia, where Bluecher, the IA
nous "MarschaIl Forwaerts," who came
@ the aid OF Wellington on the field Of
was created by his grateful I
King, Friedrich Wilhelm III. a "Fuerst !
3luecher Won Wahlstadt.'' with an ap- r
'ropriate grant of an estate. Many were q
he royal Acknowledgements after the I
uccess of the "Befreiungskriege'' from h
he yoke of Napoleon, but it must be u
hronicled a remarkable fact that the
treat Frederick, that historic figure of p
he seven years war against Maria The F
esa of Austria, a man who summer and h
TivSa 1fv-al III L.