The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1913-03-25
COUNT is MEMBER OF
MANY NOBLE ORDERS

this position by Emseror Nicholas un-
til about n year after the coronation.
1t may be remembered that the lat
ter was marred by the terrible catas-
trophc on the plains OF Chodynka. out
side Moscow, where. owing to a panic.
which might easily. have been avertcd
by the most elementary precautions on
the part OF the authorities. severai
thousands OF unfortunate peasants.
who had come in some cases many
hundreds of miles to pay their hon.
age to the Car. lost their lives by
being trampled to death. So intense
was the popular Indignation at
home and abroad that tho Emperor
was compelled to institute a commits
sion OF inquiry in order to determine
tho blame and responsibility for the
tragedy. The commission was headed
by the aged Count Pahlon. and with
q considerable amount of independence
returned verdict placing all the
hlnme upon the real culprit, the late
Grand Duke ScrgIus. who was Gov
ernor- General, Of Moscow.
The grand duke had all along en-
deavored to eAculpate himself at the
expense OF Count worontzoff- Dash
koff. on the preteHt that the latter. as
minister OF the imperial house. and as
such In charge of the coronation, was
at fault: and that the count should
have been cleared at his, the grand
dukes. expense so cmbittered him
that he set to work TO make the counts
| position intolerable. Some error In
etiquette at subsequent court bah
at st. Petersburg on the part OF one
| OF the masters OF the ceremonies, gave
| Sergius the opportunity of assailing
| the count with such a torrent of invec-
| tive and reproaches In the presence OF
| the guests that ne insisted on resign
f,.-- Ill Il 1o1, NJ. kL..s
! nothing whatsoever could induce him
| to remain in a position where he
would necessarily be brought into fire.
| quent contact with tho grand duke.
| 1t was only with the utmost reluc-
lance that the Emperor accepted the
counts resignation. and not long after
wards appointed him to take charge
| of the governor generalship of the
| Caucasus. endowing him with the
rank of viceroy, which had not been
held by any of his predecessors since
the administration OF old Grand Duke
! Michael. One of the counts daugh-
j ters a very beautiful woman Is mar
ried to Elm Demidon, Prince Of San
Donate, and now Russian envoy TO the
court of Athens
The viceroy was succeeded as min
.ster of the imperial house by General
Baron Vladimir Freedericksz. vino has
| continued In office ever since. With
his long mustachc, recalling that oil
the late King Humbert, he presents a
striking appearance, and is always to
be found in immediate attendance on
the Gar as his principal guard and
4 shadow. He is absolutely devoted to
the Emperor, the Empress and their
children, and administers not only the
/ entire court, but also the huge crown
I property, with ability and success. In
addition to his other duties he acts
as chief adviser, as a sort of prime
minister TO the Gear. in the latter's
supervision and control of the various
members of the rcigning family
which is by no means an easy task, as
shown by the disciplinary measures
which have. since the accession OF
Nicholas. been adopted against the
Grand Dukes Paul Alexis, Michae
Michaelovitch Cyril. Boris. Andrew
and against the Emperors two broth
ers. the late Grand Duke George ant
eX-Grand Duke Michael. The Empero,
has just rewarded the services of the
general by promoting him from the
rank OF baron to that OF count.
Titles of count bestowed by the Rus
sian crown are rare. True, there are
number OF mobiles OF THE German
speaking provinces Of Russia who have
been permitted to retain their Ger
man titles of count and baron for
use in Russia. There are Polish no.
bles who have been authorized by the
Russian crown TO retain their Polish
titles; and foreigners, such as, for in
stance. the Cassinis, when they entered
the service of the Gear. We're permit
ted to retain their foreign titles. But
none OF these are Russian dignitics
They are merely foreign titles whose
use has been sanctioned in Russia.
do not suppose that there have beer
~
of count bestowed by the Cars since
the days OF Peter the Great among
the most notable being those of tn
| MouravieffS and of the Dashkoffs
Thanks to this. a count whose patent
as such is a gift from the Muscovitt
crown. is Il man of far greater impor-
tance in Russia than the vast majority
OF so-called princes. many of whom
merely rank as petty nobility.
The newly created Count Freeder-
icksz. minister of the imperial house
hold and son of an aide de-camp gen
eral Of Alexander H., must not be
COMPOUNDED with his cousin. general
of the same name, who for nearly
thirty years was military attache oil
the Russian embassy at Paris anu
quilted the French metropolis under
somewhat sensational circumstances
During the Dreyfus court martial al
Rennes. the fact was brought 20 light
that on the occasion of the monthly
dinners Of the foreign military at
taches at Paris, which Invariably took
place at Voisons famous restaurant
concealed telephones, phonograplis
and analogous acoustic contrivances
were arranged in such manner as
to enable the French War Department
to know exactly what was being dis
cusscd at table. Tie general felt af-
ter this that his position had become
intolerablc. For while he himself
was victim OF this shameful piece
of sharp practice on the part OF tlf.
Intelligence Bureau of the French Wal
Department he feared that by rca-
son of the closencss OF the alliance
between Russia and France and be-
tween the War Departments OF tn,
two countries, lie might be regarded
by the more suspicious OF his foreign
colleagues as party to the scheme
On his return to st. Petersburg II,
was appointed by the Car director Of
that important bureau at court which
Ill N.,tI ,.,N,.