The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1913-05-23
His Pretensions to Sovereignty
Would Not Have Been
Admitted by Powers.
BY la MARQuIsE die roNrENoY.

condition that he might be free
to use the troops. tho guns and the
supplies Of the beleaguered strong
hold in order to enable him to pro-
claim himself Prince of Albania. was
the head of an Albanian family. which,
curiously enough. possesses coat-of-
arms which is no more nor less than
that OF the royal house of France,
brised, 1t is true. By a bend sinister.
This shield. which has been the
heraldic device OF the ancient Albanian
house Of Toptan for centuries. seems
to bear out the tradition, ac-
cording to which the founder Of
the house was a natural son Of that
French royal Duke Of Anjou who
took part in the Crusades. so many
OF whose mobiles and knights settled
down in Northern Greece and Albania,
founding Balkan branches of their
family. In fact, the country Is still
dotted with the ruins of the castles
which they built during the 200 years
of their domination thereof, while the
title OF Duke of Athens. formerly own
ed by the Duke of Anjou In question.
is now comprised among the many
disnities of his descendant, King AL
fonso XIII. of Spain.
In the time of Scanderbeg. the
head of the house of ToDtan. claim
ing, as have said above, descent from
q natural son OF the royal French
Duke Charles of Anjou, was Duke of
Durazzo, and married Scanderbsg's
sister. He was killed along with
Scanderbeg at the battle of Alessio,
but his only son, although carried on
into captivity, grew up to achieve
fame Ali Bey. Essad Pasha was very
proud OF this descent. and kept
among his most precious treasures an
illuminated genealogical table setting
forth his ancestry.
1t was improbable in the extreme.
however. that his pretensions to the
sovereignty OF Albania would be adj
mitted, either by the foreign powers.
or even by the Albanians themselves.
For, after all. the Toptan family is
but one of the score OF equally power
full clans into which Albania is d.
vided. Their dissensions and feuds
among one another recall those which
used TO prevail among the great clans
OF Scotland. and have contributed more
than anything else to keep the coun-
try in state of perpetual turmoil
and unrest.
Nor did Essad deserve any consid
Grafton For it was a mistake to re-
gard him as the hero of the prolonged
defense of Scutari. The entire credit
thereof belongs 10 Hassan Ria Pasha
His defense was all the more remark
able, since Scutari is not like Adrian
ople. stronghold surrounded by
modern forts, but only an open little
town, protected by the physical fea
lures of the surrounding country. and
by field construction. Essad wished
repeatedly TO surrender. but Hassan
Ria would not hear of it. One night,
towards the end OF April, when leav-
ing the house OF Essad Pasha after
dinner Hassan Ria was shot down
and killed by assassins. who escaped.
the murder being generally imputed
TO the instiGation OF Essad. The lat
ter thereupon took command of the
garrison, and Immediately opened up
with the AIontenegrins the ncgotia-
lions which eliminated in the sur
render OF Scutar!
Essad was at one time commandant
of the gendarmcrie AT Constaatinople.
His brother. Gapi Bel Toptan, an AL
bantam Nationalist, had been put to
death by order Of sultan Abdul lIamid,
and when the Turkish Parliament, on
the occupation of Constantinople by
Mahmoud Shefket's troops, proclaimed
Sultan Abdul Hands deposition.
Essad was granted, at his request, the
privilege OF heading the deputation dis
patched TO the Yildiz Kiosque to an
nounce TO Abdul Hamid his fate. on
April q. 1909, Essad, accompanied by
three other officers, presented himself
before the Sultan, and pronounced the
fateful words in accordance with the
Fetva OF the Sheik- ul-Islam, The rep
resentatives of the nation have de-
creed your deposition" Essad there
upon placed the ex-Sultan under ar
rest
That there should be in Albania
family claiming descent from na
tural son OF one of the princes of the
royal house of France, reminds me
that in India some of the great mobiles
put forward still stronger and we'll
warranted pretensions to similar an
cestry. Thus, next to the ruler OF
Bhopal, the Nawab Nasrulla Khan. the
highest dignitary Of this important ma
tive state Of the Indian empire, goes
by the name of Burbon Sirdar, and,
like his ancestors. is a Roman Cath
Ollie.
Ii seems that toward the middle OF
the sixteenth century a Frcnchman OF
the name OF Jean de Bourbon. natural
son OF the royal French Prince Charles
de Bourbon. grand constable of
France arrived at the court of Delhi,
and, winning the favor and good will
OF the great Emperor Akbar Khan,
was appointed by him master OF the ar
tillery OF his army.
According to his own story, he had
been captured by Moorish pirates dur
ing one of their raids along the south
ern coast OF France. had been sold into
Egyptian slavery, and had made his
way into Abyssinia, where he became,
in course Of time. an important digni-
tary in the service OF the Negus.
Tempted by the accounts which he re-
ceivcd OF the splendor of the court OF
the great Mogul. he had taken pas
sage in one of the ships which in
those days. carried on frequent COM
municatioD between Abyssinia and In
dia, and thus reached Delhi.
He died at Agra, leaving two sons
by Georgian lady, the elder Of whom,