The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1913-05-24
Every One of It's Members En-
titled From Birth to Titles
Of Duke and Prince.
~ LA A1ARaUIsE DE FoNTENoY.

By LA MARaUIsE DE FoNTENoY.
HERE is one great house of the
European nobility, every one OF
the thirty members Of which en-
joys from birth the title Of duke and
prince or duchess and princess. 1t is
the family Of Arenberg. which exer-
cised petty sovereign sway until the
overthrow of the Holy Roman Empire
BY the First Napoleon, and was media
tized at the time of the Congress OF
Vienna. 1s14-1Sl5. Its present chief,
Duke Engelbert of Arenberg, who is
also fifteenth Duke of Aerschot and OF
Croy. fourth Duke Of Meppen Prince Of
RcckllnShauSen, Prince of LiEne and
Count de Ia Marck, was born and
brought up at Brussels, where his
mother, the dowager duchens, still re-
sides in that wonderful historic Aren-
berg Palace. which. for the last 400
years, has been the most notable fea-
ture of that city. But he now makes
his home in Germany, where his es-
tates embrace an area of no less than
LOO square miles. In addition to which
he has much landed property in Aus
trfa, Belgium and France.
Nobody, however. save those imme
diateiy concerned. was aware until the
Investigations in connection with the
new special assessment of capital for
military purposes brought the matter
to light, that the duke possesses the
mining rights for almost the whole OF
the Prussian province OF Westphalia,
the greatest mining district in Ger
many. These mineral rights were pos
sessed from the time of Charlemagne
by the original house of Arenberg,
which became extinct in the male line
in 1880, when the honors and estates
and prerogatives were continued by
the Holy Roman Empire to Count En-
colbert de la Marck. husband OF the
only child and heiress of the last OF
her family.
These mineral rights were confirmed
IN the year 1856 to the head Of the
thus continued house OF Arenbcrg, by
the so-called Golden Bull OF Emperor
Charles ". BY its terms no one has
been allowed 10 open up any mining
operations in Westphalia without OBJ
tanning the permission of the chief OF
the house of Arenberg for. the time
being, permission being only granted
in return for royalty of 1 per cent
on the selling price OF the mining pro-
duct; that is 10 say, if an owner of
an estate discovers that there is coal
or iron beneath the surface OF his
lands. he cannot mine and develop the
sources of wealth without permission
of the Duke of Arenberg, and paying
him a royalty.
These royalties. which have been
thus paid year by year for the last
seven centuries, are not only the origin
of the colossal wealth OF the Aren-
bergs. but bring in TO this day an
enormous revenue. Moreover, within
the last few years these revenues
have been Increasing by leaps ana
bounds. having tripled within the last
twenty years. That such rights as
these should have existed and aug
mented in value during 700 years.
through all sorts OF revolutions and
changes OF sovereignty and of govern
ment, is almost incredible. and it con-
stitutes perhaps the most notable in
stance of that much abused term. "un-
earned increment" Sooner or later
popular sentiment is bound to legis-
late this wonderful privilege out of
existence