The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1914-01-24
Refers in Letter to Descent From
Joan Of Arc, Who Died With
out Posterity.
ny LA MARaUIsE DE FoS-rENo1.

ny LA MARaUIsE DE FoNrENOT.
+ I IsToRY. both secular and ecclesi
astical, teaches US that Joan
of Arc. as indicated by her title
OF Maid OF Orleans. died. IA she had
lived, maid. without posterity. Yet
/ have q letter before me- dated No
vember IS, 1900, In which tho indivi-
dual. VINO styles himself Duke of
Warren Surrey asserts over that
signature. ION the maternal side de-
sccnd from St Pierre Fourier and tho
venerable Jeanne dare" Tho duke"
also in the same letter alludes to his
royal origin. from william the Con-.
queror. Inasmuch rs there are many
thousands of lineal descendants in the
female line from Norman, Plantagenet
and Tudor Kings. occupying the
mblest walks OF life In Great Brit
ain. this descent from William the Con-
Queror is of no account whatsoever
lf l call attention to tho matter, II
Is because this person has just ar
rived by tho French liner Provence In
New York, where he Is putting up at
the Gotham, attracting notice there By
his extraordinary clothes, his odd man
ner and utterances. and his ringlettcd
hair. Ho proposes subsequently, to
honor Washington. Philadelphia. Chi
cago, Boston. and other big cities of
the United States, also Canada, with
his presence. He was over here in
1900. with the publicly expressed pur-
poso of finding some rich woman, pre-
ferably OF the Catholic Church. willing
TO become his wife. He is still unmar-
ried. and presumably his present trip
TO America has the same matrimonial
object in view, since he has admitted
In interviews that he would not be dis
inclined to wed rich American wo-
man.
1T may. therefore, DO of interest TO
furnish some information concerning
mo ducal title which he uses, and
which he proposes to share with some
fair daughter OF Uncle sam. He
claims to-day. as no did just fourteen
years ago, that the dukedom was be-
slowed upon him by the Vatican on
Juno 81, 1900, in n BRIEF issued by the
late Cardinal Macchi. But have bo
fore me an official list, bearing tho
date OF 1918. of all the papal titles OF
nobility granted during the past cen
fury, and the dukcdom OF Warren-Sur
rey does not figure among them.
nave also French standard work here
or titles OF nobility granted by the
vatican to French citizens, divided into
TWO parts. ono containing the names
or those whose papal titles have been
registered by the Keeper of the Great
Seal at Paris. and ere authorized 10 he
other part is devoted TO those French
men possessing nobiliary dignities OBJ
tanned from the Vatican, and which.
not having been registered. cannot
lawfully be used in France. In neither
or these lists does the dukedom Of
warren Surrey occur
IT is hardly necessary for me to add
that the dukedom of Warren Surrey
does not occur il the English peerage
Ihcre Is an earldom OF Surrey, but it
belongs to tho Duke Of Norfolk, and
Is borne by his son and heir The
soi-disant Duke OF Warren Surrey does
not figure in any official list of titles
or In any Of The standard works OF
reference OF any country of Europe;
least OF all in the Almanach de Gotha
With regard TO the patent of duke
dom bearing tho signature OF tho late
Cardinal Macchi, l recall that when
tho duke was here fourteen years
ago, ana produced tho patent in ques-
ton. reference was made from here TO
the late Cardinal iampolIa, then secre-
tary or state, who sent q reply that
there was no record of any such duke
dom having been granted by tho Vail
can.
The duke" when asked TO explain
this, minated that he had obtained
the patent from ono OF the minor of
hcials OF the papal legation In Paris
and that if the cardinal secretary Of
state asserted that il was not on rec
ORD ut tho Vatican. II was probably
because no had not paid the requisite
fees and dues OF registration Indeed
lie intimated 10 me at the timo, at my
house whe.I he called upon mo, that
he had not had the money for this. and
that one OF tho reasons why he wished
TO obtain rich wife in America was
In order to pay these fees. or rather
to take up the notes which he had
given in lieu or cash. In Wow OF the
fact that the title has not been reg
isterel yet. 1t may BIO presumed that
he has not until now succeeded in pay
ing tho registration dues, and that his
titlo is therefore Invalid.
Let ne add that, although q French
man, and making his home in Paris
he does not belong to any reputable
Partisan club. When he was over
here last. and called upon mo In New
York, no claimed to know intimately
several prominent members OF tho old
French and Austrian aristocracy. One
of them. with whom he declared him
self to be particularly intimate and
to whom, indeed. no PROGRESSED TO be
related. happened to be lunching that
very day at my house. and. summon
ing him from tho drawing room into
the library. i confronted him with the
duke, much to the latter's dismay,
since my guest had never heard of n
Duke OF Warren-Surrey. nor soon tho
individual in question in his life bo-
fore.
The duke" also claims,t that his aunt
on the maternal side. that is to say,
his mothers sister Is u Countess
Natalie Huyn, one Of tho Damos du
Palais of tho court OF Vienna, and
lady In waiting OF tho Archduchess
Maria Thereso. that he is the nephew,
IN the same way, Of Count Paul Uuyn