The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1914-02-18
Italy's Ambassador at Washing
ton Is Poet and Play
wright of Merit.
BY A aIAn0UIsE DIE FONTENo1..

w Washington. the Marquis Gu
SAM Confalonierc. is noted on
both sides of the Atlantic. particularly
at Vienna, as n remarkably successful
diplomat OF exceptional tact. and ex-
tremely witty. Few save his more inti-
mate friends In the United States are
aware OF the fact that he is both y
poet and playwright Of rare merit
The marquis has kept these gifts
concealed from the public until the
very eve Of his departure from America.
and If they are being now at this late
date revealed. 1t Is because he has al
lowed his adaptation in exquisite
French verge. OF Giacosa's comedy THE
Huaband Who Fell I'm Love With HIS
Wife, and which was given for the
first time at the Theatre du Pare, at
Brussels In the winter OF 1909. to be
played I'm Washington. New York. Bos-
ton and other cities. during the next
few weeks, by thesSociete dart Drama
tinuc Francais. OF New York. for the
sake Of charity. II will serve ps n
graceful und somewhat unusual fare
we'll on the part of the ambassador TO
the American people. among whom he
has spent several especially happy
years.
While the Marquis Cusani ia the only
foreign amba esador al Washington to
achieve distinction as PLAYWRIGHT
and as n poet. there have hecn sevn~ai
other cascs OF the kind abroad Thus
his old chief NJ Vienna. the late Count
Nigra. whom lie go often replaced there
as charge d'affaires. won, while arnbns-
sador in Paris, during the last twelve
years of the empire. n most privileged
position Mt the court of tho Tuileriea
by the skill and readiness with which
he wrote. In French. the comediettas
which Napoleon and Eugene were SO
fond Of having produced by members
Of their encourage In their private thea
tres at the palaces of st. Cloud. Com
piegne "and Fontainebleau.
Count NiGra also used 10 write the
librettos Of the amusing operettas for
which his colleague, Prince Richard
Mettcrnich, ambassador OF Austria
Hungary would compose the music
operettas in which the Austrian am
bassadress. the inimitablc Princess
Pauline Metternich, played the leading
role. She still survives, and although
considerably over eighty years OF age.
remains full of fun and high spirits,
the principal organizer OF all chart
table entertainments at Vienna. and
the queen OF the revels In that gag
metropolis. No little OF the success
achieved by Count Nlgra and Prince
Richard Metternich, in France as am
.
favor which they had acquired by their
abilities as playwright and as composer
respectively.
Another ambassador who was quite
rs eager about his lnurels as n play
wright, az he was about those 20 be won
in the field OF statecraft, was the late
Sir Edward Malet, who, in the days
when ne represented Great Britain in
Berlin. was looked upon by his gov
eminent as the best horse in lis diplo-
matte stable. Sir Edwards most i'm
portant production as n playwright was
the llbretto of the opera Harold to
the music OF Govern which had Il sue
cessful run at Covent Garden. and
which. thanks TO his mastery of the
German and italian languages he was
able TO have performed both at Berlin
and at Rome, In the local vernacular.
While minister resident in Egypt,
after the bombardment OF Alexandria
he wrote a one-act poetic drama, en-
titled "Caterina Cornero. Queen Of
Cyprus" which was produced at the
palace OF the Marchioness OF Duncrin,
at Cairo, in the winter OF 1883, Malet
himself appearing before tho footlights
In the role of Pablo
Al Rome, while charge d'affaires
there. he organized performance given
OF his comedy "Thc Ordeal at o
Barberini Palace. and when stationed
at Washington. during the War OF the
Union. as one OF the secretaries to Lord
Lyons. the British legation was tho
scene Of constant dramatic entertain
ments given by Lord Lyons, and IN
which Ned Malct figured as playwright.
stage manager and star actor, ably
supported rs Il rule by Ills Fellow sec
rotary. rufus" Eliot. afterwards Lord
st. Germans. Another playwright am
bassador was the late Earl of Lytton
who died while representing Great
Britain In Paris. Better known as 4
poet under the pen namo OF owen
Meredith" he delighted In play writ
ing, and when Viccroy OF India. IL used
10 be said of him by iu-nhturcd critics
that he gave far more attention 10 the
production OF his plays uI at 5imla
than to the administration OF this huge
Eastern empire OF the British crown.
Several of his plays were even set TO
music.
The late Earl of Westmorland, who
was for so many years ambassador At
Vienna, prided himself, not on heinz:
librettist, but OH being an operate
composer. He kept two private secre-
taries, who were adopts in the art OF
writing music Every fine day he would
go out riding with them in the Pratar.
and as he rode he would rum or even
whiatle the airs which camo' into his
head. II was the duty of the two sec
retaries, who rode on either side OF him,
10 remember these melodies which he
had thus composed, and TO transfer
them to paper. mm ediately- on their
return home TO the embassy. Irrcver-
emily nicknamed by the members of
his staff. as "hord Fiddlc-de-d dc" he
was ultimately recalled. owing TO the
terrible cutlery in the ultra Protestant
Church papers In England, on Its be-
coming publicly known that he had
been led By his passionate fondness for
music. to play the vioioncello Mt n
grand orchestral mass in ST. Stephens
Cathedral at Vienna This was held to
have been uniting for tho ambassador
OF the principal Protestant power in
Europe.
King George has a new royal stand
ard bearer of Scotland. In the person
OF Henry Scrymgeour Wedderburn. who
has Just succeeded to this hereditary
honor, through the death of his father
and namesakc. The late Henry
Scrymgeour Wedderburn Will be main
ly remembered through his prolonged
and successful litigation with the Earl