Show EUROPEAN TOPICS the news from stanley the great african explorer and the flight of boulanger have so engrossed public attention that other events of no small importance have been passed by unnoticed of these the return of the due d aumale armale to his ancestral home at chantilly is by no means unimportant to understand der stand the influence which this prince may exert on the politics of france we must recollect that the ancestors of the due d P aumale armale namely the house of conde held a prominent place in that important period of french history during the reformation those who have read the history of catherine de medlee and her sons are well aware that at one time france was very nearly becoming a protestant country it was then that the princes of conde showed themselves valiant in the cause of right so great was waa their influence that at one moment it would seem that catherine felt inclined to throw her influence and that of the royal authority on the side of conde and the protestants Prot estante true to the instincts of his ancestors tors the due dA is a protestant and anyone who will pause to reflect may easily perceive the influence he may exert on the politics of france while the english speaking populations of the world interested are in the wonderful career of emin pasha and henry M stanley there has suddenly appeared in europe another character nearly or quite as wonderful five years ago af marie david de mayrena was an officer in the french corps des guides having previously served in the franco russian war ha was also a journalist and member or of the I 1 cercle de la press now he is marie I 1 king of the Sed angs in the year 1885 he was sent by we the french minister to make reports concerning certain affairs progress ing in sumatra hav having in g berf perform 0 his duties he crossed over to cochin china and travelled for a faw months in the annam country there he fell in with some jesuit fathers bound on a religious mission to the interior of farther india bf M de mayrena learned that there ex es isted between annam and slam a vast territory fully as large id rge as brig ea land which was not claimed by the 0 Anna mites nor yet by the king kingdom dolO of slam siam in the french maps th this country is marked independent anat an a on the english maps is delineated of large tract of country y northeast slam siam and between the mekong ell 1 er and the annam boundary TWO is the kingdom of Sed angs chic been a by the lias has always recognized recognize neighboring states as independent until lately this coti country has as beell beeb ruled by native chiefs and but little lit intercourse existed between the etheln habitants bitante ha and the outside world e capt when european traders Ss a bended the mekong river biver to t barter bart the natives with jig the M de mayrena conceived ta idea of annexing this province sad his native country france a at having assured himself of the w u undeveloped e elo eur d riches of the re regio or h he reigned returned t to paris in the f a 1885 and having laid his before the minister M CS he be asked for government assi ance in 0 the minister did not acquiesce this idea but gave M S three thousand francs and a sion as the french agent w to w trw the sources of the mekong V armed with this and twenty voi VO ajo mayrena again started OIL ji travels at quin hon he ag encountered the jesuit fathers and having found an interpreter pushed towards the frontier they found the first village they came to ina in a state of epidemic A sort of jungle fever was waa playing sad d havoc with the natives va by means of the quinine which the travel ere era had brought with them the sickness was allayed and the new arrivals were looked upon as beneficent sorcerers M de mayrena was elected as chief in recognition of his services and an escort conducted him further into the country here he found war was progressing among the various tribes who off and on had been fighting each other for many generations mayrena and his volunteers added their forces to the combatants and led their side to victory once more greatly extending his popularity he then began to work in connection with the jesuit fathers for the civilizing of the natives he persuaded them to lay down their arms and live in peace with each other having assured his position he married the only child of af a great chief and with the assistance of his father in law called together avast a vast assemblage of the chief men of the tribes to a national discussion at this assemblage some of the jesuit fathers were present and they as well as mayrena lecou lectured the natives on the advantages of peace and commerce he unfolded to the natives his plans and they retired to think over his counsel soon afterwards they returned and with one accord elected him chief of the chiefs or king of the Sed angs meanwhile reports of his doin doings p and likewise of the riches of the country had reached slam siam and the result was that a party of germans full ill of their new colonization craze set out for Sed angs but they soon found that the natives under their new king were prepared to repel them and so accordingly they returned whence they came the king aided by the jesuit fathers and the other chiefs then proceeded to draw raw up a constitutional code which would give equal privileges to the various tribes and give protection to life and property not merely to the natives but likewise to travelers and traders frequenting qu the country having thus settled the affairs of the country the new king left his father in law and wife as regents and proceeded to hong kon kong where he be was received with honor oy by the governor and entertained by the officers A syndicate of merchants have purchased the privilege to trade with the se delige angs and with the money thus obtained the king sailed for europe arriving in paris in the latter part 0 w f february the government of france ranee welcomed him and recognized his services in a scientific point of view but refused to extend a 06 protectorate over the country of the we Sed angs lord randolph adolph churchill who was then in paris made the acquaintance of king marie 1 I and save gave him a dinner at the cafe an fit lais his lordship lorda hip has promised to present him to lord 9 salisbury allsbury in ILO london ladon and has invited him to stay as his guest in connaught place the king has accepted this valuable mentorship and will go to london soon in personal appearance the king is a fine tall man over six feet in height hia age is forty six though he appears much younger he has a heavy beard slightly tinged with grey and never drinks anything but water in his buttonhole he wears a light green decoration the emblem of a new order instituted by himself only five persons have received the grand cross of this order and none of them are in europe hundreds of invitations have been sent to king marie from various dignitaries still he goes very little in society he is dignified and courteous in manner and in appearance peara pe arance uce much resembles the king of the belgians in five months he will return to the country which has adopted him As fast as the strange history of this adventurer becomes known he is literally besieged by a throng who are eager to try their fortunes in strange lands it is not merely the soldier and the sailor but physicians scientists and moral reformers as well journalists and speculators are ready to hear all he has to say photographers wish to place his photo photo in their galleries n an and traders ers are anxious to supply his savages with trinkets nearly persons are said to have asked to receive the decoration of his order an enterprising wine merchant forwards him a cask of champagne labeled broyal 1888 and anda a dentist sends him several gross of packages of tooth powder for the use of himself and his I 1 s dusky subjects one youth is said to have made application to be taken to se bangs because he has all the instincts of a savage anda horror of intellectual work it seems that while america and germany are disputing about the samoan difficulty the lord of hosts or what the infidel calls the forces of nature s has read mankind a lesson the fleets of the two great nations in hostile array were ready to fight each other for the supremacy over a cluster of volcanic rocks inhabited by a few savages one morning a tidal wave swept across the ocean and after it had passed nothing worth mentioning was left of either fleet the sea has grown calm aga again inthe the wreckage of six men of war strew the samoan shore brave men have perished there is mourning in many german and american homes but will the nations learn the lesson even a parisian journal asks the question J H warp EURo EUROPE pv april 22 1889 |