A KING " IN LOW WATER."

Southland Times, Volume III, Issue 232, 23 March 1866, Page 3

A KING " IN LOW WATER."

There was in 1858 a person named Antoine de Tonnens practising as an attorney, or avoue, in the town of Perigueux, and one fine day he disposed of his business to a brother lawyer and embarked for South America, with a view of establishing a colony in Araucania. He found, he says, the Araucamans without a ruler, without a governmant, without organisation, and perpetually menaced by the Chilians. He made the acquaintance of a cacique who had influence in the country, aud through him offered to his countrymen to enlighten them on their rights, and to give tuem an organisation and a government. Tne Araucanians accepted nis oifer, and named him their King. The i J atagoniaus, jealous of the good fortune of then* neighbors, also offered the crown to M. de Tonnens, who accepted it, so that he was sovereign of botn nations by the style and title of Orilic Antoine I. Before the immortal principles of '89 had time to take much root in the couutry, Orilic Antoine 1. was dethroned. He was attacked by the Chilians, made prisoner, and condemmed to death, from wnieh he was with soinw difficulty rescued by the French authorities. He was puc on board ship and conveyed to .Brest, where he landed about a year ago. Soon after his. arrival in j Paris he issued- a manifesto to the follow- j ing effect . — j " .Kingdom of Araucania and Patagonia. — Creation of a factory in South America, with a capital of 100,000,0001". VV c, Urllic Antoine i., by the grace of ixod, and the national will, King of Araucania and Patagonia, considering, as we have viiowu in our divers puuiicawons, the iinineustj

language in the south* of the American continent, as a counterpoise to the in- , fluence of the three great powers already established there — namely, England, Spain, and 'Portugal — and in order to give the French commerce important markets for its products, we propose, &." This manifesto, which invited people to subscribe in favor of the French idea, remained without eflect ; not a centimewas forthcoming, and the office in the Rue Vivienne had to be shut up. The civil list of Araucania and Patagonia not being available, and the Parisians declining to give money for the restoration of their sovereign, he was reduced to con- - siderable straits. He had been for some months living at an hotel in Paris, had run up a bill which he was unable to pay, and the consequence was that his Araucanian Majesty appeared on Saturday last in the Correctional Police Court on a charge of swindling, which was set forthin the following terms by the prrsiding judge:— " In December last you alighted at one of the best hotels in Paris. You engaged an apartment at 150 f a month. You intimated your intention of boarding at the hotel, which is easily understood, for you could not well board elsewhere. You were without resources, but you had, we are told, an excellent- appetite. Your tastes were of a very refined nature. You required the most sumptuous fare, and when the dishes were not sufficiently delicate you rej ected them. When persons are in such great penury as you were they should be much more modest, even : though they may have been Kings of Araucania and Patagonia. You lived in this way during four months. Now, for a man who perhaps had worn a crown, but who had not a farthing in his pocket, this was not over delicate conduct. One day you dissappeared from your hotel; you went I don't know where, to your family, to solicit aid. You returned to your hotel, and then you spoke of resources which would enable you to pay your debt — resources to be derived from an enterprise you were about to engage in — factories in Araucania and Patagonia. Yon opened offices in Paris in a little corner of the Hue Vivienne. You printed statues of a company, with 100 millions of francs capital. Your attempt did not succeed ; you did not get a sous. You were asked how you meant to pay your hotel expenses, and you said you should do so when you formed your company. How, without naving a single subscriber, could you pay ? Did you mean to pay your personal expenses with the money of your shareholders? In fact, you have not been able to pay. I pass over certain matters which in a moral point of view might have their weight. You are. reproached with certain manoeuvres in order to throw dust in the eyes of the perons who fed and lodged you for four months ; and s-upposing tnat ac first you were only imprudent, still there muse have come a moment; when you could have had no further illusion as to your resources. What answer can you make ?" -■' A long examination followed, in which the__accused tried to defend himself as best he could. He had hopes of forming his company ; he had hopes of getting back his crown ; he > had no intention , of swindling auybody ; he had given the, landlady of che hotel au acknowledgement of bis debt, which he meaut and which he tried to pay ; but all his exertions to raise money failed. Witnesses were called; who deposed that he had been for some time King of Arauc&nia, and that he had been taken prisoner by the Chilians and sentenced to be shot, and that he was saved by the French authorities. Moreover, it was proyed' by a letter from the Procurer at Perigueux that during the time he practised there as a lawyer he had borne an excellent character for probity. The Procureur moreover added that he did not believe him capable ' of swindling anybody, but that his pretended royalty of Araucania had completely upsefc his ideas and made him indulge the most preposterous projects, and that he was aftected with a monomania which had completely absorbed his intellect. Tue judgment of the court was to this effect: — " Whereas by assuming the title of Prince and King of Araucania the accused may have acted under the influence of chimerical thoughts and facts, but which, perhaps, to him seemed true<; that, consequently, the character of swindling not appearing in the case, it ' decided that there was good reason to pronounce his acquittal." He was accordingly "set at liberty. What measures he means to adopt towards his restoration to the throne of Araucania no one can tell. Meantime, it is well it should be known that the Araucanias and Patagonians are without a sovereign, and without a constitution, and would probably accept the first candidate that may present himself.