A STRANGE CAREER.

Samoa Times and South Sea Gazette, Volume 2, Issue 76, 15 March 1879, Page 2

A STRANGE CAREER.

T!i*: Bordeaux papers announce the death in that city of Orelie Autoine de Tounems, a Frenchman, and who was, in many respeots, similar to that of the late Louis Napoleon Bonaparte, some time Emperc.' of the French. Born in" 1820 M. de Tonneins practiced for a while as solicitor at Pcrig'iex ar.u then emigrated to South America, where he son obtained so great an influence over the different tribes of Arauoania that they united together and ehctod h'm their King in 1861, all the leading men of tho Indian tribes attending ; wrfc of open-air parliament on horseback, after the old Polish fashion, and voting unanimousiy to place the sceptre in the bauds of the Perigueux solioitor. The new monarch styled, himself Orelie Autoiue 1., King of Araucania r.ud Patogoiiia. He gave his subjects a constitution like that which France then enjoyed, proclaimed tho use of the Code Napoleon, and, with a view to establishing close relations between his kingdom and the mother country, appealed to the French nation for a public subscription was not a success, but on the 23rd of September, 18(11, the Paris Temps published an article which advocated with some energy the cause of tho SolicitorKing, and reproved the French for tl.eir incorrigible flippancy in railing at a man who was after all patriotically endeavouring to extend the influence of France. How Araucania might eventually have fared under its French King there is no saying, for the Chilean Government, taking alarm at Orelie Antoine's doings, declared war against him; and ou the 4th of January, 1862, just after King Orelie had returned to the plain of the Los Porales, after making a torn through his kingdom to organize the national defence he was kidnapped bv a troop of Chilean cavalry and imprisoned at Naciment). Arauoania having been an ihdepeadjnt State since 1773, and there being some irregularity in the Chilean war declaration, it was contended by Viscount do Cazotte, the French Consul at Santiago, that King Orelie's arrest was contrary to international law, and the diplomatic controversy on this point was still pending when the King escaped from prison by filing through the bars of his cell aud plunging valiantly into the river, notwithstanding the bullets which the sentinels fired at him. This gave the high Court of Santiago pretext for declnii ig the lawyer-potentate to be a madman, and ou being recaptured Orelie was conlined in a lunatic asylum, whore he remained until, by if. de Cazotte's intercession, ho was allowed to embark for Europe at his own expense. Soon after his return to France, King Orelie, having got into pecuniary difficulties, was prosecuted by a tradesman from whom he had obtained goods by calling himself Prince de Tonneins; but the Correctional Court of Paris decided, in 1564, that the ex-King of Araucania, having been duly elected by his subjects, was fairly entitled to style himself a prince if he chose. In 1869 he again went to Araucania, where his authority appeal's to have been respected by the natives. He was at once involved in a new war with Chile, and in 1871 returned to Franco to secure a loan for the purposes of his kingdom. He founded a weekly newspaper at Marseilles, entitled Li Couronne d' Acier—The Crown of Steel —caused medals to be struck off, granted orders of knighthood, and performed other kingly acts in n lively manner. He had left in Araucania a deputy.one Planchut, who had been his bosom friend and most zealous supporter. Tlie deputy acted vory shabbily, aud, taking advantage of the King'sjabscneo caused himself to be elected as tKiug Planchut I. When news of this perfidy reached Franco, Orelio published in his paper a challenge to Planchut to light a duel with lassoes, " the national weapou of Araucania " the Bois do Viucenues being designated as the place, and Christmas Day, 1872, as the timo for the encounter. King Planchut did not accept this invitation to settle the right to the throne, and Orelie bestirred himself so vigorously that in the course of another year he had raised money enough to charter a ship, and to go out to Araucania with a few faithful friends. But his old enemy Chile was too quiok for hiin. His ship was waylaid and captured on tho 17th of July, 1874, and he was finally suffered to return to his native land. But he could not be persuaded to give up his dream of sovereign power, and began writing a book on the manners, customs, and language of tho people over whom he fondly Hoped again to reign. He asked everybody to subscribe for one copy, giving him whatever they liked as a donation, which he promised to acknowledge in his preface to the new book, which was to bo a register of the names of all those who havo aided a king in distress. As soon as he had obtained funds enough he intended to bring on action against the French authorities, who declared him mad, and treated him as a lunatic, to save him, from the Chileans, who, if they had not been interfered with would havo tried him by court-martial as a rebel taken with arms iu his hands. But tho subscriptions to the new book came iu so slowly that he was obliged to attempt to eke out a livelihood as a wine morehant. Iu this role he failed, and thon, solicited and obtained oinploymont as a gas-ligh-ter, or rather gas-uxtinguishor, tho decayed monarch stipulating that his duties should only oommvuee when bis formfr

intimate* would probably be in their beds. This ww the last act of this curious Odyssey, which naturally finished at the "hospital in Bordeaux, when for more than a year past, be sewed to have lost all bis intellectual faculties, walking up, however, on the eve of his death i.. say: " I have indeed been a madman, but who would have imagined that France could refuse to annex such splendid colonies ?"