The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1866-11-20 00:00:00

THE DURHAM ESTATES.

The Newcastle Daily Journal says "the auspicious
day had been looked forward to with the greatest
interest in the North of England, where the founder
of the family, the most Aristotelian intellect since
the days of Aristotle' was born, and towards which
he ever entertained feelings of affection. There are
some names in the galaxy of England's great men
round which, almost intuitively, the public aspira-
tions cling, and such • name as that of John Scott is
one of them. Despite the Scotch•terrier-like bark of
his biegrapher, Lord Campbell, Lord Eldon and his
brother ',it'd Stowell, stand pre-eminent among the
great legal luminaries in British jurisprudence.
L 'id Campbell Indeed speaks of the first Earl as
millioseire, an earl, Lord- Chanoellor for • quarter
of • century—the greatest Chancellor since Lord
Hardee/hike -a prominent character in history,
the founder of one of the most distinguished
families in the peerage of England.'" About
150 of the tenants on the estates, together
with • numerous party of the resident gentlemen
of the neighbourhood, were entertained on the
*mamma of his lordship'. coming of age, to •
splendid dinner at the King's Used Hotel,
Darlington, uader the presioeioor of Joseph
Snowball, 8.A., his lordship's lead -sent for
the district In the course of the after-dinner p..
cowlings, it gram stated that the Earl bad given the
following sums in augmentation of the charities
within the parishes in Durham, where hie estates
are situated :—namely, to the vicar of Aycliffe,
£100; to the incumbents of Shildon. £5O; West
Auckland, C6O ; Heighington, £5O ; Sedgefield, £5O;
Meritagtoti, £5O; Seaton Carew, £5O; Great Stain -
ton, £3O; Bishopston, £2O; Eaglescliffe, £2O;
=airing • total of £4BO, of which his lordship had
theeight it right the poor should have the benefit—
(wlet's.).
'l'h• enemies.", rormamid loud and continued cheer-
ing to propose the "toast of the evening." He was
sure they all rejoioed with him at the Earl of Eldon
having attained thatday his twenty.first year. They
had looked forward to the event with great pleasure
for many years past; frequently at their rent days
bad they spoken of the approaching majority, and
be trusted nothing would occur to mar the cordiality
sad pleasure they hail in assembling together. To
show how much Lord Eldon was interested in his
tenantry, and as explaining something of the feeling
with which he bad looked forward to that day, he
would read to them a letter which he had received
from his lordship, and which related particularly to
tbe tenantry on his estates in Durham. That letter
wags, follows: -

_ .
"Beecombe, Wareham, Nov. 6, I 86&
Dear am sorry that I am personally unknown
to iny tenants in Durham ; but I snab that you would
at the dinner read thie letter, or may to them all how
mint I wish them moors' and happiness, end how I
hope that another year will be blessed with a more
favourable harvest to them—bow I sympathise with
tone who suffered by the cattle plague, and= thankfel
that It arse not more widely spread on the estate. I with to
take V.I. opportunity of saving how much is owed to
Mr. Oliver Ferrer and Mr. Bell and yourself, who have
noted for me during my minority, end I am sere that
the tenants will recognise, as I do, my obligation to your-
self. I have heard much of the county of Durham from
hr uocle, Kr. Ferrer, who m long represented
southern division in Parliament, end who is so wall
known in the county; and hope that it will never And
no do anything which will make the name of nay
venerated grest.grandfsther and my dear father lose
than it has been—l am, dear Sir, yours faithfully,
"Jowpb Snowball, Fel." " ELDON.
(Great cheering followed the reeding of the letter.)
That letter. the Chairman continued, spoke volumes
for itself ; but in addition to what was stated therein,
and what he bad stated already, he had to *tate that
on account of the losses suffered by farmers with
regard to their crops, lie had to intimate that his
lordship would give twamty per cent, on the half-
year's rents—(cbeers). All this would *bow that
his lordship bad their interesta at heart, and would
convince them that they were going to hare in the
future, what they had ever had before, a good Earl
of Eldon as Lord of the Manor.—(The heeith of bet
lordship was drunk amid great cheering, and with
every demon .tration of en t husiasm. )
Cartea-tk-ri.tie, representing his lordship standing
beside a Most of his great grandfather, were dies
tributed among the tenantry.