Star.
London, England, 1826-07-13 00:00:00

THE LATE VISCOUNTESS STRAiMFORD.

; H,. .10:41 2ft. •
The late Viscountess.Strangford died at the hotel of
his Excellency the British Ambassador, on-Friday
morning, the 26th May last. MIX Lady -was the, sister
of Sir Joba Bourke, of Marble Hill, in the county of
Galway, Bart. She was the maternal•aunt to the-Mar&
quis of Clanricarde, who was lately married 'to the only
daughter of the Secretary for Foreign Affairs ; but she
was more distinguished as the wife of Percy Viscount
Strang ford,whose name forsonae yearsh as been celebrated
in Europe boll in the walks of literature and diplomacy.
She herself, and her relatives, being Catholic Irish of
high distinction, her premature death will doubtless
excite the sympathy and regret of the people of Ireland.
Strongly attached to her husband, she accompanied him
to the.Couro of. Sweden, Turkey, and Russia, where
the affability of her manners, and .the unaffected kind-
ness of her disposition, endeared herself to all. While
in Tut key, these amiable qualities had but too frequent
opportunities of displaying themselves.' Among the
applicants to her kind offices and to her bounty were
numerous families of Greeks, whom it Sias impossible
in the first fury of the insurtection to countenance or
assist openly, but to these unfortunates her bounty
Sowed in many a secret channel. Slaves were redeemed,
'-domestic affliction consoled, and the objects never knew
to whose kind heart and liberal hand they were in..
debted. Her wish was to assist in every way ill which
she could be useful, of which the following instance is
proof :—One of het children born at Constantinople was 'I
vaccinated by matter sent from home, which fortunately
succeeded. At her particular request the virus, in a
recent state, was transferred from her child to children
in the country, and' thus-a fresh supply secured. There
was as this time a population of about 1-,-000 Greeks in-
habiting an Archipelago of' islands in the Sea of hlar-
mora, among whom the small-per:used periodically to
make frightful ravages. They had beard of the efficacy
of vaccination as a preventive, bat had-never proved'it.
From Lady Strangford's child the cow'pock was intro-
duced among these islanders, and persons of all ages,
from infants to the aged, were vaccinated. • Thus by an
act of retributive justice she was enabled. to• return to
the people of Turkey an improvement of, 'and a greater
blessing than her predecessor, Lady Me W. Montagu,
had derived from them.

PETRItSIiIf I

Lady Strangford kept an album, in which her friendly
•isitors sometimes amused. her their contributions.
A short specimen is added, as indic itive of the estima-
tion in which her character was held : .

TO LADY S. ON LEAVING CONSTANTINOPLE.
L'Afabillts, nii* eating the legs ma non pea.
'Tis not alone thy blameless life,
Nor yet thy hallow 'd love that gleweth
With ardour more than duteous wife,
With fondness more than mother knoweth;
'Tis not alone toy courteous mind,
' Nor yet• tify free and friendly spitit— -
That beide* all with accents kind—.
That ante and raises humble merit;
'Ti. not alone thy converse -gay, •
Nor yet thy lively playful fancies,
• With,chaaging images—that play .
Like sunbeams on the wave that dances ;
But 'tis those links—.that all unite
With steadfast, firmest, tie to bind yow—
• In merry's varied' chain so bright—
To those teiliticads you leave behind you.
The cauerof Lad', Strangford's death; in St. Peters-
burgh; was an illness that supervened on her confine.
rnent: ftom this she apparently recovered, and, with
her child._ seemed to enjoy good health, but, after some
time, she complained of pain and sickness, with a strong
impression on her mind that her death would be speedy;
though her casual ailment gaveno causes of alarm to
her physicians. Under this, feeling, she quietly prepared
for the event. Individually, she was the last object of
her consideration, and any anxiety she expressed was for
her young family. "Yet I know,she would say," that
my little children have a fond and good father...why,
then, should death rye me any concern ?" .
While conversing with a ft iend one evening, she was
suddenly seized with a spasmodic attack, which termia
naiad in a state of insensibility that continued eighteen
hours, when she gradually expired without a struggle.
She had requested, in the event of her death abroad,
that it might not be marked by any funeral pomp, but
that she should be privately interred in.the burying+
ground allotted to the British and other foreigners.—'
Her body was, therefore, removed to the ffnatan Ca-
tholic Chapel, and the nest day a solemn funeral see..
vice was performed. It was On this occasions that the
esteem and good-will she had raised spontaneously dis-
played themselves. The immense chapel was crowded
with an unbidden congregation, among whom. Were the
whole diplomatic body. The Ambassadors of the dd.'
ferent Sovereigns of Europe, with their suites, attended,'
not with the indifference of ceremony and paradb.' but
with the feeling of personal friends. It was even pro.
posed that they themselves shoold be the bearers of the
body to its last resting place; but, having been enclosed
in a leaden coffin, it was found too. heavy, and was,
*theiefore, conveyed init-heaise to its final abodeo4here.
it lies in a green spot shaded with young trees. . .
The Sunday atter her decease, the Rev. Di. Walsh,
Domestic Chaplain to bis Excellency the ,Aiebassador,
preached a samba on the occasion in the British
Church. It so happened that the death of the Em,
press Elizabeth following soon after tbe death of
the late Emperor gave occasion to the Preacher, with
still more imptessieeness, to enforce the subject of roOr-
udity, where death, with relentless impartiality, strikes
equally the inmates of the palace and of the humble
hut—the great, the good in soc)ety, no less than the
wicked and worthless.
44 It is now," continued he, " more than six years
I since I knew this excelleni• woman, and, from constant
domestic intercourse during that period, I can testify to
her many estimable qualities. Placed in a sphere Of
life where pride usually presides, and vanity displays'
itself, she never forgot that self-humility which Chilli.
tian duty taught her—her conduct to others betrayal
sed assumition of superiority, but rank Was divested.'
its parade by the kindest condescension and the molt
unaffected affability. This, without effort, was the naml
tural and spontaneous feeling of a mind ever disposed
to make others pleased and happy. It was often my
duty to forward the requests of the humble and* in-
digent, and I ever met the same proneness to be kind.to
all, and the same pleasure in doing the act of kindness.
In the relative duties of lilt she bad no superior: strong
in her affections, aid ardent in her attachments, they
were all directed where duty pointed out they ought to
be placed. Her family, her husband, and her children,
were the great objects in which they were concentrated.

..•
Little attracted by the allurements of that elevated lire
in which she moved, she submitted to them only as ne-
cessary incidents of her station.. She supported the
dignity of her piece with ease and elegance, when re-
quired to do sot but her heart and her fbelings were
ever at home. Deeply impressed !IA Chrisstian prin-
ciples, she was devoutly attentive toiheir dictates, and,
supported by those, she bore an illness, which she felt
was mortal, with perfect resignation ; and she left this
world in the prime of life, and surrounded by every
thing that could attach her to it, without one repining
sigh. Thus blameless in conduct, and pure in spirit,
she seemed placed by Patoviostsoz where she ought to
be, that others might see and imitate a model of domes-
tic daties in in elevated rank of life," kc.