The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1858-03-11


wembjoin the following interesting sketch
Of the present state Of the British Asistoc.
rscyifrom the London Times;
"A muster roll Of the aristOeracy Of
mighty kingdom ought TO present an inter-
esting and remarkable catalogue We are
not sure that many readers would contriye
10 extract much OBLIGATION from the list Of
the Lords Spiritual and Temporal, and yet
il the document is attentively considered il
will suggest conclusions OF some significance.
| The first and most obvious impression de-
! riyable from the roll msy appear not very
favorable to the dignity Of the order. A
celebrated novelist once described our aris-
tocracy as the most mushroom Of Europe
and II dates Of creation are TO be taken as
the only standard OF merit the opinion may
possibly BIZ sustainable. At first sight noth-
ing is more striking than the comparative
novelty OF many, in fact most OF the titles
on the list. The Premier Duke and the
Premier Earl OF England ascend indeed, TO
the fifteenth century. the Duketlum Of Nor
folk having been created In 1888, and the
Earldom of Derby in l485. II the title Of
Shrcwsburg were not In obeyance the Pre-
mire EarldOn would be carried 40 years
higher, and that is all. The senior Marquis
and the senior Viscount date from the mid.
die Of the Sixteenth century-the Marquis
OF Winchester from 1851, viscount Here
ford from 1850. In the last rank Of the
peerage o little more antiquity il discovera-
Bile. -Four Barons-De Ros, lIaaiDgs Aud
ley and Clinton, mount up 10 theThirteenth
century, but creation Of the Sixteenth cen
fury, Vaux Of Harrowden, is twelfth on the
list out OF more than two hundred peers Of
this order. Results still more remarkable
will appear il we look at the pieces occu-
pied by titles of very recent date indeed
lord Hawke, whose barony was treated in
l776, has 10 barons junior 10 himself, and
Lord Lyndhurst, though the first II his title,
is followed by 70 peers whose creations are
later than bis own. or the entirs list, ex-
elusive Of Princes OF the Blood, lis peers
only will be found whose titles areolder than
the reign Of George iii.
These facts may certainly be thought sin.
gular In the case Of an aristocncy inferior
in pretensiOns and fortunes TO no aristOcracy
in the world, but If the point il thought Of
much importance, compared with more sub.
stantial tests Of merit, good deal may be
said in explanation Of the paradox. The
order Of precedence in these respects are apt
to be delusivc. for, as It is the last and high
est title OF q peer from which seniority is
reckoned, oil the lower but most ancient
titles which may have been borne by the
house are entirely lost. II, for instance,
Lord Derby, our Oldest Earl, were made q
Marquis or Duke, his actual title would be
dated from the present century, though the
nobility Of the family would DO 400 years
older. In many cases . peerage is, inreality,
more ancient than il appears to be, owing to
the original barony having been merged in
some more modern though more elevated
dignity. Another circumstance IL even more
notable. The truth is, that according to the
continental standard Of nobility most fami-
lies OF our peerage were noble by position
before they were ennobIed by patent. The
gentry OF this country, from which, in per-
haps tho majority Of instances, our peers
were taken, form class quite equal In birth,
dignity, and territorial possessions, 10 the
titled classes of other lands. and correspond,
indeed, to the old noblesse Of most European
States. II this principle Of reckoning were
adopted and dates taken from the gentility
rather than the nobility Of the names before
us, our peerage would display antiquity
enough to satisfy the most fastidious specu.
lator. Lord lIowden sits modestly among
the Barons OF England with n patent less
than forty years old, but If the name Of
Caradoc really represents Caractacus, ii
would be hard to ask for any remoter toun-
dation Of honor. II is probable. indeed,
that in Wales many families are OF princely
rank, and perhaps in Ireland too nor should
il be forgotten that in the Peerage OF the
United Kingdom, Scottish and Irish Peers
sit in virtue Of titles often junior to those
by which they are commonly known. The
Pccrage Of Scotland contains houses OF very
great antiquity.
Still, after all these qualifications. it is
strange that old titles should have become
extinct and new titles have bern created to
10 very great an extent. Probably the de-
structive battle OF the Wars Of the Roses in
fifteenth century furnish the best explanation
OF the phenomenon. These wars are said TO
have nterfcrcd very little with the everyday
life Of the people, but they proved the ruin
and extlrpatlon OF many noble family. Il
take it." says one Of Mr. Disraelis heroes,
Il take il after the battle Of Towton Nor.
man baron was about as rare an animal ~
wolf" and the comparison is not much
oveutraind. Afier the accession OF Henry
Will. when these bloody contests had at
length been terminated by the coronation OF
a monarch with an undisputed title. 81 tenn.
moral Myers Xrrc all that cnnld he fnnnd To