The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1872-06-20
English ArisfscraeY--Thc E.atc Dnkc
OF Hesifsrd--An Eesentrsc1 Nebi&-
r,aan--AIsoInaIics or Hereditary NO.

4
OF Hedfsrti--An Eccentric NObi&-
rssai,--AIsoInalics OF Hereditary NO.
bssify.
| a London letter to the Boston Post says
| "Fbe daat.i.of William, Duke DC Bedford,
in the siyty-fourtll ycar of his are, which
has just occurred, Ii rot in the least signifi.
cant as far az The S,el's0.a.I character OF the
late Duke, or the personal loss to the nation.
Is concerned. This eighth Duke was not nj
| all a man of mark. Nobody secured to
| Know him or sec him. Hc never went III
| side of tue House of Peers, never was known
10 attend royal lcqec, never appeared in
| The high soeiet3' Of the West End, never pre-.
sided at public meetings, and never became
| Tie centre OF county oyations or of rustic
festivities. 1T Is whispered That his Grace
| was o! weak mind. and that he was exceed
ihGly pcnurious. He lived in the great
est l;!!iuEess and simplicity, and did not
probably spend a hlIndrcfi, part of bis vast
| income. lie never married, and consequently
leaves no heir. lie was sunprnpossessine. in
! personal appearance, negligent IN dress, and
apparently utterly Insignificant in everything.
let this was, rs fin az Possessions and illus
irious descent go; one OF the greatest lords,
NOT III England only, but in Europe. !. He
| was Giorc wealthy than most kings, and lad
within certain Limits IN authority rs desp0tic
| as the Car Of Russia or the GcTInali Kaiser.
lie WAS the son of Francis. seventh Duke Of
Bedford, and was therefore q nephew of Earl
Russell. The dukcdom dates from 1904, but
| tho house of Russell was distinguished Tor
| more than century before that date. Tic
Dukes possessions were mostly in London.
lie owned Il largo portion ofthe Bloaf ,Sbury
| quarter, and ilisestatcinciu;ed RrsscllS1uare.
southampton Row, Bedford Square. Other
| llrse areas in the vicinity OF ia: Museum. He
also owned q large portion OF the Strand
Inrcnt Garden Market and ThtaIre, and
street after street In their, leighi.C& i!4oG.
Besides these metropolitan properties, The
Duke of Bedford was the lord of5tlo,l8in,s
| Of acre, in the cuinliea OF Mildicscy, Bed
| ford, and Deyonshire, and lad IN lii, yintiu!
control the choice Of eight or ten members
| OF Parllalncnt. AS power i'll the church,
| lie WAS Of great Importance. lie owned the
| right OF presentation Of recto,s - something
| like thirty parishes; and had he been a jew
| or Buddhist, this right would still have re-
| manned Intact. As proprietor OF vast area
in London, he lad the power to shut l!f
| strcc!s, and to divert, If il so pleased him, the
tide OF metropolitan traffic into incoliy1nicnt
channels. These rights and properties give
some idc;; OF the immense privileges which an
inherited dukrtloil confeIrad,ipon nlal.oi
mean intellect, Of an utter want OF n sense
Of public duty, AMI Of a stingiucss which for
got public convenience and cXactcd tie lasi
penny from struggling tenants. A better
Illustration Of The anomalies OF the lnIcdi-
| ta!y mobility could sc.lrcely be found. The
death Of III utterly inSignli,art man so FIJI.
| ~ personal character gees Is thus an Object
Of deep Individual interest to tens Of thoi,-
| sands; and Il Eiin may, by the mere accident
OF birth, have the absolute domestic happi-
ness Of these tens OF thousands in the palm
~ III: hand: Beyond this, the Duke OF
Bedford mag exercise Ill his immense powers
and privileges without yielding tie least
duty or performing the least service 70
the country. Happily for those who
live on the Bedford estates. the new Duke
is IN able and pubIic-spirited man,
who takes III active and intelligent
part in the national legislation, and may be
looked on ~ good representative type Of
/ the better cll>S ,nt the .ri>i0riacy. MIR. Has
tinw> Russell il the first cousin of the iatc
Duke, and has long represented the family
county Of Bedford: and he is the new Duke.
4 Younger brother Of his tlas recently made
u distinguished mark iii diplom!cy-Odo
Russell, iiGw British Envoy TO berlin. edo
will now be Lord Odo. The Duke Of Port
land ami the Marquis OF Westminster arc
two more p0tIntat'S who own great areas in
central portions OF London. The Duke oi
Portland Epds il difficult 10 write gramnlal
cll English. while the late Marquis Of West!
minister was one of The sEabhic>t old miscl:
who ever bGc.,tIicd in Il London to-."