Connecticut western news., 1873-05-09
Romance of 8 Life,
The Story of Lady Ellen nborough---An English Lady WeSts am Arab Chief.

The Story Of Lady kI1lem bOrOugh---AM 4, Engltsh Lady Wcds anl Arab Chief.
 ~ Mrs. Isabel Burton writes from Trieste to the PalE MaI Gazette:
 Will you allow me to contradict, as the editor of the Iriester Zeitanag has done here, the correspondent at Bey- rout, who writes to the German Gazette of Vienna concerning the late Lady Peterborough?
 About sixteen years ago, tired of Europe, Lady Ellenborough conceived the idea of visiting the East, and of initiating Lady Hester Stanhope and Lady Mary Wortley Montagu. (There is also 8 French lady, Mime. de Ia Tour d'Auvergne, who has built herself 9 temple on the top of Mount Olivet, and lives there still Lady Peterborough arrived at tBeyroutand wentt Damascus, where she arranged to go to Bagdad across the Desert. A Bedouin escort for this journey was necessary, and as the Mezrab tribe occupied the ground the duty of commanding the escort de- volved upon Shaykh Mijwal, young brother of Shaykh Mohammad, chief of this tribe, which is branch of the great Anazeh tribe. On the journey the young Shaykh fell in love with this beautiful woman, who possessed all the qualities that could fire the Arab i'm agination. Even two years ago she was more attractive than half the young girls of our time. It ended by his pro- posing to divorce his Moslem wives and to marry her; to pass half the year in Damascus (which to him was like what London or Paris would be to us), for her pleasure, and half in the desert, to lead his natural life. The romantic picture of becoming queen of the desert and of the wild Bedouin tribes exactly suited her wild fancies, anl was at once accepted, and she was married in spite of all opposition made by her friends and the British Consulate. She was married according to the Moham- medan law, changed her name to that of the Hon. Mrs. Digby E Mezrab, and was horrifed when she found that she had lost her nationality by her marriage, and had become 8 Turkish subject For fifteen years she lived, as she died, the faithful and afectionate wife of the Shaykh, to whom she was devotedly att tached. Half the year was passed in 8 very pretty house she built at Damascus, just without the gates of the city, and the other six months were passed ac- cording to his nature in the desert in the Bedouin tents of the tribe. In spite of this hard life necessitated by accommodating herself to his habits for they were never aparEshe never lost anything of the English lady, nor the softness of 8 woman. She was "grande dame an bout des doigts " in 1 sentiment, voice, manners, and speech. She never said, or did nything you could wish otherwise. She kept all his respect, and was the mother and the queen of his tribe. In Damascus we swere. only nineteen Europeans, but we all Hooked around her with affection and friendship. The natives the same. As to strangers, she only received those 1 who brought a letter of introduction from a friend or relative, but this did not hinder every ill-conditioned passer- | by from boasting of his intimacy with the House of Mezrab, and recounting the untruths which he invented, to sell his book ornewspaper at better profit. She understood friendship in it's best and fullest sense, and for those who en- joyed her confidence it was a treat to pass the hours with her. She spoke French, Italian, German, Slav, Spanish, 1AAoUtS3 A AuLhAo CSuu SACOh dS Sl1G SpOhG her native tongue. She had all the tastes of country life, and occupied herself alternately with painting, sculp- ture, music, or with her garden-fowers or poultry, or with her thoroughbred Arab mares, or carrying out some i'm provement. She was thoroughly con- noisseur in each of her amusements or occupations. To the last she was fresh and young; beautiful, brave, refined, and delicate "Bo,e sang ne peut m,e'atir." Her heart ou fond was noble Eshe was charitable to the poorsg She regularly attended the Protestant church, and often twice on Sundays. She fulfilled all the duties of a good Christian lady and an English woman. She is dead. All those who knew her in her latter days will weep for her. She had but one fault (and who knows if it was hers), washed out by fifteen years of goodnessand repentance. Let us hide it and shame those who seek to drag up the adventures of her wild youth to tarnish 50 good a memory. ReQuiescat 6,a pace.