Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1873-10-16
NOTED WOMEN.
George Sand, Mira Disraeii. and
Lord BrOugham.

LORD BrOugAams VTisF.
81 met a famous woman many years
ago on a steamer" said Charles Sum-
ner to a newspaper correspondent.
"We were going from Marseilles to
Genoa. Among the passengers, this
woman in particular attracted my at
tention, because she held by the hand
a very beautiful child. L never saw
such hair on . child's head. 1t was the
real gold in color, and fell to his knees,
not in curls, but in waves. The lady
wore the Spanish costume. now re-
call her Spanish mantilla. She was
short. / might call her thick-set, not
handsome, yet holding her child by
the hand, had a curiosity to find out
her name. She was accompanied by a
tall, slender gentleman. They kept
alOof from the other passengers, and
seemed to find society enough in each
other. Upon inquiry, / found her to
be the celebrated George Sand. At
that time she was the topic of conver-
sation everywhere. She made very
distinct impression on my mind. She
was comparatively young woman. 1
met Mr.. DisrAeli and his wife at
Munich, when they were on their
wedding tour. At the principal hotel
we met at the breakfast table. MIR.
Disraeli sat by the side of his newly
made wife. He might have been, or
at least locked, about thirty years old.
His intensely black hair was smcothed
to perfection. At that time hs had be-
come famous as an author. Everything
seemed noticeable about him. Mrs.
Disraeli appeared like kind-hearted,
middle-aged English woman, and Dis
raeli seemed the one to carry the idea
that he had drawn the prize. Time
has shown how devoted they were to
each other. In the last few months
we hear ofhis walking by her side and
supporting her tenderly. She must
have been nearly, if not quite, eighty.
In my opinion, Disraeli is one of the
most remarkable men of his age, when
we remember the obstacles he had to
overcome to reach the position he oc
cupies in England. The prejudice
which exists there against his Jewish
faith alone is enough to chill the most
ambitious. Is beauty confined to one
period of our existence? Infancy and
childhood are only promises; the sum
mer is something more; but give me
the golden realty of October, or the
brAcing chill Of q December landscape
if the intellectual powers are not on
the wane. I have known beauty to go
with the years, but this, i fear, is the
exception, not the rule. One of the
handsomest women ever knew was
the mother of Lord Brougham. AT
the time I met her she must have
been over eighty years of age. / was
then quite a boy, and abroad for the
first time, and met with the kindness
to be invited to the castle Of this noble
man. The manners and figures of Mrs.
Brougham betrayed none of the de-
creptitude of her age. 1 shall never
forget her extreme kindness and eff
forts to entertain q young American.
remember that, among other things,
she brought the bag which her son
wore at the time he was Lord High
Chancellor. The bag is worn around
the neck of this exalted officer of the
British Government. 1t is an elabor'
ate affair, made of silk, gold lace and
embroidery. When the Lord Chancel.
lor goes into the official presence Of his
sovereign this bag rests on his breast,
and contains the petitions which the
loyal subjects desire to be laid before
the throne. Every new Chancellor
must have new bag, and these are al
ways retained as the precious heir
looms of the family. The great seal OF
England is always kept in the bottom
of the bag. ' ''' '.-. -. -1--