The New Orleans bulletin. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1874-1876, 1875-10-31

OF THE ENGLISH BRANCH OF THE RoTHs
CHILD FAMILY.
London correspondent writes Ore o.
the most enjoyable days have spent in Eng.
land was a visit to. Mentmore, Buckingham
shire, the seat of the late Baron RothschilC
and still the home of his widow. had known
all my life of the almost fabulous wealth oil
the Rothschilds but had no such vivid con
ception of the reality as | brought away with
me. The estate comprises 1000 or 10000
acres of the finest land of this famous shire
The approach from Cheddington station, from
which it is distant about two miles, lies
through magnificent lawn leading to a
wooded ACTIVITY, upon the summit of which
the mansion stands
From the towers the view is one Of the fines
in the Midland counties, embracing on one
side the ancient manor and village of Wing
on another the manor of Trirg, and on third
the historic site of Ivanhoe. How the course
of the worlds history has been changed by
the blow which an ancestor of John Hampde1
struck the Black Prince, the victor of Crecy
and Poictiers, for which "Tripg Wing, and
Ivanhoe were forfeited! In the distance is
the vale of Aylesbury, and far away on the
ridge of the Chiltern hills the monument o.
the Duke of Bridge water bounds the range o!
Rothschiid family, is said to be second in the
beauty of its gardens only to Men.more, bu
this had no time to see The subtropica
gardens, vegetable gardens the fountain gar
den and the Italian garden occupied us tol
hours.
The first is second l suppose, only to the
royal botanic gardens in Kew; the second en-
braces, with the fruit gardens, about twenty
acres, the whole proceeds of which are con
srmed in the mansion. In one Of the numer
Gus graperies, so arranged as to furnish fruit
every month in the year, saw a single clus
ter of grapes which would weigh six pounds
the berries on which were about the size Of
good large plums, and the most luscious
ever tasted. Oranges, figs, pineapples
bananas and other tropical fruits consumed il
the mansion are all grown in the conserva
tories of Mentmore. When the baroness is
absent yachting in the channel, or at hel
London house, orders by telegram are sem
to Mentmore daily for the supplies required
The vases in the Fountain and Italian gar
dens cost each one thousand pounds. The
statuary is all of the most costly kind, exc
cuted by the first masters, many of them
copies of originals which l saw IN the Louvre
or IN the British Museum.
The great hall, which from the entrance
seemed to me about twenty by thirty feet, i:
filled with vases and statuary. Its contents
must represent value of not less than $500,
900. We were not less than three hours pass
ing through the rooms. Tae finishing il
exquisite, and the furnishing of each sumptu
Gus. Some idea may be formed of the whole
from the furniture of a single bedroom, one
of the many guest chambers, costing e25, OOt
or e30 600. The dining room and baronia
hall are furnished exceeding 100000 each.
Costly cabinets of the time OF Louis NV, G.
ebony, inlaid with ivory or gold; jewelee
clocks made of solid gold; diamonds rubie
and all sorts of precious stones; walls huDe
with the costliest tapestry of the time Of Louis
XIV, or covered with the richest needle-em
broidered satin, may give some idea OF the
wealth layi5hed on this more than princely
mansion. TIE costliest paintings adorn tn
walls, and the most skilful and expensive
workmanship is displayed upon the ceilings
The idea of the baron seems to have been Il
build and furnish mansion such as no othel
person in England, except perhaps the Dnk
of Westminster, could have to rival. Ih'
stud is said to contain more high bred horses
than any in the world 1t embraces thirty-fvt
hunters and as many racers. None OF which
heard were less in value than $500, Will,
many of them run up into the tho usands
Favonius, Maccaroni, and Old Tom, the las
patriarch of high bred racers we saw, all win
ners of famous races. For Favonius Gl2 OOt
were refused, and for Maccaroni G7l00 wert
but recently paid, The former stands at 1Ot
guineas the season. / was fortunate in get
ting an introduction to Mentm ore through al
acquaintance 1 made in England. Th
grounds are, on rare occasions, open to visit
ors, but ordinarily there is no access to tn
mansion. saw, believe, every room in tn
house, except the strong room. where tn
treasures are kept during the absence OF tn
family