American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1875-11-27
The Eccentric Duke of Portland.


/ Few, even of his nearest neighbors, have
the slightest idea how he spends his time.
| He is never seen at court, and fashiona-
BILE aristocratic circles know him not. Sc
| far as society is concerned, he is dead to
| the world, and even the few visitors TO
Walbeck Abbey seldom set eyes on their
host. He surrounds himself with an at
mosphere of the closest mystery, and no
one, peer or commoner, is permitted to
penetrate into the secrets of his life.
Even his own solicitors, the firm to whom
is intrusted the legal management of his
enormous estates, are never allowed an
interview with him, and in aristocratic
circles it is habitually-but,a as will be
seen hereafter, erroneously-asserted that
the only person who is permitted to see
him is his confidential valet.
His hat is of an unusual height; a long,
old-fashioned wig reaches down to his
neck; wet or fine he never stirs out with
out AN umbrella; hot or cold a loose coat
is always slung over his arm, and wheth-
er the ground be dry or muddy his
trousers are invariably tied up below the
knee with a piece of common string, in
exactly the same fashion as is adopted
by navy at his work. His mind is as
active and his intellect as acute as those
of almost any of his brothers in the peer
y
age, having been born on the 18th of Sep
| TENDER, 1900. He is of course enormous
ly wealthy. Four or five years ago his
annual income was upward of $500 900,
and since that time it has very considera-
bly, increased. He is very large owner
of land round about Welbeck Abbey,
where he usually. resides, and he has be-
sides enormously valuable property in
London, chiefly IN the district of Maryle-
in,
cumberland, In Derbyshire, in Caithness
and Ayrshire.
His Grace has never been married, nor,
to the best of living belief, has he at any
time been smitten bya woman's charms.
His ruling passion is an inveterate love for
building. At Welbeck Abbey alone, for
many years, there have been employed up
ward of 500 masons, and like number of
smiths and joiners, beside the staff neces-
sary for the ordinary work of the estate.
His Grace is his own architect, and all
his plans are laid out in the most method
ical manner. Before he will allow a new
building to be commenced he makes the
designs, and causes to be constructed,
often at cost of some hundreds of
pounds, a large model of the work to be
put in hand If the model does not please
him he destroys it, draws new plans, and
has fresh model made. During the prog
ress of the work he superintends it in per-
SON. His Grace is, by experience, very
clever in building matters. He can detect
the most minute fault, even such trif1ing
defects as would escape the eye of the
practiced and experienced workman. If a
fault cannot be remedied by alteration
he causes it to be, without ceremony,
RACED to the ground, and the work COM
menced afresh until it is done to his sat
isfaction.
He has a deeply-rooted dislike to the
observation Of the outside world. He has
even sought by various clever expedients
to hide the old Abbey of Welbeck, where
by, while the approaches to the abbey are
entirely subterranean. There are upward
of fifteen miles of tunneling round We'll
beck Abbey, and no one can approach the
house without traversing some of them.
This most extraordinary arrangement has
taken many years to accomplish, but it is
now complete. Some of these subterra-
mean passages are constructed upon the
most admirable principles. They are all
well ventilated from above, and are lighted
by natural or artistic means by day
and night. In order to take away the
monotonous effect of these under
ground passages His Grace has built, in
some cases parallel with the passages,
other open corridors covered with glass,
while at distances OF every few yards are
to be found statues and other works of
art, placed in inches in the wall. He
possesses an extensive stable. He has up
ward of fifty hunters bred from the best
stock in the land, and this although he
has not for many years followed the
hounds himself. A gallery made of iron
and glass, and a quarter of mile in
length, has been constructed in order that
the horses may be exercised in damp
weather; his riding school is a magnifi-
cent affair, with lofty glass dome, and
he has besides carriage-houses, hunting
stables and carriages of every descrip-
ton.
His kitchen and culinary offices are con-
structed on an extensive scale, although
there is only His Grace to cook for, as,
when he Occasionally gives dinner par
ties, the food is sent from elsewhere. Yet
the Dukeis almost simple in his diet. He
takes regularly but two meals day, and
at each he has half q chicken, one being
killed and prepared for him each morning.
He passes much of his time among the
workmen, but will seldom go near stran-
ger. Many people write to him, but he
seldom or never gives reply. He is
member of four London clubs-Boodle's
Brooks, The Travellers and White's-but
he never goes near them. He gives large
hunting and shooting parties to different
members of the English aristocracy, but
never sees or conyerses with them.-Lon-
don Figaro.