Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1877-10-22
A(&fan0ria 0azette
MONDAY EVENING, OCTOBER -
Irish Court Gossip.

Great Southern and Western railway, Ireland
is exceptionally quiet. After almost coustan
rainfall in June, July, and part of August, w
: have had six weeks OF splendid weather, which
has given lis harvest up to the average, anc
far better than was excepted. MIR. Isaac Butt
has summoned q meeting of the Parliamentary
Home Rule party at Morrison's Hotel, in Daw
son street, on the 9th Of October. His Influence
10 Irish politics has scnsibly declined OF late.
As Tor the railway strike, tue milesmcn de-
mand shoricr hours OF work, an increase oil
their wages from fourteen to eighteen shlllings
per week, and the dismissal Of the four leading
officers who work tho liuc, and are guilty of be-
ing EoeshmeH.
The Duke Of Marlborough, now Vioeroy Of
Ireland, is reasonably popular. Ills predeces-
sor, the Duke of Abercorn, holds 40 Irish
dukcdom, an English viscounty, Scotch carl.
dom, and five baronics, an Irish baroDy and
baronctcy, besides being Duke of Chatelferault
10 France, and heir male OF the House of Ham
| ilton, with vast estates 10 Eogand, Scotland
and ireland, with his principal seat, Baron 8
Court, in the north Of Ireland, with such low
rents, on the Give and let.livc' principle, that
| his tenants arc never in arrears. lie lives very
much in ireland, thus being living protest
against the ruinous principle Of abs:nteeism.
The former practice, with regard to the Vice.
royalty in Ireland, has been to appoint some
needy nobIeman TO whom the large emouments
-E2O 600 year. with rent free and ready
furnished residences in Phoenix Park and the
Castle of Dublin-are important. Out Of their
princeD pay euch persons saved as much and
spent as little as possible Lately only wealthy
peers have been appointed, who, much to the
satisfaction OF tho Dublin tradesmcn, spend the
whole Of their official salary 10 Ireland, and
also considerable part of their own income.
The Duke Of Abcrcorn resigned last Novem-
| ber, chiefly because he was G5 y,ars old. Ills
successor is the sixth Duke of Marlborough, who
Disraeli Cabinet in 1867 aud 1868. and is
| worthy little fellow, without pride or ostonta
| ton, who distinguished himselfin bis university
course at Oxford, and whose misfortune, rather
| than fault, is that for Duke he is very poor
Sarah Jennings, widow of John Churchill, the
| first Duke of Marlborough, left fortune Of
| thrcn millions sterling at her death. l30
years ago, but how that was wasted away
nobody has ever told. For The last seventy
years the Dukes Of Marlborough havo had little
more to live upou than the estate of Blonheim,
which is vcry unpr1ductiVt in the way OF rent,
and the pension also voted by Parliament OF
| 6, 900 pounds year, to he paid while ever
there shall be any person with drop of the
| Churchill blood 10 his veins. There has already
been paid on its account, sine, l70G, the net
sum Of fSj5 600, TO say nothing of interest
| thereon.
| The present Duke married we'll, receiving
largo fortune with the eldest daughter Of the
third Marquis Of Londonderry, now stately
dame Of commanding stature, by whose side
her liree lord looks like drummer boy next a
grenadcr. ller manners arc severely dignl6ed,
an she still is we'll looking, considering that
she is Thirty four years married. AS vice
| Queen, she plays her role to admiration. Two
or three Of her Grace's daughters arc with her
run, who ride about Dublin and it's beautiful
suburbs attended by solitary boy groom,
astride Of a leviathan of horse, which be man
ages with great skill. These young ladies,
whose manners are extremely frank, have a
pleasant word or smile for every one, aud are
immensely popular. Their father is not much
noticed by the people, but the Duchess, who
has tho port of an Empress Queen, and makes
point tf dressing in Irish manufactures, is
spoken Of by the jaryles (oqnivalent to the cab
drivers Of other placcs) as Goods truth OF a
ra al lady.
When | cay that the Vic2reine and her dash
| ing daughters make point of wearing Irish
manufactures some curious reader may inquire,
"What orc the manufactures Of lreland2' My
answer is that to say nothing Of the linen made
| 10 and near Colerainc, and the cotton textile
manufactured 10 and near Belfast there ls
silk weaving in Dublin. and large produc:,
ton of poplins, formed by the union OF silk
and wool, the combination being so skllllully
made that whilst the surface Of the texture ls
pure silk the Interior is composed OF wool. This
manufacture, which is confined exclusively to
Dublin, arose out OF the persecution OF the
RreDch ProtcstaDts, whcn Louis XIV. revoked
the Edict of Nantes (hy which Henry of Ma
varre, in the preceding century, had secured re
ligious toloration in Franco) Thousands OF
Huguenots emigratcd to foreign countries, ,estab
fishing silk manufactures to London. and set
ting up their looms in 1903 to weave popllns 10
Dublin.
Not much of this exclusive Irish 1nauufac.
ture ever reaches the United States, [ am told
English limitations, looking we'll but wearing
badly, are abundant. understand superior
sort OF popliu, known az tabinct, is made IN the
district commonly called "Thc Liberties" OF
Dublin In this Tho woo!en thread is OF The
lGocst material, and the fabric is superb 10
order TO encourage Irish manufacture it is cX-
pected that at the public receptions leVees,
drawing rooms. coocorts, Co. the Viccroy
and tho Vicereino every lady shall appear 10
full! dress of Irish manufacture. This rue is
lligid, and gives employment 10 40 industry tina!
deserves it. The stately Duchess Of Mari
borough and her charming daughters, whose
smiles (a poet might say arc the very sunshine
of tho heart, insist that this rule shall be OBJ
served. There is moro than whisper that before
Christmas there will be grand Cabinet ball, un
der viccregal auspices, in 'thc Castle, and
that the Lord Mayor of DubliD, gentleman
of wealth and Ibcralty, will give another, eth
or in "lhe Mansion House" which is the oif'',a
residence of the municipal monarch Tor tht
Time being, or in tho rotunda at tho top O
Sackvillc street, which has more extensive 40
commodatiops or in the Exhibition Palace
near Stephens Green, which is admirably suit
led, by extent and disposition Of the rooms, TO
all such purposes. -,
Lot me suggest to Americans visiting Dubl'I
lthat among the presents which, as a matter 0
course, they will bring to their lady friends q