The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1879-12-26


ADUKE's ECCEsTRlCIrIEs. 7
The secIuasa Exs,s..ee nj sns xnsn
Dake ei roriiand.-i1is narrewisg |
Frepensitles.
New York World.
There are many eccentric members Of |
the british arist0cracy, but few In our
time have been more eccentric than the
nth Duke of Portland, whose death has
just been announced. His life from his
early youth was passed ia utter seclusi0n,
a. he had long suffered from q painful
malady which made him morbidly sem
sitive a. 70 meeting, seeing or speaking
with his fellow creatures. He was enOf-
monsly rich. The family was founded
BY William Bentinck, Lord of deepen.
helm, In 0veryssel, q confdant and
fayorite of William Ill, for whom he
commanded the famous Dutch Horse
Guards, and who not only made him
lavish grants OF estates. but created him
Earl OF Portland. His son became Duke
OF Portland in l7l6, and his grandson,
the second duke, married Margaret
Cavendish Harley, only child and heiress
OF the second Earl of Oxford by the
only child and heiress of HOLES, the
rich Duke of Newcastle. In this way
the house Of Bentinck came into two
great estates. Among the Harley estates
were all the streets which now surround
Portland Place, the site of the Langham
Hotel in London and the superb " Duk-
cry" of Welbeck Abbey, near WorksOp,
IN Nottinghamshire, one of the most re-
gal seats In Europe. Welbeck, Thoresby,
now the seat of Earl Manners, and Clum-
Der, the seat of the Clintons, Dukes of
Newcastle, all lie near together. The
hfth Duke of Portland's passion for
seclusion which led him in London to
construct ground-g glass screens around
his courtyard, behind which he could
walk seeing but unseen, led him to build
at Welbeck wilderness of subterranean
retreats. He travelled all over Europe
In carriage into the interior of which
no profane glance could penetrate. At
the railroad stations this vehicle was
placed on q truck, and when the train
reached its destination horses In waiting
for 1t were attached to it and the invisi-
BILE duke was whirled away to inaccessi-
BILE apartments in an undiscoverable
hotel. At Welbeck many fine apart
ments were constructed underground,
and lighted by ingenious devices.
Among these was a magnificent subter.
Ianean library. The lodges and boxes
Tor the servants on the estates, all of
stone, and as handsome as substantial,
had their kitchens and Offices beneath
the earth. In every direction the
grounds were honey by tunnels,
lofty and spacious, lighted by gas (from
four huge gasometers hidden in huge
mounds covered with ihododendrons)
with here and there shafts which let In
the sunlight. These tunnels were lined
with stone and are perfect as to dryness
and ventilation. Entertaining descrip-
tions have often been given of the bur
rowing propensities of the tall, slender,
almost emaciated man, with shoulders
but slightly bowed by age, with fine
clear-cut features, and with flyaway
cape eliminating in agothic-arch COLLAR
and of his sudden apparition from the
bowels of the earth among the grooms
exercising his horses in great riding
house 400 feet by 140, built of solid
stone and rooted with glass and iron.
One of the greatest marvels of this mag
niticient estate is the I" Folly" tunnel
or rather a covered way-a mile and
half long, thoroughly lighted and ven.
tilated. There was path across We'll
beck to which the public had q right of
way. The fifth duke resolved that If
people must pass there they should not
see him, and so he built the covered way,
which was then turfed and masked with
rhododendrons and other shrubs. A lake
and subterranean church were among
the other curiosities of the place from
which all strangers were jealousy
excluded. Everything appertaining to
Welbeck is upon a splendid and costly
scale. The galleries contain some of the
finest pictures in England. The duke
was fond of animals, and English writers
have celebrated the Attorneys with
black points which furnished Welbeck
with milk, aud the black.pOlled Scotch
oxen which supplied Worksop as well as
Welbeck with magnificent beef. We'll
beck is also famous fer its deer. These
are of the three kinds common to great
Britian-red, fallow and roe deer-the
latter being q recent importation from
the Highlands, whence they arrived In
padded carriages. The roe deer in their
bobANC A01u1 aOSu1b1kuCo w uuuCn CACI-
else and little food, at Welbeck are placed
under exactly opposite conditions.
naturally they languished and died, but
this wac a small matter, for the duke
wished roe-deer at Welbeck, and when
one Get expired another was found to
replace it. There was venison in the
park all the year round, in season and
out of season, fatted on Spanish chest
nuts and other delicacies. This wealth
of venison as well as of other game furred
and feathered, never by direct means at
least, found its way into the hands of
the poulterer. In the course Of the sea-
son thousands of pheasants were shipped
from Welbeck to the friends of the Duke
of Portland who wanted a good days
shooting. As he cared for game, 80 did
he care for fruit and flowers, for trout
breeding and farming. "Haunch and
ham, peach and pine" and some of the
finest of Alexandria grapes he constant
ly despatched in huge quantities to his
fsvorite kinswoman, Lady Cork, who
also received frequent presents of ponies
Digit for the occasion in garlands of
flowers. The duke bred 10000 young
trout per annum, farmed some $4,000
acres, had the finest avenues of apple and
pear trees in the world, and supervised
the disposition of his enormous wealth,
literally and kindly insisting only and
always that he should be rigidly let
alone. For all his rage for improve.
ment the late duke never had the tele-
graph wires brought to his mansion.
He was, though he did not breed or care
particularly for racing stock, almost as
good judge of thoroughbred horse as
bis brother, Lord George, "the Napoleon
of the turf" and he took q keen interest
in the result of great races, news of
which was always sent to Worksop. He
had keen taste for architecture and
some skill in the art. In the course of
his life he is believed to have spent some
81, 000, 600 in this way at Welbeck alone.
His tastes and his real kindness of heart
are both illustrated in the current story
of an architect employed by him who
built gateway which when completed
became abhorrent 70 him. So consider
ate was he of the artists feelings that
he could not find it In his heart to re-
monstrste with him. One night he
waited till the Architect had driven of,
and then set all his men to work to pull
down the hated edifce. BY morning
not vestige remained, and the archi-