The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1880-08-18

rovpox. August 2.--The statements
:. h,sh have appeared In the London Word
and other papers concerning the rnmored
marriage Of the Baroness Burdett-Cou
have been received with great incredufty,
I'M I believe there can no longer DC any
do,bs as 10 their accuracy. The event Is
Wen calculated 70 excite advertisement, LOT
the Baroness cannot. by the grestfst slre'ch
~ Assfery. be said TO be IN the frst bloom
~ xoufb. and she has resisted the temp'a'
ron whatever IL may amount toto enief
;n,o the marriage state until period OF lie
lien most people are supposed TO be tole'
rabiv safe from acute attacks OF the 'enoef
nassion. II is no secret that at various Pc
RODS she has rejected offers OF mstrimony
from sui.ors against whom nothing couio
be said on the score OF "eligibiiity. Two
peers have paid addresses TO her IN VAIN,
and Il IL understood that at one time lot
esgn alliance, which the world woo'd nave
considered most brilliant, was Iormany
within her reach. But the lacy was hot 70
be won. Perhaps she feared tnat sne was
sought for her wealth alone; perhaps pone
OF her wooers were lucky enough 10 make
an impression upon her maiden heart. But
no citadel can bold out forever, and at the
age OF sixty-seyen
TIE GREAT PRIZE
of the matrimonial market has fallen 10 an
Americap-Mr. Ashmead Bartlett, native
Of PhiIade!phis. This gentleman has been
for some time resident In England and be-
came pat,iraIized here not very long ago.
He has been acting as private secretary OF
The Baroness, and In his official capacity bas
been residing ia her house in Sfratton street,
Piccadilly. Last year the Bal oDess planned
ohs rtu gfarf 10
of Mr.. Irving, the celebrated actor. and Mr..
Asbmead Bartlett was one Of the party. Mr..
living and be became great friends, bul u
may be doubled whether the distinguished
actor foresaw what was TO be the result OF
The acquaintance between the Baroness and
her secretary. There can he no risk In as
Stunning that his surprise is not less profound
than that which filed all London when the
proposed marriage was first whispered
about the drawing.rooms OF the town.
II would be useless 10 deny that this mar
rage has caused the most griev0us north.
cation 10 the friends and relations OF Baron
ess Coutts. When lady In her sixty
seventh year marries a gentleman in his
twenty. ninth people are always apt to make
unpleasant remarks, but in this case the
lady has acted with a perversity which 1t Is
difficult TO account for, even after making
The largest possible allowances for
FEMISINE ECCENTRICITIEs
and caprice. Under the win Of the actress,
Harriet Mellon, afterwards Mrs. Coutts,
ard afterwards the Duchess OF st. Albans,
by which she nberits her property, 1t Is
expressly stipulated that should she ever
marry foreigner. whether naturalized or
moi. she shall forfeit all her interest in
Coutts's Bark. II may reasonably be sup
posed that The Baroness takes some pride
in her connection with the bank. and, leay-
Ing aside mere supposition, she assurediy
has done so for many years past. That she
should now be willing to abandon all further
share or interest In II, and sever friendships
which have The highest clam upon her re-
speci, may well be regarded as most
extraordinary incident in family history.
say nothing about the sacrifice OF money
involved, for that is probably matter OF
perfect indifference to the lady now con-
cerned, II not TO the gentleman. The an
nual income she will forfeit by her mar riage
has been estimated at 100000. | believe
am within the mark in saying that 1t will
be at least bali as much again-about
s625, 900. II must be admitted that 1t is mol
very often lady Is found willing TO sur
render quite as much as this for the sake OF
securing husband.
This is not the first time, however, that
the family TO which the Baroness belongs
has pursued line Of conduct which is per-
haps scarcely consistent with perfect mental
equilibrium.
THE SEA OF MARRIAGE,
iul, OF sunken rocks and unknown dangers
at the best, is frsught with peculiar adven-
tues, not TO say peris. for any one bearing
the name Of Coutts. You will remember
that the chief founder Of the cet brated
bank In London was Mr.. Thomas Coutts,
whose granddaughter Is the present Baron
ess Burdett-Coutts. He was one OF the
shrewdest men Of business in all London,
and bis house fourished as very few such
houses have done in any country or at any
time. IL has passed through every yicissi-
tude OF commercial life without sustaining
the slightest injury, and such thing as q
"Iun" on Coutis's Bank has never been
known, even In days OF wild and universal
panic. Enormous balances are kept lying
idle there, aud the amount OF money at the
command OF Inc bank at all times would
enable 1t to pass triumphantly through a
commercial crisis far more severe than any
which has been witnessed In England. The
sagacity and foresight OF Mr.. Thomas
Coutts have never been impugned; aud yet
II cannot be said that he laid the plans for
his domestic lie with an unusual degree OF
prudence or wisdom. Many men are very
clever until il comes to the business OF mar
rying, when they act in way which causes
their friends to wonder whether In their
formation comm0n-sense was not an iDgre-
dent entirely omitted. One day "Tom
Coutts," as he was called by bis contempo-
raries, happened to be going into bis bank,
in the Strand, when he noticed
H0usENAID WASHING THE STEPS,
In an attitude which. though unr0mantic,
il not devoid OF interest. Mr.. Coutts
thought that IL was interesting, for he
stopped q minute or two gazlng upon the
form OF the housemaid, and was by no
means displeased when she cast her pretty
ewes up TO him in an innocent way, aud
moved little TO make room for him TO pass.
a good figure and u pretty face-we all adj
mire them, and Tom COutts not only adj
mired, but fell In love. The housemaid
was sent to be educated, and after a time
The banker married her. But that, though
bis first, was not his last contribution to the
romance OF family history. Many years al.
forwards his wiie--a second wife--was af-
nicted with those two great evils. old age
and infrm health. Dir. Coutts was always
fond Of going 10 the theatre, and in The
course OF his visits to different houses he
made the acquaintance OF a then obscure
actress named Harriet Mellon. This lady
was never considered an ornament to bel
profession. and even her sturdiest cham.
pions wisely abstained from asserting that
she reflected much glory upon the dramatic
art. purposely use the word champions,
because the fact Is she stood IN need o.
friends willing to act 10 that caracity. Hel
friendship for the old banker, Mr.. Coutfs
exposed her 10 some criticism which VIZ