The Portland daily press., 1881-02-03
The Present Duke Of Wellington.

When young Lord Douro, the present Duke
of Wellington, went to Eton, his father, the
Iron Duke, was considered the greatest man
living; and though the Marquis had to devote
his infant energies to toasting sausages for
commoner in the Fifth, as we'll as to the COM
position of nonsense verses; and though the
birch as early as Pope's time, was stained with
noble as well as plebeian blood, yet, as Major
Pendennis said, Hang it, Marquis is Mar
quis," and even Eton boys, as well as masters,
learn to appreciate this fact. believe Douro
never knelt on the fatal block which his Illus
trious fathers form once graced. and he was
Certainly never bullied. He was quiet rath-
or shy lad, with an apparently painful con-
sciousness that he was the observed of all OBJ
servers, which, at first, perhaps, he was. He
was moderately diligent, generally knew his
lessons fairly well, and was never in a serious
scrape. As at Eton, SO it was at Cambridge,
where, in due course he matriculated as q no
bleman at Trinity. Little he rocked of math-
matical honors, or classical. Had he not
enough honors already? Then he went
abroad, only to find that he was, if possible, q
more distinguished man on the Continent than
in England. However, he managed occasion
ally to escape the atmosphere Of courts and
palaces, and to amuse himself in his own quiet
way.
OF course Douro was q soldier, and is now q
Lieutenant General ON the retired list. 1t is
not his fault that he never saw any enemy, for
the years of his active service were those of
the Forty Years Peace, and before it came to
an end he had succeeded to the title and es-
tates; and Duke with lands is expected to
stay at home to look after them. AS an officer
he once had the misfortune to incur the seri-
Gus displeasure of his father. His regiment
had been ordered to Dover. AS soon as it ar
rived, all the officers left cards at Windsor Cas-
tie. Douro, as the son of the house. felt him.
self dispensed from the observance Of this for
ula. Wellington thought otherwise, and in
vited all the officers to dinner except his own
son. Douro did not venture to 60 without an
invitation, but called on his father and asked
what the omission meant. "Well, SIR" re-
piled the Duke in a state of calm irritation,
these gentlemen did me the honor to call on
me, and have returned their oivility. You
did not call, and so was not bound to invite
you." No wonder that father and son saw lit
tie of each other. The Duke was punctiious
in exacting homage, which, in fact, had be-
come meat and drink to him. Lord Douro
was solfattered by everybody except his sire
that he had come to have a tolerably high
sense OF his own dignity; and so far from be-
Ing inclined to over submission, considered
that even the head Of the house should treat
his successor with Difference. Hence he was
insensibly led to play the usual historic part of
an heir apparent, and maintain an attitude Of
reserve, not to say opposition to the reigning
Duke. 1t is noteworthy fact that the Queen
received the news of Wellington's death
through dispatch from Lord Derby (then
Premier) In her Majesty's "Diary" Lord
Douro's name is not even mentioned in con-
nection with that event. However, he had
soon to pay the Queen visit in order to de-
liver up the insignia of the Garter borne by
his father, when her Majesty addressed him in
style which honest Bunsen declared to be
admirable. ut was queenly and motherly,
Duke"
For he was now wellington" Long did
he hesitate to use his new signature The eti-
quette in these cases prescribes that son and
heir shall sign as formerly till his fathers fu-
neral, after which he changes his style. But
more than two months elapsed between the
death and funeral of the Great Duke, so that
it became necessary to renounce the name Of
DourO before the usual time. 1t was trans
mitted to no one, for the pis sent Duke has no
children. His heir presumptive is his nephew
(Lord Charles's SOM, Colonel Wellesley, M. p.
for Andover in the last Parliament The
Wellesleys are all Conservatives. The present
Duke sat for awhile in the House of Commons
and was Master of the Horse under Lord Der
by, who also bestowed ON him the blue riband
and the Lord Lieutenancy of Middlesex.
The Duke OF Wellington is not great terri
torial magnate, as English estates 20. The
Strathtieldsaye property, the nucleus Of which
was purchased by the nation, now extends
over nearly $1,000 acres, and produces rental
of about Ell the acre. Three or four thousand
acres more in Herts Some set and Berks make
up the whole of the entailed property, which is
worth some e22, 600 a year. The Duke has
also an estate in Spain, voted by the Cortes to
his father, and described by Spanish writers in
grandiloquent language. 1t would be consid-
cred a small Squire's property in England. OF
the Dukes hereditary pension Of f5, 900 year,
one can only say that, seeing it has run ON
since 1884, the Dukes have already received
$3.50, 900, Now, as 5000 year only repre-
sents 9166666, 13s 4d in the funds, it would
have been clearly cheaper to buy that amount
stxty-six years ago, and entail the interest on
the Dukes of Wellington, without power of
anticipation.
The Lord-Lieutenant of Middlesex has
good deal of important county business to
transact, and a Middlesex magistrate who had
an audience of the Duke the other day was SO
touched at his Grace's condescension that he
made speech to his brother magistrates about
it, and then sent his speech to the papers.
He has the courage behtting his fathers son.
If it has never been his privilege to front the
shot, he has passed through the more trying
ordeal of cruel surgical operations, and en-
dured them with a stoicism which brave men
have not always shown.
Finally, he must be a good fellow and q
pleasant companion who was the intimate
friend of Charles Lever. JucundiS pldcuisse
Uiris non ultima laus est.