The daily gazette., 1881-12-21
From the Baltimore Sun.
HON. sACKviLLE.wEsT,
THE NEW BRITISH MrN1sTER-A

THE NEW BRITISH MINIsTER-A
BACHELOR WITH A FAMILY.
Correspondence Of the World. *e n
WAsHINGToS, Dec. 19.-Washing-
ton official society is now being much
exercised In Its mind over grave
social question which will probably
lend to what may be called Gan inter-
national episode" at least as INTEREST,"
ing as the issue raised in New York
society some time ago by the advent of
Mile. Sara Bernhardt.
The facts are simple enough. The
new British Minister, the Hon. Lionel
Sackville- West, is q younger brother
Of the present Lord Sackville and Of
tho present Earl Delawarr. In virtue
Of his descent from Lord Delawarr,
Governor and Captain General of Vir.
Rinia, who died in that province in
1918 and to whom Delaware and the
Delaware River owe their name, Mr..
West, 1t will be remembered, was In
vited by the Pennsylyania Steamship
Company to accept passage to this
country on one of the cOmpany's
steamers and was received with much |
effusion and enthusiasm by the amia-
BILE Philadelphians on his arrival. He
10 q brother also Of the present Countess
of Derby and of the present Duchess |
of Bedford. Few men In England |
come of SO ancient stock, and no |
man in England is more highly con-
nected. He is man Of ability also, |
and has served with credit in the !
diplomatic service. Why, then, this |
question. "Ought we to visit him ?"
Well, any one who will take the trou-
BILE to look at a record of the house of |
Dslawarr in the Engllshman's Bible
will see that Mr.. Lionel Sackville-
West, born In July, 1897, and there
fore bat little turned of ffty-forr, is |
a bachelor. And yet it appears to be
an unqu STONED fact that Mr.. Sack.
Vile West has family of children,
two at least of whom it is understood |
he wishes should live with him, and |
1t is an open secret that lady of |
American origin, long connected with
the Spanish Court, was at some pains |
before Mr.. Sackville West came from
the British Legation at Madrid to this
country, to assure her numerous cor
in this city that the con.
nection, now of some years. date,
Of the British Minister with Spanish
actress had caused much scandal and
led to number of social unpleasant
nesses at the Spanish capital, not-
withstanding the somewhat liberal
reputation in such matters of the city
which SO long acknowledged the sway
Of the Regent Queen Christina and OF
the regnant Queen Isabella. People
who remember the unchallenged des-
potism wieldedover Washington by the
late Thaddeus Stevens may naturally
ask why Official society at Washington
should conc rn itself with the domestic
Of q foreign Minister. But
It must be remembered that Thaddeus
stevens no longer lives, and that
Washington society on at least two
comparatively recent occasions has
AIKEN very decided ground as to the
ocial relations it would maintain with
he wives of two foreign Ministers
whom it was alleged that
heir matrimonial experiences had
,een more romantic than regular; and,
III precedents apart, 1t must be ad-
nitted that 1t cannot fail to be awk.
ward for heads of families to explain
o their families how o foreign Minister
an be at once bachelor and the head
{ a family.