The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-12-06

legitimate head of the Cavendish family,
on the sole condition that he should never
marry. He faithfully kept his part of the
contract, and when he died, in 1853. the
titles and estates of the family descended
exactly as they would have done if he had
never been born. The dukedon and all
belonging to it passed to the Earl of Bur-
hngton, nephew of the fifth duke, who
would have inherited in the regular course,
and the barony of Clifford. with certain
properties, went to the two daughters, the
Countesses of Carlisle and Granville, just
as if their father had died without an heir.
That is how William Cavendish, Earl of
burlington, comes to be seventh Duke OF
Devonshire, and Spencer Compton Caven-
dish, his eldest son, comes TO oe Marc uis
of Harrington. If the late duke, who was
no duke at all had played false and mar
rled, and had a son, there would have been
the greatest row that ever was seen, in the
greatest family in England, and nobody
can tell how it would have ended.
Apart from his unique family position,
Lord Harrington has made for himself a
very notable record. He Is not at all
brilliant man, and, like all his family, he
is very retiring, and naturally disposed to
shrink from conflict or exertlon. Yet he
inspires such confidence in others, and has
such a thoroughness in all he does,
that he has been extraordinarily sue
cessful all through life. He was only
"A when he was first elected MEN,
Der of the house of commons, yet two
years later he moved a vote of want of
confidence in Lord Derby's ministry. and
carried it by good majority, an almost
unparalleled feat for so young politician.
At the age of 80 he was made lord of the
admiralty and for twenty-five years after
wards he held high office in every Liberal
cabinet that was formed. Without ever
pushing himself or asking for anything,
he came to be looked upon as indispens-
able, and such high posts as secretary of
state for war, chief secretary for Ireland,
and secretary of state for India were abb
solutely thrust upon him. In all Of them
he acquitted himself excellently and
proved an immense strength to his party
and valuable servant to his country.
When Gladstone retired from public
life in fit of sulks, in 1879.
Lord Harrington was unanimously
chosen leader of the Liberal party;
and, when Gladstone changed his
mind shortly afterwards and wanted to
come back again, Lord Harrington was
the first TO welcome him and became once
more his most loyal lieutenant. 1t was
only when Gladstone surrendered to the
Irish party, after the defeat of his minis
try in 1855, that Lord Harrington separ-
ated from him. He became leader of the
Liberal u nioniSts, and in that capacity has
done more than any other man to pre-
serve the union of the kingdoms. He has
deliberately shut himself out from office
because he is more useful TO the country
as an Independent leader; yet he does
more hard work than If he were . minis
ter, without getting any pay or honors
tor 1t, as chairman of all the most lmpor-
tant and laborious committees and COM
missions. Within the past few weeks he
has refused the splendid position of first
lord OF the treasury with S25, 900 q
year. and is engaged for many hours
day in the dreary and unpaid drudgery of
the royal commission on labor. He has
rare faculty for getting on with all sorts of
people, yet no man knows less of the arts
of popularity, while his mere personal
bearing is decidedly dsagreeabe to those
VINO do not understand his blunt, honest
WY. 1t was Henry Labouchere who said
what he liked about Harrington WAS his
"Y ou-be-damned-ness." and no other
phrase could express half so well his in
dependent, outspoken. bulldog manner to-
wards all and sundry. He is one of the
few men who habitualy tell the truth, the
whole truth and nothing but the truth,
without the slightest regard for their own
interests or anybody elses convenience.
In his private life, Lord Harrington is
rigidly just in all his dealings, strictly
honorable himself and requiring everyone
else TO be so, very generous with money,
but most unostentatious and simple in his
habits. He is a religious man in the quiet.
old-fashioned way, without particle of
cant; and during the sitting of parliament,
he may often be seen stepping briskly
through Deans yard or the cloisters, on
his way to attend service unnoticed in
Westminster Abbey. Yet he loves race
horses and all kinds of sport and is equally
well known on the turf, in the hunting
field or at the covert side. He is fond of
good eating and drinking and gets as
much enjoyment out of life generally as
most men; but he is always moderate, and
always governed by a sense of duty. In a
word, he is essentially a well-balanced
man,
1t remains to be added that Lord Hart
ington is full of human nature, and has
had a romance which is almost public
property. When he was quite q young
man he fell in love with a married woman,
and he has been faithful to ner ever since.
The object of this chivalrous devotion was
the Countess Louise d. Alien, a Hanove-
rian lady who became the wife of the late
Duke of Manchester just about the time
when Lord Harrington made his appear
ance in London society. She was then
superb beauty, tall, slender blonde, with
fair blue eyes and charming features, and
a stately womanliness that made her ire
sistibly attractive. She was one of three
women who were called thirty years ago
''the three beautiful duchesses," the other
two being the Duchess of Wellington and
the Duchess of Sutherland, and, to those
who admire blondes, she was de-
cidedly the belle of the three. Lord
Harrington is not a man to do anything
by halves. When he fell in love he gave
his whole heart to the woman whom he
had made his goddess. The triiing cir
cumstance that she was another mans
wife made not the slightest difference to
L. l.. i l..
had no desire to marry any other woman.
On the contrary, he was quite willing to
forego all prospect of transmitting his
great name with all the titles and estates
belonging to il to his posterity, for the
sake OF what seemed perfectly hopeless
attachment. His next brother Lord
Frederick Cavendish, was childIess, and
Fenians In Phoenix park. All the family
arrangements, therefore. were made on
the assumption that on Lord Harrington
death, the succession would go to the
youngest OF the three sons of the
Duke OF Devonshire, Lord Edward Caven-
dish, who was married and had three sons.
That nobleman died suddenly in the
early part of the present year, and there is
now undoubtedly some risk OF the success
sion ultimately failing. ct Lord Hart
lngtOn has shown no sign of changing his
mind. The Duke of Manchester died more
than year ago, but contrary to all ex-
pectatiOns, not only has no engagement
between Lord Harrington and the widow
been announced, but an authoritative
denial OF any such thing has been pub
lished by Lord harrington himself. The
duchess is stall handsome woman, though
only q shadow of her former beauty; but
II must be assumed that if she
married Lord Harrington there would
be no issue of the marriage; and il is be-
lieved that she has refused her