The Opelousas courier., 1894-11-24
A FAMOUS TOURNAMENT.
The Splendid Entertainment Given by
Lord Eglinton in 1899.

A FAMOUS TOURNAMENT.
The Splendid Entertainment Given b,
Lord Eg)inton in 1889.
Two episodes in Lord Eglinton's dis
tinguished history invite special atten-
ton. The first is the Eglinton tourna-
ment. which took place in August.
1899: his second, his brilliant career as
twice lord lieutenant of Ireland. At
the time of the famous tournament
Lord Eglinton was in his twenty-sev-
enth year, and one of the handsomest
and most engaging men of his day.
His desire was to produce in his own
park a modern imitation of such a
tournament as that described by Sir
Walter Scott in ''Ivanhoe," and neither
expense nor research was spared to
make it a great and unique success.
Preparations for it and the festivities
which accompanied it cost about GiO,-
600, but the munificent host omitted
from his calculations all thought of the
English climate, which so married the
enjoyment of the countless guests that
the vast expenditure was in great
measure thrown away. The arena, or
scene of action, covered -four acres, and
two enormous galleries were erected
on either side. the first to accommodate
the earl's private guests. and the Sec
ond for invited spectators. to whom
tickets were sent gratuitously by his
orders. Nearest the castle two vast
canvas saloons were set apart for the
banqueting hall and ball room. while
ou.l - 49,, 1r-s,i~xr 1,.I L.. -,- ,--.
quee. The decorations of the lists
were Of the costliest description, and,
mt the request of the noble host, most
of the visitors came attired in a medi-
aeval costume.
The grand stand was filled with la
dies ~splendidly attired in the costumes
of the fourteenth and fifteenth centu-
ries. to whom on entering the list each
knight in succession paid his devoir.
At . p. m in the midst of a drenching
shower, the procession started from
the castle: but the pitiless rain marred
all the splendor of the costly prepare
ton. Instead of riding on her palfrey
to her throne. the queen of love and
beauty and her ladies were forced to
take shelter in carriages, and as they APP
preached the jousting ground a specta-
Gle met their eyes which elected un-
comfortable shouts of laughter from
the spectators surrounding the lists.
There, firmly planted upon his mailed
war-charger, sat in unconscious digni-
ty the Marquis OF Londonderry, clad
from head to foot in FURNISHED armor,
for which he had been measured by
cunning Milanese artifcers, in steel
inlaid with gold-the cost of his piano.
ply, being, it is said, at least $1,000.
The marquis was a short, stout old
man, and above his head he held an
enormous bingham umbrella. to pro-
tect him from the peltings of the mer-
CHESS storm.
Despite the weather, several joust-
ing matches took place, and, among
others, the Earl of Eglinton, clad in a
splendid panoply'of brass, got the best
of the Marquis of Waterford, upon
whose breast he broke two spears. At
night it was announced that the ban
quoting hall and the ball room, con-
structed out of canvas tents, were SO
saturated by the heavy rain that it was
impossible to enter them. On the af-
ternoon of the second day the weather
cleared, but the sports were confined
to the ball tent, in which Prince Louis
Napoleon afterwards the Emperor
Napoleon lid, engaged in a series OF
mimic combats on foot against Mr..
afterwards Sir) Charles Lamb, both
combatants being sheathed in armor.
On the third and last day the proceed
ings ended with a general melee, in
which the knights, armed with swords,
met their opponents in an amicable
fray. 1t was soon seen, however, that
the blows exchanged between the fiery
Marquis of Waterford and Viscount
Afford were SO far from being amic-
able that the comEatants were separ-
ated by the Intervention of the knight
marshal. On the fourth day the rain
was so incessant that by universal con
sent, the mimic conflict was given up.
So ended the great Eglinton tourna-
ment, after bringing together a con-
course of spectators variously estimat-
ed at from 80, 0 to o0O, 900 persons. In
addition to the vast sum spent upon it
by Lord Eglinton, the tournament at
tracted eager sightseers from all parts
of the United Kingdom, who paid heav-
~ aofan;as 80 n ITn;tad states ware
ura1, $1,000 AZ - 10 cover tba
III. aH.;. sr;tb ,;d,c,le , varv
h,ma-ous a.oonnt ~ tba mock 6ght.
ing and Of the attempted imitation of
old-world chivalry was written for an
Willis. a fitting exponent of such a