The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1904-03-13
DOWAGER DUCH[SS[S MAKE DUKE POOR
of
to CONNIE

at auction or by private sale. At
present the only way they can treat
their titles as financial assets is by
becoming company directors-w which
is getting to be very risky business
or by marrying American heiresses.
And because, if they We're allowed to
sell some of their titles outright for
cash there would be fewer Transatlantic
peeresses it has been urged that such
measure would undoubtedly be pop
ular with England's feminine aristoc-
racy, who view with jealousy and
alarm the extent to which they are
being crowded out of their limited mat
rimon;al market by the all-conquer-
ing American girls dollars. Besides
possessing bakers dozen of British
titles the Duke of Wellington is Prince
of Waterloo in the Netherlands; Duke
of Ciudad Rodrigo in Spain; and Duke
of Vittoria, Marques of Torress Vedras
and Count of Vimiera in Portugal.
Apsley house, where the duke and
duchess now make their home, is his
torically one of the most famous
houses in London and one of the least
known. When garden party was
given there in 1901 it was said that it
was the first time for nearly half q
century that its doors had been
thrown open for an entertainment.
When the Iron Duke had possession of
it things were different. In the famous
Waterloo gallery, vast hall nearly
one hundred feet long, handsomely
decorated and richly gilt, the duke
used to celebrate. by a banquet on the
18th of June, the anniversary of the
battle of Waterloo, and it was regard
Il FINN
tions of the season. An invitation to
it was priced quite as highly as was a
command to dine at ST. James palace,
and in some RESPECTS the dinners were
similar since the King invariably sat
on the right hand Of the duke.
King George ~. was not a brilliant
after-d dinner speaker, and his oratory
did not greatly vary as to sentiment.
But one point he used to make every
year with unfailing regularity which
was voclferously cheered. IF it had
friend on the left he was wont to
say, 81 might not have had the hap
piness of meeting the present COM
pany.''
The interior of the Apsley house is
curious mixture of splendor and
simplicity. The decorations are ex-
ceedingly handsome, and the magnifi-
cent picture gallery is of priceless ms
torical value. The rooms occupied
by the first duke are on the other
hand, almost bare in their lack OF
luxury. The great mans bedroom is
still preserved in the same state as
during his lifetime. Its only furniture
is a small iron bedstead,- writing
table and chair, a chest of drawers
and some books. The Iron Duke, like
true hero, was simple in all his tastes
and preferred to live the life of a
soldier rather than that of an aristo-
crat.
The art treasures contained in APPS
I, ley house, mostly the gifts of crowned
heads, comprise specimens of all the best
known schools of painting and sculp-
ture. On the grand staircase is the
| colossal statue of Napoleon L., by Can
ova, while the pictures upstairs in
clude paintings by Velasquez, Wolver-
| mans, Murilla and Vatican. Here
are also the famous Holy Family" by
| Rubens, Sir David Wilkes full length
portrait of George ~. and Landseers
.Highland Whiskey Still.
Apsley house, though long bereft OF
| its social splendor, is fitting monu-
ment of one of the very greatest OF
the heroes of England. 1t was pre-
sented to the duke by the nation In
| 1920 and its address was then very ap-
] propriately, No. l, London.