The Saint Paul globe., 1905-01-08

LONDON, JAN Tt is no exaggeration
to speak of the infant Earl Grosvenor-to
, whom King Edward stood sponsor the
other day-as "the luckiest baby in Eng
land. For it is rather hard to think of
any material gift of the gods which will
not be possessed, sooner or later, by the
diminutive parsonage whose baptism at
the Chapel Royal, st. James, on Monday,
was SO uncommonly brilliant a function
That the little earl viii be the richest
man in England there seems no doubt.
His father, the youthful Duke of West
minister, is now the greatest of London
landlords and the wealthiest of English
peers but even his great fortune cuts
rather poor figure when compared to
that which his son will possess. Earl Gros-
venor will inherit 10000 English acres,
80 400 in the country and 600 in London.
The income from this estate is now about
$3.50 minute, $500 a day or S1,175, 600 a
year. The country property includes
Eaton Hall, Cheshire and Halkin, Flint
shire, upon the former of which more
money is said to have been spent than on
any other private house in the kingdom,
one room alone having cost $150,000.
But it is those 500 acres of London
property, including Grosvenor House, the
princely home of the Westminsters in
Park Lane that are going to make this
baby boy into one of the richest men in
England. For, as most people know, the
present dukes holdings in the metropolis
lies in three populous districts, two of
which are inhabited by the wealthiest
people in ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS and May
flower. Even today this is the most valu-
able real estate in the world, an acre of it
being worth more than an acre of the
richest gold mining land in creation For
certain building sites in these ultra-fash
1onable quarters of Mayfair the Duke of
Westminster receives $3.50 square
foot. If a whole acre could be let on
such terms it would bring in no less than
$l,415.00O year and it has been esti-
mated that to derive such an income from
investments in gold fields one should pos
sess capital sum, taking the interest at
4 per cent, of over $50, 600, 600
g moreover, as years go ON, the value of
this property is constantly increasing. Es-
pecially that of the real estate in Bel
grave square the leases of which will
nearly all fall in at the end of about
twenty years-or just when the dukes in
fant heir will attain his majority-which
VIII mean that the income from them will
be more than doubled. What the value of
this property is can be imagined when it
is said that it includes the various great
houses owned by the Duke of Richmond.
the Earl of Ancaster, Lord Howard de
Walden, Countess Beauchamp the Aus
trlan embassy. Viscount Barring, Lord
Carew, Lord Barnard and Prince Radzi-
VIII, which with others will become the
absolute property of the Dukcdom of
Westminster.
The future Duke of Westminster will
also be able to boast of one of the most
ancient lineagcs in the history of the
kingdom, for the history of his family
goes back century and half earlier
than the conquest in which one Gilbert Ie
Grosvenour assisted William of Norman
oy- The first Duke of Westminstcrs how
ever, did not receive that title until as
comparatively recently rs 1864 This was.
OF course, the present dukes grandfather
who was famous as a sportsman and who
won the Derby with the famous animal
bend Or. His son, it will be remem-
bered married Lady Constance sLumley,
but died soon after tho birth of the pres
ent duke, who is now only twenty-five and
who was formerly Lord Belgrave
Besides all his other advantages the
infant Earl Grosvcnor is likely to have
that of counting an ex-premler of Eng.
land among his nearest relatives. For the
Right Hon. George Wyndlianl, who, with
the king, stood godfathe. to the little earl
is of course, his lordship's step grand