New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1908-09-11

his country seat Merton Hall In Norfo1k was
once owned by the Babes in the Wood of story
book fame. And oddly enough in the wood
where they were done to death there is even now
always exceptionally large number of robins
The babes are supposed to have been the children
OF Sir Roger de Grey, whose mother Tsobel May
nard. was the owner of Merton. The boys name
was Thomas. That of the little girl is not known,
and the wood in which they were done to death IS.
like Merton Hall, still haunted by their ghosts,
walking hand In hard. There is a room which Is
stun known as the babes parlor. and every visitor
10 Merton Hall has for generations received
departure beautiful porcelain robin az a memento
OF the part played by the bird in the Babes in
the Wood story. Merton Hall was built in Tudor
times. and among fits treasures is old chest
with H r." on it. also crown. left there by
Henry VIII. who made several stays at the place.
and also a leathern jack which belonged to
Queen Elizabeth. who had likewise soJourned under
its roof Merton Hall has been in the possession
CT the de Grey family. of which Lord Walsngham
is the chief. since the fourteenth century.
The first Lord walsingham a Sir William
Grey. who raised to the peerage for his ser
vices as Lord Chief Justice of England during the
reign of George III. But the title of Walsingharn
had been borne much earlier in the century oy
Countess Melusina der schulenberg, one OF the
German "sultanas'' of King George /, who was ere
ated by him an English peerless, as Countess Oh
Walsngham in her own right, she subsequently
There is however. connection. other than that
of similarity of title, between that lady and the
head of the de Grey family.
Lady walsingham most gifted and beautiful
woman died not long ago., Lord Walsingham was
her third husband the first having been I]oro
Burghersh eldest son and heir of the Earl OF
Westmoreland, and her second husband the Italian
Duke San Teodoro by whom she had daughter
who married Prince Marc Anthony. the head Of
the historic Roman house of Colonna. She was
a daughter of 1.-The beautiful the gallant and the
immortal Locke of whom Lord Lytton writes in
his novel Ernest Maitravers." Locke was SUBJ
altern in the Life Guards. and married sister
OF the first Lord Tollemache against her fathers
wishes They went to Lake Como for their honey
moon, and while staying the shores of Lake
Como Locke was drowned in open boat right
under his young wife's eyes. The daughter subse
quently born to Mrs. Locke died as Lady Walsing-
ham.
Lord walsingham has by deed of gift placed at
the disposal of the trustees of the British Museum
his unrtvalled collection of moths, chiefly Micro
lepidopteTa, comprising a quarter Of million
specimens, and has accompanied the donation by
a library OF every known work on entomology,
collected at an enormous expense He has no
children and his heir is his halfbrother, John de
Grey, a well known member of the bar and one
OF the cadis, police ma gistrates. of the
tropos.
Some twenty years ago Lord Walsnghsm. who
is high steward of the University Of Cambridge,
proved by actual demonstration at Merton that
tobacco could be successfully grown and prepared
for use in England. the seed being obtained from
America. In order TO carry the experiments
permission had be obtained from the English
government; for, strange though 1t may appear,
there still remains in force q law prohibiting the
culture Of tobacco in England. which enacted
three centuries ago for the purpose of protecting
and benehting the tobacco plantations and indus
try OF the then infant colony of Virginia England
lost Virginia nearly century and half ago, yet
the statute remains in existence the government
declining to take any steps toward its repeal on
the ground that 1t would have the effect of dis
turbing the entire system of revenue, a heavy tax
being levied upon tobacco, all of which is imported
In fact, so anxious the Treasury Department
about the matter that when Lord Walsngham,
after having proved the success OF his experiment
in tobacco growing small scale, requested per-
mission to continue the experiment in more
extensive manner. his application was denied. and
the authorities actually sent down to Mer-
ton inspectors TO that the of the tobacco
plants used by Lord Walsngham were burned
the ground MARQUISE DE FONTENOY.