New-York tribune., 1908-05-20
LORD PORTMAN'S ASSES
Big Role of Donkeys in the Fortunes
of His House.
,co-v-.sb, zoos. by the Brentwood conpany)

-.F has
sns r-sn6children by the announcement that he is
He :. 49,, 8 widow by the name OF Mrs.
Ti,-f-rs-one Iearrnonth. ol Hailloto' near B4ano-
ford Lord Portman, whose laInllF motto Is "A
,iaa- haa-r and e cheerful spirit is one Of the
- - landlords Of London. and remains in
e-fre or his advanced age. master OF one Of the
- fo-ro1s hunts in Dorsetshire Qt was only the
,.b.- day that he met with an accident in the
- 6.r5 which confined him his bed for
- sns may he said 10 much OF the fort
,.-es ~ mis- house 10 donkeys- Many. many years
sro-so-7exhere in the eighteenth century-the doc
-o-s finding that the Mrs. Portman Of the day,
re x-ea;-g-andrnother Of the present viscount
zss very delicate insisted that she should be fed
or asses milk. Her husband once bought a
largo farm in Mddlesex. where Bryanstone Square
stands now. and stocked il with q big drove of
donkevs. gradually extending the holdings around
his farm and becoming the chief purveyor Of
asses milk 10 London.
The original farm cost him about IS Oao. To-day
IRE former farm and the pastures subsequently
added thereto are occupied by Porrman Square,
B-vsnstone Square and Manchester Square-that is
n say. some OF the most fashionable residential
quarters Of the r1etropols-and yield Viscount
Po---1a-. the great-grandson Of the original pur-
chaser Of the farm. income estimated at $1,000
e year which is hound 60 increasing in
size. IN fact. there years when, owing TO the
falling in of leases has income has been five and
SIX times that Thus. in 1855. whe- large
number Of nnety-nine year leases fell in. not only
were the rents raised TO eight times what they
before. but enormous premiums were exacted
from al desiring retain their old prem
ises Indeed. IN that year he received upward of
s .apaa in this fashion from his London property
nlene-not by sale, but merely il the capacity Of
landlord
!, is perhaps owing 70 the role played by donkeys
sr1 donkevs milk in connection with the fortunes
G. me family that Lord Portunan continues TO this
dsv 70 supply The British metropolis with asses
milk though. cf course. he does not continue TO
herd The dorkeys in Brvanstene Square. They
s-e driven into London every morning at very
ea-lv hour from farm in the outskirts and are
mixed The front doors of the customers. who
are usually rich people and able 70 pay well for
re luxury. The milking Of the donkeZ-s al the
house door Of the customers, instead Of bringing
re milk II town in cans, is TO avoid any sus-
r-io- Of fraud o. adute-ation, and dare say that
some Of ny readers who are spending the sea
So II London and returning home shortly after
dsvb-eak from some entertainment have met with
z drove Of asses assembled the door Of some
s7lea5.7 mansion. and have wondered thereat. will
r. .--e-ested 70 read this explanation.
The Po-rrnans are an old West OF England fam
t-v Hourished in soraersetshfre in the reign 81
EE-C Edward / while in the reign Of Queen Eliza
beth Sir William Porrman was Lord Chief Jus
-ioe = England They were one Of the first fam
lies 70 receive bsronetcy, theirs dating from 1911,
but the dignity became extinct through the death
without Of the sixth baronet, who beQueathed
Ms property 70 z cousin, Henry Seymour. on con-
clrion that assumed the name and the arms
q thz Portrnzns. He in turn left the property.
WIN identicaIy the same stipulations. 10 kins-
nan of the Of William Berkeley. since
which the descent has been WITHOUT 1nlerrLp-
ton II the male line direct
The father OF the present Lord Portulan, after
representing Dorsetshire in the House Of Com
mons for thirty years. was raised 10 the
House % Lords by King William " few weeks
before the lsTter's death, being subsequently pro-
-rored 70 2 viscounty BIZ Queen Victoria He died
ne age Of ninety and as his son. the present
Lord Po-cusn is wonderfully well preserved, 1.-THE.
spare. vigorous ii fine CONDITION, there is no rea-
why he, TOO. should not look forward 10 at
-si---E n 7he great which
other ten years OF life.
PRINCE WEBS HIS DEAD wIFE's SISTER
The announcement OF the engagement OF Frlrce
Frederick Of Schaunberg- to Princess ThyTa
q Denmark. daughter Of King Frederick. is OF
more than ordinary interest by reason OF the fact
the union is one which until short time ago
forbidden by English law. Princess Ihyra
being z younger sister Of Prince Frederich's for
r-e- wife who died two years ago. leaving three
children the eldest Of whom is now a girl OF
eleven Although no law exists against such mar
-iages On the Continent Of Europe. Yet they are
extremely rare among its reigning houses. al any
rate II modern tines While can recall instances
q u7ces having married their nieces. as. for IN
stance exKing Amadeus OF Spain married Princess
Lelitia Bonaparte, cannot at this moment re-
member gny case within the last hundred years OF
the marriage Of prince OF the blood Win 'he
SISTER OF his dead wife.
Prince Frederick Of Schauraberg-Lippe belongs
= The petty sovereign house Of that name In Ger
-ra-v b1- has little chance Of succeeding 10 the
throne there being many lives between niT1lseIl ana
tfe crown He is, however, enormously rich nav
iug Inherited all the vast estates Of has family IN
Bohemia comprising the historic Chateau OF
Nscho5 where WaTenstein. the most heroic hg-
l--e or the Thirty Years War, was born N leo4
Emperor Ferdinand u presented Naehod, whlch
he lad confscated after the assassination OF " al
le-stef1 70 Prince Octavian Piccolomini, IN recog-
rl-50r o< his military services Over the gateway
lez5t-E into the Dig courtyard the Emperor caused
&c te carved record OF al The great victories won
d. he prince and an expression Of the gratitude
cf his sovereign as well a hope that the great
generals career might serve for al time as an eA
ample aid inspiration 10 his people
The castle although now arranged II the most
luxurious fashion for modern habtatlon, remains
n many respects untouched since the time OF the
Th.r-v Years War The walls are stlH aoorleo
Wit -1-celess CsobeIins and other tapestries as
vel IS with the magnificent collection OF ola mas
t--s Earhe-ed together first by Nallens'elh anu
tber nv Pfccolorrltni. They include a superb por-
trait = he latter by Yandyck- There is also
lfl-s-v ~ e saa volumes formed by PiccoiornlIl
and likewise huge nunraert roor1-s fuI4 OF lIle a
chtres q his family. which played 50 hllpoI '1i1
-,1e ~ --e Middle Ages These archives have ntNtI
been disturbed since his death. They sun a"@l'
ne -aee-ot rf the historical student and are Ger
tar q examination 10 furnish the most NaudDIe
Information regarding not only me nm -
Wsr. but also the history OF Ila!yt Lsi.ts
Spain the Iowlands and France in the 1l1eeIIi'
saxree-th seventeenth and eighteer'ln e,
Nschod came into the prncely house OF ocha I'M
berg-LzuTe through marriage, lot lhe
have long been extinct -
Prince Frederick OF Schomberg-L-lppe ieS an
c-ha- @s-,-4,e residence namely Ratiborftz. also
L Bohemia which he usually occupies IN 'he SIN
ner spending the winters al HAcfloo- II "a
Rs-ibo-t-z II 1913 that Emperor FFailc1s %
Austria Gar Alexander ! Of Russia ana ms
F7eoe-o William III Of Prussia formed that aii
snce aqs -s- %spoleon which resulted IN ms oo"-'
IA TIE room IN which the terms o. 'Ile
were s,r~se5 ,-o- between the three nonaEchs as
any GrFI.