Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-10-24

FORM 1Or the purpose OF display IL
these rooms were In museum OF bulid-
Ing stones they would be extremely Valu-
able, but in private house they are ex-
tremely vulgar.
And, as if this were not enough. the
late duke hired Mr.. H. Stacey Marks
to paint the walls of one of his great
rooms with pictures of all the birds upon
the earth. The catalogue calls 1t IAN
localized zoo." which is very appropriate,
and declares that every picture is a por..
trait drawn from life at some zoological
garden. The effect is startling. The
gorgeous plumage Of the tropical birds
light up the room in an extraordinary
manner.
There are some beautiful portraits Of
generations of the Grosvenor family.
painted by the greatest artists of the past
three centuries, that are we'll worth see
ing.
The duke also introduced some fine
samples of plumber from the ruined
castles and cathedrals of Italy, Scotland
and Wales, fragments from Pompeii and
other ancient cities of the east, and pieces
OF furniture that once belonged to ia
nous and Infamous men and women.
Strange Burial Compact.
The most extraordinary architectural
freak appears in the main entrance, where
the late duke employed a sculptor to
ch1sel on the walls a monstrous mono
gram of his own initials, and those of his
second wife. the present Dowager Duchess
of Westminster, whom he married in his
Old age That lady is still living in the
Dover House. but doesn't hit it off,
with her stepson. the present duke. they
say. The body of the late Duchess Con-
| stance, his mother. who was one of the
noblest matrons in the kingdom. lies in an
exquisite sarcophagus Of Parian marble in
the chapel. but the ashes of her husband,
| the late duke, who was cremated, are not
there; They are deposited in an urn upon
the altar OF chapel he built some years
ago for the benefit Of his tenants at the
| neighboring village Of Eccleston why it
was not placed in the family chapel was
never satisfactorily explained, but the COS
sips say that the present duke will not
permit his stepmother to be buried there.
and she made that a condition of sur
| rendering the dust Of his 1ather, her late
husband. don't know how much truth
there is in this gossip, but it is an in
terestlng story of the richest family in
the British empire.
Present Duke and His Vast Estate.
The present duke, who is now about
thirty-three years old, takes a great in
terest in public affairs and has shown
himself to be a good deal of a man. His
wife was professional beauty, Miss
Constance Corvallis West, and they
have three lovely children. The duke
went to the South African war and dis
regiment of Imperial Yoemanry, recruited
upon his own estates. The manager of
his property, which includes block after
dock or business houses on Regent street
ana other parts OF London. in his uncle.
but Mr.. Drummond. who recently married
Mrs. Marshall Field II. is sort Of con-
fidential secretary and looks after his pri- |
vate business.
IT. The estate is estimated at more than
$3OO,OOO,OOO, and Is nearly all in landed
property which has been in the family
for centuries. Most of 1t was bestowed
upon Hugh Lupus. the founder of the
family, by William the Conqueror. The
remainder was acquired generations ago
when business property in London could
be had for a song
Dodged Death Duties.
The late duke had the reputation of be-
ing very misery man, although he was
respected for his ability and integrity,
and every thoughtful citizen of the Brit
ish empire deplored the last act of his
life which cheated the government out of
two or three million dollars of death
duties. Under the laws of England a
graded inheritance tax is one of the prin- |
cipal sources of revenue. The more a
man inherits the more he has to divide |
with the government. The late Duke of
westminster avoided the payment of this
tax by secretly transferring his entire es-
tate to his son before his death for a |
consideration Of Ell. or perhaps it was a |
shilling. By this trick he escaped the |
death duties and the present duke was
required to pay only the nominal fees
for recording the deeds. The consequences
of this act have been seriously felt upon
the national revenues. because many peo- |
pie have since followed his example If |
great and good man, prominent
churchman, a statesman and philanthro- |
pist could cheat the government in that
way, it is proper for anybody else to do
it.
Bronze Statue of Hugh the Fat.
The finest thing about Eaton Hall is a
splendid bronze statue of Hugh Lupus,
the founder of the family. by G. F. Watts |
IT, stands in the center of a fountain i'm
mediately in front of the main entrance
to the mansion and represents the burly
form of the great Norman warrior. who
was nicknamed Hugh the Fat" astride
titanic Flemish horse. with a falcon
perched upon his uplifted hand AL
though both figures are of heroic size,
they nave been designed with great spirit
and represent a typical warrior of that
rough age. The magnitude of the group
may be judged from the fact that the
head Of the horse weighs 1,JOO pounds and
the tail contains 600 pounds OF bronze.
Chester is walled city, the old Roman
wall inclosing the business section being
perfectly preserved, and 1t is delightful
promenade. The top of the wall is paved
and Enclosed by balustrades, SO that one
can walk the entire distance, about a
mile and half
The Cathedral of Chester. which was
founded by Elfreda. a daughter of King
Alfred the Great, as everybody knows, is
one of the largest and most imposing In
the kingdom. The wood carving of the |
choir is Incompatible There is nothing |
SO artistic In England or on the CONT |
q n live
oak and cedar wood brought from Pales- !
posed of fragments from the temple Of
Solomon in Jerusalem.
Tried to Betray American Colonists.
There are many splendid tombs within
the cathedral. but that which Interests
Americans most contains the dust OF
Frederick Phillipse. who, during the colo
NAL period. occupied the beautiful Phil
lipse mansion on the banks of the Hud-
son river near West Point. His daugh-
ter Mary Phillipse. Tilted George Wash
ington, and he arranged the secret con-
ferences between Benedict Arnold and
Mai. Andre. which took place at his
house When Arnold's treachery was dis
covered Phillipse fled to New York and
afterward returned to his ancestral home
at Chester. his property in America being
confiscated by the government of the
United States The following is the epi-
taph upon his tomb:
Sacred to the memory of
Frederick Phillipse, Esquire,
Late OF the Province Of New York.
4 In vyh Ia