The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1910-12-06
II In MARauIsE DE EONTENoY.

~ lucrative. honorable alto
gether agreeable Office of SER
geant-ot-arms in ordinary to King
George, delegated by the latter to at
tend the Lord Chancellor. and Lord
Keeper of the Great Seal of Great
Britain, is perhaps one OF the best
known of the equerries of King Ed
ward, to whose household he was at
tached for some twenty years. In fact,
there are few Americans possessed OF
any personal acquaintance with the
late king who do not know Seymour
Fortescue, who was knighted by King
George shortly after his accession for
the services rendered to his ~predeces-
Is a captain of the Royal Navy, was
present at the bombardment of Alex
andria. was with Wotseley in The un-
successful expedition up the Nile,
undertaken for the rescue OF General
Gordon at Khartoum, and was Naval
A. d. G. to Field Marshal Lord Roberts
throughout the South African war. He
Is the brother of the present Earl of
| Fortescue: and another brother. the
Hon. John Fortescue. Is the Royal lib
rarian at Windsor Castle. and as such
In charge of all the family archives OF
the reigninG house of England which
are preserved there.
The Fortescue family, which has al
ways been renowned for It's good looks.
was founded by Richard lie Fort, q
Norman knight. who was cup-bearer to
| william tile Conqueror. and who had
three horses killed under him at the
battle of Hastings Indeed. so great
was his valor in that battle, n SO
brave was his defense of the Duke of
Normandy in the melee, that ne was
thenceforth known as Richard lie Fort
Tlscu. or Ricnard the Strong Shield.
His son. Sir Adam. known as Sir Adam
F'ortescue, obtained, according to
Doomsday Book, a grant from the
crown, OF Winston, In Devonshire, with
which country the Fortescues have
been ever since identified. Sir John
Fortescue was Lord Chief Justice OF
England in the reign of King Henry
v. and but for the negligence OF a
forbear, namely. Sir Hugh Fortescuc.
the present Earl of Fortescue, would
to-day be Earl of Clinton, an older
title. This sir Hugh was summoned
TO Parliament in 172l. as co-heir of the
very ancient Barony OF Clinton, at that
time in abeyanee. and as fourteenth
lord of the line. He was subsequently
created Lord Fortescue OF Castle tiiii.
in Devon. with remainder TO his halt
brother, Matthew Fortescue. and sun
further on was created Earl or I'm
ton without any remainder. But he
neglected to marry, and the conse-
quence was that his earldom became
extinct, his barony of Fortescue gong
to his half-brother Matthew, while the
ancient Barony of Clinton again Went
into abeyance, and being herttable IN
the female line. is now held by a mem
Der of the Trefusis family, Mathew
ForteScue'S son was created Edfl VI
Fortescue, and the present Lord F'or-
tescuc is the fourth earl of his line,
and one of seven brothers, of whom
another. peristied as y naval oihcef at
sea, and stsil another was Killed In the
The %sprlneipai country seat of the
] Lords OF Fortescue Is Castle Hill.
which has been in the family since the
reign of Henry VI, and was rebuilt in
the early part of the reign OF Gaorge
H., when the gardens as they now
exist We're laid out. Lord Fortescue
also owns the whole of lsxmoor. and,
indeed, his estates in DeVonshire and
Somersetshire arc very large and valu-
able. AZ sergeant-at-Arms, Captain Sir
Seymour Fortescue, who Is an influ-
entail member OF the Turf Club, Will
receive a salary of $4,000 a year. For
mcrly the holder of this Office enjoyed
an excellent residence in the palace Of
Westminster. But as Sir Seymour has
apartments allotted to him for life by
the late King in st. James Palace,
Lhe Will not lose anything by the ABB
%sence of a residence at Westminster.
The Sergeants-at-Arms are the most
ancient kind of guard of the Kings of
England, and We're first instituted By.
Richard Coeur-de-Lion. in imitation of
a corps OF the same name formed by
King Philip Augustus OF France.
Their duty originally vas to watch
round the kings tent, in complete ar
NOR. with a mace, bow, arrows and
sword, and occasionally to arrest trail
tors and other offenders about the
court, for which their mace OF office
was deemed sufficient authority. They
are required to be men of excellent
birth, and wear a collar Of Office. with
which in ancient times they were In
vested, with a good deal Of ceremony.
Nine. Curie's impending election to
membership of the French Academy of
Sciences, in recognition of her dis
covery of radium, and Of many other
services to the scientific world, has
led to an almost universal s n
on the part of the European and
American press that this distinction
bestowed upon her will be without
precedence. every newspaper apparent
fore has any woman been elected TO
any Of the five academies that consti-
tute the Institute Of France. But this
is not the case. For, as few peopie
great revolution of 1893, there We're q
number of female academicians. Most
OF them belonged to the Academy OF
XIV. in 1913, under the title OF
LAcademie Royale des BeauN Arts,
and 1t has always been composed OF
the most eminent painters, HIPPO
musical com osers, From among its
members is > selected the director. OF
the French seAsSl at Rome. n ain
ing, sculpture and music owe a deep
L QeDC1 Oh SrallluuS 10 WHO ooN oSS -
OF all the five academies. It's women
members have included Catherine
Duchemin. painter, wife of the sculp,
tor Girardon, elected In 1868. and
Louise I.ebrun. who on the proposal OF
Joseph Vernet. the p%aintag. was eleets
ed to membership in 1888. No less
than GOO Of her paintings remain IN
existence. They arc to be found IN
most of the leading national museums
of Europe, as we'll as In the Metro
~politan Museum OF New York.
i have before me a list Of at least a
dozen other female academicians. But
they were all elected In tho eighteenth
century, and there is no record Of y
election of a woman within the last
hundred ears
The Countess Of pesartt. who has
lust been presented with the honorary
freedom of Kilkenny by the city
fathers df that ancient town, Is not the
wife of the present earl. nor the
mother OF that Lady Sybil who married
The son OF ". Bayard Cutting, OF New
York, but the widow OF the late earl;
Moreover, she is q JeWess, and y J
cali attention to- this, 1t Is because the
I Irish are popularity supposed to be I'M
bued with a spirit OF intolerance to-
wards the Hebrew race, No member
lsthereof has ever until now been
honored with the freedom OF an lr1sh