The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1911-01-01
ny IA MAnoIilsm DIE rONTENoY.

4 H.
oltD FAltFAH. who. born ns.nIl
American citizen. secured British
naturalization. In order TO OBJ
tain possession Of the preroga-
tivcs of the Scotch pccragc which had
come to him by inheritance. received
ono solitary vote at the election OF
the sixteen Scottish peers. hold Just
a year ago in Hollywood Palace. to
represent their order i'll the House oil
Lords at Westminster lie was the
object of good deal Of banter about
the matter his friends insisting that
he himself had cast that solitary vote
Perhaps hc did. and resented the chaff
for at the election held last week at
tIolyrood, not oven a single vote was
recorded in his behalf.
All the surviving representa- tive
peers of the last Parliament were re-
elected, and to I'll the vacancies left
by the recent death OF Lord Berth
wick and Lord Carnwath, the young
Earl of Melville and Jcven and Lord
Torpichon were chosen. Lord Tor
pichcn Was formerly a representative
peer, but was ousted at the election
"a year ago. in consequence OF his
favorable attitude towards the budget
The other representative peers are
Mar and kcllic. Laudcrdalc. Dundon-
ala, Mar Falkland, Sinclair. Belhaven
Morton, Northcsk, Scmpill and Saltoun
Lord Torpichen's pecrasc is the only
one which owes it's existence to the
knights Templar. Sir James Sandi-
lands was at the time of the Reform
or branch. of the order OF the knights
liospitaller of the Temple. sometimes
known as the knights Of St. John
and also 9. as the kniehts of the. Soy
enjoyed place in Parliament. not
only among the prelatcA--he was
bound BY vows Of ceiibacy--hut also
among the great barons. IN rights oil
the lay Barony OF Torpichen. which
was comprised in the property OF
the order Sir james was led by his
iQthers close intimacy with John
Knox. the Rcformer. TO become a CON
vert to the doctrines of the Reformed
Church. ana resiGning his ecclesiastical
oihre ana possessions to the crown In
! 6Gf, received Immediately thereon
from Mary. Queen OF Scots. II grant
confirming 10 iiim, his heirs and as
signs the land ana baronies belonging
to the order I'M Scotland Hc therefore
continued TO bear no longer us Prior
of the Order Of st. John but In his
own right. the title Of Lord Torpichen
oninindfui of the vote of ccllhacy which
he had been compelled to give on join
ing the order. he married Janet Muir
ray. OF polmnlse; but dying without
issue, his title of Lord Torpichen
passed 10 his brothers son James
Since then the Burony OF Torplchen
ms descended in the male line. direct,
the present peer being the twelfth
since tic reign of Queen Mary.
pf course the history of the Sandi-
lands family. OF which Lord Torpi-
chen is the chief. goes very much fmr-
HER back than the Reformation: for
me trst lord. in order 10 have been
rrior OF the Order OF St John, in
the days Of Mary, Queen Of Scots. must
nave hccn able 10 show al least eight
generations OF exclusively noble an
ccsirN, both on the fathers aud
mothers Side, genealogical qualiiica-
tons Of this kind being then. as To-
DAY. indispensable 10 fun knighthood
OF The order. In fact, the l.airds OF
Sandilands, in Dousiasdalc, were al
rsadX in possession of sand!land in
me thirteenth century, ana obtained
the lands OF Calder, near Edinburgh,
which are s,ill owned by the present
LORD Torpichen early in tho four
tccnth century One OF the I.airds nf
Sahdilands and Calder married Prin-