The Washington herald., 1912-05-02
Interesting Events that Cause
Gossip in Foreign Courts

There always were quite a number of
celebrities who were superstitious, espe-
Clally those who dreaded the number
thirteen" Queen Victoria almost dread
ed II, and the late Earl of Granville has
told how. on one occasion, he was in
vited to dine with the Duke Of Cambridge,
one of the Queens sons. to meet her.
but at the last moment found himself
disabled by an attack OF the gout. On
Queen Victoria's arrival, finding the din
ner guests were thirteen in number. she
positively declined TO sit at the table.
Dining at Delmany. Lord Rosebery's $
fine seat near Edinburgh, during the last
Of the Midlothian campaigns. Sir Henry
Lucy was surprised to find his host seated
aIPrt from the big table in company
with Mrs. Gladstone and Sir Algernon
West. Seeing Sir Henry's look Of sur
prise. Lord Rosebery explained that there
were thirteen at dinner. Had that num-
ber" he added, been at one table some
one might have been disturbed in mind.
1 personally have no superstition on that
point, but others have"
On another occasion a lively incident
also happened at Dalmeny. The we'll
known Prof. Blacklie arrived there late
cne evening and found the guests at din
ner. With characteristic cheeriness and
in obedience to a pleasing habit Of max
ing himself at home under any ctrcum-
stances, ne brought up a chair and seated
himself near his hostess. But instantly
he became conscious of a strange un-
essiness in the circle. As 1t deepened
into a constrained silence Lady Rosebery
whispered to MIN that he had better go
into the drawing-room, where he would
find Lady Aberdeen.
The professor. however, had not dined
yet and was not the kind to see others
so pleasantly engaged without desire to
join. Yes, by and by" he replied TO
Lady Rosebery's increasing embarrass-
ment.
Presently one Of the diners pointed out
to him that his arrival made the company
thirteen at table, and that there was
present a lady who was a firm believer
in the tradition that under such arith-
meticaI conditions death would claim
one or more Of the guests before the
year was out.
Then BlackIie doIefully departed.
Stuart Parnett also was a slave to the
same quaint superstition to such an ex-
tent that during an election campaign
with Tim Healy he declined to occupy
room in a hotel numbered l3. And II is a
well-known fact, and of record, that one
day. while at Kilmainham, he repudi
ated the draft OF bill amending the
Irish land act, submitted to him by a
colleague, on discovering that IT con-
tained thirteen clauses.
An actress who can trace her descent
to royalty is not an everyday occurrence.
The debut OF Miss Muriel Martin Har-
vey, at the London Comedy Theater, has
brought to light that her pedigree
reaches through nine generations to King
Charles II. This is the authentic story
Of her lineage:
By Barbara Yilliers, Duchess Of Cleve-
land, Charles II had son, the first Duke
Of Grafton. who was the father Of the
second duke. His daughter was Lady
Caroline Fitzroy. who married Viscount
Petersham. Their daughter, Lady Caro-
line Stanhope, was the wife Of the last
Earl of Seaforth and the mother of Lady
Caroline Mackenzie, who married IN
1851 Count de Melfort BY this marriage
was born Helen Juliet Drummond, who
married William Milliken. Their daugh-
ter Caroline married Don Ramonde Silva
Perro, consul for Chile, and became the
mother OF Helena de Silva, who is Mrs.
]. Martin Harvey, the mother of Miss
Muriel Ma rtin Harvey.
'F1aneur Reader" takes umbrage at
the statement in these letters, made an
the occasion of Lord Howard de Wal
den's recent wedding TO Miss Van Rosl-
TO. the heiress. Of a wealthy London
City broker, that he is the richest land
owner in London. This Is absolutely
correct. Let me explain. His eccentric
young lordship is the possessor of the
vast Marylebone estate, which was the
backbone of the enormous wealth of the
Dukes of Portland. In 1873. upon the
death OF the late duke, who left no d.
rect heir, the titles going to his cousin,
George Bentinck. the present duke, his
fortune as Baron Ogle reverted to his
sisters. one Of whom was Lady de wal
den, grandmother Of the present owner.
But this Lord Howard de Walden
later Inherited another very large and
very valuable esate In Ayrshire, ipeiud-