New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1912-08-10
PH|L|PSE ROMANCE
An American PeereSS of the
Eiqhteenth Century.

president George f. kunz and the other
oacers Of the American Scenic and His
,o,sc Preservation Society are not quite
.1,r,ct when they state in the interesting
Memoirs which they have compiled on
,,o history of Philipse Manor Hall. at
vopkers. n. Y. that Maria Eliza Philipse.
niece of George Washingtons old flame.
became the wife OF the seventh Viscount
s,rangford during the days of the British
occunstion Of New York. I'm lT9
Tho English officer with whom the eld-
ost daughter of Frederick Philipse. third
and last lord Of Philipse Manor. contract
ID a romantic marriage was Captain the
Hon. Lionel Smythe who afterward be-
came the fifth NiscOunt Strangford. Their
son Percy, born in 1880 the sixth Wis
count was not only distinguished Brit
isb dipomat but also a poet, and il is
"a him that We are indebted for some
If The finest Tenderings in English verse
of the great Portuguese poet. Camoens.
lie was a friend of Byron, who refers to
him as "Hibernian Strangford." owing to
the fact that the Niscounty of Strangford,
though bestowed on the Kentish family
of Smythe. of Ashford. by James I. was
an irish peerage. II became extinct with
the deaths of the two grandsons of Maria
Phllipse. NTH Nisccuntess Strangford, in
1851 and 1883, respectively.
The elder of these two brothers. George.
seventh viscOunt. was an intimate assoc
,iste Of the late Duke OF Rutland and Of
DisracH Lord Beaconsfield, and is gen.
ally understood TO have been the origi-
)al of "Coningsby.' the hero Of the lat
tr's novel Of that name.
Ills Younger brother and successor
exhth end last Niscount Strangford. was
dpring all his earlier years almost blind
which did not, however. prevent him from
becoming distinguished diplomatist and
one Of the most remarkable students OF
Oriental lore in England. He spent many
Years, both prior and subsequent 10 his
accession TO the peeragc. at Constantine
pic. where he mingled, often in Turkish
costume, with the natives and more par
ticrlarly with the Moslem ecclesiastics.
II vas he. by the by who foretoid more
than sixty years ago the rise OF Bui-
gsria as the leading Balkan state.
Frederick Philipse. third and last Lord
Of PhiHpse Manor, lost all his property
through attainder of treason for taking
the British side in the Revolutionary War
Old blind. broken i'm health, fortune and
spirit. he sought refuge in England, where
ne died i'm 1856 and was buried in the
south transept of Chester Cathedral
where his memorial tablet is still to be
seen His fate was that of many Ameri-
can loyalIsts.
Although the War Of independence
nominaly ended the immortal system in
America. there was trouble over the land
tenures provided by il until 1886 when
all feudal customs were definitely abol-
shed. The immortal system still sur
wives In various parts of England, IN
places where neither the lord of the
manor nor the tenant has taken advan-
tage of modern legislation which enables
either party TO put an end TO this Kind OF
lenure
1t often happens that the lord OF the
manor. even if he disposes Of all the
land, still retains the right 10 certain
dues consequent on the transfer Of any OF
the property, to the mines and minerals
bene4h the soil, and. until recently at
least to the timber on the surface. These
rights he is able to dispose of by sale.
and instances might be cited of their
being auctoned off among the other as
sets Of a bankrupt Thus, they occasion
ally rass into very unaristocratic hands
indeed. Since the rights and title OF lord
Of a manor are occasionally offered for
sale TO Americans, it may be just as we'll
10 stat, here that such titles are purely
honorary, are not nobiliary titles at all
are no; used in society. and confer no
official rank or precedence upon the
holder