The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1913-12-26

w ter. of County Louth, last
Speaker OF tho Dublin House
Of Commons, was called upon, in the
dawn Of the nineteenth century, to
pronounce. in his official capacity the
doom Of Ireland's Parliament. after
the passage OF the Union act OF which
ne was one of the most determined
and bitter opponents, the chamber
over which he had so long presided. at
his request, corhdcd to him tho Gus
tody OF It's large solid silver gilt Of
fetal mace, and also of the Speakers
chair.
AT his death it was found that he
had bequeathcd both TO his heirs, to
be held in trust by them until the
body that Entrusted them to my keep
ing tnamely, the Irish Parliamenp,
should demand 1t again The pres
ent heir OF John Foster is Lord Mas
serecnc, his great-great- grandson.
Now. Lord Massereene is a Tory Of
the Tories, u member OF that strong
mold of Conservatism, the Carlton Club,
In London, and = particularly vigorous
opponent of home rule. When lie sue
ceeIcd 10 the family honors and cs-
tates, in 1865, he found that his father
had loaned the mace and the Speakers
chair TO the National Museum in Dub
lin. and was content TO leave them on
exhibition there until last week, when
he suddenly demanded their return,
and removed them To Antrim Castle.
his seat In County Antrim. II is he
lieved that unless steps are taken to
prevent him. he will taka these relics
out OF the kingdom
Tho motives which have led him to
adopt this course are the belief in
the iinminencc OF nome rule. and the
fear that either the present Imperial
government or else the new home rule
administration at Dublin may demand
the surrender OF the mace and OF the
chair for tho usa Of The new House OF
Commons Of Ireland. III such a de-
mnnd had been mace upon tho Ma
tional Museum at Dublin. which is
government institution. It's officials
would have had no alternative but 10
surrender them. II is 10 prevent any
such contingency that Lord Massereene
has removed them from the museum,
and he may be relied upon to place
every difficulty that he can In the way
Of their restoration to Ireland's new
Parliament.
Should tho case be carried into the
courts, ii is difficult to see how the
judges can do otherwise than decide
against him. For the annals OF tho
last Irish Parliament. prior 10 the
| Union. show that the chair and mace
were conlded BY the then moribund
Dublin House OF Commons. TO his Gus
tody as a trust. and not as Il gift. and
this view Of tic case is confirmed by
the tenor of mis- last will and tcsta-
men.. in which he expressly states that
he clair and mice shall be prcsel we'd
by his heirs until the body that in
trusted 1T TO my keeping"--the Irish
Parliament-"shall demand it again"
Lori Massereene is a soldier by pro-
fessiol. won the Distinguished Service
Order as n major of the Seventh Ian
GERS during the South African War.
where he was badly wounded. is
through his mother a grandson OF the
we'll known sporting novelist. Major
Whytc Melville Lord ana Lady Mas
four-year-old girl the Hon. Diana
Skeiiington. who will inherit the Wis
county OF Mnsscreene ana the barony
Of Loughnelgh, In the kingdom OF Ire
land, thus becoming Il pecrcss in her
own right; while the viscountY of Fer
rard and tho barony of Oriel will go
TO Lord Masscrecnc's cousin. Chichester
Skefhngton. bachelor or near seventy.
Antrim Castle, the principal country
seat of Lord Masscreenc. is huge
cdiiice, standing amid pleasant woods
on the shores OF Tough Neagh. the
largest lake in Great Britain and Ire
land and the sixth largest in Europe.
being sixtythree miles in circumfcr-
cnce. The first Viscount Massercene
kept large feot of boats OH Tough
Neagh. for service during the wars
against Cromwell. He was Sir
Charles Clotworthy. and so gallant was
the service that he rendered the royal
cause against Cromwell, and so active
was tho rolc which he played In pro-
noting the Restoration, that Charles H.
created him Viscount Massereene AS
Clotworthy had no male issue. King
Charles caused the patent ~ be made
out with remainder to his son-in- law,
Sir John Skefiington and his heirs gen