The Washington herald., 1913-05-12

the streets, his studious taste being
evinced by his long loiterings before
bookstore windows.
Lady Cowper, who is dead at Cannes,
was widely celebrated for her beauty
and accomplishments. She possessed a
fine and cultured taste in literature and
art but she was not at all .'precieuse.
although full of knowledge of all kinds
and interested in many subjects to which
most women are indifferent. She was a
perfect hostess, and she and her hus-
band made Panshanger and Wrest Park
the scenes of constant and delightful
hospitality. Lady Cowper was an aunt
to Lord Northampton and sister OF
the late marquis, as well as of the late
Bishop of Ely.
BY her death a considerable part of
the late Lord Cowper's estate. includ-
ing the beautiful and valuable domain OF
Panshanger, passes to her niece, Lady
Dessborough, daughter of the late Mr.
Julian and Lady Andine Fame. who also
inherits the splendid collection of paint
ings at that place. Panshanger is cele-
brated for its large and richly wooded
park, which comprises some splendid old
timber. There are pleasant gardens,
which are well arranged, but they are
far inferior to the famous gardens at
Wrest Park, which were laid out by LIE
Notre. The original house at Pans
hanger, which vss built during the reign
of Queen Anne, was pulled down in 1So2,
when the present house replaced IT.
There is a splendid collection of pic
lures in the house, principally Italian,
and portraits of the early English school
The third Earl Cowper lived for many
years at Florence during the early part
of the reign of George III, and he de-
voted himself to collecting pictures and
objects of art For more than a cen
fury Panshanger has been one of the
great entertaining houses of England.
the place being the scene OF splendid
hospitality for several months in every
year. Lady Palmerston (whose hrst
husband was the first Earl CowpeD was
! the hostess at Panshanger for nearly
thirty years.
In imposing a special tax on bachelors
over thirty, the grand ducal council or
Mechlenberg follows an example set
by Great Britain when. from May /.
1885 to August 1905, every bachelor had
to nav a tax graduated according to his
station in life. This ranged from sto
in the case of dukes and archolshops
down to . cents for those scheduled as
"other persons" Gentlemen had to pay
81. esouires and doctors of divinity, law,
and physic. Sc, and officers, ST. per year.
During the same period births, mar
riages. and deaths also were taxed. "A
duke or an archbishop paid tax OF
$50 when he married. $50 when his cid
est son was born. SIS when each young
er son was born, $50 when his eldest son
married $3.50 when his wife was buried.
and $3.50 when his eldest son was buried
From these sums there were gradually
decreasing taxes down to the rank oil
gentleman, the "other persons gong
scot free.
Few bodies have often been dis
turbed as that of King Edward l. Every
other year his tomb in Westminster
Abbey was opened, and the wax OF the
Kings .'cerecloth'' tshrou6 renewed.
probably this was connected with his
diving charge to his son that his flesh
should be boiled. his bones carried AT
tho head of the English army, unui
Scotland was subdued, and his heart
sent to the Holy Land.
with the fall of Richard III and that
dynasty, these hopes vanished, and the
tomb was not disturbed again until TO-
ward the end of the eighteenth century,
when the Society of Antiquaries did IT,:
Having viewed the body, they poured
n;tcb into it, and. as Horace Walpole
saws. boast now of having inclosed MS
body so effectively that his ashes cannot
be violated again. frANn