The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-02-22

Lore su0e1A.
Whoever knows anything about the
properly be called the "court" which
Albert Edward. Prince Of Wales. main.
tanned for many years before his tardy
accession to the British throne. is sure
to have heard and read about Lord Suf-
field. BY her retirement from the lead
ership of society In consequence OF her
w1dowhood Queen Victoria abdicated
what Is perhaps the most important
social function left to the sovereign by
the theory and practice Of the British
Constitution in favor Of the heir appar
ent. Luckily 1t suited Albert Edward
to perfection and he performed It ad-
mirably. The English court" was in
reality his court After the Princess
the most important functionary in II
was Lord sufield. tho "chief of the
household" and confidential friend Of the
Prince. a. he became Of the King. His
long service to the royal family began
In 1868 With his appointment a. LORD
In Waiting 10 the Queen. who trans.
ferred him to the Prince, with his own
glad consent, four years later. and this
service lasted Until the death Of Ed
ward VII
Evidently during such and so long an
association the servant must have &C.
cumulated a fund OF curious reminis-
cences which. however discreetly set
down. could hardly fail to be interest
ing Accordingly NV Memories. 1880
1913. by Lord SurrIELp (Brentanos).
though altogether discreet, IL highly
readable Lord Suffield's family name
IL Hartford. and although the family has
been established in Norfolk apparently
for dozen generations or 80. the recog-
nizable line began with a Somersetshire
squire in the time Of James l., whose
son was active in promoting the mar
riage OF Charles I. to Henrietta Maria.
was much concerned In royalist politics
both before the Rebellion and after the
Restoration. and is described by Burnet
as "a very rich and covetous man who
knew England we'll"
The barony dates from 1884 and was
represented Norwich in Parliament for
thirty years and evidently had always
'voted straight" He was this Lord
Suffield's grandfather. although this
Lord Suffield ia the fifth Baron. or his
father. the third. he introduces a letter,
written when he was a boy OF 10 at
Elton to his father: Dear Papa: / am
very much obliged to you for the pres
ent you were so good as to send me.
and for the turnip also. for intend to
prove by that that I am not q liar, for
I told boy the other day that had
seen a turnip which would hold two
brace of partridges. and ne would not
believe It. and what Is worse. he licked
me. he said for telling him such a lie"
Enough Is given here to show that the
Harbords. or Sufflelds. are very much
somebodies in Norfolk. 1t seemed very
unlikely. when the present reminiscent
was born In 1880. that he should succeed
to the title and estates. for he was the
fourth son Of his father. and his two
half-brothers were near to mans estate
at the time OF his birth He knew
neither public school nor university,
but after a course OF private tutoring
at home a commission was got for
him at II in a socially crack" regi-
ment. the Seventh Hussars, with which
he spent the following six years in Ire
land. enjoying himself. as apparently
always and everywhere. but with so
special a gusto that ne declares that he
loved the country and the people, and
has always liked Ireland better than any
other place in the world" His amuse-
ments. like those OF other we'll born
and not particularly intellectual British
youth of his class and period, were
athletic. to which in his case 1t seems
n fondness for music was superaddcd.
He ran foot races and he rode steeple-
chases. never riding a fiat race II he
cnIlld hahn II hlt ha rnla
steeplechases in one day. He sets
down with pride that he never lost but
one foot race. AS for the steepiechas-
ing. there one needs the cooperation OF
the quadruped. but at any rate It was in
ireland that he laid the foundation of his
reputation as one of the best horsemen
in England. a reputation emphasized, in
the introduction to the present volume
by Lord Charles Beresford. by a cita-
ton from Whyte- Melville. the novelist
and the laureate Of fox hunting AZ we'll
as one Of its most conspicuous practi-
TONERS. Of . couplet which 1t seems
was written In praise OF Suffield:
rider unequalled. q sportsman complete.
A rum 'un to follow. q bad 'un to beat.
From Ireland and the army he was
recalled to take the title and to take
VI tue SbVilco Which, Catue 10
him by the death of his half brother.
ThencefOrward until he was summoned
to court he took and filled the part Of
a sporting landlord. The tension of the
British relations with France, empha-
sized by Tennyson's "Rifiemen, Form"
gave birth TO the volunteer movement
of 1858. Lord Suffield had a "heredi-
tary liability" in the case of the Norfolk
militia. and proceeded to organize the
Norfolk Artillery. which he commanded
for many years and OF which he after
ward induced the Prince Of Wales to
take the honorary command. But this
sort Of soldering was properly only an
additional branch of sport" Mean
while hiS mother had provided him with
wife whom he meekly and duly &C.
cepted. 1t was after the Prince Of
Wales became his neighbor by the pur-
chase Of Sandringham and before his
official appointment to the Princes stan
that the intimacy began which was to
last till the death Of King Edward. II
am sure he gave me more Of his conn.,
dence than any one else on earth" But
Lord Suffield's first place at court was
that OF Lord In Waiting to the Queen
In 1868, Lady Suffield being one OF the
Ladies Of the Bedchamber Possibly
this appointment came from the previ-
-