Lady Hester Stanhope In S...
The Times, 1824-12-11T00:00:00

It is, perhaps, almost forgqtten b many of our readera. that there is still uch a being in the world as ady Yiester Stanhope * omitted as her Ladyslhip's namne has long been, in those important comniuni- callions which daily announce to the public the various movements of that class of personages who compose what is calleIl the fashion. able wroTld. Butif, being apprised of her existence, \they feel any surprise at such omii.ssion, their wonder wiliprobably cease, or change its object, when they consider the difficulty of obtaining accurate information of the ardvals and departures, the alrsce and dtje,sn&es that take place atmongst the beait nonlde or. the ton of Mount I,e- b%nsn, or in the deserts of Syria, where her Ladyship has for rany years (to use ar, Arab phrase) pitched iter tent. For the ac- crount which we here present our readers, of this exttraordinary woman's establishmeent and niode of life in that wild and rtmete part of the globe, we are indebted to an interesting extract frsen a fortlicoming volume of travels among the Arab Iribes ibibidng the countries east of Syria and Palestine, by r1. Buckingham, editor of the monthly publication called Tlhe O,t'L i ire rad, who tells his readers, with a degree of candour and .uhnplicity that would not ill become the unsophisticated lips of one of Ldy Hester's mnountain ntighbouTs, that he has substitutetl this extract in lieu of a review of his book, which, in the pages of Tre Ori-e: lf. red,"n "aght be liable to the imputation of partial or intereted motives." The author, in the course of hi.s travels, paid a visit to this lady, by w7hom he was most hospitably entertained at her residence, near Seyda; and consequently he must be enabled to sprak with considerable accuracy on a matter of no small curiosity, tslcuhly arnongst our fair countrywomen. Lady Ifestr Stanhope, soon after the death of her friend and re. lative the late Alr. Pitt, being in a declining state of health, was rTecmmended change of climate, and she accordingly quitted Eng- rand. After travelling throigh France, Italy, Greece, andt Turkey, she stayed some time at Constantinople- thence she proceeded to Ecypt, visited Cairo, arnd was the first English ladv who ever en- tcred th Great Pyramid of Gizeb, near the ruins of- Memphis. Afier beingwnrecked on the island of Cyprus, she mlade a journev to Palcnrm in company with seyeral English gentleuten among whom n-as hr. Bruce, one of the deliverers of Lavalette. She also visited Jerusalem, Damascus, Baalbeek, avid aU the places of interest in Syria; and at length became so much pleased with the country and t.e people, that she d-termined ts take up her abode on Mlount Le. bazxr -n rthesumxer,arAeon the coat-ear'Sitdon fdr tbe winter months, ro long as she might feel dlisposed to remain in the East. Cf her Ladyship's summer reidence In the mountains, Air. Buck. ftpham doerf not profess to give a partictular description, as he had n3:, visited it; but he nnderstood that it was situated on an elevated part of LEbanon, about mnidway between the summit and the miore woody belt of the middle region, combi-ning a proximity to the en ov-y part of the hollows, excluded frown the sun, vwith the enjoy. ment of fresh air, abundant water, and agreeable shade. The winter residence near the sea vas originally a Greek convent, and is let to l.ady ester Stanhope at a fixed yearly rent. It stands on the brow of a hill, fronting the sea, about five or six miles from Sevda, and consits of a number of separate rooms ina suadrangular bjaildirs! that surrounds an inner court made into a flower.garden, i-nto which the doors of aU the rooms open. These rooms, which are 7,either spacious nor elegant, are neatly furnished after the English aar,nr. Her Ladyship's domestic establishment, at the period of LIr. Buekiagham's visit, consisted of an English phbyician, who lived in a separate house at a distance of less than a mi.le * an Eng. Lsh attendant, and an Enlish housekeeper; a Levantine Secretary, nd a smiall number of mae and female Fservarts of the country, for the orilizry purposes of laboar. She indulged her extreme fondness for beau iful horses by keeping a smaU stud of Arabians of the most 4:9abn.ted breed, on whicl she occasionmUy took suclh exercise only zs her health required. Sbe rose generally at eight; walked or raxd oatil ten; breakfasted in the English manner., then wtote lettors, or dictated to her secretary; walked or rode on horse. back; dined, soan after sun-set, on fare neither too fragal nor ao sumnptuous; spent the evening In conversation, and retired as mnidnight. Such were ber general habits; but she never suffered them to interfere with an occasion for doing good. She-maintained a correspondence in several languages with people of distinctioni in rasO panrts of Europe and India, which, besides the interchange of zretiments of firiedship, was often earmed on tbr the promotion of a; me object of utility in the country, and frequently led to the most happy, consequences. The author seemls to have heen quite trans- yoren withb te captivating charms of her conversation, the frank. ne=a and dignity of her manner, and the extraordinary amiability of her diseition and character. But his atdniration ot her appears to be at Iet equalled, If not surpassed, by that of the people br whom her ladyship is surrounded. The costune which Lad ertr wears, since her residence inS ytia, is that of a Turkilst affendi, or a private gentleman, which she was induced to adopt foxrItena reson--the dress of an English lady ivould, whenever sFhe ma-t abroad, coDect a crowd of the natives aroand her ; that of a To-irisa ladyywould scarcely allow her to move, see, or breathe, =nd the dress of an English gentleman would be exceptionable for raother reason; whilst the dress of a Turkish gentleman, with its aMMVe and sowirn robes, that completely conceal the figure of the wearert is qaite consistent with delicacy, will allow perfect freedom of Tmottan and will not attract a crowd from its singularity. Hr lauy3hip Is generally spoken of in the country, by the tle cr;me of Bint-el-5elek, or Bint.el-Sultan, the Klng's daughter; n-. pas.ees for an inspired or insane person, and, therefore, one under d:e eSpeCla protection of God. Hence the numerous strange tales U-wich nre related of her amorggtheArabsbut which, when stripped of their exaggerations, may each be traced back to some simple oc. earrence; and hence nlso, combined with lier amiable ebaracter, the crum=dinary degree of veneration in which she is held by the ieople arnngst who-n she resides, and wfhich, together with her influence "rids the governimn authorities, she never fails to turn to the verv beet accanot, as vrell for the purpose of promoting the endzs .'f punl3c justice, as of doing private good. As an instance .. t2z wi$hin hbs own knowledge, 31r. Buckingham relates an anroiaverarpecUnga French Colonel of Engineers, who, in despite ot:f tbarana ces of Lady Hester Stanhope, persisted in going Inn ther 22aritains of the Ansarie, where, according to her predic L o bt' he was le'it robbed and then murdered: but by her l a. .dycip; s ia?lence mith the Paehas of Aleppo, Damascus, Tripoli ad Ac, aer Fer appealn to the European diplomantic characters alc the cantr end at Constanti.nople had failed, she wvas enabled to ceit X ;.mai number of troops fot^OI each, who succeeded in ceist, ciut the boody and most of the property, and in ooadueting sba urderes to their deserved end. LAD H1P.STBER STAr/f OPE !NVSYRIA.