A NOTED DUCHESS.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1437, 11 May 1912, Page 10

A NOTED DUCHESS.

The Duchess of Bticcleuch, whose death , ' vras recently announced, was, says nil English writer, Mistress of the Hobesboth to Queen Victoria and Queen Alexandra. The Duchess held office irom 18SB to 1910, and had celebrated her golden wedding before slio retired. As a girl, the Duchess was one of the eercn Ladies Hamilton born to tho first Duko of Abercoru. Ucaconsfield Rives a picture of tho family ia "Lothair." All the seven girls were beauties; all were married, and nono had husbands below the rank of an earl. The Lady Louisa'married Lord Dalkeith when she was 23, and eventually became the chatelaine of tho five mansions attached to tho Dukedom of Bnccleuch, with their 400,000 acres of land, and their income of Ji22f1.000 a year. The Duchess was a (treat entcrtninpr, both nt Montagu, House, Whitehali, 'audot Bowhlli, her roomy country mansion in Selkirk. The Duchess of Bnccleuch always sot her face against tho modern custom of indiscriminate invitations. She only invited to her nous* those sho knew and liked. , Nowaaays, many political hostesses would not bo aiilo to fit names to hnlf of their guests. A, deep sorrow overshadowed tho Duchess e last years. Her eldest son, the la to Karl Dalkeith, was killed at Drumlanrig Castle, at the ago of 2i. His viflo wunl oil {incidentally, when ho was clinibinß over a boulder. The Karl was nloiio at the time, and his body was not discovered until 8O3!e hours after his death. The Buccleuchs nre amoiiit the families winch have a claim to tho 'Khglish Throne. The late Duke possessed a. ma rriago cerkiheato lxstween King Charles II and' Lucy Walters, and consequently established the legitimacy of tho Duke of Monmouth. Svho iuorried the then Countess of Buccleiica. It is said that the laio Duko hanScd the certificate to Prince Albert, who, thinking it wiser to take no further risks, burnt it,