MISS BURDETT-COUTTS.

Oamaru Mail, Volume IV, Issue 1254, 24 April 1880, Page 2

MISS BURDETT-COUTTS.

(From the Boston Herald.) Miss Burdett-Coutts, known as the richest single woman in England, and as a person of such liberality in the distribution of her vast wealth as to commend her to the admiration of the civilised world, came into possession of her fortune in a very interesting manner. She seems to prefer the simple title of Mis 3 Coutts to that of Baroness Coutts, conferred upon her by Queen Victoria in 1871, in consideration of her munificent public charities. Miss Coutts lived in rather straitened circumstances during her early years, inheriting no property from her rich grandfather, Thomas Coutts, the eminent banker, born in 1741. At the death of his brother Petor, Mr. Coutts assumed the entire direction of the firm, which, under his control, rose to its highest prosperity. He was a gentleman in manners, hospitality, and benevolence, and counted among his friends some of the first literary men and actors of his day. Soot* after his settlement in London ho married Elizabeth Starkey, a girl of humble origin. They lived happily together, andi had three daughters—Susan, who married che Earl of Guildford; Frances, who married the Marquis of Bute; and Sophie, mother of the subject of this sketch, who married Sir Franois Burdett, the member of Parliament who proposed the celebrated inquiry into the state of Coldbath Fields Prison, which resulted in the dismissal of the keeper, and the complete reformation of the regulations of that prison. He doubtless transmitted to. his celebrated daughter many of hia benevolent virtues. Soon after the death of Mrs. Coutts, in 1818, Mr. Coutts fell in love with the beautiful and accomplished Misa Harriet Melon, a very popular actress in comedy in the early part of this century. This lady was born in 1775, and was so. much younger than her opulent suitor that she declined the match, representing that the fortyfour years' clifference in their' ages made too great a barrier to be surmounted. The enamored millionaire, how- ' ever, successfully persisted in his suit, and Miss Mellon became the happy wife of Mr. Coutts. In consequence of the violent opposition of his three daughters to hia union with Miss Mellon, Mr. Coutts disinherited them, and made his wife sol© mistress of his colossal fortune at hia decease. About five years after the death 1 of Mr. Coutts his widow married the Duke* of St. Albans, Grand Falconer of England, who was muoh younger than Mrs. Coutts. At her death she left the Duke an income of 50,000 dols. a year, and a life interest in some landed estate. With this exception she, from a delicatei of justice, bequeathed the entire fortunes which she derived from Mr, Coutts to his grand-daughter, Angelina Burdett, youngest daughter of Sir Francis Burdett.

The Duchess of St. Albans, in bequeathing her fortune to Miss. Angelina Burdett, desired her to take the name of Coutts. This lady was born in 1814, and received the vast legacy of 20,000,000 dols. in 1837, since which time she has been conspicuous for her charitable deeds and humanitarian schemes. Her liberality in establishing the corps of nurses under Florence Nightingale, in the Crimean war, is familiar to everyone. She is said to spend her etitire income, 1,000,000 dola, or 1,200,000 dols. a year, in philanthropic projects. She is an unfailing friend of the poor, a protector of dumb animals, and founder of churches and schools, In 11847, ten years after receiving her fortune, she endowed a church with parsonage and schools attached, in Rochester Row, one of the most negleoted parts of London, She also established the drinfeing fountains which are auoh a blessing to weary pedestrians; also the coffee saloons which are such aids to the temperance movement. She is so much revered and beloved by all classes that tho very populace, when exasperated by poverty to extreme measures of violence, protected the home of Miss Cfoutta, ana declared that no. hand should bo raised against the peace of their benefactor. This beneficent lady, who ha 3 spent her wealth so freely for the improvement of human welfare, is by no means averse to the pleasures of life, She has just been seeking a little healthy recreation in a yacht voyage up the Mediterranean with a party of distinguished guests, one of whom, Mr. Henry Irving, of the Lyceum, had an apportunity thua given him of surveying the identical scenes which he so forcibly pourtrays in enacting the part of Shylock in the " Merchant of Venice." After returning from the sminy South and re-entering the Thames, her ladyship's commodious lay a week; off Gravesend, \vhere sh,e and her conv» » panions had leisure to study the vast maritime, coasting, and river traffic of the part of Londoq, which had great interest to Miss Coutts, $3 the condition of those employed in it had long engaged her kindly attention.