DEATH OF THE DUKE OF PORTLAND.

Temuka Leader, Issue 269, 8 July 1880, Page 2

DEATH OF THE DUKE OF PORTLAND.

At an early hoar on Satnrlay morn-* • ing the Duke of Portland- c*j>irt-il at Rarconrt Hou«e, his mansion iu Qnv.-n-

dish-squar v , after an illness, of several-.' weeks. His Gn«p was the recoml (hi&tfT v eldest brother, William, having died \ 1824) son «f William Henry, the* fourth!,' duke, by the eldest daughter and,co-heir.;, ofMajnr-Gcneral John -Scott,. of r Bj»l-;,, coinip, Fifeshire, arid was.born/in LoncUnj. ? ~ on the 17th of September, 1800... HftV succee led 'to the dukedom- - and large \ estates on the' death; of;-h.ia )|a<ihfr, i&Kv March, 1854. He was appointed; - in- 1849, and was a family the,, British Museum.-~T.e" late duke,.jfraa;.r unmarried, and is succeeded by his man, William Arthur Cavendish,-, • only son of the' late '.General 1 ' Arthur. . Cavendish Bentinck, only.son. o£ Lord * William Bentirick,- by 'hia " firstv wife ."- Eiizabeth Sophia,, eldest daughter.- cX \ the late Sir St. Vincent, Whitshed, Bart., an! was bom on the,28th of December, ■ 1857,. the Utei duke was- brother of Do,w»ger Howard de Walden aud Viscountess ,

Ossington, widow of the late Speaker $f tho HOU6P of Commons. The fatheT was Bentinek Jlfter Van Depenliani in Oveyssel. The son came to , England with William 111., and sahfe-, quently distingois-hed himself jA th«u battle of the Boyne. The third dxike. was a well-known minister in the reign., of King George 111,, wa-s 4 or a "ahort ; time Lord-Privy Seal and Lord President of the CounoK in 1827 and Tht late Duke-Was a,man t>i tiring -and" somewhat eeccntric habita ~- sui.rounded himself witJi\fro. atmosphero,of the eloae&t mystery, ap(J

no one, peer comraernerj,,. wajs mitted to pen.itrate-into 3 the .pccrela at. his life. Jlis. ruling passion ,waa ml inveterate lovedbr building. At-Wat-. beek Abbey .alone for many years. then}, hai been employed upwarls. of- sSQO- - and a like iWHuher-of fcmith* r joiners, etc., besi.les the; .Btaff necessary for the ordinary work<of the - estate. Huj, Grace was his qwn architect, spd all , is plans were kid out in the. most methndUl. manner. His Grace had a. deqply-rooCd-dud ike to the observation of the ont&ide would. Ho even sqjight,' by clever expedients, lo old of Welbeck, where he constantly from caaual passer-by, while ,ihe proaohes to the Abbey were subterranean. There are upwards of* fifteen miles, of tunnelling round \Wel-

> beck : Abbej, and no'pneJ£an house withputtravera The : arrhiigoment.- too^ : ;niatiy .years*fo\acomplishj but .'it is how> .passages, are the moijtT admir.ab'le \priiiciples .*". > weTiTveritilft^ : "'|roin^'^^^^J?;WO; ~'■• all well lighted means by Hay'and;' ni'glVi. ; Inortier to- " take away the*--morilrtpni6i^^efiv^„.c[f^ ' theseunderground .passage*,' built,"in 'parjifiel.wijyj*t|ie.. [ passages, other, open" cpfridprg ' ; ,iQpv?jrfid *; ' with.glass ;. whfle'at distances o{. ejerj^ • few hundred' fard& are to" be '.fouiid-:,. ;■• statutes' and other."works.'of aft' placM.^ • in in' the/walls.' The ljuk^oj;; Portland ?i p6sessed an extens^TO^B|iible;^ |. tie had upwards offifty .hi^te^.jbl^ frorii the best, stockiii,,tnq', jandj **s:* this although he had hotfor,vWymaay.^ ~ yei'trs followed the hpui]i;ds'"h'iiifts t eif;,,. -■■ gallery made of; iron and" "glass^'a^d^,. : quarter, of"a in $£J& • »&ngtn, : .#s' h<^C . 'erected in order ' : that'tHe_hprsesjniglit':^ ■be exoicfeed'in damp weather." His' riding7school,,was a^magnificentlafjFair^.*, „ with a''lofty'glass dome,, and he„.Dad.\ \' besides carriage hous.es, hunting i: and carriages; description/ H&;> ■ Grace- prided' himself greatly, '■ muse Um. which has now been c^plejtetLfor soineyears. N It A is &'splendid bujkV'. v fog,'constructed largely of glass L lighted %:mOfe '.lhau v '>. dlelfers; ■ :^acli 'cliarldoiler weighs 090^"%^ • • oacliMs I: \ip*wa¥4s*.,of Wrttf "ligjifr. god- ;■.■ 4acliiL v ilviferH"s'-equal to"three'ordinary i _ '- lights y-khtf place^Wren-'prO^r^^rfeij^, up being a perfefctHriaze of iiluimnatidn.'' ."the.workmen were upwards pf Jtutt. J9M*z 'fixing the glass alono, and, this accomplished the-pictuws nop frnNgri \\Vel~ . beck Abbey is justly eelebra'ed for its ■ art gallery, for its paintings, and for its ' tapestry, and the Duke was very careful j\ that his pictures was tlio befct of, '.' = class. . Many, years ago mad« r ,'ia buge'bbnfirVof Jot of 'paintings' ■worth, thottearidS .'ot /pVunds, which b# ?* eyictejitiy did npt d>>cui good> enough fof J *» ••his collection* Ho did the '.deed with' ; liis owi-hands, and with no one- bot a* 'lad of 12 or J 3 years' of age to assist Jiim. The Duke ' afterwards bime(J Jiiniself with'l "the" construction of three -_ , ehbrmbus'subVrranean libraries.;,There> is likewise .'constiucted a large church alsouiulcr ground, aiid furnished in the ■ mo-t r si:nip{.u()Us fashion, His kitchen and culinary offices were also constructed * on a similar extensive; scale, although there was only' His Grace to cook fur, • as, when lie (occasionally), gave dinner parties the food was tent in femi elsu- ■ where. Yet the Duke was most single in his diet. He took regularly but two meals a day, and. thqugh he never *. ate animal meat, he enjoyed . perfect" 1 health. '" -<-