THE ANCESTORS OF LORD CROMER.

Press, Volume LVI, Issue 10263, 4 February 1899, Page 3

THE ANCESTORS OF LORD CROMER.

The humorous spirits who used to preside at the College of Arms were fohd of ' heraldic jokes. Thay wanted John Ridd, it will be remembered, to take as his motto, "Ridd reads riddles," much to the amazement of that unlearned individual. It was natural that they should select two bears as the "supporters" of the arms of the family of Baring; and when we consider the connection of the house with. stocks and markets, it is impossible to resist the idea, that tho Heralds' College mzy have intended a further allusion to the slang of finance. Like so many of our leading financial families, the Barings are of German origin. Franz Baring, the original ancestor, was the minister of a Lutheran church at Bremen. His son Francis emigrated to England, and settled at Larkbeer, near Exeter, in 1717. Ho entered into the wool trade with all the energy and acuteness of his race, made money, was naturalised as an Englishman, and married an Englishwoman. His eldest son represented the borough of Exeter for nearly a quarter of a century. The tihird son, Francis, pushed the fortunes of the trading house, established a London branch, became director and eventually chairman of the East India Company, sat in Parliament for some tWehty-two years, and was made a baronet for his services to his country. It is interesting to note that he presided ;oyer the fortunes of the East India Company in 1792-93. That is at tho period when Tippoo, Sultan of Mysore, was learning; for the first time, as others have done since, that the \ English were a dour and difficult people ,to deal with when once their patience had been ,\ pushed too far, '■>,'.•

The real founder of tihe family fortunes, ' however, was Alexander, the second son of' Sir Francis Baring. He was the first Englishman who married an American heiress. ' This he did in 1798, and brought,her back and a million of money with her to the family concern in Bishopgate Street. He carried on the business of the house on such a huge scale that Baring Brothers reached international importance, and lie was knownby the nickname of Alexander the Great. He also plunged into political life, and for bis services was rewarded in 1835 with a peerage. As it happened an aunt of bis had married the celebrated Dunning, who was made .Lord Ashburton. The peerage had died out in the person of Richard Dunning tv« son, and so Alexander Baring the cousin obtained permission to revive it in his own person, becoming the first Lord Ashburton of the second line. -His greatest coup was the loan of a million to the French Government tor the war payments at the time when France was occupied by the Ajued Armies; and with reference to this enterprise one of Napoleon's marshals is said to have remarked that.there were six great Powers in Europe, England, France, Russia, Austria, Prussia, and Baring Brothers. From this period the struggle for the financial headship of the world was fought out between Rothschild's and Baring'? Bank until it ended in the complete triumph , of the former when the financial world was shaken by the catastrophe which is colloquially known as the "Baring Smash." Alexander the Great had two brothers. One. the elder, was the ancestor of the Earl ; Northbrook; the other, Henry the youn/ can reckon among his descendants , *d Revelstoke and Lord Cromer. a gd

At the end of a commission it i? I lated by the official ratcatcher at Po/ I Dockyard that each of the old woor ■ which are now used as training 1 yield, about 100 rats. A troop AND CO. I old days usually yielded a cap* I 500 rata, and as many as W I caught in one season on tut I The rats in Portsmouth Docf ; I down by the presence of *J * I pariah cats, who live «f rodents they catch,- and i A ' ,//-Jl wild state. Forty rat* periL - cai an average in the wanhipa lying thaw. ,