IRELAND'S NEW VICEROY.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXIII, Issue 7758, 2 October 1886, Page 2 (Supplement)

IRELAND'S NEW VICEROY.

The New York World says : —The present Marquis who has juct been appointed Viceroy of Ireland, is a comparatively harmless young man of considerable wealth, and, although an excellent whip and first-rate horseman, possesses but a small modicum of brains. It is somewhat difficult to write anything about the career of so exceeding uninteresting a young nobleman. His education at Oxford appoara to have been somewhat neglected, since he was in the habit of hunting five days in the week of the time he spent there. Needleas to say that he left the University without attaining any distinction. A sudden fit of patriotism caused him to consider the necessity of devoting the talents and latent statesmanship with which he felt

himself possessed to hia country's service. Accordingly he placed the matter before an unfortunate Irish constituency, and by dint of the most extravagant and reckless promises induced the electors to return him to represent them at Westminster. His maiden speech in the House was made when he was selected, by reason of his birth, to move the address to the throne at the opening of the Parliament. Certain that he could not depend on bis somewhat weak memory, he committed his oration to paper, and to the intense astonishment of the whole House coolly read it from manuscript. By this unheard-of breach of Parliamentary .etiquette he incurred a vast amount of ridicule. The only other, occasion on which he addressed the House was when be was called to account for having broken the promises which he had made to his constituents previous to his election. The excuse for his shameless repudiation of all the pledges which he bad then made was characteristic. "I can only account for my ever having undertaken to support Home Rule by the fact that I had been speaking after dinner." Needless to add that he made a point of always voting against every measure which was calculated to advance the liberties of Irishmen. Since he has achieved considerable success in London as a retail coal dealer, some anxiety is expressed in Ireland as to the possibility of his issuing a vioe-regal decree ordering that in future Londonderry coal be used as fuel throughout Ireland instead of the national bog peat.

Lady Londonderry, who is considered a great beauty, is credited with somewhat more intelligence than her lord and master. She is a great favourite at Marlborough House, but haß incurred much unpopularity in London society by reason of her intolerable arrogance. No greater contrast can be imagined than that between the new vicereine and the Countess of Aberdeen, whose pretty face, kindly smile, and winning ways endeared her to all. Lady Londonderry is the sister of Lord Shrewsbury, who at the ago of sixteen achieved a most unenviable reputation -in connection with some shady horse transactions, which resulted in his appearance in the Police Court. In 1881 he eloped with Mrs. Mundy, a relative of Lord Byron, ' and' after tamely submitting to a horse-whipping on the part of the outraged husband, went off on a yachting expedition in the Mediterranean with Mrs. Mundy. Two brothers of the latter —the Messrs. Morewood, at the present moment, I believe, residing in Virginia—travelled with the enamoured couple and created, at the various ports whore the yacht touched, a healthy impression as to the morality of (she British aristocracy. On her return to England Lord Shrewsbury, meeting old Mrs. Morehead (at that time his mother-in-law de la main youche, at a 1 railway station, was the victim of a most ridiculous assault on the part of the old lady, who used her umbrella on the head and shoulders of England's premier v Earl with considerable vigour, to the delight of the assembled crowd. The divorce was obtained from Mrs. Mundy just in time to enable Lord Shrewsbury to marry the lady before the birth of Lord Ingeatre.