LORD ST. LEONARDS SOLD UP.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXIII, Issue 7824, 18 December 1886, Page 2 (Supplement)

LORD ST. LEONARDS SOLD UP.

. A London correspondent, writing on Nove Ifcer 6, has the following :-The auo .on J Lord St. Leonards-property waßheld»tßoy Farm, » pretty Thames side place, which wa built by theold Boyle more years ago, and sold by them to Vtf the debt, of .the famous L or { a the 80.. It was now mold by °™° r he ol deb tß Court of Chancery on account of the. and other troubles of the present notorious lord St. Leonards. ' Hampton Boyle Farm ii jnrt J el °* Jgf&er Court, and has a wide and beauti ui r frontage, now soon to be cut up in £ or gian ing lots. The house is of the D * th times, flat-fronted, and ugly, with even * big, square entrance hall spoiled by tbeww ceiUng. The grounds, **"*&"&?& are pretty enough to make up for the ae ficiencies of the bouse. EBANK3 OF A yOUN'G LORD. , To this house came the ™ derta fS summoned by the great grandson and heir, to lay out his *M"™s grandfather. The old lawyer pohte'j Stowed the undertakers to the door. «J then immediately drew up an entailibojwi? that his grandson is now forced to live» Australia on £100 a yew allowed h m .by the trustees, while his pictures, furniture, so., bring £13,000 in a single week s sa e. On these grounds the present Lord he Id Borne of his wildest sprees, from one* whiohte went to commit the aseaul on a tavern chambermaid which sent hunw fi aol for six mouths. This felony enabled L wife, a great heiress in her own right, U. procure a divorce. In Australia h» Lord ship has recently been in gaol for the thelt Of a coat, while hie wife even.; up the faimly reputation by *«*"« t Parity and the opening of charity bazaar* The utmost that is now hoped from Lord St Leonards is that he will not; return^ from ■his Australian gaol to resume his place in the House of Lords. SELLING THE RKIRLOOMS. The sale was held in the large, baywindowed diningroom looking out upon the Thames. Tables-some of mahogany and Borne of pine-were arranged to give the auctioneer an elevated teat. The audience was graded down from the country gentry, through the celebrated art dealers, to ' bolomon" in everyday attire, who had come to pick up a new stock of second-hand goons. The furniture and china sold early in the week was of little merit, but brought good prices, A few pieces of furniture went above £20. These were rather clever imitations than genuine antiques. FCRsrrrjßK AXD flats. Several pieces of old Gobelin tapestry attracted eager bidding from the dealers. A Gobelin tapestry sofa sold for £4U, a Gobelin portiere brought £40, a Louis Quatorze carved and enamelled clock stand and case sold for £90. Several members of the Boyle and bt. Leonards family were present, and competed eagerly for various pieces of silver and china. A inuffbox, for instance, worth really binder 10s an ounce, sold, after spirited bidding by Captain Boyle's agent, for jOs per ounce. This did not, however, prevent a very pretty blue Worcester dinner service of 157 pieces from bringing only £60. The 5000 ounces of silver plate was mainly old, *nd of good design. It sold largely to Sealers for about 7a per ounce.

THE PICTURi SALS. Yesterday's picture sale was the event of the week, as, among many doubtful paintings, there were several well-authenticated pictures of great beauty and value. The neighbours and junk-de»lers bought with great eagerness paintings alleged to be by Sir Godfrey Kneller, Sir Peter Lely, Sir Joshua Reynolds, Rembrandt, Vandyke, and Velasquez, at from £1 to £5. A genuine Sir Peter Lely, a portrait of Lord Eanelagh, sold quickly tor £100. A feature of the sale was the presence on many articles, especially pictures, of labels, showing that they had passed through several auction rooms within the last hundred years. THE FINAL DKMOLITIOy, 5 Next week the valuable law library of the late Lord Chancellor St. Leonards will be sold. Then the old house will be entirely dismantled, and will be torn down, and the ground sold in building plots. Hoc. Mr; Sudden, heir to the title, was present during a part of the sale, apparently taking leave of the heirlooms, sold owing to the foolishness of the present peer.