Irish News.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXX, Issue 20, 15 May 1902, Page 9

Irish News.

OUR IRISH LETTER.

(From Our Own Correspondent.) Dublin, March, 1902. The Late Lord Dufferin. ' Dufferin and Ava. February 12, at Clandebtoye, County Down, Frederick Hamilton Blaokwood, first Marquis of Dufferin and Ava.' This was the simple announcement in the obituary columns of our daily papers that told a host of admirers and an unusually large number of truly affectionate friends that a brilliant statesman, a gifted Irishman, worthy of his race, and — best of all — as kindly-hearted a nobleman as ever bireathedj, had passed away, aivdi that, unless in future generations the family genius revive, the last, and not the least gifted, of Richard, Brinsley Sheridan's descendants passed away in the person of Frederick Hamilton Temple Blackwood, Marquis of Duffer in and Ava. All Irishmen know that, on his mother's side, Lord Duifferin was the great grandson of Richard Brinsley Sheridan, the author of ' The Rivals,' ' The School for Scandal,' etc., and no descendant of the Crusaders of old was prouder of his ancestors than was the Marquis of Puffer in of his descent from the brilliant Irish writer. On his father's side, he belonged to the family of Blackwood, of Ulster, raised to the rank of baronets in 1763, and at the time the Union was iirst proposed a forefather to Lord Dufferin, Siir John Blackwood, staunch to his country, refused to sell that country, though twice offered an earldom. His eldest son, however, voted for the Union and was created Baron Dufferin m 1800. The late Marquis's father died in 1841, when his son was only a lad at Eton, and from that hour, as boy and man, the son's devotion to his poet mother was an absorbing passion, the bmght guiding star of his youth and of his manhood, a beautiful devotion that has been responsible for all that has been good and noble throughout his lump; life Lord Dufferin was noted at all tho Courts and in the brilliant literary circles of the last generation for his> wit, his eloquence, hus .courtly, wellbred and manly bearing As a diplomatist, there has, perhaps, never been any man that had such wide expenence, and such a successful career. In 1849, while quite a young man, he became Lord in Waiting to the Queen Some years later he spent a long time in foreign travel, studying life, history, and politics in many lands : Greece, Turkey, Egypt, the Holy Land, and countries away in tihe far North. In 1859, he went in an official capacity with Lord John Russell to Vienna, and there first gave proofs of his great gifts as a diplomat. In 1860, Lord Dufferin was sent as British Commissioner to the East, and was the chief means of bringing peace to the Christians suffering, under Turkish atrocity. In 1864, he was made Under Secretary m India. In 1866, he returned Home to be Under Secretary for War in England. In 1860 ho was Paymaster General and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Ten years later he was appointed Governor-General of Canaida, and, after a most successful a<d ministration of nine years, went as Ambassador to St. Petersburg. In St. Petersburg Lord Dufferin spent two years, and his next appointment was to Constantinople, where he was entrusted with most difficult negotiations. We next find Mm, in 3 882, the British Commis-sioner-General of Egiypt. On leaving) Egypt (1884) Lord Dufferin was made Viceroy of India. From 1888 to 1891 he acted as Ambassador

and Plenipotentiary to the King of Italy, and was British Ambassador to Paris from 1891 to 1896. In a short sketch of the deceased Marquis, published in the Dublin ' Freeman's Journal ' (from which I extract above dates), in referring to hiis marvellous success in the interests of England anjd to his popularity amongst those to whom he went as ruler or as emissary, the write? says . ' The essence of tho diplomatic side of political life, is secrecy ; tactful dealing tnkps the place of flamboyant oratory ; the success of tomorrow demands absolute reticence as to the means by which success was won to-day. To estimate the mental force, even to appreciate adequately the actual achievements of a man like the late Marquis of Dufferin and Ava, requires the intimate knowledge possessed only by a series of Cabinet Ministers and by the diplomat himself. . . . That he achieved many of the victories off diplomacy is certain ; he has left a deep dint in history ; but his methods, in whiich his merit lies, cannot yet be known.' I do not think I am very far out in stating, as the. lesult of a brief, but never to be forgotten personal insight into this nobleman's nature, that Lord Dufferin 's great secret was that he consulted his- own heart He possessed a great fund of Irish kindliness, honest straightforwardness, and cosmopolitan tact ; he had a warm and sympathetic heart, and his consulting that heart was, I have little doubt, the secret of his s/uccess as a statesman in many countries and amongst a vast variety of fpeoplcs. His mother's constant care and companionship throughout his youth and the companionship of his wife, the granddaughter of that warm-hearted Irishman, Rowan Hamilton, W},ll have a| largto share m iniluenciiTgi Lord Dufferm's character, for his devotion to both, especially his touching love for his mother, has always been the subject of respect and admiration, and few ever visiit the County Down without paying 1 their tribute to that filial love by visiting ' Helen's Tower,' a tower built by Lord Duflenn in the Clandebfoye grounds as something Uke what the ancient lush kings and nobles built expressly for the ladiies of their households, a ' Gnanan,' or '.Sunny House,' where, apart from all, they could enjoy (hose hours of happy quiet always so dear to women. Helen's Tower rises high abo\ c the whole surrounding country and commands most lovely mows of Irish inland and coast .scenery, of the Channel and of the Scotch Coast. Here, some say, Lady Dufferin wrote the ballad, ' I'm sitting by tiho style, Mary, that hias mo\ed' Irish hearts the world o\er ; and here, on each return home, her son invariably made it his custom to spend at least one night, in memory of his mother Clandeboye House, where Lord Pu-fferm died, as a beautiful, homelike mansion, where are gathered tho portraits of the S her Mans, of the beautiful Miss Lindley who married Richard Brmsley Sheridan, of 'The Three Graces,' and a long line of interesting family portraits, including, those of the late Marquis, his wife, and their eldest son, whose early death In the present war preyed heoA ily on his father's heart In CLuwieboye House are also gathered so,uvenirs from all the countries in which the diplomat won the many honors; that caused it to be said that he was the most decorated man of his time ; hiis home is indeed a perfect museum of rare and curio.us treasures, including an immense richly-wrought siilver casUet, presented to Lady DufTcrin by the women of India in recognition of her tactful courtesy and kindness as the Viceroy's wife. The late Marquis's remains lie in a burial place within the grounds of Clandeboye, a richly-wooded demesne

covering a charming| un'dtimlttng country side, reaching some milea inland from Helen's Bay, a most picturesque little bay named after Lord Dufferin's mother and situate on the shore of Belfast Lough, within a walk of Bangor, that place once so famed for its great monastic school and for the learned moniks who went forth from its walls to spread ptiety and knowledge throughout Europe in the golden days of the Church of Ireland. The Land Question. Let us turn to something) else, and note what happiness wo,uld bo the lot of the many in this sweet land of ours were the Compulsory Sales Act only allowed to become a reality. Speaking in the House of Commons liast nigjht on the work of preceding} Lanjd Purchase Bills (Ireland) the Chief Secretary furnished the following telling, facts as; to the fidelity ofl Irish tenants in fulfilling their obligations. Under the Acts of 1891 and 1:896 there were 30,000 tenant! purchasers, paying #. rental of ±•1/1,000, or instalments of purchase. Amongst theso there was not one case of bad debt ; C 9 were sftx months late witdi their payments, 12 were 12 months late, and only one man out of 30,000 was 18 months behind haaid. The total amount of arrears was £643 out of the rental named. This statement so impressed the House that it was received with cheers on all sides. This is but a story of the comparative few who have been allowed to purchase their holdings. Only think how many more happy homesteads there might be ! And think, too, what a thrifty, honest lot 'these lazy Irish ' are the moment hope really dawns in their hearts. Think of such results in times of poor prices and foreign competition in everything the country produces, soa nig a»rd excepting bog — there is no foreigjn competition in that. Temper Alice. Lent has been kept this year with its old fervor, thanks to the fact 1 that we have had very little sickness, no epidemic of influenza, as in many previous years. All over Ireland missions ha\o been held, witih most edifying results, \ery hopeful to those whose hearts are m the great temperance movement that would bless our people beyoaul all the temper. iy piosperily that could be showered upon them If our magistrates could but bo induced to curtail the granting of licenses, much would be gained, but the publicans and the shareholders in the drink business are wealthy and they bribe largely. I do not know whether the indivitdual is a Pro-Boer or the contrary, but we have a publican near one of our Dublin theatres who has named tho whiskey sold at his bar the ' Paul Kruger ' because it staggers humanity. Wireless Telegraphy. Every now and again we hear of some startling experience m wireless! telegraphy, and then tho name of tho young Italian electrician is once more before the public A recent notice of some experiment made by Marconi reminded me that he is, in reality, half Irish, as his mother was a lady from near Enniscorthy, County Wexford In her girlhood, she t>ii\o promise of remarkably fine voice , her friends sent her over to Italy tMith a view of her adopting tho musical profession ; she married an Italian, settled down in his country, and is the mother of the , clever young scientist whose work, some think, will eventually superserif the great Atlantic cable The British Government will not help Marconi, because of the large sums invested .in the piesent .system, and America awaits some big convincing proof before investing largely, so shareholders in these parts who hastened to give premivuns for shares in

wireless telegraphy are naturally nopeful that America may now be furnished before long with convincing proof, for &h\ares are low. M.B.