[ 488 ] [MAY, 



THE LONDONDERRY MYSTERY. 



High life is often so completely like low life that it is sometimes 

 amusing to detect the instances of discrepancy. The Marquis of Lon- 

 donderry's kitchen justice affords a case which we presume could not be 

 rivalled in any other establishment in London. Here the Elysium of 

 the West End, the " Third Heaven" of the elite of society, certainly 

 stands unequalled. 



f< It is ridiculously untrue that the marquis, in the heat of his temper, struck 

 the complaining party; his lordship merely used the means, when remonstrance 

 failed, of endeavouring to force from the party that portion of the queen's 

 gratuity which had been given to her to distribute to other of the servants who 

 were considered as equally entitled with herself to a share of it, in pursuance 

 of the queen's understood intentions; for the money left by her majesty (which 

 was 45 , not 50.) was enclosed in a sealed envelope, on which was written 

 the following words : ' For the nursery of the Marchioness of Londonderry.' 

 Of this money 15 was given to the head nurse the person above referred to; 

 a second 15 was given to her to distribute to the other nursery servants ; and 

 the remaining 15 was retained by the Marchioness I with a view to distribution 

 among other members of the establishment, who were considered as entitled 

 to a share of it. The head nurse having thus gained possession of 30, posi- 

 tively refused to give up any part of it ; and thus arose the occasion of the 

 Marquis's interference. The nurse gave up the 15, and quitted the house." 



The first announcement of the transaction was a very plain, though not 

 very credible, statement from one of the police-offices, of a complaint 

 made by a nurse in the noble Marquis's family, of certain modes of 

 persuasion by which he attempted to further the ends of justice in the 

 distribution of fifty pounds which the queen had given at the christen- 

 ing of the noble Marquis's last child. The whole affair made a bril- 

 liant figure among the morning papers, and furnished the friends of 

 the noble family with " nods and winks and wreathed smiles/' with 

 sneers and scandal for three dinners in succession. Never were fifty 

 pounds more productive in the dead time of the season. 



At the close of the week came the explanation which <c by decision 

 more embroiled the fray," making the doubtful clear, and polishing the 

 clumsy into burlesque. It has the advantage of bringing in a new party, 

 and the fair Marchioness figures in the family-picture of justice; the fat 

 nurse has clearly the best of the story still. A contemporary says 



" Her majesty little suspected the sum of 45 would lead to such discord in an 

 establishment like that which she had honoured with her presence. We are 

 rather surprised that the words t For the nursery of/ &c were not understood 

 to mean for the children in the nursery, and that parental love did not divide it 

 among the smiling offspring of the noble peer, instead of lavishing it on domes- 

 tics, who could have no occasion for it." 



The reading world will doubtless thank us for rescuing so valuable a 

 trait from oblivion. As for ourselves, being compelled, malgre, like 

 Horace Twiss, to confess ourselves not of the nobility, we should gladly 

 have given the fifty pounds out of our own purse, rather than indulge a 

 laughter-loving public with the incident if it could by possibility occur 

 that we applied our genius to ascertain, on the departure of our guests, 

 the precise sum which our servants had contrived to net for their civility 

 in attending on their hats and cloaks. We dislike the custom itself too 

 much, to employ ourselves in the valuation of the profits. But of course 

 a different rule exists for the supreme bon ton ; and besides, public men 

 have a right to give public lessons ! 



