XXV1 REPORT. 
the other her initialk—E. R.—in a knot and crowned. This fine 
group is supposed to have been presented to the Countess of 
Shrewsbury by the Queen, and it has, therefore, been appro- 
priately placed in its present position. I must, in passing, 
call your attention to the tapestry, which is not, perhaps, 
excelled by that of any other house in the kingdom. In 
the entrance hall and on the grand staircase it is com- 
paratively modern, the subjects of it being mostly taken from 
pictures by Rubens and Snyders. In other parts of the 
house it is of a date long anterior to it, as in the drawing- 
room for instance, where it represents the story of Esther and 
Ahasuerus, and in the Presence Chamber the history of Ulysses. 
The tapestry in this room is from Beauvais, and of great value. 
In the gallery it is still more ancient, bearing the date of 1428. 
But the tapestry in one part of the staircase, judging from the 
costume of the figures and treatment of the subjects, is probably 
even of an earlier period, and is very rare. The specimens of 
needlework scattered throughout the house are numerous, the 
most interesting being those which bear the monogram of the 
Countess of Shrewsbury and the oft-recurring initials of Mary 
Stuart. Other objects which will engage your attention are the 
Tudor chairs, the ancient cabinets, and the curiously carved and 
inlaid chests, one having the initials G. S., showing that it 
- belonged to George Earl of Shrewsbury. A few of the cabinets 
and side tables have been drawn and published in Shaw’s Book 
of “Specimens of Ancient Furniture,’ and deserve a careful 
inspection. But perhaps the object of greatest interest is a long 
table in the Presence Chamber, inlaid with representations of 
musical instruments, playing cards, chess and backgammon 
boards, and music with the notes familiar to those who are 
acquainted with the old style of writing it. The specimens of 
old furniture and tapestry, and the curious door leading into the 
Presence Chamber, with its highly-wrought lock, probably the 
work of some Nuremberg artist, formed part of the decorating of 
the old house. Of the many pictures at Hardwick, the most 
interesting are those of the period of the Countess herself. Here 
