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North facade of the Palace. The valuable library of books has 
taken wings, and many of the choicest pictures, including 
Raffaelle’s ‘‘ Madonna del Ansidei.” The most valuable picture 
left is Sir Joshua Reynold’s picture of the ‘‘ Family of George, 
the third Duke of Marlborough,” painted in 1788 at the cost of 
700 guineas, and now valued at £40,000. A very charming 
picture of the present Duchess of Marlborough, née Vanderbilt, is 
over the fireplace in the billiard room. 
The North facade of this immense Palace is 348 feet from wing 
to wing, and is very disappointing architecturally, the centre 
with its fluted Corinthian pillars not being of sufficient elevation 
to destroy the general heaviness of the design of Sir John 
Vanbrugh. A gilt vane of magnificent proportions on the 
ceutral roof is insufficient to give apparent elevation, and the 
great globular pinnacles surmounted with Ducal coronets added 
to the corner towers cannot amend the flatness of the building. 
The South Front is less extensive, but equally disappointing to a 
critical eye, and has a bast of Louis XIV. of France over the 
portico, taken by the great Duke from the gates of Tournay, with 
the following Latin inscription beneath, which has been tortured 
into various meanings :— 
EUROPZ HAC VINDEX GENIO DECORA ALTA BRITANNO. 
The intended meaning of the same is said to be: ‘“‘ The liberator 
of Europe (dedicates) these high honours to the British genius.” 
After visiting the gardens, and admiring the old cedars and 
oaks, a venerable specimen of cork tree is among the latter, several 
of the Members took a five-mile drive round the extensive park, 
the chef d’ceuvre of Capability Brown, visiting the lofty obelisk, 
surmounted by the statue of John Churchill, the great duke, 
which stands across the grand bridge on an elevated spot in the 
park directly to the north of the Palace. Nothing now remains 
of the ancient Manor House, the favourite residence of the Kings 
of England from the time of Henry I., who enclosed this the first 

