THE P:ARL of ZETLAND. 



89 



possessor of this great son of Voltaire — the rival of that other 

 mighty hero, the Flying Dutchman — that Lord Zetland's claim to 

 be considered as a famous racing man rests. The earl was a man of 

 singularly unobtrusive character. Although an earnest politician 

 and a strong supporter of the Whig party, he never took a promi- 

 nent part in the debates of the Upper House. His hobby was social 

 science, and his endeavours to encourage reformatory institutions in 

 those places where the bulk of his property was situated were appre- 

 ciated by all who take an interest in the amelioration of the lower 

 classes. [;He succeeded his father in the earldom in 1839, being then in 

 the 45th year of his age. For many years he was Lord-Lieutenant of 



THE EARL OF ZETLAND, 

 the North liiding of Yorkshire, an office which he resigned shortly 

 before his death in 1873, and on the demise of his Royal Highness 

 the Duke of Sussex in 1843, Lord Zetland succeeded him as Grand 

 ]\Iaster of the Freemasons of England, which important position he 

 held until 1869. Although a thorough Yorkshireman and a liberal 

 patron of the turf, the Earl could never be counted amongst the 

 successful votaries of racing. He owned but very few good horses, 

 and his fame depends, as we have said, almost solely on his possession 

 of Voltigeur. This wonderful horse was bred in 1847 by Mr. Robert 

 Stephenson, of Hart, and was got by Voltaire out of Martha Lynn by 

 Mulatto. When first offered for sale atDoncaster, no one could be found 

 to bid the reserved price of 350 guineas, but shortly afterwards T^ord 

 Zetland, at the instigation of his brother-in-law, Mr. Williamson, 



