LORD CLONMELL, 1854-1857 



In the autumn of the same year the major again 

 fails us. On September 30 he lost his father, Baron 

 de Robeck, in very tragic circumstances. That 

 gentleman, who was of advanced age and a little 

 infirm, was then living on his estate at Leixlip 

 Castle. The Liffey, which there runs over a succes- 

 sion of ledges called the Salmon Leap, was in very 

 high flood, and the Baron had twice walked through 

 the grounds with his son to look at the falls, which 

 were exceptionally striking at that moment. He 

 expressed a wish to go a third time, but was dis- 

 suaded by his son on account of the dampness of 

 the evening. But late in the afternoon he left the 

 drawing-room by the French window which opens 

 on the lawn of the castle, and a little later was seen 

 by a girl from the opposite side of the river looking 

 at the falls for several minutes. She then saw him 

 turn away to ascend the steep bank and disappear in 

 a clump of bushes. His son had assisted him up this 

 bank before. It is supposed that in his feeble state 

 of health he slipped back and rolled down the bank 

 into the river. In any case he was not seen alive 

 again, and was found dead in the river eleven days 

 later near Lucan. Major de Robeck's succession of 

 course interfered with hunting, and I find no fur- 

 ther record of Kildare sport during Lord Clon- 

 mell's Mastership. 



I find one or two letters of this period which I 



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