The  late  Lord  Vernon. 
441 
Law  relating  to  Agricultural  Holdings.  Upon  the  drawing-up 
of  this  measure  he  had  spared  neither  time  nor  thought,  and  it 
was  to  have  been  brought  forward  by  him  at  the  afternoon 
sitting  of  the  House  of  Lords  on  the  1st  of  May,  only  an  hour 
or  two  after  the  sudden  and  fatal  attack  occurred. 
It  has  been  noticed,  in  general  terms,  how  wide-spread  and 
deep  the  expressions  of  grief  were  when  his  untimely  death 
became  known  ; and  although  it  would  be  out  of  place  to  refer 
in  much  detail  to  the  many  written  tributes  to  his  memory 
of  a public  nature,  and  still  more  so  to  those  from  private  and 
intimate  sources  ; yet,  as  evidence  of  the  singular  esteem  and 
affection  in  which  he  was  held  by  all  with  whom  he  was  brought 
into  contact,  a few  extracts  from  some  of  the  many  letters  of 
sympathy  which  were  written  at  the  time  of  his  death  may  be 
permitted. 
From  France  the  Marquis  de  Dampierre  writes  on  the  part 
of  the  “ Societe  des  Agriculteurs  de  France:” — “ J’ai  cede  au 
premier  elan  de  mon  coeur  en  exprimant  notre  douleur  de  la 
perte  de  l'homme  eminent  qui  avait  su,  en  France  comme  en 
Angleterre,  s’attirer  le  respect  et  l’affection  de  tous.  . . . 
“ Le  prochain  numero  du  Bulletin  de  la  Societe  des  Agricul- 
teurs de  France  contiendra  une  courte  notice  sur  Lord  Vernon, 
et  donnera  l’extrait  d’une  lettre,  it  mon  adresse,  qui  correspond 
bien  aux  sentiments  de  ce  noble  cceur.” 
The  extract  from  the  ‘ Journal  de  1' Agriculture  de  France  ’ of 
May  10,  1883,  is  as  follows : — 
“ Nous  avons  ete  douleureusement  emus  en  apprenant  la  mort 
de  Lord  Vernon,  arrivee  subitement  a Londres  ce  ler  mai 
courant.  Son  nom  etait  doublement  sympathique  a la  France  ; 
d’abord,  a raison  des  services  qu’il  a rendus  a l’agriculture  en 
general ; ensuite  et  surtout,  a cause  des  secours  qu’il  a donnes 
a nos  campagnes  lors  des  desastres  de  l’invasion.  . . . Dans  la 
seance  de  la  Societe  Royale  du  2d  mai,  le  President,  M.  le 
Due  de  Richmond,  a rappele  les  grandes  qualites  de  l’esprit  et 
de  cceur,  que  possedait  le  defunt.  Sa  mort  prematuree,  a-t-il 
dit,  est  une  perte  nationale.  La  France,  pouvons-nous  ajouter, 
partagera  le  deuil  de  1’ Angleterre,  car  elle  perd  en  Lord  Vernon, 
un  ami  et  un  bienfaiteur.” 
The  press  in  his  own  and  neighbouring  counties  lament  his 
loss  in  a warm  and  generous  manner.  The  editor  of  one  paper, 
writing  privately,  says — “ I feel  I may  be  permitted  to  express, 
however  inadequately,  the  deep  personal  esteem  and  respect 
with  which  I regarded  him.  . . . The  loss  is  such  that  it  affects 
society  at  large  ; and,  indeed,  my  experience  does  not  extend 
to  another  case  in  which  the  public  feeling  has  been  more  heart- 
felt and  deep.” 
YOL.  XIX. — S.  S.  2 G 
