Duke of Portland

“ In this embarrassment, the choice fell upon the Duke of Portland, a man of great wealth and small talent, concerning whom Horace Walpole observed, "It is very entertaining that two or three great families should persuade themselves that they have a hereditary and exclusive right of giving us a head without a tongue!" ”

“ Had the Duke been residing, and spending his revenue elsewhere, one half of these poor people would have wanted employment and food; and would probably have been little comforted by any metaphysical arguments upon population, which could have been presented to their investigation.”—Scott’s Prose Works, vol. 4.
Many such things may be daily heard of the present Duke of Portland, in the neighbourhood of Welbeck Abbey, in Nottinghamshire ”

“ William John Cavendish Scott-Bentinck, the present peer, fifth Duke of Portland, Marquis of Tichfield, Earl of Portland, Viscount Woodstock, Baron of Cirencester, and a co-heir to the barony of Ogle, was born on the 17th of September, 1800, and represented the borough of Lynn in Parliament. In 1854 he succeeded his father in the titles and estates. The Duke, who is unmarried, is a trustee of the British Museum, and a deputy-lieutenant of the county of Nottingham. ”

“ Of the rich and well-born heiresses tracing their lineage through generation after generation of English chivalry, and who would have deemed it the prize of a lifetime to become Duchess of Portland, the Duke's choice fell upon a young lady whose name was unknown to the denizens of Nottinghamshire. ”

“ The Duchess interested herself in her husband's vast estates, as well as in her own, and in the domestic welfare of their dependants. For a long period she was a fitting companion for the Duke and pre-deceased him ten years, in May, 1844.
Two of their sons developed some remarkable traits and two of the daughters became rich heiresses. The eldest son died young, which opened the way for Lord John to become Marquis of Titchfield and eventually fifth Duke of Portland of eccentric fame. The third was Lord George Bentinck, born on February 27th, 1802. Of the daughters, Lady Charlotte married Mr. ”

“ Worksop Manor formerly belonged to the dukes of Norfolk. Welbeck Abbey is the seat of the dukes of Portland, to whom it came from the Cavendish family (dukes of Newcastle) ; the mansion is mainly classic in style, dating from the early 17th century, but with many subsequent additions; the fifth duke of Portland (d. 1879) built the curious series of subterranean corridors and chambers beneath the grounds. Clumber House, the seat of the dukes of Newcastle, is beautifully placed above a lake in a fine park. ”

“ The affair, too, though simple in its own nature, ultimately regarded elections, and must revive against the Scotch favourite the odium which had attended the Dutch one, when the grant was originally made. That the Duke of Portland was in Opposition was, in prudence, an additional reason for not exerting the power of the Crown in so ungracious an act; nor was it wise in the Favourite to countenance his son in so hostile a step: a possession of land and of interest in elections ravished from a potent family was a violence that no time could obliterate. ”

“ Bredon, in Worcestershire; Elsworth, in Cambridgeshire; Whitwell, Elmton, and Bolsover, in Derbyshire; and Bothal, in Northumberland.
The arms of the Duke of Portland are—quarterly, 1st and 4th grand quarters, quarterly 1 and 4, azure, a cross moline, argent (for Bentinck) [1341] 2 and 3, sable, three stags’ heads caboshed, argent, a crescent for difference (for Cavendish) , 2nd and 3rd grand quarters, or, on a bend, azure, a mullet of six points between two crescents, or, within a bordure engrailed, gules (for Scott) . ”

“ The actual fusion of parties did not take place till July, 1794, when Lord Camden had died and Lord Stafford retired, and Dundas, retaining the Colonies, resigned the Secretaryship at War to Windham. It was delayed by the indecision of the Duke of Portland, of whom Lady Malmesbury said, "The Duke of Portland is our Duke of Brunswick—no party will be led to victory by either" (Life and Letters of Sir G. Elliot, vol. ii. p. 72) . ”

“ The Duke of Portland is a great benefactor to his race, and by finding employment, as he does, to some two thousand persons or more, the good he does is incalculable.
The collection of pictures at Welbeck is very fine and very extensive, and embraces many paintings, family portraits, and others of note and of matchless value. Among these portraits are several of the celebrated Duke of Newcastle, of his countesses, and of his horses, with views of Welbeck, &c. ”

“ Queen Eleanor was ill—she died in the following month at Harby near Lincoln—and thence was made the most notable funeral progress in English history.
The country around is tranquil and pleasing; not far away stands the quaintest of windmills, which must certainly tumble from very weariness before many years have passed. Above the tops of the closely-planted trees to the right are to be seen the chimneys of a deserted-looking building, raised in the early nineteenth century by a Duke of Portland, in imitation of the Priory Gatehouse at Worksop. ”

“ All the time that the Duke was paying so much attention to horse-racing it was being asked in Nottinghamshire whether Welbeck was ever to see another Duchess of Portland. The palace of the magician in the heart of Sherwood Forest had not had a mistress for forty years, and the gossips were not diffident in expressing their opinion that it was time the splendour of its hospitality was graced by the presence of a Duchess. ”

“ Portland behaved with great magnanimity in the matter, his one chief desire appeared to be to avoid a quarrel between his royal friend and Parliament. Not many men would have had such self-abnegation as to renounce an estate estimated to be worth 6,000l. per annum, besides the product of royalties, when they had a King and a victorious army to support them in its possession. The Earl had saved the King's life, he had rendered invaluable services as a diplomatist and General in raising forces to fight for the cause of Protestantism ”

“ The Electoral Prince sat at the King's right, the Earl of Portland at his left, and, for the first time, Joost van Keppel was at the King's table, an honour that was not grudged by any of the potentates, for the young soldier was exceedingly popular, being amiable, generous, sweet tempered, and deferential, but Portland marked it with a bitter heart. ”

“ The mistake of importing alien red bricks of a most aggressive hue has not been made here. Those that flame from the hill slope above Portland station only succeed in emphasizing the general bleakness of their surroundings. At Easton clock tower a street called "Straits" turns left and east and presently a broad road leads downhill to the right to the gates of Pennsylvania Castle, built, it is said, at the suggestion of George III by John Penn, Governor of Portland, and a descendant of the great Penn in whose honour it was named. ”

“ During the first six or eight years of the reign of William and Mary, Lord Portland, however, enjoyed all that favour and those distinctions which his prudence, and the courage which he had displayed both in military and civil affairs, so well justified. The avowed favourite of the King, and deriving considerable grants from the crown, he spent the sums for which he was indebted to the Treasury and to British lands, in promoting the welfare of the English peasantry. ”

“ Immense sums are being expended on the defences of the city by the United States government, as it is realized that in case of war with Great Britain this would be the point of attack, because Portland is the natural seaport of the Canadas, and Maine is thrust, in a provoking way, between the Maritime Provinces and the Province of Quebec. Portland can indulge in no dream of great commercial importance so long as the country which its position especially dominates is under a foreign{80} flag ”

“ The gay and pleasant appearance they all made, and the satisfaction all expressed, rewarded the attention and politeness of the Duchess of Portland, who is never so happy as when she gratifies those she esteems worthy of her attentions and favours. The young royals seemed quite happy, from the eldest to the youngest, and to inherit the gracious manners of their parents. I cannot enter upon their particular address to me, which not only did me honour, but showed their humane and benevolent respect for old age. The King desired me to show the Queen one of my books of plants. ”

“ An attack was made on the castle at the outbreak of the civil war by the mayor and people of Newport, in obedience to the instructions of the Parliament, in order to get rid of the King’s captain, the Earl of [176] Portland, and his successor, Lord Pembroke; and the fortress was yielded on honourable terms. After the Restoration, the governor, Lord Cutts, made great and lamentable alterations in the old fabric, quite modernizing a part of it; but at a recent date the Government have restored the work in a judicious manner, and brought to light some hidden and interesting features. ”

“ Its foundation and existence stand for a principle; it is the result and fruit of evolutionary forces which could not be turned aside; and it has been, and must continue to be the nerve center towards which and from which tend all the historic ideas and influences which turned the tide of dominion from Russia and Great Britain, and made Portland, Oregon, in fact and truth, unconsciously, the guiding star of that empire which westward took its predestined and irresistible way. ”

“ Is this not a good juncture to call a parliament?"
"This is not a good season to discuss politics." The King administered his reproof in the gentlest manner, but Portland, with a curt bow, instantly set down his glass, rose, and left the tent. William flushed, and a kind of tremor ran through the company. They thought that the King would not take this even from Portland. ”

“ With such a beginning, with the growth and development already achieved, with an invincible position and natural advantages which cannot be reversed or diminished, Portland is entitled to be called the "City of Destiny"—a destiny assured to be the greatest city of the Pacific coast of North America. ”

“ After retiring from office Judge Marquam refused to take an active interest in politics, concentrating his energies upon his real-estate investments and the management of his property interests. With remarkable prescience he foresaw the growth of Portland, realizing that eventually a large city would spring up here because of the natural advantages caused by its waterways and the fact that it lay in a most rich and productive section of the state. ”

“ George Washington's birthday anniversary, February 22d, is rose planting day at Portland, Oregon, and this patriotic remembrance of "the father of his country" is thus happily united with the festival that brings recreation, pleasure and joy to the hundreds of thousands of people who lay aside all business cares to rejuvenate health and strength.
Portland has in common with all other American cities, ample means of social culture, and society dissipation. Much of this has been noticed, but the great mass of what goes under the name of social culture is foreign to the purpose of this history. ”

“ At the age of fifty-one he commenced the real battle of his life as a father of his church in the great northwest. At the age of sixty he had made his position, as the pastor of a church in a city of 30,000 people, more prominent and influential than the best pulpit in New York or Chi- cago. At the age of seventy, he had created out of unorganized and incoherent materials, scattered over a territory greater than New England, a Presbyterian province greater than any New England state. His name and career is one that will honor the city of Portland when all its millionaires are forgotten. ”

“ There is not a single large city in the United States, except Portland, but what had for its foundations some sort of authority or law from a sovereign ruler or government. Portland was in a worse position than in a country where there was no law, and no claim to the country, by any state or nation. ”

“ He stood loyally for what he believed to be right and advocated a policy which he believed to be both practical and progressive. He was made chairman of the state central committee of the Union party, a combination of republicans and war democrats, who in 1862 carried Oregon for the Union. Two years later, when thirty years of age, he was chosen mayor of Portland and his administration constituted an era of development, improvement and reform in connection with Portland's affairs. ”

“ The mournfullest task of memory lies in realising how large a toll is yielded in a few fleeting years to the unsparing tax-gatherer Death.
Portland, although devoid of the fertile lands which encompass Port Fairy and Warrnambool, had yet beauties of its own. Its situation was romantic. Lofty cliffs rose from the beach, and from many a picturesque eminence the residences of the townspeople looked on the broad ocean and the peaceful waters of the bay. ”

“ On the southern slope of the hill is the Eastern Cemetery, the burial place of a number of persons noted in history. Among the prominent structures in Portland are the city hall, custom house, post-office, United States Marine Hospital, Maine General Hospital, the public library (47,500 volumes) , which is the home also of the Maine Historical Society, founded in 1822, with a library of 13,500 volumes, the building of the Portland Society of Natural History, and the cathedrals of Saint Luke (Protestant Episcopal) and the Immaculate Conception (Roman Catholic) . ”