SIR BERNARD BURKE'S NEW BOOK.*

Tins pleasant volume by the author of Vicissitudes of Families —a book which had the interest of a score of fascinating romances—is no less acceptable than its predecessors. It is not, in any sense, derogatory to the dignity of heraldic lore, whose dry bones Sir Bernard. Burke stirs so effectively, that we describe its contents as belonging to a distinguished order of gossip, but simply because there are few more agreeable things. A great deal of useful information is to be derived from the pages of 0 Ulster's " Reminiscences., and we especially recommend them as a handbook for the use of novel-writers, whose daring misuse 'of titles and dignities are frequently complained of by critics. Under the heading of " Ques- tions Often Asked," Sir Bernard Burke gives a series of easy lessons—very different from the wearisome "tables," which are as puzzling as Bradshaw—upon pzecedence, arms, courtesy titles, the style of dowagers and widows, liveries, national colours, the etiquette of flags, and a number of other cognate subjects which are of real utility, and form very pleasant reading. A propos of "Questions often asked," we remember to have been importuned by an intelligent -child to tell him, "What Mrs. is the Queen ?" a query beyond our power to answer. Sir Bernard has frequently been asked, "What is the surname of the children of Queen Victoria P" and he says, "I feel persuaded that the Royal House of Saxe. Coburg—atavia editcr, regibus—has no surname. When, the adoption of surnames became general, the ancestors of that illustrious race were Kings, and needed no other designation than the Christian name added to the Royal title." The Plantagenets and the Tudors were in quite other case, and the sobriquet of the former originated their surname: Here is an interesting account of the origin of the very strict rules relative to the use at Court of foreign titles by English subjects, rules that are as puzzling to foreigners as the use of " Sir " and "Mr-" :— Rominisamicaft, Accost) al, Anccdotcd, and Historic. By Bit' Bernard Burkett CE., LL.D., Ulster King of Arms. London: Lougamus and O.

"The restriction as to the use in this country of foreign titles dates from the time of Queen Elizabeth. It thus arose : —Sir Thomas Arundel], of Wardour, who joined the Imperial Army in Hungary, served with great gallantry against the Turks. On one occasion he took, with his own hand, the enemy's standard, and thereby gained so much favour, with Rudolph II. of Germany, that his Imperial Majesty created him a Count of the Holy Boman Empire by patent ; dated at Prague, December 14th, 1595, The next year, on Sir Thomas's return to England, a dispute arose among the English Peers as to whether a dignity so conferred by a foreign potentate should he allowed place, precedence, or privilege in this country. Camden records that the controversy became very animated, and that the Queen, being asked her opinion, answered that there was a close tie of affection between the Prince and the Subject, and that as chaste wives should have no glances but for their own spouses, so should faithful subjects keep their eyes at home, and not gaze upon foreign Crowns. 'No foreign shepherd shall brand my sheep !' the memorable exclamation of her Majesty, decided the question in the negative ; and the Queen wrote the same year to the Emperor, acquainting him that she forbade her subjects to accord Arundell place or precedence in England."

Only that Sir Bernard Burke is too courtly to reflect, even retrospectively, upon a Queen, he might have described her Majesty's " exclamation " as characteristic, as well as memor- able. Subjects were sheep, indeed mutton, to all the Tudors. It was, perhaps, consoling that although an English subject might not enjoy the privileges of foreign knighthood, he was entitled to be sued at law by his style. "The highest and lowest dignities are universal," so pronounced Lord Justice Coke ; "for if a King of a foreign nation come into England, he shall sue and be sued by the name of a king ; and a knight shall be sued by the name of a knight, wheresoever he received that degree of dignity." It is rather a blow to learn that green is not the national colour of Ireland—one has to part with so many recollections and associations, at the stern demand of fact —and that, " since the invasion of the English in 1169," blue is. There is not even the consolation of imputing the change to the Sassenach ; it seems that Ireland. was previously as ill off as Mr. Mantalini's duchess, who "had no outline at all." Sir Bernard Burke says, "Green is a popular fallacy. Before the invasion, it is difficult to ascertain if there were any national colour or arms for Ireland." Ireland owes the harp in her arms to Henry VIII.—the least of the hardships she owes him—though it was not" officially marshalled in the royal achievement" (that's a pretty heraldic phrase) until the time of James I., on which occasion the Earl of Northampton, then Deputy Earl-Marshal, made a remark by which we can judge how admirably the tone of his " order " towards the step (or Cinderella) sister has been maintained to this day. The Earl observed "that for the adoption of the harp the best reason he could assign was that it resembled Ireland, in being an instrument that it Tequires more cost to keep in tune than it is worth." A very amusing chapter upon "Perplexities of Precedence" contains a. sample of a volume written by Sir John F'nett, Master of the Ceremonies to James I. and Charles I., and described as "that knowing knight and well-accomplished courtier," in which we find a quaint account of the "clashes," as the writer calls them, respecting "the reception and pre- cedence, the treatment and audience, and the punctilios and contests of forren Ambassadors in England." .

Among the various contents of Sir Bernard Burke's book ate sketches of the cause celebre of Scrope and Grosvenor—a curious scene of medifeval life, which ought to have had a place in a novel of Sir Walter's—the Douglas cause, and a few others within our own times. The romantic story of Pamela, the wife of Lord Edward Fitzgerald, is told in detail, and also that moving history which may well be called The Aberdeen Romance." There was sometliing fine in the eccentricity of the young Earl of Aberdeen, and the testi- Pony to the character of the supposed George Osborne given 133' his humble associates reveals a gentle and attractive, fearless and labour-loving nature. Here is a remarkable trait :— !!.07Ah"erclpal'ing his sailor career," says Sir Bernard, "he (the Earl of een) prescribed to himself the most rigid economy. Be was anxious not only to live on his wages as a seaman, but to save money from the slender means thus furnished. He lodged in a bank small ,„cidollectively amounting to fifty dollars. But on one coca. _ a w h !hited so far from his rule as to draw two cheques upon his bankers in Scotland for 21.00 each, which cheques were cashed in

New "York. following Year ho was in February, 1867, and in the March of the respect siner ho wrote to his mother = I have never had any self. ° I found means to get that money in Now York. I have novel.. had any pleasure in life since. I despise myself for my foolish weakness. I shall never again hold op my head.'"

The Young man's career was an eccentric and, except for its effect upon himself, a wasted one, and his early death was a sad event ; but when one reads the story of his manliness, piety, and. self-denial, it comes like the salted breeze after pestilential. odours, in comparison with the lives of certain men of his class which are recorded for us by the Society papers, the sporting

Press, and the records of the Divorce Court.

We cannot follow Ulster through his admirably-selected "Fragments of Family and Personal History," but must note the vivid interest with which we have read the story of Mistress Eleanor Ambrose, "the dangerous Papist," who was born six years after Queen Anne's death, and died the year before Queen Victoria was born. Sir Bernard Burke tells the story of her

fascinations and life-long triumphs brilliantly, quoting Shiers admirable description of his visit to the venerable Court beauty, and also the following announcement of her marriage (in 1752) which appeared in one of the Dublin papers :—" The celebrated.

Miss Ambrose, of this kingdom, has, to the much-envied happi-

ness of one and the grief of thousands, abdicated her maiden empire of beauty, and retreated to the Temple of Hymen. Her

husband is Roger Palmer, Esq., of Castle Lack-en, County Mayo." The tone of the last sentence, its contemptuous indif- ference, is fine. Palmer is a lucky dog, to be sure, but a fellow of no account.

In a charming chapter on "Ladies of the Order of the

Garter," Sir Bernard pleads eloquently for a revival of the beautiful old usage. The last Lady-Knight of the Garter was Margaret Beaufort, Countess of Richmond, mother of Henry VII. It was her unworthy grandson, Henry VIII., who disal- lowed female association with the chivalry of St. George. Two

attempts to revive it have since been made unsuccessfully. Ulster proposes a third, in these words :— " What time could be more appropriate for the revival of the old usage than the present P The return of ladies to our national chivalry would be emblematic of a Royal lady's rule, and their decoration would impart brilliancy to the English Court. Her Majesty, in granting to the widows of the gallant men who fall in their country's service the style and precedence of the dignity and rank that their husbands had fairly merited, and would have got, had they lived, has already prepared the way for the restoration I venture to suggest. My proposal is that each of the wives and widows of the Knights of the various chivalrous Orders of this Empire should be accorded the privilege of wearing an Armlet of velvet, coloured as the ribbon, and embroidered with the motto of the Order of her husband. I cannot conceive how any valid objection could be raised, or why an observ- ance so highly appreciated in the chivalric times of England should not find favour in the days of Queen Victoria."

We should like also to see revived the old. custom of the

wearing of uniforms by those entitled to .wear them, in even- ing dress. Men are not, as a rule, such good-looking creatures

that they can afford to dispense with the advantages of dress, and it is enough that their hideous morning costumes should. be left to them. That attire which

"Makes the resemblance remarkably near

'Twixt the young English waiter and young English peer,"

might be mitigated in its effect by the revival of the old custom which once made evening assemblies so brilliant; and if men are foolish enough to object to a restoration from which they would have everything to gain, let them reflect that in matters of this kind it is clearly their duty to please the ladies.

"Memories of the Viceregal Court" is a chapter full of interest, and it is, of course, written CM more. Sir Bernard Burke offers, in his remarks on "Historical Galleries," a' suggestion of more serious and comprehensive worth than that for the restoration of ladies to the Orders of Chivalry. He has been dwelling upon the educational value of the historical galleries at Versailles, and he says, quite truly, "The critic takes exception to the artistic merits of some of the miles of canvas that adorn the walls of the

old palace of Louis XIV. ; but the lover of history wanders on, delighted and improved." The great success of the Historical

Portrait Gallery in the first Dublin Exhibition (in 1853), of the Loan Galleries of South Kensington since, and of the later Dublin

Exhibitions, leads him to make the following suggestion, with which we entirely agree :—

"Nothing would more tend to create a taste for historical reading than the formation of a comprehensive National Historic Gallery in each of the three metropolitan cities—London, Dublin, and Edinburgh —commemorative of the great events and great men of whom our country is so justly proud. Stich a gallery could readily be formed from the collections already in existence, and by tho employment of living artists to supply defieiencies: The public spirit and the family pride of Englishmen would contribute by gifts and bequests to the perfection of the series."

We commend to the attention of our readers the details of Sir Bernard Burke's proposal (page 303). They seem to us to be practical, and well worthy of consideration, per qui de droit.