DAUGHTERS OF PEERS.

THE order of precedence as it affects the Daughters of Peers, has something very strange in it. It may not perhaps be generally known, that unmarried daughters have always the same rank as their eldest brother, during the life-time of the father; and this independent of the particular title which by courtesy the brother may bear. A Duke's eldest son, for instance, ranks as a Marquess; consequently all his sisters, unmarried, have the rank of Marchionesses, though he himself should be, nominally, but an Earl or Baron. For the title of Marquess being less antient than the latter, is not the second title of the oldest and highest Dukes of the realm. The Duke of Norfolk's eldest son is only Earl of Surry, and the Duke of Somerset's eldest son but Baron Seymour. Still their daughters would all rank as Marchionesses till they married, and under particular circumstances, even afterwards; which forms one of the strangest anomalies of all. For if a Duke had ten daughters, three of

whom were to marry Earls, three, Viscounts, and three, Barons, and the tenth and youngest should marry her father's footman, the latter would retain her rank of Marchioness, and go before all her elder sisters, though every one of them Peeresses.

For in marrying Commoners, they do not cease to be Duke's daughters; they retain their original rank, without elevating their husbands; which latter circumstance is a point to be attended to, to obviate such mistakes as a certain foreigner of low condition is said to have fallen into, when he married a Lady Betty, of a very ancient and distinguished family. He had entirely calculated upon becoming Lord Betty.

I should wish to have leave to state a case particularly illustrative of the confusion arising from the rank assigned to the daughters of Dukes, Marquesses, &c.-Let us suppose, as the Sexagenarian would say, (I am not prepared to deny that the case has really happened) but only let us at present suppose, that the younger son of a Duke, Lord Francis,

should marry the daughter of a Duke,

Lady Frances;

being a Commoner, his Lordship's rank as the

youngest son of a Duke would be below a Viscount, while her Ladyship continuing a Duke's daughter, might assume the rank of Marchioness; all depending on the retention or discharge of a single letter; little e for little i! If after marriage her Ladyship should choose to call herself by the name of her lord, Lady Francis, she would go below Viscountesses; if, (which she would have a full right to do) she should retain her own name, and call herself Lady Frances, she would precede not only Viscountesses but Countesses. However the confusion might not stop here. Let us farther suppose that his Majesty should be pleased to call the noble Lord up to the House of Peers, by the title of Baron So-and-so-how strange would the state of things be now. By their elevation to the peerage; (for so it must be regarded) his Lordship would absolutely lose one step, and her Ladyship three, in the order of Precedence.

I have heard the following case related, as having taken place at a County Ball. When the company were summoned to supper, to their very great surprise, they found the doors of the supper room, suddenly shut against them, and they were for some time excluded without any

apparent reason.

It was at length however discovered, that a difficulty had occurred to the Stewards, which of two ladies of quality ought to be led first to the table. It was a case that I verily think might at the moment have puzzled a professed herald. The two ladies had both married the eldest sons of Marquesses, and were also both of them Dukes' daughters. Though their husbands had the rank of Earls, and the titles also by courtesy, they were still but Commoners, and in either case their ladies would rank as Marchionesses. They were both therefore above their husbands. But still it would be necessary to find out which was the daughter of the oldest Duke, or if there were any other circumstance that might give rank to the one before the other. It so happened in this very case, that one was the daughter of an English, the other of a Scotch, Duke. How it was adjusted I cannot pretend to say, but had the difficulty been foreseen, I am confident the best way would have been to have asked the ladies themselves; for with persons of such high rank, the assumption of their proper place, depends on circumstances quite independent of themselves, which circumstances are generally well known to the indivi

duals, and may of course always be acted upon, without the least chance of giving offence.

I wish any one would devise a method for quickly ascertaining, who every Lady Mary or Lady Frances, who may have married a Commoner, really is. How often have I known the company at a watering place, thrown into confusion by the sudden arrival of some Lady Elizabeth, Lady Sophia, or Lady Harriet. But who is she? Is she an Earl's, a Marquess's, or a Duke's daughter? Is she English, Scotch, or Irish? Those agreeable companions the Pocket Peerages can give them no help. There are no indexes to lead them to the name of the husband. You may pore your eyes out in looking for all the Lady Elizabeths, or Lady Harriets from beginning to end, and if she be newly married, not find her after all. The arms on the carriage may help those who understand heraldry, but how very few in comparison are there who know a syllable about it.