r the finest pieces of Art and Nature that
could be obtained abroad or at home.' He was highly honored
with the favor and confidence of William III. and his successor
Anne. Dying in 1707, his son William, who was Lord Lieutenant
of Ireland, spent the latter part of his life at Chatsworth,
dying there in 1755. It is now the favorite country residence
of his great grandson, the sixth Duke and ninth Earl of
Devonshire.

"The Duke's tastes, as evinced at Chatsworth, are of the purest
and happiest order;--and are to be found in the adornments of
his rooms, the shelves of his library, the riches of his
galleries of art, and the rare and beautiful exotic marvels of
his gardens and conservatories. Charles Cotton, in his poem,
the _Wonders of the Peak_, wrote, two centuries ago, of the
then Earl of Devonshire--and no language can apply with
greater truth to the Duke who is now master of Chatsworth:

"But that which crowns all this, and does impart
A lustre far beyond the pow'r of Art,
Is the great Owner; He, whose noble mind
For such a Fortune only was design'd.
Whose bounties, as the Ocean's bosom wide,
Flow in a constant, unexhausted tide
Of Hospitality, and free access,
Liberal Condescension, cheerfulness,
Honor and Truth, as ev'ry of them strove
At once to captivate Respect and Love:
And with such order all perform'd, and grace,
As rivet wonder to the stately place."

[Illustration: THE EMPEROR FOUNTAIN.]

"Although carriages are permitted to drive from the railway
terminus at Rowsley, to the pretty and pleasant inn at Edenson,
by a road which passes directly under the house, the stranger
should receive his first impressions of Chatsworth from one of
the surrounding heights. It is impossible to convey a just idea
of its breadth and dignity; the platform upon which it stands
is a fitting base for such a structure; the trees, that at
intervals relieve and enliven the vast space, are of every rich
variety, the terraces nearly twelve hundred feet in
extent--'the emperor fountain' throwing its jet two hundred and
seventy feet into the air, far overtopping the avenue of
majestic trees, of which it forms the centre. The dancing
fountain, the great cascade, even the smaller fountain