“This morning great excitement was occasioned in the neighbourhood of Dilston by the appearance of Amelia, Countess of Derwentwater, with a retinue of servants, at the old baronial castle of her ancestors—­Dilston Old Castle—­and at once taking possession of the old ruin.  Her ladyship, who is a fine-looking elderly lady, was dressed in an Austrian military uniform, and wore a sword by her side in the most approved fashion.  She was accompanied, as we have said, by several retainers, who were not long in unloading the waggon-load of furniture which they had brought with them, and quickly deposited the various goods and chattels in the old castle, the rooms of which, as most of our readers are aware, are without roofs; but a plentiful supply of stout tarpaulings, which are provided for the purpose, will soon make the apartments habitable, if not quite so comfortable as those which the countess has just left.  In the course of the morning her ladyship was visited by Mr. C.J.  Grey, the receiver to the Greenwich Hospital estates, who informed her she was trespassing upon the property of the commissioners, and that he would be obliged to report the circumstance to their lordships.  Her ladyship received Mr. Grey with great courtesy, and informed that gentleman she was acting under the advice of her legal advisers, and that she was quite prepared to defend the legality of her proceedings.  The sides of the principal room have already been hung with the Derwentwater family pictures, to some of which the countess bears a marked resemblance, and the old baronial flag of the unfortunate family already floats proudly from the summit of the fine, though old and dilapidated tower.”

This is a bald newspaper account; but the lady herself is an experienced correspondent, and in one of her letters, which she has published in a gorgeously emblazoned volume, thus gives her version of the affair in her own vigorous way:—­

“DEVILSTONE CASTLE, 29_th September_, 1868.

“Here I am, my dear friend, at my own house, my roofless home; and my first scrawl from here is to the vicarage.  You will be sorry to hear that the Lords of Her Majesty’s Council have defied all equitable terms in my eleven years’ suffering case.  My counsel and myself have only received impertinent replies from under officials.  Had my lords met my case like gentlemen and statesmen, I should not have been driven to the course I intend to pursue.

“I left the Terrace very early this morning, and at half-past seven o’clock I arrived at the carriage-road of Dilstone Castle.  I stood, and before me lay stretched the ruins of my grandfather’s baronial castle; my heart beat more quickly as I approached.  I am attended by my two faithful retainers, Michael and Andrew.  Mr. Samuel Aiston conveyed a few needful things; the gentle and docile pony trotted on until I reached the level top of the carriage-road, and then we stopped.  I dismounted and opened