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Show . NORFOLK TO THE FRONT. The Duke Resigns the Postmaster Generalship. The Duke of Norfolk, the leading Catholic nobleman of Great Britain, is to serve his country in a new capacity. It was an old cry in England that no papist could be loyal to the Crown. An occasional echo is heard at the present day. The Duke of Norfolk seems to be possessed with a desire to give the lie to that venerable calumny in hia own person. The Weekly Register says of his determination to go to South Africa: The announcement that the Duke of Norfolk had expressed his intention of resigning the postmaster generalsiup and embarking for the Cape tomorrow, has been received with mingled feelings) of pleasure and regret. Whilst we are all pleased to know that the Duke's patriotic aspirations have been at last gratified for it is an open secret that he had previously volunteered for active act-ive service on more than one occasion during the present war it is impossible to hide the counteracting feeling of regret re-gret that the two senior members of the two noblest English families will be exposed to the countless dangers of modern warfare. But whatever may be their inmost thoughts, it is certain that the Duke will carry with him the sin-cerest sin-cerest wishes of the entire Catholic body for his safety and speedy homecoming. home-coming. Although no public mention j of the precise object of the Duke of j Norfolk's mission has been made, ex- i cept the general announcement that he j is to join his country's contingent of j the ImperialYeomanry, it may, we ven- ture to think, be assumed that pacific j rather than military duties will fall to his lot on his arrival in South Africa. I His reputation as organizer and administrator admin-istrator i. too well known to be insisted insist-ed upon here, and it is not improbable that his valuable services in these capacities ca-pacities will be laid claim to by the government as soon as some honorable conclusion of pending hostilities has been brought about. In view of the Duke's departure for the front it may be of interest to recall the military exploits ex-ploits of the early holders of the Norfolk Nor-folk title. The first holder of the Duke- m' u "hicl1 the present Duke is the fifteenth lineal successor, was created, i for his prowess in the French, wars. Earl Marshal and Hereditary Marshal of England. He fell in, battle at Bos-worth Bos-worth Field in 14S5, leading the van of the army of Richard III, while his son. the second Duke of Norfolk, was renowned a the General who won teh victory of Flodden Field over James IV of Scotland, who lost his life in that engagement." |