ELCHO, FRANCIS WEMYSS-ClIARTERIS-DOUGLAS, Lord, b. Aug. 4, 1818, is eldest SOD of the eighth earl of Wemyss. This ancient Scottish family has a traditional descent assigned it from the house of Macduff, earl of Fife. Sir Michael de Wemyss in 1290 was sent to Norway by the lords of the regency in Scotland to conduct the young queen Margaret to her dominions. He swore fealty to Edward I. in 1296, and was a witness to the act of settlement of the crown of Scotland by king Robert I. at Ayr in 1315. From him lineally descended Sir John Wernyss, who was created a baronet in 1625; raised to the peerage of Scotland as baron Wemyss of Elcho in 1628: and advanced to the dignities of earl of Wemyss in the county of Fife, and lord Elcho and Methel. in 1633. Although indebted for his honors to Charles I., lie was engaged during the subse quent civil wars on the side of the parliament. David, fourth earl, was appointed by queen Anne lord-high-admiral of Scotland, and one of the commissioners for concluding the treaty of union. The eldest son of the fifth earl having taken part in the rising of 1745, escaped to France after the battle of Culloden, and was attainted. At his death, the family honors were taken up by his brother Fraacis, sixth earl, who, having inher ited the estates Of his maternal grandfather, vol. Charteris, of A mistield, co. Hadding ton, had assumed the surname of Charteris before that of Wemyss. Francis, his grand son, became heir to the titles of earl of March, viscount Peebles, and baron Douglas of Neidpath, on the demise of William, third earl of March, and fourth duke of Queens berry, in 1810. In 1821, he was made baron Wemyss of the United Kingdom, by which title the possessor of the earldom holds his seat in the house of lords. A parliamentary reversal of the attainder of lord Elcho, obtained in 1826, put beyond question the suc cession to the Scottish honors. His son, the present earl, is lord-lieut. of Peebleshire, and lieut-"en. of the royal archers.
Lord E. was educated at Christ Church, Oxford, where he graduated B.A. in 1841. He was returned to the house of commons as M. P. for East Gloucestershire from July, 1841, to Feb., 1846, and has sat for Haddingtonshire since 1847 to the present time. He took his seat on the conservative benches, but accepted office, with other members of the party of sir Robert Peel, in the coalition government of the earl of Aberdeen, and was a lord of the treasury from Jan., 1853, to Feb., 1855. In 1859, the menacing attitude of France, and the periodical recurrence of seasons of alarm, caused by the unprotected state of our shores, and the possibility of invasion, led to an organization of rifle volunteers in Great Britain. In this movement, lord Elcho took the earliest and most
prominent part. He organized a regiment of London Scottish volunteer rifles, of which he was appointed maj. in 1859, and lieut.-col. in 1850, and went to Hythe barracks to receive instruction in the use of the Enfield rifle, and to the camp at Shorncliffe, in order to become familiarized with regimental duties and brigade movements. Lord Elcho also projected the national association for the promotion of rifle-shooting, the first shot at which was fired by her majesty, July 21860, at Wimbledon. He and other patriotic noblemen and gentlemen associated with 'him in the volunteer movement, had the satisfaction of assisting, in 1860, at two grand reviews by the queen of various brigades of volunteer rifle corps—of 20,000 men iu Hyde park, and 22,000 men in Edin burgh. The:war office assisted in organizing the force, and thus was consolidated the vol unteer army of Great Britain, who adopted as their motto " Defence, not Defiance." The national rifle association, mainly under the auspices of earl Spencer and lord E., has become an established institution—the center and keystone of the volunteer movement. Lord E. has since given additional efficiency to the volunteer movement by watching, in his place in parliament, its financial relations with the government. In 1865, lord. E. took a more active part in parliamentary politics than had been possible during his labors in promoting the volunteer movement. He spoke against the £6 franchise pro-, posed by Mr. Baines, and gave notice of a motion for a royal commision to examine into the extension of the franchise. When the government of earl Russell brought in the reform bill of 1866, lord E. organized a secession from the Whig party, under the lead ership of earl Grosvenor, which was nicknamed the " Cave of Adullam," but which succeeded in defeating the bill, and displacing the government. Lord Derby, on his accession to the premiership, offered a post in his government to lord E., but the offer was declined. In 1867, his party found themselves powerless to prevent the passing of a more democratic reform bill than that which in the previous year they had thrown out. Lord E. is a fluent and pleasant speaker, and he is exceedingly popular with the volunteers both of England and Scotland. Lord E. is an LL.D. of Edinburgh univesity. In 1871, he published Letters on Military Organization. In 1875, he drew public atten tion to the military organization of Great Britain.