Passing out from this splendid apartment, is the ANTE-LIBRARY, formed of two exquisitely beautiful little rooms, filled with books of the greatest value and interest. The ceiling of the first or larger room of these is richly gilt, and adorned with paintings by Hayter and Charles Landseer. The smaller apartment is a perfect architectural gem, of apsidal form, the dome supported by a series of columns and pilasters with Corinthian capitals. In this room are some remarkably fine vases on pedestals. From the Ante-Library a door opens on the NORTH STAIRCASE, on which are hung a fine full-length portrait of the late Duke of Devonshire, by Sir Francis Grant; full-length portraits of the Emperor Nicholas of Russia, and of his Empress; Sir Thomas Lawrence’s full-length portrait of George IV. in his coronation robes; and a curious old painting, nearly life-size, of the “Flying Childers,” with the following “certificate” of the age of the horse;—“September ye 28, 1719. This is to certifie that the bay stoned horse his Grace the Duke of Devonshire bought of me was bred by me, and was five years old last grass, and noe more. Witness my hand, Leo. Childers.” [Illustration: _Fireplace by Westmacott in the Dining-room._] The DINING-ROOM is a large and noble apartment with a slightly “barrel-shaped” ceiling, divided into hexagonal panels filled with roses and foliated flowers richly gilt. The doors, at one end opening into the vestibule leading into the cabinet library, and at the other into the sculpture-gallery, have their cases of white marble, the entablatures supported on massive Ionic columns. The room is lit by five windows on its east side, and opposite to these are two exquisitely beautiful white marble chimney-pieces, each of which has two life-size statues, two by Westmacott and two by Sievier. Around the room are six side-tables; two are of hornblende, two of Siberian jasper, and two of porphyritic sienite. The furniture is massive and appropriate, and the walls display family portraits, chiefly by Vandyke. [Illustration: _The Sculpture Gallery._] The SCULPTURE GALLERY, one of the “glories” of Chatsworth, is entered from the dining-room at one end, and at the other opens into the Orangery. This noble gallery is 103 feet in length and 30 in width, is of proportionate height, and is lighted from the roof. The walls are of finely-dressed sandstone, and the door-cases of Derbyshire marble; the entablatures supported by Corinthian columns and pilasters of various marbles with gilt capitals. Of the precious treasures contained in this gallery it would be impossible, in the space we have at our disposal, to speak at length. We shall, therefore, content ourselves with simply enumerating some of the more prominent sculptures, noting that the pedestals, columns, &c., are all of the most choice and valuable materials. Among the examples here, and in other parts of the mansion, so charmingly and effectively arranged, are the following:—