[Constance Frederica]. Scottish authoress and traveler, born at Altyre, Morayshire, on the 24th of May 1837; daughter of Sir William Gordon Gordon-Cumming, Bart., of Altyre, and sister to Roualeyn-Gordon Gordon-Cumming, the South African lion-hunter. On her mother’s side Miss Gordon was descended from the famous Irish beauty, Elizabeth Gunning, Duchess of Argyll. She visited a married sister in the Himalayas, after which she traveled continuously for over twelve years, the results being seen in her various works. She was also a water-color artist, and found great variety of subjects for her skill in such work. Her first book was From the Hebrides to the Himalayas in 1876, which appeared later in two separate volumes, each confined to its own subject. Her other works were A Home in Fiji (1881); A Lady’s Cruise in a French Man-of-War (1882); Fire Fountains, describing the kingdom of Hawaii, its volcanoes and the history of its missions (1882); Granite Crags, a description of a visit to California (1883); Cornwall to Egypt (1885); Wanderings in China (1885); and Two Happy Years in Japan (1892).
