LONDON GOSSIP.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 30, 30 October 1907, Page 4

LONDON GOSSIP.

Note ON THINGS"' IN^GENERAL. London, Septcmbor 12. - it is surprising how many -:df the old-'laribV" marks of withjn f: tljo Jast'-.few. years been Street. is. one of the oldest thoroughfares of the city, and it has kept frco of./tho tide of' improvements longer than -many ,of ..its. sister .'streets. But any histori'cjiintciosi 'attaching to it has not been able --to'ikcbp off the.-'masons; "and architects. . Among. the : tost sacrifices is die) .■'.•"Albion," a 'well-known'taverni- dne'd'famous for its good dinners, and it has managed to. live' till tho ; : : other _;^ day--;;for'^;a. . long,- while on 'its -'traditions l_'-But_, alas! 'these did' not' provide 'dividends, and tliS''dircct6W : cataW to >tli'o conclusion -that; it would be wise'-.to "sell up,." much to the ..regret of many.-Its'good dinners, its,.:o!d-[ fashioned comforts, and homeliness made it a favourite placer for banquets'and itestiVar gatherings, both public and private -In the old .Ea'sVlhdia/Comp'any.'s- days .the* fju'ewell' banquets to the Governors-Generalof India were'given.there,-and it was at the Albion that," after- dinner,- the annual ot the London- Publishers took place, bringing into no'tico'tlio old print.and.bpok glories, ot Aldcfsgate slid Curtis' onco' gave 'a- dinnci* which cost between £30 and' 440 i pcrthead,,;and--fof this special diniie'r a'messenger- 'Was* sent-to \V estphalia td'clioß3eLS'ham:j..'Oil.' •(':.*-.;''! '■''-: Last of'a'famous fav'crnV.' . It the' sal.; ( china, table' liuefr^and' plate;'fetched' good prices. There were 56 six-dozen lots of forks and .whichgives-an idea of. the:-nurabe.rrot: customers. And who would Relieve that tins street, with its'endless.'passing of wagons, cartsWomiiibuses,-. cabs,.oiid..motors, the residential neighbourhood of English nobility, and yet 'tis'-tTue'.. The.:Percies, the Nevilles, the Pembrokes;-all had houses there, and Milton, lived,there. Shaftesbury > House (and, opposite' to it;. Petre House, which wa's'-' used' as" --a-.pf isbri ■ In*! fhS of the Commonwealth), tho,Bisl-qps took refuge jin' after the greiit; nrei to Shafteiitury House stood Bacon House, where the •father-.of- Francis'; Bacon lived...', St, Botolph Church arid .Cook's'-'Hall.-were'' in; the' same street, and .'these :werb. destroyed by .fire in '.-■1771'.'. - ■ '■•-. , : v-'-"; '•

>; : ••: A Qiiaint Old Shop. ■ ; t r'■ ' ; iiTTOitW if/any.'nf my readers/who, in tho !'.'*-'- : - : '''daysrtof their youth, knew' London welly;'or ; SV \ 'any or the' traveller?.; whoifcpmufte us so : -fr.er ';-' ; :' quently know an old-shop-in Cruchurch'Lane; ' ; :. ! 'off Liadenhall.Street?/It is rather ir.low- '{-.':■ pitched shop window, over which is'* .crown, ;■. - with'! three, gilded -silicones,/and.it isi a '/ pla'ce':well worth' seeing and.mest lntdVcsting •" : - to' go, over.," There is "an old'/clock, tlf-I'wo'od *.'■:..:■ of which we were told Was: at.tlgasfe.ftjtliQUS; ".'■" and years old. The shopVas'opened lii 16637 I-• ■ There aro. quaint, 'odd, corners, and -prints ';''■•■/'. of great value, and portraits of Pepys.anu. '<■•■'■ ''"• a certMirEawlinson',' whb'-'mc , iMfaS"ht^ , 'W h ' ' the firm. You can look-up.yourjPepjs and. $■■:' "'-. see for yourself.' Then there is a wonderful '/■■'■-■■:■• old ledger, 'beautifully -written; fair '..better'., e ; ' :• than : any typewritten '.page ,of the /present '<■'■■■ '.'■ /day,'and* wonderful entries of. accounts of. tea I 'V'-, .at'ls7s. a lb. A ■■qf.sughVcfJsfc/then f.'i" ', 905.,/ now it is worth'lsstVT-could' write i-v- pages'more about this curious old place, but X ' a visit at any time.is, of courso) faE/more' •' ' interesting than any description can possibly vrV-.be.■ Perhaps it may he'that many of, the ■.// dwellers in the'"South' Seas" have seen it/ ;' .: and.know, it well. ; ' : '

'.'. The Streets Up. : "' : ://.. v i';/;^.--;./;'' I.' London is juso full of foreigners, ■.'■.'. which is much, to be regretted; as the sti-co'ts ■'. are more dr. less in a state/ of upheaval in : Borne of tho busiest' thoroughfares; Hugo; H mounds of gravel, and dobp's 'are. on ..roadway ■ '■-.'■; and pavement, barricades, are:at every, turn, ' / •'.; red 4a,nger flags by ■ day/' and glaring ..fires oy : ' ' right/round and about the rubbish heaps.. 'This ■ • must' appear Very st'rangc''t'o"'a""foreigrierrb"rit'' the. road authorities care little, and, think ,/ less,-of tho impression of foreigners who time. their? visit to the ; metropolis in August and i-/ September. . London is simply having its _ an-': of road-repairing. There jg; " i :/ huge; £oisiri<rin store for.the man; whq^in- "■. '■■■--ventsiiiu gpb'&'Jdnrable substance for, Lofidon ./'"' Et'rcop as far .as lessening/the, : rioisof gdes.-nsjgoqd', but," as to lastinKvHherV!'' is . ceHaJuTy'Jmuoli'.jto be. wished/fo^wAVoqU . blocks s'oakcUviri;'ctoos.o,tc ;de* ;'/(mand novr'f a'nd^t%li^l^d;^#?'iMH w <' t i l 1 ' ,:whicln is / , quieti' too, buti.tli*o ! ,same'' filing 'lo'c'curs with '.' thatsis, with, wbbd and end-, -..•'■'. less repairing:: : ;The continual;wear, and'tear of the/London' traffic is, immense', and/nothingfas yet has been found to resist the heavy v strain, but perhaps! a' clever brain .will some, day evolve a something which/will prove a' ; . greater boon .to, the road-makors .and menders . than'anything'which , .;lias,yet' , 1 -bWeu;'usea/ ■.*!:'.-'"■'

f.'-' ! . .The. Lusitania/js ;'/.''..':', :'; ■'-The'Ambrose'Channel of New! York Har- ■; ■ hour has bconi debpend and .widened sutii- ; > ciehtly to admit .thepLusit-aniai'atsthe ond-of. : '•;:'• her maiden /trip across the /Atlantic.. /Tho) blackness qf.'nigMf "was on.'the Mersey, -and. •.,,,, out of tho 'gloom the huge vessel shone' bril- ,'.:.. liahtly. From/ countless port-holes light ';• '"..;■ streamed out, tierMVpoii tier of electric lights ;'.,: -.made.'her fourjjtall ./very.'' plainly I::■/.. visible, and crowds of people waved, good-bye 1 ; ',ito friends', on:-.the /distant.-landing .-. stage. » .'There is much talk about'tlie race, across, the ;;' ; ;: between the two'boats, .the Lucaniaj I-,.,' ' having'started-ahea'd of'tlio-L'nsitah'iay'but,! i; ':, •' if all goes'well j not' much of ; a contest will' bo* .'■;:":'"' '~./.' ~',,.";".'."'j';.'. ... '.'.'..V"i'„ ,''! ,'.: Crowth' of'c'6-opsratibri.* ':'-'" '''~';^';'',--. •• ;'"'•"■"■ At'the'Crystal Palace a Co-operative Ex- ')''■'. \ : hibition and Festival was opened on the 20th ;". \ of AnEU3t,;r-and',.it'ijs;simp_ly amazing to see ;V•'.,■.; .the exte^'i!ibf^tliECo.^i*crAtjvo'jso'cietics' move- /■ .' ments/^TJiey-niimbe| ; :lpnpi : 'witli,two millions ' : / and holding shares in tho V s, six steamships,('v;. : at nearly ['■'■'■ three'?. •^i]lions^>"-Tl;ey i '<-|hayej ; tea; estates r in ■:'...;"' Ceylbny'^ ruit-ifarnis Sin/various i'. ; ■ ':',' :'■'■'■' lsc;ujt?'ans3^e;efo^ .. boot an'3^^bpelfap^sfieSsa't• , Loieesterjajidielse-* 1 where, ".w^)isi^*M;*Lcjothilig^'facfen'es-"at " ; Leeds. At' Mancliest'eri tobacco factories and :. printing works, and lately they havo added -.-.' -~. hosiery and pottery to "tho list; indeed almost \ every necessity of life'is now', produced cof;' ; '-. operative!}', and the .Federation.is seeking to. solve'the-'labiiur /'problem, by .the,.union ~of! capjta'l, prae-. ' tice/of/laboiir bq-partnci\ship. /' • > '■',-' .■•• \ ~:,- i.-.i~, ~.:;'o: ':'.: '■ Professor T. J. See has written an el'abqj-'- : /ate. treatise-tn the American Philosophical / Society upon ,the' cause of earthquakes, audit :'..-' the San Francisco .shook. Ho says that' ! .-. steam is formed within .the heated rocks v of. ■ ,'•■. tho earth's crust by the leakage of sea.water ' . through-the bed of'tho .■ocean'; that the pres- ;, , sure of this steam''forces tho lava in' a lateral 'direction, its subsequent condensation;'causes' 1 /' tho:bqttom of. the..sea. to. subside,, and that '■-'■ : the explosive force of'this steam, causes volcanic disturbances. At the meeting of the British Association, tho report,of the Seis- ! rhological Committee on" ; : Prdfesstofc'? See's ooinion strengthened Professor-John: Milne's . view (which connects earthquakes with the shifting of tho'earth's axis), and it is admitted that shocks lire most ' frequent -and - greatest when the irregular, ,;r,pvem<uits of tho earth's'axis aro most'marked,''o'r that ' there is some connection -between' .the* .oqcur- ' . renec of-earthquakes and the''movenierits'of the earth's pole.

Mont St., Miqh.pl.,,,. v .-;..-■ •■ .-.-•; -~ ■■■'■ -.-. One of the most interesting places in the world is Mont. St. Michel, off the nortliwestcrn'ctfast'of'France. It' oit3v showr-fplacd from 'rom'oto'iiges', and its natural'siirronildings 'have' hardly their' equalin tlih : World. ; ' : lii'tho' : da.vs'before the 'advent of railways "ono'had to cross either, from'.'St. . Loo. or.Aoraric.hes whon.thc ti.de suited,land 'I, : roiriotnber how very, careful our driver had to ';■■' bo to'follow the direction of the .-■' avant courier,.". who .plunged, into .the,; water , and 3houtc,d,."a garoucbe," "a.droite,"-"arretez,; and for one awful moment we seemed to be in.a ; deep rut,-.but tho frantic: efforts :bf tho:horses <tnd .the driver'got us ovcr-'it, -not boforo

the,■ carriage ..was half full of water, and wo tilting on to" tho seats to try to keep high, ancKdry.'-' And.,what a huge pile of. archite'cturaCwasiTjefonrus—fortress, Abbey, tnd Church in one. Tho quaint out-of-the-way iOjcautyi.br the place is really remarkable, and Poulard watin'g for us at-the c;,.i-TiagV-'aYew 'up".at'the stone,'' sloping approach ;■' greeted'''us"cheerily, and conducted .us,.as.mine hostess of tho Inn, to a blazing our boots, and watch 'tier preparing' our dinner. A - largo wide •tabic in/tho liitchen with a clean .enough "'clbtti was madb.ready for.our meal, and down wo sat, hungry as hunters, to enjoy tho simple faro which Mme. had prepared for us. Such, an-omelette," fit food for gods, and such a kitchen, decorated with sketches and pictured hand verses' as mementoes from travellers of nearly every,clime! Then,.after dm'nor,'>we:mo'unted tho hundreds of rough stquo. steps, each with a.Chincse lantern, in which was'a; raorselof candle,'preceded by Madame, to show'iis:pur.bedrooms, perched on tho top 'of tho Mont, "aiitl the glorious moon lighting 'lip every corner of the plain little cubicles on which,-.'ye-.had .to'pass'the night'. Morning ifoiihd us awake and up early enough to see *a glorious sunrise, and we looked over the 'ratoip'titts Mi'-to a glittering sea, radiant with the colouring from the rising sun. We were' on'an island,/the ; sea at high tide surrouud- ' ing \lis;' 'and "h'Mijig,- the treacherous sands over' : whicli we 'had passed the night before. Then we visited the-beautiful Abbey, tho cavernous dungeons, where.sp many,.mon had lived out wretche'd' "lives," and'walked along the winding path of the battlements, and descended slowly to the primitive kitchen where Mme. Poulard.was busy at the fire preparing 'not coffee and hot rolls, for pur breakfast No one now can have a like experience, for Mmc, no longer young, has retired from her beloved'kitchen, and.her happy, genial face, .will no more be seen;'there. Sho-"candidly confessed tho other day-that she could not live under tho.prcserit.'cba'nges, which the increase in tho numher/;6f,jtourists'has necessitated, and one 'must,..hope".'that worthy enough will bo fpjmd to succeed he."!