A BARGE FROM THE KING

Evening Post, Volume CXII, Issue 124, 21 November 1931, Page 22

A BARGE FROM THE KING

The King has presented a Royal barge to the National . Maritime Museum, Greenwich.

The gift was announced recently by Admiral Sir George Hope, at the annual general meeting of the Society for Nautical Research, held at tho Itoyal Naval College, Greenwich. ■

"This barge," the admiral said, "was built, according to tradition, by King William 111. for Queen Mary 11. 'Shallop,' to employ its original name, is probably the only boat of its kind in the world to-day which is over two centuries old.

"It is 36ft in length, and iti deference to its age it is,not proposed to put it on view until'the opening of the Museum affords an appropriate building in which to house it.

' ■■■ "Three times in the last few months the Queen has sent the Museum gifts of Nelson relicts collected by herself. Her Majesty has just sent a further gift, an enamelled medalliou of Nelson, by the celebrated craftsman, William Tassie, bearing his signature and dated ISO 6. Her Majesty's knowledge of an-

tiques has thus in a very signal fashion enriched the national collection of Nelson relics.

"Among 350 other gifts the trustees of the National Maritime Museum have been fortunate in receiving relicts of Mr. Pepys from tho collection of the Jate Mr. Pepys Cockerell, which recently came under the hammer.

"Best of all is a stout volume re-bound in the oarly eighteenth century and containing three mysterious letter books. i?epys kept copies of ordinary routine letters in an ordinary book in the ordinary way, but the contents of this volume were not ordinary aud were not concerned with routine.

"They were highly confidential, and were kept most strictly under lock and key. Forty-seven letters wholly or in part arc written in the samo shorthand as tho Diary and have never been deciphered. Three-quarters of the contents of this amazing and enticing volume have yet to be given to the public.

"The Wyllie collection of maritimo books has also been secured for the Museum."