LONDON TOPICS

Evening Star, Issue 19923, 20 July 1928, Page 12

LONDON TOPICS

FRINGE AND MARLBOROUGH -HOUSE [FIIOM OUB COKUESPOXDEXT.] June 11. I hear to-day something tliat may stop the humorous gossip about tho apparent difficulty experienced in getting the Prince ol Wales to abandon his snug bachelor uuarters in York House lor the more palatial surroundings ol AlarJborough House. The club joke has been, ol course, that H.11.H. constantly put off “moving,” and that the contretemps thus created was always covered officially by announcing some fresh alteratio-. at Alarlborougn House. But it is now settled, i believe, am Marioorougn House will be ready for the Prince early next year and that in an prooabihty he will move straight in when he returns from his African tour. Positive’ arrangements to mis end are already in existence and there are obvious signs that fork House is to bo vacated in due course. , It is the King's intention to reserve the latter as a guest house loi distinguished visitors the existing inadequate accommodation having caused much Inconvenience and embarrassment.

It suggests the growing peril:. ol Lho road that, driving his own car on his first week-end at Middleton, the Prince ol Wales came upon casualties in a motor smash, to whom lie promptly rendered all possible assistance. H.R.H. has taken for two months a charming little residence near Sunmngtlale golf links, with grounds that overlook Chobham Common. The Prince has not been attracted solely by the delightful country amenities of Middleton, but mainly by the week-end galling prospects. He is now developing into a genuine golf enthusiast, chiefly perhaps because he has now got over the big handicap stage and is showing promise of making finite a respectable player. 1 am told in his oar r attempts that the Prince suffered .rom the inevitable drawbacks affecting novices at golf who possess an impetuous nervous temperament ERMANY’S CRUISERS.

Restricted by the Versailles Treaty to a minimum number of warships, Germany intends tbai her licet, though small, shall not bo wanting in quality, a policy reflected in the new cruiser Konn, which recently took the water at Wilhelmshaven. This vessel is ■ne last o) ioiir oi the same a. p , and each has shown wonderful improvements on her predecessor The first was i Emden, 6,00 t) tons, • cv Id,1)00 horse-power, with a speed of —9 knots, and mounting eight 5 Din guns. German ingenuity and resource have so improved on the original designs—especially in the saving of weight, even to adopting welding instead of avetmgthat the new cruisei can develop 65,100 horse-pmver and an increased speed of I (52 knots, besides mounting an addi-1 tional 59 gun and twelve in place of j four torpedo tubes. All those cruisers | are named after vessels which toon part i in tho war. The KohiTs two prtde- . cessors came to had ends. One was I mink in the Heligoland Bight action and tho other scuttled at Scapa Flow. THE KINDLY TEUTON. Captain Ernest Lehmann, who commantled tho first German airship that ; sailed over England, has written a re- j markable book on ‘ The Zeppelins. Ac- j cording to him a project to destroy | Loudon by fire, a fleet of Zeps. dropping 6,000 incendiary bombs in one night over our capital, never appealed , much either to the High Command or ! the Zeppelin crews, and was vetoed ! by the Kaiser, who even insisted that what bombing took placo must care- j fully avoid Buckingham Palace and ' St. Paul’s, as well as the residential quarters. It is as hard to credit t.iis, or Captain Lehmann’s assertion that Popennghe was substituted for St. Omar on one bombing raid because King George and King Albert were j known to bo at the latter town, as | his repudiation ol tho German desire I to harm London’s “ noble buildings and treasures of art.” It docs not fit ; in, even ton years after, with the Hymn of Hate and the ruined Cathedrals. AN ENGINEER PEER.

I Lord Pentland, who is an engineerI nig student at Cambridge University, and is one of the party which is to make a trip across the Atlantic in a Cunarder to gain practical experience, probably derives his practical bent from his grandfather, the Marquis of Aberdeen. That peer is an expert driver of locomotives, and, as a young man, used to make his railway journeys in the neighbourhood of his home on the foot-plate of the engine. Moreover, he has the strange accomplishment of being able to give a realistic imitation of an engine whistle. Lord Pentland’s father was the well-known Liberal politician, Captain John Sinclair, Secretary for Scotland, and afterwards Governor of Madras, where ha spent seven strenuous years, including the war period. The present peer came of age last week, and has still [another year to spend at Cambridge. i DRESS IN THE HOUSE, j Captain Kopnei appeared in the i House of Commons’ lobby on Monday evening wearing evening clothes with scarlet wristbands and lapels. 1 was told that it represented “ Windsor uniform,” to me it looked merely like the garb expected at some hunt ball. There is, of course, no rule against I it, but members had an instinctive feel- ' in" that it was one of the things which ; are “not done.” To appear in orch- ! nary evening clothes—“ tails or dinner jacket—is quite in order, since the 'wearer is,presumed to have been at a , diuner party or to be on his way to a i reception; but garb obviously meant j for a, merely festive occasion—no. On a few occasions members have apj peared in the kilt, but that is also 1 doubtful, and the skean dhu, which is part of the outfit, is definitely forj bidden by the rule against carrying ! lethal weapons. Tho House has become exceedingly tolerant about clothes and the trock coat with 1 topper” once universal, are now practically unknown. But it would still sot its face against a member look- ' ing into tho House in fancy dress on , his way to a fancy dress ball. ' MAYFAIR SHOOTS ITSELF. I Tho latest hobby in society is one of the best vet. The private cinematograph, which at first had a somewhat j sinister tendency to unhowdlerised Continental films not fit for publication, is now becoming quite a Mayfair institution, and is entirely healthy. No more amusing after-dinner entertainment can bo imagined between tho coffee and the auction bridge than a cinema show composed of movie snaps taken of the day’s or week’s activities, with most of tho onlookers “ featured ” as tho principal actors therein. It is full of fun for all concerned, though it does rather test the complacent sense of humour on the part of people with marked oddities of manner. At Epsom Downs last week, particularly on Derby Day, any number of amateur cinematographers were “shooting” luncheon pictures. DOYEN OF SEADOGS.

A London journal claims Admiral Sir Edmund Fremantle, now celebrating his ninety-second birthday, us a link with Nelson. This is abusing the elasticity of personal history. The bullet that struck down England’s greatest seaman at Trafalgar was fired more than thirty-one years before Admiral Fremantle was born, and Nelson’s tomb in St. Paul’s was half a century old when the admiral was beginning his adult naval career To base such a claim on the fact that the doyen of living admirals served as a middy on an old three-decker that. shared Nelson’s last epic is like saying a nonegenarian

of the yilar 2011 would bo a link with Earl Haig, because at Woolwich he practised on a gun in 1960 that was engaged in tho victory push. Admiral Fremantle’s life has interest ami adventure enough on his own accountincluding fights witn Chinese pirates in 1855, and a special vote of thanks from Parliament. A REAL LINK. A more convincing link with immortal genius is Professor Francesco Berger, of tho Guildhall Music School, who was ninety-four at . the beginning ol this week, and still gives pianolorte lessons. The professor, who is a native of London, and has been a prolessional musician over since his debut at tho age of eight years, at one time took lessons from Moscheles, who was music master to Mendelssohn. Not only has Professor Berger trained many famous artists, but his acquaintance included some celebrated people outside the musical world. Amongst these Charles Dickens is the outstanding figure. _ The veteran musician is a Dickensian of fervent enthusiasm, admiring both the man and his works, but just a little regretful on one score. Bou was fond of music, but his tastes inclined, not to the great classics, and only to popular tunes. ' BACK TO SENLAC. A correspondent, walking in Bathurst Park, Cirencester, reached a remote clearing in tho woods, when his attention was attracted to some ivy-clad ruins bearing the name of “Alfred’s Hall.” A few steps brought him to a green enclosed by a screen ol_ lofty elms and fir trees, through which ho passed to inspect tho ruins of the castle walls. Ho was about to retrace his steps, when he observed a low structure of white brick almost hidden by branches of dead leaves and the green boles of ancient elms. On walking up to it, what was his astonishment to find That it was a Norman fireplace, in perfect preservation, with the date “ Ano. Do. 1085,” carved in bold relief on tho stone slab above the lintel. As this is only nineteen years after tho Battle of Hastings, and the actual year when the Domesday Book was commenced, the fireplace’' must have belonged to one of the first Norman castles limit in this country. •