LONDON CHAT.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXI, Issue 9489, 19 April 1894, Page 6

LONDON CHAT.

va: [*ROM our own correspondent.]/'.;■; London, March 9. The Queen came to London again oh Monday. in preparation for her Second Drawing Room, which., duly, came' off on Tuesday in splendid weather, h and \, ; with .; the - ; usual, brilliance. k ,, - <" ' v.v Apparently ib did nob take long to weary the Prince of Wales ' of \ his renewed domesticity. After i:doing his part in a? public duet iof f ostentatious ;; conjugal felicity for several 'days,*'' His ' Royal Highneßs suddenly bolted to Paris by special train arid \ special steamer. And/ there he having;- some consolatory fun. Princes are mortal !, ij't// Mr. and Mrs. Gladstone wenb bo Windsor as arranged last/Friday// to "dine and sleep." The Queen was very gracious to both; •Some people fancy that Her Majesty's was accentuated by her,know-; ledge of the G.O.M.'s intentions for the following day. The Queen and Mrs. Gladstone had fully an hour's/ private* and confidential, chab all ; bo :i themselves. ; | Mr./and; Mrs. Gladstone returned: to/ town- next' day ■—he no longer Premier, /she no longer " Mrs. P." \l : ;/-'';: r : : '' v "vc.':;-; : .;\- : - ;^: .'/ ; .''' ; A feminine correspondent writes to me:-—., '.One; of t; the latest fads in-! fancy-work is plaiting straw in the same % manner as they used to do in Dunstable 'in r the :time when England , boasted busy : village j industries, ; and machinery had \ nob rendered capable fingers idle. , The Princess Henry of Battenberghas just had hab /made by Mrs. Henry-; Heath, the fashionable hatter, of straw plaited by her own Royal hands, lb ii said the Queen \is quite an adept at the same '"■■ work. : . ; ' I remember long £ long, ago that everyday straw, hats were all plaited at home, bub then in the good old times; thrifty housewives' spun their own .-JMen"thread, and the shirts made therefrom were heirlooms. > To-day we /buy/ German and Belgian household , linen, which if .nob so good as Irish. by a long way, -is yeb mosb. artistically ornamented." : *".„'. \ The Germans" are /developing • artistic tastes./ / They are—thab is, their, swells are —going in for the coloured d ress coat, and the " wearing" of the green" is"' to be the Teutonic order of the day. .The' German tailors are showing the. green ... model with gresb confidence. The Prince of, Wales, who is more than „rather/- proud of , his calves, is credited with the wish to revive the hignly; ornate style of dress in vogue with the firsb of the , Georges. ' Then silk stockings and breeches were in vogue, with gold-laced coats and: vests./ Ab present the old-world stock has come.back, to favour, and, white silk ones are the chosen for the Row. ': ;.' -. : / . , ■

F The bomb" scare has affecbed the theatres. Timid people prefer the sancbiby of home. Ab the ' time of the Fenian scare, many householders " broke up house in London, and : retired bo the country. 1 / A friend of mine, was in theicountry—far-: norbh—and staying ab a friend's house. ,/ One morning he received a lobter from two antiquated maiden cousins announcing,their, approaching return to their native wilds. /.They had parbed with their town house/as bhey'had been told Fenians were jsjoingl-to blow up London by charging bhe gas-pipes with gunpowder;' '■//..-'■.'; '■/' > •" v '■''*'■ ,J v f's -';/ '' ■; Mrs. /.angbry is writing a book, So runs the announ'ceriient; Ta those'in " the know" the facb is: Mrs. Langbry employs a literary. .V ghost," ;.the . only way .to - give such a book the ghost of a chance I /Four years ago/ the modern Aapasia began this work of arb— -own piquant 'memoirs. Her many scribbling Si friends had 'a/; finger in the pie. / Ab/ firab ] she diababed /; her matter to a secretary, then growing dissatisfied she /engaged a smart journalist, who had advanced quite two-thirds'- in "his task when the capricious lady ■ threw him over, and the manuscript into the ! fire, after regaling a dinner .company with : elegant extracts. f. She then took ,up the pen herself, and ib is. said Mr. .Edmund Yates was peculiarly useful in consultation. Bub she writes erraticallysometimes at white heat, ab other, times she lays the manuscript away for months. A good many publishers have made a bid for the tasty morsel, bub the Jersey Lily knows how to gild the lily herself. ; She will print, publish, and absorb all the profits herself. •;'/^ ; H-' -li'/ ' : > A'' '. A curious story of the Baring failure given on a side authority. ; Lord Revelsboke sent' his eldest son/to. the/ Argentine %- public, to report on the 'financial_ prospects of the country. A short sufficed Jto 'convince-him thab /the^ Government •''was ribtely rotten. .He came borne and said ho.. Lord Revelstoke called his son an ass, and buried his- great wealth in_ its Argentine grave, and bhe goad city of London quivers still from the effeebs of the financial shock

which followed. ; '*/--= :--'* ■', The Miss Bessie Billwood who has been " had up" for assaulting ; a 7 " duke's" head in Philadelphia in return for having a dollar flung at her, is the Marchioness of Aylesbury more's the piby ! • -;" r-v*J: v | f A lady writes to me:— " Worth has j put down his foot, and bhe 'bailor-made 1 is doomed. Bub Worbh is jusb a little too previous. He can - make bub: nob unmake a mode. In sumptuary matters the thunders of the church, failed, and women wore the obnoxious hoop and towering head-gear bo the end. Bab Worth decrees that women are once again to become ; women, and he means to help them, by bringing in extravagant frou-frou. And the besb of it is bhab the grande dame of Paris goes in for the tailor-made, has suit 3 constantly from Red-' fern', and tries ■to look English—in which she signally scores failure.. While the stage Bets the fashion we are pretty safe. from autocrats of the Worth type." • " ) f >j ,' Christie's in the season is a very i fashionable rallying place. ; The other day ib was crowded. The occasion was the sale of the Eglinbon jewels. ! A suite of black pearls and diamonds, set forth' bo have' been the property of Mary Stuarb, was bought by the eminent upholsterer and cabinetmaker, Sir Blundell Maple, M.P., for £3,450.; Now the Scotsman warned bidders bhab bhe V jewels. never did belong to that fateful Sovereign,' and ib proved ibs assertion by the date of the gold work. However, Sir B. Maple plunged. And an expert had valued the necklace at only £2000.' Ib was composed of six splendid black 1 pearls, "each; seb in a cluster of brilliants connected with chainpattern links. All the sale realised was £6,050.' -, ". -" •-•■'; ... "; ; The Queen has had a lifb constructed ab Windsor for her use ab a cost of £2000. Her Majesty is becoming very infirm.v-Ab the late drawing-room she received sitting. It is said she is becoming more tyrannical than ever, and ib is no secret bhab the visits the outlying members /of -A her ; family make to her . are periods of i penance: they ; dare not walk in the grounds Windsor without her t special permission. The yisib of bhe. Empress Frederick has had a beneficial effect on bhe Princess: of Wales, who, at her sister-in-law's entreaty, gave up her trip bo Greece, and consented to appear at the two ; firsb drawing-rooms of bhe; season. The Princess also is now bo \be seen - driving; wibh' the 'Prince. :' v This is also '? a reform presumably, due to the same influence. ,"i/The newesb ' vests for • ladies:■'(writes my feminine correspondent) are hand knit with white silk spots sewn on. One 'of.'lighb blue hand-knib in silk had; scarlet spots.. The " Tattersall's" are exploded?^ -)- ! :[ ';'- //

Shakeapere "A* You Like It" was acted this week at the Prince of Wales' Theatre by a cast of ladies only, and very well acted ib was ■too/// Orlando (Miss Ferrar) '~ was, admirable. The .■ orchestra.; was of / ladies only. ; The charming'''; pastoral : v play; has seldom been more delicately manipulated, Ib is said that some, other plays, will be feminised in the same ; way,/ the object being ; to ', keep . unemployed .artistes -. in' practice. '~/,'-.-, . ,- '."•.. -~ ~//.///;,; ..; ■ Ab the same time the idea is nob regarded as a happy: one, especially in the case ■ of "As You Like ".in which much of the point consists in ; the /.assumption; of male attire by/Rosalind. All this, point is lost when everybody is feminine and everybody; dresses in masculine habiliments. ,;»How-, ever, it is a novelty, . and novelty is the craze of the day, , so : I suppose; this will , be • popular for while." i. ,'. \]!>%-i* -. Archdeacon Farrar is at present in Rome recruiting his health and "Strength.-! In his absence his son, the Rev.-, f Eric Famuy" Vicar .of . St. Thomas, .Coventry, performs the duties of chaplain- of the-House ofCommons. ; ".*' ■ The Pope has forbidden bull-fights. Nay, more, he '■ has declared that •: any/Roman: Catholic attending a bull-fighb shall be ipso facto excommunicated. *r-"v.-?;-: ■■ ./-'v. :>. Princess Alix of Hesse will probably accompany the Queen to Florence./' She is a pretty girl with extremely winning manners and-is much admired wherever she goes. I hear that crowds of 1 American tourists will .-■ visit / England •- during./ the coming, spring■ and summer. There will be no

Chicago Exhibition,to divert, -abben-. tioh this year. This f sorb of invasion ia always welcomed; by London tradesmen. Ib means large circulation of cash. - ","■-, S'*i It ia rumoured I 'that very vivid" colours will bo-seen this season in girls' ball frocks/ This is regretted' by many, who deem' pure white and the softer tones of faint colouring which have lately been /in;vogue ? ibely more artistic ;and ; becoming./;-, However,' many girls '; are courageous enough nowadays to: defy t even ; . the goddess' "La .Mode." •'-* ■■']■-■ •"■ '•■" ' -,■ ' - ■;; v- Some? flutter has been'caused in social dovecots s here';by, a ruuibur bhab/ certain society papers'are .seriously contemplating the introduction of a hovel practice which ■ has f taken' root' in American; society journalism. f It.seems that these New York, papers have adopted | the plan |of | giving every Monday- morning ah elaborate descrip-' tion of i the.'; feminine*. toilets .seen at'.! the " leading. churches" on; the previous-day. : > > Some > London / papers have, been much ; struck with this :idea,- and, are considering: whether it would bake'Vin London.. But th« style in which the thing is done in/New York is slightly ■ ebar'bling, to ' sober English people. Take < one instance:—lb i was < remarked : that ■ s';daring the f Litany, Miss ■•;■ ' ;", was ; noticed as '.\ the/ personification iof < daintiness in an- exquisite gown of very pale brown; shob with geraniumi red"— " in the first hymn Miss -> was dressed in a peculiarly fetching costume of ribbed diagonal material in ? heliobrope." i; : '■:-:>. z*£. - '.; >' -f The enterprising/ reporters did nob stop here, t; bub they did stop for bhecelebrabion of the Holy Communion, and took due care to have a keen eye on.the .feet and. ankles of the fair.' damsels' as ■ they passed ? to/the • altar r with ? an-view kbo ascertaining p the peculiarities ?/- of - ' their '; chaussure. Ac;cordingly ;. they, informed M their.! readers how as, one?)society beauty wenb up to the holy table a glimpse was caught of " her v dainty little feet •/in"^ open-worked flesh v, silk : stockings, and : very neat; patent: '■■ leather shoes,-; which displayed them ;to the . übmbsb advantage." Don'b you think this is just a shade: bob/boo ?/ Those very, enterprising journalists might at least leave that very, solemn : : ceremony alone,, even if they "oavorbed .around"; the other services. I have great doubts .whether/ this f, kind Xof thing would be tolerated in London. Some ■ oeople ~-no doubt : would i read . it.: :> Others would boycott. paper. | Papers have been boycotted in London ere now for offences against public \ propriety; and I don'b fancy the'.';London ) ' church-going young.;; ladies would quite j relish ; the \ idea, that' as / they; : wended their way'to- and from, the /altar their 4( understandings" were being scanned by a reporter,;wthVaiyieW to '■' a "pen ; and ■ ink photo" ,in Ithe.^nexb: issue •of, a ; society, journal...' Bub I may be wrong. . *.■ y ; : Admirers .;: of p. Gilbert* Sullivan >.-'/ operaß (whose name islegion in New Zealand) will rejoice to learn that there is not a syllable of truth in the report.that a fresh difference had arisen between , Mr. Gilbert , and Sir Arthur Sullivan.•;. ) On the contrary ■ they have the 'plob':. and music ; of ..> their, next Savoy opera already well" in band. v -..: Meanwhile " Utopia, -: Limited " enjoys unabated popularity. Frankly I must credit Mr.' Gilberb i with : the| lion's| share of the work's success. 'He is at his besb in " Übopia.": lb grows on you the more you hear it. There is so much ; subtle sarcasm and ingenious irony. :V Such clever hits and skits abound. The whole ( idea and:its illustration are both so happy and humorous that even without)i'aVnobb of; music the play : would "score."' To my mind ib_" pulls up" just a shade boo suddenly ab the ( end, bub 'that is a good fault. The sole, weak point which strikes me ia the ration r d'etre .of the King's compulsory, self-libels in the Society journal. Tnat is not satisfactorily .cleared up. Bud the fun throughout is incense, and when you get ib in New Zealand I am sure you will enjoy ib -immensely. _If ; the " spectacle" as given in | the colony is anything like as fine aa that of : the Savoy in the opening and "drawing-room" scenes, it will :be .'well, worth seeing. ~ \, ~',.."> ;: Sir Arthur Sullivan, on the other hand, is not his besb in the music. ." Ib is bright and pretty"but by no means equal to the imajority of his previous operatic efforts. - Mr. Solomon's contributions to this year's ■Royal' Academy. Exhibition will include " Echo and Narcissus"—which is a study from thp* nude— "a" portrait of Mrs. Patrick Campbell, which is nob.: Professor Herkomer will show a' wonderful picture of; " Lefcfcy Lind dancing " amid coloured lights. H, Miss r Ethel I Wright: has another :clever picture, ; "The .Return of Pierrot,": which she means to send. ,::;: . i