LONDON CHAT.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 10423, 27 July 1895, Page 6

LONDON CHAT.

(From Oxsb Own Correspondent.)

London,. June 15,

Glorious weather so far has characterised the month of Jane 1895. 'We have had almost cloudless skies, brilliant sunshine, genial warmth tempered by pleasant breezes, and without any excessive heat. It is ideal June weather. Unfortunately, all this meteorological ]oy ia not enough:for the.British farmer or rather, is too much for him. He wants rain A very long period of dryness has now prevailed over the greater part of these island*, and unless copious showers. fall befora loug, I fear tho agricultural consequences will be Berious Prayers, for rain are being offered up in the Churches. Our gracious Sovereigu is enjoying herself in the distant Highlands now looking their loveliest, but returns to town next week, .after w-hica. various State func-.ious will be held.. The Queen goes next to Oaborue and m August will pay another visit to Balmoral. , . ■.:.■■

Ihe secret abont the last Royal Drawing Room has oozed oufc. People suspecW all s.Ung that thera^ some special reuson why the Princes ot Wales did not held >it instead- of Priucess Remise, sec-iug that she hadundeitikeu to hold t&e last two Drawing Rooms.. They were 'right I am told pnhigh authority that when Ihe d\U of names of ladies.to:be presented at the se-.ond Davnng tlooin-duly .signed by the Lord Uiambt-rkm and approved by the Queen—*as subnuttsd to the Mncesa of Wales she-took to^ono particular, name, and required that it shoald be erased. As the Udy to whom she objected is trk yrande dame and belong to one oi England's most famous families,"this demaud created... the utmost -consternation/ The, Pnncea« -was implored, to give way and every pcssible argument was employed to convince .her of the 'necessity of yielding. But Alexandra, woold not budge an inch fTom tbe position- nbe bad taken upj «.«I-have made tuo many concessions- already,"; she said, » and I will, make.no more." What was to be done? • ■ ■Lord Camngtoni.;ths Chamberlain, deplored his ; inability to comply with the >- Princess's request., "Then," replied the Princess, ■"I shall not hold the Drawing, Room." Lord UuTiogton triad hie utmost powers: of ptrsubswu, but in vain. : 'Vlfcis usel-ss to urge ii,". siid the Princess.,, ■ f< l havo fjiven way too much already on, this point, and I will do go co more..' , So the, Chamberlain had to. depart f ollri(?-; ..He, ; prpceede<i to Windsor, and laid the matter before the Queen, who communicated tbe Heir r Apparent. - .Nothing came of it. The Queeu was convinced that it would never do to era-se the, .name. of ' the lady objected to, who under another, name had attended many i)rawiug Rooms b'tfore, but who on this occasion had to be ;presented .afresh it being her first appearance after accession/to a higher title So it was agreed that the Prinoe'ss of Wales should be excused onthe'scoreofjndispoaitioa. ; Alexa'ndia. found out what was the plan. I believe she had, her suspicion?, and pressed her inquiries as to what would be done inconsequence of her refusal until she succeeded in ascertaining whai; was proppset). . t? ' Wk? t"#>U<wed'was .this^:—Ten days before thedaie of the Queen's intended departure for fceofland.the Prtnceis ;of Wales, and her two unmarried daughters irisde a hurried and unexpected visit to. WinSapr with the ostensible ob]*t of saying gpod-bye to her Majesty. And then I learn on Very good: authority a .rem.aik.ible scene, took place. Alexandra, the fair and gentle, expressed her view* with quite unprecedented warmth . and passion. • •• Nothing shall incfuceme to hold the Drawing Ryotn if thst p!',rsoii is allowed to be. present," I am told the Princess said, "andJhear that if I do not it will,be said that I refused on account of illness.' That will be : utterly, untrue, > aud ,■ I wiil publicly contradict it. . If I am reported to b6 ill I wiil drive about London and the, Park all the sfteruoo'n on which the. Drawing Koom is held and; \yill show;.' ; tajttlt . as . publicly -as ponsiLle, unless that person is excluded as I have desired.'' ;, •''■■■. , ■;.■■■■

_ Now, can jou possibly describe such;a situation otherwise than in the vulgar phrasa ." a pretty fettle of-tishV? I don't think so. At ariyrate the Queen fonnd herself quifce impotent in the face of tha: Princess's determination. Alexandra wao fairly roused atla'st. And she cariied.her point.... I^o.official announcement of her indisposition was made. Priccesa .Uraise held the Drawing Room* .And the pro*cribsd lady : .was-«of-. present! Of, coarse everybody understands that a. private intimation was conveyed to her; that she- had; . better find ; some es'cuae. for stayingj away, this titna eke there would , assuredly: be " wigs .on the gteea^' and. things might bo rendered unpleasant for her in various quarters. The lady in question is : no fool.•, Far from' it. She is aa clever as she is beautiful, and that is sayipg a good deal, as I. cau-testify from, personal observation. . > . , : ,

I will not., do my, New .Zealand readers the; injustice to .suppose for-a .moment that they need any key—which.iv might be injudicious to furnish—to this curious little *&&h. 1., feel sure / may take it that they," take" .'me, "and that awkward explanations are needless.: And I think I may assume also;thai, they will concur in my view as to the' extreme regrettulnes* of all this. Indeed, J-am ; vßry. much afraid we have not yet ,heard the, last oi it. Happily, that odious story about the Duke of; York's alleged mbrgaaatic alliance seema to have died away, for the preßeot: at any rate. I trust it inay ; jM>t be. revived. : The Duke and Duchess seem to lire very happily, and their popularity remains, unseated. But I cannot discover whether or, ...not the. "insuperable olwtacle" to their Royal Highnesses' desired visit to the colonies is ieally what everybody imagines,, or i whether, thoso- society journals which stoutly deny it,are accurate. However, we shall all know in good tirns. Meanwhile, they won't visit you just yet.. : .; ; It is said.that the Queen never goes into public without a balf-aekuosledged dread that her life might be attempted ; ii; hag been ao six times during her reign., It is 55 years siuce the first attempt. This was by a young barman named Oxford. Ho fired two shots at her M»je*ty and the. Prince .Consort as they were driving up ConMatutio.i Hill. '. The Queen .showed the greatest courage, and her hmband was far more exercised on her account than she wns for her own. Oxford, was kept iv: ssylnms for 25 years, and then was released ou condition t,has he.-l«ft the .country. Nooue kuows if he is still alive. . Juat two years after, at the came place and with a pistol also, another, youth named- Francis attacked thb Qneen. He was , condemned •to death,' bat; • tha extreme penalty was. remitted. I' think : that, he died ; in. confinement, borne say .that; ha was liberated oa a tickat-of-leave,.but I doubt it. The other attempt* are too t.riviat to record, and the alleged one of which the papers made snch capital lwi week was too trivial in tha extreme. The man was a lunatic, and is now in tile asylum for life. '. A London p^per has got hold of some spocial data ruspect.iag.the meai-.s of the Queen. It has got them fVom a bsok' printed for private circulatopn only by a recently deceased auditor of the Royal accounts for 50 years. .Full details ate given, and the auditor arrives at the total of her Majesty's wealth,,by simple calculation*, too" involved, however, to reproduce withottt explanation. This total is £35,000,000: H«r personalty, such as' pictures, Sco., ia riot included in the^ estimate. It seems a utrarjge breach of official duty .to make such disclosures,, even with tbe thin veneer of privacy. Bat the chronicler doss not take into account the £2,700,000 the Queen paid. off, of the old debts of her uuoles George and William, and her father, the Duke of Kehfc.V. '■.■'. '."'.,

The Shahaada can scarcaly bY called a social ■succtss, inasmuch, as ha has quitb ignored the fair sex, and does not seem to like to be spoken to by them. The Lady' Mayoress, as in duty bound, curtseyed low in European fashion on the occasion of his visit to tha city, but the Prince paid no attention to her greeting, and actually hesitated to take the place assigned him at the banquet—viz., at her right hand. And ifc is further said th»the never does r.cbnowkdge tha salutations of the fair sax. Toe old Shah of Persia nsad to sdmire oar pretiy women too much if anything, and call them "angels." It ia said on good authority that he made a hands-iine effesr for one or two he had specially admired!' The magnificent Dorchester House, rented by the Crown for the. Shabzada and his suite, at £1000 per week, is already considerably damagi/d by the little games of the soldier attendants, who have a cheerful way of--spending'their leisure. They throw knives at the doora, and one is greaUydamaged in couseqaence. It is of rare workmanship, inlaid and ornamented. They are slwaya quarrelling among themselves, and the other nigh!; there was a cry of murder. The guards were called to the rescue, but one man lies in a very precarious condition. At the least provocation they draw knives and deal death if they can. I had a very good view of the Afghan Prince as he went to the Gcildhall '• reception, for his carriage passed clcse in front of tbe window of your London office. H'.s appearance did nob strike mo precisely as it saem3 to have done some, of my friends and correspondents. I thought his face intelligent, and by no rneana ugly. As to his s»ohd nonbbservantness, that was not so in my experience. As he pawed be caught niffht of tfco beautiSnl lantern tower of the Church of St. Dunstwj m the West, which is opposite my office window, i He turned sharply round, and evidently asked Sir Gerald Fitzgerald several questioas about the bui]dine and its history. At any rate that is what be seemed to me to do. There were great grumblings at toe whole traffic of the busiest part, of the city being stunned several hours in the buwest part of the day 'for the Shahzadft's twonecny-bulf penny procession The crowd.of spectators was 01 modest dimensions for. London, and for a. wonder was almost exclusively masculine. The latest social surprise w tue marriage rf the Duke of Argyle, » ™l%f n « 72' (l v ,?* !SS M'NeiU, an ingenae of 21. xlw "Yrflow-hair.-d Laddie," ss.tbe Scots ea.l the chieftain of the Clku Campbell, is * muchly-mavned man His first wife was a daughter of tho

Duches* of Sutfierland, the Qaeen's intimats friend. She bore him! 2 children, and then made room for No. 2, the widow of Colonel Anso-a, and daaghter of Bishop Clf.nshton. This .lady died last y%ar, and she was takes to Cannes in the Riwra, in compliance with her dying request and laid beside her flrsfc hujbmd. •■ But the legend on her tombstone, & ero3S of purest marbic, is—" The beloved wife of the Dake of Argyll." The marriage was |not felicitcas. A well-known nobleman told a friend of mine sowe years ago, that both had indomitable wills, and they could not hit it off at all.; At ■one time there was a rumour of asepatafcion. "It was very foolish of Argyll" said the nobleman in question, "to marry a woman of 4-0 ; he' ought to have married some nice soft young girl, and bad her trained into hi 3 own weyß aud ideas." This is just what tbe gentleman wss doing himself, but he died before his experiment bud fiuished her education. He, however, loft her his entire fortune, the title dying with him.. The Duka ha» the character of being a terrible "bo^s in his own famiiy." All his daughters are married except the Lady Victoria, who w sadly delicate. Sbe is quite given up to good works. The M'Neilla are Highlanders, and as proud of their family as M'Uallum Mohrof his.

There is much speculation as to the sort of work Oscar Wilde has to pesform in the prison, and many believed that the old treadmill had ceased its mission. This is not so, and the high priest oi is stheticism has to keep it going, jast like any Philistine; some hours a day. He had sliio to pick oakum. He is ipolated from all companionship. It is understood that he is at Cold bath fields Prison. His ccstume iaa drab moleskin oui", including knickerbockers, marked wifcb the broad arrow. He has blue stockings, uol; of the art shade, strong shoes, and a white linen cap. He will b9 keptthree months at the wheel, and then employed in some mecbanicol- work, trade, or at odd-jobs about the yard. Lady Wilde is seriously ill, and at her advanced age' it is "unlikely tho-t she. will ever see her brilliant son? again; Mr 3 Frank Leslie, who for a brief period called Mr Willie "Wilde, Osc&r's brother, hu»babd, is' here. She has been most kind to' poor' Lady Wilde, and for long allowed her a- hundred :a~ year.; Oscar- never allowed his mother any fixed incomd, and when.he was in all the luxury, of his viciaus life, she has sat in herhouse-wiih the gas cat off. as she-could uofc pay' for its' consumption. . Mrs Oscar Wilde used to: send the- unfortunate lady dinner from her :own table, between two plates.■•■'.-• :,-■-. -,rr. «■ . >

I was told to-day that Mrs Frank Leslie had made'friends .with Willie, and that they- had mutually agreed to :let the little episode of their marriage drop into oblivion. ■ . .'; j ;

The Ladies -■ Kennel Association"-held; its initial' exhibition in the1 beautiful grounds of Ranaleigh Club, on the banks of the Thames. The association is in its infancy, bnt'.ifc -already his nearly 700 members, araoDg; thenrthe Princess of Wales, who had several entries,'and took prizes. Her. Royal Highness is argre&t dog lover, and owns - maDy■: ■ valuable specimens of breeds. The was entirely got up' and managed^by'ladies and it went off without a hifchK'-Ifci Was:£ "smart" function, -'the ' Process attend-: ing with her daughters, and1 the Prince also. The ladies ■ sold >' the : ! elaborate catalogues at. Is •6d .each,-- and^a' treatise on whiuptt racing, also the journal' of the association. ■ ' Duchesses," countssses, and a score of titled lidiea led their 'dogs into the Bhow ring themselves.-'And do'-not'suppose that the exhibits were all -'.at :-mostly 6E the pit dog variety, as there: was hot -a' sporting, eiass iinrspreseutod, and there were iblobdhouncls, Newfoundlands,-woHhouods,-and the gentle bull dog as well. The prizes were valuable, one lady winning with a Japanese Spaniel the £70 trophy. Thers were alio handsome silver, tea .services, a ~20-guinea challenge cup, and one'at 30 guineas ag well. Then there was the whippet race, and valuable prizes there too .wsrewou. ; The course was 200 yards.. It was lnpat,exciting, and there is little doubt that' the;spocb, will ibecome :a fashionable one.' 'A ru<3e critic remarks that the women havo "gone to the dogs," as might have been - expected' .with : their UD-to-ctate mjwculiue.ways.;!.. « -~. v, ,;: *■ .^. >

However, no. pn?,,c^n- call Ihe Princess of Wales eifb«r ' masculine or "up-to-date" in the objectionable" sense"':of tho latter : term. Some -people thinks that if :ehe- were mare " np-td-dat€"-in';tbafc*eenae she- nsighV enjoy mora coniugal" devotion than has- fallen to he: lot .■ ■■■■ :■■.. ■■■::>':-.' - -:-i' ,:■'■':.:■■': , .-•■. ••,■■: