"ALIEN'S" LETTER FROM ENGLAND.

Otago Witness, Issue 2704, 10 January 1906, Page 65

"ALIEN'S" LETTER FROM ENGLAND.

(Specially written for the Witness Ladies' Page.)

lOSPITALITr, CHAEITY, AMD SCANDAL.

When the history of the year 1905 comss -to be written, up, it will be found to come very near record-breaking in the matter of unexnatiqnal hospitality. In this con- t Hection, England has done- her full share. French, legislators have paid a visit to their English prototypes. The French fleet has , teen peacefully saluted by the guns of the ! ©Id Victory at her last anchorage, a century after they were last heard in anger. The county councillors of this metropolis have received- thseir counterparts of Paris -with open arms, and all this has had its correlation on the other side of the English Channel. But yesterday American- and •British, naval officers were singing "Auld ?ang syne" in true Scottish, fashion on the other side of the Atlantic; the Japanese Poison is about to bring his fleet to- Eng-3i55.-_waters; King Edward a- few months ago received his .brother., of Spain, and" a few days ago, with all the pomp and ar- ] cnmstaßee of which the "country is capable, j received his brother {in. a double sense) of ] Greece.- - For the King.- of the 'Hellene is oup beloved Queen's brother. The King's ! own yacht "was sent across tiie Channel to j Iwing" the illustrious guest to these shores, j escorted by cruisers, and received by the i newest ships of the navy. Bath -King paid Queen repaired to th& railway station to receive theii guest and relative. State banquets- have been given in. his honour, the famous gold plate stored at Windsor ' has graced " table and sideboard on those occasions,- Australia's swee£ songstress has been commanded to the historic old Castle of Windsor, to charnf the ears of j those privileged to share in the Sovereign's ; •hospitality. Actors and musicians of the first rank have been bidden to Windsor I for a lilc6 ptfrpose. Regal hospitality could | go no further. But the national entertain- , ' ing did' not end thtere. No guest of the ; ration could be allowed to depart without experiencing the hospitality of England's citaaensj as typified, by th& Lord Jk^or unA corporation of the City of London, j Barely has the Lord Mayor taken nis ■ historic seat for the year when he is j called upon to dispense the hospitality oi Hh& citizens in. its .highest form — thg 1 entertainment of a reigning sovereign of a iriendly J?ower_ King George of Greece drovti- thiougk. London with all the solid O) of. royal coaches rick in gilding and , die - blazonry, escorted by; a portion of ■ the 'King's -Own Bodyguard) with fhittnixng plumes ot scarlet, gleaming cuirasses of'b'iniiEhed steely and glittering swords, prancing along on their coal black steeds. Not that all this martial .display is necessary for. the "safety of tne guest, but as a mark of the highest- honour, and a tribute to -his rank;' for only Bast week, on taking his" seat as Chief Magistrate, did the Lord Mayor have to congratulate himself and the assembled court on the fact that not a , single case presented iteelf *in connection j ■with his state progress rTirougk the city I the. previous day. This happy state of things is in marked contrast to the mansera of a generation ago, when thte Lord Mayor's procession wa6 taken advantage of for scenes of disgraceful rowdyism. Whatever faults may be ascribed to the oockney, nothing ,but praise can be bestowed, upon, him when he is out sightseeing on a large scale. His orderly bearing and love of order, have grown, with, the years in 4 fcruly remarkable manner. Like the Lord Mayor a. wedfc ago, his 3fajesty the King >f the- HeUewas passed through countless thousands, wiio respectfully and enthusiastically greeted him, each, one bearing himself as though the credit qi the nation depended upon him. In connection .with" Greece, it may be noted that the ancient GreeVs elevated ikospit&lity into a religion. Violation of its. duties was held likely to provoke the Vtatli oi the gods. Their roads were sacred, and he wlro pa^ed over faem was the guest of Ifie.land. Here we get a gHmps« at the aatiquity, and what an evolutionist would term the' persistency, of onr customs ef to-day. To the credit of ancient Greece, a voluntary protector often came forward in ths interests of the str^rigers within, her gates; aad tkesekos-•pitable-mindad citizens do not appear t©I'ara" received any emolunHSnt for- their services. Bat the pMseocs of the Greeks was held in great respect and l esteem. So, dwibtless, the self-sacrificinig office was r.ot without its compensations. The Lord Mayor of London is more fortunate in this respect, as he receives both emolument and hoE-onr, though his" private purse is more often th!m not dipped largely into. The practice, or the absence, of such a virtue as hospitality- could not be expected to be overlooked by Shakespeare. We- find him ' in "As You Like It " making Corin gibe at a churlish -master who "little recks (beeds) to find the way to heaven by doing deeds of hespilality." and in "Lncrece" adaninktennar the rebuke contained in, "Ee•ward not hospitality with such, black payment." The dispensing of hospitality may in a great measure have changed its form, "but it shows no sign of contraction. From i'he- same Latin root cooks the word hospital, often m this country contracted to "spital" ; and wherever suck word is met with m connection wirk a place, as m' Spxtalfidds, in tke East End of London, it perpetuates the site of some old-time leper Iwspital or lazan-house. In. this direction modern hospitality knows fortunately zio other bounds than the capacity of tks purses of the .•karita'ble minded, and they are mssnyOid customs' die hard nere, as the folB©S?tcg- sbews: — — A Daybre&b Ceiemony. — Saturday being the eve of St. Martin, tho ancieni ceremony of collecting "wroth silver" ■was carried out on the Duke of Buccleuoh's estate in Varwickahire. In past centuries the Duko's aivestors made a real charge on a. large number of parishes in respect of road rights, and payment was made at daybreak, Sm jtforember 11, at m .st-on© trough, sur-

rounded by fir trees, on th.2 top of Knightlow ILII. The custom is still maintained and the "dues"' paid, voluntarily, of coarse, oy people who assemble to keep the ceremony. Although Saturday morning was very wet, there ' was still .i good attendance at the stone at 6.45, and the Duke's agent went through the fcrni of reading his charter and demanding payment. All the 27 parishes paid, the i money amounting to littlo more than half | a sovereign. The usual breakfast provided by the Duke of Buccleuch fallowed. The echoes of an eighteenth-century scandal are heard to-day with the publication, of "Mrs Fitzheibert and George i IV," by W. H. Wilkins. Since 1833 a mysterious sealed packet has been lying in. the vaults of Cbutts's Bank, bearing the steals, of Lord Albemarle and Lord Stourton, the executors of Mrs Fitzherbert, and-th-s Duke of Wellington, who acted u> a like capacity for' George IV. During die intervening period attempts to make pubJ Uc the contents of that packet in the I interests of the lady chiefly concerned have been vetoed in high places. The compiler of_tbese volumes, at the instance of i Mrs Fitzfceibert's family, has received the permission of King Edward to inspect the contents of this long hidden packet, which was removed to Windsor for that purpose, and to publish as much as was necessary to establish the truth concerning the relations of George IV with Mrs Fitzherbert. The story of this remarkable lady is full of romance, heavily freighted with sorrow. Coming of a good Roman Catholic family she had been twice widowed when she first met the Prince of Wales, who had just attained his majority, she being six ! years his senior. Her married life had I been shorfc. Married at 18 to a man I many years her senior, whe died during [ the first year of their union, she chose as , her second mate one whose years only i exceeded her own by ten. He died before ; another two years had elapsed, on the shores of the Mediterranean, where liis j wife had taken him io the hope of restoring his health. Mrs Fitzherbert, after ! staying a- short time in Paris, established i i herself in London ir 1782, and became a I prominent figure in the fashionable world of that- period. She was undoubtedly a great beauty, which fact has been attested by many of her contemporaries. Charles Greville, who was a shrewd observer, described her in his diary at the time of her death, as "not a clever woman r but of a very noble spirit, disinterested, generous, honest, and affectionate." Yet yl with an estimate like this, it has taken a century to accomplish- her justification. To die as she did, with a public^slur upon her name, must have been hard indeed. Tke"Eirst Gentleman in Europe" and his political friends appear utterly contemptible in the part they played- so mercilessly arid so selfishly. ' The susceptible Prince of Wales no sooner saw Mrs Fitzherbert than he fell violently in love with her. It is much to the lady's credit that for a con- ! eiderable time she repulsed 1 him, even at one time deciding to go abroad to get rid of her importunate lover. So extravagant was his show of affection that four members of his household were sent to her to beg of her to alter her decision, as the life of the heir apparent was in danger, rod that her presence alone could save him. Yielding at last to strong representation*?, she went to Carlton House, the residence of the Prince, who was found to be in a state of prostration. With vows of pndy-in-g affection lie placed a betrothal ring upon her finger. Seeing his tonmtion, the lady completely gave way, and gave the required promise. ' The" same night she repented her promise, and left for the Continent nest morning. The old proverD of absence making the heart grow fonder appears to have been true in the Prince's case. He despatched messengers all over Europe in search oi the runaway, and , behaved like one bereft. The author says r He cried by the Tiour, be testified to the sincerity and 1 violence of has passion and his despair by the most extravagant expressioßs and actions, rolling on the floor, striking his forehead, tearing his hair, falling into hysterics, and sweaTin^ that he would' abandon the country,, forego the Crown, sell bis*jpw»ls and - plate, and scrape together, a competence to fly with the object of bis affection* to America. ' These wild schemes of renouncing the British Throne, and reserving that cf Hanover, where a morganatic wife womd be possible, were spoken of, but not p':r-mitt-ed. At last he succeeded in finding his absent iove^ and besieged her with, pleadings, in one instance to the extent of 37 pages. This last outpouring hai the desired effect. in December, 1785, Mr* Fitzherbertt returned to England. On the 15th of the same month si? was secretly married to the Prince, at l=rr house in Park street, by a clergyman of ! the Church of England, The certificate of this marriage was written out Ly lue bridegroom, signed by hhiL, his wife, Itt uncle, Henry Ecrington, and her broth >r, Jack Symthe. These Lost two names she | subsequently cut from the document, which Mr Wilkins has extracted from the packet so long at Coutts's, to save them from the consequences of, being concerned in an illegal act. The secret leaked out, however. The public believed it, and' it became .he talk of the town. Lampoons and caricatures were spread far and wide. The grave constitutional question involved at. last brought it under the notice of Parliament. Here came the most disgraceful part of the business. During a debate, -carried on by the use of vague terms and hazy suggestions, which deceived noI body, the climax was reached when Fjx rose and absolutely denied that there \%:is the faintest shadow of a foundation for the rumours. The ghost from Coutts's vault has walked in 1905, and given him : and his cowardly instigator the lie. It is

hardly necessary to say that this made Mrs Fitzgerald the enemy of Fox for life. The married life of the pair ' may be summed up by saving that she was a very good wife and he was an exceedingly bad husband. Loaded with debt, and unable to raise more money from the usurers, even upon such extravagant Jerms as £10.000 and an Irish peerage on the death of the King., for every £5000 lent, and quite under the influence of Frances, Countess of Jersey, ke renounced kis Whig friends, summarily intimated his intention of separating from Mrs Fitzherbert, and gratified his father by marrying Princess Caroline of Brunswick. The most convincing testimony contained in this historic packet is a will drawn up at great length fey the Prince's awn hand, during a fit of remorse brought on by ill-health. It certainly proves that whatever love he was capable of feeling had been centred on Mrs Fitzherbert. A couple of brief extracts with the large oype as in the original will tend to show this : — By this, my last will and testament, I now bequeath, give, and settle at my death all my worldly property, of every description, denomination, and sort, personal and other, to my Maria FitzHKKUEBT, MY/ WIFE, THE WIFE OF MY HEiRT asd sotjl. Although by the la-ws of this country she could not avail herself publicly of that name, stixl STXCH SHE IS IX THE EYES OF HEAVEN. WAS, IS, ASI> EVER WtLL BE ST7CH IX 2t£XE. . . . Having now, I trust, made all the restitution that is in my power to this most excellent woman, there only remains for me to hope that when she is made acquainted with this entire and free disposal of my property t6 her, of this my candid-avowal, and of tke just tribute I have paid to her merit, she will no longer withhold her forgiveness from me, accompanying it with her blessing. I assure her, as I now do, that I shall die blessing her. jiy onxy true and heal wipe, with my parting breath, and praying the Almighty and Most Merciful Being, to whom in this paper I have opened the innermost recesses of my heart and of my soul, to bless, protect, and guard her through this life, looking forward to the moment when our souls in. a better -srorU may again, be united,

never more to part.

This will was given to the lady years aftei, when, having secured the approval of the Pope, she had consented to resume maiitaj relations with the Prince. The formal reunion took - place in 1800, and was followed by what Mrs Fitzherbert. has described as the happiest years of ker .life. With the inquiry' into the charges brought against Princess Caroline, the question of tke secret marriage cropped up again, and it was then that Mi's Fitzherbert. removed the signatures of the witnesses to the marriage and burned tke Pope's brief. On becoming Regent, ke finally broke with ker under the influence of a fresk favourite. In* 1830 King George rV" died. Shortly before ke kad received a toucking letter from Mrs Fitzherbert, wkick he " seized with eagerness, read it with emotion, and placed it under his pillow, and then apparently forgot all about it." But when his body was prepared for burial, the miniature of Mrs Fitzherbert, painted in the early days of their love, was found hung round his neck. In the yeai 1833 all the letters and papers which. had passed between the pair were Burnt at her house in Tilney street, by arrangement. But she had, to seek the interposition of King William. IV before the Duke of Wellington, as the executor of the late King, would consent to the reservation of the five which have at last been given publicity." Her deatb at the age of 81 took place in the same year as the accession of .Queen Victoria. She had lived at Brighton for years r honoured and respected by all who came in contact. with her. King William IV had ever shown her great kindness, and allowed her to use the royal Every. The other members of the royal house had treated her likewise as one of themselves.

Mr Wilkins says, in- this wedding- of » king wkiclj! was denied: —

He caused it to be- announced among all hist friends and )ntrmate3 that honour paid to vMrs'Fitzherbert was- honour paid" x> him. He made it a condition that at all private parties and entertainments which he honoured vath his presence shs was to be invited also^ If she- were mot asked he would not go. He further insisted that in her case tiie ordinary rui*3 .of precedence were to be waived, and at all entertainments she was always to be seated at the same table as* himself; and in public, when the eyea of all were fixed upon him, he always paid her the most courtly deference, which the first gentleman in Europe knew wall how to afc-sume.

His manner to-warcts her wa3 exactly .that with which a husband would treat axi honoured wife, and manners at that period were much fcro. formal than they axe now

"The Prince," said one who knew him in those early days, "never forgot to go through the Coon, of saying to Mrs Fitzherbert, with the most respectful bow: 'Madqcn, may I be allowed the honour of seeing yoa home in my carriage?' "

On his deserting her : —

She tried to school herself into bearingher trials with calmness by remembering how women threw themselves at his feet, and by arguing that in this respect she suffered with many another consort of a prince or king. A.f±er all, she was his wife.

How grea-t were the allowances sha made for her unworthy husband we should never have fully known if she had not six years after this break consented to live with him ggain. Once more the Prince went through tho familiar performance of tears and threats and tomfoolery. He declared he would make their marriage known. He wrote wildly and talked more wildly atill. This time he^ found Mrs Fitzfaexbert even harder to influence llian before.

Bnt their final parting was an instdt io the lady, of whom it is said: —

Mia Fitzherbert haa lived honoured and respected, without guile, without deceit, and without thai mast o<fioa9 vice oi avarice. Happy had it been for this forsaJten lady had she never been the object of princely love, and a thousand times happier had it been for the Prince had he never deserted, her

for the dearly-bought, smiles of her unworthy successor.

There was to be a fete at Carlton House, and having received ho invitation fiom the Irince to his special table, she sought him and nsked lnm why. "You know, madam, you n?ve no place," "Xone, sir," was her dignified answer, "yak snch as yo-a choose to giv« me."

" Mrs Fitzherbert and George TV" bids fair to be one of the most popular books of the season.

What Mr Punch used to call servant-gnl-ism has been quite prominently before die Landon public lately. A lady with a laudable desire for social reform threw a metaphorical bomb down the area steps, amd disturbed Mary Jane, who was probably deeply engrossed in solving the mysteries of a "paper pattern given gratis with the latest copy of her mistress's favourite fashion journal.

Mary lane's trashy string of "pearls" and her tawdry finery have been held up to scorn by this well-intentioned lady, and Alary Jane lias retorted in. kind by "letling the cat out of the ba.g" as to the contents of her mistress's dressing caseaad its "Qphir" diamonds and sham jewels, costing more than the string of "pearle,' 1 but none the lesa frauds. Below stairs has "spoke up with spirit, and a leading paper opened its columns to *fche rival disputants, "mera man" having his say on both sides. It seems to be admitted!, that the love of finery has permeated society from the highest to t<he lowest, and the press has come in foi a good deal of stonethrowing. It is accused of fostering this slavish following of fresh modes by recording ad museum the goings and comings of society leaders, and their seemingly inexhaustible wardrobes^ and thus exciting the emulation of Mary Jane-.

Hei Majesty the Queen, with her usual sj'mpathy for- the poor, has opsned a fund which is to be calkd "The Queen's/ Unemployed Fund." Her o\rn contribution was £2000, which in a fe\> days Las , boen added to by £12,000 from varioais quarters amon." tlie charitable rich. It is said that £2,000,000 will be required to-do any real good- j

From some, instead of thanks, the cry < for work is greater, and a notifLja- • tion at a meeting oi unemployed was posted : ~ "Curse their charity. Demjund ' work" A monster gathering of men is to inarch through, the West End onTVlondav. Hete are soma-of thi comments:

There is no doubt that the sympathy of th-e Queen in opening a fund of her own to relieve the present distress has deeply touched the hearts of ail. for every reference at mtet- 1 ings t-j her Majesty's kindly action .brings

forth storms of cheers. But' still there ia 8, feeling among the unemployed that any amount of private ciiarity will only alleviate . thb evil for the time being, and that the pro-" per party 1o take action is the- Government:

I append a violent speech from one of tli« Social Democratic Federation.: —

"I say that the people of this country havil r;ever got anything from the Government except under fear of disordei. If you made it dangerous for the landlords dtf this country to move about, as -was dons in Ireland, you would get the relief you want. the example of the women who marched, ancfc who kr.ow more of the straggle for life than, yon do. Bring home the present misery to those living in Grosvenox t square, in Eaten. squaro, in Belgrave square; to the fine ladies buying jewellery ir Bond street. s

"We are rot peaceful - r it is our duty to cj«ate such a ferment that justice shall be done to us. After all, if it means imprison- " rcent for a few, what cloes it matter? — (Cries of "We'd be better off there than, we- are now.") If they want panic, let them haviS panic, and plenty of it!" The following resolution was unanimously! passed amid the cheers of the meeting:— "a.

That this meeting of unemployed worlfcmen in- Ecrplar,, Tsrhite appreciating - thpefforts of. her 'Majesty in. opening 'a funcfiy"on. behalf , of ,the tmemployed, ' still affirm, __ that it is the bounden" duty of. the G-ovem-.* merit tc provide funds -from the National, - Exchequer to administer the TTn« r employed Workmen Act. - " ' '

, Already the • weather is bitterly cold-, with north-east . winds- and snow in some ' places. An. unusnai display of Aurora Borealis illuminated' tic sky yesterdayevening, and with a moon half-full and! the stars bright was a beautiful sight lor London el's, bnt the prophets have read' the sign of a Severe winter.

May you enjoy your New Year in siin* shine and prosperity. '

— The- Queen look? positively radiant^and the prettiness of her appearance is wonderful. Each year the Princess of Wales gets more comely and charming! to look upon ; but the Prince (says a London letter) fails to acquire increasing dig--nity, and has to great extend lost hia% old high spirits „

— A torpid liver is valuable it it happens to be the liver of a whale. Prom* this organ oom-es ambergris, and it is esti-^-mafed that the ambergris from a single whalo is worth £10.000.

—'Suicides among- school children arej largely increasing in Germany, especially.^ just-, before and after examinations. In one year 69- children' untler '15 years of" igsK took their lives.