“ALIEN’S” LETTER FROM ENGLAND.

Otago Witness, Issue 3016, 3 January 1912, Page 75

“ALIEN’S” LETTER FROM ENGLAND.

TO DATE,

November 17. The start of the King and Queen on their history-making visit to India was made at an early hour on the morning of the 11th, when in the raw mist many loyal subjects waited outside Buckingham Palace to give their Majesties God-speed. Soon after 10 the Royal party drove into Victoria Station, where an animated crowd had waited for more than an hour in the hope of gaining a glimpse of the departing Sovereigns. The Coldstream Guards, with bands and colours, arrived before the King and Queen, and were stationed opposite the Royal Saloon, and a great number of Royal friends and official personages were awaiting on the reserved platforms. Among the members of the Royal Family wiere Prince Arthur of Connaught, Princess Henry of Battenbsrg and her sons, Prince Leopold, Prince Maurice, and Prince Alexander. The Grand Duke Michael, Princess Louise, and the Duke of Argyle were also present with Prince and Princess Christian and Marie Louise of Schleswig-Holstein, and a number of others, including many private friends of f their Majesties. Besides these were officers of the State, the Prime Minister, and high representatives of the army and the navy. A few minutes after 10 the King and Queen drove into the station in an open carriage drawn by four horses. In the Royal procession were the Prince of Wales and Princess Mary, the escort of Household Cavalry attending. The King wore his admiral’s uniform, and the Prince of W 7 ales his midnshipman’s uniform. The Queen was dressed in a handsome travelling costume of blue with magnificent sables. Princess Mary was in a girlish costume of navy blue serge. ''As half-past 10, the hour of departure, drew near, there was some surprise and anxiety that Queen Alexandra had not arrived. Three minutes before the scheduled time for the departure of the Roval train the QueenMother arrived with her daughters, Queen Maud of Norway and Princess Victoria. The King’s train went out two minutes late. It happened that her son, the King, and her daughter-in-law, Queen Mary, i wore kept waiting, but the comments were quelled by an announcement in the press : The time of Queen Alexandra’s arrival at I Victoria Station—three minutes before the ] train was timed to depart—was arranged , personally by the King, who had to take | leave of tha Diplomatic Body, ihe Ministers, j and officials assembled on the platform, while i her Majesty was anxious that her arrival j should not in any way interfere with the ceremony before it was completed, Still, the incident had already been commented upon and construed into a grudging on Queen Alexandra’s part to yield first place to England’s Queen after so long occupying that position herself. But Queen Alexandra is still daughter of a King, widow of a King, mother of a King, 1 sister of a King, and an Empress, and an aunt and grandmother of Princes and Prin- i cesses. Bhe owns her own exalted rank without dispute, and she is still the Lady | Bountiful and Gracious. At Portsmouth the pier was swept with rain, but crowds of people stood patiently waiting to see their Majesties depart. The old Victoi-y boomed out a welcome, and all the battle- • ships in harbour took up the signal. After ' the brief official ceremony of welcome, 1 King George and Queen Mary went on hoard, followed by Queen Alexandra, j Queen Maud, and the remainder of the party, including the Lords of the Ad- * miralty. A family luncheon party was 1 given on hoard by the King and Queen, ! after which farewells were taken and the Medina cast off and started amid the booming of guns, accompanied by escort- ' ing battleships on a grey, heaving sea. ! The last glimpse of Queen Mary showed her on the upper bridge waving good-bye. I The good wishes of people go with King 1 George and his Queen on this epoch-making | voyage, for although their Majesties are no strangers in India, never before has a reigning Sovereign visited his Eastern do- j minions. It is believ.od that the King- . Emperor’s visit wall end the unrest in India. King George is not the man to shirk what seems his duty to the best interests of his Empire, and it is nntici- j pated that his presence among his Indian j subjects will call forth their warmest I loyalty and devotion. The King’s ah- i sence from England and the seat of Go- j vernment for so long a time must neces- ! sarily cause a certain amount of incon- j venience, but his Majesty will be in con- j slant touch with his Ministers by means | of the telegraph, and even while at sea the wireless will furnish' the daily budget, and all matters of interest will be referred to the King. Prince Arthur of Gonnantdit, who is the deputy of the King during his absence, is the only adult member of the Roval > Family left in England at the present 1 time. He is a tall, handsome young man, | and will be a verv popular representative j of bis Majesty. Nor is this the first time < he has been representative of England’s ! ■Sovereign. During the illness of King Ed- 1 ward in 1902, Prince Arthur was sent to show honour to the Shah, and in 1904 he : i represented the King in Rome at thie bap- I tism of the heir to the Italian throne, and in Germany he has represented the King on several occasions, one being at the wedding of the Crown Prince. Last year ] Prince Arthur represented King George ! • in Rome, when his mission was to con- j . gratulate the King of Italy on the fiftieth j i anniversary of that country’s independence. Wherever he has gone he has been i popular. Prince Arthur is not yet 30. j i He is the tallest member of the. Roval I ' Family, and fair, with blue eyes. He has i i always been popular—at Eton with his I < companions and at Sandhurst with his ! c fellow-officers and soldiers. Second lieu- I tenant in the 7th (Queen’s Own) Hussars, ’ he went out to South Africa to join his j

(Specially Written for the Witness Ladies’ Page.J

I regiment in 1903 in charge of a draft cf recruits, but an attack of enteric soon necessitated him being invalided home. There is always a cheer for him by the crowd whenever he appears in public, and many know his prowess as a big game hunter in Canada and elsewhere. The ; Archbishop of Canterbury, the Lord Chancellor, and the Lord President of the Council will also act as deputies in other 1 departments. The Prince of Wales went down to i Windsor for a few days after his return from seeing his father and mother sail on Saturday, and was the guest of Prince Christian at Frogmore. Princess Mary, ' with the other Royal children, went down to York Cottage on Monday, where the Prince of Wales will join them at the end 'of the week. From Frogmore the Prince motored over to Windsor on Wednesday, and in company with Prince Christian, the High Steward of Windsor, planted an oak in Windsor Horne Park in commemoration of the Coronation. The three came from Windsor Great Park. The mayor and corporation of the town met his Royal Highness.

I Queen Alexandra, accompanied by Queen Maud of Norway, went down to , Sandringham on Wednesday, where Queen i Alexandra will be in residence until the return of King George and Queen Mary, in charge of ner grandchildren at York Cottage. One night during the week Queen Maud of Norway, accompanied by Princess i Victoria, paid a visit to Daly’s Theatre to witness the performance of “ The Count of Luxumbourg.” j The debut at Covent Garden of Madame j Kschessinska, the most beautiful and the richest of the wonderful Russian dancers that have lately taken London by storm, is much talked of. Madame Kschessinska came to London last season to dance with Mordin, but the engagement fell thmugh. Night after night the great Opera House is crowded, .and Pavola, in the Russian i ballot, never palls. Despite the crowded tiers of boxes and stalls at Covent Garden, that there is a fashionable audience large enough to fill another great opera house in London has been proved this week by 1 the enormous audiences at the London Opera House, which was opened on Monday night with M. Jean Kougue’s opera, “ Quo Vadis.” Everyone congratulates Mr Hammerstine on the success of his venture. There was an enormous house on Wednesday at the revival of “ William Tell.” A number of well-known people were in the boxes, and the dresses and jewels were beautiful. London is very full, despite the exodus of so many well-known people to India. Among those who joined the P. and O. steamer Maloja at Marseilles this week, and which is due at Bombay about the same time as their Majesties, were the Duke and Duchess of Hamilton, Lady Llangattock, Lord and Lady Mar and Kellie, Lord Iveagh, Lord and Lady Gerard, Cora Lady Stafford, Mr Kennard, Lord Leigh and Miss Agnes Leigh, and Sir Hugh and Lady Alice Shaw-Stewart. Among the lovely dresses made for the Durbar is a gown for the Duchess of Devonshire of cream charmeuse, with a quantity of historic, and therefore priceless, old point lace, edged with embroidery. With this will be worn a sunshade to match and a hat of apricotshaded feathers. Among the exquisite dresses that have been made for the Vicerine, Lady Hardinge of Penshurst, is an evening frock of lovely mauve chiffon j over shot mauve and gold tissue, em- j broidered in gold in a Greek design, which gleams in soft mauve and gold with every movement. Another lovely dress of the Vicerine’s for day wear is of silver grey embroidered chiffon over silver tissue. Among the dresses of the Marchioness of Bute is one of delicate point de Yenise | lace inset with embroidery upon ivory > charmeuse. There will be many rare laces worn, and most of the out-of-door dresses are made with a train and high collar for gala occasions, as it is known that the Queen favours this style of dress. Among her Majesty’s dresses are some wonderful Indian fabrics, which she has received | from time to time as presents from India. Among them are treasured pieces of famous Ahmedabad Kincol, a mantle of brocaded cloth of gold, on tawn crimson, and striped with lotus flowers in many colours.

The milliners have made some beautiful hats for the Durbar, white, silver, gold, ecru, and all the pale shades in featherweight materials. Pearl-grey is a favourite shade, so also is mauve and champagne. Society weddings have been numerous this week. Princess Victoria was present on Monday at St. Margaret’s, Westminster, where Miss Blanch Lascelles was married to Mr George Lloyd, M.P. Miss Blanche Lascelles is a maid of honour to Queen Alexandra, and it was thought by some that she would bo present at the wedding, but her Majesty has not yet emerged from her retirement, so that it was arranged that the bride and bridegroom should call on Queen Alexandra immediately after the ceremony and receive congratulations at Marlborough House. The bride looked lovely in a dress of white satin draped with beautiful Maltese lace. Her veil of Honiton laco was fastened with a chaplet of orange blossoms. There were four bridesmaids and two small pages. The latter wore Court suits of grey velvet, with flame-coloured waistcoats, and grey shoes and stockings. The bridesmaids were picturesque in grey velvet dresses, trimmed with lace and fur, and quaint caps of flame-coloured velvet and silver lace, carrying bunches of scarlet berries. Princess Victoria, who was attended by members of Queen Alexandra’s household, wore a costume of mole grey velvet, with a deep collar of moleskin, and hat to match, trimmed with feathers. The presents were very numerous and handsome. The King and Queen gave a pearl and enamel

brooch with the Royal cypher and crown in diamonds; Queen Alexandra’s gift was a beautiful diamond tiara; Pi’incess Victoria sent a diamond and aquamarine pendant, while the Queen of Norway’s present was a diamond and emerald pendant, and from the Dowager Empress of Russia there was a large diamond and pearl brooch.

The suffragists are up in arms at the proposal of the Government to introduce a Manhood Suffrage Bill to the exclusion of women from the vote. Miss Christabel Pankhurst, writing in “Votes for Women,” says War is declared—declared by the Government upon women! That is the meaning of the announcement of a Manhood Suffrage Bill for next session.

The statement that a Franchise Bill is to be introduced which gives no place to women is, quite apart from its practical consequences, an outrage upon women's dignity. The insolence of the proposal is intensified by the feet that the Manhood Suffrage Bill it net put forward in response to any demand. There is no agitation for Manhood Suffrage. The Manhood l Suffrage Bill is simply an expedient for wrecking Woman Suffrage and building up a solid wall against the enfranchisement of women. The Manhood Suffrage Bill is not the answer to a demand for votes for men : it is the answer to the demand for votes for women.

We call upon men to reject a gift so dishcrouring ic them. This offer of a Manhood Suffrage Bill is an insult to women, but it is also a deep and wounding insult to m«;. Ihe Government are convinced that the men of the country are so greedy as to accept what they have not troubled to ask for, rather than wait in order that women may share it with them. The Government thinks men so dishonest that they will seize for themselves a, franchise measure which really belongs to the women ■who have paid for the vote by • incessant labour and by sacrifice and courage without any parallel in the men’s movements cf today. Men who have real manhcod in them will reject with contempt this dishonouring and degrading offer of Manhood Suffrage. Mr Asquith is to meet a deputation of suffragists to-day, of which more in my next letter.