The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1883-08-27
At Marlborough House.
How the Prince and Princess OF Wales
Entertain their Guests.
London Letter to n. Y. Times.

uen party TINS week at MARLBOROUGH House.
To be an invited guest on such an occasion
is indeed to be sin society" There are
hundreds of rich people in London who
would give their ears to be on the list. It is
a. good as presentation to the queen to be
entitled to call and sign your name in the
visitors book at the princes palace in Pail
Mall. In many respects it is good deal
more pleasant, for there is something APP
preaching to comfort in the easy etiquette
of London party at Marlborough House
which you do not feel in the more august
presence of the queen. Not that there are
no formalities here; not that the dignity of
the royal house and the discipline of its reg
ulations are relaxed, but the privilege of
walking about without being under the con-
straint of the royal eyes is worth a great
deal, for however republican you may be,
and however you may hold your soul above
the gilded glitter of thrones, you find your
self anxious about yourself when being re-
ceived by royalties and brashing shoulders
with dukes and duchesses, who sometimes
consider themselves quite as good, if not
better, on the score of ancestral blood than
royalty itself. The prince and princess are
always especially gracious to Americans
The sons of the Republic are always more or
less conscious of ''the land of the free and
the home of the brave'' when ROYALTY is
about; but Mr.. Sam Ward might have been
''to the manner born,' so easily did he carry
his morning dress and his fine, bald head
The prince spoke to him several times, and
appeared to be on equally good terms with
Mr.. Henry Irving tthe only actor, by the
way, who has ever been present at the MARI
borough House garden party in my time),
who tonight bids farewell until next year,
to his Lyceum audiences.
Marlborough House is in the heart of the
West End, and yet it has a g4rden of quite
three acres in extent So well timbered is
it that the surrounding buildings are shut
out; so pretty are its floral decorations, so
veivet-like its turf, that you might without
any stretch of the Imagination fancy your
self right away on some country estate.
And the strawberries and creami There
are none such in town or country as the roy
al berries. This present season has been
the best berry and rose season ever known,
and you may be sure the pick of them were
at Marlborough House
saw noble lord speaking to Irving. and
in spite of the actors fame think the Earl
thought himself the especial pick of creation.
Most Earls do not give you this idea of self
CONSCIOUSNESS, but there are snobs in the
peerage as well as in the city. / dare say
this particular Earl thought to himself
4 things are coming to pretty pass if one
has to consort with actors at royal parties"
\ But as / have said in these columns, our
tendencies to-day are democratic. / have
smoked cigar with the Prince, and I am
only journalist; think of it! Even in Lord
Beaconfelds days the swells kneered a.
"writers for the press" And here we are,
authors, journalists, actors, al Marlborough
House, walking the same turf, resting in the
same rooms, taking ices from the same fun
keys as ''the blood royal" and actually hoo
nobbing with Dukes and bowling to ladies
title. / suppose it is all right and that We
are not on the eve of a revolution. Thack-
cray was not honored to this extent, and yet
he thought no small beer Of himself, and
Sergeant Ballantyne, who is silly enough to
sneer at Thackeray, lis there not story of
the dead lion and some other animal extant?)
would not be allowed, am sure. to assume
the dignity of writing his name in the book
at any of the royal palaces. If you choose
to give reins to your fancy in the garden of
the Princes house you might say the dis
tince hum you could always hear was the
sea; but in fact it was the roar of the Lon
don streets-the Niagara of Regent street,
PiccadiIly, the'Strand, and Pail Mall. You
may not get away from that continual hum
and buzz anywhere in London, however
high your walls, however thick your doors
Did the Prince speak TO me? Do you think
he went rampaging about the grounds, and
that the Princess went gadding about with
out her hat? Not at all. The Prince aud
Princess made little circles for themselves.
Occasionally they stepped out to speak to
some lady and gentleman who did not ap-
pear quite at their ease. Ask Mr.. Sam
Ward. He will tell you all about 1t. There
we're great number of royal children pres
ent.
The ladies wore short dresses. Velvet
was a fashionable material. Her royal
highness, the Princess of Wales, had on a
dress of whiteImuslin, the skirt and draper
les edged with coffee-colored lace, the bodice
being similarly trimmed so as to form a f.
chu. Her bonnet was white, with an
agrette and strings of pale blue. The prin-
cess's daughters, Victoria, Louise, and
Maud, wore dresses of dark cashmere, jer-
sey bodices and skirts, white straw hats
bound with crimson and trimmed with ecru
lace, black stockings and high boots. They
are interesting giqs, and of very engaging
manners. The princess herself was charm
ing as ever; the Duchess of Albany looked
remarkably well. She wore a costume of
stone-colored silk with velvet draperies and
trimming, and straw bonnet. The Prin-
cess Cnrlstian Oh ochleswlg Holsteln mad on
crimson satin skirt covered with black lace
and bodice and tunic Of crimson satin and
velvet brocade, her bonnet being trimmed
with chenille. The Princess Elizabeth of
Hesse wore light-colored terra Gotta satin
and white bonnet; the Princess Mary Ouch
ess of Teck) black and crimson the Princess
Christians daughters wore dresses of the
popular ''crushed strawberry" color, and
straw hats trimmed with black velvet and
white lace. After describing the dresses of
the princesses one might, presume, be ex-
cused from taking note of mere duchesses
and marchionesses outside the pale of ''the
blood royal but my lady readers will be in
terested no doubt in having this millinery
reporting carried little further; 80 pocket
my pride, and with the help OF Chatter
box" OF their own sex, who reads the
Queen newspaper and writes for III contin-
ue. Inc duchess Oh manchester, 10 quote
Ine exclusive notes Oh tnat secretly INFORMED
organ, wore Dodlce with long coat basque
OF darR gray VelVeL, fastened across the