Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1886-12-03
VISI9 TO DUBLIN CASTLE

Elements. OF drawhridges and port
eai.is. and AN the manifold magnill
cprce of mediuval architecture.
fancy, writes Mr. Smalley in the
TrJmc, most people expect to find
liza Second Tower of London. Ar
r.ving in Dublin very early ON a
March morning, / drove 90 it in d
csb-not "a ear. but q ramShacklC
fonr.wheeler which might have
come with me by train and boat
from London. Presently | found
myself climbing hin up which ran
street. cars ON q rather steep grade
BY driver turned sharp to the left
wcl assel through a gate which
opened TO admit us, and entered a
square surrounded on all sides by
brick buildings nowhere more than
three stories high, and everywhere
singularly diugy and even dirty
Opposite the gate was broad low
porch beneath which the cab, to
my amazemcnt, pulled up. This
Dublin Castle? Impossible. The
sight OF sentry pacing up and
down and two or three policemen
loungng about the doorway did not
convince me. l put the question
to one of them, much to the amuse'
ment Of my charioteer. eyes, SIT,
this is the Castle" Then wonder
cd how we got IN without being
challenged, knowing that after a
certain hour at night and before a
certain hour I'm the morning no one
is admitted without the password.
NV cabman did not look man like
lv TO Dee entrusted with such a tails
man. However, was expected,
and orders had probably been given
and the guard had taken me for
granted on seeing the luggage on
top of The cab. ltany doaots lin
eercd they were diSpelled by the
appcarance OF q servant whom I had
seen i'm Scotland. aHd who saved
the police the trouble Of putting
any questions had they been so
minded. But I certainly went to
my room in much pcrpleXity, which
finally solved by the comfortable
conclusion that the cabman had
brought me IN the back way, and
that should soon see the true
Castle and courtyard in It's real
sp'cndor.
Alas, 7 had already seen IL. l
had come in by the main entrance.
During the next ten days | often
went i'm and out, and sometimes
sauntcrcd along the four sides Of
tlat humble parallelosram, and to
the last could hardly convince my
self That this third.rate barracks
was IN good truth Dublin Castle
The one fine thing there is about
II is what Is called the lower yard,
where YOU may see a round tower
ample size, and the exterior Of the
chapel; neither OF them very fine
but neither Of them ignoble. Of
the interior Of the Castle the most
one can sag, is that it is cOmiOrta-
bic. The main staircase owes such
effect az it has to its panelling Of
rifles and sabre-stars and other
warliko decorations. The throne
room is of good proportions, mod
crate in size, blazing with gilt fur
niture: The throne itself gilt be-
meath a crimson and gilt canopy.
st. Patrick Hall is the only room
with pretensions to splendor. Earl
Spencer in his time redecOrated it
in white and gold, and hung be
tween it's gilt pilasters some of the
surplus banners and insignia OF the
Knights Of st. Patrick. There is
nothing In amy way remarkable
about the ordinary reception-rooms.
The main drawing-room is long and
narrow and looks on the dingy
courtyard, and is not much better
furnished than the sitting-room of
% good English hotel, which never
approaches the standard Of opu-
lence common to sccond-rate hotels
I'm America. This, however, is all
that the Government Of Great Brit
ain THINKS itself able 20 afford for
the representative of the Queen
Time was, and nos long ago either,
when there was but one set Of fur
niture for Castle and Viceregal
Lodge together. When the ViccrOy
moved Ire had bis choice between
camping ont iu the Castle or camp
Ing out in the lodge while the fur
niture was en- route from one to the
other.
itlsn these paltry circumstances
that the state and splendor Of a
Viceregal establishment have to be
kept mp, and are kept mp. From
The moment NOu enter TO the mo-
ment you qait the Castle, You arc
mover allowed TO forget that You
breathe the atmosphere of a court.
The Viceregal household is on a
great scale. The Viceroy has
twelve aidcs-de-camp, Of whom
three at least are always on duty
and always IN uniform. There is a
Controller. Chamberlain, q Chap
lain-a long list Of officials Of whom
you shall hear more presently, and
they have. or most of them have,
very real duties to perform. 1t may
q f.....1 4f... Al. Tgl..-.t..t.,. 4 A.,