The Sunday morning news. [volume] (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1886-1891, 1890-06-29
Interesting Items Picked
Up in Various
Capitals.
JOHN MILLIONS REMAINS.
A Chicago Girl in paris---Empress
Elizabeth's Fads--- French Priests
as Epicures.
Copyright 1890, b. tie United presa.)


shire, England. stands the cottage in
which John Milton lived. and where he
completed Paradise LOST and com
menced paradise Regafned." With
few trifiing exceptions the cottage is UNI
changed in appearance since the poet in
habited it; and for the purpose of presery-
ing the old residence of the author of
Paradise Lost" subscription fund of
R500 is being raised in the district. The
Queen has given go as an expression of
her interest in the undertaking, and it
will soon be that Chalfont will have an
attraction second only to that OF STRAIT
ford-on-Avon. Chalfont st. Giles is one
OF the most quiet and restful villages in
England, buried as it is in the midst of
its surrounding hills and shut out by
natural barriers from the turmoil of q
busy world. In a small and ancient cot
tage. facing garden, across the yener-
able front of which run long beams of
dark and solid oak, is q low ceiled room
In which tradition says Milton COM
menced Paradise Regained. The spot
is one to inspire in any bosom the noblest
and highest ideals.
Apropos of this subject, the Dublica-
ton the other day by well known anti
quarry of a pamphlet entitled a Nara
tive of the Disinterment of Millions Coffin
in the Parish Church of st. Giles, Grip
plegate,' recalls an act of dissertation
committed exactly one hundred years
ago. Owing to the many alterations
which the interior of the church had I'M
dergone previous to 1890, the exact rest
ing place OF Milton WAS not known. and
in that year while workmen were engaged
in making extensive repairs to the church
they We're instructed to search for the
coffin. A coffin bearing no inscription
was found under the place where the
clerks desk had been when the inter
ment was made; the church records
showed that this was the place where the
remains of Milton were laid. The leaden
coffin, inside of which was one Of wood
containing the sacred ashes, was care
fully scraped and washed. but as moth
ing in the way of an Identification of the
contents was discovered, the overseer Of
the work not caring to disturb the inner
coffin, refused to investigate further.
On the evening of the discovery sur
geon, pawnbroker and coffin maker
were conversing on the topic of the
find. An idea to crafty their curiosity
TOOK possession of the party, and. repair
ing TO the church, the coffin maker forced
open both collins and exposed the shroud-
ed remains to sight. Then followed the
CHASTITY dissertation. The publican pulled
hard at the teeth which resisted until, as
ne himself stated he picked IN a stone
and knocked them out The bones were
further violated, being thrown around
the church and the contents Of the coffin
the earthly remains of the immortal
Milton-wefe scattered on the floor. On
the following day they were gathered
hastily together, bundled into the old coffin
which was repaired SO far as 1t was pos
sible and restored to the tomb. 1t is prob
able that no trace of the remains is in ex-
istence today.
It is not generally known that the Duke
of Edinburgh is an enthusiastic collector
of postage stamps. He, himself acknow-
lodges this weakness, which is innocent
enough in all conscience All the MEM
bers of the English Royal Family have hob
bies, and very creditable ones at that.
These is no better judge of china and
bronzes than the heir apparent; the Duke
Of Connaught is passi0nately fond of the
war game, upon which subjecl he is an
authority; Empress Frederick and Prin-
cess Christian are so clever writers that
they might get good living by their pens
had they not been born to the purple;
Princess Louise, Marchioness of Lorne, is
a talented painter and sculptor, and Prin-
cess Beatrice is one of our best amateur
actresses.
The Austrian Imperial Family also
counts many amateur artists among It's
number, both the Emperor and Empress
are excellent musicians, and Arch-Duch-
ess Marie Valerie possesses magnificent
contralto voice. Whilst on the subject of
the Austrian imperial family, It may be
of interest to state that Empress Eliza
beth has developed kind of mania for
building very similar to that displayed
during the last years OF his life by her
unfortunate cousin, King Louis of Ba-
varia. She has spent enormous sums on
a villa which she has caused to be erected
f&rft a IA laf 1,oe
ed at an expense of several mil
lions of fiorins at Laclainz, near
Vienna, ard now she Is having q fairy
like palace built on the left shore of Lake
Staruberg, not far from Castle Berg,
where King Louis met with his tragic
end. The walls of the new building are
of pink granite, there are two stories,
each with fifteen double windows; and
broad terrace and porphyry cOlonade form
the upper part of the bastion. The stair
cases are all of marble, as are also the
halls and passages, and a summer BAN
quoting room, one side of which is
open to the air, the other side being
composed of Florentine mosaics. In
the courtyard there are large buildings for
stables, coach-houses and servants lodg-
ings Artists from Munich have taken
possession of the house TO paint the cell
ing and dados. All is being done with as
much celebrity and breathless obedience
TO tue COululduQ u Ju6 Imperial latiy as
the architects of the East showed a
Sultan of Bagdad, when he babe palace
of alabaster and jade uprise from the
sand. The castle is surrounded by
stately gardens. where thickets of
oleanders luxuriant with blossom, Grim
son, white or blush color, fill the air
with faint. dreamy perfumes. Rose
garlanded colonades, surround the win
ter garden, marvellous crystal dome so
lightly built that it is hardly possible to
see the iron framework which holds the
convex plates of crystal together. Palms
fifty feet high and huge bushes of
feathery miInosas and tangins grow
therein as luxuriantly as in their
native soil, and ft is said that the
Empress means to use this immature
Vale of Cashmere as her boudoir. She
is at the present moment experimenting
the workmen who are putting the finish
ing touches to this new and beautiful
whim OF hers, and ayailed herself OF this
as an excuse for her non-appearance at
the court procession which took place q
few days ago at Vienna on the feast OF
Corpus Christi. The Emperor and all the
Archdukes of course were present, and
drove to the St. Stephens Cathedral in
coaches drawn by six white horses, and
escorted by the pages of the palace in
their scarlet seventeenth century cos
tunes. The guard of honor outside the
Cathedral was furnished by the Austrian
Life Guards and by the Hunga-
rian Guards on gray chargers, a.
only seen on horseback on this