San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1890-10-06
HER COUNTRY HOME.
THE RU RAJ RESIDENCE OF ENG
LANDS MIGHTY QUEEN.

Smoking Nook-A Royal Cooperative
Museum-The New Banqueting Hall.
The first thing that strikes the visitor to
Osborne is that her majesty has a capital
eye for situation She occupies the western
wing, which juts out considerably from the
main building. From her rooms she can
look straight down the wooded slope to
the shore and right across the Solent-a
charming mixture of meadow and thicket
and water dotted with snowy sails The
equerries and staff live around the corner,
and, like Dick Swiveller, command a CAPT
tai view Of over the way. The terrace in
front of Osborne has a stiff, prim look
about it, and you catch yourself thinking
of the first book of Euclid as you glance
around But there is a glorious vine tree
running along a jutting pier which takes
away something of the bare mathematical
appearance, and would have glsddened the
heart of Capt Cutie. The workmen have
strict orders not to scrape the lichens from
the stairs and balustrades in their clean
ings up; the queen delights in the appear
ance of antiquity they give. There is very
little statuary in the grounds: but on the
southwestern side, facing each other across
the pathway, are two splendid antlered
stays, cast in the same mold as the pair
which form a prominent feature in the
grounds at BalmoraL
The new wing which is being built on
the western side is already of imposing ap
pearance. What splendid banqueting
hall this will be The size is go by 80 feet.
and the work of the most solid description.
The iron girders across the roof weigh
each two and half tons, and the walls
have been strengthened with iron in way
that would make the ordinary builder
open his eyes. The corridors around the
hall are very spacious, and elaborate ar
rangements have been made so that the
dishes from, the kitchen can be delivered
down both sides simultaneously. The
building alone will, it is said, cost el2000
IN MEMORY OF BROWN.
The fruit garden aud Conservatives at
Osborne are not of much account. Stuff,
cient grapes and dollhouse flowers are
grown to provide for the queens table, but
many things are daily sent down from
Windsor. The head gardener is an English.
man. 1t is very hot in the grounds at Os-
borne, and the visitor will be glad to rest
himself on the neat granite seat erected
along one of the pathways-as the inserip
ton on it records-to the memory Of the
late John Brown. 1t appears that when.
ever the faithful henchman could get away
from service he liked to come to this shady
spot to smoke his pipe. Whenever he was
missed the attendants first sought him
here A brother of his-a fine, stalwart
Highlandman-is now in charge of the
lodgegate.
Down by the sea is u jetty, which is used
by the royal family for boating and yacht
| ing purposes. There is bathing machine
here, and just beside it is a curious arrange
| ment to enable the ladies and children to
battle in comfort and safety. 1t is a great,
gayly painted barge with hollow center
something like canoe. The bottom of this
is so arranged that when the craft is run
along its rails into the sea the water comes
in and the hollow space becomes a tank in
which a child might wobble about till it
turned into a water baby. A royal road to
learning-how to swiml
Perhaps the most interesting sight about
Osborne is the Swiss chalet and the delight
full garden surrounding it, Here is pleas
ant record of the family of her majesty
Those tall bushes over there were planted
many years ago by the queen and the prince
consort-these smaller ones by their differ
ent sons and daughters; the tiny ones by
their grandchildren. Each tree has plaque
underneath telling by whom it was planted
and when. That umbrella pine was planted
by the queen in 1862 in memory of the
prince consort. Further on, and side by
side, are two stately bushes-living mem
cries of the marriage day of the Prince and
Princess of Wales. These two represent
the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh, and
the latest pair stand for Princess Beatrice
and Prince Henry of Battenberg. The royal
children were trained-among other things
in gardening here and each of them had
bit of ground to keep in order. Every.
thing is just as it was when they were chill
dren, aud the gardeQer will show you their
different plots, which are side by side, and
all exactly alike There is a neat tool
house, in which are ranged their little
wheelbarrows, spades, etc., and the donkey
cart in which they drove their produce to
market. Everything is marked with their
different initials.
THE ROYAL MUSEUM.
Here also is museum with part fitted
up for each member of the royal family,
and there are some wonderful curios
shown by the Prince of Wales and his
brothers, got during their foreign wander
ings-strange animals shot by themselves, |
crocodiles from the Nile, tigers from India |
bustards, deer; all manner of strange gifts
from different savage ohieftains, elephants |
tusks given Sir Garnet Wolseley at Ulundi |
and very special Egyptian mummy-no
doubt of the bluest blood of his time. The |
chalet itself is quaint building, the upper |
part of which is fitted up for the queen. |
Down below live the keeper and his wife
the former a hale, CHEEKY looking cockney,
whose 20 years lie lightly on him. He