The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-12-03
BRIGHT AND BEAUTIFUL
WIVES OF OUR MINISTER'S AT THE
COURT OF ST. JAMES.


Others. However, They We're Ex-
tended the Courtesies Due Them.
The Handsome Mrs. Pierrepont, Mrs.
Paran stevens, Gen. schenck's
Daughters and Others-Thelr Places
in Society.
From the Louisville Collrier-Journ0I
A foreign minister in London is next in
precedence to a duke in ordinary society or
at court; marquises, earls and the lesser
nobility all follow the American represent
alive. In the diplomatic club ministers
come after ambassadors, and among those
| OF the same degree the rank is determined
by the length of time they have remained
at the same court. Thus Mr.. Motley used
to follow the Haytian minister, burly
| negro, because the latter had been longer at
st. James than the historic envoy. The
wife Of q diplomatst has the same rank
and precedence among women as her hus-
band among men. so that our minister's
wife follows a duchess and precedes mar
chloness or countess. Even Lady Sails
bury, when prime minister's wife, had to
give way for Mrs. Lincoln, for the premier,
as such, has no precedence,
Inc minister's wife must pay no visits
ana go to no parties until she has been pre-
sented to the queen; but the presentations
are made at a drawing room, for, unlike an
ambassadress. an ENJOYS wife has no claim
TO special audience now the drawing
rooms are held in the early months OF the
year, and when a minister arrives at his
post later, his wife would be excluded from
| society IL the rule was strictly enforced.
her majesty's own absence from London
makes the etiquette intOlerable, and 1t Is
quietly ignored. Gen. Schenck's daughters
tad at arda ar RnR
ingham palace, as indeed ne was himself,
and Mrs. Pierrepont was nearly year in
London before she saw the queen.
Many ministers wives never speak to her
majesty or are admitted to her presence
during their entire stay in England, except
at a general drawing room; for the queen
goes to no state balls or concerts and has
not attended a private party in thirty
years; and not more than one or two Of
these ladies has ever been honored with an
invitation to dine at Windsor. The diplo-
matte body is a part of the court, and
should be invited on all state occasions bus
the queen has deviated from this rule, and
given great offense at all the marriages in
the royal family since the death of the prince
consort. On these occasions she invites only
ambassadors and the ministers of those
courts with which she is allied by blood
or marriage, and, Of course, the American
envoy is excluded. During twelve years
that l was in London, Motley, Schenck,
Welsh, Pierrepont, and Lowell were min
listers In succession, and not one of them
dined with her majesty, except Pierrepont,
and he was only invited to accompany Gen.
Grant. When one remembers that the Brit
ish minister dimes once a year at the white
house. and frequently receives other atten-
tions of a personal character from the Pres
tdent, the royal courtesy melted to our rep-
reseutative seems a scant return. And this
cannot be explained by the prolonged
mourning Of the queen, for the ministers of
other courts are often honored with the in
vitations not extended to Americans.
Even the Prince and Princess of Wales
rarely ask the United States minister or his
family to dinner, and not always to their
balls. When Mrs. Paran Stevens first went
to London she was anxious to 60 to the
queens ball, bnt the drawing-rOoms were
over for the year and none but royal per-
sonages or people of official Importance are
ever asked to the balls unless first presented
at court. The Prince of Wales however,
informed Mrs. Stevens that if the Ameri-
can minister would apply for an invitation
the etiquette would be waived. The minis
ter was Gen. Schenck, and he
had learned that her majesty was
always displeased at these irregular
requests. He therefore wrote to
| the lord chamberlain that at the instance
of the Prince Of Wales he had the honor to
request an invitation for Mrs. Stevens The
caro- was bSUC, OUT QeT majesty was WrOEn,
and court gossip declared that the prince
was severely snubbed by his royal mamma
He took his revenge, and at the next dance
at Marlborough house Mrs. Stevens was
| asked, and Gen. Schneck and his daughters
| omitted-a very palpable sight and 30 in
| tended. Had they been left out at a queens
| ball or positive state function the affront
would have been International; but the
| prince maintained that his party was a pri-
| vate one, and he could ask whom he pleased
| The ministers wives, however, receive all
| the attention they desire from every one
| below the royal family. They must pay the
| first visit to duchesses and to the wives of
members Of the government. but everybody
| else calls on them, except the wives of am
bassadors and of foreign ministers senior n
| office to their husbands l accompanied
Mr.. Motley to England as secretary of the
legation In 1859, and on his arrival his wife
was inundated with visits from the most
important people in the kingdom Motley,
however, had passed season in London
as private individual. and his history of
the Dutch Republic made still greater
impression in England than in this coun-
try; he was extremely popular personally,
and people like the Duke and Duchess of
Argyll, Earl Russell. Lord Houghton and
Mrs Morton were glad to welcome him
back in his new capacity. The queen had
even invited him to Balmoral, an histo-
rian, which is more than she ever did for
MN as minister. She apparently dis
likes the representative of the great democ-
racy, as such, which is, perhaps, not re-
markable in a queen and granddaughter of
George III.
The American ministers families have
always held their own in London society
They have seldom had great fortunes to
spend, and have usually lived in plain
houses; their diamonds could not compare
with ducal ornaments, and their entertain
ments hardly ever rivaled those Of the
aristocraoy; but they have been women of
dignified manner and character, of taste in
dress, and once or twice of great personal
beauty. 1t has happened that seven OF our
ministers were unmarried. Mr.. Buchanan
was a bachelor; Gen. Schenck and Mr..
Welsh were widowers, and Mrs. Lowell was
great invalid during part Of her hus-
bands term. Miss Harriet Lane, Mr..
Buchanans niece, presided over her
uncle's establishment, the Misses Schenck
and Welsh over those of their fathers. In
general society these ladies received the
recognition aud precedence that wife
would have enjoyed, but at court the rule
was different. The queen decided that I'M
married daughters had no official rank or
place. even when they represented or ac-
c0mpanied their fathers. They could not
present their country women at court, they
could not take precedence of the