Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1892-01-13
QUEEN ucToRlA.s GARDEN.
Memorial Trees and . House that tn
Prince of Wales Built

QUEEN VCToRIA'S GARDEN.
Memorial Trees and House that the
Prince of Wales Built.
Queen Victoria considers herself real
~ at home in the private garden of Os-
borne only. For IN this little corner of
the isle of Wight alone does the sover-
eign, whose possessions cover one
seventh Of the globe. have powers abso-
Lutte. Elsewhere, and especially in the
parks OF the royal residences, she is
under the restraint of the officials of q
constitutional monarchy.
The commissioner of public buildings
and works treats the crown as an insti-
tuition of which the rights are strictly
limited Her majesty can not cut tree
without the consent of the proper
official To escape this vigilance
the queen has bought in the
neighborhood of her castle at o.
borne some acres of ground where
she may have gardener not subject to
changes of administration. She has
even gone so far as to disregard for
once her position of political impair
TALLY and has chosen a former gar
dener of Lord Beaconsfield. man ac-
customed to the growing of Tory
flowers. But any imprudences which
he might commit will not easily reach
the public. For while it is easy to get
permission to roam about the grounds
Of the castle this little garden is care
fully shut off from visitors. A CORE
spondent of an English paper recently
had the good fortune to get into the
Swiss chalet, which her majesty has
made into family museum, and to
walk about the aisles of trees where
each tree commentaries an episode in
the history of the royal house and re-
calls day of happiness or sorrow
A short distance from the entrance to
this private garden is wooden play
house, built with their own hands by
the prince of Wales and the duke of
Edinburgh in 1857. The heir to the
crown has missed his vocation. He
clearly had in him the making of
notable carpenter. Even to the pres
emit day the prince is very proud of his
work, and, whenever he visits Osborne,
he goes straightway to see if the play
house is still standing. Not nail has
fallen: not plank has sprung. The
house, after thirty-four years, is as
solid as at first.
In the little house are preserved the
playthings of the royal children. Each
of the children had little carriages of
his own, and all are here preserved
with the initials of the owners upon
them.
The duke of Edinburgh was jack of
10
his older brother, a mason with his
younger brother. the duke of Connaught.
The miniature fortress they built to-
gether is still preserved in this same
garden. 1t is made of stone and brick,
and is at least strong enough to brave
the seasons. The princes worked un-
der the eyes of their father, who was
trying to teach them the art of fortifica-
| ton.
This fortress has undergone some as
saults. The prince of Wales, having
his five sisters and the youngest of his
brothers under his command, attacked
| its garrison, the dukes of Edin burgh
and Connaught. Almost always the
heir apparent carried the parapet and
drove the two dukes into a casemate,
where they had plenty of arms and
whence hunger alone could dislodge
them.
Nowadays the children of the duchess
Of Albany and of the Princess Beatrice,
attack and defend the fort which their
parents, their uncles and their aunts
have so often captured with great valor
after long and glorious sieges.
| The dou IF hor o11ocf ,-1l
ding, Victoria took sprig of myrtle
from the brides bouquet and planted it
in this garden. 1t rooted itself so firm
ly that now it is grown into a great
bush. Every time one of the grandchil-
aren marries the myrtle bush at Os-
borne is called into requisition.
Not far from the matrimonial bush is
| row of mourning trees. In February,
1867, every member of the royal family
planted tree to perpetuate the memory
Of the Prince Consort, who died in the
| December just before. Of the eight
trees those of the prince of Wales and
Princess Alice have grown most luxu-
| riantly. A little distance away the
queen planted the parasol pine, which
is her memorial to her husband
In another place are the trees COM
memorating marriages-the trees of
the prince and princess of Wales, of
the duke and duchess of Edin burgh,
OF the duke and duchess of Connaught,
of the duke and duchess of Albany,
and of Princess Beatrice and Henry of
Battenberg. 1t is in the shade of these
trees, whose foliage murmurs the mem
cries of happy times, that the queen
likes to make tea during the hot DAYS
of August.
| Now it is the new generation which
is taking its turn at tree planting in
this garden devoted to royal highnesses.
| The children of the prince of Wales and
of the duke of Edinburg have the place
of honor. But the invading family
of Prussia casts not little of its shade
upon soil which should remain exclu-
sively for British. Although the chill
dren of the queens daughters are not
represented, the descent of the Empress
| Frederick has taken root there. The
Princess Victoria of Prussia, her sister,
the Princess Sophia and the Prince
| Waldemar, who died in 1879, have each
. tree. The collection lacks nothing
but the tree of Emperor William.
After visiting this private garden at
Osborne, one can explain the dislike
which Mr.. Gladstone inspires in the
queen. The great statesman finds
pleasure in cutting down trees; the
queen gets her enjoyment in the plant
ing of them. London Figaro