The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-08-14
WAKEMAN'SW ANDERINGS
,,,pREssIoNs GAINED AMONG OLD
CHELSEA PEN SIONERS.

pooros. Chapel and Hall-Interesting
49,. traditions and "reminiscences,
(Coppri0ht)
ro,.noy. ENGLAND, Aug. LIN olden
.a,os discharged and destitute veterans Of
.ho british army wandered from door TO
5o,r usually from tap room door to door,
! sn5 sacured food and drink by exhibiting
tboir scars or spinning delectable yarns for
4 tbo entertainment of any who might bestow
charity upon them. They could also knock
q ~ the doors Of monastic houses with the as
81 srrsnoe OF receiving bread and ale and lodg-
ing for the night.
After the Restoration, their condition
WAS a scandal to King Charles II. and the
country, Authorities differ, not only wide
" but vituperously, as TO the origin Of
n,eotioal effort for their hesterment. Some
hold that the English were piqued into
action through the establishment by Louis
XIV. of the Invaltdes In Paris as q retreat
tor French veterans. There is record that
az early as 1866 scheme for an inhrmary
"A for disabled English sailors had been sub
mi,tsd to Pepys, as clerk of the admiralty.
Others contest that the second Charles had
lazy sort of design to house and comfort
the ragged old veterans who had been loyal
10 his father before the latter had lost his
81 ki1gly head.
I'M sometimes tradition has longer legs
than history. British folk will never cease
beleyinR the tradition that rough, kind
hearted Nell Gwynne had all to do with
W the founding of Chelsea hospital for British
PENSIONERS. There are two pretty stories
NJ how it finally came about that an army
nj savage old critics and iconoclasts can
never disparage among the British masses.
One is that one day Nell was sitting with
" Charles in her summer house at Chelsea,
one Of whose windows overlooked the tine
meadows surrounding King James college,
when the paymaster of the forces entered,
and the subject Of the projected hospital
and the difficulty OF finding proper site was
resumed. Your majesty could not do bet
N ter said Sir Stephen Fox, than give up
for the purpose your recent purchase from
the royal society" This comprised King
James college and grounds which had just
been bought as gilt to Nell at
cost of 1880 "'Tis well
thought Of" replied the king, cast
inghis eye over the beautiful plot Of ground.
"You shall have it - but recoleoting him.
self, be instantly added, "Ods0l l forgot
have already given this land to Nell here
"HaVe you SO, Charles" exclaimed Nell
gayly: then / will return 1t to you again
for 50 good a purpose The offer was &C
cepted, and Nell was transformed to O man
sion built for her in Pail Mall by the king.
Another more romantic version ia that
one day pretty Nell was riding in the kings
gilded coach, and being most disconsolate
the king rallied her, when she confessed
n that her distress was owing to the following
M dream:
"MethouRht I was in the fields of Chel-
sea, and slowly there rose before my eyes
beautiful palace Of thousand chambers,
and in and out thereof walked divers many
old and worn out soldier men with all kinds
of scars and many MANNED as to their limbs
All Of them we're aged and past service, and
as they went out and came in the old men
cried God bless King Charles And l
awoke and l was sore discounted that it
was only dream.n
The story goes that the king was touched
by Nell's dream and then and there swore
p great oath that 1t should come to reality.
And so it did The king hardly saw more
than the cornerstone laid by Sir ChrIsto-
&pher Wren, in 1881; but before DR.. Tension,
2afterward archbishop of Canterbury, had
8preaohed Nell Gwynne's funeral sermon, in
1899, there truly ''slowly rose before her
xeye3 a beautiful palace Of a thousand cham
#bers, where, though she did NOT live long
*enough to know it, there have been many
BLESSINGS from grateful throats in grizzled
9rames, if not for Charles, for the lowly
TVaseyer great enough to move prohigate
4ing to most of the good and generous acts
(which he performed.
An easy aud delightful way to visit Chel-
lea hospital is to take one of the counse2s
names steamers. These ply up and down
he river at all hours OF the day and night,
faklng on and landing hundreds of passen-
gers at piers about quarter OF mile
part, on each side Of the river; something
P the little Philadelphia pleasure boats ply
p and down the Schuylkill, between the
Gam AID the Wissahckon.
ms zIgzag trip on the Thames Is the
post Interesting in all the world, for its
Instance; provided you 60 on board, say, at
e Olu swan" pier, on the city side OF
1ondon bridge; for the Tower. the Monu-
leht, st. Pauls, Westminster abbey, par
aHent houses, Lambeth palace, and num-
eIIe's other Of London's greatest and most
lsV TIC structures are passed; while the
ualles here not only presents its hveliest
falo'amas Of stupendous interests. varied
cele' and characterful life, but shows that
|Uh mostrenowned in fiction and history
- more than thousand years.
Auutung Albert bridge, at the western
r. u mat portion Of the Thames called
/ HGi95A reach, you step upon little pier
nu Inence upon the upper Thames en-
T ,N''eht, and at once are within a charmed
charming region. Almost within a
~ "a Nho hOSplbdA kIOuuQ0 nave
LEG leg or lived or died. hundreds famous
uSI,ry, literature and art. Smollet came
live in retirement, in 1850, in q
use once owned by Henry VIII. Sir
cho oIlaS Mores black memorial SLAB is in
0He ~ old church; Lady Dacre. Lady
- C1eyne and the Duchess of Northum.
f iaiil' three Of Chelseas grand ladies, lie
uea'h monuments in the church, while
-aiIes' george and Henry Kingsley once
"A : "a IN the rectory with their father. who
r. received the living" from Lord Car
- Cneyle walk lived Turner, the
49,, and IN Cheyne row lived George
oD aud rugged old Carlyle. Queen
10 y" e'n used TO visit the Earl OF Shrews
49, at Shrewsbury house just back OF
E5gysn walk and doughty old Samuel
,roT VINO thought he could mold china
In "a as make a dictionary for long
ina ' n mere every day TO the old Chelsea
- "UF9s at the corner of Lawrence
80 ana ustice walk, his faithful house
No.. Wudglng after him with a huge
1T T I.o con containing his daily food.
H. poeS George Herbert dwelt in this
ma IeSG, l Rosetti lived and sang here
L farS.uu S garden Of flowers and at a httIe
Vkei,on. Saop and coffee house, "Don
Eirbs.t II was called, in Cheyne walk.
Efeuis,o,CN T9mwell, Steele and Addison and
Eyhuln Franklin, who worked in print
III Sv1I IA bartholomew close, came TO get
III - and % loiter over their coffee "where
ana IL