The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-10-15
ROYAL PLEASURE YACHTS.
Three Seen Together During Regatta
Week at COWeS,

er Victoria and Albert, in Which
the British Queen Takes Her
Outings Reminders of the Past
Which are Never Disturbed-The
Prince of Wales Comfortable
Graft, the Osborne-The Hohen-
zollern in Which the Kaiser Sails.
From the New York Times.
Among the most interesting features
connected with regatta week at Cowes,
Isle of Wight, is the gathering there of
the yachts which transport royalty from
port to port. For a number of years,
more than thirty, it is said, the queen has
been carried about in the paddle-wheel
steamer Victoria and Albert which, al
though very ancient, is spacious, well ar
ranged, and exceedingly comfortable.
The space abaft the paddle boxes is re-
served for the royal accommodation, and
that forward for the officers of the yes
sci, and still further forward for the
crew. The decks are covered with limo
leum, which is carefully brushed off at
certain times of the day by bronzed tars,
who go about with long-handled brushes
and sweep up imaginary fecks of dust.
The word is used advisedly, for it would
take an exceedingly sharp pair of eyes to
detect any dust on that immaculate deck.
Holystoning was found too noisy a way of
cleaning, besides which, the covering pre-
vents the noise of footsteps disturbing
those below.
The pin rails and Delaying pins for
securing the ropes are all silver-plated,
and shine and glitter in the sun in a most
dazzling way Nickel plating is generally
found sufficient but that would hardly
accord with the other fittings, and so
silver plating was adopted.
The majority of visitors who go on
board are met at the gangway by a
quartermaster, who, apparently, is always
bare-headed; whether that is part of the
ceremony or not is hard to tell. This man
inquiries the business of the caller, and,
if in conformity to regulations, allows
him to go up the gangway, where he is
met by the officer on duty. If the caller
goes aboard simply to inquire after the
royal personages, he is shown little
Office where there is a visitors book in
which he is supposed to write his name.
After this he, as general rule, returns
to his boat and goes away 1t is not ex-
pected that he will be received by royalty
unless sent for or unless he should oe
some high foreign dignitary or other per-
son of Importance.
When the queen is on board she passes
a large part of her time during the period
in which the vessel is under way in one of
the sheltered little Offices just abaft the
paddle box. This is nicely upholstered
and looks very comfortable.
Down below everything has been as far
as possible left exactly as it was when the
prince cOnsOrt was alive and used to take
trips with her across the channelor along
the English coast. The queen insists upon
this being done whenever it can be with
out carrying with it inconvenience, For
example, the same pattern of chintZ, or
whatever it is, now covers the furniture
that was in use when the prince consort
was aboard. The various rooms are also
in the same general style of decoration
that they were left in over a quarter of a
century ago. Lady visitors hold up their
hands and exclaim in horror at what to-
day seems bad taste, but then her aiesty
is not there to hear them, and it would
not make an iOta of difference to her if
she were. Her tender recollections of the
happy period of her married days have
been again and again remarked upon, and
as she grows older she seems to cling more
and more to the past.
The bed, with its high headboard and
curtains looks very comfortabl but it
seems that the queen always travels with
a mattress made especially to suit her.
and she never finds the yacht comfortable
unless she has her own mattress to sleep
on. One room is called the robing room,
and in the wardrobe are hung boat cloaks
that were made for the queen, King
George ", and, it is said, King George
Ill. There are several of them hanging
up, and one is said to be older than this
century. The queens is of a light blue
color, lined with silk, and it is said to
have cost about 800. Visitors are given
to understand that she never has worn it.
The cloaks belonging to the former kings
are of red cloth, which seems like the
finest broadcloth, and most beautifully
made. Whether or not royalty is too
much for moths, there is no appearance of
the pests having attacked the garments,
which are in excellent condition, and
which, when new, must have been re-
markably handsome.
The rooms for the Princess Beatrice
and her husband, Prince Henry of Bat
tenberg, are close to those of the queen,
and are furnished simply, but comforta-
bly,. Down below leads stairway, and
at its foot is the nursery, where the
Prince of Wales and Duke of Edinburgh
used to pass a large part of their time
when on board the yacht.
The stern apartment is very pretty,
being well lighted through the skylight
overhead and also by the stern windows,
dIOuLlu WHICH are ids lGi ulIy uIdDeu some
muslin curtains. Another favorite room
is one having about its walls pictures of
the various members of the royal family.
Nobody would think of changing the ar
of those pictures without first
consulting the queen. who designates the
exact position in which each shall be
placed, and who is very much opposed to |
having any changes made. She remem- |
bers just where they all are, and |
directed the identical place that |
the last addition, the Duke of !
York, was TO occupy, and what |
was to be moved to make room for it |
without going near the yacht. One of the |
rooms has been given up to her instructor |
in one of the East Indian dialects, which |
the queen has studied so diligently the |
past two years that she can now speak it |
quite fiuently. The other rooms are given |
up TO the ladies in waiting and other mem |
bers of the royal household, and, Judging |
from what can be seen, there must be a |
whole lot of them. The saloon is above |
the berthing deck and is nice and airy, !
having windows on all sides, so that a |
fine view OF the surroundings is always |
possible
From the forward TO the after apart |
ments one goes through a long covered |
way, leading down under the shaft OF the |
wheel in a very peculiar manner, which |
reminds one Of the railroads at various |
pleasure parks, where one gets in a car at |
the top OF "a hill and goes 50 rapidly down |
l..