The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-03-02
ONE HOME OF VICTORIA.
her WINTER RESIDENCE OSBORNE
HOUSE, THE ISLE OF WIGHT.

Husband Having Bought It-Eistory
of Beautiful Place.
From the HetS York sun.
For a great many years now it has been
the custom of Queen Victoria to pass Chris,
mas at Osborne, in the Isle Of Wight, e.
70 that residence the various items of traa
tional Christmas fare-the baron of be-
the gigantic turkeys. the boar's head
forwarded from her majesty's other de-
mains, while at her orders annual boun
ties are distributed in England and Sc1,.
land. Osborne house has always beer
great favorite with the queen: indeed
we're her Partially for Balmoral not
such an accepted fact it might aImoss
be said that it was the favorite par excel
lence. There she leads more private an
free existence. Save for the occasions.
visits Of her ministers and the dispatch O.
the affairs OF state, which she never
neglects, she lives at Osborne like some
wealthy unpretentious private land owner
With the exception of the reception eiyer
20 the admiral and officers Of the French
squadron in August last, there has been no
official royal visit in The Isle Of Wight since
Napoleon Ill came there in 1857 as her
guest.
Although the meeting of sovereigns in
each others dominions have not, as a rule,
she extreme political importance with
which the public invests them, vet they en-
tail certain ceremonial, the fultillment of
q stated programme, which invariably in
oludes grand review of the naval and
military forces. The guest assumes the
uniform of the regiment in the foreign
land, Of which he Is generally honorary
chief, and the host returns the compliment
on the same lines; but the crcumscribed
area on the Isle of Wight is ill-adapted for
a large display of forces, and, save on rare
occasion. it is difficult to gather the whole
of the British feet in the waters Of the
Solent.
LITTLE ROOM FOR GUESTS.
Moreover, Osborne house has by no
means the room requisite for the accommo-
dation of a number of illustrious guests,
such as Windsor castle possesses, and even
with the recent additions it is no more
than sufficient for the queen, her suite
and the many children, grandchildren and
Rreat-grandchildren which it is her pleas
ure to see around her there. AS it is her
own private property, she justly considers
That she is exempted from the obligation of
making 1t the scene OF official receptions
and enjoys the immunities the fact con-
tiers.
The etymology Of the name of Osborne
has never been definitely settled, Some
believed 1t TO be the corruption of Oyster
bourne, formerly given to the locality on
account of the large number Of bivalves
found on the adjacent shores Others are
OF the opinion that the name comes from
William FitZ Osborne, to whom the Isle of
Wight the Vecta or Vectis of the Romans)
was conceded in the portioning OF the land
after the Norman conquest. Whichever
Interpretation is adopted, it gives indica-
ton that the domain was recognized in a
remote antiquity.
After having belonged to the Bower
mans, an old family Of Isle of Wight origin,
it passed into the hands OF q certain Eustaoe
Mann, who, during the troubled times of
the civil war, buried considerable sum IN
gold and silver coins in a wood in the
estate, which henceforth was styled the
silver thioket; but, having neglected to
mark with accuracy the exact spot in
which his treasure lay, neither Eustaoe nor
his descendant was ever able to recover It.
His granddaughter married a BIackford.
and it is from a member of that family
that the queen and the prince consort pur-
chased the property of Osborne, being ad-
vised thereunto by Sir Robert Peel, then
secretary of state. The property has been
largely added to by the royal owners and
now covers 1900 acres. possessing capital
preserves and magnificent timber.
The situation is unrivaled as a peaceful
smiling, highly cultivated English land
scape. The house is erected on a gentle
eminence, sloping down to the Solent in
velvety lawn, broad terraces and lovely
gardens The house itself is not imposing,
nor can 1t be said to belong to any particu-
lar and homogeneous epoch Of architecture.
The chief facade of white stone is lanked
by two towers of unequal hight. The tall
est, measuring LOT feet in hight, is called
the flag tower, and from its summit floats
the royal standard when Queen Victoria
Is in residence. From the windows
YOU see eastward the extending waters of
Spithead merging In the bigger channel;
In front, on the mainland, lies Southamp-
ton, with its busy maritime thorcuRhfare
and the perpetual passage II big transat-
lant1c steamers pOnderous warshins and pas
senger crafts. At the foot Of the hi il
Cowes, with it's lesser feet OF yachts, its
fashionable regattaS and private lauuing
stage for the queen, over who Sc head, to
use the consecreted phrase, 1.-THE royal stan
dard Is broken every time she al "a fro u
her vessel.
VALUABLE ART TREASURES.
The house itself was restored and enlarged
from plans and designs made by the prince
consorJ himself. Although chiefly built
of brick, it affects a certain Italian air
The windows are framed in slender columns
Of Byzantine style; the interior is as ex-
quisitely comfortable as the most fastidious
epioure could desire. The queens apart
ments are situated in front of the flag tower.
They contain an immense and valuable
collection of art treasures and pictures by
Delaroche. Overlook, Cope, Winterhalter,
AIRY Shelter, ETC. The building appears at
its best when seen from West Cowes for
then it seems to emerge from sea Of dense
foliage, and its whiteness contrasts agree
ably with the vivid green Of the majestic
trees and the bright blue of the sea. A
Swiss chalet which nestles under the shadow
Of Osborne house was entirely given up to
the royal children in their nursery and
school days; there they could play at will
and indulge their respective tastes; some OF
them were very fond of gardening. pre-
ferring, however, the cultivation of vege-
tables that of flowers; to this day the gar
dens of the chalet are kept up as they were
at that now remote period, and the pro-
ducts are still forwarded to the married
princes and prinoesses at home and abroad,
some green stuff being regularly sent TO the
Empress Frederick in Germany.
Queen Victoria has remained faithful to
these early predictions as she has TO all
that related to her beloved consort; she
ever longs for the repose and peace OF the
island, for the sedentary charm of its half
unofficial seclusion, and since of later years
she has allowed herself to shake off some
OF the gloom that has so long darkened
her life and saddened her encourage, it is
at Osborne that she likes to hold those
Fntn hot al IN