The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-05-05
Tricks of the Turf That Are
Too Deep for the Steady
BritOnS.
LATE GOSSIP FROM LONDON.
Some Noted Paintings Viewed at
the Public and Private Ex-
hibitionS.

day says:
''The Americans played a bold game in
entering a horse like Banquet to be sold
for f200. Four thousand pounds went on
him and the good thing came off in fine
style. He was bought in for $780, and, it
is said would not have been sold for
twice that amount. Simms was again seen
to great advantage. There is no doubt he
is really fine horseman.
''The plunge on Banquet was the talk of
the day, as we have become unaccustomed
to such heavy betting We can t say we well
come this return to a sort of racing which
has always been held to be vicious. The
object of selling races is defeated when for
a gambling purpose horse is entered for
sale at a tenth OF his value with the inten-
ton to re-buy him at whatever cost. From
all we can hear the Americans have not yet
played their great cards. Some day we
shall see their favorite in the still unfit
Stonenen. We hear the Americans are
OVERRIDING the trial ground at Newmarket.
occupying it morning, noon and night to
the exclusion of other trainers"
Mr.. Poultney Bigelow has been elected a
mem Der of the Council of the Royal Society
of Literature. He IS the first American to
be so honored.
The date of the Oxford University Ath-
letic meeting has been fixed for June 5.
The sport will conclude on June 7. Oxford
has submitted to Cambridge fsA considera-
ton the correspondence relaHng to the
proposed Oxford-Cambridge VS.. the Ameri-
can universities team meeting.
Ideal spring weather has prevailed dur
ing the past week, and London is looking
its best. The parks are crowded morning
and afternoon, and everybody seems to be
enjoying the change from the cold and
fogs OF winter to the sunshine of the COM
ing summer. The season begins auspi-
ciously, though there is the usual stock of
complaints from tradesmen who grumbled
because the members of the royal family
intend to spend but little time in town.
Then again the shopkeepers are grumbling
because the Queen is going to crowd in
two drawing-rooms into fortnight, for, in
their opinion, there cannot be too many
public displays, and they have particular
sympathy with such events as Queens
drawing-rooms because, naturally, they
are the occasion for grand display of fin
cry and a consequent expenditure of much
money.
On Monday the Royal Academy will
open its doors and the world OF art will
once more be in full swing. The Royal
view" on Thursday last was well attended,
among those present being the Duke of
SaKe-Coburg- Gotha, the Queen Regent of
Holland and her daughter, the little Queen
Wilhelmina, whose future, according to
report, is to be linked with that of the
O. ~
Gotha. Then there was the Grand Ouch
ess of Mecklenburg-St and host of
other notabilities.
Fridays "private views" was the occa-
sion for the customary crush of fashionable
people and for the usual elaborate display
of spring toilet novelties. Lady Grandy
and Mr.. and Mrs. Henry Asq nth, Mr.. and
Mrs. Hubert Herkomer and Mr.. and Mrs.
Henry NJ. Stanley were among the first to
arrive. The absence of Sir Frederick
Leighton, president of the Royal Academy,
was much regretted, and fears are ex-
pressed that his health will compel him to
resign. Sir John Millais; R. A, who proves
to be a good host and a good speaker, will
doubtless make a successful chairman in
place of Sir Frederick Leighton at the
banquet tonight.
The exhibition of pictures at the Royal
Academy fully sustains the level reached
by its predecessors. Sir Frederick Leigh
ton, with a flaming June and a "Lach-
ryme" Sir John Millais, with a "St
Stephen" and fine vision subject entitled
"Speak to Me-; Alma Tadema, with a
feast of flowers entitled Spring" and all
the leading artists are well represented.
Sargent's examples are confined to por-
traits, of which there is the usual multi
tude on the walls. The sculptors are good
and include busts of Chauncey NJ. Depew
by Albert Bruce-Joy, and the Princess of
Wales by Countess Won Gleichen. Water
house will probably be the successor of
William Charles Thomas Dobson, the re-
firing academician.
The new gallery "private view'' almost
rivaled the Royal Academy display in aris-
tocratic fashion There is no sensational
picture, but there are a number of fine ex-
amples by Sir John NJ. Millais, Hunt
Burnes-Jones, Collier, Shannon, etc. Sar-
gents striking portrait Of Ada Rehan Is
the center of attraction.
The exhibition of portraits of Fachel-
deon at the Grafton galleries is similar to
the exhibition of pictures of fair women
held last year. The Queen, the Princess
OF Wales and other members of the royal
family have contributed many pictures by
Old and modern masters-pictures by Sir
Joshua Reynolds, the great English
painter, being the most prominent. The
frncess Of Wales is sending two sketches
10 the coming amateur art exhibition.
The Queen of Holland, accompanied by
the queen Regent, her mother, visited
queen Victoria at Windsor Castle to-day.
They were met at the railroad station by
the Duke OF Saxe-Coburg-Goth and were
entertained with much ceremony at the
castle There has been much comment,
however, on the fact that the little Queen
and her mother have been in London for
week past and have had to stay at Browns
hoteI, no palaces being offered them,
aIthough no members of the royal family
are at present stopping in London.
Buckingham Palace having been pre-
vlously engaged, the son OF the Ameer of
Afghanistan, who is on his vay here with
ms suite OF seventy persons, is to be housed
at dorchester House, Captain Holfords
magnificent Park-lane palace, which. by