The Van Buren press. [volume] (Van Buren, Ark.) 1859-1914, 1896-05-23
COST OF ROYAL VISITS.
Earl of LonsdaIe Paid sf.0oo.ooo for ho-
tartaining Emperor William.

world, that few, save i9osc W ~ mo- A.
sided for any length of time in the
European capitals and who have been
included in what are known as the court
circles. can have any idea OF the fuss,
the trouble, the formal etiquette, and,
above ali. the expense entaiied b. roJai
visits. which are particular in this re.
spect. that the people to whom they are
paid are thoroughly made to feel that
they are being accSSded an altogether
exceptional honor.V
ROYAL visits may roughly be divided
into three classes, namely: Ordinary
calls, purely private visits, where the
illustrious guest is supposed to lay
aside TO a certain extent his lofty rank;
and senli-state and full state visits.
These latter, above all, are a source OF
frightful expenditure on the part o.
the entertainer. and it is probable that
within the last four or five months sev-
eral millions of dollars have been spent
by the English aristoeracy and gentry
in welcoming to their abodes in suit.
able manner the children and grand
children of their sovereign.
The earl of Lonsdale is known to
have spent close upon million dollars
in connection with the four-days' visit
which Emperor William paid him a
Lowther castle last autumn. They say
that Lady "Bill' Beresford paid S150,00O
out of her HammersleY dollars to enter
tain the prince from Saturday to Mon
day at Deepdene; while, according to
all accounts, the recent stay of the
prince of Wales at Highclere castle
with young Lord and Lady Carnaryon
must have cost in the neighboraood of
a million dollars, if not more. Not only
was the grand old place refurnished al
immense expense from cellar to garnet,
The apartments destined for the prince
being even paneled and tapestried
anew, but there were even additional
stables and accommodations for the
servants built for the occasion, the
number of horses and carriages being
likewise largely increased. Then, too,
Lord Carnaryon had taken the precaa-
10000 artifeially-reared pheasants,
purchased at a heavy cost from the
great Hampshire game farm, which
makes a speciality of pheasant breeding
On the three days that the prince and
his party were able to get out after the
birds during his stay at Highelere b.
and his party succeeded in slaughter
ing no less than LOCO birds, and had
not the heavy rain kept the guests in
doors during the remainder of the
princes visit it is probable that the
size of the bag would have been doubled
In spite of the bad weather the prince
cannot have been bored, so varied were
the indoor amusements. Lord Carnar-
Won had engaged the services of the
leading and champion professional bill.
lard players to exhibit their skill a.
the tables. Then there were Indian
jugglers, English conjurors, song
stresses of the Yvette Guilbert type
from Paris, dramatic troupe from
London and the famous Gottlieb band
TO discourse sweet music, Lord Carnar-
son having no permanent private string
band of his own, as have Lord LonsQale
and several other British mobiles.
Throughout the princes stay the
menu was daily submitted to him for
his approval, in compliance with the
rules of etiquette. Though not a gour-
mand, he is, nevertheless, gourmet,
and as such prefers small, choice din
ners to elaborate banquets. In fact,
there is nothing that he abhors to such
an extent as a dinner of many courses.
and he declines to remain any longer at
10y his own servant, who stands behind
his chair and takes the dishes from the
other servants. But it is not true that
he carries about with him his own
wines to private houses. This is a
precaution which he only adopts in
the case of public banquets. a peculiar
ity that is observed at table when he is
present is the absence of finger bowls,
save for him alone, and for any other
guest of royal rank who might happen
to be present. The reason for this is
not that the princes and princesses of
the blood stand in more need of cleans
ing than ordinary mortals, nor yet that
the latter are prompted by sentiment
of respect to leave the palm for clcanli-
ness to the "anointed of the Lord" by
themselves remaining unwashed; but
the custom had its origin in a trick
which the Jacobite mobiles were wont
to play in the last century, during the
reign of the first three King Georges.
In those good old times no one would
dream of rising from the dinner table
without toasting the sovereign. To re.
frain from doing so was equivalent to
Il profession of disnyalty, and any re-
fusal to take part in the toast and drain
ones glass to the monarch placed ono
in peril of many penalties in the way of
forfeiture of titles and estates, impris-
onment, exile. and even death, that
were reserved for those who declined
allegiance to King George.
Now, during the last century a cor
siderable portion of the English aris-
tocracy were devoted to the cause of the
Stuarts, and when called upon to join
in drinking the inevitable toast, "Thc
King" they would make a practice OF
holding their wine glass over the finger
bowl when responding thereto, so thai,
while apparently drinking TO King
George, they were in reality drinking
to "the king over the water" This is
why finger bowls were tabooed in So
eiety until the accession of Queen Vic
toria, when all danger of a Jacobite
movement and restoration was at an
end. The English, however, are a con-