The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-02-04
NO. 10 DOWNING STREET.
The Old Home of British Peers to Be
Torn Down.


stifle passers-by in the narrow lanellke
street where history has been made" Cor
some centuries. The dingy old house that
has served as a home and a workshop for
many of England's most illustrious men
will soon be torn down to be replaced by
a structure in keeping with the new home
office, which is new only by way of con-
trast with The ancient buildings about it.
For all the world Downing street."
phrase synonymous with the motive pow
er of the British government, is mo 10.
To the American, with whom all state Of
fees and public buildings are things of to-
day, equipped with modern convent
ences,' the official residence and working
room of the premier seems an anomaly.
The buildings at No. 10 are old-fashioned,
smoky houses, with a ground floor (thiS
to be taken literally, odd gables and an
exterior that reminds one of the descrip-
ton of the house in which Mr.. Tulking-
horn lived.
Downing street itself is a typical Lon
don side street, a duh, narrow, black, Gull
de-sac running up in a westerly direction
from the treasury building. Almost all of
the houses that lined its either side have
been torn away-much to the regret OF
those foreigners who love the archaic and
spend much of their time in reconstruct
descriptions. They began to tear down
the street as long ago as 1928, but years
and years after the sole remaining mo.
lG' has eVanished in mortar smoke and its
bricks been rebuilt into an artisans home
the memories of the place will be inextri-
cably entwined with the parliamentary
history of England No street in London
can boast of having had such distinguish
ed men for residents, and the houses of
Downing ahOVp a
houses for the greatness of their tenants.
The buildings at No. 10 were first erected
so one learns by consulting an old record
of Whitehall-by Sir George Downing
who was a great statesman in the reign
of Charles ii. 1t was from this gentle
man that the street derived its name. The
first illustrious prime minister to take up
his abode at No 10 was Sir Robert Wal
pole. He lived as comfortably as people
could live in those primitive days in the
rooms on the second story. Lord North,
during his premiership, lived in this house
His bedchamber and eating rooms were
those of the ground floor. So pleasant
was his situation there that when he
lapsed from the premiership and became a
secretary of state he forgot to change his
chambers, and walked mechanically to his
old rooms instead of going to another set
of chambers assigned for his use.
Many have been the prime ministers
that have used these old buildings and
different premiers used them in different
ways. There were Pitt and Grey, for ex-
ample who made the building their ac-
tual home during their days of power.
Melbourne and Peel preferred to trans
act business of state there, and to dwell
in private separate homes. Lord Grey
was the slast minister TO use No 10 as
a home until the time of Beaconsfied and
Gladstone both of whom had great af-
lection for the stuffy old place. Earl Grey
is delineated in Haydons painting as de-
liberating by the fireside of No. 10 after
one of the big debates in the reform bill.
When Sir Robert Walpole removed from
his official residence in this building his
personal expenses were found to have been
remarkably small. During three months
and ten days he spent in London as an
NJ. c. this close-fsted gentleman spent as
much as f64 rs Cd. The faVorite entry was
pennies for nottingham ale.' Eighteen
pence for dinners appeared, and one en-
try was made of five shillngs to Bob
Walpole" Bob" WalpoIe was afterward
Earl of oxford. Another entry was of
six shllings given Mr. Williams in ex-
change for a wig" This old man-Horace
Walpoles grandfather-had an income of
$1,000 a year.
The old house was the home in 1853 of
Sir John Gust, speaker of the commons,
plorer found a welcome for himself and
wife. 1t was in Downing street that the
Duke of Wellington and Lord Nelson met
for the only time in their lives. Yelling
ton recognized Nelson from his portraits
But Nelson did not know the duke They
conversed on various topics. and Nelson
was so struck with the soldiers CONVEX
sation that he stepped out of the room
to inquire who the man was! Pitt so loved
4 han
away from it, and after he left the min
istry he spent three years pning to re-
turn to it. This he did and two years
afterward he died.
A good story is related about the minis
terial residence. During the reform riots
a mob ran into Downing street and rush
ed up to the door with the cry of Liberty
or deathr' The sentinel presented his
musket with the remark: Hands off,
you Fellows! 1 don't know much about
liberty but If you come another step
nearer I'll show you what death is" a
reply which no doubt made him a SER
geant or maybe something better. Pre-
liminaries for the peace with France were
signed in Downing street, in the office of
Lord Hawkes., on Oct. 2, 1901. On the 10th
Of that month Bonaparte's aide-de-camp,
Cen Lauriston, arrived with ratification
papers.
Outwardly there is nothing very grand
about the old place, but there is no lack
of room within. There is the old council
chamber, as dismal as could be wished
for. It's book-lined walls, its four mas
sive pillars its heavy and substantial fur
niture are all the same to-day as they were
in the time of Wapole. In this old cham
Der some of the most delicate affairs of
state have been settled. Twice in English
history have foreign potentates met in
this room. Cabinet councils have not al
ways been held there, however. Mr. Glad
stone always called his cabinet meetings
in the cozier room above stairs. Lord
Salisbury holds his at the foreign Office
The last of the famous houses of Down
ing street are now to be swept away.
Among those that are now but memory
of this old street was the house of John
BOYLE. Earl of Cork and Orrery, who was
a warm friend of Dean Swift. He was
known in 1888 by his contributions to the
world and the Connoisseur. Boswell, the
irrepressible, who wrote the life of DR..
Johnson. lived here in 1860. The last Earl
of oxford passed away in this street. So
did the Able Courayer, 1.-THE best pen In
France" A Mr.. Sergeant had a house
In Downing street, and Il became distn-
gulshed because the great Lord Chatham
was conveyed thither after he had fallen
In a swoon during a sitting of the house