The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1897-12-28
A ROYAL CHRISTMAS PARTY
AT THE COUNTRY RESIDENCE OF
QUEEN VICTORIA.

by the British hNobiIity-JacksoD,t the Ex-
pl0rer, to Make Another Search for tie
North Pole Understanding Between
England aud Germany As to the Chinese
Question.
Copyright by the Press Associatfon.)
London, December 25.-The temper
ature is seasonable, the yellow fogs in
the middle Of the week have given way
to comparative brightness. The week
has been the coldest Of the season, ten
to twenty degrees of frost being regis
tered and skating has commenced. All
who could do so have gone to the coun-
try, where Christmas house parties are
more numerous than usual. OF the
United States embassy, the United
States ambassador, Colonel John Hay,
and Mrs. Hay, alone remained in town.
Queen Victoria has a merry party at
Osborne. There was a grand Christ
mas tree loaded with presents for the
royal children, the members of the
household and the servants. The party
includes the Battenbergs, Connoughts,
Lornes and Adams. A royal baron Of
beef, cut from devon OK fed on the
Windsor by cooks sent by a London
caterer, was forwarded to Osborne ON
Friday, with the bOar'S head and wOOk-
cock pie which traditionally occupy
the queens sidebOard at Christ tmas.
This years boar'S head is a genuine
Hure de Sanglier from the Coburgs
The prince and princess Of Wales,
early in the week, purchased presents,
as customary, from the royal trades
men, who displayed the wares in an
apartment of Marlborough house,
which the royalists selected The prince
and princess of Wales, Princess VictO-
ria of Wales, the duke and duchess of
York, Prince and Princess Charles of
Denmark and the duke and duchess of
Fife, all assembled at Sandringham for
Christmas, where the usual festivities
took place.
The earl and countess Of Craven
formerly Miss Cornelia Martin,
daughter of Mr.. and Mrs. Bradley
Martin) are entertaining a house par
ty at Comlbe Abbey They gave their
tenants a ball on Christmas eve. Lord
William Beresford and Lady Beres-
ford (formerly Mrs Louis Hammers
ley, of New York and later wife Of the
eighth duke of Marlborough, who died
in 1922 are also entertaining at Deep
Dene. Lord ALFRED Rothschild made
his usual distribution of 5000 pheas-
ants to the omnibus drivers and con-
ductors, every bus man getting
brace Of birds.
AS soon as Jackson, the explorer,
completes the work connected with his
Franz Jose Land expedition, he wild
start for the North Pole. He informed
a repreSen tative of the Associated
Press that his original plans were
Identical with those of Lieutenant
Peary, except that he intended to take
the east coast of the island, instead of
the west, mapping out undiscovered
land en- route. But since he heard the
Peary lectures, Jackson has changed
his plans, considering that the Ameri-
can has prior claims. Jackson now
proposes to proceed via Davis straits
and Baffin's bay up the west coast to
Ellesmere Land and Grinnell Land and
thence across to the furthest point
reached by Aldrich in 1876, whence he
will push north, making in the direc-
tion of any land visible from the coast
The date of his departure is unsettled.
Jackson will have only one companion,
outside of his crew.
Talking over his plans, Jackson said:
Il hope to push my ship considerably
beyond COburg island, at the entrance
Of Jones sound, and at the furthest
navigable point I shall establish a base
and thence push north with sledges,
dogs and ponies and with one compan-
| ion. I expect to be absent two years" "
In Well informed circles the general
impression prevails that the scare in
| the newspapers and among the public
| in regard to the far east is at least
| premature. While the members of the
| government are reticent, they are evil
| IDENTIFY sincere in disclaiming the least
| alarm. The impression gathered in
ministerial quarters is that Great Bri-
tain is carefully watching events. bid
| ding her time and that she certainly
will not fail to act promptly and Wig
orOusqy at the proper time
At the Chinese embassy the view
| prevails that there is some understand
ing between Great Britain and Ger.
! many.
| The public scare seems to have arisen
from the idea that the proceedings
took Great Britain by surprise. This
is impossible, for, since her interven-
| tion in the China-Japanese war, il
has been known that Germany has
| OiiS bCCu waiting d 1dNOTdUfc oppOI-
tunfty to obtain a foothold in China
| and at various times it has been re-
ported that Lappa, Quemoy and Annoy
| had been secured, while year ago
| German ships surveyed KiaoLChou
| bay, all of which was known at the
| British foreign office. The reception
Of the German squadron at Ports
mouth, the facilities which the ships
| were afforded and will be afforded a.
all the British coal depots on their way
| to Hong Kong. point to the systemati.
| support of Great Britain. That Russis
| does not expect trouble is shown in the
fact that she has not one battleshil
| in the far east. But. of course, if Rus
sia does not leave Port Arthur in the
| spring, her stay there may lead Il
| other grabbing. The British govern
| ment, however, is apparently not Dor.
rowing trouble. From a trading poin
| of view, it is pointed out that even in
| the event of the opening of three new
foreign ports. they Will probably be a:
| little harmful to Shanghai as Boston
4 Roltirnorp and pbifoda1Y,hio