Evening star., 1898-11-19
SlROAR'S WELDON {
Given the Freedom of the City and a
Sword of Honor.
WHAT LONDON is TALKING ABOUT
Art Of Wrecking Still Survives on
the English Coast.
GOOD STORY ON BARRIE
special Correspondence Of The Evening Star.

Special Correspondence Of The Evening Star
LONDON. November O. 1895.
Not for fifteen years has the city of Lon
don seen such a gorgeous function as that
OF which Lord Kitchener was the central
figure last Friday. Old London, the Official
city within the metropolis, spread herself
to honor the sirdar in the rare presentation
of a sword o. honor. the more frequent
ceremony of making him freeman of the
ancient burg, and later the inevitable Man
sion House banquet. The distinction of
conferrirg a sword of honor Is cDmpal alive
ly rare. the late Lord Alcester lnen Admiral
Sir Beauchamr Seymour. being the last re-
cipient. in 1888 after the bombardment CT
Alexandria. The Guild Hall In King street
was blaze of color not merely in Its dec
oratfons, but from the ma ag1ficent robes of
the lord mayor and aldermen, brilliant
uniforms of officers and costumes Of ladies.
An innovation in the ordinary decoration
was worthy of notice. The usual plan on
such occasions is to combine the hags Of
all nations in a pleasing alegory. Eut this
time there was an abandonment OF this
spacious lmpartiality. and the whole of
Europe was swept out at one rut hless blow
The 1agS in favor Were the union lack
the stars an stripes and the EsyDtiln CCl-
ors-a combination which would look odd
at any other time but this and which
seems to indicate that England is once
more in condition of splendid isolation
tempered by dash of Anglo-American
unity The ceremony of comforting the
freedom of the city is a very ancient and
curious one. The candidate must be vouch-
&c for by six citizens, called "compurga-
tCrs, wlo have examined his claims. In
the sirdars case the testimony as to his
Worthiness was recited by the city cham
berlafn, 2s follows:
Nouching for His Character.
John James Baddeley, citizen and frame
work kntter; Sir John Whitaker Ellis.
part, alderman and merchant tailor; John
Greenwood, esq, citizen and mason; John
Henry Lille, citizen and barber; Alfred
1EoinaS Layton, esq, J. p, citizen and sta
.icher, and William Cooper, citizen and
butcher, declare that Major General inc
I1sht honorable Horatio Herbert Baron
Kitchener of khartoum and of Asaall in
the county OF Suffolk. in the peerage of the
united Kingdom, knight commander of the
most honorable Order of the Bath knight
90 ~ tI!hdiiaer OF the most distinguished Order
OF st. Michael and St. George sirdar of Tho
Egyptlan army, is a man of good name
ana tame; that he does not desire the free
dom whereby 10 defraud the queen or this
city OF any of their rights customs or ad
VantaSes, but that he will pay his soot and
bear his lot, and so they all say"
ANA next the quaint declaration of fealty
ard obedience was made by the sirdar in a
lcud, clear voice. namely:
90 solemnly declare that / will be good
ana tru1 to our sovereign lady, Queen Vic
tCrla; that | will be obedient to the n1ayor
OF this city; that l will maintain the fran
chlse and customs thereof, and will keen
TINS city harmless, in that which in me is;
that L Will also keep the queens paace i'm
my own person; that L will know no gath
erings nor conspiracies made against The
queens peace, but L will warn the mayor
thereof, or hinder it to my power; and that
all these points and articles | will well and
uuty keep. according to the laws and Gus
toms of this city, to my power"
1hen the candidates deeds are recited
and the reasons for the city presenting him
with her freedom
At the end of all this. Lord Kitchener
was presented with the sword of honor and
received it with a soIdierly speech The
oratory of the entire day was not remark
able.