Evening star., 1899-03-25
Paris Papers Seriously Discuss New
Plan Using Pinnaces.
ENGLISH PO0H-POOH TEE idea
Great Britain's Shore Defenses
Said to Be Much Neglected.
FOREIGN NEWS AND GOSSIP
Copyright, 1899, by the Associated Press.)

gardtng Africa, one OF the ieaulIS topics
of the week on both sides of the channel
has been an article published in the Revue
des Deux Mondes seriously outlining
fresh scheme fo- the invasion of Great
Britain. 1t proposed that 1.5OO steam pin
races be built and collected in the canals
and rivers leading to the French coast, that
each OF them be armed with two-quick-
firing guns and that they convey an army
of 10000 men and 500 cannon, VITA the
necessary ammunition stores. etc. The
cost of their construction is estimated at
15D, 100 900 francs and the pinnaces are to
be provided with torpedoes to keep off hos
tile ships while the quick-firing guns are
to repulse torpedo boat attacks. The writer
OF the article says there will be diff
Guilty in getting the boats across. pointing
out that Napoleon. had a far more difficult
task at Wagram, where he crossed the
Danube in the face of the Austrian army.
The English coas- defcnses are clasSed
as being q negligible quantity. and the ope-
re tion is looked upon by the writer as be-
ing merely a matter of few hours. Three
ed in Ireland. and the Irish are to be arm
ed with the old Gras rifles The English
papers pooh-pooh the scheme; but the
French newspapers discuss it as being a
perfectly sound proposition. The Petit
Journal praises the plan. declaring its chief
merit is in its simplicity and unity, and
Danish and Norman invasions as proving
the feasibility of the project.
Luncheon to Mr.. Choate.
The United States ambassador, Mr. JOS.
VI. Choate; the French ambassador, NJ.
Paul Cambon; the commissioner of police
OF the metropolis Sir Edward Bradford,
and Lady Bradford were entertained at
luncheon curing the week in the house of
commons by Sir Charles Howard Vincent.
Mr.. and Mrs. Choate will move into the
house, on Carlton House Terrace recently
occupied by Lord and Lady Curzon of Ked-
lesion, within few days. MIR. Gilbert
Parker. the novelist and dramatiSt whom
the Choates will have as a neighbor in
Carlton House Terrace, will give a dinner
in honor of the United States ambassador
on Monday. at which Sir Edward Poynter
president of the Royal Academy; Lord Ro-
maid Cover. Mr.. John s. Sargent. Mr. J. NJ.
Barrie. Sir Henry Irving. Mr. Beerbohm
Tree and other celebrities will be present.
Wintry Weather in Great Britain.
The weather in Great Britain during the
past week underwent complete change.
Last week the weather was warm and sum-
merlike. This week it has been bitterly
cold. with Snow everywhere. London par
ticipated III the wintry weather, but here it
was tempered by bright sunshine The high
lands throughout the country are deeply
snowclad with the worst snow storms ex-
p-iitIICSti III many years. scotland, natural
ly. suffered mOst severely, especially the
country around BalmOral, where the shoot
ing boxes and farm houses have been so
showed uD that they resemble to some eX-
tent the homes Cf EsIuimaux. The Duke
of York mas been showed up at Abergel-
tiiras'iRs, Rear Ballater. He went there,
owing to the fieeting spell of spring wealth
er earHhr i'm the month, for the salmon
HShing, but the weather changed quickly
10 arctic cold, and a heavy snow storm cut
him on tom communication with the outer
world. Ii viii be days before he is lib
Grated.
The ceQter ef gravity of the fashionable
world has shifted TO the Riviera where
queen Victoria is Eow sOjourning.
There vii! be three more drawing rooms
this se-.sOn. and the queen has privately
lhuHated tnaI she viii attend one in May.
Queen pieases the French.
- Her H7ajesty has given two additional in
stances Of her womanly feeling this week,
WAich he g made a very pleasing impress
;-on ia -Jutiieru France While out driv-
y as-sne beginning of the week. she over
took a peasants walking funeral and had
no room To pass. The r1ourners stopped
ana Stood aside. but the queen requested
the c0rteSe to proceed and her own carriage
followed respectfully at a walking pace for
half a mile. until the roads dyeFged.
Again, while driving through Nice on
W edaesttaY, the queen passed child which
was crying bitterly. She ordered her car
riage to be stopped and sent a member of
her suite 10 inquire the cause of the childs
distress AMI to give ii a few coins which
had magical effect. The little face bright
cred Up and the queen drove on, smiiingly
remarking:
AS long as nothing serious is the mat
ter. L thought few sous would make the
little one happy"
= \ local society paper says Princess Maude
OF Wales princess Charles of Denmark is
no-Ori5us!y unhappy in her new Danish
home, and thai IL required all the persua-
sicHs OF her parents to reconcile her TO re-
turn to the gloomy environment of the Dan
ish court. Her love for her alien home, II
il added, is not Increased by the fact that
the prospect of any child of hers reaching
the throne has been destroyed by the birth
o. heir 10 Prince Christian, the eldest
son Of the Crown Prince Frederick.
The Queen of Sweden and Norway has
become collector for the Salvation Army.
money hox having been placed upon the
dining table of the royal palace.
The Crown Princess of Sweden and Nor
way iS now wintering at Rome. She is in
extremely bad health. The constitutional
malady from which she suffers has begun
10 affect her eyes. and she has been or
dered 10 give up her hobbies of reading,
drawing and photography. The only recre
alton left TO her is music.
Wales No Longer Leads Fashion.
\ correspondent in Paris writes that the
young Partisan dandies are distressed at
the loss of the Prince of Wales as King of
Fashion" IL is now said the prince neg
lrcts his personal appearance woefully. his
overcoat is shabby. his hat shapeless and
his Tie is so much on one side that his shirt
studs are visible" The gilded youth ii ap-
pears are now seeking another idol.
Considerable interest is taken in the an
uOuncement of the coming marriage of Lady
Edith Douglass. daughter of the Marquis of
Queensberry. to Mr.. St George Pitt, who is
head of the Psychical Research Society and
great authority on "spooks.
-Sidney-Webb on America
Mr. Sidney-Webb chairman of the tech
nical education board. handled American
institutions in a severe manner while lee
turing recently before the school of eco
nomics. Among other things he said:
''Tammany is no worse than the repub.i-
can organization of New York. 1t is not to
blame for the corruption. The purest city
in America Is the Mormon Salt Lake City.
You must not imagine that boss Is
wicked man. He does not rob the poor
but does good 10 the poor at the expense of
the rich The bosses are the nineteenth
century Robin Hoods. The cause of the
corruption lies In the character of the
American. He does noe believe in govern
ment. and does not have the English
mans delight in governing. He enters poll
Scs 10 make money, and cannot conceive of
anybody doing anything else"
In conclusion Mr.. Sidney-Webb remarked +:
s'FThp American ipd 3x-td