The daily morning journal and courier., 1900-05-10

sage to the Minister of the Interior an
 nouncing the gift, King Leopold ex-
 plained that the appanages thus hand
 ed over contribute to the charm ana
 beauty of the localities in which they
 are situated" and that he is anxious
 lest, at some future time, their pur-
 pose should be destroyed to the detri-
 ment of the beauty and salubrity or
 various populous localities" It is not
 difficult to perceive that the King, in
 penning these words, had primarily Tn | his mind the Chateau of Laeken, situa- ted in populous and growing suburb
 of Brussels, with which it is connected
 by train and tramcar and the we'll
 known chalet on the sands of Ostend, | for which, it is understood, at least one offer has been made by an English syn l dicate anxious to increase still further
 the attractions of that seductive wa l tering place. Laeken is the Versailles of the Belgian Court, and is at once | so splendid and so convenient resi- dence that it is not surprising that the rather depressing rectangular palace overlooking the park in Brussels should | usually be deserted in its favor. The Palais du Roi is, indeed an excellent
 example of that banal method, at once sombre and pretentious, which haunts the architects of urban royal residen-
 ces. This building, however. is already
 the property of the nation. Rink Leo
 pold has always exhibited the warmest affection for Laeken, and has unques-
 tionably spent great sums in improv-
 ing and adorning it. A few years ago hN e.,,ffo ,orft6 t6po ipy, nf cnn ipc 1t partially burned down, but he did not rest until lie had reconstructed it with considerable magnificence and
 with a broad adherence to the original
 plan. It cannot be said of any of the
 Belgian royal abodes that they are ei-
 ther very historic or very ancient, and
 Laeken, which is the most interesting
 among them, dates back only to 1782
 It was built by the Archduke Albert
 when he was Governor of the Low
 Countries, and it's most famous occu-
 pant was Napoleon l., who possessed 1t from 1902 until 1914. It was, indeed, at
 Laeken that he took the most fatal
 step in his career, for there he signed
 that declaration of war against Rus
 sia which speedily involved him in ir-
 retrlevable disaster. What Laeken
 lacks in historical associations is amply
 compensated by the beauty of it's gar
 dens and park. King Leopold is a
 great hcrticulturist, and tho Orangirle,
 the Winter Gardens, and the probably
 unique ranges of conservatories which
 he has created are famous in the an
 nals of garden craft. His father, Leo
 pold l., began the aggrandizement of
 his fairy palace in classical taste by
 buying tip several adjoining properties and annexing them to the comparative
 ly modest domain which he found when he accepted the Crown of Belgi um The park and woods extend for miles, and are far more attractive and diversified than anything Le Notre created on the sands of Versailles. The Kings seaside residence at Ostend occupies very agreeable marine situa ton in full view of the incoming mail steamers; but is quite unpretending. and is, indeed, little more than a wood en chalet. It is understood to have been a gift from Queen Victoria to her Belgian cousin who is allied to her by the double tie of Saxe-Coburg blood and relationship to the idolized Princess Charlotte, who. 1t will be remembered, was the first wife of King Leopold I. The most rural, and, to many minds, by far the most attractives of the three residences which this regal gift Is be- lieved to comprise is Ciergnon, hunt Ing lodge in the heart of the most TO- mantle scenery in the Ardennes Built by Leopold l., in the neighborhood of the older Chateau d'Ardanne and i'm | proved by his successor until 1t Is now, perhaps somewhat luxurious for its nominal purpose. its surroundings from naural paradise" for every descrp- ton of living thing yet to be found in the land of St. Hubert Tn the Forest l of Arden the old legends find still a | secure abiding place, and the simple l doubling the fabled exploits of the | Four Sons of Aymon and their marvel l ois horse Bayard as of questioning the | story of the miraculous stag seen by | their patron Saint in these very wood- lands. .-Ffom The London Standard
 aa- IL.