The Saint Paul globe., 1900-01-28

| owner Barney Barnato had drunk the
| cup, to the dregs. and the dregs were bit
! ter. One day, with the madness of over
wrought nerves, he plunged into the sea
| when going from the Cape to England.
HIS executors sold the house to a family
| Of Ceylon millionaires = the Sasoons-
| who now fnhabit It, Their first act was
! to clear from the exterior all the forid
+ decorations.
/ Park lane, however, is not wholly given
| up to South African millionaires.
| Among temporary residents there Is Lady
| Henry Somerset. inheritor of her father 8
| ducal estate, whose devotion to philan-
thropy is familiar.
Dorchester house, the enormous man
| sion toward the Piccadilly end is the
property Of Capt. G. L. Holford, who
finds 1t white elephant. His ancestor
built so big Mansions dreary wilder
ness Of rooms-that he cannot afford to
occupy 1t.
Occasionally, when any important state
visitor comes along, the government
hires it as his residence; thus when the
shazada came to London 1t WAS made
his home, and each evening his muezzins
mounted the towers of the house and
faced east. as though they were on the
palace minarets at Cabul. The young
| shazada liked the house, for 1t was with
difficulty that the government persuaded
him to go home. He would have liked to
| live there at British expense forever, but
| he had to go home.
| Among Park lane residents Is the Duke
| of Cambridge, cousin to Queen Victoria.
who lives at Gloucester house. The fa-
| nous veteran. now eighty years old, was
forty years commander-in-chief, and he
| did not allow the fact of his being a
| prince to lead him to Slur his work. He
| was unpopular, but he was very thor
| ough.
! When he received his appointment the
| British army was in far from a good
way. 1t had rested so long on the lau-
rels- OF Waterloo that 1t had allowed its
| efficiency to become impaired.
! The duke was an unconventional prince
He married an untitled gentlewoman,
| and though the wife was not formally
| recognized by royalty, and he had power
| to dissolve the union, he remained faith
full husband to the day of her death.
| His sons serve as untitled gentlemen In
| the British army, and they have obtained
no unfair promotion. The old duke gave
endless work and care to the efficiency Of
| his soldiers, and even the worst enemies
| Of royalty cannot deny that he made a
| good ruler.
The greatest house In Park lane in so
| cial reputation is Grosvenor house, tho
! home of the late Duke of Westminster.
| The duke, who was the greatest landlord
| in England, owned most of the West end
| of London from Oxford street to Plccadil-
! ly, and about two thirds of Park lane
/ itself He naturally did not make public
| the amount of his income.
| But the duke did not allow his money
| to overburden him. Quiet and business
| like, he was so sure of his place in Eng
| lsh life that he had no need to force
| himself on attention. He found his chief
| amusement In attending to his estates
| and in certain political movements, nota-
4 bly, that for the protection of Armenians.
! It Is not commonly knwn the Duke of
/ Westminster kept even his millionaire
! tenants In abject subsection. They must
| only build as he approved. He had what
| he called his property board, consisting
| of himself, his surveyor, his solicitor, and
some other officials They ruled the aris-
| tocratic West end Of London arbitrarily.
| When the leases of the estates fell in
| this board considered what should be
| done with them and decided how the
| houses should be built at what rent they
| should be let, and the fashion of the new
buildings.
| Beyond the decision of this board there
| was no appeal, and If the richest man
| from Africa did not care to take the
/ ground on those conditions he could leave
| it alone The Duke of Westminster was
| not to be tempted by offers of extra rent
to change his terms. He was so rich
| that a few thousands more or less could
| not much concern him.
/ But the most picturesque feature OF
Park lane is the South African million
/ aire, with his dazzling, new-won wealth.