The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1900-01-29

Only by a mere chance does the world
learn when Queen Victoria makes a gift
10 one of her intimate friends and few
people are aware what very peculiar
ideas she holds on the subject of the
giving and receiving OF gifts. Just aft
er the girl queen was married Go Prince
Albert the young couple learned. 10
their intense modification and pain.
that one OF their most trusted servants
had run into debt i'm order that he
might provide what ne supposed to be
the most appropriate wedding gift for
his beloved girl sovereign
The queen. though she had had very
little to spend before her accession and
was very ignorant of the value OF mon
ey was terribly shocked by this dis
covery. and she and the prince made up
their minds that they would never ao-
cept any really valuable gift from
subject or, indeed from any OF those of
their relations whom they were aware
could il afford the expense. SO rigidly
has this rule been carried out during
the last 60 years that il rarely occurs
that the queen accepts. even from her
oldest and dearest friends. any article
OF value exceeding "a few pounds The
only exception To this rule has been on
such occasions as the jubilee, when
more than one national Offering took
the shape of money. In each case, how
ever. the sum, or a great portion of IL,
was entirely devoted 10 an object of
popular Ut1t1ry. THO queens GIFTS, even
to her nearest relations and dearest
friends, are remarkable for the care
and intelligence with which they have
been chosen rather than for their In
trinsic value. AS 1t is. the Christmas
present tax amounts. I'm the case OF her
majesty. to some $4,000 yearly.
The queen is very fond of giving
beautiful English china To her foreign
relations, but whereas her predecessors
would doubtless have spent $1,000 over
"a dinner service she will content her
self with a set running into two fig
ures Every year the sovereign pur-
chases considerable quantity of Scot
tish homespun and OF Irish poplin,
lengths Of these being sent off as
Christmas, as birthday and even as
wedding presents to her majesty's
granddaughters and great-nieces. At
other times the queens Christmas Of
ferings will take the shape Of "a valu-
able dog. the descendant of hundred
canine earls. Very rarely does the
queens gift take the form of what may
be- called a really good piece OF Jewelry.
In this. as i'm SO many other matters.
the Prince of Wales does not quite see
eye to eye with his royal parent, for
his gifts, both to relatives and 10
friends as a rule. are both magnificent
and costly. But. of course. he is not
compelled, as the queen is TO give away
hundreds of presents as each winter
comes round. 20 say nothing of the
many notable occasions when a gift
from the queen of ERgland is regarded
on the continent as "A sine qua non.
Both the prince and the princess have
excellent taste, and often a joint pres
ent from them will take the shape of
very lovely and uncommon ornament.
The LONDON tradesman has reason TO
be grateful TO the future king, and so
has his Paris rival
When the prince does not give Jewell
~. his present will often take the form
of a gem incrusted cardcase. cigarette
case or cigar box. What ne and the
princess seek, above all. when selecting
a gift is what our foreign friends would
style the cachet of originality. and that
cachet. as most people are aware TO
their cost has To be paid for. like ev-
erything else that II rare and worth
having The prince often buys pictures,
and here again he is an equally kind
patron OF both French and English
painters. His jubilee gift TO the queen.
IL win be remembered. consisted of
singularly fine equestrian portrait of
himself and the Duke OF Connaught at
Aldershot. painted by Edouard Detaille,
the greatest military painter Of modeu
laNz