Evening star., 1901-06-22
THREE FAMOUS MEN |
Death Gains Them T ] 1n the Same
Day.
VANTAGE. BESANT AND BUCHANAN
Farmer, Novelist and Poet, They
Had Played Their Parts.
LONDON NEWS AND GOSSIP

Special Correspondence of The Evening Star.
LONDON, June II, 1901.
OF the three remarkable men who died
N Monday first place seems to belong TO
Lord Vantage because he has most emf
uentIy fulfilled that claim on the national
gratitude which is due to the man who has
made two blades OF grass to grow where
only one grew formerly.
Lord Vantage was the largest farmer in
England. 1t is said he farmed no less than
1000 acres. He certainly farmed many
thousand acres. and was constantly in
crrasing his area of cultivation. for as
leases fell in or farms otherwise became
available he took them into his own handS.
A. he owned altogether 52,UD acres, near
ly all of it in Berkshire, not far out of Lon,
don. he had a considerable area of land
Yet to draw upon. Lord Vantage began
lie as a soldier. He went through the
Crimean war. partly with his own resl-
mrnt the Scots Guards, and partly on the
staff of General Simpson when that ofhcer
assumed supreme command He was one
ur the first To receive the Victoria cross,
which was only instituted in 1876 He re-
ceived it for vaIor at Inkerman and at the
Alma He saw sufficient of the horrors OF
war To make him devote hlmSeH TO the
work Of suCcoring the wounded ana as
one of the few nOn-combatants to ride into
r'aris with help in 1870.
The great disappointment OF Mr. ROBERT
TIuchanaD's life was he was not CHOSEN 10
H. poet laureate when Lord TennySon died
lie had been 50 many years working as
novelist and play writer that one IS apt TO
forget his early career was that OF a hlSh
Sopt His first novel, The Shadow OF the
sword - was colored by poetic fancy. ana
was moreover thoroughly original ana m
r-nsely dramatic. But he could not MAIN
tain that high strain. and in ms later
stories became earthly, not to say common
The glamour Of his name carried him
through but some of his stories seemed 10
ne better fitted for the Family Herald
reader than for the company in WhlCh they
found themselves. II is no secret that MI
Euchanan's later years were enbittered by
conflict with disease and pecuniary dillcui-
jos His last days We're spent in a hand
: rnely furnished fiat in the West End.
Death of sir Walter Besnnt.
1t is a melancholy incident that Sir Wal
t~r Besant should have died on the day
when a morning paper in a long review of
his new book on the East of London cour-
r.ous!y pointed out that Sir Walter did not
kr.w as much OF the East End as the au-
ra4r of such volume ought to have
k-.wn- 1t was daring criticism. because
Nir Walter was generally credited WITH
Loving more knowledge of London than
any other man. living or dead, had ac-
giirrd
Historically. perhaps. Sir Walter was the
2reatest authority on London But OF the
- London. the flesh and blood. which in
its mtlIiou-fold throbbings and thrillings
makes up the sum Of life in London, DICK
-ES knowledge was far ahead OF Besant s.
Dickens no doubt eXa gSerdted his style. but
his IOUdOners We're real people. who had
.5ved. are living now and will live again
His hits of London We're also real spots.
81 carefully described that he who saw
one Of them would readily identify it.
While maintaining the superiority OF Dick
ms. il is true that Sir Walter Besant wrote
..boUt London with admirable knowledge.
lEd that his works deserve to live if only
- tlaudmarks in the march of time in this
u-sairlv and overcrowded metropolis.
As to the circumstances of the men who
have Just passed away. Lord Vantage
died rich. Besant very comfortably off and
Buchanan penniless
I.,udon has a most picturesque mission
her from Morocco. and LOndoners are
taking full stock of the visitors Their
white robes and turbans are seen fire.
plHEntly in the streets, at kniShtsbridge
barracks for "A view OF the life guards. next
on q formal call at the foreign office. and
tft-rward for an inspection of East End
Iri..Iings. and later still for such amusing
diversions as a SODer-ioOking city can sup
.fIy In this direction. perhaps. their Eng
,.~a conductors would experience most diff
r,y Of choice.
IN ordinary play might have been voted
81 tpre by people who don understand the
.xGguage. and opera music regarded as dis
e1r1ant by those who prefer solos on the
run Thanks to their knowledge of the
w. Grid the guides We're equal To the OCca-
s5au and introduced their charges to those
modern palaces of Aladdin. the AIhambra
ad the Hppoirome. The Moors have
taken very kindly to western ways. They
were fun OF aStcuishment for acrObats and
conjUrOrs. spoke aGmringly of trapezists,
and indulged in delighted smiles when the
"oryphees OF the AIhambra tripped across
|sJhe stage II seemed like picture of the
Arabian Nights-a picture produced for
heir special d-lectaJiou by some magician
with magic ring After such show the
'arty lost all interest in big buildings and
n bridges and made no secret Of their
reference for fairies as produced in Lon
Ion
surfeit of state Pageants.
London seems 10 have had a surfeit of
-tate pageants. Yesterday when the Moor
sh ENJOYS. with their picturesque retinue
drove down the avenue to st. James Pal
ace. and again when the king. accompanied
10y Queen Alexandra. crossed from MARI
uorougn House TO receive the visitors in
each case the procession, though small,
was remarkably brilliant, yet the crowd of
spectators numbered only few hundreds
The royal coaches numbered three. and
gOrg eous equipages they were. Out of the
window of the second long white wand
Urotruded with somewhat cOmical effect
J-nIess the court officials wish to invite the
ribaldry OF the London street urchin they
should find some other means OF trans
PORTING their emblemS of office. The lord
chamberlain must have been sorry today
TO find himself pointed out his majestys s
HiIliard marker.
There was no cheering yesterday as the
king and queen drove past. The men
raised their hats and some of the ladies
cropped courtesy. salutatiOnS which the
queen acknowledged by a smile. 1t was
curious. too. to note the attitude of the
scores of London waits who in the summer
months seem TO sleep all day on the sward
- ST. James Park. They might have seen
The procession by turning on their elbows,
nut few of them were energetic or Inquisf-
tive enough to make even that exertion.
Sir Thomas Upton has resolved to again
UIt himself up for election to the Royal
N.4Cht Squadron. and the king will be his
SPONSOR. There are several stories about
town to the effect that the bacon and tea
king has loaned the other king a large sum
~ money. II this is true probably Sir
Thomas will see his fOndest hopes realized
M h...o,rrn.. MN t...r