New-York tribune., 1901-06-21
LONDON NOTES.
TREASURES AT AUCTION-A STALWART
BRITON-A DICKENS PILGRIMAGE
SYSTEMATIC BEGGING
AND CADGING
London, June IL.


10 another without flush of enthusiasm on his
face. or any trace of sensibiIity If the nricas
are high or low Christie's is the ereatas+ o,,o
tion mart in the world. and the presiding genius
in the salesroom is machine that registers tha
number OF the lot. repeats the bids and rams
with his mallet on the desk when il is time for
another lot. The room may be crowded with on
lockers. hut he knows that not more than q
dozen dealers will have anything to say. and he
turns from one bidder to another RIMS nm tho
price, and never makes comment '.Old mas
ters," which have been pointed out TO visitors a,
country houses for decades as genuine works
are soio Tor Few guineas. and the auctioneer
says nothing, because he is aware that the dozen
experts around him Know precisely what these
copies are worth. The Victorian Acaden,icians
had sac fall on Saturday when Nv E7r;+h,
M Honeywood Introducing the RaiIirs"
brought ND guineas. after being sold thirteen
years ago for 1862; and Mr. Goodalrs ..Felice
Ballarlnl Reciting Tasso" was sold for As guineas
in place Of 1896; but the auctioneer's face vas
immoble and inscrutable The only comment
have ever heard from his throne was fine pict-
ure this" Possibly he will become more demon
strative when he sells the Queens sherry in n
few days.
Al H'lleoY $ in Wellington-st, off the Strand
the remnant OF the famous Ashburnhar1 librar,
hammer 4
dozen buyers from London Paris. Munich and
Frankfort are seated around two small tables
and dozen spectators are behind them The
aucuoneer is a white haired man with a feeble
voice and listless manner, and hour after hour
he drones in singsong a duh recitatve of shil-
lings and guineas. He does not need TO explain
the value Of the ancient manuscripts and medi-
aval bindings and Nominations for the great
est Libraries and the richest collectors in Europe
are represented by the dozen bidders This is
The collection made by Paul Barrois and pur-
chased by the late Lord Ashburnham. Many
Of the original treasures were stolen from ia
nous French libraries and subsequently re-
turned: but the remnant is a natchless collec-
ton % French and Italian romances OF the thir-
teenth and fourteenth centuries with bindings
ornamented with enanels. miniatures and gems
The first days sale yielded about $4,000
nearly one-half the sum for which the entire
collection offered the British Museum
half century ago, and the aggregate receipts
are expected TO rival those OF the great Hamil-
Ton sale thirteen years ago II the auctioneer
had been selling old iron his face would not
have been more impassive. The small folio NJ.
reenth century manuscript OF ST. Augustine,
with 136 tinted drawings. was sold for f635.
without q sign OF emotion interest anywhere
IN the room. Mr.. Quaritch captured it after a
long running fight with Mr.. Rosenthal OF
Munich. A manuscript OF Boethius, written IL
Gothic letter with illuminated borders. initials
and six large illustrations designed for Philippe
" Of France, was purchased by y. Belin. OF
Paris. for $40 A vellum manuscript relating
the family Of Conte d'Artois. enriched with
eighty-four painted and Illuminated miniatures
brought f455. One treasure after another was
worked off by the auctioneer without the move
Tnent Of a muscle or a comment OF any kind,
and II was hard for the bystanders TO realize
that they We're witnessing the disposal OF one
of the rarest and most precious collections in
The world
IN the obituary sketches OF Sir Walter Besant
fail TO notice any reference 10 his sturdy and
robust patriotism. which one of his strong
est characteristics. He was one OF the most
stalwart Britons whom have met in England,
and left behind him two sons fighting in South
Africa. one captain in Warwickshire regi-
ment. and the other in the Imperial Yeomanry.
have a personal reminiscence of Sir Walter
Besant's strong British feeling. on the morn
ing President Clevelands Venezuelan message
startled England and excited fierce resentment,
] happened 10 have appointment with him,
made several days before at a luncheon, 70 talk
over his great literary enterprise-the Encyclo-
pedis OF London. / kept the appointment, al
though ! had been warned by a sudden fall in
the temperature OF club that no American
a welcome
but was hardly prepared for the storm cloud
which was hanging over me in Sir Walter
Besants room His pride as a Brton had been
touched 70 the raw by the Venezuelan n essage,
and. courteous gentleman though he was. he
had 70 have a passage at arms with ms Vlsltor
on the burning question of the day before he
could roam in peace in the retired paths Of
literature liked him the better for the eX-
ploson which followed my entrance; and II was
only a passing storm. for the sky soon cleared,
since Sir Walter was a just and tolerant man
who was willing hear the other side. The
stalwart Briton, who subsequently sent his sons
70 fight for their country on the velot, could not
have expected TO meet an American on that
black December morning without protesting
vigorously against what he considered auda-
eious and unjustihable affront 70 the United
Kingdom. His resentment speedily passed, and
had q delightful morning together while he
EXPLAINING the systematic arrangements
for bringing John Slows EIizabethan survey OF
London down 10 the close of the nineteenth cen
tury-the monumental work on which he was en-
gagged during the last six years Of his life He
was the leader In the movement for an appeal
from the men Of letters in England 10 thelf
brethren in American on behalf of peace and
goodwill and one of the latest enterprises of his
career the organization of the Atlanuc
Union for the promotion of social intercourse
between the two nations. America had no
truer friend in England than this noble man
The grave Of Dickens in Westminster Abbey
was forgotten the anniversary OF ms
Death. Many pilgrims carried flowers ana
wreaths 70 the Poets Corner and left them
there with reverent hands. Not few OF these
tributes came from Americans who were never
weary Of rambling in Dickenss London, and dis