Evening star., 1901-10-31
WILL INVITE AMEER.
England Wants Afghanistan's Ruler
to Attend Coronation.
NOT LIKELY THAT he Will ACCEPT
St. Dunstan's Church a Famous
Relic of the Past.
LONDON NEWS AND GOSSIP
pecia] Correspondence of The Evening Star.

Special Correspondence of The Evening Star.
LONDON, October IS, 1901.
Among the foreign potentates who will
be invited by King Edward VII to attend
his coronation next June is the new Ameer
of Afghanistan. Lord Curzon, who will be
present at the great ceremony, will offer
the hospitality of his majesty to the ameer.
and if the state of his kingdom permits of
his absence for so long period as a jour-
ney would absorb the viceroy of India may
be relied upon to use every endeayor to
induce the Afghan monarch to accept the
invitation. 1t is hardly likely, however,
that Habibullah Khan will come over, for,
though there is at present no sign of trou-
BILE in his kingdom, he may follow the pre-
cecent set by the late ameer when he was
invited by Queen Victoria to visit London.
On that occasion Abdurrahman Khan not
only did not think it advisable to quit his
country, but he deemed it necessary that
his eldest son-the present ameer-should
also remain at Cabul. His second SON
Nazrulah Khan-was deputed to represent
the ameer, and some such course will prob
ably be adopted on the occasion of the
coronation.
A number of princely guests from India
are expected next year. One of them has
already arrived in London, but the in
terval will be devoted to tour of the
western hemisphere, upon which he set
forth today.
This particular prince has caused much
speculation in London as to his identity.
He registered at a hotel under the name
of Mr. Ranjit, director The solution, how
ever, is very simple. He is Prince Ranjit,
the Rajah of Baluchistan. He travels with
a large retfnue of servants and also is ac-
companfed by a band Of native musicians
and OriVate dancing girl who nprfOrmS
before her royal master several times each
day. AS he has left for Montreal and
New York, you will doubtless see him at
the capital.
NOn-COnformists Stirred Up.
The coming coronation is exciting some
stir in extreme Protestant circles, and
strong desire Is expressed that the chief of
the non-conformist ministers should be
present at the ceremonial. This is the
more desired because it Is understood that
the Roman Catholics who did not attend
the funeral of her late majesty, will be
present at the coronation. Though Ro-
man Catholics We're not officially repre-
sented at the funeral of Queen Victoria,
the pope sent ENJOYS to congratulate King
Edward on his accession and a papal rep
resentative was also present at the jubilee
of Queen Victoria. Extreme Protestaats
are also greatly, perturbed at the incoming
of Jesuit monks and nuns from France.
The great Jesuit establishment at St. Omer
has been closed, and it's occupants are for
the most part coming to England, while
hundreds of monks and nuns have already
arrived Meetings of Protestant organza-
tions are being held but 1t is not yct de-
cided what steps will be taken.
There is no truth in the report that the
king is taking little or no interest in the
preparations for the coronation. His mai
esty is not only showing the same interest
in this as in other court functions but with
regard to the coronation he is most exact
G IN I,ie
notice. In social circles every detail of
the forthcoming festivities is still Icing
keenly discussed, while already many peer
esseS are arranging for their furs ard vel
vets to be sent over to Paris in order to
nave the pile raised and the ravages of
time repaired.
Interesting London Relic.
stepney Church, known as St. Dunstans,
which has been practically destroyed by
hre, was one Of the forgotten relics of old
London. 1t was quite out of the beaten
track of tourists, and the citizen must have
been an enthusiastic antiquarian to journey
to the now squalid district, but which in
Saxon times was the lovely manor of Stb-
ben Heath, or Stebonhyth, from which the
modern name Stepney is derived. Yet there
are few churches in the metropolis which
possess more Interesting or ancient rec
ords than st. Dunstan's. In the archives
Is evidence that in the fourteenth century
the bishops Of London, who had palace
hard by, worshiped there. So did John
de Pulteney, who has, In one respect a
better claim to fame than Dick Whiting
ton, for he was four times lord mayor,
whereas the latter worthy was only thrice
elected to the civic dignity.
London Is not rich in ecclesiastical
architecture that she can afford to lose any
of her ancient parish churches. There are
but few now remaining that escaped the
ravages of the great fire of 1866 The most
interesting of them are St. Bartholomew's.
founded in 1923 by Rabere, a fellow of in
finite jest" who, after wearying of the
companionship of gay mobiles and court
went pilgrimage to Rome, where he
dreamed a dream which prompted him to
found both the church and the hospital at
Smithfed. Another is St. Sayiours, South
wark, hard by London bridge which the
poet Cover, Chaucers successor, helped TO
found, and which, in the times of the great
Elizabeth, was the church frequented by
dramatists and actors Of the historic
theaters, the Rose, the Globe and the
Blackfriar's. St. Saviours most beautiful
memorial is the tomb of Cover.
st. Dunstan's escaped the great fire of
1866. The chancel, remarkable for it's fine
stained glass windows and beautiful wood
carving (much of 1t the work of Grinling
Gibbons), is now heap of charred ruins.
Fortunately the church registers have es-
capped the flames, as also have some of the
medieval brasses and sculpture memorials.
For those who go down to sea In ships st.
Dunstan's. Stepney, has special interest
from the 1dcl lHdI dll peISOIS DOTn upon
the high seas can claim to be enrolled on
it's list of parishioners. The church was
built in 14S4, on the site of an original
structure dedicated to st. Dunston in $50.
Like most of the English fine old parish
churches, it suffered terribly from the paint
and plaster vandalism of the early Geor-
gian period. Tons of stucco and whitewash
were recently scraped from its walls and
columns, and the beauty of its woodwork
was restored by the removal of thick coats
of paint with which church wardens of
former generations had hidden it.
New Transit Development.
Coronation year promises to witness great
travelling developments in the metropolis.
The construction of tube railways was ar
rested last session by the inquiry of the
select committee, but now that a report on
the subject has been presented schemes for
supplying various districts have been con-
sidered. and will be submitted to parlia-
ment next year. They are estimated to
cost at least fifty millions. What effect
they will have upon the congested state
90 r 4