The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1901-03-05
VICTORIA IN TRADE.
Her First Venture WINS with q
Young Scotchman.
1From the Boston Globe.l

1t was the conduct of her vast estate
that kept the aged Queen interested and
fully occupied through many hours of
her later years. She developed her en-
thusiasm for financial matters only after
her husbands death. when she looked
about for some effective and worthy di-
version
II was good many years ago, and dur
Ing a summer when the royal household
was at Balmoral, that the Queen com
-nanded one of the most prominent Edin-
burgh tradeSnen to send to the castle n
quantity of his wares, from which she
wished to make selections and pur-
chases.
The head of the house and his trusted
first man of business, both of whom had
tactfully negotiated sales at Balmoral
many times before, were both i'll, so that
the business of presenting the goods to
the Queen was given into the hands of a
trusted young clerk.
The smart young Scotchman knew a lot
concerning trade, but very little about tho
etiquette that hedges a sovereign when
she goes shopping in her own home. -
when the goods were arranged for the
Queens inspection he hung about the
room instead of ahsenting himself while
the lady examined the articles and made
her selections
Nobody noticed him until it was too late
to hustle him out. and though he kept
well in the background at first when the
Queen happened to ask a question of her
attendants as to the possibility of having
a certain quality of cloth woven, the
frowns from the attendants, presented
himself with a respectful bow and replied
so clearly and sensibly to her enquiries
that she asked an explanation OF the
whole method of wool weaving.
There was no gainsaying the young
mans accurate knowledge. intelligence,
and respectful bearing. and. when tn
Queen kindly enquired something of his
private affairs, he frankly confe ssed that
it was his ambition to establish mills of
his own and to introduce some improved
machinery in wn.cn he firmly believed.
The Queen asked what capital he would
need graciously thanked him for his in
formation. and dismissed him.
A few weeks afterward he received an
offer from a banker to lend him the money
to put up his mills and establish his ma
chinery.
The offer was so unexpected that the
young man insisted on knowing how it
came about, and then he learned that the
Queen had ordered the investment on the
strength of what he had told her on the
occasion of the visit to Balmoral
She had also ordered an investigation of
his character and condition. and. recciv-
ing a satisfactory report. determined to
venture a goodly number of pounds in the
enterprise.
The result proved highly fiattering to
the lady's judgment and the young mans
abilities, for the mills were put up and
proved enormously successful. After
drawing a handsome revenue from her
flyer in wool the silent partner in the
firm sold out at huge profit; but her
first venture gave her courage TO go into
many other things.
Her holdings in real estate. in steamship
lines and banking firms had been taken
solely on her own judgment With posi-
tive genius for figures she mastered easily
all the higher mathematics. the science Of
bookkeeping and kept large portion of
her personal accounts with her own hand.