Evening star., 1901-06-29

29, 10O1-28 PAGES
given at Windsor by the king and queen on
the Saturday after the regatta.
The Duke and Duchess Of westminster
have already arrived at Runnymede, and
the Duke and Duchess Of Newcastle at
Ditton Park. while a whole colony of
American and Belgian as well as English
holiday makers have taken up house boat
quarters on the regatta course. Half Bel
gravia has already migrated. or will mi
CRATE this week, to the scene of the re-
gatta. and there will be lunches and gar
den parties and river trips without num-
ber.
Thanks to the revival Of the old arrange
ment. by which house boats and steam
launches may be transferred by their own
ers to others, the regatta promises to be a
great success. Big prices are paid for the
$1,000 for the week. 1t is said that one
magnificent house boat has been let for
$500 for the week, and another for 81 .2J0
while a house near the course is being let
for $500.
New Insurance Idea.
Municipal bodies on this side Of the
water have hit upon new idea in regard
to insurance. 1t is plan to insure public
properties themselves. as the big steamship
companies do their own vessels, and the
various insurance companies will be very
hard hit.
A special committee Of the London county
council has made the suggestion to the
| insurance of the councils property. The
total value insured is over $15,00O,0O0
year. and the net premiums are about
$4,000. During the fifteen years ending
March. 1900, the council paid in premiums
over $4,000. During the same period they
only received for fire loss $4,000 The COM
mittee has prepared a report, which
shows that a similar experience has been
met with by the other local bodies in Lon
don. 1t has also been mentioned that for
a quarter of a century government build
ings have not been insured, as it was found
that the cost was so much greater than the
advantage.
The committee is advising that the coun-
Gil should become it's own insurer of its
property against fire, and that the scheme
formulated should be so drawn to ad
init of all London local authorities enter
ing into it if they wish to do so. 1t pro-
poses to set aside a special insurance fund,
to continue the present rate of premiums
for the first five years, and at the end of
that time to have a revision. Parliamen-
tary powers will be necessary before they
can admit other London local authorities
to participate in the scheme.
OF Interest to Book Collectors.
ook-collecting London has been stirred
to it's depths by the sale Of the Ashburn-
ham manuscripts, which is still proceeding.
These valuable documents were originally
secured rather more than $4,000, pur-
chase at 1ndC price DelNS uSCllHeu ou DcIdII
of the country. The investment, however,
has proved a magnificent one for the heir
of the buyer. Each days sale has realized
sum almost large as that originally
paid for the whole collection, single manu-
scripts with their beautiful illuminations
being eagerly bid for at sums above $500.
Purchasers are in London from many of
the great continental Libraries.
Shakespearean collectors are looking for
ward to sale on Friday, when the only
remaining copy of the famous Ireland forg-
cry will be offered. About a century ago
Samuel Ireland published volume of
Miscellaneous Papers and Legal Instru-
ments. Under the Hand and Seal of Will
lam Shakespeare. Including the Tragedy
of King Lear and Small Fragment of
Hamlet from the Original MSS" The
forgery was conceived and executed with
such success that many critics accepted
the documents as genuine. few years
later. however, Ireland acknowledged the
imposition.
declaration is contained in his own writing
stating that, as far as possible, every YES
tige of the production had been committed
to the flames, with the exception Of the
annexed copy, which as literary curl
osity consequently ranks unique"
Attractions at Theaters.
Although many of the theaters have
closed their season. the play houses of the
capital are still to considerable extent
AZ lho hdlloS VI IoltiSu dftiSIS 1HEe6
OF the greatest French players are now
with us in the persons of Madame Bern
hardt. Madame Rejane who opened her
season with "Sapho'' at the Coronet The
ater Monday night, and M. Coauelin
Last night there was a Japanese invasion.
some critics only after Sara Bernhardt or
Signora Duse in the list of the worlds
greatest living actresses, appeared at the
Criterion Theater with her talented com
,frj@ H., H.
and the Knight" and "Kesa. or the Wife's
Sacrifice These plays, of course can
only be enjoyed by most Europeans as pam
tomfme, but fashion having decreed that
the Japanese drama is the thing" Mad
anne Sada Yacco may safely anticipate a
prosperous run.
Especial interest is attached to the re-
appearance Of Madam Rejane, because she
an adaptation of Alphonse Daudet's much
discussed story ''Sapno." This Is the first
time the play has been presented in the
metropolis, and. seeing the storm an Eng
llsh version OF 1t aroused in New York
some time since. when given by Miss Olga
Nethersole. there has been some very free
speculat;on that the examiner of plays
would not license the production of the
original here. But we have Travelled fast
and Travelled far since departed censor
declined to allow London to see La Dame
aux Camelias'' in the original tongue; and
"Sapho" has been seen without any one
seeming much hurt.
New York Now Publishing Center.
Since the production OF cheap books there
seems to have been a fearful slump in
reading interest.
Publishers are all complaining, and many
OF them have in self-defense been obliged
to reduce their staffs Of printers
There is no demand for the bigger and
costlier works, and the average Of bring
ing out nine new books per publisher per
season has in the absence Of readers been
sreatiy reduced In fact, to put the case
quite accurately, If paradoxically. the art
OF the publisher is to publish nothing. It
pays him better to publish nothing A
friend OF my own has put his manuscript
on the shelf in obedience to the advice of q
publisher.'B Bring out nothing until next
year l hear that the publishing center
has moved to New Yorn