The daily morning journal and courier., 1902-04-05

|
 In no quarter of the ever- changing metropolis has the last century worked
 a more complete change than in the lit
 tie area lying between Piccadilly Cir
 GUS and the Mall To imagine the as
 pect of the neighborhood before the
 genius of Nash was given free play,
 one must picture Regent street as a 1 mean, ugly thoroughfare of irregular
 houses, called Swallow street; the
 neighborhood of Trafalgar Square occu- | pied by labyrinth of noisome alleys
 and squalid courts, known as the Der mudas, the Carribees and Porridge Is-
 land; veritable hay market held three | times q week in the road which still re- | tains it's name; and a tollgate at Hyde l Park corner. In addition, Waterloo
 Place and Carlton House Terrace must
 be oblterated from the map, and in
 their stead must be substituted vast rambling building, forming three sides
 of a quadrangle, and shut off from the
 eastern end of Pail Mall by a long
 row of columns. which, apparently, served no purpose except to provide the wits of the day with butt for their sa-
 tire.
 The exterior of the house had as lit-
 tie to recommend it as the other Lon
 don residences of royalty, being of the
 hybrid classical order so dearly loved
 of the regency. In it's original form,
 before it's ideal situation caught the at
 tention of it's princely tenants, it must
 have presented many more attractions
 then in the zenith of it's glory. A sub
 stantial red-briell mansion, set In a
 bower of green, where the rocks built
 and the nightingale warbled, it was
 erected in 1709 by Lord Carlton on the
 site of the old Mulberry Gardens, and
 at the death of that nobleman passed
 into the hands of his nephew, the fa-
 nous Earl of Burlington, who probably
 thought lightly of his new possessions in comparison with the splendors of his
 town palace in Piccadlly. Whatever may have been his motive he disposed of his property in 1732 to Frederick, Prince of Wales, for whose reception esom attempt was made to give the building distinction worthy of it's new dignity. How unproductive were these efforts is shown by the strictire passed upon Carlton House by contemporary writer. who remarks that no place was | capable of more improvements, or more in need of them.
 If there was little of architectural | distinction about this forgotten praise, | it's mediocrity was more than atoned | for by the human interests which its notorious inmates have given to it. | There is a curious similarity between | the lives and characters of the two roy al tenants who are most directly asso- ciated with Carlton House Both were Princes of Wales in open opposition to their fathers, and both sought to under mine the influence of the crown by a series of unfilial intrigues and cabals. Of the two, Frederick, Prince of Wales, father of the third George, is perhaps the more deserving of sympathy. That he was weak, foolish, arrogant and profligate is generally admitted, but there is nothing in the records of lis life to justify the venomous hatred n which his parents held him. It is that woman with so many virtues as Caroline of Anspach could write of her dear Hrst-b born as the greatest liar and the greatest canaile, md the greatest beast in the world, and
 heartily wish he were out of it.''
 The Royal Ishmael did not allow his wrongs to cloud his gregarious views of fife. Carlton House became the scene if a miniature court in undssuised op- position to that of St. James, To ap- ,ear at the one meant a certain taboo tt the other, All that was young. gay, ,ro i've ;,, lao | iety of the day gathered to the feasts ind junketings which formed the rally programme of the princes household 1ere too, was matched many con piracy hardly less ridiculous than the ,leasures which diverted this feeble CO., erie. The more serious business of 'lotting against the government was 'leasantly diversified by visits to cock l ghts, bull baitings and fortune tell IFS, The great Pope was not the least | bsequious in his attendance on this I Prince F'aineant. I
 On the death of his father, in 1751, ieorge TIT passed his gloomy youth at | 'arlton House, under the stern tutelage . f his mother Augustus, Princess of ! Vales and her mentor, Lord Butte. Tpon the contemporary scandals to q 7hch the intimacy of these two gave ise, or of the popular detestation in mich this nobleman was held, it is eedless to dwell. It will suffice to slip !
 generation and take up the history q f the palace at the coming of age in . 7S4 of Prince Florizel, as the future re- : ent was fondly called. The nation U Ias resolved to mark the occasion by E fit which should adequately convey ! he sentiments in which "the first gen eman in Europe" was regarded by his V doring people. An enormous sum was xpended in making the old house fit Dr such a paragon, Two floors were devoted to magnif- 6 ant suites of reception rooms, which |, azzled the eye with the wealth and e litter of their upholstery. There was h le saloon draped in lemon satin, the 4 rawing-room in crimson, the state fl pom with it's chairs of gold and dam r six, not to mention the rose satin and le golden drawing room, the Gothic 4 ming room, the classic cupola -roolh. t1 nd the grand circular staircase. At n rst Fun and fourth made an honest fort to live up to his new splendor, ntating his grandfather. he sought to 1nvert the palace into political cen V II ( l,,