Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1903-01-09
RARE OLD RELICS.
Personal Souvenirs That Money Cannot
Buy.

| There are many souvenirs of famous
men of which the world knows little,
but which probably no money could
purchase.
At Blenheim, for instance, may be
seen the table on which tie great
Marlborough scribbled, on the back OF
an old tavern bill. the news of his
splendid victory. while his prisoner,
Marshall Tallard, look d on-a piece
of furniture instrinsically worth per
haps half crown, but for which f1O,
600 might be offered in vain.
Then, again. what money could buv
those two arm chairs in the smoking
room of the House of Common. IN both
Of which Mr.. Gladstone sat hundreds
of hours in his official house IN Down
ing street, and in which countless
members of Parliament have since sat
without any corner of their great pre-
decessor's mantle falling on them !?
In the eyes of many these cosey arm
chairs are much more covetable than
the gold and gem incrusted chair OF
which the Shah is SO proud and the
value of which no one has ever been
bold enough to estimate; or that other
costly chair which the city of Augs-
burg, presented to the Emperor Ru-
dolph IL, a chair of steel which was
thirty years in the making, and fol
which it's owner, the Earl of RadnOr,
has refused the offer of 100000.
In the members tea room in the
House of Commons there is a priceless
table, however, commonplace it may
appear, for it is the actual table at
which Pitt and Fox poured forth their
eloquence more than century ago.
At Addington Manor there is anoth-
er historic table which it would be idle
to wish to possess. 1t originally form
ed part of the furniture of Pitts house
in Downing street, when Nelson called
on the famous statesman on the eve of
starting on his last voyage, which was
to end in death and victory at Trafal-
gar. On this table Nelson sketched,
while Pitt looked on, rough plan of
his operations which were later to be
crowned with such signal success.
In the drawing room of ,Highclere
Castle is dark, handsome table of
mahogany, polished to the brilliancy
of a mirror, a table On which for many
years the visitors book was placed for
the signatures of parting guests. 1t
was on this identical table that Ma
poleon Bonaparte signed his abdica-
ton.
Lord Stanhope, too, cherishes among
his many historic treasures a table
seated around which, under the shade
of the famous tree on the lawn of
HOLLYWOOD, Pitt and Wilberforce
made their plans for suppressing the
slave trade
There are pens, even, many of them,
which their fortunate owners could
not be be tempted to part with. The
pen with which the Empress Eugene
made her daily entries in that myster-
ious diary which no eye but her own
has ever seen, is the very pen with
which the Treaty of Paris was signed
by the fourteen plenipotentiaries forty
six years ago. It is made from feath-
er of a golden eagles wing and is
richly mounted in gold and studded
with jewels.
Among other precious pens which 1t
would be difficult to buy are one with
which Charles Dickens wrote several
of bis novels, and which was sold
many years ago for e40; a pen OF Sir.
Walter Scott, given by the ''great un-
known to Lord Dollhouse in 1929, and
pens used by Pitt, Fox, Wellington
and many other giants of the past,
which, although they have been Offer
ed for sale, are now Jealously kept by
their owners.
A lock of Napoleon's hair even is
costly treasure. A peculiarly interest
ing lock was sold at Messrs. Sotheby's s
auction rooms year or two ago. 1t
was accompanied by the lettor which
NapoIeon sent with it to a Mrs. 10