Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-04-07
THE irish LAND BILL
This Country May Aid the
Purchasers.
COULD BUY ISLAM D
ELIZABETHAN RELICS EXHIBITED
BY GEOGRAPHICAL SOCIETY.
Spring Exhibition Of Art Works at the
Dutch Gallery-London News
and Gossip.
Special Correspondence of The Evening Star.

Special Correspondence of The Evening Star.
LONDON, March 25, 1908.
Mr.. Wyndham introduces his famous
Irish land purchase bill tonight and
every available seat In the galleries
has been booked long in advance to
hear the chief secretary's exposition of his
plan for pacifying Ireland. met an Ameri-
can Just over from New York who is ex-
traordfnarily interested in the latest phase
Of the Irish problem. He chortled with joy
over the possibility that Mr. Balfour may
be indebted to the Irish vote for pro-
tracted continuance In office. That's what
I call politics. he SAID when one party or
the other depends on the Irish vote"
Suppose the bill fails?" 1 asked. 'It
won't fail" he answered quickly, but as
Stunning for the sake Of argument that 1t
will-we'd buy Ireland" He looked at me
and went on: "Oh. you need not laugh. We
can do 1t all right. The capital sum which
they say Is needed to buy up the whole
crowd Of landlords is a hundred and twenty
million pounds. 1t doesn't matter ten mil
lions one way or the other. Well. II 1t was
possible in the United States to raise in
thirty days eleven hundred million dollars
for the steel trust we could raise six nun
dred million at per cent with which to
buy all the land in Ireland. What better
security could you have than the lands with
the people and all their sentiment Of home
and patriotism settled upon them? The
agricultural and industrial development of
the country would begin in earnest"
Nationalist Not in Wyndham's Con-
fidence.
The nationalists generally deny that any
Of them have been taken into Mr.. Wynd-
hams confidence with regard to the land
bill. There Is a widespread acceptance OF
the forecast Of the bill which was given by
the Irish Daily Independent on Saturday.
The Independent. of course. is Mr.. Healy' s
paper, and he, at least, Is believed to be
pretty we'll informed.
Whatever risks there may be Of British
refusal to fill up the Intervals" between
the landlords price and the tenants offer,
1t may be taken for granted that the ma
tionalists will fight steadily for whatever
they can get and that they do not expect
the predominant partner to take Into ac-
count the finding Of the commission on
Irish taxation to the effect that Ireland has
paid many millions more into the imperial
exchequer since the union than has been
strictly due from her. They agree that the
predominant partner must be convinced
that financial settlement agreeable to Ire
land will also be good business for England.
Suppose, they say, total gift Of twenty
millions is provided by John Bull. The In
terest on that will not be nearly SO big
ing the country and in land court admins
tration. The constabulary in a condition OF
agrarian peace will be cheaper by f75OOO0
a year. and 1t is surely worth England s
peace and prosperity than to spend 1t for
the barren results Of police upkeeping.
Geographical Society Festival.
The Geographical Society held high festi-
val last night. In a sedate manner, beft-
ting royal society, 1t celebrated the ter
centenary of the death of good Queen
Bess. Two great scholars, Mr.. Edmund
Gosse and Prof. Silvanus Thompson, read
papers on Sir Walter Raleigh and William
Gilbert, and the president Of the society
(Sir Clements Markham) gave a delightful
sketch of Elizabethan exploration. of the
advancement of geography and the real
birth of science. These papers were read
in the theater of Burlington House.
In an adjoining room was arranged an
exhibition of Elizabethan relics. one Of the
most interesting ever brought together.
Anything which was in any way connected
with the great enterprises of the reign had
been gathered here from private individuals
and public institutions throughout England
Quaint old aliases. rare books and prints
and a collection Of priceless medals and
seals had interest enough, but nautical In
struments Of the famous Elizabethan mar
iners-so delicate and accurate that one
ern day could get such perfect finish-pro-
vided the choicest fare. / was admirine
an astrolabe an instrument for
taking altitudeS-and I found on looking
at it's inscription that 1t belonged to Drake
and was said to have been presented to him
by his queen.
Perhaps the most interesting and the
most valuable of all objects on view are
the three seals of office of Sir Walter Ra-
leigh when serving as governor of Virginia
cities. G
include an exquisitely chased gilt case con-
tanning Queen Elizabeth's scissors, the
chart by which FrObsher sailed in 1876 a
fac smile of the famous tapestries illus
trative of the defeat Of the Armada, which
were consumed in the fire that destroyed
the old house Of lords, a medal struck by
Pope Slxtus on the occasion Of the sailing
Of the Armada. and a number of portraits
others. There is also the famous globe
which was made by Mollineaux in 1892 and
which has long been a familiar object In
the Middle Temple Library.
Queen Elizabeth's Nose.
As far as our historians lead US to be-
lieve, Queen Elizabeth had no Jewish blood,
yet on the Armada medal her nose in relief
Is Of the distinctive Hebrew type. and some
OF her pictures In the room only tend to
confirm this tell-taie medal. which she her.
self ordered to be struck. There was a lit
tie crowd Of admirers around two great
black tucks' whose uses most people will
guess. This pair. capable OF holding a cou-
pie OF gallons each. have q history. They
belong to Westminster school, and were
bought in 1864. when Queen Elizabeth wit
messed the performance Of Plautus' Miles
Gloriosus." And the reason was that the
boys who got hoarse over dactyls and spon-
dees might be refreshed with buttered beer.
There Is a curious anecdote of Drake re-
lated by Gervas Wylde. whose picture "a
here. He served on brakes ship against
the Armada. and was one Of the men who
stood by him when the London citizens
were clamoring for the queen to give in to
the Spanish. Drake gave his strenuous ad-
vice to the queen. Then came the British
answer Of Queen Bess to the London ctti-
zens: IT would not suffer a feather to be
ruffied In q wild ducks wing or a brakes
tall"
I must mention one other exhibit which
has been lent by an antiquarian. It Is
known as Captain Cotton's spoon, and this
Is the history. In the second voyage Of
Cavendish Q591-9S Captain Davis com
mandeu the Desire. and Captain Randolph
Cotton the baroue Dainty. At Santos the
crew Of the Dainty deserted. Captain Cot
ton was dining on board the Desire. and the
remained as Captain Davis guest during
the rest OF the voyage. This spoon was
made for Captain Cotton in May, 1892 on
board the Desire. in MagelIan's Strait Tho