New-York tribune., 1904-09-25
Le Bouttiil1fer Brothers
West Iguenty-tfld Street.

Oid WorId-Other than those to which they had
belonged in the first pIace-and in the galleries.
public as we'll private. OF this country.
Some Of the most valuable oid masters OF
which Joseph BOnaparte had deprived the Ma
tional Gallery at Madrid while King OF Spain
now adorn the walls of Apsley House. the Lon
don residence of the fourth Duke of Wellington.
His grandfather the first and Iron Duke had
captured them. together with much Of the bag
gage OF King Joseph. when the latter driven
by the English to abandon his Spanish crown
and to retreat to France, and they were for
warded TO London. along with the other be-
longinss OF the famous British commander.
After the restoration Of peace King Ferdinand,
le@-ning that the paintings in question were In
London in the possession OF the Duke Of We'll
hngton. requested the latter to keep them
token OF his gratitude for his services in help
ing to place him on the throne OF Spain.
Since Waterloo Iooting in wars between CIV
hzed nations has been virtually abandoned II
is. however, stiu tolerated IN conflicts with bar
oarous or semt-barbarous foes. and. indeed. laws
yet exist unrepealed in England. as well as in
most other monarchicaI countries OF Europe.
vesting in the crown-that IS to say, IN the SOW
ereign-the right to al loot taken In war. II Is
only after the anOinted OF -ths Lord er hIs
representative, has had his pick that the re-
nainder IS either distributed among the troops
or else sold at auction. and the amount realized
divided among them at a ratio propOrtionats to
their respective rank
As most of England's wars during tns last
hundred years have been with Asiatio and Az
rican potentates. It IS not astonishing that
Windsor Castle should be filed with loot, and
the plunder for which the sovereign has no room
there is distributed among the national mu-
seums, that at South Kensington coming into
the largest share. King Edward would proba-
bly, feel horriAed at the idea Of accepting any
article Of value that had been pIundered from
some Of his contemporary brother uonarchs OF
Europe-barriHg. perhaps. the Sultan-and I am
perfectly sure that the same prejudices would
be entertained by his fellow rulers at Berlin.
Vienna, Rome. ST. Petersburg and elsewhere
on the Continent. But, somehow or another, the
potentates OF Africa and OF the Orient seem to
them to be perfectly fair game. people whom It
is quite Christian plunder and 10 deprive oe
their most treasured possessions. Indeed, on
the strength OF the plea that It was necessary
to give the savases lesson which they would
remember" European troops have almost IN
variably made 4 point OF sacking the palaces
Of the dusky enemys ruler; lucky for the lat
ter. indeed. IL they did not burn hts residence
10 the ground. as in 1864. when Anglo-French
force set fire TO the famous summer palace ot
the Enperors Of China, after having previously
plundered It. Priceless porcelains. silks. Jade
share OF the loot. part OF which is at Windsor
Castle some at buckingham Palace and the
remainder at the South Kensinston Museum
An equal share Of the treasure OF the summer
palace was assigned to Napoleon III. and. while
some OF the pIundered property is stiu in the
possession OF Empress Eugene. the greater part
win be found to-day in the French National
Museum of the Louvre
At Windsor Castle are the splendid regalia OF
IT NJ
amulets. collar and diadem Of the two Kings OF
ashanti and q large quantity OF beautifully
carved elephant tusks which belonged to the
African King OF Benin. while the crown of En-
Ieror Theodore OF Abyssinia and the state
brella of the Kings OF Ashanti are at the South
Kensington Museum. India is of course. large
ly represented in the collection OF loot at Wind
sor Castle. and some OF the finest pieces OF plate
and ieweIied ornaments. including a superb
tigers head. composed entirely OF rubies, sap
phires and diamonds. came 20 King Edward
from the treasure house OF this or that oncs
powerful Oriental ruler whose dominions have
been annexed by England IN the last two hun
dred years on state occasions the great side
boards in the Waterloo Gallery of Windsor
Castle are weighed down with vast quantities OF
gold and silver plate much Of which orig
inaly destined and even used for saeramental
purposes by the Roman Catholic Church. and
constitutes part O4 lle AoOl O1 luG spanish AT
lnada and of tine plumber of the British buc-
cancers Of the Elzabethan and Stuart era who
roamed the seas in search of SPANS treasure
ships pIundeTing and sackng the cities and
churches OF what used to be known IN those
days as the Spanish Main. This consid-
cred perfectly natural and authorized and there
is not at the present moment a monarch IN Eu-
rope whose palaces do NOT contain treasures
that represent in similar fashion the spoIls
OF war.
Perhaps the most striking Illustration OF the
modern ethics OF loot is TO be found In the fact
that although every Western ruler whose troops
took part in the occupation OF Peklng by the
allied forces four years ago obtained a portion
of the pIunder OF the Forbidden City" En-
peror William receiving quantity of extremely
interesting astronomical Instruments. several
hundred years old. which are now one OF tho
attractions OF his palace OF Sans-Souci. at Pots
darn--whils the Loadsn illustrated paDsrS Duh-