New-York tribune., 1905-12-19

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maintained TO the end. It covers the last fifteen
Years Of his official life OF fty-one years-years
of varied experiences at many Courtx It Is
with his service British representative at
kthens. at The Hague and at Vienna that this
volume deals.
The record Of the period spent at the Greek
capital is interesting if uneventful. 1t leaves
us with the impression that there could hardly
be more uncomfortable city than Athens In the
GUNNER, so burning hot, so dusty so treeless
IS the wearer of the Violet Crown It even casts
New-York into the shade in those particulars. An
acute chronic dyspepsia from which our author
suffered for years caused, he declares by
the iced water and other cold drinks which that
arid climate compelled him to solace himself
withaL The pleasantest things he has to tell
us apropos Of this sojourn in Greece concern the
royal family-the generous. kindly King. the
unselhsh Olga, the Queen and their happy.
ceedihgly simple existence with their children.
No one, Sir Horace tells us, ever led saintlier
life Of perfect self-denial and charity than the
royal daughter Of Russia Her days were
almost entirely given up to good works. The
queen Of the poor she had been affection
ately proclaimed by the public voice, personally
looked after the various hospitals and other
charitable institutions which she bestowed
her patronage The royal entertainments
described as being very democratic, sfor in the
monde egalitaire at Athens the order and eti-
quette without which court be properly
kept up but little understood or respected"
The drawback of the balls given by the heads
Of Athenian society was the deplorab1e lack. OF
dancing men Pretty and charming girls there
Bere in plenty, but the eligible youths of the
city immersed themselves in politics and busi-
ness and scarcely ever appeared in the salon.
The most energetic dancer of the period old ,
General Rall, who at seventy was a devoted
leader Of cotillons. never missing dance If he
could help it.
The eight years which Sir Horace spent at
The Hague were mostly agreeable ones. He
arrived there in the last days of King William,
and there is a touching glimpse OF the old King,
hand In hand with his fairylike little daughter,
wilhelmina, passing across corridor and out |
Of sight forever from the group of waiting |
bassadors. The Dutch climate with its all-per- |
vading damp trying, but The Hague was
interesting post for vigilant diplo- /
natist watching the big current Of inter- |
national affairs It flows past the quiet back /
water that lies SO conveniently near to Eng
land. The old house, the Assendelfthuis, in |
which the Rumbold family spent those years,
several centuries OLD, the basement and
cellars being still older than the structure above
them. It was said that Alva had lived in the
older building and that the InQuisition had
used that vast basement There were stories
that the house haunted and the exam
bassador tells us that the occupants of one bed
room were visited by recurrent Nightmares
having the same distinctive features as and !
singularly akin to. spectral appearances. He
adds that there was undefnable atmosphere
Of creepiness and mystery pervading the entire
rambling building after dark, and then he sets
down the grewsome and thoroughly authentic
tradition attaching to the house-a tradition of
which he only became aware toward the end
Of bis tenancy, and which related to him
E1g1 af +1,a CSo+a |
Archives at The Hague:
In his searches In the rnarvellousIy rich records
under his care, NJ de Riemsdik had come upon |
place at The Hague in the middle of the sixteenth
century and was closely connected with the As
period one Gerard van Assendelft, an eminent |
Holland under the Emperor Charles the Fifth. | ,
Assendelft, presumably man of mature age. had
@ @E9qger man an TSS Cne & Gn agne a + bne pnny TTy
banks Of the Loire to a son1bre manor house in |
The mists Of Holland. and subjected TO the rigid
the national regard for due economy-soon evinc-
from Fso bat the device Vitsn resorted to by
Catherine TO procure means when her supplies
ported from her own country two young fellows" ;
and frr0isbed tTePn With the .starnns m i'm
plements and materials" required for making false
same time Clipping the gold and silver coin OF a
the realm to the detriment OF the dignity ct HIS HIS
unfortunate woman was tried with her accom- T
pain (tortare5 and iron bands was Sentenced to
b burned bur to death and t AL her goGds conscafd @
licly beheaded but by special mercy of the Queen
of Hungary, then Regent Of the Netherlands for
was comInuted-no doubt in consideration OF the '
high station OF the Assendelfts-to private execu- Il
ton in prison and burial In consecrated ground :
The wTetched creature had been taken when ar l
rested TO the grim old jail vel known to visitors
which have many another dark tale to tell-and I
here in April 5o she was as barb2r0InsIy and and igno s
being fOrcibly held down in z pail Of water.
There was an ancient subterranean passage 2
leading from the cellars. which might have been Il
used by this Catherine and in the garden a =
skull and a few bones had been dug up-here in
truth a strange abode for a genial, gayety- 81.
loving Ambassador! Sir Horace tells pict- -
1resque story OF another haunted house. the -
Palais Clary, in Vienna, which was some years :
before occupied by the British legation. There,
II WIS testified by the wife and daughter of the "
Englishman who was then Ambassador, that "
both saw the figure Of man who had been "
murdered many years before IN the room in
which they sat-a crime of which they knew y
nothing until after they had described the ..
vision Is
Many amusing glimpses of society at The G.
Hague are revealed 10 US, and certainly oi
lot pity the diploatist whose service there is &C
ong, One Of it's most winning figures is that OF sc
he Queen Mother Emma whose gentleness was Sc
'ver as notable her wisdom. Here is one OF +
be few stories in which an American appears: g
An smusing incident occurred one day when my -,
7ife 70 present to the Queen Regent Amer q
;an lady whose visit 10 Europe it was Moth tr
lg could be kinder more gracious than queen -
ion everybody was seated and the Queen had us
sld q few words to the lady IN question: sac g.
aturaliy turned and talked chiefly with my wite IT
nom she knew we'll During short pause IN the di