Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-06-05
A MARRIAGE ANXIETY
Perplexity ofSpanish O fficials
Over Alfonso's Future.
HIS VISIT TO ENGLAND
M MATRIMONIAL FAILURES IN
FORMER ENGLISH ALLIANCES,
Dorchester House, Ambassador Reid's
London Home, One Of the Finest
in the English Capital.
Special correspondence of The Star.

Special correspondence of The Star
LONDON. May %, 1905.
The anxiety of the Spanish senate and
councillors regarding the marriage of King
Alfonso, especially on the eve of his visit
to England revives speculation with ref.
erence to his reported engagement to
Conpausht princess. Certainly the Spanish
marriages of English history have proved
unhappy, from the Inflated union of Kath-
crime Of Aragon with the greatest widow
er Of history and the fruit;ess union of
Philip and Bloody Mary" Never too,
were the Stuarts so popular as when
Charles II, then Prince of Wales returned
from his romantic journey to Madrid with
the wooing of the Infanta Inaccomplished
Bonfires and Examinations celebrated the
event as no jilting surely was ever cele-
DRAFTED before while free feeds to the poor
and unlimited wine gratis marked the oc-
caslon in the city of London. In these days
the religious objection would almost GER
tainly prevail, for the Spanish queen would
be expected to be the most rigid and de-
vout of Catholics. Even the late Queen
Eictoria's bosom friendship with Eugene
did not suffice to. allay the religious objec-
ton as between the then young Princess
Beatrice and the Inflated Prince Imperial.
Moreover, the Connaught family is the
least likely of all British royalties to wei
come Catholic marriage for the duke is
the most devoted of them all toward Angli-
canism in its special theological and &C.
clesiastcal aspect. OF Queen Victoria S de-
scendants one has been specially agreeable
to Catholics. another to the low church,
another to the extremely, almost rational-
istically. broad. Yet another when crossed
In love many years ago determined to
ter an Anglican sfsterhood. The late queen
is said to have summoned the superior
from a famous institution under the walls
of Windsor Castle to find out what sort
of conditions would be involved. They did
not please her majesty and unlike the
Benedictines in the Isle of Wight, high
Anglicanism has not yet got royal nun.
AS to the Belgian rumor of Leopold's APP
preaching marriage. it is the more unlikely
that at the age of seventy King Leopold
Will seek another wife, since he took such
conspicuous pains TO promote the popular
celebrations when, a little while ago, Prince
Albert was presented with a and heir
Since his heir and brother, the Comte de
F1andre resigned his right of succession,
the latter's has been put prominently
and continuously before the public in the
various ceremonial duties natural to a
crown prince, and has everywhere been re-
ceived as such with enthusiasm by the Bel
gians. King Leopold's only son died some
years ago. 1t is perhaps well that King
Leopold should remain unmarried, for his
marriage would severely tax the capacity
to say nothing of the sincerity-of adula-
tors. Within a month of her marriage in
1853 the late Queen of the Belgians wrote
to friend: My poor mother begins to
see what she has done by my marriage. If
God hears my prayers l shall not live long,
unless everything changes" And a year
later: Il pass over in silence the most ter
rible of all misfortunes have nothing
left but the pleasant recolections of my
youth. God alone in the course of time can
perhaps pour balm into my deeply wounded
and broken heart But the unfortunate
queen had to wait more than fifty years.
Her lonely death at Spa last year will be
remembered, if only because of the fracas
hpt husband and Nanghtor her
corpse.
Dorchester House an Ideal Residence.
Although Mr.. Whitelaw Reid will be en-
trely democratic in the dingy offices on
Victoria street that are provided as an en-
bassy by the American government, he will
be lordly enough In the residence which he
has taken and in which he will entertain
for the glory of the republic Mr.. Reid
has leased Dorchester House, one of the
finest residences in London, at a rental of
nearly $4,000 a year. 1t is a lordly house,
with magnificent position in Park lane
and even those who do not know the house
by name may remember the extravagant
neatness with which the drive before the
door and the tongue of land-part of the
approach to the house formed by the juno
ton of Park lane and Deanery Street-are
kept covered with carefully sorted broken
stone of deep color. the drive itself forming
a band of bright yellow. 1t always seemed
rather ridiculous neatnesS, for it led to
nothing. Dorchester House must for a long
time have been one of the least-lived-in
houses of Park lane, and Its big windows
have almost a desolate darkness. In the
ronation year it woke up.
1t was lent to the king by Capt. Hol
ford and II l remember rightly. 1t was
placed at the service of Prince Henry of
Prussia.
The property of Capt. Holford, the kings
equerry, Dorchester House !s of the ornate
Ttulia ftyia md CT ~ ia CT re- nf an
old mansion of the same name, which was
one of the residences of the late Marquis
of Hartford, who died there in 1912. This
nobleman, who, as Earl of Yarmouth, was
well-knoWn figure under the regency,
married Mile. Fagniani the reputed daugh-
ter of the Duke of Queensberry cold o.
The present mansion was built in 1851 from
the architectural designs of Lewis Vul-
lfamy. 1t is faced with Portland stone, and
forms a parallelogram about los feet wide
by 1875 feet In depth. The grand staircase
is Of marble, and the interior generally fit
ted up with great completeness.
Scattered through its chief apartments is
a splendid collection Of pictures, mostly by
old masters, many OF them OF first-class
celebrity. The gallery contains fine speci-
mems of Titan, VelasqueZ. Tinteretto, Van
dyke Murillo, Teniers and Wouvermans.
Among the pictures two OF the Car
acct series. painted for the Giustiniani pal
ace by Agostino and Ludovfco Caracci.
These famous pictures came to England in
the Duke of Lucca's collection, and, not
being purchased for the National Gallery.
they were subsequently exhibited In most
of the cities of the united kingdom before
they were separated to pass into the hands
of private gentlemen. Then there are sew
eral of Rubens' exquisite sketches among
them his Entry of Henry w. in the Lux
embourg collection. and the Assumption
of the Virgin for the picture over the high
altar in Antwerp cathedral. Claude and the
two Poussins are represented by brilliant
landscapes. Altogether the gallery ranks
among the most important private collec-
lions in England
1t was in Dorchester House that the
Young shahZada was housed on his visit to
this country, and he left it in such Woe
full condition that 1t cost the owner sew
eraI thousands of pounds to restore It, One
OF the finest drawing rooms was turned into
a slaughter house for the killing of the
sheep and goats that went to make the
shahzada's dinner. 1t may be taken as an
indication of the new ambassadors desire
to entertain freely that he has taken so
large a house. and American society in the
capital will be highly pleased
Drury Lane Left Alone.
Very soon the theater itself will be all
that is left of old Drury Lane. The historic
and dilapidated buildings that surrounded
1t have one by one succumbcd to the spirit