Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-01-08
OLD BRITISH WAh OFFICE.
Abandoned by the Department fol
New Quarters.

From the Manchester Guardian.
For some months now the war office has
been removing its belongings, the best or
its furniture, It's portraits, documents,
books and red tape to the new palace pre-
pared for it in Whitehall. Its present Of
fees are scattered on both sides Of Pail
Mall, in St James Square, Victoria street,
and elsewhere-few of its officials know
exactly where. The center of its activity
Is the eighteenth century building with
courtyard and two wings that run out to
the street in Pail Mall. In the front of the
Office which he had dignified by his labor
and accomplishment stands the fine statue
of Lord Herbert of Lea. The war office
was established here in 1856. when the de-
partment of the secretary for war, the du-
ties of which were formerly performed at
the Horse Guards, was created. 1t is curl
Gus to reflect at the moment that the re-
moval to this building was the outward
sign Of the remodeling of our military ad-
minfstration after the deplorable disclos-
ures of the Crimean war, just We may
take the great building In Whitehall the
expression of another attempt to regenera-
ton after the more miserable disclosures
of the war in South Africa
The old building has some history. 1t
was built by Sir John Scare. and was
known in the eighteenth century as Buck
ingham House, after it's second owner, the
Marquis of Buckingham. In the days Of
Pitt and Fox it the social headquar-
ters of the tory party. and after the famous
Westminster election. Its windows were
smashed by the mob which carried the vic
torous Fox round the town. The tory
queen of society" the Duchess of Gordon
held her court here with her five maiden
daughters. The Fox Centenary" with its
flood of contemporary gossip, is too recent
for much to be said about the famous Jane
Maxwell. but one quotation from Walpole
shows something of the kind of life the old
house used to know. The duchess said
to use sixteen hours out of the twentyfour,
a M Ia hpr jplrr al for Ia
first went to Handlers music In the Abbey
she then clambered over the benches and
went to Hastings trial in the hall: after
dinner to the play; then to Lady Lucan s
assembly: after that to Ranelagh, and re-
turned to Mrs. HoSart's faro table: gave
ball herself in the evening of that morning,
into which she must have got good way;
and set out for Scotland the next day"
Within these walls she introduced the
Highland fling Into London society. One
anecdote Of the duchess raises a picture
which 1t would be pleasant to think con-
nected with the big blank portico OF the
house. 'tMr. Dundas," she said to that
great man, you used to speaking in
public. Will you call my cab?'
This house Is connected by mysterious
passages with the older and more interest
Ing Schomburg House, which dates from
commonwealth times, got its name from
one Of Orange Williams generals, and had
Butcher Cumberland one of its &C.
cupants Toward the end of the eighteenth
houses In the western wing. WHICH still
exists. Gainsborough set up his studio when
he came to London in 1774, and In a room
on the second floor he died in 17SS. He had
sent for Reynolds. and SO ended the long
estrangement. His last words will haunt
the imagination of English painters for all
time-"We are all going to heaven, he
said. land Vandyke is of the company"
Cosway lived in the center part of the
house, and in the eastern wing that has
been chiefly rebuilt the notorious quack
Graham sat in his mud bath with his wig
beautifully trimmed. while the beautiful
Emma Hart (afterward Lady Hamilton).
wearing an elaborate headdress. sat In the
other It was at Grahams famous hy
gienic lectures with living demonstra lions
that Romney first saw hts goddess, Gains
borough must have seen her, too and there
Is a theory that she sat model for the
"Musidora Bathing In the National Gal
lery. Both of these old houses have fine
mantlepieces. 1replaces and paneling. and
the best of them is being used for the dec
orations of the new war office.