Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-02-02
GOSSIP FROM LONDON.
Peculiarities of Late Shah Of
Persia Recalled.
STOPPED TRAINS TO SLEEP
King Edward Making Reductions in
Royal Household.
KAISER'S MANY DECORATIONS
Emperor Possesses Medals Of Seventy
Orders-German Diplomats Want
Larger Salaries.
KAIsER's MANY DECORATIONS
Special Correspondence Of the Star.

LONDON, January 19-The death of the
shah has caused more regret in France than
elsewhere, as Mussafer-ed-Din was really
popular there. This was a good deal tradi-
ton. His father had been the first crowned
head to officially visit France after it had
become a republic and even to great ex-
tent boycotted by the monarchical powers.
The popularity of Nasdr-ed-Din descended
to his son, at least as far as the man in the
street was concerned. I doubt If the gov
eminent and the official world shared the
feeling, for the shah as a guest was what
our French friends would call somewhat en-
combrant.
friend Of mine, who is one of the as
sistants at the French foreign office. told
me the shah nearly turned their heads with
trouble and anxiety. One could never
reckon for ten consecutive minutes on what
he would do. In the first place, he detested
railway travelling and refused to sleep in
moving train. If he went anywhere by
rail and he felt sleepy (Which he generally
did after lunch or dinner) he ordered the
train to stop then and there in order that
the royal slumbers might not be disturbed.
The train had, therefore, to be side-tracked
at the first station. and had to remain there
till his majesty had finished his siesta.
When he went to Nancy on one occasion
the train was stopped three hours en- route
by the royal slumbers. The project of the
department, the municipality and half an
army corps which had been modified to do
him honor were kept cooling their heels for
half day waiting his arrival. Another
diHculty was the impossibility of making
him stick to an official program. The last
time he was in Paris he reduced the proto-
cole to despair.
Mussafer-ed-Din was not a particularly
good paymaster. He had no objection to
taking all he could get on credit, from auto
mobiles to Waterbury watches, but it was
no easy matter to get cash out of him
He even left Contrexeville without paying
ms motel Dill, but he generally settled the
next time he returned, so that his host was
always a years rent behind. I imagine he
Will strike the last bill off now as a bad
debt unless the shah's son and heir is con-
scientlous enough to settle it.
Promotion Of Girouard.
Military men here have a great interest
in the temporary appointment of Sir Percy
Girouard to be high commissioner of north
ern Nigeria. They want very much to see
what his work in a detached and lonely DO
stion will be. Hitherto he has done his
best work under the superintendent of
mastery mind, for he is one of Lord Kitch-
ener's discoveries. He Is an engineer officer,
and his chance came with the laying of the
line to O1ldurman. Kitchener wanted that
line badly; Girouard did the work brilliant
ly. He has done all his works so far with
an ever-growing reputation as clever man,
and that is why men want to know what
he will do in northern Nigeria.
criticism which is being made is that
in one respect he has been brought up in a
bad school for such post. Egypt Is not
place where Englishmen learn the sort of
responsiveness to racial characteristics
which a commissioner of northern Nigeria
will need. 1t is not a good school for any
one who has to deal afterward with native
races of far different type; there are some
who think that they have discerned signs of
this from time to time during Lord Kitch-
ener's career in India. But those who are
concerned with the agricultural develop
ment of northern Nigeria will see much
wisdom in the appointment Of a master of
a Canadian, and began his military studies
at the Canadian Military Academy at
Kingston; they are immensely proud of
him in Canada and well known, 1 believe,
In the United States.
King Still Trimming.
hear that the king Is still making reduc-
lions in the royal household, and that many
snug little billets have recently been swept
away. When the king first came to the
throne he found that under the late queen
many berths had sprung up for which there
was no real need. and that many minor
officials held positions that could just as
efficiently be performed by the domestic
staff. In the early days Of his reign he
noticed at Windsor that one bemedalled
ana decorated lnQlVlQudl uSeO 10 SIdnO by
the sideboard every night and hand the
wine to the walters.
One night after dinner his majesty sent
for Lord Knollys. ana asked him to find
out who the man was, what he was sup
posed to do, and what he got for doing it.
1t turned out that he was the wine faster"
and drew a comfortable salary of EGO
year. The king could find no justification
for this appointment, and sent down a mes
sage to the man that "he preferred the
butler to handle the wine, and would he
please provide himself with some useful
employment as quickly as possible By
the exercise of prudent economy the king
has effected a saving of several thousands
of pounds in the royal households since he
came to the throne.
The Kaiser's Decorations.
The kaiser had been noticed lately to be
more addicted to the wearing of orders and
decorations than was formerly his wont.
He seldom appears now without the Red
Eagle and the Hohenzollern House Order,
and in addition an Austrian, an Italian and
possessor of four British orders, he seldom
sports them, except when in the presence
of English royalties, or when on q visit to
England Despite his seventy orders, he
is by no means the best decorated man in
the German empire.
This proud distinction belongs to Count
Won Eulenburg, the emperors head cham
berlain. German statisticians, with the .lor-
calculated that-if the count wore all his
decorations at one time they would cover
every inch of both sides of his coat and the
front of his trousers down to his knees.
Prince Buelow possesses comparatively few
orders-a miserable thirty-and, according
to all accounts, has no ambition to possess
any more.
German Official Salaries.
1t seems that the gentlemen who fill
ministerial and diplomatic posts in Ger
many are secretly agitating for an advance
of salary, and are determined to get it. It
all arose, l hear, from the kaiser's favor
to Baron Won Sternburg, whose salary has
been raised from 1000 to $4,000 per an
mum. The extra five thousand was regard
ed as necessary, as Washington Is regard
ed as SO expensive. AS a rule German Of
fetal salaries are very much lower than is
customary in England. The best-paid Ger
man ambassadors are in London and
Petersburg, where the salary is $37,5OO.
Ordinary ministers receive from $4,000 to
$4,000. The imperial chancellor has pal
ace and $25, 600. but none Of his subordinate
secretaries of state receive more than
$12. 500. The head Of the German admiralty
and the postmaster general have each
$1,000, while the minister Of justice has