The sun., 1908-06-21


do Sovral, Lord Farquhar or Lord Knollys
are almost always next him. Tho King
| sets good example, not too generally fol-
lowed. by rarely speaking during the prog
ress Of an aot. Occasionally he uses the
very plainly mounted opera glasses always
ready for him on tho ledge Of the box.
In the entr aote he goes to his priva to
5 moking room and very rarely visits the
royal box almost immediately above, In
which tho Queen sits half hidden by tho great
bouquet always placed for her. The Queen
nearly always arrives before the curtain
rises, the King usually about half past 0.
There is every likelihood Of King Ed
ward paying q visit to the Cznr in ST..
Petersburg next spring. This visit, II
present arrangements hold good, will form
part Of a grand state tour of the leading
European capitals which thel King and
Queen are to begin next April, visiting
Paris, Berlin and St. Petersburg in turn.
The visit to Berlir. Should have taken
place this year, but for reasons that are
not difficult to imagine the King finds him.
self unable to keep the conditional promise
he made to the Kaiser when the latter was
III
Kaiser has been informed that the King and
Queen will spend about a week in Berlin
next spring. This will not interfere with
the private meeting between the two mon
archs Mt Berlin this year on Edwards
return fIpm Marienbad, when he will spend
ono night in Berlin.
The visit to Paris. which will Immediately
precede the German visit, will be the for
NAL return of NJ. Fallieres' s visit to London.
King Edward and Queen Alexandra will
stay at the British Embassy, remaining
in Paris about q week. From Berlin they
will go to st. Petersburg and stay in the
Winter Palace That is the present ar
rangement, but the visit Of course depends
entirely upon the internal condition Of
Russia at the time.
Germania, which is the principal organ
Of the German Central party, publishes
the following communication under the
heading Why King Edward Does Not
Visit Berlin:
Those who know the English Kings per-
sonal habits understand why he avoids Berlin.
His Majesty likes intercourse OF a free and
easy character and he dislikes strict formali-
ties.
For instance. the English sovereign dis
likes the idea Of passug through the Branden-
burg gate like the white elephant OF Siam,
and being greeted by the city fathers and
thousands OF school children. He also dis
likes the military review and similar pagennts
which would be arranged here in his honor
If he paid an official state visit to Berlin,
This prudent monarch. whose clever diplo-
macy has raised Great Britain to an inter-
national position which she hitherto has
never possessed and who has produced
this effect without any external display.
disikes the pompous customs OF the German
court for he knows how to employ his time
more profitably than in such empty cere-
monies. King Edwards refusal to visit
Berlin must not be construed as an attitude
Of unfriendliness toward Germany, but as
sign Of his personal dislike Of gorgeous pag-
eants, which frequently burden those whom
they are Intended to honor
Even in the East the cradle OF Byzantine
display, there Is q tendency to abolish such
pageants Perhaps In Germany too the
time will COME when foreign monarchs can
pay us visits without 30 many external
Accomplishments Of pomp.
Melba and Tetrazzini have at last met
and heard each other sing, and good deal
of surprise has been caused by the announce
ment that Tetrazzini is not going to sing
at the celebration on June - Of Melba's
twentieth anniversary at Covent Garden
In an interview some little while ago Melba
spoke Of the great concert she intended to
give to celebrate this occasion, and after
mentioning Caruso and the other singers
who had promised to appear she said that
she was rather diffident about asking the
new star to assist her, but hoped that Tet-
razzini would volunteer.
II was fully expected that the younger
prima donna would join in the tribute to
her great rival, whom she met for the first
time on the day of the rehearsal for the
recent gala performance at the opera. What
ever the reason may be for Nine. Tetraz-
zini's decision, 1t has caused the keenest
disappointment. The concert will bo the
great musical event of the season. both the
King and Queen being present. The entire
proceeds Nine. Melba intends to hand over
to the King rs. Hospital Fund.
Sir James Dewar delivered lecture on
Friday night at the Royal Institution,
taking as his subject "The Nadir Of Teu-
perature and Allied Problems Explain
ing that by the expression "nadir OF tenn
perature' he meant the lowest temperature
that could be attained he devoted the first
part OF his lecture to showing by the aid Of
thermo- -junctions the degrees Of low tenn
perature attainable in various ways by the
exhaustion of liquid air and OF liquid hy-
drogen.
By means OF the latter agent with great
precautions to prevent the influx Of heat. a
steady temperature Of about IS degrees
on the absolute scale could be reached, and
that for the present was the nadir. To
illustrate what such cold meant he pointed
out that the temperatureo Of boiling hydrogen
was about one-fifteenth that Of the room.
while the temperature Of the room was
about one-fifteenth that OF the sun. which
might be regarded as the zenith OF tenn
perature.
He next showed that just as water dropped
on a red hot plate or liquid air dropped on
a liquid at the same temperature as the
room assumed tho spheroidal state. 30 also
did liquid oxygen dropped on the surface
Of liquid air.
Concerning the possibility Of the lique-
faction OF heliun he said that certain con-
siderations, based on the amount OF the gas
absorbed by charcoal at low temperatures
.,l an fha haaf avnl,,fioy, In OH roNol fnx