The Washington herald., 1908-01-12

terest better by rendering good services
to the ministers of the day than by be-
coming :he companion or even the minion
Of the sovereign. The courtiers who in
the reign Of the Stuarts had focked
around the King were in the days Of the
rulers Of the House Of Hanover to be
found in the antechambeTs Of Walpole.
Of Pelham, and Of Pitt.
With the revolution which drove the
Stuarts from England and brought Will
fam Of Orange TO the throne, the glories
Of Whitehall as a royal palace and as
the principal court Of the sovereign
waned William, in spite OF his being
native of the Netherlands, found the
damp Of Whitehall so injurious 20 his
health-he was a martyr TO asthma
that he eventually abandoned II as
royal residence, transferred his abode TO
Hampton Court, and when his ministers
complained OF its remOteness from the
capital brought into existence Kensington
Palace, which thereafter became his IA
vorite home.
in January. 1898, woman-the patriotic
journalists and pamphleteers of that
time did not fail 10 note that she was a
Dutch woman-whO was employed as q
laundress at Whitehall. lighted a char
coal fire in her room and placed some
linen around il. The linen caught fire
and burned furiously. The tapestry, the
bedding and the wainscots were soon
IN a blaze, and before midnight the
entire palace. including the ancient
chapel where Cardinal Wolsey had cele-
bTated mass, and the more modern sacred
edfce embelllshed by the chisel of Glib
b0ns and by the pencil Of Verrie. where
James II had preferred his devotions as
well as the edifice Of the privy council.
the treasury, that celebrated gallery or
ballroom which had witnessed SO many
pageants. in which so many maids Of
teries Of gallants. fell prey to the
flames.
On the following day nothing remained
Of the palace Of Whitehall save the
banqueting hall, though its graceful col
umns and capitals were so much black
ened by smoke that their form could
hardly be discerned. Fortunately the
books and records Of the treasury and Of
the privy council were rescued and are
still preserved, being conveyed to build
ings in the neighborhood Henry VIII
had built close to ST. James Park two
appendages to the palace Of Whitehall, a
cockpit and a tennis court. The treasury
now occupies the site Of the cockpit and
the privy council office the site of the
tennis court
l may add in conclusion that the Eng
lish government has issued q notice in
the Ofcial Gazette TO the effect that sew
eraI OF the streets leading out Of White
hall are from henceforth discontinued as
public thoroughfares, the most important
Of the streets thus withdrawn from cir
eulation and converted into a species Of
state preserve being that Downing street
which for the past two centuries has been
almost as famous IN its way as the
Whitehall TO which 1t belongs. Its i'm
portance has been derived from the fact
that it constitutes the principal entrance
To lie foreign office. and that among the
very few houses which open on TO il is
the official residence of the premier.
where the cabinet councils have been
held ever since the reign Of George II,
when Sir Robert WalpOle was the first
prime minister to make his home there.
Il IS a street which should have par
ticular interest for Americans, for it
! takes its name from Sir George Down
I ing. who was born In this country, in
/ New England, and having. while serving
under Cromwell. managed TO save the
1 life Of Charles III. was after the latter S
/ restoration created a baTOnet and ap-
/ pointed secretary Of the treasury in 1861.
II was Downing that built the street,
and the Daily COUrant, Of February 26,
/ I722. advertises as TO let, four large
/ houses at the upper end Of Downing
street" with an intimation that inquiry
should be made of Charles Downing. II
| is No 10, that is TO say. the original Sir
/ George DOWnings old house. which is
/ the official residence OF the premier II
was there that the great Lord Chatham
was carried to die after his fatal swOOr
/ in the House of Lords. William Pitt Oc-
cupied the house with his niece, Lady
/ Hester StanhOpe: and It was while wait
/ ing TO see him that Wellington and Mel.
son had their only meeting. in his ante
! chamber
| Lord North, Lord Melbourne. Disraell
and Mr. Gladstone have all lived in turr
at 10 Downing street and have presided
! there over the councils Of their Tespec,
/ tive cabinets; and to-day it is the abode
Of Sir Henry CampbeIl-Bannerman
whose health is reported to have become
/ so feeble as To render IL doubtful Wheth.
/ eT he will be able 10 retain the presi
dency Of the administration and his ten,
ancy of 10 Downing street.