New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1911-06-18
Anglo-American Memories
CXXIv.
Mr. WILLIAM WALDORF AsToR AND HIS EXPERIENCES ENG
Copyright. 1911. George w. smaliey)

7 structural beams and rafters all visible:
family portraits on the walls. gilt busts
on pedestas. and what we call Colo
niar' furniture all about. which I sup
/ pose no truly patriotic American will adj
nit to be, as it is, furniture of George
Ills time. A spacious. well propor-
toned baronial hall, with only Mr..
Astor's desk to suggest that it is the
headquarters of one of the greatest es-
tates in the world. There is a library Of
rarities; a bedroom with a Francois
Premier bed in it much too large for the
room in which Mr.. Astor sleeps when in
London; with his feet in the fireplace:
and much else. He built # to please
himself, and It is one Of the sights OF
this ancient London; not think. often
shown. nor perhaps well known 10 the
tourists. In Carlton House Terrace,
which is supposed to be his private adj
dress, Mr.. Aston never sleeps. The vast
house serves for a certain number-not
many-dinners in each season. followed
by concerts. Of which Paderewski is one
attraction and Jeanne Granier another,
and long roll Of famous names.
When Mr.. Aston bought Cliveden from
the late Duke Of Westminster there was
dispute of which I suppose some echo
found its way across the Atlantic. The
duke. having sold the place with its
contents. claimed one item Of the con-
tents as still his own; the visitors book.
If he had asked for IL he would have
had il. but when he made a claim as Of
right, Mr.. Aston stood on his own rights,
and the two quarrelled; about almost
nothing. The Duke of Westminster was
very powerful parsonage and his friends
took his part: and Society. ever respect
full TO dukes, was good deal on his side.
The Duke complained that Mr.. Astor
had written a rude letter TO the Duchess.
/ have read the letter and il was not at
all rude, but ii served as a pretext. and
very likely the Duke would have thought
any letter rude except letter Of sub
mission. The quarrel became feud and
lasted till the Dukes death.
Cliveden as the Duke sold II was
beautiful thing; Barry's FACADE looking
down on the gentle Thames from us
lofty terrace, amid woods and over fields
OF a soft 1rulticolored greenness only TO
be seen in perfection in England Its
new owner made IL one Of the most beau
tiful possessions anywhere In England
or in the world Of its kind. An Eng
lishman of the olden time or Of the mod
EN- time with the old traditions still
strong in him, might not find it to his
taste II has, or had. not more tnan
three hundred acres of land about IT,
and any more land that might be bought
would he divided from it by high roads
Dropmore. hard by. is much more the
English idea Of a country place with It's
George III house in the midst Of three
thousand acres of lovely park
Mr. Astor presently felt this land hun
ger strongly and sought to enlarge his
boundaries, regardless of the high road.
I believe he did acquire a certain num-
Der Of acres, but the possessions he
coveted were not for sale. even at prices
much beyond their market value. one
Of his neighbors declined a cheque for
half a million for but a fraction or the
beautiful woods he owned and still owns.
There are men TO whom money is not
everything, nor even the first thing. In
these days Of Death Duties and super
tax and Lloyd George Budgets there are
land owners who find themselves obliged
IN sell. and of the next generation there
will be many more. But they sell under
compulsion. Great estates and old fam
lies are TO be broken up. II Is Mr..
Ilovd Georges avowed object. The
American who cares TO see England as
il has been for centuries. in all its
charm. must not wait too long.
Possibly even Mr. Aston may not now
regret that his attempts to make Give
den a landed property failed. Land is
becoming in England the most expensive
of all luxuries, and Mr.. Aston is, by
descent and education. man of business
first OF all and man Of business does
not like paying more than thing is
worth. Nor does a man Of business. or
any man, like being despoiled Of his
property, whether by the State or by
unlegalized brigandage. Nor is the doc
trlne Of ransom-originally Mr.. Cham
herlajn's doctrne-yet accepted by the
classes who have TO pay it. But those
classes are a minority, and the rights
of the minority in England are at the
marcy Of the new majority. @. w. ;.