Evening journal., 1913-04-29
GOSSIP OF THE COURTS
BY FL AN UR.

sixty-six consecutive years. Like
Curzon street, its near neirhbor
Charles Street affords amusing con-
lrasts-a dingy inn standing next
door TO the house of the weathiest
member OF the Greek colony of Lon
don. But in Lady Dorothys early
days its most distinguished resident
was Sir Bulwer LyttOn, one of whose
drawing-rooms was an exact facsim-
lie as regards furniture and decora-
tions, of a room i'm Pompei.
Lady Dorothy Is said to have re-
membered the last sedan chair used
in London. but many younger per-
sons no double have shared this mem-
ory. Lady Lucy Pusey, who died in
1893 clung to this form OF convey
ance until shortly before her death.
There was a sedan chair kept for use
by the mother OF Dr. Pusey. in Gros-
Venor Square. 10 used to convey her
to church. but she had at last to give
II up. from the difficulty of procuring
bearers. II they were men unaccus-
toned to the work and did not keep
step. the movement became very un-
comfortable and at that time they be-
came unskilled for lack of practice.
Sir Moses Montefiore went i'm
sedan chair to the Prince Of Wales
garden party at Marlborough House
in 1878. Sir Moses, the noted phil
anthropist and brother-in-law of Ia
than Meyer Rothschild. was then 93
The party was on Saturday. His
Jewish principles prevented him from
using his horses, but the men were
not his servants. They were not
forced to labor So it was all right.
The only sedan chair still in active
service is to be found at Hampton
Court Some of the ladies residing
there use it when visiting one an
others apartments in the evening. but
it is never seen outside the precincts
of the palace.
But the late Lady Dorothy Nevill
also remembered the first steam bus
I'm Londan, which was tested just
eighty years ago, when she witnessed
the trial trip. The inventor was Wal
ter Hancock and the first appearance
of the vehicle. a cumbersome affair,
named The Era, created much excite
ment lt carried fourteen passengers
and ran from Paddington to tho
Bank Of England, at a charge of six
pence all the way. It's success led
to the introduction of several other
buses. but they were withdrawn IN
consequence of the turnpike acts OF
1910.
If King George of England. when
he went to the durbah I'm India, had
not tabooed the proposition. he would
have been weighed in gold. and the
amount required TO make him tip the
scales would have been distributed
among the poor This is very
ancient custom. and it prevails still
in many lands of the Orient A
maharajah who was crowned recently
seated himself in one of the pans OF
the balance, while into the other was
thrown gold until his royal nabobship
rose in the scales. That maharajah.
by the usage of an ancient but un-
written law, did not legally become
ruler until he had been weighed in
this manner
In olden times the custom prevail
cd of throwing the money into the
air and letting the people scramble
for whatever rtrt OF il missed inc
scales, but this resulted in disorder
anu lItlNtul iNno VI me- anu iuOit-
over, defeated the object in view, as
the strong usually outnumbered those
in need of the benefit After this a
commission of functionaries was
named to divide the gold among the
poor of the country districts after the
monarch had been weighed. The GUS
tom of weighing monarchs is not sol
extrayagant as it may appear to be.
In the case of George V it was cal
cuated that 10000 pounds in gold
would be devoted to the weighing and
the expenses of the entertainment,
but that is not to say that the expense
was necessarily determined by the
bulk of the monarch. AS much more
may be added TO the fund as any num-
her of persons desire to give. How
ever, the native Indian potentates arc
usually heavy enough to satisfy all
demands.
Copyright, 1913, by A. D.. Jacobson