The St. Mary banner. (Franklin, Parish of St. Mary, La.) 1889-1931, 1914-12-26

- TAFFORD house, the fine old
mansion overlooking st. James
park and The Mall, which was
for SO many years the town
house of the dukes of Suther
land, has been thrown open to the
public as the London museum.
The lofty rooms are flooded with
light even on a dull day. and they form
an admirable setting for the valuable
exhibits that have been assembled and
arranged under the careful supervi.
sion OF Guy Laking, the director. and
his colleagues.
There are three great features Of the
new museum-the collection of early
seventeenth century jewelry buried.
perhaps. at the time of the great fire
or the plague, and found under a Lon
don house at the time of its demoli-
ton two years ago., the greatest col
lection Of Cromwellian relics ever as
sembled, and the equally important
collection of costumes, chiefly of the
Georgian period, which fill two of the
state rooms on the first floor.
Gold and Silver Room.
One of the principal attractions is
the gold and silver room. 1t contains
unique survival Of the early part Of
the seventeenth century in the shape
Of collection Of jewelry discovered
in the city. This treasure was found
buried in box and was part Of jew
eler's stock. There are many dupli-
Gates and some of the articles are in
an unfinished condition.
Altogether $40 pieces were discov-
cred. including rings, pendants, chains,
scent bottles, pomanders, and watches,
and part of communion set in crys-
tai and gold. The delicacy and ele-
gance Of the designs and workman
ship are remarkable and in one or two
instances 1t Is curious to recognize
the resemblance of the ornaments
fashioned in Jacobean times to the art
nouveau Of the day
One OF the most interesting of the
rescued relics is a cameo portrait Of
Queen Elizabeth, evidently carved by
the same hand as that which execut-
ed a precisely similar portrait pre-
served at Windsor castle.
Rich In PaIeoIithIc Implements.
The museum is rich in paleolithic
implements-a wonderful celt was dis
covered within the last three weeks in
Piccadilly circus-in neolithic imple-
ments. and in weapons of the bronze
age. Some admirable bronze swords
have been found in Sion Reach, Mill
wall. and Wandsworth, and are here
displayed to indicate the civilization
which had been attained before the
advent of the Romans, to whom the
visitor is introduced by natural tran
sition.
The former dining room of Stafford
house has been converted into Lon
dinium." Here are writing materials,
artistic trifies, toilet appliances, per-
fume, and manicure boxes and toys.
From Roman London the itinerary
leads to the Saxon, Danish, and Anglo
Saxon collections, whence one passes
to the advent of the Normans. At the
end of the corridor Is room contain.
ing medieval relics dating from 1900
to 1900.
1t is perhaps when the staircase is |
assembled and the time of the Tudors !
is reached that the romance and color |
of London in old times are most for
chilly brought home to the mind. The
arms of Henry VIII, Edward vi, Mary,
and Elizabeth are effectively displayed.
and many curious and Illuminating sur
vivals Of their reigns are to be seen.
Relics of Sixteenth Century.
Here. for instance. is the elaborate
and handsome steelyard of Sir Thorn
as Gresham. Various domestic uten-
sils, examples of metal work, a few
of costumes, Examinations.
and landscapes help the visitor to Wis
nalixe life inzsthe sixteenth century.
The proclamation for the resumption