Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1914-10-19
American Embassy
Changes Its Local
ton in London

London, Oct. 3.-For so years the
office of American ministers and am
baSSadors were on Victoria street
South West within two squares of the
chancellory at 123 Victoria South West
which Ambassador Page has just va
Gated to take up official quarters at
GrosVenor Gardens, where he has
leased a more commodious house capa-
BILE of offering comfortable quarters
to the largely increased embassy staff
necessary to handle the extra business
entailed by the war.
Ambassadors Whitelaw Reid, Joseph
H. Choate, John Hay and Thomas F,
Bayard occupied the offices just va
Gated on Victoria street and. it prob
ably will be some time before the visit
ors to the American Embassy will be-
come accustomed to the new quarters
which are about half mile west of
the old location. The new chancellory
was formerly occupied by the Japan
ese Embassy and has a frontage of
nearly 100 feet on Grosvenor Gardens,
an attractive little triangular park
about which many prominent London
ers live. The Spanish Embassy stands
just across the park from Mr.. Pages
new chancellory and the British Le-
CATION and several other legations are
within two or three squares.
The old chancellory had only ten
rooms, while the new one has 40 rooms
and is admirably adapted to the grow
ing work of the American Embassy.
When the house at 1923 Victoria street
was taken by the American mission
it was regarded as very pretensious.
And it was pretentious in contrast
with the six bare rooms the American
minister used to have for his offices in
Members Mansions, a square and one
half east of the house just vacated.
Robert T. Lincoln was the last repre-
sentative of ministerial rank the United
States sent to England. He was pre-
ceded by James Russell Lowell, E. G.
Phelps, Charles Francis Adams, John
Welsh and number of other famous
bers Mansions.
While James Russell Lowell was &C.
cupying scantily furnished offices In
that building the late J. Pierpont Nor
gan paid him visit The office floor
was bare and the fixtures were so
unpretentious that the American mil
lionaire commented upon the poor
equipment provided by the govern
ment:
1T is very bad" Mr. Lowell replied
I'm sorry l haven't personal money
which would enable me to fix things
up"
Il tell you what l want to do Mr..
Morgan suggested. Il have just
bought some handsome rugs in Smyrna
and if it is agreeable to you / should
like to give one of them to the govern
ment for your Office
Mr.. Lowell was much pleased with
the suggestion and the banker sent
the rug to the legation in few days.
1t was still in use on the floor of Mr..
Pages Office when he gave up the old
chaneellory, but is too small for the
larger office he will have in the new
building.
Shortly after Mr.. Morgan's call on
Mr. Lowell. Mrs. Bonynge, a prominent
American woman whose daughter be-
came Lady Deerhurst, was calling on
the minister in the same office. She
wanted to know what time it was and
looked all about the walls of the office.
Il am sorry the poet said when he
saw his visitor wanted to know the
time. But our government is too poor
to buy me a clock, and I have to get
along without one"
Mrs. Bonynge was surprised to hear
how poorly the United States provided
for its foreign representatives and
presented the chancellory with a clock
which is still in use.
In those days the legation had but
one secretary and naval attaches and
military attaches were not thought of
until 1882 when the then Lieutenant
French E. Chadwick, now Rear Ad-
miral Chadwick, came to London as
naval attache, Major Clarence Post
was the first military attache.
The present embassy staff of three
secretaries and many assistants nee
essary to handle the great volume of
business is in striking contrast to the
limited personnel 35 years ago. In
addition to the civilian staff, the naval
and military attaches now have many
officers assisting them and the added
work entailed by the war relief move
ments requires many special assistants.