Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1914-10-22
Chittenden County
Trust Company
BurIInuton, VI.
NEW QUAR7ERSFOR.
THE j. s. EMBASSY

Correspondence OF the Associated Press)
London, Oct. 3-For sixty wears the Of
flee OF American ministers and ambassa-
doris were on Victoria street southwest
within two squares of the chancellory
at 1913 Victoria southwest. which Am
bassador Page has just vacated to take
up official quarters at Grosvenor gar
dens, where he has leased n more commo-
dious house capable of Offering comfort
able quarters to the largely Increased
embassy staff necessary to handle the
extra business entaied by the war.
Ambassadors Whitelaw Reid. Joseph II.
'hoate, John Hay and Thomas f. Bayard
occupied the offices Just vacated on Vic
torla street and it probably will be some
time before the visitors to the Ameri-
can embassy will become accustomed 70
the new quarters which are about n half
mile west Of the old location. The new
chancellory was formerly occupied by
the Japanese embassy and has n frontage
Vi nearly loo feet on Grosvenor gardens,
an attractive little triangular park about
winch many prominent Londoners live.
Inc Spanish embassy stands lust across
the park from Mr.. Pages new chancel-
Tory and the Belgian legation and sew
eral other legations are within two or
three squares.
n" ola chancellory had only 10 rooms.
while the new one has forty rooms and Is
"u'i'lraoIy adapted to the growing work
or the American embassy When the
mouse Mt l23 Victoria street was taken by
the American mission 1t was regarded q
cry pretentious. And It was pretentious
III contrast with the six bare rooms th,,
american minister used to have for his
oft1ces In Members Mansions a SQUARE and
one-hait east of the house Just vacated
hooert /. Lincoln was the last represen-
tatlVe OF ministerial rank the United
states sent to England He was preceded
by James Russell Lowell. f. J. Phelps.
oharles Francis Adams. John Welsh and
number OF other famous Americans who
mad quarters in Members Mansions
while James Russell Lowell was occu-
pElnS scantly furnished offices in that
ouiidlng the late J. Pierpont Morgan maid
MIN visit The office floor was bare
and the fixtures were so unpretertions
mat tho American millionaire commented
on the poor equipment provided by the
government
1T Is very bad Mr. Lowell replied
I'm sorry haven't personal money
which would enable me to fix things nm
! tell You what want to do" Mr. Nor
gan suggested. II have lust bought some
handsome rugs In Smyrna and If II agree
able to you 7 should like to give one Of
them to the government for Your office"
Mr.. Lowell was much pleasod with the
suggestion and the banker sent the Pm,
TO the legation In n few days II was still
In use on the floor Of Mr.. Pages Office
"hen he gave up the old chancellorv. hut
Is too small for the larger Office no will
have in the new building
Shortly after NJ Morran's call m NJ
Lowell Mrs Bonyngc. prominent
American woman whose dauphtor no.
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" tho poet said when he saw
ms visitor wanted to know the time
"But our government Is too poor to huv
me clock and 7 have to get along
without one"
MRS Bonynge was surprised 70 hear
how poorly the Tnitod States provided
i'' us l'i'lGu representatives and
scented the chancellory with a clock
which Is still in use
In those days the lega ton had hut
one secretary and naval attaches and
military attaches were not thought Of un-
I'll lSS2 when the then Lieutenant French
r. chadwick, now Rear Admiral Cha4-
wick. came to London as naval attache
Major Clarence Post was the first mill
tary attache.
The present embassy staff Of three
secretaries and many assistants neces-
sary to handle the great volume Of bust
ness In striking contrast to the limited
personnel thirty-f1ve years ago In addi-
ton to the civilian stan, the naval and
military attaches now have many officers
assisting them and the added work en-
tailed by the war relief movements re-
quires many special assistants