The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-10-12

rate will, though possibly It may be purchased by the King or more probably by the English nation.
 The Belgian royal family will before long badly need money and their necos- sity would afford the English nation an excellent opportunity for purchasing some of the most valuable treasures in the world at comparatively low price.
 good many works of art, books and treasures of various kinds ls ke also been left in the care of numerous persons in England by French. German and Austrian people who have returned to their own countries since the war broke out. Count Mensdorff, the Austrian ambassador left his valuable collection of old miniatures worth thousands of dollars, in the care of Lord Stamfordham. The count asked King George. with whom he was on ex- tremely intimate terms. to take charge of them. His majesty, however. could not very well take charge of the property oi the ambassador of an enemy country. but the matter was settled by Lord Stam- fordham offering to do so.
 Princess Lichnowsky left nearly all her jewels in the charge of a member of Queen Mary's household and the wife of a member of the embassy stan left . valuable collection of seventeenth cen utry dresses in the care of Lady How ard de Walden.
 
 away from London left his house in May fair with some thousands of dollars worth of furniture, paintings and plate in the care of the Red Cross society. whom he asked to utilize it as a hospital with the remark in letter he left for the society that the whirligig of events might bring him as patient to their care at his own house.
 A vast deal of property has come into the hands of the state fin the shape of furniture and other effects left in Lon don and elsewhere by Germans who went to Germany at the beginning of the war. There were several cases of Germans who simply locked up their houses when they went away without leaving any instruc- tions or directions as to what should be done with their property. With the order compelling aliens resident in England to register their names with the police in- structions were at the same time given to the latter to make forcible entry into inc houses of Germans or Austrians who did not comply with the order or who had left the country and take possession cs all their effects. In a house in Grosvenor Gardens that had been occupied by German financier there was found a col lection of old English and German armor that has since been valued by Sir Guy Laking. one of the greatest living au- tnorities on old armor. at $500.000. In another house in one of the cheaper parts of South London that had been tenanted by dealer in antique objects of art. was found number of genuine Tanagrae statuettes and original pencil sketches of some of the greatest painters of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. In several houses e large quantity of old silver was found. One way and another cutie S5000.000 worth of property has fallen into the hands of the English government in this way What will be done with it Is uncertain. Some of 1t may be re- stored to the owners after the war. but the probability is that the greater part of 1t will finally be placed in the Eng glish royal palaces.
 (copyrislt. 1914 by Curtis Brown,l