Evening star., 1923-09-09
Former Field Marshal Lord French
Made Captain of the Castle of Deal

Il quarter of century ago. he still
rides. to this day. both when on mill
tary duty and when out hunting. with
the characteristic rolling. and some
what ungainly, seat OF sailor.
whereas the admiral of the fleet, Lord
Beatty, whose entire life may be said
to have been spent at sea, rides to
hounds with the seat OF a true hunt
ing man.
With regard to Lord George HAM
ilton. younger son of that Duke of
Abercorn. who was so admirably por-
trayed by Lord Beaconsfield as "the
duke" in his key novel, "Lothair."
and whom King Edward used to nick
name "Old Splendid" it may be re-
called that when. at the outset of
the great war. Sir Edgar Speyer
found it necessary to resign his pres
idency of the entire underground
electric railroad system of London by
reason of his German birth and as
sociations. Lord George Hamilton
was elected to take his place. thus
enabling millions of Londoners who
had become afflicted with the German
spy mania. so breathe more freely in
the knowledge that they had a true
blue Brfton at the head of their tube
metropolitan railroad system. His
the greater part of his life in the
railroad business as chairman of the
Great Eastern railroad, the best man.
aged trunk line in England and be-
fore he retired he drafted Henry
Thornton from the Long Island rail-
road into service as general manager
of the English Great Eastern, on the
ground that there was no railroad
man In England who possessed the
same amount of necessary qualifica-
tfons. Henry Thornton. who was in
spector general of transportation of
the English government and held a
commission of major general in the
English army throughout the great
war, ia now Sir Henry Thornton and
president and chairman of the entire
national railroads of Canada.
Lord George is the author of most
entertaining and frank volumes of
| "reminiscences of public life and has
no illusions as to his own brilliancy
For when. after retiring from the
secretaryship of state for India,
lowing seven years as first lord of
the admiralty, he was elected to be-
come the, chairman Of the. London
school board and consulted his po-
litical chieftain, friend and former
premier. the late Marquis of Salis-
bury, he declares that the latter
strongly advised him to accept. add
.ing:: He seemed to- think that I
had an inherent -wet-bianket' ele-
ment within me which would damp
down the heat of the more violent OF
protago1ists." Eerd George adds that
Lord Salisbury, as usual, was right.
For I realize that am natural
born wet blanket which is exactly
what every good chairman ought to
be- - - ~ -
How hard the old TERRITORIAL aris-
tocracy of Great Britain is being hit
by the terribly onerous taxation of
every kind rendered necessary ;. by
the colossal cost of the great war
is. shown by the number, of ancestral
homes that are now in the market.
Thus, Lord Poltimore, fourth Of his
line. who, as Maj. the Hon George
Bamfylde of the Grenadier. Guards,
saw q great deal Of service at the
front In France, and also In the Bal
kans, during the titanic international
strugHle. has just heen obliged to sell
his grand old place, sPolumors Park,
near Exeter,