Evening star., 1923-02-16
Royal Favors Shown Lloyd George
Since Resigning Premiership

its most interesting relic, known as
THE Curse of Scotland" 1t is the
playing card, the nine of diamonds.
on which the Royal Duke of Cumber-
land wrote his memorable order that
no quarter should be given or pris-
onerS taken at the battle OF Cullo-
den, fought on the 18th OF April,
1746. The. order was given by the
duke on the night before the battle.
AS the general to whom 1t was COM
municated realized that the duke Wa5
in his cups, he insisted upon having
the order in writing. To satisfy him.
the duke is said to have anSrllN
snatched a card-that is to say. the
nine of diamonds-from the table at
which he sat gambling. and to have
written the order.
The instructions of the duke were
put into execution on the following
day. and but few of the adherents o. !
Charles Edward, the young preten1
der. escaped to tell the tale of their
defeat. The massacre. lndee6; iot
that is what the battle Of Culloden
degenerated into at the end. excited m
Alienation and horror-not only
throughout Scotland, but also IN Eng
land, and won for this uncle OF hlnG
George III the lasting nicknMne TSS
he is now known in history 10 th's
day.
Startled by the spectacle presented
OF the shocking state of repair into
which the historic Palace of Versailles
had been allowed to fall. and which
was revealed to many people for the
first time in a series of tell-tale Pho
tocraphs recently published by the
Paris Illustration, the French chan1
hers have at length voted a sum OF
q oao 600 a wear for the term of f1Ve
vears-namely, S35,000,000 in all-for
the restoration of the grand ola PAL
ace where King Louis NV helu ms
mapnificent court and where the 1alr
and frail ladies of Louis XIV fluttered
like gorgeous butterflies through the
beautiful gardens created by tne
genius of Lenotre..
The money has been voted JUST III
the nick of time. For the acres OF root
had long ceased to protect the price
less art treasures and historic relics
preserved there from the damp and
rain while the wonderful fountains
in the gardens, the statuary ana tne
balustrades Of the terraces were III
orally crumblng to pieces. Versallies
is unique in its way. There is notn-
ing in the world quite like 1T 1t
would have been an irreparable loss
not only to France. but also TO the
entire world-if 1t had been allowed
to fall into decay and ruin. which
had not the government and the ma
tional legislature of France taken
the matter in hand. in Difference TO
popular sentiment, and at a time
when the money for the purpose can
i'll be spared.
y y r
Lord Hardinge's only daughter, the
Hon. Diamond Hardinge, who because
Of the death Of her gifted and popu-
lar mother was called upon to do the
honors for her father during his tern
of office as British ambassador in
Paris, is about to marry Capt. Robert
Abercrombie of the SCOTS Guards,
posthumous son of the late Sir Rob-
ert Abercrombie and stepson there
fore of his mothers present husband,
the Earl of NoFthbrook. He is the
only brother and next heir to the an
cient baronetcy and extensive estates
in Bannfshire and in County Cork of
Sir George Abercrombie, who com
manded a battalion of the Gordon
Highlanders during the great war
winning the D. S. o. His mother, Lady
Northbrook. was a daughter of the
late Eyre Coote, member of a family
which has many interesting Amerf-
can connections dating from the CO.
lonia1 ara :.