Evening star., 1924-01-09
American Descendants of Kings
Nav Now Join Exclusive Body

man of the privY chamber OF Ktng
James /. while the founder OF the
family was certain Robert Rum
bold, who, according to cotemporarHf
judicial records still in existence, was
in litigation with Alured Of Lincoln
in AID I194, concerning lands in the
counties of Essex and Hertfordshire.
In view of this ancestry no credence
need be accorded to the spiteful gos-
sip of Horace Walpole. who insisted
that Sir Thomas Rumbold, the first
baronet of the line and one of the
typical nabobs in London society to-
ward the end of the eighteenth cen
tury, began life as a waiter at Whites
Club in London and was, In conse
quence, the subject Of George Solwyn.s
bon mot that everything comes 70
him who knows how to wait"
/ 1t is perfectly true that Thomas
Rumbold at the early age of sixteen
went out to, India as a subordinate
member of the suite of the then
governor of Fort George. But it was
in the capacity of gentleman cadet
and not a menial. and If he had been
granted a cadetship II was because
his father was a naval officer who
thad served with distinction in the
marine forces OF the East India Com
| pany Thomas. Rumbold's career in
the orient is 4 matter OF history. he
was the chief aid de camp to Gen.
Lord Give at the battle of PlaSsy,
where he was severely wounded.
| His promotion was rapid IN India
! where he was eventually appointed 70
! the goVernorsAip Of Madras ana was
/ created baronet there upon returning
! to England III the possession OF an
| enormous fortune.
! His descendant oi today the new
British ambassador to Madrid, who
! became, after the departure of Lord
! Curzon the chief British plenlpo-
/ tentiary at the congress OF Lausanne
| some eighteen months ago, ana VINO
/ has since been serving as British high
| commissioner and then as ambassador
at ConstanlinopIe, has inherited much
| of his fathers courtl.ness. charm OF
| manner and broad understanding OF
/ international problems. He has served
at Athens, at Teheran, at Cairo. at
Toxic. also at Rome, Vienna and War
| saw. and has received special allow
ances from the foreign office Tor MS
| remarkable proficiency IN PERSIAN
Arabic, Turkish and Japanese. HIS
! wife is one of the pretty daugh-
| ters of the late Sir Edmund Fame. who
| spent his entire adult life IN repre-
senting Great Britain in foreign cap
| Itals. so that Lady Rumbold may be
said to have been reared from her IN
| fancy in the environment OF dlplo,
macy and is peculiarly well equipped
for the role of ambassadress.
| i 4 <
! In view of the important role which
| prohibition plays in the United States,
| it may be of interest to draw attention
ta the fact that in the recent general
election in Great Britain the candt-
dates indorsed and supported by the
) LIQUOR trade were. to very great ex-
tent, defeated at the polls. The ma
jority OF the new house of commons
| ia pledged to local option, and RAM
say Macdonald, the chief of the labor
| party, who, ere a fortnight is past.
| is likely to take over the government
| of the empire as prime minister, de-
! clares that he strongly favors the
| cause of temperance, and that labor
! has resolved to place the drink traInc
under popular control.
| Both Herbert Asquith and Lloyd
| George have come out strongly as for
mer premierS in favor OF local option
! and of the right of citizens OF local
! ity to determine for themselves the
/ drinking facilities in their immediate
! area Indeed, the defeat of the con-
J servatives at the polls Just before
| Christmas is largely attributed to the
attitude of Premier Baldwin, Whos
speaking In their name, utcllilS0 "
consent to any modification OF the
existing legislation on the subject Of
1 temperance, or to accept three de-
mands submitted to him by the tenn
perance council of the Christian
/ churches, namely for magtsterial con-
troll of the supply of liquor to clubs,
local option, and for the Sabbath
bars and so-called "publics.'
Some time ago ! related in these
| letters how Admiral Sir Reginald
Hall Guy Gaunt and some retired flag
officers of the royal navy had iden-
! tilted themselves with the defense OF
| the liquor interests as paid man
ayers of organizations entitled the
Fellowship of Freedom and Reform"
| etc. Sir Reginald and most OF his
naval associates identified with anti
prohibition movements and with the
opposition of any further restriction
Iplaced upon the production and,
above all. the consumption of drink,
have gone down in defeat at the polls
and will have to find other means OF
experimenting their relatively mear
Iger pensions.