Papurau Newydd Cymru

Chwiliwch 15 miliwn o erthyglau papurau newydd Cymru

Cuddio Rhestr Erthyglau

26 erthygl ar y dudalen hon

r----TOWN TOPICS. _ I

Newyddion
Dyfynnu
Rhannu

r- TOWN TOPICS. I (From Our London CorrespondentJ King Edward's spring tour must surely be considered one of the most interesting journeys which a British sovereign has ever undertaken, and though designed primarily for pleasure and recreative purposes it has not been devoid of political influence, and in some respects his- torical significance. Private letters received here from Lisbon speak of the remarkable warmth of his Majesty's reception by the Por- tuguese populace, while the strong friendship existing between King Charles and his late guest was apparent throughout the visit in a variety of ways. The Portuguese Minister to the Court of St. James, the Marquis de Soveral, is perhaps on terms of greater personal inti- macy with King Edward than are enjoyed by any other of the foreign representatives in this country, and it is to him undoubtedly that much of the credit is due for the extremely suc- cessful way in which the whole affair was arranged. At Gibraltar, his Majesty was reviving old memories, for he was there as Prince of Wales a quarter of a century ago; but it was the first of his Colonial possessions that he had seen since he ascended the Throne, and, moreover, this was the first occasion in the British occu- pation that a crowned King of England has visited "The Rock." Next year will witness the two hundredth anniversary of the capture of the famous stronghold, which was taken by Sir George Rooke, after a three days' bom- bardment, on July 24, 1704; and it is not generally known that but for the prompt action of that gallant Admiral the place might have slipped into the hands of another Power. When the fortress capitulated, the Prince of Hesse, .who was with the British fleet, took possession on behalf of the Archduke Charles, but Rooke, realising the strategic importance of the posi- tion, ordered the Archduke's banner to be iiauled down and occupied the town in the name of Queen Anne. The English Admiral, however, received no public reward for his brilliant service in capturing Gibraltar, doubt- less owing to its being overshadowed by Marl- borough's great victory at Blenheim a few days later, the bi-ventenary of which will also, of course, occur next year. Unlike Mr. Balfour, who once confessed that he never perused the newspapers, the Prince of Wales is evidently a diligent reader of the daily journals, and this circumstance has enabled his Royal Highness, in a very graceful fashion, to show his deep interest in all matters bearing on the Navy, and at the same time to assist a sound and most deserving institution. Recently a letter appeared in the Times with reference to the training ship Formidable, at -Portishead, Somerset, an old man-of-war, which, after a long career of usefulness in its present sphere of service, is now virtually con- demned, and which, accordingly, is to be re- placed by a nautical school on shore, to be built at an estimated cost of thirty thousand pounds, of which only fifteen thousand has so far been raised. This communication was noticed by the Prince of Wales, who spon- taneously caused a cheque for twenty pounds to be sent to the Building Fund, together with a sympathetic letter, in which he acknow- ledged the excellent work done by the old ship, and warmly commended the scheme to the generosity of the public. The Formidable, it may be mentioned, lies off Portishead in a somewhat exposed position, and presents a well-known and picturesque sight to vessels passing in the Channel to and from Avonmouth and Bristol. Since Lord Salisbury laid down the seals of office last July he has made no appearance in public though at one time it was thought he would take part in the debate on the Educa- tion Bill last autumn in the House of Lords. Now, however, the late Premier has accepted an invitation to the luncheon which the Lord Mayor of London is giving on May 20 to the 'Prince of Wales (the Master) and the Elder Brethren of Trinity House, that little heard of, curiously-named body, who do so much useful work. Lord Salisbury is now staying at his place at Beaulieu, where he has spent a con- siderable part of his time during the last eight months, and the fact that he has consented to attend the Mansion House function indicates that his health has considerably benefited from Shis well-earned rest. Modern utilitarianism has decreed the destruction of Clifford's Inn, a quaint, defunct old legal settlement hidden away behind St. Dunstan's Church, Fleet-street, and bounded on one side by Fetter-lane, and on the west by Serjeant's Inn, another of the ancient Inns of Court, which have no longer an active exist- ence. Clifford's Inn is rich in association, dating back to the fourteenth century, but its lristoric hall and gloomy-looking blocks of offi- ces and chambers, such as Dickens described in one of his immortal works, will soon be (things of the past, for the whole of the pro- perty, comprising nearly an acre of land, and all the buildings thereon, is to be sold by public auction here next month, under an order of the Courts, on behalf of the projected scheme of legal education. Being freehold, it will doubt- less be purchased either for the creation of ground rents or for the erection of buildings worthy of such a noted centre of professional activity and commercial enterprise, and as op- portunities are not often available for acquiring by a single transaction an acre of City land, in one of the most valuable parts of the metro- polis there is likely to be an interesting com- petition between millionaires and syndicates for the possession of the property. The last occa- sion, I believe, on which an equally large piece of ground in the City was publicly disposed of -though not a freehold like Clifford's Inn- was over two years ago, when Mr. Alfred Beit, the South African millionaire, bought from the Bridge House Estate the eighty years lease of the London-wall segment of Finsbury-circus, for a ground rent of eighteen thousand pounds per annum. I may add that the handsome pile of buildings now being erected for Mr. Beit on this site will shortly be ready for occupation, and will constitute an imposing architectural addition to a neighbourhood which more than any other district in what may be termed the Stock Exchange area has been transformed by re-building during the past few years. 0 The Easter matches virtually settled the positions of the leading clubs in the First Divi- sion of the Football League, as well as the fate of the various teams which will exchange places in the First and Second Divisions; and soon after these lines appear in print the final struggle for the Association Cup should have been fought out between Bury and Derby County at the Crystal Palace. A start was made with the summer game on. Monday and Tuesday, but county cricket will hardly begin for another fortnight. The most interesting point in connection with cricket just now -is the much-discussed question of the wider wicket, which will come to the vote at the meeting here early next month. Opinion on the proposal seems fairly divided, though—as regards the fifteen first-class counties-there appears to be a bare majority in favour of leav- ing the present rule unaltered. Possibly it will be arranged to give the plan a fair trial before definitely deciding one way or the other. The County Championship competition is likely to absorb even more attention this season, as ) there will be no distraction through the pres- ence in our midst of an Australian eleven. K.

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