Show HER COOBTRY HOME t < The Rurai i fK sidencc of Eng sands Queen Y a JOHN BROWNS SMOKING NOOK How Things are Arrancrd at Osborne A Royal Cooperative Museum New Bsmquettlnj Hall The first thing that strikes the visitor to OsborneJs that her majesty has a capital eye tor situation She occupies the western wing which juts out considerably from the main building From her rooms she can look straight down the wooded lope to the snore and right across the Sole nta charming mixture of meadow and thicket and waterdotted with snowy sails The equerrjes and staff live around the corner and like Dick Swiveller command a capital capi-tal view of oventhe way The terrace ip front of Osborne has a stiff prim look about it and you catch yourself thinking of the first book of Euclid as you glance around But there in 1 avlorlous vine tree running along a jutting pier which takes nay something of the hare mathematical f appearance and would have gladdened the heart of Capt Cuttle The workmen have strict orders not to scrape the lichens from f the stairs and balustrades in their cleanings clean-ings up the queen delights in the appearance appear-ance of antiquity they give There is very little statuary in the grounds but on the southwestern facing each other across the pathway are two splendid antlered stags cast in the saroe mold ns the pair which form a Prom nont feature in the grounds at Balmoral The new wing which is being built on I the western side ° is already of imposing appearance ap-pearance VljQt a splendid banqueting hall this will be The size is GO by 30 feet li and the work of the most solid description The iron girders ncross the roof weigh each two and a half tons and the walla have been strengthened with iron in a way that would make the ordinary builder open his eyes The corridors around the hall are very spacious and elaborate arrangements ar-rangements have been made so that the dishes from the kitchen can be delivered down both sides simultaneously The building alone will it is said cost ° 12000 IX MEMORY OF BROWN i The fruit garden and conservatories at J Osborne are nof of much account Sufficient Suffi-cient grapes and hothon11 flowers are t grown to provide for the queens table butt but-t many things are daily sent down from i Windsor The head gardener is an Englishman English-man It is very hot in the grounds at Os borne and the visitor will be glad to rest himself on the neat granite seat erected I along one of the pathwaysas the inscription inscrip-tion on it records to the memory of the late John Brown It appears that whenever when-ever the faithful henchman could getaway from service he liked to come tothisshady spot to smoke his pipe Whenever he was missed the attendants first sought him here A brother of hisa fine stalwart Highlandman now in charge of the lodgegate Down by the sea is a jetty which is used by the royal family for boating and yachting yacht-ing purposes Thera is a bathing machine here and just beside it is a curious arrangement arrange-ment to enable the ladies and children to bathe in comfort and safety It is a great gayly painted bargo with hollow center something like canoe The bottom of this is so arranged that when the craft is run along its rails into the sea the water comes in and the hollow space becomes a tank in which a child might wobble about till it turned into A water baby A royal road to learninghow to swiml Perhaps the most interesting sight about Osborne is the Swiss chalet and the delightful delight-ful garden surrounding it Here isa pleasant pleas-ant record of the family of her majesty Those tall bushes over there were planted many years ago by the queen and the prince consort < these smaller ones by their different differ-ent sons and daughters the tiny ones by their grandchildren Each tree has a plaque underneath telling bj whom it was planted r and when That umbrella pine was planted by the queen in 1862 in memory of the f PrIce consort Further on and side by side are two stately bushesliving memories mem-ories of the marriage day of the Prince and Princess of Wales These two represent the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh and the latest pairstand for Princess Beatrice and Prince Henry of Battenberg The royal children were trained among other things in gardening here and ach of them had abit of ground keep in order Everything Every-thing is just asit was when they were children chil-dren and the gardener will show you their different plots which are side by side and all exactly alike There is a neat tool house in which are ranged their little wheelbarrows spades etc and the donkey cart in which they drove their produce to market Everything is marked with their different initials THE ROYAL MUSEUM Here also is a museum with a part fitted np for each member of the royal family and there are some wonderful curios shown by the Prince of Wales and his brothers gBt during their foreign wanderings wander-ings strange animals shot by themselves crocodiles from the Nile tigers from India bustards deer all manner of strange gifts from different savage chieftains elephants tusks given Sir Garnet V 01seley at Ulundi and a very special Egyptian l mummyno I doubt of the bluest blood of his time The r chaiet itself is a quaint building the upper part of which is fitted up for the queen Down below live the keeper and his wife the former a hale cheery looking cockney < whose 70 years lie lightly on him He fiJL is a man with a history lIe was in tie 7T service of Earl Beaconsfield and for many 0 years acted as coachman to the late Dean E Stanley Through the influence of Lady Augusta Stanley he obtained his present place some seven years Ago and the queen > has no more devoted servant But all her servants speak well of her Most of her work they say is done in one or other of k the marquees erected by the house and they add that she sticks at it early and late There is one continual stream of messengers bearing documents to be attended at-tended to Andif in addition to state business one thinks of the points which arise in connection with n property like Osborne on all of which I was told her f majesty herself has something to say it is easy to understand why her daughters have to beg her to be more punctual at the 9 oclock dinner Pall Mall Gazette |