1902] The Peace of Pretoria 25 



to beg abject pardon of his King- for having opposed him as if for 

 a crime. 



" 2nd June. — Peace has been signed at Pretoria. The country is 

 thoroughly war sick, and I hope will so remain during my lifetime. 

 King Edward was determined to have an end put to the fighting 

 before his coronation, and I fancy the Boers have had better terms 

 given them than people are aware of, and that the peace has been 

 arrived at over Chamberlain's head and Milner's. Talking of Cham- 

 berlain on Thursday, George said of him that his character was com- 

 pletely misunderstood by the public, who, judging by his face, thought 

 him a cool, unimpassioned calculator. He was just the reverse, being 

 rash and impulsive in his decisions, to a great extent a political gambler, 

 anything but a safe man to be at the head of affairs. George is 

 beginning to learn things now he is in office. 



" 3rd Jane. — Madeline Wyndham took me to tea at Apsley House 

 with her son Guy and his wife and stepdaughter, a pretty child 

 just out. The Duke and Duchess showed us all over the house 

 from garret to cellar, or rather to the underground chamber, where 

 the plate is displayed in huge glass cases. The old Duke must have 

 had a passion for silver plate, for every crowned head seems to 

 have presented him with some, the most magnificent being the gift of 

 the Portuguese Government. This last includes thirty-two dozen 

 silver dinner plates. It is unfortunately all of a date which leaves its 

 value something less than the weight of the metal, though the Portu- 

 guese is better than the rest, enormous pieces of preposterous design 

 of the time of George IV, practically unusable. There is something 

 melancholy in such a vast display for every one except the head 

 butler, who has the proud charge of it. The Duke and Duchess, how- 

 ever, take a full interest in it all, and explained everything in detail 

 to us very amiably. They are excellent people, he rather stiff and 

 formal as becomes the representative of his great ancestor, whose 

 half whisker he imitates ; she a good-natured soul, and both without 

 pretension. They have only succeeded to their kingdom within this last 

 year. Upstairs the great ballroom is a really fine thing, hung with 

 a few good pictures and many bad ones, the best the ' Velasquez ' 

 obtained in Spain, and a sweet little religious picture of two panels, 

 I know not by whom ; it is called an Albert Diirer. We had tea in 

 the garden under the old thorn trees just in full blossom. An inter- 

 esting visit. 



" 4th June. — To bid good-bye to Rowton at his house in Berkeley 

 Square. He has been very ill, and is going away on a sea-voyage 

 to the Cape and back, which he thinks will set him right. I hope, 

 indeed, it may, for I have a considerable affection for him. His 



