LAND A N I) W A T E R 
January 6, i^ib. 
^ 
The King and Queen have been at York Cottage through the 
holidays; H s Majesty coming up to town on busine-s for 
a day. The weather was very bad, but this does not 
affect His Majesty, who, if anything, rather hkes it. 
In these days when economy is on everybody's Ups, 
it may be pointed out that there is probably no 
household in the kingdom where truer economy and 
simpler living is practised than at York Cottage, which 
is certainly the humblest home any King and Emperor 
(Kcupies. " But their Majesties thoroughly enjoy that 
absence of State possible at their quiet Norfolk home. 
Lord Dalkeith who came of age on December 30th, bore the 
courtesy title of Lord Whitchester until his father suc- 
ceeded to the Dukedom of Buccleuch. a little over a 
year ago. Like his father before him, Lord Dalkeith 
is one of eight children, but the present Duke has three 
sons and five daughters, while his father had six sons 
and two daughters. Large famihcs and long Ufe have 
always been characteristic of the Scotts. Though the 
Dukedom was created over two hundred and fifty years 
ago and has been uninterruptedly enjoyed, the present 
peer is only the seventh to hold it. I believe this wonder- 
ful record of longevity to be entirely unrivalled. 
The Duke of Buccleuch sits in the House of Lords as Earl 
of Doncaster, which is one of the finest sounding titles 
on the Roll of the Lords Temporal. 
There are eighty-three ^'iscounties in the peerage of the 
United Kingdom, and Sir John French will therefore 
make the round seven dozen. This honour has been 
conferred more freely in recent years, nine new Viscounts 
having been created since 1910. Territorial titles have 
not always been chosen, preference being shewn, especially 
by poUticians, to cling to the family name, e.g., Viscounts 
Morley. Gladstone, Haldane, Bryce, and Buxton. 
H«w many people are aware that Canada has a peerage of her 
own. It is not a large one, for it consists of a single 
dignity — the feudal barony of de Longueuil in the 
province of Quebec. This was conferred by Louis XIV 
on Charles le Moyne, for distinguished services in 1700, 
with inheritance to his descendants, male and female. 
This barony has been held continuously since those 
times, three of the Barons having been Governors of 
Montreal, and it was officially recognised by the British 
Government in 1889. Grant is the surname of the 
prjsent and eighth Baron de Longueuil. 
This very interesting piece of news has been sent to me from 
Fishmongers' Hall : — " Oysters are in excellent condition, 
better than for many years. Supplies are ample, prices 
most reasonable and the dietetic value of oysters excep- 
tionally high." But why, if prices are so reasonable, 
are oysters as costly as ever at all places where men and 
women do congregate to satisfy their hunger ^ 
Thirty years back London's restaurants were few and far 
between, and even fifteen years ago they were looked on 
as pale imitations of their Paris confreres. Now, however, 
they have come into their own and these holidays they 
have fully justified their existence. It might have been 
thought that the liquor restrictions would have sounded 
their knell, but so far from this being the case, never have 
they been more greatly patronised. At the Carlton, for 
instance, the difficulty is to find room for all who would 
lunch or dine there ; on Christmas Day and again on 
New Year's Eve people had to be turned away. 
The London restaurant to-day attracts all classes ; one sits 
cheek by jowl with Bishops and Abbots, Cabinet Ministers 
and Diplomatists to say nothing of actors and actresses, 
authors, journalists and politicians. It makes no 
difference whether spirituous beverages are or are not 
available. People don't go to restaurants to drink 
but to eat their food amid pleasant and exhilarating 
surroundings, and there seems no reason why thi.s 
gregarious custom should not spread to all classes. 
It is therefore very disappointing to find how little publicans 
have adapted themselves to the changed conditions. 
It was hoped that by now serious attempts would have 
been made to convert the corner pub into a cheerful 
cafe ; the old ground-glass windows removed, partitions 
abolished and everything done to encourage people to 
enter by giving a new air of brightness, spaciousness, 
and cleanliness to the old surroundings. Public-houses 
have for the most part excellent frontages, and though 
such changes would have cost money the outlay surely 
would have been cheaper than by practically putting up 
the shutters for the greater part of the day. 
Stag hunting is in full swing in Somersetshire and Devonshire, 
and there have been some fine runs and gooi sport 
lately. Many officers home from the front on a few 
days' leave have seized their opportunity and run down 
to Exmoor for a day with the stag-hounds, thcugh the 
weither for the most part has not Iseen good. 
" Martin Ross," the very clever Irish writer whose death 
occurred last month was in private life Miss Violet Martin, 
the eleventh and youngest child of Mr. James Martin, 
of Ross. Her eldest brother was the well-known " Bob " 
Martin, the writer of " Ballyhooly." " Killaloe." etc. 
But all the Martins could write. There was another 
brother, Mr. Charles Martin, who won a commission in 
the Connaught Rangers through the ranks of the 12th 
Lancers, and was kUled by a fall from his horse in Perak. 
He was a brilliant journalist, verse, short stories, 
epigrams, and leaders coming with equal readiness from 
his pen. The Martins of Ross derive descent from a 
crusader under Richard Coeur-de-Lion. 
German supremacy is to be overthrown in every field of life, 
even in places where sausages are made. This Christmas 
the French chef of the Piccadilly hotel compounded a 
liver sausage which was far better than any of Teutonic 
origin. There is no real reason why German sausages 
should ever come from Germany ; it would be far better 
in the future for many reasons that they did not. 
That exacting critic, the Young Person, speaks warmly in 
praise of Mr. Algernon Blackwood's " The Starlight 
Express," which Miss Lena .\shwell has produced at the 
Kingsway Theatre. This fairyland play strikes much 
the same note as we had in- the " Blue Bird " ;. it> 
characters are symbols. The scenery and the music, by 
Sir Edward Elgar, are beautiful, especially the singing 
of Mr. Charles Mctt. Miss Elsie Hall as Monkey, and 
Master Ronald Hammond as Jimbo (our old friend, 
Jimbo) are excellent little players. The " Starlight 
Express " is a train de luxe, which carries the children 
rapidly through an enchanted land. 
Miss Zoe Windley, who is playing the leading part in the 
Odds on Revue at the Oxford, is an English singer of 
exceptional talent, as well as being a very clever actress. 
Miss Windley has a comely presence, and she is 
mainly responsible for the success of the revue. 
Christmas at Harefield Park, which is now turned into a 
hospital for Australian wounded, was celebrated in 
traditional manner, but instead of the Australians being 
entertained by the village, the village was entertained 
by the AustraUans. All the children were invited to a 
monster Christmas Tree at the hospital. Huts have been 
put up in the Park Grounds in order to provide sufficient 
accommodation, and have been made into wards. All 
the wards were decorated with holly, mistletoe, etc., and 
on Christmas Day itself, prizes we're given for the best 
decorated wards by the hospital staff. Hermes. 
66b 
