Modern History
Posts in The Copybook tagged ‘Modern History’
Advice is a dangerous gift, and for centuries our greatest writers have wondered how to dispense it safely.
‘It is always a silly thing to give advice,’ says Erskine in Oscar Wilde’s The Portrait of Mr W. H., ‘but to give good advice is absolutely fatal.’ Back in 1750 the Spectator, founded by Joseph Addison (1672-1719) and Sir Richard Steele (1672-1729), suggested a way to sugar the pill.
Gertrude Jekyll throws a tea party for her nine-year-old niece and some very special guests.
Gertrude Jekyll (1843-1932) liked cats. She kept several of them, and devoted herself and many pages of ‘Home and Garden’ to them. One winter, she threw a little farewell party for her nine-year-old niece following a short stay. The fare was unusual: herring, rice pudding and cream arranged with artistic flair on saucers; but then, the guests were unusual too...
Gertrude Jekyll explains the difference between a garden and a collection of plants.
Gertrude Jekyll (1843-1932) provided designs for over four hundred gardens across the country, often in collaboration with architect Sir Edward Lutyens (1869-1944). In ‘Colour in the Flower Garden,’ Jekyll explained the difference between a mere collection of plants and a true garden.
Aubrey Herbert MP was called upon to make a speech to Albanians itching to avenge the crimes of neighbouring Montenegro.
In 1913, Aubrey Herbert MP rode through the mountainous country near Albania’s border with Montenegro. The locals in Rrapshë, exhilarated by the successful Albanian Revolt of 1912 against Turkey, were celebrating a festival, and amidst gunshots and denunciations of Montenegro’s historic crimes against Albanians they called on Herbert for a speech.
An Albanian shepherd plans to expand into arable farming, but he needs water and the search is close to ruining him.
In 1913, Aubrey Herbert MP reluctantly agreed to take a message from Ismail Qemali to his rival as leader of Albania, Essad Pasha Toptani. Herbert’s company on the long journey to Durrës included a priest with a fondness for verses; a musician who played air-violin; a murderer; a diplomat who was a bit of a comedian; and a ‘shepherd-king.’
English explorer Major Edmund Lockyer tries to buy a puppy in Queensland, but ends up paying the owner to keep him.
In September 1825, Edmund Lockyer (1784-1860) led an expedition through the upper reaches of the Brisbane River in what is now Queensland, reporting back to Sir Thomas Brisbane, Governor of New South Wales, on the possibilities for agriculture and mining. His contacts with the Aborigines were cordial, as this extract from his Journal confirms.