Faith · London · Monarchies · Observations · Society
In his Christmas message, King Charles III of Great Britain speaks with rapture of Islam, Judaism, Hinduism and the "diversity of communities" But Christmas is surely not about inclusivity, nor about the brotherhood of foreign creeds, nor about any Oriental rites or political truisms. Christmas is the feast
Faith · Books · London
The ghost of Jacob Marley appeared before Ebenezer Scrooge on Christmas Eve. Marley, the miser's former partner, found himself after death bound in chains made up of ledgers and cash-boxes: in life, after all, he had been far too greedy. Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol
Art · London · Observations · Society
Remember how everyone was recently discussing the sale at Christie's of an imperial Fabergé egg for £22 million? It has emerged that the "Imperial Winter Egg" is a fake. Moreover, the maker himself has confirmed that he produced two such eggs on a private commission in
Archaeology · In the Press · London · Science
Beneath the Palace of Westminster, flint tools of the Mesolithic and Neolithic eras, about 6,000 years old, have been found, together with artefacts dating from the Roman Empire and the Middle Ages In Shaanxi Province in China, a network of 573 ancient stone fortifications has been found, the earliest
London · Society · People
In 1777, a year after America declared its independence from Great Britain, the Anglo-Irish statesman Edmund Burke wrote to his friend and ally, the prominent opponent of the king Charles James Fox, something along these lines:. People oppressed by the law have no hope but to rely on power.
NB! · Art · London
The English fleet near the mouth of the Thames, waiting for rich Flemish merchants in the hope of seizing their goods. Late 15th century
NB! · London · Monarchies · Society · Humour
London · Monarchies · Museums · Observations · Paris
The diamond parure of Marie Antoinette, from the exhibition devoted to her at the Victoria and Albert Museum. It is a great pity that I could not attend the exhibition, since I have no English visa, but thanks to a correspondent in England I shall prepare a detailed report all
Archive · Books · London · People · Humour
The poem, “Steam versus Electricity”, long remained unknown because Christie, in her memoirs, made a slip and stated that she had been 11 when she wrote it, rather than 14. The poem is devoted to the breakdown of electric trains. In jocular form it describes how a steam locomotive comes
London · Science · People · Humour
There is a legend that in the eighteenth century one of Isaac Newton's teeth was sold in London for several hundred pounds, in those days the price of a decent house. At some point, it is said, the owner of the relic had the tooth set in a
Faith · London · Society
The Anglican Church of Nigeria, the largest Anglican community in the world with more than 18 million worshippers, has declared its "spiritual independence" and severed ties with the Church of England. The decision stems from its disagreement with the liberal reforms being pursued by the centre. In an
London · Monarchies · Museums · Society
The Trump administration approached the Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum in Abilene, Kansas, on the matter. Among other things, the institution's collection holds a sword presented to Eisenhower in 1947 by Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands. The library, however, declined to hand over this or any other original