Hideous Balmoral

Balinoral, Queen Victoria's palace in the hlghlands, has a tower which relieves the exterior from absolute tameness and pulls together the disjointed buildings which have been patched on from time to time, but the interior Is plain to ugliness. The corridors are hung with that abomination of early Victorian days, imitation marble paper, are lighted witt oil lamps, such as one sees in the engine room of a steamship. Trophies of the chase- heads and antlei-3 of deer shot by distinguished visitors- are fixod in every available spot. These are appropriate, except that they are framed in garlands of gilcled twigs. The wall papers ia the rooms are pale, strippy things that oughtto have long since been consigned to the flames. The plctures are inferior lithographs of the great exposition and faded family photographa. The curtains and carpets of tartán ar calculated to produce headache at short notice, and the chairs and sofas of uncomfortable shape are upholstered in Berlin wool. In the big drawingroom glass-fronted cases filled with an endless variety of articles, useful and useless- certainly not ornamental.-