The King, in a letter dated Coronation Day and addressed
to Mr. Balfour, has intimated his decision to offer Osborne as a gift to the nation. After explaining the reasons which render him unable to make adequate use of Osborne as a Royal residence—the claims of Buckingham Palace and Windsor, and the " strong home ties " of Sandringham—his Majesty ex- presses the hope that the building may be converted into a convalescent home for officers of the Navy and Army, a very natural reserve being made in the case of the apartments personally occupied by the late Queen. If we may offer any criticism on a gift as judicious as it is generous, it is to express our regret that by this act the King, as the head of the greatest of sea Powers, should surrender the only official residence which brings him into direct contact with the sea, and at a point of such unrivalled advantage as the Solent enjoys. This difficulty, however, would be got over by the retention of a set of apartments for the King's use,—a set of rooms which would be used in the same way that the King's pavilion is used at Aldershot.
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