20 MAY 1899, Page 1

NEWS OF THE WEEK.

ON Wednesday the Queen (who car the day before had visited Kensington Palace) laid the foundation-stone of the additions that are to be made to the South Kensington Museum,—henceforth to be called the Victoria and Albert Museum. The reception given to the Queen by the vast crowds that assembled all along the route was more than usually enthusiastic—though that sounds impossible—and everywhere the cheering was longer and louder than ever,— possibly because of the rumour that it was to be her Majesty's last public appearance in London. On the occasions when the Queen meets a great crowd of her subjects, there is something very interesting and very touching in the perfect understand- ing that evidently exists between Sovereign and people. They know that there is nothing she would not do to aerve her people, and she knows that they know it.