BIEMPEEI
More About Pots
By LORD EGREMONT
A FM months ago- SPECTATOR, June 3, 1966), I was prompted by a report in the London Times to write one of these Endpapers about the silver chamber-pot of King Joseph of Spain. That pot was captured out of the king's carriage The 14th/20th King's Hussars read' what I had written and very kindly asked me to go and dine with them. They were very hospitable to me. They dined and wined me very well.
After dinner, the famous pot was produced loaded with champagne, out of which I was in- vited to drink. f drank huge draughts out of it.
It was a splendid evening with a splendid
regiment. The regimental band played through- out. I got home very late.
My host was a gallant officer of great charm, gentility, ability and many parts—he is a pianist and choirmaster: he has an Oxford degree in Modern History; he collects tropical butterflies and penny blacks; his hobbies also include English literature and palaeontology. He is Simon Frazer, Lieutenant-Colonel, commanding 14th/20th King's Hussars.
The next day I was in London and I ran into Prince Dmitri of Russia at luncheon-time. I had a light lunch. I explained to the Prince that I had business to do in the afternoon and was trying to get out of my system a potful of champagne. I told him the story of King Joseph's pot. I said that I thought it was rather ridiculous to have a- grand silver chamber-pot in one's carriage. The Prince said, 'No, we all had one.' He said it was a very sensible thing to have: 'Didn't your family have them, too?'
The Prince explained that when travelling for considerable distances in a carriage on bad roads a metal utensil was advisable: a china one could get broken. So if you had to have a metal utensil, as indeed you did, silver was, the stuff of which a gentleman had his utensils made.
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