The Baron Grant Failure.

Manawatu Herald, 4 August 1898, Page 2

The Baron Grant Failure.

Tha bankruptcy of Mr Hooley his induced a London contemporary of disinterring the bones of some of the great English failures of recent yearp. That of Baron Albert Grant, of " Emmi " mine notoriety, was one of the most sensational of these catastrophes. He is truly described as the uncrowned financial king of his day. He made millions apparently as easily as other men make hundreds of thousands, and be spent them as if he thoroughly believed in the saying " Easy come, easy go." He bought Leicester Square, and presented it as a free gifc to the people of London. Ho entertained nearly a thousand city magnates at a banquet which was reputed to have cost more than a hundred guineas h bead and probably did cost half that sum, if not more. His " record "in this respect has yet to be beaten His palace at Kensington would have been without au equal in England, possible on the Continent, if the Baron's career had lasted long enough to allow him to completely finish it. Expense was what he took least into acoount. Th^ walls of the ball-room were inlaid with panels of pink Italian marble which cost 800 guineas apiece, the four pillars in the entrance hall were ot porphyry costing £4000. and tht grand stair-oase was not built for less than £40.000. Bub hardly had the building been finished when the end came, all the glorious fittings were -ilowly disposed of piecemeal, and the splendid staircase is now one of the features of Madame Tuasaud's exhibition.