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Article: The prince & the pistols: James "Gunsmith" Jones's gift was fit for royalty. His patrimony was not.
- Article from:
- The Beaver: Exploring Canada's History
- Article date:
- February 1, 2004
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2004 Canada's National History Society. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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For years, visits to Canada by British royalty have provided the hoi polloi with fodder for gossip. The most recent national sucking-of-breath would be the October 2002 media exposure of the little-engine-that-couldn't during the Queen's ill-fated water-taxi ride in Winnipeg. No matter the excruciating planning, Murphy's Law often rules the day.
Such was the case in September 1860 during a visit by the Prince of Wales, the future King Edward VII. The prince had been persuaded to divert his first extensive official Canadian tour to Chatham, Ontario, in order to accept a finely crafted pair of derringer pistols made by a local gunsmith and engraver of coffin-plates ...