The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1876-10-07 00:00:00

IMPERIAL COINCIDENCES.

The Times has published the following letter :
Sir,—Just now, when his Royal Highness the Prince
of Wales has recently made an alteration in his plume,
it may be interesting to your readers to be told that
the Royal plume of three feathers is of Mogul origin,
and probably of very remote antiquity.
The Mogul Emperors of Hindostan wore a plume of
three black heron's feathers when they took the field
—a fact of some political significance now that Her
Majesty has become Empress of India. Sir Thomas
Roe, who went on an embassy to the Court of the
Emperor Jehangir, in the reign of James 1., describes
the plume worn by the Great Mogul when leaving
Ajlieer for an expedition into the Deccan.
Tavernier, the traveller, describes a similar plume
by the Ottoman Porte. It was, doubtless, borrowed
from the Moguls, who were the ruling tribe among the
Tartars, and probably the descendants of the Royal
Scythians described by Hercdotus.
The plume had a military meaning; it was the
symbol of command. On taking the field, the Otto-
pan Porte gave one of the plumes to the Grand
Vizier, who was then acknowledged as Commander-in-
Chief.
The identity of the Prince of Wales's plume with
that worn by the Great Mogul is also of ethnological
interest. In the fourth volume of my "History of
India" I have ventilated the theory that the Moguls
are descendants of the Vedic Aryans. I may add that
the Mogul people of Burmah still cherish the tradi-
tions and worship of the Vedic deities, and preserve
the sacred larguavi of Pali, which is distinctly Aryan.
—Yours, faithfully, J. TALBOTS WHEELER.
Calcutta, Aug. 29.

"Oar Constantinople Correspondent, writing on Sept. 25,
says :—"Last week more than a dozen English doctors left
Constantinople for the Turkish army at Senitza, Nish, Noy!
Bazar, %%din, Mitrovitz9, and Philippopolis."—Globe.
According to the corresp)ndent of the Morning Post at
Berlin, General Ignatieff s return to Constantinople is
regarded there with misgiving, as boding probably little
good. Ills affirmed that he is authoezed to demand very
serious concessions from the Porte on behalf of its Christian
suLjects.

The Bmbay Mahomedans have held a large meeting on
the 24th ult. to consider the Eastern Question. They adopted
unanimously addresses to the Queen praying her not to sanc-
tion any policy tending to the dismemberment of the
Turkish Empire. The Indian Mahomedan papers express
warm sympathy with the Turks.

"The trains by which the Turkish bridge over the Morava
was blown up were laid by three Russian Volunteers swim-
ming at 30 paces from the Turkish sentinel."
There was a serious dispute last Saturday between Prince
Milan and the Prime Minister, M. Rieke. The latter insisted
on an armistice being concluded, but his Highness refused to
entertain this proposal The war prty ultimately prev,dled'
and If. Ristics tendered his resignation, which the Prince,
however, declined to wept. It was only after great efforts
that M. Ristics War induced to remain in office.
The Governments of Great Britain and Italy are greatly
displeased with Servia for having rejected the armistice,
and the Consul General of England, speaking to M. Eistica
In the name of Earl Derby, used the following expression'
The English Government , ,greatly dissatisfied with
Servia forlaving rejected the armistice which she herself
had asked for. Henceforth Servia can no longer count upon
the support of England or the sympathy she now no longer
deserves."