The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1876-02-18
Red Tape I'm Saam The UnbreMa
Department.
Nov Adaler has this:

Msx Adeler has this:
They have a peculiar ceremoniousness 10
the Court OF Siam, which sometimes causes
embarrassment. The umbrella Is regarded
AZ a SYMBOL Of dignity, and 1t is surronnoeo
he rules and regulations which are exceed
;noIv elaborate. In former times, ~hen tne
weaiher was vet and the king wanted MS
umbrella. there was good deal OF de.atl 10
no attended 10 before he could get II. he
f;rst communicated bis wish In the shape OF
a formal speech from the throne 10 the
Grand yizier. This officer then retired !"
his priyate apartments, aoout two miles ois-
tant. aud had a royal decree drawn up OF DIS
two secretaries. When the document was
finished 1t was taken back to the k'ng 10,
his signature, and then 1t was transmitted
to the Lord Chamberlain, who llVeo tnree
or four miles up in the country, and whose
business it was to counterssgn the aecree
and afix the seal Of Safe to 1t.
When this had been accomplished Tue
document was sent over TO the Nooie h,Su
Chieftain OF the Legal Office, whose tunct,on
was TO decide which Of the King umore'ias
could lawfully be used upon that particular
day. After bunting out the autbori'ies &c
would decide in favor Of the o'ue ulnoIe ma
with the red handle, or the black umorelis
with the pink ferule, and after writing an
dshorate opinion be would transmit 1t WIN
the decree TO the Most August Master OF the
ILrhreMa Depsrtment. He would counter
sipn II and psss it down to bis CHIEF clerk,
who insnerted it and delivered it to The
Honorable High Warden of the Royal Un-
hrellas This officer would select the um-
bretla from its depositary, aud organize
PROCESSION, which would solemnly convey
the umbrella to the palace and hand u 10 .he
Master of Ceremonies, who passed IL 10 Tue
Chief of the Royal Paraphernslis, VINO
handed Il to the Secretary of the Bed.Cham'
he- who conveyed it to the Grand VlZ'er'
who put it up and gave it to the k,pg.
II was beautiful process, but 1t occu pieu
ohont three daYs, and by that time the
weather generally bad cleared up: iheh
rho KING would order the umbrella oack
again. and it would 60 through the same
formula in reversed order, and about tbe
time that the Honorable High Warden got
Il suain the skv would cloud up and another
rain would set in; whereupon the umore'la
would be demanded again. and would reacn
the palace just as the sun came out 10 stay.
The king was gradually impressed win
the conviction that there must be something
wrong some where, because it seemed per-
fectly prepesterous that monarch VINO
swned eighteen hundred umbrellas couldn't
pet one when he wanted to 90 out IN The
wet. So he called a general council to con-
slider the subject. They decided that some
thing might perhaps be done by ordering
the umbrella few days in advance. This
was tried, and il always rained hard while
the (ormsllies were being observed, ana
cleared I'D when the umbrella reached the
palace. and then it invariably settled down
| to hard rain as soon as the umbrella got
safely back again.
Then the King said that it had occurred TO
him that be might keep small private UNI
brella upon the hat.rack in the entry OF the
palace but the grand council decided that
that wosld break down the prestige OF the
Government and introduce inceDd,ary and
dangerous practices to the country. ana
| the king asked how it would do for him TO
| walk down to the umbrella department and
lust help himself. But the Grand Vizler said
| that the people wouldn't stand it. 1t would
cause q revolution in twenty-four hours.
They discussed the subject for two years, and
thought, even, of trying to get one OF the
| idols in the temple to regulate the weather
| to suit the umbrella department, but hnally
the matter was successfully adjusted by
having royal decree issued every DAY 80
that h succession of umbrellas would be
presented at the palace every day, thus Civ.
| ing the king chance to get one at any time
| This is the way the thing is managed vel
and it costs the Government about a .eO0, oOl
year Ter sealing-wax, paper, aud clerk nlre
| for the umbrella department; but the king
ssys he doesn't see how the expense can be
ohyiated.