The New Orleans bulletin. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1874-1876, 1876-01-02
COURT ETIQUETTE.

Although the origin Of court etiquette is
| traceable to Philip the Good, Duke of Bur
Sundy, it was in Spain that its fantastic
growth was most luxuriant. story is told
of the wife of Charles III, who catching her
foot in the stirrup, as she fell off her horse,
| remained in helpless condition in the
presence of forty-three attendants. Motion
less stood the attendants, and helpless hung
the royal lady. because the equerry was out OF
the way whose du,y it was to unlock the
queens ankle on such occasions.
A passer-by who ventured to release her
Majesty was rewarded with gold for his SER
vices, but condemned to exile for his indis-
erection. In France the King could not visit
q sick person in bed unless a second bed was
prepared for his Majes y to occupy during the
visit, since no subject could have been suf-
fered to lie down while his sovereign was in a
less easy position. In this way Louis XIII
visited Richelieu, and lie Grande Monarque
condoled with Marshal Villars after wound
received at Malplaquet.
At Versailles, wnen Marie Leazinska was
fretting because cards were inleidicted Oh
the occasion of court mourning, she was re-
lieved by courtiers assurance that "the
game OF piquet was deep mourning" In
England, At the present day, we have a
Heralds College to settle who shall walk frs
in procession; an important point, consid-
ering that there are ninety ranks of men
classed in order of precedence from the SOW
ereign to a burgess. Pope Julius II drew
up list Of precedence among European SOW
ereigns, twenty-six in number, of whose
titles il is noteworthy that four only exists in
their old form-the Emperor Of Germany,
and the Kings of England, Spain and Portu
gal.
1t is easy to understand that ceremonial
would hold especial tyrrany in the strict cir
Gle of diplomacy. La 1861, the Spanish En-
voy, attacking the French Ambassador in the
streets OF London, hamstrung his horses and
killed his men, merely in order to get to court
before his rival. In certain cases, every de-
tail Of diplomatic form was regulated by the
strictest equality. Thus, we have seen the
French and ImperiaIist ENJOYS balancing step
at the door Of the Ryswick Council Chamber;
and when Mazarin and Don Luis de Haro
met to settle the marriage of Louis XIV with
Maria Theresa, the two ministers stepped
side by side into room hung in correspond
ing halves with their respective colors, and
sat down at the same instant on uudis-
tinguishabie chairs.
The First Napoleon was foolishly tenacious
of precedence, and one year seiz d every copy
Of the 4Anandch de GOTTA, because, in accord
ance with its custom OF alphabetical arrange
ment, the list of reigning houses therein pub
lished was headed Anhalt Duchess and not
Napoleon. Among other curiosities of court
etiquette, il will not be commonly known
that an Ambassador still has the privilege,
though never nsed, Of putting on his hat in
the presence OF the sovereign when he reads
his reception speech. Maritime ceremonial
was far more important than other forms, as
being at one time the measure of m ,ritime
supremacy and based on the theory that
salutes should render the saluter temporarily
poweress.
In the time of James l. England insisted
upon the disappearance Of the flags aud sails
of all other ships as salute to her own; and
it was not until the end Of last century that
the resistance and disputes clused by such
an overbearing -equisition were finally
settled, through the agreement of France and
Russia to dispense with maritime salutes in
any form. AT this day, they are pure acts of
courtesy between ships of war.-Chauebers