Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1878-07-29
All Quiet.

All quiet.
WASHINGTON, July 20.-All is quiet here
| to day and nc further trouble is anticipated.
knights Of the Garter.
1t is curious and perhaps unparalleled
circumstance in English administrative annals
that during tenure Of Office which has now
lasted four years the Prime Minister has had
but one Garter OF his disposal. MIR. Glad.
stone during G five years premiership. had ct
least five blue ribands to give away, while Tour
OF the present knights date from the period oil
Conservative rule in lSGG'GS which lasted less
than Two years aud hall. Several foreign
princes have indeed been admitted to the
order since 1871 (thc last being llumbcrt |. Of
Italy,, but these are Extra knights; twenty
five ribands having been reserved Tor subjects
not descendants Of George l., by The statute
of 1905. Very likely Minister does not think
himself unfortunate in being relieved from The
responsibility Of making . selection from the
always numerous candidates for the most
coveted OF honors. For every bIno ribanl L
order Of the Holy Ghost, II make one IN
grateful ard eleven disappointed Persons. =
Lord Melbourne, who would turn pale when,
ever he saw a letter horlercd with black on
bis breakfast table, fearing it announced The
death Of a bishop, may We'll harh felt similar
uneasincss when called upon to decide What
peer should be granted the privilege Of having
tho letters X &. nnt aitcl lll name.
How eagerly that privilege has been Sought
il matter of history. For five centuries it mag
almost be said to have been the ast inlirmlty
Of noble minds in England, and ancc 1908, in
Scotland, too. Probably, indeed, good deal
oil the social bitterness with wlroh North
I,riona were lang regarded in London was due
to the fact that they obtained from the Stuart
kings far moro than their sharo Of honoTs, and
notably an undue proportion Of blue rIhaudJ.
James l.. by the way, while as yet only the
Sixth OF Scotland, was generally nndcral6i.i to
have accepted the Garter from Queen Eliza.
loss OF her head. But tho English Queen judi
c'oqsy Supplemented the gilt of tho George
WITH !. pension Of .e5, 900 year. One of vii
liam iIl,'s allies among the German princes
thought money could hardly be weighed III the
scale with Garter. His Serene llighncss had
long and Professionally demanded subsidy Of
some E400, 600, but oheerlully agreed to accept
500, 600 plus the blue rband. Opinions dit
Ter. The late Lord FitZwilliam, on being
offered the same distinction, asked what it would
cost him; and on being told "about thousand
pouods,' he said lie thought he could find
better use for the money.
Offorcicn princescs the Empcrors of Austria,
Russia and Brazil are knights of the Order;
so is the German Emperor, as we'll as his eldest
son and eldest grandson. The sovereigos OF
Greece and Persia lin strange juxtaposltion,)
as we'll as the soVercigns Of Italy, Denmark,
Portugal and Belgium, arc also Knights, as are
several princes Of the German empire. The
Sultan and the Kings Of Spain and Sweden
have still to receive the honor. Unlike the
Golden Fleece, conferred on Marshal Nlachla-
hon and Nj. Theirs, the Garter has not in our
age been bestowed on the chief magistrate OF q
republic.
Ladies' were occasionally admitted as Com
panions Of the Order down to the reign of lid
ward w., who, for the greater contcntmeDt Of
his subjects on the other side OF st. Georges
channel, Instituted an Irish Garter. The sister
order was. however. abolished by act OF Par.
Lament, 10 Henry VII, 1874.
Three clergymen are always members Of the
order, according to modern custom; and It Is
as prelate Of the order that the Bishop OF Win
chester takes precedence of all other bishops,
excepting those of London aud Durham. The
union of the CHARACTERISTIC with the Bishopric
of Oxford is Of more recent date, but appears
now to be considered matter of course. The
Dean of Windsor is ex. oficio Registrar Of the
order. One Knight, it may be observed, and
only one, Excepting the sovereignty is mem.
Der of the order by right of Dirty, the Prince
Of Wales being, as Sir Bernard Burke observes
"a constituent part Of the iginatinsitution.
The Order of the Garter may be said 10 be
interviewer with the very constitution of Fog.
land. The roll of the Lords Spiritual and
Temporal is still called "Garter's Roll, while
the Gentleman Usher of the Black Rod is ap
pointed under the great seal of The order. 1t
is not surprising that under the circumstances
an extraordinary value should have attached
to some of the external and visible symbols OF
the order, which are, in fact, among the
heirlooms of the Crown Of England. Readers
of Isaac Walton's life will remember how,
after the baltic Of Worcester the fugitive
Charles, by way Of expressing 10 Walton his
high sense OF the lstter's loyalty, employed him
on the dangerous and honorable service Of con-
yeying the .Lesser George TO place Of safety.
The Lesser George is the badge fastened on the
rbsnd the Greater George, or George proper, |
being worn suspended from the golden collar
Down TO the reign Of Charles II, the ribsnd WAS |
worn across the neck, as the ribsnd Of a knight
Commander Of the Bath is still worn. The Gus |
tom of wearing it over the left shoulder is said |
to have been introduced by acciden', The |
Duchess of Portsmouth, with French taste ar
ranged il in that way across her little sons |
breast with which fashion the King was 80 much |
pleased that he adopted it for himself, the other
Knights of course, following suit. The |
child in question was created Duke Of Ricn.
Knight of the Garter before he had completed |
his ninth II a tho aupaat0r 0f the