Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1879-04-19
vICrORIA lsA BUSINESS W0MAN.

vICTORIA As A BUSINESS WOAAN.
mr. Ystss's New Magazine Time" for APRIL
All, or very nearly all, OF the more essential
work that the Prince Consort did for Her Males
ty the sovereign does for herself, and she only
succeeds In accomplishing so much because she
addresses herself TO 1t methodically. thus
whether at Windsor or Osborne or In Scotland.
the Queen has special hours and special days
for particular departments OF her work. Family
administration and imperial administration are
the two chief heads under which these duties
may be ranked. her Majesty has extensive
family connections throughout the whole OF
Europe: These she maintains by an active cor
responoence, ano the whole OF one day In the
week Is devoted to writing letters TO absent rel
atives. There are other private affairs OF row
atty not less exacting. All accounts. all bank
erS pass DOCKS, all estimates OF expenditure
are, In some shape or other, personally present.
ed to the Queen. Midway between this
comprehensive class OF occupations and the
an immense number OF miscellaneous trans
actions to be disposed OF. The Officials about
the court are besieged by kilograms from the
in the depth OF the long vacation at Balmoral.
they reach q smaller daily total than 80.
comparatively slight proportion OF these enter
the royal presence, but those which do re ach
the throne invariably require consideration
and usually receive reply. Thus IL Is that the
Queen gives three hours week on alternate
days to the attention OF kilograms alone
Closely allied with this work is that OF the dis
patch or messages from the crown to its sub.
jecis. In most cases the sovereign acts In this
matter entirely on her own Initiative. III II
was domestic disaster, an accident by land or
sea, an explosion In a coal mine, a collision on
railway, the sovereign would not, as matter
OF course, confer with minister or state But
when the announcement made Is OF welghtier
cbaracter-a communication OF encouragement
addressed to military or naval commander Ia
time OF war-nothtng would be done without
the approval Of the cabinet or OF the chief of
the cabiHet.
One day being deducted as above for the
despatch OF the private business OF royalty
there remain five working days for the despatch
OF the business OF the state. IL any one wishes
TO form an idea OF the manner In which the
material for this imperial industry is provided
for the sovereign it will not be amiss that he
should be aware OF what takes place almost
daily In the great offices OF state I'm London The
Queen can only be said to hear the postman's
make their way to the foot OF the throne are
boxes that have been carefully packed at the
Inherent departments In Whitehall. They are
conveyed from the Offices to which they respect
fully belong TO Windsor, or BalmOral, or Osborne
by Queens messengers, as are the dispatches
to foreign powers But the Queens messenger,
who Is never sent on duty outside the four sc As,
is much lowler parsonage than the Queens
messenger, with whom we have been made IA
miliar in the novels OF Charles Lever, and Is, In
fact, truSty representative OF the porter class
with salary perhaps of ESQ year What, we
may venture TO inquire, are the contents OF these
black and red leather cases? Some are the letters
walded for her majeStyS approval and subse-
Quently to be transmitted to the capitals of
Europe. Others, again, are papers for the royal
signature. and OF character TO which her maj
esty's name may be appended on other occa-
SlonS than In council. In something more than
In theory the Queen is supreme head OF every
Office OF state. Most OF the business conducted
In these establishments is routine buSineSS-de-
partmental work about the conduct OF which
there can be no doubt. Such affairs as these
would not, 1t may safely be said, be referred to
hQr mo lost mid at
to be kept Informed OF any questions whose set
tlement involves fundamental principles OF ad-
min1StratiOn. The relation OF the Queen to her
ministers and to the different departments OF
imperial affairs can scarcely be better described
than by saying that while the sovereign may
not know ali that Is In progress at the foreign
demands that the means OF knowing shall be
always within her reach.
AS for the official papers, which the reader
may imagine are now on their way to the
abode OF the sovereign In the custody OF q mes
senger, Wh1rled by the night express 10 the
direction OF the Scotch border or OF the Solent
or Of the most magnificently royal castle In the
world. they are OF very varied character.
Some are copies OF orders In council; some the
ratification OF measures passed In colonial par
haments; some royal proclamationS some doc
ton or dissolution OF the Imperial Parliament
at Westminster. Others again are forms for
giving effect to treaties Tor extending the
corporation to companies for proclaiming ports
and fairs, for deciding causes on appeal, for
creating ecclesiastical districts, for granting ex-
emptions from the law Of moItmain. Then there
are private letters OF ministers to Her Majesty;
every parliamentary chief OF every department
IN the state periodically reports himself and
the condition OF his office to the Queen.
| Tie penmanship and preparation of these
| papers Is task OF some ceremony. Each one
C. mmences In the same way:-''Lord - or
sir - present. his humble duty to Your Ma
| j. ty." Each must. according to the laws OF an
1: flexible etiquette, be written without erasure
| OF correction. None must be folded. Failure
10 comply with any one OF these conditions
ould argue disrespect TO the sovereign. Ma
| Il rally the Prime Minister has occasion to be
J. more constant communication with the SOW
tefgn than any other member OF the cabinet:
| e Is, In fact, the embodiment OF the cabinet I'm
ne sight OF the crown. La It's relation to the
overeign the cabinet Is an absolute and fndi-
1sible unity; nor can premier be guilty OF an
CT more reprehenSible In itself aud In its ten
ency than when he Informs the sovereign of
| tie specific causes OF difficulty which he may
e! coulter with hts cabinet. That difficulties
exist he may. sometimes indeed must, confess
IL tie sovereign; but It Is liked tradition OF
the constitution that he should not associate
the names of particular colleagues with the ex-
| tSteEce OF these difficulties
Meanwhile the train, which we may ssume
| is bound due north, and which contains the
royal messenger ard his precious freight OF
boxes, has crossed the border; and before it
has arrived at Perth day has broken over the
| tops OF the Scotch mountains BalEnoral is
reached at last. 1t is sweet summer day, aad
TIE queen Is seated In the telt on the lawn,
where SIZE frequently breakfasts In the warm
weather, and remains fer hours by herself or
with her ladies. The sorting Of the con-
tents OF the colossal mail bag viii take ua-
wards OF an hour, and then Her Majesty
Will be informed that all Is ready Many
ttters are left for the royal hands to open.
mus a foreign sovereign, or one OF the
queens children, or it may even be one of
her subjects whom she honors with her friend
sup, las address ed an eltstle to Her Majesty,
III the same way that friends, acGu aintanceS
ara connections write to each other in ordinary
me But even this communication only reaches
us proud destination by a slightly circuitous
lOu'e. The autograph communication of the
Gar or Kaiser would first go to the Russian or
German embassy in London. would then be sent
10 tie Foreign Office In Whitehall, and would
travel from the Foreign Office TO FSalnoraI In
oLe OF the above mentioned boxes Ia the sane
way win be treated the letters OF those mem
hers OF the rOyal family who may from time 10
time be abroad. or for the matter OF that at
home. The Prince OF Wales may employ the
penny post In writing TO an acquaintance. His
Roy al H1ghnesS has resort to the state boxes
when be addresses his august mother and the
letter is usually Enclosed under cover TO the
Queens secretary.
III ere is not one paper In these boxes VIII Oh
the queen Will fail TO examine On mary she
VIII ask for mere Information: on some she will
IA he