The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1882-06-29
THRONES.


thoroughly cleaned aud calsomined,
and is about to put entirely new
furniture in the front parlor and
the second-story front bedroom-the
one in which His Majesty usually
sleeps. He has sent to Boston for
his furniture, and among the other
articles ordered by him are two
thrones.
Thrones have been in use since
the beginning OF history, and fire.
quent Improvements have been
made in their pattern and man
ufacture. The original throne of
the Etruscan and Roman kings
was simply block of stone with
hole low scooped in the upper part
of. it. The more luxurious monarchs
of Asia were in the habit of furnish
ing their thrones With silk cushions,
fashion which was adopted by the
Roman Emperors after the time of
IiberiuS. The stone throne, with a
silk cushion, remained in general
use until modern times, and the
first conspicuous departure from the
ancient pattern was made by Louis
XVI, OF France, who had a wooden
throne built somewhat after the
pattern Of an arm chair. covered
with velvet and stuffed with corn
husks.
The throne of Napoleon l. was a
most ingenious and useful struc-
ture. 1t consisted of a pedestal six
feet long, six wide and four high,
on which was placed a luxurious
chair with head rest TO be used
when the Emperor was undergoing
shaving, and a writing desk on the
right arm on which he could write
bulletins. The pedestal was filled
with drawers and lockers in which
were contained toilet articles,
maps, guide books, canned
peaches, and other provisions,
Tauchniz, editions of popular novels,
an extra suit of clothes, a spare
crown, and a mattress, together
with sufficient quantity of bedding.
The pedestal was SO constructed that
it could be readily converted into a
bedstead, and the Emperor carried
it with him through all his cam
paigns, including that of Waterloo.
during which it was unfortunately
intrusted to Dodd's Express Com
pany, with instructions to send it
to Brussels, where, of course, it has
not yet arrived.
The throne of Queen Victoria has
been enlarged several times during
her reign and greatly strengthened
with steel braces and extra legs, the
Queen preferring it to a new throne
on the ground that it was given to
her by Prince Albert on their we'd
ding day, 1t is furnished with an
extension on which the Queen can
rest her feet, and it can be tipped
back until it forms couch. This has
proved to be a great convenience of
late to her majesty, for when Mr..
Gladstone calls to see her to explain
Irish affairs, the Queen simply tips
back her throne, closes her eyes,
and, remarking: Il can always
listen better with my eyes shut. .
sleeps for two or three hours and
wakes up quite refreshed by the
time Mr.. Gladstone has finished the
opening sentence of his remarks.
The Spanish throne is very
elaborate piece Of furniture. 1t is
the shape of a large sofa, and Span
ish etiquette requires the King to
lie at full length on it with a cigar
in his mouth when receiving the |
visits of his ministers or of foreign |
diplomatists. Underneath the |
throne is a place for the royal gui-
tar, and in each of the arms are
drawers opened by concealed |
springs, and filled with the best
cigars. The springs of the cushion
were somewhat injured during the
reign of Queen Isabella, but the
is about to contract a
loan in order to send the throne to
the uphOlSteTer's, where it can be
thoroughly OVerhauled and re-
paired.
The throne of the King of Italy
is of the arm chair pattern, and
though plain and inexpensive in ap-
pearance, it has a hand organ con
cealed underneath the seat and
operated by crank, which the
hluS UuIuO N1UH LIS IOOGs LII also
contains little kennel for the royal
but unfortunately the ken
mel is at present vacant, the last of
the royal monkeys having died of
in February last. The
German Emperor, in his love for
simplicity, always uses a
camp-stoOl instead of a
throne, and il is only recently that
be has consented to add to it an
India rubber air cushion-presented
to him by Peter Coopcr-to relieve
bis mind Of the strain which he
necessarily umdergoeS when listen
ing for two or three hours to Prince
Bismarck.
The Greek throne is a home made
affair. The late King Ohio made it
out Of a barrel, and it was
upholstered in a very creditable
way by his Queen. The whole ex-
Dense of the affair was only three
lrachme, and the present King
maintains that if he can get an ap-
pro priation from the Legislature
md furnish the throne with a new
cushion, it will be as comfortable as
my throne in Europe. It is GER
,ainly more comfortable than the
5hrone of the Car Of Russia, which
ssa solid block of iron of immense