The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1889-03-12

POSTMASTER HARKER.
His "reminiscences of Distinguished
Dinners.
From The Pail Mall Gazette.

From The Pail Mall Gazette.
Are you still the city postmaster"
mo. Igave up my post some time ago;
but l am the queens bailiff at the central
criminal court, and am one Of the oldest ser
wants of tire corporation"
How many dinners have you put through
in your official capacityF'
"Four thousand and ninety
Most of the great speakers you have
heard take something to keep their voice in
triml"
"Well, Disraeli, for instance, always had
his butler behind him with bottle of egg
and-sherry, which he had ready mixed Mr..
Gladstone, | have noticed, takes sherry, but
no egg. The Prince of Wales, he likes
hook and champagne. The Duke of Edin-
burgh, his servant always brings bis
special brand with hin-a Russian Cham
pagne."
heard more after dinner speeches than any
man living. viii you offer some criti-
cismsg"
"Well, l suppose Charles Dickens was
as ready speaker as l ever heard. The
words flowed out like stream, but he was
rot what | call good after-dinner speaker,
because he was 50 teresting that you
wished he would go on forever. Now. that
don't do for me, you know, for I have to
stand by with the watch"
"The stop watch, eh?n
Eyes; I've stopped Mr.. Gladstone be-
fore to-day" This in a confidential whis-
per.
You don't say So"
"a fact. When he is to long l have
spoken into his hear, Time, ir!t-i-m-e,'
and then he Stacks up With ordinary
mel | say it to the chair not to let
the room hear me, you know. | never
stop man at a charity dinner. 1t doesn't
do"
''Is the Prince of Wales good speaker?n
"a glorious fellow. If had only SOW
ereign in the world and he wanted it, he
should have it. Why l brought him out
in 1868, and have stood behind him many
a time and oft. Does he speak from notes?
Not in speaking of himself, never. He has
slip of paper to show the order of the
toasts. that's all. What's his favorite dish?
Well, he likes daintIes en- caiSSe en- papjt-
lote, larks, Holsters, oysters. He is very
fond If those"
well now, who are the most famous
people you have attended," Mr. Harker
looked hurt, and his fingers fumbled irri-
tably with his white tie as he proceeded:
why, nearly all the crowned head in
Europe. The queen, to begin with. TEEN
| broug It out the Prince OF Wales in 1868
and all his brothers and his sons, the EN-
peror of Austria, the late tar and the pres
ent tZar, the late Emperor Frederick, tie
Emperor Napoleon-why, [ remember
swearing in the late emperor of the French
as special juryman at the Old Bailey
when he was nobody. Did he serve! Just
like anybody else. He had to serve by the
law of the land
"Then claim to be the person who first
induced the Princess of Wales to make a
speech In public. | was standing behind
her good many years ago-it was at q
charity dinner or luncheon, and her speech
was going to be read by her secretary. 1
ventured to say, If your royal highness
would only say a word yourself it would
make ali the difference and she did. The
Baroness Burdett- Coutt., too. | induced
to speak when she opened Columbia mar
ket."
well, you heard about your successor
who couldn't pronounce Massachusetts?
What is the most difficult name you ever
had to tackled"
"The Madagascar ENJOYS. They were
cautions. 'Riandriaudrianivo,' as near as
can remember it, said Mr.. Harker Rain
! and rain and dry again. as PUNCH called
it. biggest number think | ever did
was 5000 foreign doctors who dined at tne
Guildhall, and they said l didn't make one
mistake"
What preparation had you for your on
erous duties?"
I'm 1874 shipped with Sir John Ross for
the Antarctic expedition. We wintered
twice in rs south; then we went to China,
Australia, New Zealand, Tasmania, getting
remOunts for the regiments engaged in the
Indian mutiny. had joined the commits
sariat then. | came home in the fifties, and
served through the Crimean war"
ANY woundsr
"a bullet in my leg, a gun-carriage
crushed my ribs, and slice of my chin cut
off with saber. Pretty tough, ehi have
twenty-six medals and orders, aud my col
lection of autographs is not to beaten, l
think, for have 60J cabinet portraits OF all
the famous men and women for thirty years
past, with autographs attached
by the way, what are your fees?
Two guineas for city dinner, and 10
guineas If l travel"
And your uniform?"
"Well, evening dress as often as not now
In the good old days l wore a beautiful
velvet dress, with klee brooches and silver
decorations, which cost 200 pounds. But
the city can't spend money like they used
to do. They are watched by the news
papers"