The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-11-23

but it all made no difference. Her majes-
tvs royal purse remained tightly clasped,
and all the rich people taking their cue
from her, the unemployed fund was a
failure, to the great satisfaction of every one
who had sense enough to see that il was
only premium on violence and pau
perism.
In all such matters az these Sir Henry
Ponsonby is the queens direct and only
adviser. He has to get his information
how and where he can, but he must get
1t somehow. without any delay, and be
ready to advise decisively. yes or no, and
TO give reason for his advice. The queen
has temper Of her own. and is very stiff
In her opinions, and sometimes Sir Henry's
views on money matters do not please her
at ALL She would give where he would
withhold, and she would withhold where
he would give. But he never gives in (: and
she is sensible enough 70 see that he IS
much more likely to know what is right
than she is. The very few mistakes she
has made in her benevolences have been
when she has acted against Sir Henry's
advice, or allowed herself TO be got at by
some weak-minded woman with no knowl-
edge of the world.
On two or three occasions the queen has
behaved so foolishiy or so wrongheadedly,
that people have wondered whether she
was in her right mind, and what sort Of
SnE Dau ABOUT nET. n ROOu many
years ago the royal yacht while crossing
the Solent at the rate of seventeen knots
an hour, with the queen on board, cut
down a sailing boat and drowned tour per-
sons. including one or two women. The
Prince Of LeinIngen, near relative OF the
queen, was in command and there was
serious talk of having him tried for man.
slaughter. and very angry feeling about
the whole affair Clearly the proper thing
tho m do n
patty with the relatives of the deceased. to
offer compensation for the boat, and above
all things TO give every facility for IN
quiTy as to who was to blame. But she
yielded TO some bad advice, and did the
wrong thing in every way. She took no
notice Of the sufferers by the accident, but
she sent handsome present to the Prince
of Leiningen for taking such good care of
her and of her yacht, and, most foolish of
all she allowed him to refuse TO give
evidence at the coroner's inquest on the
absurd ground that he was an officer in
the navy. This all came of her listening
to courtiers and foreigners. instead OF con-
sulting an experienced and level-headed
man of affairs like Sir Henry Ponsonby.
Nearly as bad case was this When Colo
mel Valentine Baker, of the Tenth Hussars,
attempted to assault Miss Dickinson in a
railway carriage, she, like good plucky
girl, got outside and rode for miles hang
ing on to the door handles at the risk of
her life. The colonel was most Justly sent
to jail, and the queen, through Sir Henry
Ponsonby. wrote Miss Dickinson a letter
of warm praise and gave her her portrait
and autograph for keepsake. Baker
served his term and went to Turkey and
Egypt, where he displayed such bravery
that his friends made a tremendous effort
to get him back into society. The
Prince of Wales befriended him with
non
and by some unaccountable means
the queen was misled into showing him
countenance. Miss Dickinson imme-
diately sent back the queens portrait with
a scathing letter, in which she said quite
truly that to accept Colonel Baker as
decent man was to condemn her as a
decent woman. There was roar OF public
opinion in favor of the girl, and Baker had
to fly to parts unknown, where he died.
Here again the queen made the fatal mis-
take of taking advice from those who had
their own objects TO serve, instead of those
who consider solely what is best for her
dignity and fame. Sir Henry Ponsonby
had nothing to do with that.
A third instance is only laughable, for it
Is creditable to the queens goodness of
heart, though it does not say much for her
knowledge OF farming, which she, never
theiess, carries on successfully on her es-
tates. A succession of wet seasons, &C
companied by a formidable outbreak of
disease, had caused great havoc among the
fiocks III Great Britain. and the papers
were full of forebodings of a serious falling
of in the number of sheep in the kingdom,
which are an important source of national
wealth. Upon this, to the bewilderment
of everybody, the queen issued an order
that the eating of lamb was forbidden
throughout all the royal establishments.
with view To discouraging the practice
should nave reached their former num-
beers. The panic among the farmers can
be imagined. Every paper was crowded
with their complaints. showing that the
sale of the lambs was the most profitable
part of the business, and that if they
could not sell them they would have to
cut their threats in any case, because
there was not pasture enough as il was
for the sheep they had. In short, IL was
made abundantty clear that the eating OF
lamb had nothing TO do with the diminu-
ton of the flocks, and that what the queen
meant for kindness, was really the most
ruinous injury she could inllict on the
farmers. The royal edict was instantly
rescinded but it was a long time before
the excitement and ridicue il caused died
away. For this act of egregious folly, the
queen was indebted TO the advice of lady
at court, who, mt tina. time had far too
much influence over her. If she had fol-
lowed her regular practice and employed
her private secretary 10 make inquiries.
though he might not have known a lamb
from hog himself, he would have got her
the best information from practical sheep
farmers and statesmen within few hours.
The post of private secretary to the
queen IS after all little better than gilded
slavery. He has snug house allotted to
him within the precincts of ST James pal
ace, where his wife and family live. and
he also has separate establishment at
Windsor castle. But wherever the queen
is, whether in London or at Osborne, or at
Balmoral, or on the continent he has TO
be, and from early morning until late at
night he is at her beck and cali The
queen is very hard worker. with very
methodcal habits, and she never spares
any OF her employees. She is an early riser
and often before breakfast Sir Henry Pom
sonby is sent for TO go through the letters
that have arrived by the first mail or by
special messenger, and by 10 o'clock the
regular business OF the day is IN full swing,
the queen looking into everything herself,
asking innumerahle questions. requiring
m!luie explanations of every subject. often
having the leading newspapers read aloud
10 her, and discussing each item of her
huge correspondence in sharp perem o.
tory way. The whole morning is thus
occupied, with the result that, while the
queen goes for arrive or attends some
public function in the afternoon, Sir
Henry Ponsonby is bard NJ work in his
office. with 3 bevy Of trained clerks. dis
patching letters or other communications,
preparing replies 10 addresses and getting
rid of the load of business piled up in the
morning. Every single communication
from the queen 10 anybody else. except
such as are strictly official or strictly do
nestle. goes through him. He also con
ducts MI the confidential relations between
the Queen and the ministers or other treat