New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-01-13


n,,r,rs HE HAD TO PERFoRM-THE QUEENS
1upERIoUs sELFIsHNEss.
vt. or,v when old and gray-haired members Of
80, household drop by the waysde, ex-
a,.S nv ace and toll. that one begins 10 real
49,, far advanced in years is Queen Victoria
=. ,rhat an extent she is matrarch. not only
"" 49,. The 800, 100000 people subject to her rule.
.,.o 10 the monarchs Of the world. General
~. Henry Ponsonby. who has just been stricken
"a. nanlysis at osborne. was young officer Of
VIZ" Guards when he became attached to the Court
:" .,s capacity OF Equerry to the Prince Consort
.. .ss close of the ifties. Yet the Queen was al
- a grandmother at the time and had welded
..vore,cn power over fifth Of the globe for more
iran two decades. Six months ago. warned by
Tho tragically sudden death at Osborne OF his
lifelong colleague. General Sir John Cowell like
himself victim 10 overwork Sir Henry rendered
his resignation to the Queen. manifestly DESTROYS
~ escaping similar fate. But at the urgent
ouest of Her Majesty, who patheticay pointed
on, 10 him that broken she is by age and in
Armitv the close of her reign. which would relieve
hin, of his labors. cannot be far distant, he con-
sented to remain in harness And it is in harness
that ne has been stricken down. the last,
Lord Brdport. of those old and trusted attend
ants who entered Her Majestys service while
ba- husband was still alive. IL must be very sad
for the venerable sovereign to see these, her con-
.emporares. thus vanishing one by one into the
grave and 1t is not difficult to appreciate the ut
tor sense OF loneliness and desolaton which she
must suffer by their disappearance.
Few people save those acquainted with the
court and official life Of Great Britain have any
idea of the arduous work entaed by such posi-
ton as that which Sir Henry Ponsonby has filled
as private secretary to Her Majesty since 1870. In
addition to the care of the Queens own vast pr-
yate correspondence. the management OF her es-
tates and intimate affairs there is scarcely GOV
eminent Office of Importance which does not send
every day to the palace al which Her Majesty may
he residing boxes of documents. orders. warrants
and directions. requiring the royal signature and
Immediate attention.: and just in the same way
that copies Of all import ant dispatches received AT
the Foreign Office are at once forwarded to the
Queen So too are all papers Of any moment sub
nited in draft 10 her before being sent abroad by
the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs. In
deed. II is thanks TO this practice that war be-
tween Great Britain and the United states was
avoided in 1861 in connection with the Trent az
fair. For had the dispatch drawn up by the Eng
lish Cabinet been forwarded to Washington in Its
original FORM conflict would have been ineNlta-
ble 1t was only the very radical and concatorY
changes effected by the Queen and her husband
IN the draft that deprived the document or It's Of
fensive tenor and that rendered possible an ami
cable settlement of the trouble. All these papers
pass through the hands Of Her Maiesty's private
secretary who is necessarily member OF the
Privy Council, since Il is indispensable tnat
man intrusted with so many State secrets Of the
utmost moment should be bound by some more
serious and stringent obligation to discretion than
a mere personal sense Of duty and honor
The work commences usually before 10 O'Clock
IN the morning the Queen looking into every
matter asking innumerabe questions. requiring
minute explanations OF 2very subject, oftcn nav
ing the leading newspapers read TO her ana ois
patching every item of her huge correspondence
in a sharp, peremptory way when rehoers
difficult TO make any suggestion or TO get her
to accept any recommendation or counsel. Yet
Sir Henry has been by virtue OF his ONCE. as
we'll as Of the trust reposed in him by MS royal
mistress. the only person ir a position to offer
advice. 10 influence her decisions In the right
and popular direction and to soothe the irTita-
tion and jnpatencs Of a lharacter which always
,nonerjous. has become doubly intolerant OF all
restraint and opposition the close OF reign
~ wel-nigh threescore years. As soon as the
Oueen went out for her daily drive after lunch
Sir Henry would set hard to work In MS once
with a number % trained confidential clerks get
ting nd Of the huge load Il business piled up IN
the morning.
II is no secret that the members OF the royal
family male and female. young and old. British
and foreign, do not always get on well together
There are jealousies. diskes and unpleasantness
of every kind trouble about money matters IN
,rteues and even downright scandals. II has
been Sir Henry's duty t. know all about these.
70 make the Queen acquainted with them ac-
n
behalf Of the Queen in numerous instances as
mediator peacemaker or censor Many a time
wben he has had hard days work he would
h. summoned TO the Queens private apartments
after dinner to receive instructions about some
more or less unpleasant affair which would Keep
him busy until long after midnight. Indeed ne
has been a sort Of providence TO the queen ana
her children and It speaks well for his tact dls-
erection and cleverness that he should nave IN
variably been regarded as such by them
Nor does this by any means constitute the
sur, total OF the duties which have devolved
upon Sir Henry Ponsonby. portion OF each day
has invariably been spent IN seeing VS.
ttors In communicating to them Her Majestys
wishes and intentions, and in procuring from
them the points OF information on which she de-
sired to be posted previous to receiving them In
audience And at every moment he would be in
terrupted by the appearance or one o' the roS'i
servants to summon him upstairs to Her MaJes-
tvs apartment in order to reply to some question
which had suddenly occurred to her. Many is
the time tina, have sat in his little ofiice down.
stairs at Windsor Castle and have known him
to be called away thus three or four times within
the space of an hour and can still see the gal
liant, fne-looking old soldier rising from his desk
with word Of excuse and buttoning his frock
coat preparatory TO obeying the summons OF his
sovereign
But IL has been especially in the moments OF
grave political crises that Sir Henry's SER
vices have been Of inestima bic value to his