The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-01-27
SIX MONTHS WITH ROYALTY.
Ex-Minister Pierce Writes Of the Court Of
Lisbon.
Told From the InsdeA DIPLOMATS Relates of His Amusing
Experiences With Throne Ocsupiers Their Laekeys.



state of considerable excitement. The
marquis could speak about twenty words
J OF English. / about hslt a dozen OF French
! and no Portuguese. but by the aid Of an
attache OF the hotel I soon learned that
the Kingdom was in a state OF threatened
: collapse.
Let me now return to the incidents at
tending my presentation to the queen,
and the royal reception which followed.
/ AS have said. word came from the
I Marquis de Pompal that ] was 20 be at the
I palace Of the Ajuda "a larger and more
/ elaborate structure than the one where
I In had been presented 10 the king on
I the following day at two O'Clock. A few
! minutes before that hour / drove be-
I tween lines Of soldiers up to the entrance
4 OF the palace, and joined a great crowd
Of waiting generals. colonies. admirals
and noblemen in the vast reception room
I on the FIRST floor There I was TO wait a
: summons from her majesty.
To face the king is easy. but when
! II comes 10 meeting a real live queen 1t
I requires the courage Of a lion. However,
/ i pulled myself together as well as 7 could
J look the arm Of the marquis and entered
/ the royal apartments. The queen, a beau
4 uful and charming woman Of twenty-six
/ or whereabouts, was standing in the CEN
I ter Of a room about ifty feet long sup
/ ported on either side by her ladies' in
I waiting ana maids of honor We bowed
I as We entered the room, again when we
] had approached half way to where she
was standing. and still again when we
stood In front Of her Then the MARQUIS
performed the ceremony of introduction
and the queen extended her hand and gave
me the orthodox greeting She welcomed
me TO Lisbon In perfect English, and car
ried on her part Of the conversation for
several minutes with ease and vivacity
after which we bowed ourselves out l
/ efr a lob -. s.rf- 4
latng myself on having passed the trying
ordeal when l was again tapped on the
shoulder by the marquis. who informed
me that I was to be presented to the
queen dowager.
Again we formed and went through the
ceremony of marching and bowling. The
/ queens mother does not speak English
and was forced 10 say what had to say
through the minister OF foreign affairs
who kindly came TO my rescue Few
Americans would be at loss for words
70 address the daughter of Victor Eman-
uel and when I told her that / felt deeply
gratided at meeting her. both as queen
and as the daughter OF one whom all
Americans delighted to honor. she re-
sponded most feelingly and becominelv
] was then presented 10 the kings brother
Dom Alfonso, and here the introductions
terminated. and we returned to the diplo-
matte room.
In a few minutes the corps of diplomats,
with the ladies accompanying them. the
Popes Nunclo, who is the dean of the
corps, leading the way, proceeded to the
throne room, when the gentleman took
their places in line facing the throne. the
ladies' forming in a line at the end of the
room 10 the left Immediately thereafter
couple Of dignitaries appeared, leading
the way for the royal party. First came
the king and queen. then the queen dowa-
% md
| ladies in waiting composed OF the favor
/ ties among the nobility They were fol-
| lowed by the cabinet ministers and the
/ scores of mobiles and military and naval
officers of high rank. When all were as
sembled the King passed to the head Of
| the diplomatic line, and beginning there,
shook hands, and held a few minutes
/ conversation with each member of the
corps. The queen did the same with the
| ladies, and after greeting each one she
| passed on, speaking to the gentlemen,
while the king went down the line of
| ladies, Offering his hand, and saying a
| few words to each in the same manner.
This ceremony concluded there came a
| trying ordeal for the ladies of the diplo-
mauc corps. The royal family seated
/ themselves in four chairs of state on a
raised dais, and at signal the lady at the
1 head Of the line walked alone and unat-
tended to a point opposite the chair of
! the king, where she made a profound
/ courtesy. She proceeded a few steps fur
4 theF. opposite the chair of the queen and
I repeated the saiutation; then to the queen
/ dowager, where she courtesied again
| and finally, saluting the prince with sim
! ply a bow passed out of the room. When
she had gone. the second one OF the line
4 followed and so on until all had gone
/ through the ceremony I was told by
1 some Of the ladies that nothing in life
( tried their nerves like this lone display
afr1 f1,.aa F,I
/ hundreds. all of whom We're intent upon
/ observing the dress, bearing and general
| appearance of the victim. They declared
/ that stage fright was nothing to It. After
/ the ladies' had departed, the members OF
| the diplomatic corps moved around in
! a body, bowed to sthe king and queen,
/ and passed out in the order that they en-
| tered, and this terminated the function so
| far as the foreign representatives We're
/ concerned. Later the king received the
! Portuguese officials, and others invited to
+ the palace. I attended a number of these
receptions, but all We're conducted in the
| same manner and grew very -tiresome
/ Quite late in the spring, when il was sup
/ posed that official receptions were over
/ for the season. one was suddenly an
nounced al the palace / forget the occa-
Esion of it, but as the diplomatic represen-
tatives formed in line. jolly minister
/ from one of the smaller European ma
tons asked me in a whisper If l smelled
eamphor. I said of course 1 did, and [ had
been wondering who was i'll. It's my
clothes" said he, Il thought these con-
/ founded gatherings were over, and so had
1 packed my buds away for the summer
! but ! had to take them out again, and
couldn't get rid of the smell TO save me"
! I was officially informed that the regu-
lation court costume for ladies in Port
ugal is a dress cut decollete with train
1 three yards in length. Any color is per
missable except blue and white intermin-
/ gled which is forbidden to all except ladies
in waiting. The most conspicuous per-
/ sons at one of the state affairs is usually
( the American minister in his swallow-tail
/ coat and sombre trousers. He excites al
1 most as much curiosity as a white black
bird the outside crowd especially never
ceasing TO wonder who on earth a person
/ in such marvellous attire ever gained ad-
mission to the palace.
once upon a time, however, a man, clad
in that simple garb appeared in their
midst and stood beside the king, while
( princes and mobiles fled before him with
low obeisance. The men of war in the
/ harbor Numbered out salutes of welcome
as accompanied by King Luis he rode
down The line of soldiery drawn up in his