The San Francisco call., 1897-07-04

devices on the part of those who desire t
avoid accidents such as happened TO thu
Duke of Argyll. Thus 1 can recall the
case of relative, who, in return for active
service, was summoned with severa
brother officers to buckingham Palace il
order to receive from the hands of th'
sovereign herself the Order of the Bath
He had lost his right leg in action so neal
TO the hip joint that there was no mean:
of wearing an artificial limb and he wa:
consequently dependent upon hi:
crutches. When he entered the royal pres.
ence it was noticed that he held fastened
apparently to the handrest OF each crutch
a couple of lovely bouquets. AT third
of the distance up the long room he
stopped, made the regulation bow as best
he could and dropped one OF The bunches
OF flowers on the floor. Then he made his
wav to the Queen, rendered her the Other
bouquet, which she graciously accepted,
received his Order of the Bath, which she
herself fastened to his uniform with many
kindly word, for ne had been favorite
of her husband, and then Se proceeded tc
withdraw from her presence.
If ever there was a case in which the
walkin backward might have been ex-
cused, it was there, and the faces of the
Queen ana those around her betrayed
signs of concern and anxiety lest some
mishap would overtake the colonel. He,
however, backed away, displaying him
self some hesitation and anxiety until be
reached that part of the room where he
had purposely lett the first bouquet on the
ground. That gave him his bearings. He
knew where he was then and leaving the
flowers there reached the door in safety,
the Queen kindly nodding and waving her
hand 10 him in appreciation of his some
what arduous act of homage That her
Majesty was moved thereby was shown by
the fact that q few days later he received
from the Queen rather unusual present,
namely, handsome carriage and a pair
OF horses, together with an expression OF
the wish that the conveyance might in
some measure tend to alleviate the dis
comfort caused by the absence of the linn b
" hch he had lost in her service on the
field OF battle.
Sometimes when the court dignitaries
happened TO be fat, or unkindly treated
by nature with regard to figure and form,
they present an exceedingly comical ap-
pearance when walking backward; that
is to say, to those who, not being of royal
blood, have the advantage of the rear
view; and L for one shall never forget the
mirth-engendering spectacle offered to my
sight by a certain noble lord who shall be
nameless, and who formerly occupied an
important post in the Queens household.
Providence had been so bountifuI to him
~ i
it had presumably with the object of even
ing up things, been less liberal in physical
matters. and while his bodv was unnatu-
rally long, his legs were both abnormally
short, and to say the least, DETECTED.
Imagine the figure thus constructed of this
stunted nobleman-for he was very short
-arrayed in the hideous Windsor uniform
with kneebreeches and silk stockings,
walking backward, and you have some
thing very much in the nature of human
crab.
Nothing, however, can be more stately
and dignifed than the present Lord
Cham berlaIn and Lord Steward, the Earls
OF Penn broke and Lathom being more
over, adopts in the art of walking back
ward. Lord Lathom is a handsome man
20 his waist, and yet whose figure retains
all the elasticity and elegance of man
OF 80. He is very tal.-not quite so
tall, however, as the Lord Steward, the
Earl of Penn broke, whose good looks,
stature and noble bearing are as unrivaled
in the House of Lords as they were until
three years ago in the House of Com
mons. This is not astonishing, as he is
the head of the House of Herbert, which
for centuries has been renowned for its
good looks, and, moreover, is the grand
son of the famous Russian beauty Cathe-
rine, Countess Woronzow, while his
fathers charm OF person and manner have
been portrayed by Lord Beaconsteld in
his novel 'Endymion," in which he fig
ures under the name of Sydney Wilton.
1t may be of interest to add that the
present Lord Pembroke is not without
American connections, his younger
brother, Michael Herbert, popularity
known in the diplomatic service by the
nickname of "Minga," being married to
daughter of Richard Wilson of New York,
whose hand he secured while British
Charge d. 'Affaires at Washington.
There was a considerable amount of
walking backward at the English court
previous to the accession to the throne of
Queen Victoria, but nothing like as much
as there is at present. Indeed, royalty
nowadays, in England at any rate, is en-
vironed by vast degree more of etiquette
and homage than in days OF yore. This
is entirely the doing of the late Prince
Consort.
When he married he was not slow to OBJ
serve that not only was there great
amount of corruption, extravaganza and
maladministration at the court of his
royal bride, but likewise that there was,
particularly on the part of the great
mobiles and principal dignitaries, an
absence of Difference and respect for the
occupant of the throne, which grated
strongly upon the ideas of young prince
who owed. if not his political principles
at any rate his views with regard TO man
ner, etiquette and breeding to Austria's
great Chancellor, Prince Metternich The
middle-class farmer-like habits of George
III. the shameless immortality of George
~. and of his prohigate brothers, the
Dukes of York and Cum berland, as we'll
as of his successor, King William ", who
added thereto an eccentricity verging on
i'm hecilitv had i'm Dairad IN aunb a 6acrao