The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-12-27
ON HER MAJEsTY's SERVICE.
Important Duties often Performed b!
the Queens Messengers.
Paris Messenger


There was a time antecedent to trains de
luxe and through communication between
London and Constantinople when the career
of Queens foreign service messenger was
almost as adventurous that of a war cor
respondent 1t was imperative that ne
should be a good horseman for not infre-
quently he would have to take long and ar
duous journeys in the saddle, and he needed
both courage and resource to cope with the
difficulties that would beset him. In 1850
for instance. Colonel Townley, who, at
time when the interminable Eastern qu1s-
ton was at one of it's recurring crises, was
intrusted with a dispatch OF great impor-
lance for the Foreign Office to our ambas-
sador at the Porte, and had to ride from
Belgrade to ConstantinOple in the worst
weather and with the roads in places almost
impossible was three days and nights In
the saddle without quitting 1t.
Even the crossing of the channel had
earlier in the century spice OF adventHre;
messenger an opportunity for outWlttlng
rival Mercury. Thus on an evening in No
Vember what time the chancelories in Eu-
rope were agog with anxiety regarding the
situation of the day, two messengers Ie1t
a certain European capital-the one
Queens messenger dispatched by our am
bassador 10 the Foreign ONCE here with
information of the first Importance concern
ing our relations with one of the powers,
and the other a messenger of the same pow
err to it's ambassador at st. James. Both
were enjoined to use all possible dispatch,
but the Englshman was told that II he
could outstrip his rival by few hours the
time gained would be of great advantage
to the state On the road the two messen-
gers fraternized, but the Englishman was
all the while on the lookout for an oppor-
tunity to squirt ahead. No chance came
until they reached Calais, when they found
that a great storm was raging and that the
packet was unable to cross the bar. There
seemed nothing to be done, at least to the
foreign courier, but to adjourn to the neigh
ing of the storm and to the hosiery they
repaired; but no sooner had the English
man seen his companion safely retired to his
dint of tempting offer of money induced
the crew of lugger to hazard the passage
Fortune favored him, and with twelve
hours start OF his rival he hurried up to
London and Downing street, worn and
travel-stained, but conscious that he had
dome the state some service" Nor was
his enterprise unrewarded, for the delighted
foreign secretary presented him with hand
some honorarium on the spot,
But though the romance of his calling has
almost disappeared and his journeys to this
or that capital are almost holiday trips
with the advantage that he doesn't have to
pay the bill. the Queens messenger Is still
an indispensable and even an important
officer of the state for there are many COM
munications passing between our Foreign Of
flee and our representatives abroad that it
would not be desirable to intrust to the post.
He must, for obvious reasons be a gentle
man of approved integrity and social posi-
ton, able to speak or make himself under
stood in the chief European languages, and
he must be ready to start at minutes
notice for Paris or Picking. If he is down at
the bottom of the list available for duty he
may generally reckon on a short holiday,
but with no certainty. Under such circum-
stances did Captain A on one occasion
HE him to the sunny south; but he had
scarcely arrived at Monte Carlo when the
following strange and apparently insulting
telegram was handed to him:
Chief Clerk Foreign Office to Captain
A: You are fast and dirty. Return at
once"
Whatever the first part of the message
might mean, it was clear that he was to re-
turn at once, and back he came to find that
the message should have iead; You are
first an duty Return at once"
Under all the circumstances the emolu-
ments of the post are not extravagant-&4O0
a year with an allowance of 81 per day for
Subsistence while on actual duty, and all
travelling expenses paid. AS the messenger
is probably on duty rather less than half the
year allowing for the intervals between
journeys and his annual holidays we may
reckon that the allowances amount to &15O
wear.