Wallowa chieftain. [volume] (Joseph, Union County, Or.) 1884-1909, 1902-07-24
LETTERS TO A KING.
POSTMAN'S DAILY DELIVERY AT
WINDSOR CASTLE.

fA1AA A-uaAAN CAA hAA
dred Letters Every Twenty-four
Hours-How They Are Read, Sorted,
and Finally Disposed of.
Though the Kings daily movements
are fully chrOuicled in the newspapers
and the Court Circular" there are
mauy things his majesty does OF which
the public has little knowledge. state
business" upon which the King is en-
pIoyed every morning. covers q multi
rude Of urgent matters. from the writ
ing Of an autograph letter TO neigh
boring sovereign 10 the selection OF
coronation design; and there are, OF
course. numbers of official dispatches
which require the royal signature.
Il is not generally known, however.
that his majesty preserves careful
supervision over the answers which
are sent TO the hundreds Of correspOn-
dents daily writing to the King. on
an average the Kings daily letter bag
contains 600 letters. and about half As
many newspapers, books. circulars. etc.
Needless 10 say. this gigantic delivery
needs the assistance OF body of prl-
vate clerks. over whom Sir Francis
Knollys. the Kings private secretary,
exercises control.
All letters and parcels, with the eX-
cep;ion Of those which are quickly rec
Ognized as being personal TO his ma
jesty''-i. e. which contain a distinc-
tive private mark, mutually prearrang-
ed on the envelope or cover-are open
ed by the secretaries, and distributed
in boxes. separately labeled, according
to their nature and contents. These
boxes are then carefully examined and
checked by Sir Francis knOllys, and
those letters of an urgent character
requiring the consideration Of his ma
jesty are retained by the private sec
rotary and are laid before the King.
who indicates in a few words his pleas
ure concerning them.
II is surprising-and has often aston
shed those In receipt Of replies-hOw
rapidly an answer is dispatched from
the royal residence. Many time mas
a correspondent whose letter has been
received by Sir Francis Knollys by the
first morning delivery, obtained a -e-
ply the same night, intimating that the
first missive has been laid before The
King" Many letters-thOse emanat-
ing from cranks, faddists and notorious
beggars, those making impossible re-
quests and those of a purely CONNER
cial character-are never submitted 10
his majesty, but are either ignored or
stereOtyped replies are sent, accord
ing TO the subject OF the letter.
This much can be truthfully said:
The greatest courtesy and delicacy
have always characterized his majes-
rvs public correspondence, and many
instances could be quoted where his
secretary has gone out of his way to
explain at length the Kings objection
to some application. or his majesty ;
reluctance at being unable TO comply
with some request Since the now
reign began the typewriter has been
introduced in the palace, and many re-
plies. formal and otherwise. are now
typed in violet ink. In the late reign
the private secretaries were supposed
to. and actually did. write every letter
with their own pens, but when Edward
VII. assembled the throne a moderr
change was quickly introduced. saving
large amount of time and labor.
All sorts of conditions OF people
write to the King. Many of the envel
opes bear no stamps, as if Buckingham
Palace were a government office, ant
some are boldly addressed in a pencil
scrawl
The East End postmark is a FREEDOM
inant feature: there are many poor peo
pie. who, alas! fondly believe the Kin:
can redress their grievances and miti
gate their woes by wave Of his hand
1t is no secret, however. that in sew
eral instances, after discreet inquiries
have been made, suffering has been re
lieved in poor districts as the result o.
letter to the King of Queen. Usual
" the channel OF relief is one of th'
philanthropic societies. of which hi
majesty is either a patron or interested
in. to whose office the deserving lette
Is privately orwarded.-London FIX
press.