Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1905-06-22
KINGS MESSENGERS.
DUTIES OF DISPATCH BEARERS
OF THE ENGLISH MONARCH.
Carefully Picked Men, Generally
Army Officers, Who Are In
trusted with His Ma
jesty's Business.

aboul AuoM the GENERAL reading pun
lie knows very little, for the reaso
that they are rarely seen. and go abou
their work with still tongues and al
parently stealthy steps. They are tn
nations emissaTies known as king
messengers. These men, says Cassell'
Journal, are not. as their title wouli
seem TO imply, exclusively attached 4
the soyereign's person. Though the,
bear his majesty's messages, carry dis
patches from the palace to the various
government Offices, and from LondoI
TO the capitals of Europe, they arr
really servants of the country and rep
resent, so to speak, a necessary cog il
the machinery Of administration.
There are nine kings special for,
eign service messengers, in addition tc
those attached TO the home service
The foreign service messengers are
carefully picked men. generally from
army officers, educated and with char.
acters for integrity The salary at.
tached TO the post is from ESQ Il
6 400, and they are allowed one pound
a day for personal expenses. Alto
gether their cost to the country is
$4,000 a year.
They travel at stated times and In
all weathers. Men of robust health
care is taken that they are always in
the pink of condition. When a mes
senger returns from a journey abroad
he is invariably examined by a specia
doctor, and If it IS found that his gen
eral health is not excellent, his place
is taken by another man until he is III
again. These messengers are all en-.
gagged on foreign office work. But
they do not merely carry dispatches
and treaties. When his majesty desires
to confer a decoration on some for
eign loyalty or distinguished parsonage
the insignia are taken by a messenger
TO the British embassy of the capita |
whittier he is bound, and through the |
medium of the ambassador RENTED |
TO the intended recipient When for. |
eign seamen render help to their Brit.
ish brethren in some near or distant
seat may be by gallant rescues from
drowning-their act is recognized by
the board of trade by the presentation
OF medals. These are conveyed BY the
kings foreign service messengers and
conferred through the proper channels
Besides his dispatches and other
things intended for the British embas.
sizes abroad, he is often placed In
charge of goods, sometimes a vanloao
of presents sent by the royal family
to relatives and friends He is the Gus.
todian of these presents. When they
are bought they are taken to a speciaI
room in the foreign Office. The rail.
way companies are notified of theii
Imminent transit and make arrange
ments accordingly. The messenger sees
that they are carefully packed and put :
on the rail, and accompanies them as !
TAR as Paris, where the British EN-. |
bassy takes charge of them. He does
not return empty-handed. It may be
hat on the journey home he has in
his charge, in addition to documents I
another vanload of gifts. These are T
aiken to the foreign Office. whence they q
Ire distributed to the king and queen I
Ind other members of the royal family q
or whom they are intended. I
On all these journeys, which, as may 5
De imagined, are varied, the messen. '
,ers are met by representatives of the 7
3ritish embassies. They are immedi e
Itely recognized by a certain badge. o
The messengers know their way about b
or all are excellent linguists; but the q
'adge is necessary and serves its DUR n
lose, IN that, on crowded platforms
With passengers rushing to the exits
hastens Identification, and therefore :
ayes time, for in case of dispatch n
'earers II frequently happens that ex. \
edition is of the utmost Importance.
II Is a singular fact and worthy of n
eing recorded here that no matter q
ow strained have been the relations
etween Great Britain and neighbor-
ng countries, the messengers, whether al
hey be special treaty ones or those 7
arrying ordinary dispatches have :,
ever been interfered with They have +
OF, however, been without their ad. '
entures.
While messengers have. escaped G.
ough usage, there are instances ON cl
ecord of their having been shadowed. II
very European government has a Ger. cl
ain number of spies in its emplov- n,
lent The kings messengers are we'll N,
ware of this fact, and it is ever pres. /,
Mt with them during their iourneys :,
hey are always on the alert when -
hey meet an affable, loquaeious and .
unningly inquisitive man in a rail.
'ay carriage on a foreign railway. The u
'ork of foreign messengers is much
asier now than II was during the early
ietorian era. That period suggests
sdious journeys made by mail coach F..
1urneys attended with discomfort and :
anger. But now, thanks to the grow
lg amity which marks International
slations, many important dispatches
itherto carried by messengers are in
-usted to the ordinary postal service e,
he tendency, in fact, is 10 curtail the FL
ost OF the special messenger service. Fl
nd recently fresh ARRANGEMENTS were FL