The Washington herald., 1906-12-02
BY EX-ATTACHE.


ration of stricter business methods on the
part of the so-called board of green
cloth, which controls the victualing de-
partment OF the royal household a spirit
Of revolt has arisen among the warrant
holders. that is TO say, the tradesmen
who hold official warrants as purveyors
TO the King, the Queen, and the mem
bers of the reigning family. Indeed, it
is said. that the purveyOrs have been
rendered so indignant by the new proc
ess of shaving down their formerly
large profits. that they contemplate
throwing up their royal warrants. a
threat which the sovereign and the board
of green cloth can contemplate with
equanamity
Inasmuch as there are several firms in
the United States. notably the principal
jewelry and siIversmith concerns in New
York, who hold warrants issued from the
royal household in London, conferring
upon them the title of 'pUrveyor" of
their particular wares to the King and
Queen of England, it may be as well
10 explain just what is meant by the
title and warrant in question. They do
not in any way imply that the firm which
receives the warrant constitutes the only
one of a particular trade that is TO be
thus distinguished For there are at least
dozen great firms of English and for
eign jewelers. and silversmiths who have
been nominated Jewellers and silver
smiths 10 their maieSties." NeveTthe-
less. the appointments are regarded as
an honor of considerable commercial val
Ue for the warrant endCws the concern
in question with a public stamp OF royal
approval, and the very knowledge that
the English court is chary and careful
about making these appointments Of pur-
veyOrs 10 royalty. serves 10 invest the
firm in question with sort of guaTan-
tee, not only Of reSpectability. but also Of
fashion. The appointment in itself does
not carry with it any special privileges.
excepting the right Of putting up the roy
al arms above the doors and shop win
dOWs. and of using the same herdldic de
vices on letter and bin heads. But the
very fact of the royal arms figuring over
the entrance of a store serves To attract
a large amount of custom. people on the
other side of the Atlantic-and sometimes
here. toO-being impressed with the belief
that N following the example Of royalty
especially in matters of purchase, they
cannot possibly so wrong.
The use of the royal arms and insignia
for trading purposes is limited strictly 10
those firms holding warrants authorizing
them to style themselves ''purveyors" by
appointment 20 this or that member of
the reigning house. Any one found en-
ploying the royal arms i'm this way with
out proper authority. or falsely assuming
the ,itle of purveyor 10 the sovereign or
to any of the princes or princesses of the
blood, is liable not only 10 n heavy fine,
but likewise 10 imprisonment. Since the
accession of King Edward quite a large
number of English manufacturers and
tradesmeu have been brought into court
and mulcted IL large amounts for using
the royal arms without authority. The
warrants are Withdrawn in the case OF
bankruptcy. or even in the event of any
questionable dealings on the part OF the
firm concerned. The appointment like
wise becomes void by the change Of the
designation Of the firm, by the death of
the individual partners OF directors in
whose names the warrants have beeen
granted and by the demise of the SOW
ereign. Thus, all appointments of puT-
veyors 10 Queen Victoria lapsed with her
death. The warrants are headed with the
royal arms. and bear the signature and
the seal of the lord steward the lord
chamberlain. the comptroller of the royal
household. the treasurer of the latter
the master Of the royal household
or of the master of the horse. ac-
cording 10 the department under which
they come. With regard TO Queen Alex
andra. certain of her purveyors receive
their warrants from her lord chamber
lain. VINO is the Earl of Howe. while 9TH
ers are issued by her mistress of the
Tghps " Is rho D-rrhae.- of Tsrr.a1a,ral
1t must thoroughly be understood that
the selections are made by the royal per
SOnages in question themselves. and that
the names and seals of the dignitarfeS
figuring on the warrant are merely those
Of the executors of the royal commands
in the matter.
The mere fact of the King having made
a purchase from a firm does not confer
upon the latter any right to style itself
'purveyor to his majesty" Indeed. the
King, the Queen, and the royal house
hold, may be buying things from a con-
cern all the year round. but unless it
receives "a royal warrant. signed and seal
ed in due form, it is liable to get into
very serious trouble if il ventures 10
adopt the royal arms and the style OF
purveyor by appointment"
There are some very odd features about
these royal warrants. Thus the drug
gist to the King and Queen is appoint
ed in the same way as the royal physi-
clans and surgeons, although, unlike
them, he uses the royal arms for trade
purposes. On the other hand, the office
Of geOgrapher TO the King is distinctly a
trade appointment. and ranks as such
with the boOtmaker to his Majesty. The
poet laureate. the astronomer royal, and
the histOriogTap pher royal. no longer fig
ure among the warrant holders. but Oc-
cupy to-day a more exalted rank at court
But the veterinary surgeon and the ca
nine surgeon of the King and of the roy
al family hold their offices by means Of
d warrant similar to that granted to the
royal tradesmen. The latter are of the
most varied description As I have men
toned above, both King Edward and
Queen Alexandra have a jeweler and sill
versElith by appointment 10 their maj
estes, in New York. Queen Alexandra
has a mOdiste, "a hair dresser, a corset
maker. and a glove maker at Paris. all
holding warrants appointing them as her
purveyors. The King has a saddler at
Budapest Eau-de-Cologne makers at Co
logne. a furrier in Quebec, Canada; sell
ers of fancy goods at Frankfort-on-the-
Main and at Vienna: seller of seeds at
Hyeres. a winegrOwer. at BrOnte. in Sic
lily; a photographer at Cairo, 4 maker
OF cherry brandy. at Copenhagen; a bis
cult maker. at Florence; a bagpipe max
er at Aberdeen: "a barber. In London and
even a horse knacker, that is to say. a
man who makes il his business to kill
horses, and who for a consideration, puts
royal nags ogt OF their misery when the
dictates Of humanity demand their de
parture for another world
The roval purveXors hv apnointment.