The Washington herald., 1907-08-04
INVESTMENTS OF KINGS.
How Secrets of MonGrchs Are
safeguarded.

There is a sense in which monarchs
have no secrets. says a writer In Cas-
sells Saturday Journal In the nature
of things they are compelled by the ne
cessities Of their position to take some
one into their confidence with respect 70
almost every detail of their daily life.
But for the most part these condolences
are jealously guarded, and in a hundred
and one ways the public curiosity has
to satisfy Itself with more or less
plausible guesses at truth.
Take the case Of King Edwards pri-
vate investments. These are known 10
but three courtiers and only one sched-
ule of them it may be said with conf
dence, is IN existence People profess
20 know of large purchases Of West
End ground rent, of huge commitments
In American railways. and so forth For
the most part. however, these securities
are held in the names Of trusty init
mates who are themselves large inves-
tors, and no estimate Of his majesty S
personal estate has any value what
ever. Many European sOvereigns. espe-
cially in the more restless portions Of
the continent, are said, with much rea-
son, to keep the bulk Of their private
fortunes in the strongrooms Of the
Rothschilds and other financial houses
in London and elsewhere, where their
secrets are inviolable
One veteran monarch, to the writer
knowledge. conducted his private busi-
ness with his London agents through
the medium OF a young Englishman
whose duties were quite unsuspected
even by his own relatives Whenever
he came across the channel he used 90
put up with linen draper, whose ac-
quaintance he formed in his boyhOOd
and by this means his movements were
kept secret If any one had injured his
business he would have produced a case
of commercial samples and offered 10
open an account
King Edward carries at one end OF
his gold albert a gold key which opens
/ his private writing desk. and there j.
no duplicate All state papers, how
ever are kept in dispatch boxes unit
/ transferred 10 the safes in the secre-
4 tarlat and Of these the keys are KEEP
/ by Lord Knollys. When his majesty
has Quilted his personal apartment. NJ
| servant is allowed TO enter until al
/ assistant secretary has destroyed TN,
/ contents Of the waste basket. the blot
/ ting pads and even the printed wrap
/ pers of newspapers received from eveTl
/ capital in Europe. IL is an unwritteI
/ law that the private secretary shall no
\ indulge in "a gOssipy diary after tn,
/ manner Of Samuel Pcpys-he must. O
/ necessity. keep a daily record Of bar
/ facts-2Hd certain courtiers, including
/ the maids OF honor, are required as
/ condition Of their service 10 enter int
| an obligation Of the same kind
/ All royal kilograms pass through 81
/ Martin 's-le-Grand. and are manipulate,
/ by a special operator, who is reservet
for this duty. Unlike public messages
no duplicates are kept, and the origina
! messages in certain instances ar
promptly returned 10 the palace. afte
| a note has been made Of the numbc
of words for the purpose Of the ac
count. The cypher codes which ar
used between the foreign Office and IN
embassies abroad are not employed TO
the personal messages of the king, no
is any system of cryptic writing usua
between monarch and monarch
The German Emperor encloses all hi
private letters in waterproof envelope
cf special make. lie is believed {
make freer use Of secret devices in cor
responding with his ministers and 9th
ers than any other European monarcl
and there is no doubt that his privat
safes contain a mass Of secret intellt
genCe. strategic memoranda made b
his own hand. and other matter whic
in this country are left 10 the depart
{ ments responsible fo- such things.
is understood that he keeps no privat
diary but the Empress Augusta ha
/ been accustomed ever since her MAJ
rage to commit her thoughts on cur
rent affairs TO writing, and each Jar
/ uary the diary for the previous year
! locked and preserved in her jewel saf
/ The Car OF Russia has "a heavy bu
den TO bear by reason of the suspicio
] with which he is compelled to rega1
even his most intimate courtiers. He
, known TO keep sprivate record
/, which no one besides the Empress hs
/ access. and there is no doubt that mar
things which in happier surrounding
would be freely discussed with d
cOurticrs are shared by the Empire.
alone. His control Of the treasury el
ables him 10 conduct his person.
finances in the greatest secrecy.