The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-12-26

strongest when a foreign sovereign pays a state visit to this country. Then a1- most every other man Is detective within a mile or two. of Windsor castle, and no one who Is not well known has the slightest chance of getting within easy reach of the royal apartments.
 When the King is in residence at Wind sor the guards are doubled, Instead of one man marching up and down with bayonet fixed between sentry box and sentry box there are two.
 Then there are Metropolitan policemen on duty at each gateway as well as royal gatekeepers in scarlet and gold livery. In addition to that there are plain clothes detectives and night watchmen.
 A lunatic seldom gets further than Henry WITS gateway at Windsor. The little police office is just inside the gate and here is officially recorded every day anything of note that takes place within the precincts of the castle.
 A few yards inside the gateway are also the quarters of the officer who is in command of the castle guard Telephones are installed all over the castle and the different entrances are connected with the main switchboard near the equerries entrance.
 If paper knife were taken out of the castle today 1t would be missed tomor- row. Every treasure and piece of fur niture in Windsor Castle Is entered Into huge books and photographs are kept of all tho most valuable articles.
 The sentries were always provided with bali cartridge until a guardsman fired three bullets into a stone elephant on the East Terrace of Windsor Castle, which he mistook for ghost In the mists of the early morning Now they have to depend on their bayonets.
 It is very seldom that thefts take pfHce at royal residences. The police have power to search all bags or parcels be- ing conveyed from the royal palaces. Many years ago sentry at Windsor Castle managed to hook down valuable gold watch and chain from one of the royal apartments with his bayonst on the end of his rifle. but he was quickly found out and punished
 A night watchman goes on duty inside the castle at Windsor every night and comes off in the morning. In case of fire he would at once give the alarm and In very few minutes the royal nremen and castle guard would be on the spot and all entrances would be closed and guarded The same system prevails at the chief o1 the other royal residences
 There used to be sentries at Frogmore in the early part Of the last century, but there are none now. Around the Royal Mausoeum at Frogmoss, where Queen | victoria's remains repose, the Metropoli- tan police are on duty all through the i 24 hours. ..
 The penalty. for soldier falling to | perform his duty when on guard outside | royal residences is so severe that there are very few cases indeed on record of men having to be taken off their posts. | Two hours on and four hours off duty are the allotted times in the 24 hours round. and men are very seldom discov- cred asleep. When the court is in resi- dence at the chief royal palaces the strain l of duty is very severe at times. The royal household police of course take turns at night and day duty, anc when important functions are on they have a very busy time.
 | Tn addition to the soldiers, police ant detectives there are of course the roya servants and lodgekeepers. who know 6 | stranger at once.
 Even if a visitor got through the strong [ cordon around royal residences he would l still have to face the six-foot footmen IT scarlet and gold who sit just inside thu chief entrances. Near at their hand is. 2 telephone. and If they have the least sus picion of a visitor the police are ac- | quainted in a trice.
 l A stranger would have the greatest diff ficulty, even if he successfully eluded thu | hall porter, to find his way about Wind sor castle and Buckingham palace.