THE KING'S LETTER-BAG.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXIX, Issue 11986, 7 June 1902, Page 2 (Supplement)

THE KING'S LETTER-BAG.

THE POSTMAN'S- DAILY DELIVERY AT THE PALACE. THOUGH the King's daily movements are fully chronicled in the newspapers and the ''Court Circular." there are many things His Majesty does of which the public have little knowledge. " State' business,"' upon ■which the King is employed every morning, covers a multitude of urgent matters, from the writing of an autograph letter to a neighbouring Sovereigns the selection of a Coronation design ; and there are, of course, numbers of official despatches which require the Royal signature. It is not generally known, however, that His Majesty preserves a, careful supervision over the answers which are sent to the hundreds of correspondents daily writing to the King. On an average, the King's daily letter-hag contains 600 letters, arid about half as many newspapers, books, circulars, etc. 5 Needless •to say, this gigantic delivery needs the assistance of a body of private clerks, over whom Sir Francis Knollys. the King's private secretary, exercises control. All letters and parcels, with the exception of those which are quickly recognised as being "personal to His Majesty"—i.e., which contain a distinctive private mark, mutually prearranged, on the envelope or cover opened by the secretaries, and distributed in boxes, separately labelled, 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 Majesty are retained by the private secretary and are laid before the King, who indicates in a few words his pleasure concerning them. It is surprisingand has often astonished those in receipt, of replieshow rapidly an answer is despatched from the Royal residence. Many a time has a correspondent, whose letter has been received by Sir Francis Knollys by the first morning delivery, obtained a reply the same night, intimating that the first missive has been " laid before the King." Many letters — those emanating from cranks, faddists, and notorious beggars, those making impossible requests (such as a seat in the Abbey in June), and those of a purely commercial characterare never submitted to His Majesty, but are either ignored or stereotyped replies are sent, according to the subject of the letter. This much can be 'truthfully said: The greatest courtesy and delicacy have always characterised His Majesty's public correspondence, and many instances could be quoted where his secretary has gone out of his way to explain at length the King's objection to some application, or His Majesty's reluctance at being unable to comply with some request. Since the new ' reign began the typewriter has been introduced into the palace, and many replies, formal and otherwise, are now typed in violet ink. In the last reign the private secretaries were supposed to, and actually did, write every letter with their own pens; but when Edward VII. aseended the throne a modern change was quickly ■ introduced, saving a large amount of time and labour, i " All sorts and conditions of people write to the King. Many of the envelopes bear ■ no stamps, as if Buckingham Palace were a ; Government office, and,some are boldly addressed in a penolH scrawl, i The East End postmark is a predominant ; features ; there are many poor people who, • alas! fondly believe the King can redress • their grievances and mitigate their woes by . a wave of his hand. It is no secret, how- . ever, that in several instances, after discreet inquiries have been made, suffering has been relieved in poor districts as the , result of a, letter to the King or Queen, i Usually the channel of relief is one of the i philanthropic societies, of which His Ma- ' jesty is either a patron or interested in, ; to whose office the deserving letter is privately, forwarded*