AN AWKWARD BRITISH CUSTOM.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 3671, 20 April 1883, Page 4

AN AWKWARD BRITISH CUSTOM.

'■'One of the best stories I ever heard about a roiiricj-f/f, ,, writes Mr George Augustus Sala, "was in connection with a highly aristocratic hotel in Vienna and one of her Majesty's Foreign Office messengers. The German coitn.cnjc, or sportier' in

general, and the Austrian one in particular, is, I should premise, a grandee of the haughtiest and most supercilious kind, lit' wears a showy uniform, with much gold lace upon it, and behaves himself accordingly. Well, my friend the Queen 3 - messenger was smoking a cigarette one niorniug'at the portals of the aristocratic hotel, when there rolled into the courtyard the carriage of the Grand Duke, say of SaxeWallsendstein, with his Transparency the Grand Duke himself inside. The messenger beheld without swooning the spectacle of his Transparency alighting. When the august form had disappeared up the μ-rand staircase, the ronrlrrf/r turned To my friend and rudely remarked,' ' When Grand Dukes enter the" courtyard of this hotel, it is customary to remain uncovered.' The reply of Captain X, was prompt. ' When German porters,' he observed, 'are insolent to English gentlemen, it is customary to knock them down.' And down went that 'proud young porter' of the aristocratic hotel. Captain X. was led to expect that the ' floorer' which he had administered to the 'porter ' would cost him dear, and was prepared to meet the worst, when next day the landlord of the hotel waited upon him, to liis surprise, beaming. ' My dear sir,' exclaimed the genial Heir Z., 'allow me to thank you for h:ivintr .so signally chastised that ill-conditioned fellow in the porter's lodge. The kcrl has long been in want of a thrashing; and if .you could make it convenient to look in once or twice a month and beat him, you would be rendering us all a good service.' "