SPECIMENS OF THE Queen's Handwriting.

Te Aroha News, 21 June 1887, Page 15

SPECIMENS OF THE Queen's Handwriting.

THROUGH the courtesy of Sir George Grey, who has a number of autograph letters from the Queen in his possession, we are enabled to give to our readers specimens of the august lady's handwriting. To students of graphology, as well as to the general public, these writings and signatures will be vary interesting, and we can assure the reader that our

engraver has produced exact copies of the originals. The first signature

is appended to an official document intituled, "Additional instructions to our trusty and well-beloved, the Governor, Lieutenant-Governor, or Officer administering the Government of our Province of South Australia, given at our Court at St. James's, the 22nd day of June, 1837, 111 the first year of our reign." The " Instructions '' related to the alterations in the Church of England Prayer-book, ot prayers for the Sovereign and Royal Family. Though but the Queen of one day's reign when the signature was wntten, the initial " R " (signitying Regina) is appended to the name without any apparent hesitation. The next signature

which is fixed to the warrant empowering Sir George Grey, then Governor of the Cape of Good Hope, to invest Majoi-General John Jackson with the Order of the Bath, was writien in 1856. It displays a great vaiiation fiom the style of the signature of 1837. Appended to this document is also the signature of IYince Albeit, as Gieat Master of the Older of the Bath, and which we also give.

Our next specimen of Her Majesty's handwriting is the fac simile of the presentation page of a book presented by Her Majesty to Sir George.

On the 13th page we give complete a fac simile letter from the Queen to Sir George returning thanks to him for his kindness to the Duke of Edinburgh during the period of His Royal Highness's visit to the Cape.