Smart-looking personages are these messengers, as attired to distinguish them from ordinary civilians. The official regulations on this subject tell us that ‘the Messengers must be furnished with a uniform‒consisting of a dark-blue cloth double-breasted frock coat with turn-down collar; blue single-breasted waistcoat, buttoned up to the throat, with edging of gold-lace; trousers of Oxford mixture, with a scarlet cord down the side seams; gilt buttons embossed with the royal arms encircled by the crown and garter, and having a greyhound pendent; blue cloth cap with leather peak, band of black braid, and the royal cipher and crown gilt in front; a badge of the regulation size, with the royal crown and silver greyhound pendent, suspended from the neck by a dark-blue ribbon. This uniform, and more especially the badge, must be always worn by Messengers when travelling; but the badge must not be worn at any other time.’ We have said nothing of home Messengers, those who carry despatches to and fro within the limits of the British Islands. Nor indeed is there much to say concerning them. They are fewer in number, and less handsomely paid than those employed abroad. Under the system which prevailed before the reforms effected eight or nine years ago, each home Messenger had quite a medley of emoluments‒so much fixed salary, so much board wages, so much excess or surplus above actual travelling expenses of all kinds. This is now altered; each Messenger receives a definite annual remuneration for his services‒less than formerly, but quite sufficient for the kind of work done. In fact postal facilities and the electric telegraph are gradually lessening the necessity for the adoption of the Messenger system. Nevertheless there are times when a home Messenger is thrown upon his own resources. When the Queen is at Balmoral, and floods and snow-storms block the railways and render the roads impassable, the Messenger must perforce get on somehow or other with his despatch bag, at any cost of money, toil, and anxiety; and he _does_ get on, although the newspapers are not told much about it. FOOTNOTES: [A] The readers of _Chambers’s Journal_ are not without the means of knowing something of cipher-writing. Vol. XX. (1853), page 161, and Vol. IV. (1855), page 134, contain much curious information on the subject, applicable equally to the present time. HELENA, LADY HARROGATE CHAPTER V.‒IN THE WASTE.