NEPTUNE, R. &. I.

By Royal Command of His Majesty King Neptune, so that the great happenings of this day may be fully arid truly recorded, I, His Majesty's Historian, do solemnly set forth in full detail an account of what transpired in His Majesty's Dominions on Thursday, the eighth day of May, anno Domini MCMXIX.

Be it known that of all days in the Royal Dominions, few have been greater than this ; for on it there crossed the Line for the first time no less a dignitary than an Admiral of the Fleet flying his flag - an Admiral of no mean glory - who had earned honour and renown in King Neptune's realms for skill, pluck and leadership in many a battle. Be it known also that the Admiral crossed the Line this day in a gallant ship, to wit, the Battle Cruiser New Zealand - not new to His Majesty for indeed was she not the first Britannic Dreadnought to enter these Dominions ? But on this occasion she entered famous and war-scarred, remembered well by His Majesty for the grand part she played in the recent great war, always in the thick of the battle, and handled on all occasions with courage and judgment. And so it has pleased His Majesty to direct that I should furnish a report of this day in fullest detail.

THERE was something of a flutter in the Court several months ago, when news first came that Admiral Viscount Jellicoe was voyaging round the world to investigate and advise on matters naval; and, after breakfast that morning, His Majesty discussed at length the naval situation. Then He wandered away into merry reminiscences of the first time the battle-cruiser, which New Zealand had so generously and wisely presented to His beloved contemporary, King George, had crossed the Line, and remarked with regret that there were so few of His old friends still in her. Then He chuckled merrily over remembrances of the last two battle-cruisers wherein He held Court, the "Inflexible" and "Invincible," and the way in which they had scuppered old von Spee and his ships ; and His Majesty was in a very good temper for the rest of the day. But all this was nothing to the excitement which prevailed in the private apartments of Queen Amphitrite when it became known a few days later that the prospective Court to be held in the battle-cruiser would not be solely a male affair, as was usual on these naval occasions, and which rather bored Her Majesty, but that there would be several ladies present. Thereafter the Court buzzed with eager talk, Her Majesty's Mermaids-in-Waiting turned out their wardrobes, looked at old dresses in disgust, and ordered new ; and the male members of the Court secretly surveyed themselves in looking-glasses.

Of a truth, life of late had been monotonous. At no recent Court had interesting personages been present ; and, to be frank, the King was growing tired of Army Sisters, and the Queen, of soldiers. Truly this would be a merry show, and a sign that the dreary days of the war were over. His Majesty summoned a Council to discuss arrangements, whereat it was decided that befitting honours should be bestowed on the leading people, the Admiral of the Fleet, Lady Jellicoe, Commodore Dreyer, Captain Share, Mrs. Share, Miss Parker, and so on. Moreover, it was ordered that the whole ritual should be conducted with the utmost dignity, that only those of long and faithful work in His Majesty's service should form the Royal Suite, and that all the chariots, instruments and garments appropriate to the occasion should be thoroughly renovated and renewed where necessary.

On Tuesday, the sixth day of May, the outlying scouts sent information to the Secretary of State that H.M.S. "New Zealand" had left Colombo an hour short of noon the previous day, having put in there for 1780 tons of coal, and was steering a south-easterly course towards the Cocos Islands. Thereupon the Secretary of State, in the customary manner, issued instructions to the Bears to intercept the ship soon after sunset on the evening of Wednesday, to board her, and, in a courteous and nautical manner, to issue the proclamations and the summonses, and to bear back to him such communications as the ship might wish to make. The Bears bowed low in assent, grasped the proclamations, and passed from the watery apartment.

The sun had sunk some time behind fine masses of cloud to be succeeded by a rarely beautiful sky, such as one sees only in the Tropics - pale golds and mauves and greens and roses ; and now there was only the soft blackness of a tropic night all around, except when the lightning lit the whole scene for half a second or played here and there or everywhere round the horizon. The ship swung sleepily to a long swell from the south-east, and a warm, humid temperature made the night oppressive. The Bears had approached close to the ship and were about to hail her when they noticed that all was not well. A Scout was sent on board, returned shortly and reported that the Medical Staff had succeeded that afternoon in mislaying the " Appendix " of a Mr. Farrell, Gunner, R.N., who was. in such a state about it, that any noise might irritate him to a dangerous extent. The Bears, therefore, boarded the ship quietly. Their brown hairy coats exuded a strong smell of Stockholm tar as they made their way, declining all offers of assistance, towards the Admiral's cabin. There they presented to the Admiral of the Fleet an illuminated letter from His Majesty King Neptune.

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