1 730 PRE 4/7/4 1st February, 1923 Dear Carter Preston, Yours of the 31st ult. re Great Seal for Northern Ireland. The instructions are the Royal Arms with a scocheon of the arms of Ulster, which are a golden shield with a red cross. We do not know at present whether the harp of Ireland is to come out of the Royal Arms or not, but unless and until an order to that effect is received, of course it remains in. It is not essential that the scocheon should be above the Royal Arms, that is rather a matter for the artist to decide, but no doubt our heraldic experts would claim that it should be shown like the old shields of Pretence were, i.e. tacked on to the middle of the Royal Arms, and therefore obliterating part of them. As regards the King's clothing, I do not suppose His Majesty would care to appear naked on horseback, but, for the rest, we should like the artist to show him as he thinks he would appear best. Personally I cannot imagine anything more awful than the portrait of His Majestsy in naval uniform, on the deck of a naval battleship Carter Preston Esq. 2 battleship, as it appears on the present Counterseal to
the Great Seal for England, and I am sure my Committee
agree with me. As to what the King's own views may be,
we shall only know thta when he has seen the artists'
models. My own view is that he would probably not be
appropiate as a Roman senator, or an ancient Briton, and
thta the safest plan would be to put him in military
uniform, carefully disguised by a cloak with a cocked hat,
which, like the monument to the Prince Consort in Holborn,
he might be holding in his right hand. However, as I say,
this is just the sort of point on which we invite the artist's
ideas. Believe me, Yours sincerely,
Robert A. Johnson.