P.O. Box 1646
Dallas, TX 75221-1646
September 6, 1990

Unto the members of the College of Arms and all others who may read this missive does Da'ud ibn Auda, Laurel King of Arms, send Greetings!

The attached Letter of Acceptances and Returns covers the Letters of Intent considered at the Sunday Laurel meeting held on August 25, and considered the following letters of intent: West (5/8), Trimaris (5/15), East (5/25), Atlantia (5/29), Meridies (5/29), Calontir (5/31), and Outlands (5/31).

The September Laurel meeting is scheduled for September 29, and will consider letters of intent dated in June: Ansteorra (6/1), Caid (6/4), West (6/12), Ansteorra (6/15), Ansteorra (6/20), East (6/25), Meridies (6/25), Atlantia (6/29), and Calontir (6/30).

The October Laurel meeting is currently scheduled for October 27, to consider letters of intent dated in July: Ansteorra (7/12), Caid (7/13), Trimaris (7/15), East (7/19), Meridies (7/21), Middle 7/22), Atenveldt (7/30), and Calontir (7/31).

The November Laurel meeting is tentatively scheduled for November 17, to consider letters of intent dated in August.

ROSTER CHANGES

Mistress Alisoun MacCoul of Elphane, former Laurel Queen of Arms, asks that you remove her from the roster, for a well-deserved vacation from matters heraldic.

Aegis Herald, Dathi Thorfinnson, asks that he be taken off the mailing list owing to physical problems. We wish him good health and a quick recovery.

Trimaris has a new principal herald, Una of Blackberry Hollow. Her address remains the same. Please remove former Triskele Principal Herald Juan Carlos Perez from your roster.

The Middle Kingdom has a new principal herald, Talan Gwynek. His address remains the same. Maseter Vasili is Naiteneshoi Dollina, former Dragon Principal Herald, will remain as a commenter on Laurel staff.

Lord Star asks that you add to the mailing list Gwenllian ferch Morfudd (V. Beth Appleton), 9015 Bryson Drive, Dallas, Texas 75238, as a commenter for Ansteorra.

Please remove the Hawk Herald (Calontir), Ambrose sans Tonsure, from the roster for lack of commentary.

ROSTER UPDATE

I regret to say that my records are not as complete as they ought to be regarding who is on the roster for the College. I would appreciate it if each principal herald would send me, before October 1, 1990, a list of all of the heralds in their respective kingdoms who are on the mailing list and/or roster of the College of Arms, with their current addresses and telephone numbers, so that I can sent out a current, accurate roster with the next LoAR.

PRECEDENT

After much thought and discussion, it has been decided, for purposes of X.4.d, e and h of the Rules for Submission, that the bottommost of three charges, either on the field alone or around an ordinary, is defined as one-half of the group. While I do not regard this definition as necessarily the ideal fix, it will solve most of the problems which have led to the return of a number of pieces of armory recently which most commenters seem to agree ought to be sufficiently clear. I am not certain in my own mind but that the total amount of difference which can be obtained for changes to one of three charges should be limited to one CVD - that is to say, changing the type and tincture of the bottommost of three charges, either alone on the field or around an ordinary, would not be worth two CVDs. I would appreciate your commentary on this. For now, however, multiple changes to the basemost of three charges under this definition will be granted a maximum of one CVD.

SYMPOSIUM UPDATE

Having put out a call for commentary regarding whether, in light of both TFYC and Pennsic XX next year, the College of Arms should have a separate heraldic symposium, the results are in. Nearly everyone commenting on this issue favors holding one. As a consequence, I am now putting out a call for bids to host the 1991 Known World Heraldic Symposium. Such bids should be as detailed as reasonably possible regarding date, site, approximate cost to attend, housing facilities, etc. The deadline for such bids being sent to the College is November 1, 1990, so that College members may have a chance to consider the various bids and let me know which bid they favor no later than December 1, 1990, so that a decision may be made and announced to the College at that time (probably with the November LoAR).

"DRAWING" ON YOUR OPINION

A number of commenters have suggested, given the repeated submission of some devices with "indented" lines of division which have the appearance of having been made with a "pair of pinking shears", that such submissions should be returned for redrawing rather than registered with a note to the submitters regarding making the indentations fewer and bolder. While I am in sympathy with such a suggestion (having thought it myself on a number of occasions), I am less certain that such a policy should be implemented. I would appreciate your thought, pro and con, on the matter, with your next Letter of Comment.

SOURCES AND RESOURCES

Master Morimoto Koryu, former Monsho Herald, has repeated his availability and willingness to help as a consultant on Far Eastern names and armory. His expertise in these areas has always been appreciated by the College, and I commend him to you if you have a submitter who needs or desires assistance with a Far Eastern name or device or mon. Master Morimoto can be reached c/o Anthony Ferrucci, 1203 NE 92nd Street, Seattle, Washington 98115.

COMMENTARY (or, "A Kinder, Gentler College of Arms")

There has been some commentary in LoCs lately which went beyond the bounds of the issues at hand and ventured into personal comments. As Mistress Alisoun before me has noted, this has no place in the College of Arms! Nobody says we have to agree on the issues (thank goodness!), but personal remarks of this kind have no business in conversations or correspondence in the College. Commentary of this sort has driven others to leave activity in the College, with the side effect of effectively removing their knowledge and expertise from the daily "pool" we all rely on for assistance with documentation and commentary. I do not care to have this trend continue. Any more personally directed commentary like this (e.g., "Shame" or "Eat dirt and die") will be followed at the very least by an ugly phone call from me to the author. I will not have it. We have a job we are trying to do to the best of our abilities. Not one of us is perfect, and we all make mistakes. Address the issues, and leave the snarky personal remarks out of it. Please.

MISCELLANY (or, Just for the Fun of It)

"If any man shall demand of me, how it cometh to pass that the Diminutions or Differences of Arms before mentioned, are so diversely borne, not only in foreign countries, but also in one self nation: or why there is not one set form observed in the use of them with all Nations: I answer, that, it is not possible, because of the infinite actions of men, which are no less infinitely subject to mutability, and therefore can by no means be reduced to a set form of bearing universally, according to that saying of an uncertain Author, Res sunt infinitæ, infiniteque mutabiles idcirco præcepto generalis comprehendi non possunt."

A Display of Heraldrie, p. 41 John Guillim

I remain, as ever,
Your servant,
[Da'ud]


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