The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1887-06-18 00:00:00

THE COMMEMORLTION

HER MAJESTY'S JUBILEE.

A FULL STATE PAGEANT.
It is stated on authority that the Queen, with a
desire to meet what appears to be a generally ex-
pressed wish, on the part of her subjects, has finally
resolved that the thanksgiving service in Westminster
Abbey on the 21st inst. shall be in full state, her
Majesty wearing her robes of state and having around
her all the insignia of her sovereignty. At the last
jubilee celebration the coronation robes were worn,
but in that case the King drove to the Abbey in a
closed carriage, so that the people were afforded but a
slight and momentary glance of the Sovereign. This
decision will undoubtedly give general satisfaction.
Her Majesty will be driven to Westminster in an
open carriage in her usual attire, with the addition
that she will wear the ribands of the several Orders
which she holds, but having arrived at the Abbey
she will assume the robes of state and wear them
during the religious portion of the celebration. The
following is an authorised statement of the arrange-
ments: On arriving at the Abbey shortly before noon
the Queen will retire to the large waiting-rooms now
being erected outside the western entrance of the
Abbey. Here some time will be occupied in prepar-
ing her Majesty for the state robing.
During the procession from and to Buckingham
Palace, the military display will be on a greatly en-
larged scale as compared with what was at first ex-
pected, and her Majesty's carriage will be drawn by
eight instead of six cream-coloured ponies. The fol-
lowing details of the ceremonial at the Abbey have
been arranged. The great officers of State and
members of European Royal Houses, having
assembled at the Western entrance to the Abbey, will
shortly before noon receive the members of the
British Royal family who will take part in the pro-
cession and her Majesty the Queen. The Queen,
before joining the procession, now marshalled by the
Earl of Lathom, Sir Spencer Ponsonby-Fane, Mr.
Hertslet, and other high officials of the Lord Cham-
berlain's Department, will enter the grand reception
rooms of the marquee now being erected outside the
western entrance, and there divest herself of some
part of her apparel which, with the addition of the
State robes, might be unnecessary and inconvenient
during the service. For instance, it is believed that
the Queen will take off her bonnet, and, if the
weather should have rendered its use unnecessary,
her cloak. A miniature crown will take the place of
the bonnet should the latter be dispensed with.
THE CEREMONY IN THE ABBEY.
Of the ceremonial in the building it may be said
that nothing surpassing it in grandeur has been wit-
nessed during the reign. With Kings, Queens,
Princes, Princesses, Royal dukes and duchesses, and
other Royal representatives of foreign States, besides
pursuivants, heralds, gentlemen ushers, grooms, State
officials of the Royal Household, equerries-in-waiting
to British and foreign Princes, gentlemen-at-arms,
and other officers, a procession will approach thealtar
unprecedented in magnificence and unequalled in the
representation of power. The Queen's entrance into
the Abhe,y will be heralded by a grand fanfare of
trumpets, and it will be seen that "semi-state," as the
officials are pleased to describe the pageantry, will in-
clude the display of every regal attribute, including the
crown, sword of State, and cap of maintenance, which
will be carried in advance of the Sovereign. In her
Majesty's train will be the Marquis of Salisbury
(Prime Minister), the Lord Chancellor, Viscount
Cranbrook (Lord President of the Council), Earl
Cadogan (Lord Privy Seal), the Lord Steward, the
Gold and Silver Sticks, and almost every member of
the higher glades of office in the State. The proces-
sional gangway will be lined with the Honourable
Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms and the Yeomen of the
Guard, whose uniforms will give colour to the scene.
The coronation chair, which has undergone some
slight renovation for the occasion, will he placed in
the centre of the dais directly opposite the altar, and
upon it will hang the robes of State, which it is
probable her Majesty may assume immediately upon
reaching the seat; but at present it has been arranged
that the robes shall be displayed and used in pre-
cisely the same way as when the Queen opens Parlia-
ment.
TROOPS ALONG THE LINE OF ROUTE.
Her Majesty's escort and guard along the streets to
Westminster is to be augmented by some 3000 troops.
In the following list the guards of honour, which will
number 400 men, and the escorts, consisting of 200
mounted Household troops and Indian cavalry, are
not taken into account. The guards of honour will
be composed of Foot Guards (Coldstream and Grena-
diers) and seamen. The Queen's escort of cavalry
and the mounted escorts of the other members of the
Royal Family will be furnished by the Ist Life
Guards. The attention of the authorities has been
drawn to the fact that every branch of her Majesty's
Army and Navy is represented with the exception of
a legitimate Highland battalion, and it is explained
that such a battalion is not available, there being no
Highland regiment within convenient distance of
London, but the 2nd Scots Guards have been ordered
within the last two days to come up from Pirbright
and represent Scotland. The following are the official
details of the troops to be employed: About 8000
men, exclusive of the guards of honour and other
details, will parade in London on the morning of the
21st to line the routes of her Majesty's procession.
They will be drawn from the following corps:
Cavalry.-2nd Life Guards, 200 men; Royal Horse
Artillery, B Battery, from St. John's-wood, 56 men;
Royal Horse Artillery, from Woolwich, 160 men: Ist
Royal Dragoons, 100 men: 2nd Dragoons (Scots
Greys), 80 men; 10th Hussars, 240 men; 20th
Hussars, 100 men; Hon. Artillery Company, 60 men;
Royal Artillery, 100 men.
Infantry.—Bluejackets, 300 men; Ist Grenadier
Guards, 430 men; 3rd Grenadier Guards, 187 men;
2nd Coldstream Guards, 377 men; Ist Scots Guards,
400 men ; 2nd Scots Guards, 450 men; Royal Marines,
528 men; 2nd Rifle Brigade, 400 men ; 3rd Rifle
Brigade, 530 men; 4th Royal Fusiliers, 400 men; 6th
Middlesex Rifle Volunteers, 300 men; 7th Middlesex
Rifle Volunteers, 392 men; 13th Middlesex Rifle
Volunteers, 500 men; 16th Middlesex Rifle Volun-
teers, 300 men; 2nd Volunteer Battalion Royal Fusi-
liers, 510 men; Hon. Artillery Company, 250 men;
Boys of the Naval School, 500.
The bands of the greater number of these regiments
will parade with their corps and will, during the time
that the people are assembling along the route and
until her Majesty's return, play selections of music.

THE QUEEN'S STATE COACH.
Her Majesty's State coach has been renovated for
the ceremony. The body of the coach is now painted
a dark claret, and the carriage is of gold picked out
with red, which lends a rich and very handsome
appearance to the vehicle. The whole is profusely
decorated with crowns, coats-of-arms, and armorial
bearings of every description, and the driving-box is
of crimson cloth, elaborately fringed with gold.
Nearly 300 books of gold leaf have been used in the
renovation, which will cost 300 guineas.

DETAILS OF THE THANKSGIVING
SERVICE.
It is now understood that the Archbishop of Can-
terbury and the Dean of Westminster will conduct
the Thanksgiving Service at Westminster Abbey, and
that the musical part of the service will be under the
direction of Dr. Bridge, whose choir will ho specially
selected from the choirs of the Abbey; St. George's
Chapel, Windsor; Chapel Royal, St. James's; the
Chapel Royal, Savoy; and St. Andrew's Church,
Wells-street. The following are the official details of
the service: The Queen will arrive at the western
entrance to the Abbey precisely at noon. Previous
to her arrival, Dr. Bridge will play a selection of
sacred music while the congregation are taking their
seats. Upon her Majesty's arrival, and immediately
after the formation of the Royal procession in the
marquee outside the west door, fanfares will be exe-
cuted by the state trumpeters, who, in their gold and
crimson uniforms, will be posted in the organ loft.
As the clergy at the head of the procession appear,
Dr. Bridge will play the National Anthem. When
the Queen enters the building, the march from
Handers "Occasional Oratorio" will be played.
When the Queen and the Royal family are
seated, the Archbishop will commence the service
by asking a blessing upon the Queen.
The "Te Deum " will follow, to music com-
posed by the late Prince Consort, which
has been selected by the Queen. All the music and
prayers have received the Queen's approval. The
Lord's Prayer will follow the "To Deum,'' and then
will be intoned the responses, which have been
adapted to the occasion by some slight alterations.
After that will be offered three special prayers. Then
will be chanted the 20th Psalm, to the sth Gregorian
Tone, arranged by Dr. Bridge, with the accompani-
ment of the band of brass instruments. The
Special Lesson for the day (1 Peter ii. 6-18) will be
read by the Dean. This will be followed by the
auLhem composed by Dr. Bridge for the occasion,
which was performed before the Queen at Windsor
in January. The words are, "Blessed be the Lord
thy God who delighted in thee, to set thee on His
throne to be King." The chorale " Gotha," composed
by the Prince Consort, follows: "Because thy God
loved Israel, therefore made He thee King to do
judgment and justice." Two more fpecial prayers
will lead to the Benediction, whici) will be pro-
nounced by the Archbishop. The Queen will return
to Buckingham Palace; and as the officers of State
marshal and lead the Royal family and Royal
visitors out of the abbey, Mendelssohn's march from
" Athalie," by the special desire of the Queen, will be
played. Dr. Bridge will play selections of sacra
muslc while the rest of the congregation is dis-
persing.
A SUPPLEMENTARY SERVICE.

Thf.3 Dean of Westminster has received the Queen's
permission, and also the sanction of her Majesty's
First Commissioner of Works and the Lord Chamber-
lain, to repeat the Jubilee Service in the Abbey on
Wednesday, June 22, at three p.m. The service, which
will include musical additions, will be held for the
benefit of London Hospitals. One-third of the
proceeds will be :given to the. Hospital Sunday
Fun
which this year will lose tne annual collection
in
,e! Abbey, one-third to Westminster Hospital,
tdh
and the remaining third will be divided between
the Hospital Saturday Fund and .the Western
Dispensary. After the Jubilee Service Dr. Bridge
will play an organ sonata, and Madame Nordica will
sing 'Let the bright Seraphim!? Handers Coronation
Anthefri and the "Halleluiah Chorus will be sung.

The service will conclude with the National Anthem, I
in which everyone present is asked to join. Tickets
of admission are confined to those who at the time of
applicauon contributed the sum of .El, 108., 55., or
2s. 61. for each ticket, according to the portion of the
building in which they wish to have seats assigned
them. All tickets were issued by the Secretary of
Westminster Hospital.
THE ROUTH.
The Queen has decided to start from Buckingham
Palace at eleven o'clock on the 21st inst., so as to
reach Westminster Abbey in time for the Thanks-
giving Service to commence at noon. The route to
be traversed by the Royal procession is about two
miles in length, and her Majesty will proceed at i a
walking pace, so that the people can have a good view
of the pageant. The carriage procession will be mueh
more magnificent than any seen Elno3 her Majest4's
Coronation. The following are the routes n w
finally decided upon:—To Westminster Abbey: Co -
stitution-hill, Piccadilly, Regent-street, Waterl -
place, Pall-mall East, Cockspur-street, Northumb -
land-avenue, Embankment, Bridge-street. On 410
return from the Abbey: Parliament-street, White.
hall, Cockspur-street, Pall-mall, St. James's-streSt,
Piccadilly, Constitution-hill, to Buckingham Palace'.
POLICE ARRANGEMENTS.—SOME OF 21E
STANDS.
The police will be drawn from every division, a very
large force being employed to keep the streets. The
largest stands on the routes are those on either side
of the western entrance to Westminster Abbey, which
belong to Archdeacon Farrar, who gives 430 seats to
the Vestry of Westminster, retaining the rest—about
3000 seats—for the parish. The receipts from this
source will, we understand, be devoted to some
charitable purpose. On the site where old Carrington
House stood in Whitehall, oposite the Horse Guards,
there is a huge stand in course of erection. The
Admiralty and War Office are also erecting large
stands in front of their offices, and on the space where
the Meistersingers Club in St. James's-street
is being built, there will also be a large stand.
Other stands will be raised on the frontage of the new
buildings next the Bath Hotel in Piccadilly, and in
the enclosed front of Devonshire House, the latter
being reserved for friends of the Duke of Devon-
shire's family. Extraordinary prices have been asked
and received for windows of shops and balconies along
the route, £25 being frequently asked for a good shop
front, while £l5O, and even £2OO, has been offered
for balconies near Westminster Abbey. For single
seats in exceptionally good positions .L 5 is not an
unusual price, and in some cases a higher sum was
demanded. Along the outside of the Green Park,
towards Piccadilly, no stands will be permitted, so
that the people will have an opportunity at this point
of viewing the procession. All the junction of streets
leading into the line of route will be barricaded some
time before the procession leaves Buckingham Palace,
and the roads will be gravelled the whole length.