The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1881-05-14 00:00:00

THE MARRIAGE.

The marriage of the Crown Prince of Austria with the
Princess Stephanie of Belgium was solemnised on Tuesday
(writes the Vienna Correspondent of The Times). The
chapel in the Burg has, indeed, the rights of a parish church,
but it is too small for such occasions, and from olden times
the church of the Augustine monks close by has been always
used for similar celebrations. It is connected by a long
passage with the Burg, so that the Court assembled in the
apartment can pass into the church. . . .
Although the cort#ge was only to start from the Burg at
eleven o'clock, shortlK after nine those not on duty began to
assemble. Some sixty or seventy Court ladies, richly dressed
and fully keeping up the renown of Vienna for richness in
diamonds, took up their places, while the place reserved for
the suites of the foreign Princes and deputations was also
filled up before 10 a.m. Those who were intended to form
part of the procession had in the meantime assembled in
the saloon of the Burg. and a few minutes after eleven o'clock
a flourish of trumpets announced the coming of the cortege.
In front came six pages in red and gold, then the Court
officials, followed by a long procession of Chamberlains,
Privy Councillors, and Knights of the Golden Fleece. These
took up the places assigned to them, the music in the choir
struck up, and shortly afterwards the Emperor and the
King of the Belgians, both in general's uniform, appeared,
surrounded by the great Court dignitaries. According to
the custom, the officiating Cardinal received them at the
door, offering them them the consecrated water. Next came
the Empress and the Queen of the Belgians, and between
them walked the bride, dressed all in white, with a
silver-embroidered veil. She wore on her head a crowndike
diadem and a myrtle wreath. The Crown Prince followed,
and after him came most of the members of the Imperial
family and the foreign Princes and Princesses. All being
in their places, the bridal couple went up to their Majesties,
and, having bowed, went back to their seats before the high
altar. The ceremony began with an address delivered by
the officiating Cardinal. He referred to the marriage of
their present Majesties in the same church 27 years ago,
and spoke of the sanctity of the matrimonial tie for Chris-
tians. It was not, he said, as the world sometimes believed,
la mere contract stipulating rights between man and wife, but
a union of the innermost soul, binding them together indis-
solubly. The Crown Prince, the heir of the Hapsburgs and
the hope of Austria, had been prepared for this ceremony
by his pilgrimage to Jerusalem, bowing down there before
the King of Kings; and the prayers of millions in Austria
were united at that moment in asking for a blessing from
above on the bridal couple, the Imperial House, and the
peoples of Austria. The Cardinal, though seventy years
of age, has so sonorous a voice that he could be distinctly
heard all over the church. After the address came the
short marriage service and the exchange of rings. The
"Wedding March' by Haydn concluded the ceremony, after
which the bridal couple were tenderly embraced by their
E,oyal parents and the members of the Imperial House.
To the sounds of the " Brabanconne " the Court withdrew to
the Ro3 al apartments of the Burg. The ringing of bells and
salutes of artillery announced the entry of the bridal couple
into the church and the exit, which was made in the same
order as the arrival, only the Crown Prince on leaving led
the Crown Princess and went before their Majesties. Shortly
after twelve o'clock the ceremony was over. After a family
dinner at five o'clock the young couple left the capital amid
the loud cheers of the assembled crowds.

The illumination last night was another popular fete like
that of Sunday. In the Prater all the traffic of carriages
and tramways had been stopped since dusk, and the people
of Vienna had exclusive possession ot the streets. The
faubourg,s sent in their thousands and hundreds of thousands
towards the centre of the town, and they disported themselves
there, jostling each other freely but good-humouredly. . . •
Thera was a humming in this moving human beehive remind-
ing one of the sountl of the sea when the breakers roll slowly
and regularly towards a sandy beach. With the excep-
tion of it e Ring and some of the main thoroughfares in the
inner town and the suburbs, the old Viennese style of illu-
minating the houses with candles and lamps in the win-
dows was in full force. Nor was the appearance thus pre-
sented very meagre, as the allowance of lights v as liberal,
in many instances half a dozen and even more to one win-
dow. Where gas and red and blue lights had been used, and
even where here and there the electric light had been
brought into play, it liras almort in combination with
the lamp and candle lights. The effect was better than
might have been imagined, tha stronger light bring-
ing out the main features of the building, while the
weaker light prevented the rest from being quite thrown
into darkness. . . . The perfect behaviour of the crowd ex-
cited the admiration of every one. Not a drunken man was
to be seen, and not a serious quarrel seemed to have required
the interference of the police. The King of the Belgians, in
undress uniform and accompanied only by an aide-de-camp,
was seen among the crowd, evidently not at all uneasy at
its joyful mood, but entering fully into the spirit of the
fun. He certainly saw a sight which could not be seen in
many other capitals.

In commemoration of the Crown Prince's wedding,
the Emperor of Austria has founded twenty-two
scholarships of 300 gold florins each at various high
schools, and in the name of the Crown Prince has
given 100,000 florins in Bente for the free admission
of ten pupils to establishments for the education of
officers daughters. The Emperor has also granted a
complete or partial amnesty to 331 persons now under-
going sentences for various offences. His Majesty has
conferred on M. Frere-Orban, the Belgian Premier,
the Grand Cross of the Order of St. Stephen.