The Press.
London, England, 1856-09-27 00:00:00

THE PRESS.

himself. The King and Queen took their places with the
bridal couple at a card table, placed on the dais beneath
the canopy that usually overhangs the throne; the various
members of the august party seated themselves at similar
tallies placed in a line running from both sides of the dais,
and were supposed, according to the theory of Court
etiquette, to be at once immersed in the mysteries of long
and short whist and Boston. While so engaged, the
various members of the Court file before the royal table
and perform their reverence. As soon, however, as
supper is announced the King breaks off this unsatisfac•
tory pastime, and the procession returns to the Hitter Seal
to sup.

Then came supper with much ceremony and little
satisfaction, after which the royal party retired to the
White Saloon, where the torch dance took place:—

At a signal from the King the Lord High Marshal ap-
proaches the young couple and requests them to open the
dance, which they do by walking a Polonaise, preceded by
the twelve Ministers of State, each holding a taper of white
wax in his hand. After performing one tour of the saloon,
which is of very considerable extent, the procession stops
before the dais, and the newly-married Princess invites the
King to dance, with which he complies, and accomplishes
a turn with considerable grace and gallantry, being all
the time preceded, as before, by the Ministers of State
with their wax tapers. This Polonaise the Princess re-
peats with every one of the princes present, ending with a
Prince of Holstein•Augustenburg, and when these evolu-
tions are at end the prince bridegroom commences his
performances by requesting the hand of the Queen, and
dancing with every prircess in turn, so that he ended with
the Princess Liegnitz, the widow of the lute King. Thus
did these unfortunate Ministers perform the round of the
White Saloon full seventeen times, carrying their white
tapers-1W exertion about equal to a good morning's shoot-
ing, only nut so wholesome. Two of the Ministers on this
occasion excused themselves ou the score of ill health, and
their places were filled up by the two eldest Privy Coun-
cillors. When the terpsichorean efforts of the Ministers
of State and the royal family and guests are at an end the
former precede the latter in procession to the doors of the
saloon, when they make over their tapers to the pages in
waiting, who continue to carry them in advance of the
royal procession up to the apartments of the Queen, where
they extinguish them at the door as the procession passes
in. At this point it is regarded in the theory of the Court
etiquette as though the newly-married couple have retired
into private with their family. The crown is removed
from the bride's head; she changes her dress, so that the
body, with the jewels, can be returned to the State jewel-
office under escort; and after the lapse of a short time the
bride's first lady-in-waiting appears at the door of their pri-
vate apartments, are! distributes the bride's garter to the
waiting cavaliers, who scramble and scuffle fur the honour
of possessing a portion. This remnant of the custom of a
coarser age is managed in a very inoffensive manner ; •
blue ribaud fringed with silver lace, and having the initials
and coronet of the bride embroidered in silver, is prepared
in advance, and carried by the lady-in-waiting in her
pocket, together with a pair of scissors. At the critical
moment she draws this riband from her pocket, holds it
for an instant or two against the bride's robe to identify it
with her, and then cuts it off in lengths, which are
act-ambled for. This forms the close of the publio
ceremonial connected with the marriage of a Prussian
princess.