The Sun.
London, England, 1838-07-01 00:00:00

THE CORONATION.

VIEW OF THE ROYAL PROCESSION FROM
THE NATIONAL GALLERY.
As our readers must, by this time, be aware of the
many v fine points of view in which this splendid
P"geant appeared to great advantage in detail, we
shall now give a description (Attie whole movement,
in combination with the surrounding scenery, as it
appeared from the parapet of the Royal Academy and
nigational Gallery, Trafalgar-square, which, for a
general view, is a station quite unrivalled on the
whole line of march, net only for its moderate degree
of elevation, but also for its central position, which
commands a clear view of the whole line from St.
James's Palace on the right, to St. Martin's Church
on the left, and in front the square, with the whole
of the street through Whitehall into Parliament-
street : within that scope the multitude of spectators
who ha-d
assembled, and continued to assemble, until
her Majesty reached the abbey, was not less than
40,000 at any moment, and sometimes the mass of
people appeared innuiterable.
In Trafalgar-square, which lay immediately below
the eye, the whole stir l',7ce was covered with a dense
body of people who conducted themselves in the most
orderly and respectful manner; this formed a fine
mass of rich shade in the middle ground of the
picture. The 'phalanx of citizens was bounded
en the line of Cockspur-street by a strong detach-
ment of the Ist Life Guards, in scarlet, which reached
to the front of Northumberland House ; directly in
front, and leading to the Abhey, eppeared the whole
line of Whitehall intol'arliament-street, every move-
ment in which line was distinctly visible to the naked
eye, and the genie len-Wing movement of the royal
f.-rtege through it had a rich and most pleasing
effect. Indeed, at this point, at the moment when
the splendid equipages were going to, or returning
from, the Abbey, the, admirable order of the proces-
sion, the gorgeous appearance of the carriages, attend-
ants, and richly-caparisoned horses, the manly and
martial appearance of t lie Life Guards, the Bluest, and
the Lancers, the glittering of their armour, and the
youth, beauty, and elegance of the ladies who filled
the windows on the Thee in Charing-cross, Cockspur-
street; and Whitehal, far surpassed, in real as well
as pictorial splendour, any other procession which we
have witnessed in any country : the term " mag,nifi-
cenris most applicable to this scene; and this term
will be better unders!ood when we describe the sce-
nery through whiceli all this magnificence passed. On
the immediate left of the spectator, or the Academy,
was the noble portico of St. Martin's Church, sins.
mounted by its lofty spire ; next was the handsome
line of new buildings terminating with Morley's Ho-
tel, it the west end of t-hie Strand. Directly beyond
Morley's, still advancing to the right, was Northum-
berland House, surmounted by its noble lion, which
appeared as if animated by this extraordinary scene.
Still looking to tfie right, after skimming along a line
of houses, the noble and elegant front of the ban-
quelling-house at. Whitehall assisted the eye. Be-
yond this elegant specimen of architecture appeared
Richmond-terrace, and the line of Parliament-street,
over which appeared, in lonely and deserted grandeur,
the Hall of Rufus, thalmatchless hall of regal ban.
quets, coeval with the British Monarchs, in which the
splendid founders of this empire regaled the " barons
hold," and other faithful subjects, after the hospitable
custom of the British people, and the royal wassail
circulated freely, whilst-theyoof resounded with notes
of triumph and of gladness ; hut now it is cold and
neglected—not even a pennon or banner was allowed
to float over its ancient pinnacles !
On the right of the spectators was seen the Ad-
miralty, the Home Guards, -and the Treasury. A
little farther was the line of Downing-street; and
above that line was seen the grand and venerable
Abbey, • its towers rising majestically towards the
heairens, whilst its walls contained the youthful and
amiable Sovereign of the British realm. Still more
to the right, but more in the fore-ground, was the
United Service Club house, and the College of
Physicians. Then Pall-mall opened to view its en-
tire length, with the A thenEetun, Marlborough, and
Buckingham Houses, the United Service, University,
and other Club-houses • ;to the right the scene ter-
minated with the fonasie of the Queen's Theatre.
In the most central part of this circular yew the
statue of Charles 1. was seen under a curious meta-
morphosis ; it had been covered up on this occasion
so much, by a sort of roof, that only the head and
shoulders of the King, and the head and neck only
Ad the horse, were visible, and from the point of view
it had a most strange effect. Above Whitehall *as
seen the buildings and trees in Privy-gardens, and
crowning the whole line, of view forming beautiful
,gradations of distance, were the elevated grounds
terminating In'the-Sittrey hills, the lick-o; which was
interrupted in some places by the shot towers and
other handsome spiral erections near the river. Num-
berless pennons, flags, and standards, added their
brilliancy to this matchless scene, particularly the
royal standards hoisted upon Whitehall, the Horse
Guards, the Abbey, Sec : but the moment when the
scene appeared most brilliant, Ifvely, and fascinating,
was when her Majesty was passing; then additional
'harmers, with innumerable handkerchiefs of all
reolours, added to the usual brilliancy of a scene
sithich, in all human probability, never has been sur-
passed in pictorial l.eauty of arrangement, colour,
and effect, and could only he accurately compre-
hended from the point whence we have given this
Liescription.