The Sun.
London, England, 1831-09-09 00:00:00

THE GALLERIES IN THE NAVE.

We have elsewhere noticed that the whole of the side
aisles were let on contract to certain carpenters by the
Dean and Chapter, and were converted into boxes at an
enormous expence. The sum agreed to be given for this
privilege, we understand, was 1,800/., and in order to
pay this enormous sum, as well as the other necessary out-
lay, five guineas were demanded for each sitting. This
extravagant charge, as we anticipated, proved ruinous to
the hopes of the speculators ; and at nine o'clock there were
not more than two hundred persons present ; so that by
far the greater part of the boxes were unoccupied—a fact
which greatly detracted from the brilliancy of the spec-
tacle which would otherwise have been presented, and
threw a gloom over that part of the Abbey, deeply to be
regretted, and not a little disheartening to the participa_
tors in the grand procession, of which that part of the
building afforded so admirable a view.

ARRIVAL OP THE PEERS AND PEERESSES, 120_

WON AMBASSADORS, &c.
As early as eight o'clock the Peers and Peeresses be.
gin to arrive, These, as well as other privileged indivi-
duals of high rank, including the Foreign Ambassadors,
were admitted exclusively at the west gate ; and; on alight.
ing from their carriages, presented their tickets to the
Gentlemen-at-Arms, who either conducted them to their
seats, or assigned Pages of the Gold Staff for that pur-
pose. The peers wore their state roues of crithson velvet,
and either carried their coronets in their hands, or em-
ployed pages for that purpose. These pages were generally
the sons of gentlemen, and wore scarlet frocks, with blue
silk scarfs, and gold fringe, white cassirnere smallOothes,
white silk stockings, shoes and fatehets, with a broad
white shirt collar over their shoulders.
The Peeresses also wore crimson robes, with long sweep-
ing trains trimmed with erihine, ostrich plumes in the
hair, and a profusion of diamonds, in all the varieti forms
of head-dress, With many the feathers were omitted, the
hair being parted and dressed in fanciful bows, so as not
to interfere with the subsequent wearing of their coronets.
The magnificent appearance of these distingttislied and
beautiful woolen, as they paced up the nave on their way
to the choir, had a most brilliant effect. Almost all wore
ruffs, after the fashion of Queen Elizabeth. They car-
ried their coronets in their hands, and were attended, in-
dependent of the pages, by some of the military heroes
with which the nave was thronged, belonging to .the se-
veral regiments on duty. Independept of the Peers and
peeresses, a vast number of other persons of distinction,
attired in court•dresses, pursued the same route, and among
them the venerable Prince Talleyrand and Ditches.; de Dino
attracted no small share of attention. The Duke of Wel-
lington, who lad three pages, the Duke of Richmond,
Eatl Grey, the Lord Chancellor, and other Peers, in their
turn had also to run the gauntlet of female curiosity and
comment. The Duchess of St. Alban's was conspicuous
for the immense profusion of diamonds by which she was
adorned, as well as by the splendour and s',,e of a gold
rail' %which sprpad its effulgence round her ample shoulders.
The Duchess of Richmond attracted more than ordinary
attention, front the elegance of her costume and consum-
,late beauty of her person.