Star.
London, England, 1821-07-19 00:00:00

THE SPECTATORS IN THE GALLERIES.

Thornton, who was present at the Coronation
Banquet of George 111. and his Queen, says:—" It was plea-
sant to see the various stratagems made use of by the corn
pany in the galleries to come in for a snack of the good things
below. The ladies clubbed their handkerchiefs together, to
draw up k chicken or a bottle of wine. Nay, even garter; (I
will not say of a different sex), were united for the same pur-
pose. Some-had been so provident as to bring *baskets, which
were let down like the prisoners' boxes at Ludgate, or the Gate-
house, with' Pray remember the poor prisoners.'"

CORONATION FEASTING.
Althdngh the banqact in Westminster Hall, to-day, will, no
doubt, be very sumptuous; yet we niuch doubt, whether in
quantity of meat it will equal the feast of some of our very
early ancestors on similar occasions. The following statements
are collected from authentic documents preserved in that most
valuable collection—Clarke' I radera.
Feb. 10th, te74, orders were to different Sheriffs, to
furabla the lullowiug pruvisious 4 Wiud w, cu Laster live, it

befit, then intended that the oronatiii of ICing Bdwar;l f.
should be solemnised at that time and place, viz.
Oxen. Swine. Sheep. Yowl&
Sheriff of Gloucester . Go 102 60 3,000
--- Bucks and Bedford 4O 66 40 1,100
- Oxford 4O 67 40 11100
---- Kent • 4O 67 40 2,100
---s-- Surrey and Susses
- Warwick and Leicester 60 98 40 5,000
---- Somerset and Dorset
Essex

Total, Twelve Counties .—.. 440 744 430 12,430
In the year 1307, King Edward 11. Issued an order, dated
at Clipston, on the 25th of September, to the Seneschal of
Gascony, and Constable of Bourdeaux, to provide a Measlyut
Pipes of good Wine, and send them to London—there to be
delivered to the King's Butler before Christmas, to be used at
the approaching Coronation. The purchase and freight of the
wine was to be paid for out of the revenues of Gascony, by a
company of Florentine merchants, who farmed those revenues.
Ist of January, 1508, the same King issued an order to the
'Sheriff of Wiltshire, (and probably to all other Sheriffs ht pre-
portion,) to buy and provide out of the revenues of the Sheriff-
dom tiventylour live oxen, twenty !Jur bye porkers, twenty ftrur
hoe browse, and twenty four fat bacons, to be delivered at
Westminster to those who should he appointed to receive the
same, within a fortnight from the Festival of the Purification
6 HACKNEY-COACH FARES.

At the last Coronation orders were issued froth the Lords of
the Council to Hackney-coachmen and Chairmen, for regulating
their attendance and fares on that day. These orders were butted
in consequence of the Hackney-coach and Chairmen having en-
tered into a combination not to attend their duties on the Coro-
nation-day, but at exorbitant rates. In consequence of this, the
Lords of the Privy Council not only ordered that such persbnt
should be out with their coaches and chairs by four o'clock in
the morning, but that their duty should be faithfully performed
without any advance in their demands, under pain of being pro-
ceeded against with the utmost severity. This order had nut
the intended effect; and it is doubtful if they would have plied
at all, had not the matter been compromised by an eminent se-
dan-chair-maker, who advised them to trust to the generosity of
the Public; in which they were nut disappointed, as a guinea
was frequently given as the fare from any of the Squares at the
Court end of the town, to Westminster Abbey and the places
adjacent. Refreshmeets, indeed, were not in so small a propor-
tion sixpence being readily paid for x glass of water, and one
shilling for a roll.

PRICES OF SEATS.
The public curiosity to see a Coronation has rapidly increased
for many centuries. On consulting Stone, Speed, and other an-
tiquaries, with regard to the sum, formerly given, it appears, that
the price of a good place at the Coronation of William the Con-
queror was a blank, and probably the same at that of his son,
William Rufus. At Henry the First's it was a crocard, and at
Stephen's and Henry the Second's a pollard. At Richard's and
King John's, who was crowned frequently, it was a suskin, and
rose at Henry the Third's to a dodkin. In the reign of Edward
the coins begin to be more intelligiule, and we find that for see-
ing his Coronation a Q, was given, or the half a ferling, or Aar-
thing, which was the fourth part of a sterling, or penny. At Ed-
ward 11. it was a farthing, cud at his son's, Edward 11/. a half-
penny, which was very well given. In Richard I L's thoughtless
reign it was a penny, and continued the same at that of Henry
IV. At Heat yV. it was two pennies, or the half of a grosses,
or groat; and the same at that of Henry the Sixth, although
during the reign of this Monarch, Coronations were so fre-
quent, that the price was brought back to the penny or half.
penny, and sometimes they were seen for nothing. At Edward
IV. it was again the half-groat ; nor do we find it raised at those
of Richard 111. or Henry VII. At that of Henry VIII. it was
the whole groat, or grossus ; nor was it altered at those of Ed-
ward VI. and Queen Mary; but at Queen Elizabeth's it was a
testour, or tester. At those of James I. and Charles I. a shit-
ling was given ; which was advanced to half-a-crown at those of
Charles 11. and James 11. At King William's and Queen Anne's
it was a crown ; and at George I. it was seen by many for the
same price. At Geo. 11. some gave halta-guinea ; but that was
thought vastly extravagant. How different was the case at the
Coronation of his successor, his late Majesty George the Third!
The front seats in the gallery of Westminster Abbey were let at
ten guineas each ; and those is commodious houses along the line
of procession at no less prices. The prices in the ordinary houses
were from five guineas to one guinea, so that one little house in
Coronation-row, after the scaffolding was paid for, cleared 5709,
any some large houses upwards of £lOOO. In the Coronation
Theatres, as they were called, being a sort of large booths, ca-
pable of containing from twelve to fifteen- htindred seats, the
prices were beyond all precedent. The rent of the ground on
which the scaffolding was erected was proportionably extrava-
gant. That in the Broad Sanctuary let at three guineas and a
half per foot, and that within the rails enclosing the Abbey, at
five guineas.

As an instance of the eagerness to witness this grand spectacle,
a Gentleman was prevailed on to take a room for his Lady, at
the rate of one hundred and forty guineas; but the appointment
of the solemnity of the Coronation falling unhappily at the time
of her expected aoceuchemext, she further preva*icti on her hus-
band to let a skilful accoucbeur, nurse, &c. attend, and to hire
an additional withdrawing-room, lcst the hurry of the day
should accelerate an event which would render it impossible to
remove her.