Star.
London, England, 1821-07-31 00:00:00

conviction, that the nearest to the Throne in blood,
was the nearest also in affection. I never heard plat,.
dits given more from the heart than those that were
thundered upon the Royal brethren when they were
thus pressed to each others bosoms-4 was
tion cf natural kindness, which, bursting out amidst
ceremonial grandeur, found an answer in every Bri.
tish bosom. The King seemed much affected at this
and one or two other parts cf the ceremonial; evert
so much so, as to excite some alarm among th„e
who saw him as nearly as I did. He colopletely
covered himself, however, and bore (genet aliy sK;,,„
.
ing) the fatigue of the day very well. I learn from,
one near his person, that he roused himself with great
energy, even when most oppressed with heat and fs.
tigue, when any of the more interesting parts of the
ceremony were to be performed, or when anything
occurred which excited his persona/ and immediate
attention. When presiding at the Banquet, amid tl;e
long line of his Nobles, he looked 'every inch a
and nothing could exceed the grace with which
accepted and returned the various acts of homage
rendered to him in the course of that long day.
6, It was also a very gratifyin:., spectacle to thost
who think like me, to behold the'slluke of Devonshi,e
and most of the distinguished Wing Nobility as,ern.
bled round the Throne on this occasion ; giving an
open testimony that the differences of poleical
nions are only skin-deep wounds, which assume at
times an angry appearance, but have no real effect
on the wholesome Constitution f the coantry.
" H you ask me to distinguish who bole him best,
and appeared most to sustain the character e sez
to the assistants in such a solemnity, I ti.oe no ;„i.
tatan to name Lord Londonderry, who, in the n.ly
nificent robes of the Garter, with the cap at, jh
plume of the Order, walked alone; and by h,
face, and majestic person, formed an adeq,ate repre.
sentative of the Order of Edward 111. the costume of
which was worn by his Lordship only. The Duke
of Wellington, with all his laurels, moved and looked
deserving the baton, which was never grasped by so
worthy a hand. The Marquis of Anglesea shored
the most exquisite grace in managing his horse, not.
withstanding the want of his limb, which he itft at
Waterloo. I never saw so fine a bridle-ha:.,i i„ my
life, and I am rather a judge of , noble !tont mauship'
Lord Howard's horse was worse bitted than th..)se of
the two former Noblemen, but nut so much so as to
derange the ceremony of refit- it:g hack out of the 1111
" The Champion was uerfoi !bed (as of right) by
young llymoke, a fine-looking youth, but beamg,
chaps, a little too much the appearance of a maiden
' niglit to be the challenger of the world in a King's
behalf. He threw down his gauntlet, however, aid:
becoming manhood, and shewed as much horsen,ae.
ship as the crowd of Knights and Squires around him
would permit to be exhibited. His armour was in
good taste, but his shield was out of all propriety,
being a round rondache, or Highland target—a de-
fensive weapon, which it would have been impossible
to use on horseback, instead of being a three-cornered,
or heater-shield, which, in time of the tilt, was sus-
pended round the neck. Pardon this antiquarian
scruple, which, you may believe, occurred to tee
but myself. On the whole, this striking part of the
exhibition somewhat disappointed me, for I would
have had the Champion less embarrassed by his as-
sistants, and at liberty to put his horse on the grand
pas. And yet the young Lord of Scrivelsby looked
and behaved extremely well. _

" Returning to the subject of costume, I conld not
but admire what I had previously been disrosed flinch
to criticise—l mean the fancy-dress of the PlivF.
Councillors, which was of white and blue satin, with
trunk-hose and mantles, after the fashion of Queen
Elizabeth's time. Separately, so gay a garb had an
odd effect on the persons of elderly or ill-made men;
but when the whole was thrown into one general
body, all these discrepancies disappeared, aad you
no more observed the particular maiiner or appear-
ance of an individual, than you do that of a saldiev
in the battalion which marches past you. The whole
was so completely harmonized in actual colouring,
as well as in association with the general mass of gay
and gorgeous and antique dress which floated before
the eye, that it was next to impossible to attend to the
effect of individual figures. Yet a Scotsman will de-
tect a Scotsman amongst the most crowded assem-
blage, and I must say that the Lord Justice Clerk of
Scotland shewed to as great advantage in his robes
of Privy Councillor, as any by whom that splendid
dress was worn on this great occasion. The common
Court dress, used by the Privy Councillors at the last
Coronation, must have had a poor effect in compa-
rison of the present, which formed a gradation in the
scale of gorgeous ornament, from the unwieldy splen-
dour of the Heralds, who glowed like huge masses
of cloth of gold and silver, to the more chastened
robes and ermine of the Peers. I must not forget the
effect produced by the Peers placing their coronets
on their heads, which was really august.
" The box assigned to the Foreign Ambassadors
presented a most brilliant effect, and was perfectly in
a blaze with diamonds. When the sunshine lighted
on Prince Esterhazy, in particular, he glimmered
like a galaxy. I cannot learn positively if he had on
that renowned coat which has visited ail the Courts of
Europe, save ours, and is said to be worth 1:100,000,
or some such trifle, and which costs the Prince £lOO
or two every time he puts it on, as he is sure to lose
pearls to that amount. This was a Hussar dress,
but splendia in the last degree; perhaps too fine for
good taste, at least it would have appeared so any
where else. Beside the Prince sat a good-humoured
lass, who seemed all eyes and ears (his daughter-in-
law, I believe), who wore as many diamonds as if
they had been Bristol stones. An honest Persian teas
also a remarkable figure, from the dogged and int'
perturbable gravity with which he looked on the
whole scene, without ever moving a limb or a muscle
during the space of four hours. Like Sir Wilful Wit-
wood, I cannot find that your Persian is orthodox;
for if he scorned everything else, there was a Mabo-
metan paradise extended on his right hand along the
seats which were occupied by the Peeresses and their
daughters, which the Prophet himself might hare
looked on with emotion. I have seldom seen so mall
elegant and beautiful girls as sat mingled among the
noble matronage of the land; and the waving plumage
of feathers, which made the universal head-dress, ',ad
the most appropriate effect in setting off their charms.
" I must not omit that the foreigner, who are apt
to consider us a nation enfroc, and withont the usual
ceremonials of dress and distinction, mere uttialy.
astouishej and delighted to the revival feu