Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1825-07-26
From the London Times, June 2.

The world appears to have outlived the old taste
for coronations, made up OF mummeries, eccieslas-
tical and feudal. The despicable nonsense of the
holy oil scraped from off the fragments of broken
phia, and amplified again into its original quantity
by some pious process of chymica superstition,
appears to have chosed all Frenchmen OF The pres
ent day whose loyalty srove 10 swallow it, less
HAPPY in that particular organ than their ancestors,
who took in and digested well the assurance that
the holy ompoule had descended from Heaven, tied
round the neck OF carrier pigeon! Why not Il
bird Of Pdradtse, by way of consistency? we
might ask. Be this as it may, there shrewd
suspicious going, that the whole business of the
SGcre took but bady.--There ardour, no
ravishment OF the senses, no popular spiilt-a
Court but not hearty national feeling to enven il.
Even the artificial merit OF orderly arrangement
was DETECTIVES; there was no sustained endeavour
after outward dgnity--no such iiberality of gew-
gaw and glitter, az 10 impose upon the vulgar eye
according 10 the big phraeology of the French
themselves, " naateriei' as well as " moraie''
was conspicuously wanting; and this grand Sacrt
of CHARLES Y. has tumbled er nuJi5us to the
earth, like the sick Of an exploded rocket. AL
though the ceremony is laughed al in our Paris let
tiers as a stupid and condemned farce, parlicu-
lars of what passed before the curtain among tn,
several classes spectators, high and low may be
worth brief description
The public, both at Paris and at Rheims, have
two ROYAL carriages, by tie fire which took place
| near Rheims, and By many sinister appearances
which have attached themselves 10 this coronation
and 10 this Bourbon family. The King gave him
self up for lost, occasion OF The accident frs; al
luded to, and two days afterwards had scarcely re-
covered from his fright. On the 18th, accordingly
his entrance into Rheims looked more like a fCue-
raj than q festive scene. No body shouted Five u
Roi universal gloom prevailed. Men remem-
bered the tragic occurrences of the coronation OF
| / ouis xvi The weather discouTagng from
four in the morning OF the 29ih, the gates OF the
church were bcset by persons entitled to, and SEEK
ing for adinttance; every thing was in confusion
Exomen in full dress were crushed, and their robes
,at,ered in the most unscemly way. The Duke o
Northumberland, in his Court suit, worth E75 900
lost his way in the crowd, where lie was hustlet
abou, and almost suffocated like the most insgnii
cant parsonage in it; and for more than an hour
was unable to make his way to- the rest of the Di-
plomatic Body
The ceremony was all WEAKNESS and disorder
the poor king, dressed like a singing boy of tho
! choir had to do pennance on his kness for u twC
hours. NJ the feet Of his Confessor the Arclbislr
Oh of Rheims His Majesty sad and banasseS
! but the priest bearing with triumphant arrogance
| in all the pomp Of Popish splendour, and OF con
sco,Is power.
] The oath TO maintain the Charter gave some re-
I lief But then came new kind OF obsolete Taree
show. In pursuance Of an ancient synbolical Gus
tom, thousand birds were let loose at once through
the building; the wretchod animals, parrots, thrush
es, and various others, hnttered about the chande-
| ers, put out candles, screamed, and worried them
selves and the company-s:'oiled the ladies' hea'
dresses and set one half OF this august assembly
laughing, while the Others cursed and swore.
his departure. from the Church, the King WAS wei
received by the people, which gave the affair a mo
mentary flip.
The Diplomatic Body are horribly out Of hu
/ mour. The Duke of Northumberland and Pozzo
Borgo, wished, It seems, 10 dine with the Sove
reign. or at least in the Royal apartment. Thi
was refused on tie Of etiquette; and as the,
would not accept tbe care Of lher less p'nc''llou