The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1872-03-20
A GALA DAY IN LONDON.
THE TH4NKSGIYING FOR THE RE-
CoHERY OF THE PRINCE OF WALES.
A Graphic Account Of the Magnificent
Pageant.
[FRoa OUR OWN CORRESPONDENCE
LONDON, Saturday March 2.

[FRoa OUR OWN ooRREsPoNDgNT.l
LONDON. Saturday March Q.
There is something peculiarly interesting In
assisting at historic ceremony; and such a
ceremony we have lately had in London on
the occasion of the thanksgiving for the re-
corery of the Prince of Wales. Insignificant
as you may be, personally, you are at least one
of the leaves of tree that is to serve as aland
mark of time. You have been identified with
proceeding, the record OF which ts to endure
forever Royalty and loyalty may die out Of
this land, but philosophy will always have an
interest In preserving some memory Of their
Joint display, as witnessed In this city on Tues
day last. 1T Is nearly century since London
Iiw anything of the kind, and old time-stained
prints are still exhibited of his Majesty, George
Ill returning public thanks to God In the Met.
rofolitan cathedral for his recovery from an at
tack of insanity. The wigs and the plumes
and all the court fneries Of the period look
strangely old. fashioned nowadays. 1t Is aw-
full to think that all their wearers are dust
In very short space of time we who all
looked so brightly new.fashioned tie other
day shall become The merest old fogies of cos
tune for our great-grand children. The old
prints are very entertaining In this respect, l
can assure you, but there Is still one thing In
them which deies laughter-the upturned face
of the poor king, ennobled, for all Its coarse
ness OF feature, with an expression OF humble
trustfulness and gratitude to his Maker.
But we returned thanks as became an an
ar 20 ro0nto pUith Qnthant1n his
tory Of over thousand years of life. The
Lord Mayor and the corporation OF Londonf
who were to receive the Prince at the city
gates. were chiefly concerned 10 getting up an
exact imitation of the conduct OF their prede-
cessors who welcomed George III. 'The pre-
cedents" was the CRY In every civic mouth,
and-an event which, for one, had regarded
as removed from us by an almost illimttable
waste of dead customs, feelings and beliefs,
seemedIto come as near to our business ana
bosoins ais the occurrences of yesterday, Sill
1t; In this country it seems Impossible to dis
sociate yourself from the past. Only week
ago we had 9 letter In one of the papers as TO
the whereabouts Of the present representative
of the Stuart line of kings land 1t was signed
.'Jacobite," too. A Jacobite In the Nineteenth
century. And what OF that, when We nave
even .:Drudsn by the score, a certain friendly
society, of workmen having assumed that ven
cradle title. Nearly every street through
which the procession was to pass had been
thoroughfare for ages. The Danes pushed
thels aquatic excursions as far as the strand;
as tie parish named after them, with one OF
their anchors for lis symbol, will testify. The
navvies digging in the city streets are con-
stanty turning up bits of the old Romans. or
at least of the Mosaic payements which they
trod. The same Romans discovered and gave
their name to the cool spring bath In which
many q young barrister from the Temple still
fol nnnrDfnp din IN I,ldQht0 Hill
was once an opening In the walls through
which the most ilustrious Crusaders passed
on their way to their own iresides, alter that
little affair In the Holy Land. a little furtner
northward, you may still buy hosiery and hats
at houses which were standing in Hoborn
when Richard II rode that way on his way to
the Tower, and which subsequently,, though
still long enough ago for u.s. saw many mar
tyr and many knave ride the other way 10
die on the historic Tyburn tree. Witness those
lines of Swift on the highwayman:
CAS- clever Tom clnch. while the rabble was
Rode stately through Holborn to die in his call.
The maids and the wives to the balconies ran,
And cried, Lack-adsy, he's proper young
man y"
But to return to our thanksgiving ceremo-
nv. can hardly estimate the money that
must have been On om 10 ass
the national purse in the almost entire cessa-
tion Of work for the day, we had good seven
miles of streets decorated and afterwards
splendidly Illuminated by private enterprises,
and two huge trlumphal arches built, for
one OF which the little bill was about
$4,000. The mere reserved stands would have
accommodated the whole population OF many
an European capital, and as for the bunting,
If stretched together it would have formed
patchwork quilt big, enough for an army: Iae
effect of the quaint, irregular winding streets
IN all this unworked color was 'singularly pic
turesque, for brightness and variety of tint,
you know, is what we are nearly always IN
want of In this depressing atmosphere.
And the people, lining the road as tney 90
on each side. There must have been some
fourteen miles of them, standing eight or ten
deep, on the pavements alone. Add 10 this
that every window was filed, every housetop
covered, and you may form your own estimate
of their number. One Instance was snf1clent-
" amusing. When the proce ssion had passed
through Temple Bar. the mob broke the line
and followed with difficulty. squeezing their
way through the open gates. A bran new
knocker had been affixed 10 each gate for the
Queens use In case she should follow the
ancient practice OF formally Iapping to de-
mand the Lord Mayors permission to enter
his domain; but this was not done. The MOB,
however seemed determined that the knock
ers should not be Idle, for in passing, as many
IL
tats.n- This amusement began at one In the
afternoon. passed the Bar second time al
one O'Clock the next morning, anu tne rap,
ming was still going on, and was assured had
never ceased for q moment during the whole
time.
When we think of all this expense, and of
the countless host Of people that lett their
homes TO see it-many Of them standing
wedged for hours at the barriers with nothing
to eat-and then Of the poverty OF the show
to which they were treated, we cannot but
be amazed at the mystery Of power and in1u:
ence. attaching to the royal name. Some half
dozen carriages, troop or so OF cavalry,
and 1t was all over. In less than FIVE minutes
the thing was gone which you mad been max,
Ing preparation of days to see. 1t would
hsvs vanished In less time, but for the delay
CAUSED by The speakers coach. That coach
Have YOU ever seen the pictures of The slate OF
Louis XIV, those for instance OF his Majesty
taking the air at Versailles, or 'eadInga the
army TO the assault from his coach drawn
up behind the lines In just such hugel cum.
5ous of So1 on
fhe other day II must have been over hun