Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1873-06-24

rover of London in the reign of Henry III,
l2l6.5& During the confused times follow
ing the death of King Charles I, all the royal
regalia which had been kept in Westminster
Abbey were scattered and sold. After the
restoration they were remade, the old names
and fashions being retained. These regalias
are now kept with the jewels, and both the
regalia and the jewels, are used only at the
coronation of a king or queen. The crown
Of Queen Victoria is the most conspicuous,
and surmounts the group which is kept 10
glass cases. 1t is of purple velvet hoped
with silver, and sparkles with hundreds of da
monds, sapphires, rubies and emeralds and
is valued at five million gold dollars. Be-
side this are st. Edwards crown made of gold
and embellished with magnificent precious
stones; the Prince of Wales crown of pure
gold; the ancient Queens crown, used at
coronations for the Queen consort; the
Queens Diadem, made for Marie DEste,
consort of James III, and richly adorned with
large diamonds and pearls; Sir Edwards
Staff, Of beaten gold, feet inches in length,
carried before the King or Queen at corona
ton; the Royal Sceptre of gold and jewels
placed in the right hand of the sovereign by
the Archbishop of Canterbury at coronation;
and four smaller scepters made for various
Queen consorts; the Curtana or pointless
Sword of Mercy, and the Swords of Justice,
temporal and ecclesiastical, borne before the
sovereign at coronations; the bracelets and
spurs, the amounting vessel spoon and gold
en- salt cellar all used at coronations; a bap-
tismal font, used at the christening of the
Royal children; various dishes, spoons, and
other articles of gold, and beautiful service
of :acramental plate used at the same august
ceremony.
The Royal mint was within the Tower walls
until 1910, when it was removed to hand
some building inst outside
The White, the Salt and The Record Tow
ers, are probably the oldest portions of the
Tower, having been built in the eleventh cen
fury. The White Tower is magnificent
specimen of Norman architecture, and is the
| largest in the Fortress, measuring llG feet
| north and south, 90 fee. east and west, and
| 80 feet in height with walls II feet thick. 1t
| was erected by William the Conqueror in
| 1919.
| The Royal residence of the Kings and
| Queens of England, magnificent apartments,
! once stood within these massive walls, and
| their court was occasionally held there until
the time OF Charles ii. Gay tournaments
| were given from time to time here. The
magnificent pomp with which Henry VIII re-
| ceived all his Queens in these regal halls
seems a cruel mockery when we remember
| their subsequent fate.
st Pauis Cathedral and many other church
monuments of the greatest architect England
ever produced, Sir Christopher Wren. The
cathedral is undoubtedly the grandest build
ing of the kind IN the Kingdom, and has a fame
in America only riyalled by st. Peters at
Rome, to which it bears general resemblance.
| 1t is built in the form of a cross on the site
of former cathedral which wa destroyed by
the great fire of 1866, when nearly all the
principal part of London was laid waste. 1t
| g., f,ot no
| transepts or the shorter portion of the cross.
The width of the nave and transepts is l25
| feet. The dome is 40i feet high, beside
! which there are two towers each 222 feet
| above the street. The view from the interior
| of the dome is very imposing and grows upon
YOU as YOU look upward. 1t reminded US
| strongly of the rotunda of the Capitol at
Washington but is much larger. The body
of the church contains the statues in marble
of many of Englands most illustrious dead,
| among which We noticed Generals CORVALLIS,
Abercrombie and Burgoyne, on whose monu-
ments no mention is made of their American
campaigns. The tomb of the architect has a
latin inscription Beneath lies Christopher
Wren, the architect this church and city, who
lived more than ninety years, not for himself
but for the public Reader, do you seek his
monument? Look around you" christian
church has occupied this spot from the earli-
est times of the christian religion. The first
was destroyed during the reign of Diocletian
the second built in Constantine's reign, by the
Saxons the third was built by Sebert, the frst
Saxon munach who embraced christianity,
and was destroyed by the great fire of 1883.
| The fourth church was soon after commenced
and was constructed on much more magif-
cent scale than its predecessors, and is called
cold St. Pauls." 1t was burned in the fire of
| 1860, as before mentioned. The present eai-
| flee was thirty five years in building. II, as
also nearly if not all of the old London build
ings, is constructed Of limestone, which shows
strong traces of times remorseless hand. The
view of London from the top of the dome is a
| remarkable sight
The antiquarian will find in Westminster
| Abbey feast most bountiful. A church was
| first built on the present site by Sebert between
| COL and GIG, in which he and his Queen were
buried. This was destroyed by the Danes,
but rebuilt by Edgar, and again rebuilt by
Edward the Confessor who was buried
there with his wife. This was prob
ably the kernel Of the present building, the
finest part of which was erected by Wren.
| This world famous structure has so often been
described that it would seem a useless waste
| of time to attempt lengthy description.
The building is splendid specimen of
| Gothic architecture. Its dimensions are east
| to west 375 feet north to South POO feet, height
| of the western tower 22j feet. Everyone has
heard Of the Poets corner which contains the
memorials of highlands dead poets, from
Chaucer to the present time. Here are the
tombs with sculptured efigies lying upon
them, of the Kings and Queens from the sew
| enth century. Some of them are very elab-
crate. Those of Queen Elizabeth and Mary
| Queen of Scots occupy rooms by themselves,
| and are very magnificent Strange to say
| that Of the latter eclipses her great rival.
The most interesting relic is perhaps the cor
onation chair, made of carved wood, upon
which the Sovereigns OF. England have been
crowned for six hundred years. Beneath this
seat is the stone of Scone upon which the
Kings of Scotland had been crowned from time
immemoral up to the time when Edward in
vaded Scotland and took it away. The chapel
of Henry the VII adjoins the west end of the
Abbey. 1t was erected by that monarch, as a
place of burial for the royal family. 1t was
commenced in 1903 and completed in 1912
1t is one of the most exquisite specimens Of
Gothic in the world The magnificent tomb
of Henry VII and Elizabeth his Queen is