The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1891-05-26

wisdom OF the course taken by the /
widowed Duchess of Kent, and till her
death in 1851, at the age OF 5eventy-five
years, she was the constant and honored
companion Of her grateful daughter.
The story of the announcement TO the
young Queen, then just one month over
eighteen, Of her accession TO the throne,
has been often told, but never better
than by one Of the young ladies in at
tendance on the Princess.
Directly the old King was dead, the
Archbishop Of Canterbury and the Lord
Chamberlain posted off from Windsor
Castle to Kensington. 1t was o'clock
in the morning when they started, and
they did not reach Kensington till 5.
They knocked, they rang, they
thumped for considerable time before
they could rouse the porter at the gate.
They were again kept waiting in the
courtyard, then taken into one OF the
lower rooms, whore they seemed for
gotten by everybody. They rang the
bell and desired that the attendant OF
the Princess Victoria might be sent TO
inform her Royal Highness that they re-
| quested an audience on business OF i'm
| portance. After another delay, and
| another ringing to inquire the cause, the
| attendant was summoned, who stated
| that the Princess was in such sweet
sleep that she could not venture to dis
turb her. Then they said, we are
come on business OF state to the QUEEN,
and even her sleep must give way to
that 1t did, and to prove that she did
not keep them waiting, in few minutes
she came into the room in loose white
night gown and shawl, her night cap
thrown off, and her hair falling upon her
shoulders, her feet in slippers, tears in
her eyes, but perfectly collected and
dignified."
At IL o'clock that forenoon the young
Queen had to meet the Privy Council.
The Clerk of the Council says, "She
bowed to the Lords, took her seat, and
then read her speech in a clear, distinct
and audible voice, and without any ap-
pearance OF fear or embarrassment; she
was quite plainly dressed and in mourn
ing"
After the Queen had taken the pre-
scribed oath, the privy councillors were
sworn, the two old royal dukes, her
uncles, first. She kissed them both,
and rose from her chair and moved to-
wards the Duke OF Sussex, who was
farthest from her and too infirm to reach
her."
She went through the whole cere-
mony, occasionally looking at Melbourne
(the Prime Minister) for instruction
when she had any doubt what to do
which hardly ever occurred, and with
perfect calmness and self-possession, but
at the same time with graceful modesty
and propriety particularly interesting
and ingratiating
Sir Robert Peel said that he was
amazed at " her manner and behavior
at her apparent deep sense of her situa
ton, and at the same time her firm
ness" The Duke OF Wellington said
in his blunt way, that " if she had beer
his own daughter he could not have
desired to see her perform her part bet
ter"
At II o'clock (the same day sht
held a council, at which she presided
with as much ease as if she had beer
doing nothing else all her life."
Queen Victoria has already reached
an age attained by none of her predeces
sors on the throne of England from Eg
bert the first, King of all England, NOR
than thousand years ago except thre
only, viz, George H., George Ill. ant
William ", her great-great-grand
father, her grandfather and her uncl
and immediate predecessor.
, Only two, Henry ILL.,, who reigne'
: fifty-six years, and George ILL.,, hav
, occupied the throne longer than Queer
Victoria, and of these George III. ceases
to reign nine years before his death, a
, his mental condition necessitated
regency.