The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1894-04-19
A ROYAL WEDDING.
Grand Duke of Hesse Mar
ries the Princess Vic
toria of Coburg,
QUEEN yIGTORIA'S CROWN
Imperial Families of Europe Rep
resented Priceless Jewels as
Gifts.
BIZ Cable to the United Press.

CoBURG, April 10, 1S94-At sunrise this
morning the sky was clear, but by nme
o'clock it had become somewhat overcast.
Soon after daylight the streets were filled
with happy faced and orderly crowd OF
people in holiday attire, the greater number
of whom were residents of the small towns
and villages adjacent to the city. The crowd
kept increasing until by nine o'clock
the great square in front Of the
Ducal Palace was packed. The band
of the First Regiment of the Dragons of the
Prussian Guard was playing ontside the
palace, and at half past nine Empress Fred
erick made her appearance, dressed for
drive. As she entered her carriage mighty
cheer went up and the crowd seemed wild
with enthusiasm Members of the vario us
imperial and royal families assembled here
to attend the marriage ceremonies or the
Grand Duke Ernest Louis Of Hesse to his
cousin the Princess Victoria Melita Of SAKE
Coburg, passed and repassed in front OF the
palace, and as often as they did so they
were greeted with cheers and other mani
festations of the feelings of good will
which inspired the crowd. Meanwhile the
crowds increased in number until at half
past ten all of the squares and terraces COM
manding view of the park fronting the
Ducal Palace were janmed with rustic holi-
day makers, and still they come. Excursion
trains loaded with visitors were constantly
arriving, and continuous streams of rustics
poured in on foot from every direction, many
of them having walked ten or twelve miles.
THE MARRIAGE CEREMONY.
The marriage ceremony, which took place
in the Palace Chapel, began at half-past
twelve P. NJ. In the procession to the chapel
the Duchess of Sake -Coburg, mother OF the
Germany and followed by ex-Empress
Frederick, who walked alone. The Prince
of Wales and the Czarewitch came next,
walking side by side Queen Victoria
was escorted by her son, the Duke of Sake
Coburg and Gotha. the father of the bride,
and was seated in an armchair in the
front row of seats semi-circling the altar.
The seat next to her was occupied by En-
peror William, next TO whom was seated
the Duchess of Coburg. The corresponding
seats on the other side of the aisle were &C
cupied by the Prince of Wales, ex-
Empress Frederick and the Czarewitch. The
other royal per5onages in attendance occu-
pied the seats in the three rows of chairs
Immediately back of the first When the
bride and groom entered the church signal
was given, in obedience to which ali the bells
in the town pealed simultaneously, and
when the rings were exchanged, a salute of
twenty-one guns was fired. Doctor Mueller,
Superintendent General and Supreme Coun-
cillor, officiated at the ceremony, assisted by
Court Chaplains Bender and Hausen.
VICTORIA'S CROWN OF DIAMONDS.
The magnificent jewels and bright dresses
CT the ladies Of the ducal court and their inn
perial and royal guests, the gorgeous uni
forms of those in military garb and the ex-
quisitely beautiful costumes of the bride and
her attendants, formed a most bril-
liant picture of splendor. Queen Vic
toria wore a crown of diamonds She
remained seated throughout the ceremony.
The other royal and imperial personages and
all the other guests stood while DR.. Mueller
addressed the bridal couple and received
their responses. After the benediction the
bride and bridegroom turned to the Queen
and kissed her affectionately. The bride
of Wales and the other royalties, and the
proc ession was reformed and marched out of
the church to the strains of Mendelssohn's
"Wedding March," The guests went inn
med1ately to the Great Hall, where the we'd
ding breakfast was served.
Never was such good natured crowd of
people assembled anywhere as packed the
streets, and every other foot of space which
they were permitted to occupy in the vicin-
ity of the palace, and remained during and
long after the ceremony. Upon every con-
ceivable pretext, and often with no reason
at all they cheered until they were hoarse,
and when the bridal party left the church,
the cheering was positively deefening
The church m which the ceremony was
performed was consecrated as such in 1885,
Before the time of Martin Luther it was
used as the chapel of q convent conducted
by barefooted friars, and the organ,
stone pulpit and baptismal font now in
the Palace Church are relics of the days of
the Friars. The convent was converted into
palace in 154S. The parents of Queen
Victoria were married in this church in
1878.
The floral and other decorations of the
church were of the most magnificent descrip-
tion.