The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1898-08-28
A Great Time at the Corona.
ton of the Queen.
BIG WEEK FOR THE DUTCH
How an Enthusiastic PopuIace VIII
Celebrate the Eighteenth Birth
Gay of Their Beloved Monarch
Decorations and the I1Iuminn-
ticns on u Nest Elaborate Scale.

J TO people ali over Europe, as the crowd
will be attracted from every quarter A
correspondent of the London Chronicle
says:
Hare Majesteit de Koningin" will on
August q reach her eigh e6nth birthday,
and viii thus. according to Dutch law.
attain her majority. Wilhelmina Helena
Pauline Maria is the daughter of the late
King William LII, and his SECOND wife,
the present queen regent and is the last
representative of the House of Orange.
She is an Unaffected simpIe,m nded girl.
is very omoished, has most winsome
manners, and is fond of outdoor reerea-
ton. She is good lnguist, and is able
TO converse as freely in English, French
or German as in her mother tongue. She
Is a great lover OF horses and is a skill
ful rider and driver. She is charitable
TO the extreme. but practices upon her
self a most rigid economy, although she
has enormous wealth. These are few
| interesting points in the character of
this delightful girl who since her father S
death in 1890 has nomnally been Queen
of the Netherlands. and whose public
! recognition" and formal installation is
now about to be celebrated by her de-
| voted subjects.
Mynheer van Dunck is determined that
| the festivities in Amsterdam shall be
| properly carried out. There is an exec
| utive committee of fourteen prominent
| citizens, and assisting them are 25O other
| gentlemen.
There will be a private celebration of
the birthday of "Onze geliefde Konin-
| gin" al The Hague, and on the follow
ing Monday. September ). the queen ac-
companied by her mother maids of hon
or, and state officials will travel to Am
sterdam, arriving at Weesper Poort sta
| ton at p. m. A procession will there be
formed headed by two Hussar squadrons.
and the royal bodyguard, and will by
rather circuitous route proceed to the
palace. The thoroughfares selected are
the Sarphatistraat, Frederiksplein Utre-
chtschenstraat, Heereagracht Leidsches-
STRAIT, heizersgracht Raadhuisstraat
and Paleisstraat.
The street and canals will be lined by
1000 pcturesquely attired w5rkmen and
by some 5000 soldiers and police The
decorations promise TO be the most elabo-
late. over S50o00 being spent in the cree
ton of triunsohal arches, bearing the
sentiments "Hulde aan onze Yerstin,"
''Leve Wilhe.nliIFG' - "Oranje bowen :"
etc, and in gariands and Venetian masts.
There is to oe a co,or uniformity in each
street and so that the whole effect shall
be harmonious and pleasing TO the eye
no house win be allowed a special or dis
tinctiye scheme.
In the evening there will be an nlumi-
nation of the city. several state ban
quets. and a 50. rec at the Palace on the
Dam. This imposing bui' ding was erect
ed in I64S ct cost Of e700,00O and the
marble reception hail, where the court
festivities viii be held, is one of the larg-
est and Hottest in Europe being 100 feet
high los feet long. and As feet wide The
orange silk hangings and the exquisite
chandeliers, with their fineiy-cut crystal
pendants. were pointed cut to me as
features in the room. Adjoining IS the
throne chamber. which contains Jan
Livens picture. prudence, Justice and
Peace" The throne itself is richly gid
ed and is covered with an embroidered
red and yellow damask cloth.
The next day there VIII be the solemn
ceremony at the church The Nieuwe
Kerk. which is only ten yards distant
from the palace, was erected in 140s, and
is a cruciform structure. A dais for the
queen is being built, and will be placed
close to the finely carved seventeenth
century pulpit She will here recite the
following oath:
81 swear to the Dutch people that 1
will observe and always maintain the
| constitution; that I will defend and guard
with all my power the independence ana
protect public and private liberty, and
| the rights of all my subjects; and that
will use every means conflded to me by
| the law to foster and uphold the national
| and individual wellIbeing. as good
| Queen should. And may God help me.
Afterwards the members OF Parliament
will individually take the oath OF allegi-
ance and the queen will then make her
first public speech. an acknowledgement
| of the zeal of her ministers. There will
| be no religious service. but on arrival
| and on leaving the queens ears will be
greeted with hymns of praise, sung py
| choirs artfully hidden from her view. Lat
| er there will be formal reception at
the palace. and this is to be followed by
| a state drive round the city. the royal
carriage being preceded by twenty otn-
ers containing illustrious guests and
Dutch mobiles In the afternoon there
will be another royal drive, and the
DAYS program closes with big banquet
at the palace, at which the queen will
preside
At a. m on Wednesday the young
queen will be welcomed by 700 members
of the Netherlands Choral Society, VINO.
will muster on the Dam and Serenade
her. In the afternoon there will be
festival near the Rijks Museum, and on
the queens entering the royal box SUD-
pigeons, collected from -ail parts Oh f1oi-
land will be let loose.
When the birds have disappeared LOG
representatives of Dutch gymnastic So
cieties will give 5-minute display, and
they will be followed by the much-tafked-
of Historical and allegorical national
procession The cars will be managed
bv 500 supers. and from the plans l have
been permitted to glance at the decora-
tons will not only be exceedingly elab-
crate and artistic, but will be very novel
in design Specially picturesque will be
the ships, every detail of the vessels be-
ing shown In the evening there Will be
fireworks, and a water. carnlval on the
Ii an arm of the Zuyder Zee. stand
is being erected for the royal spectators
on the West Indian Quay.
On Thursday the queen will open three
exhibitions At the Rijks Museum there
has been got together collection of pic
lures and objects a collection connected
with the House of Orange. At the new
museum there will be on view 22o Dutch
costumes illustrating past and present
fashions in all parts of the kingdom.
In this building there will also be the
Rembrandt exhibition. Over no pic
lures have already been collected by Dr.
Bredius, who, by the way, lately DIS
covered in Poland five long-lost works
by the great master. Queen victoria
lends two paintings, and other contrib
utors are the German Emperor, Grand
Duke of Saxe-Weimar, Duke of West
minister Duke of Devonshire, Duke of
BuccIeuch. Lord Derby, Earl Spencer,
Lord Vantage and Lord Northbrook.
The collection is insured for 91,000, 900.
The three exhibitions remain open for
two months.
The queen afterward proceeds to a