The gold leaf., 1901-02-07

CORONATION OF THE QUEEN
ham palace, and the honeymoon, whic,
only lasted three days, was spent at Wind
sOr castle
The marriage proved exceptionalt
happy one. Prince Albert turned out to u.
all absolutely ideal husband, being ma.
of ingularly stainless and irreproacha; /,
character Queen Victoria's domestic bliss
was absolutely uuclouded as long as her
husband lived, and she was guilty of 10
exaSgeration when she declared that til,
only sorrow which he had ever caused bel
was when he died
People in this country will remember him
rs IA warm friend Of the United States. His
amical,e feelings with regard to America,
were manifested ON numerous occasions
never more 50 perhaps than at the time
when, with the shadow of death already ell
comprising him. he brought all his power
full influence into play against the cabinet
of the day to prevent the transmission of all
ultimatum to the Washington government
on the subject OF the Trent controversy. II
has since been recognized on both sides of
the Atlantic that had the dispatch drawn
up by the Russell Palmerston admnistra
ton been sent war between the United
States and Great Britain would have inevi
Lably resulted therefrom. That it was
withheld and Il message of far more friend
Iy and concili;;tCry tenor, drafted by the
prince consort, substituted in it's stead is
entirely due to the enlightened and saga
cious husband of Queen Victoria, who died
deeply lamented both by his family and by
the whole English people on Dec IA, 1861.
Only in one respect WAS it perhaps well
that he died just at that time, for had he
lived 10 his eldest son, the Prince Of
Wales attain his majority an awkward and
unpleasant question of precedence would
have arisen which could not but have be
come source of pain and modification to
the royal family The father would have
been forced To yield the pas to the son, who
would have been forced to take the pre-
cedeuce over the prince consort everywhere
Americaus who have visited the British
house of lords will remember that OH either
side of the throne there is chair of state
The one on the right is very magnificent
being decorated with the three feathers OF
the heir apparent.
1t is the stool occupied by the Prince OF
Wales at the opening of parliament by the
queen. The stool on the left, Il far neaner
looking object of furniture, is the scat for
merly occupied by the prince cULsUrt, and
had the latter survived his wife he would
have become the subject of his own son
Persistent & Grief.
From the time of her husbands death the
| queen was scarcely ever seen i'll public until
! the year 1872. when she proceeded i'll state,
together with the entire royal family, to
| st. Paul's cathedral to join in national
nkSgivInS service for the recovery of the
! Prince of Wales from tue dangerous illness
which had brought him 50 very near death s
/ ioor the year before. The queen and the
! Prince and Princess of Wales passed from
Buckingham palace to St Paul's along
! streets literally alive with people. Foot
/ ways, shop windows and the very roofs
/ were teeming with shouting, hurrsihing and
! enthusiastic crowds, and the popular dis
! play of loyalty was beyond all description
! In the cathedral the prince sat between
| his mother and his wife. the vast fame
througetl to the utmost with good subjects
of the queen. who ware anx'o,ts 70 show
how entirely they sympathized with her
joys as wen as with her sorrows 1t was a
remarkable scene, especially to foreigners,
since it furnished evidence of the existence
of that kind of family feeling that prevails
between the English royal house and the
people at large 1t is due to the existence
of this sentiment that the queen and hel
children 90 to the trouble Of themselve:
notifying the citizens Of London through
the lord mayor ard the remainder OF be-
people through the home secretary OF. al
domestic events, such as births. marriage!
and deaths that take place in their family
The people appreciate this and take pain
to show the extent to which they partlci
pate in the joys and sorrows of their reign
ing house Thus on the deaths of tn
queen S youngest son, Leopold. duke OF Al
bany, in 1854, of her daughter Alice. gran'
duchess of Hesse, in 1873, and Of her grand