The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1901-09-06
CORONATION GOSSIP.

CORONATION GOSSIP.
Something About People Who will
be Admitted to the Ger
emon!es.
Some Of the papers are beginning to
print a great deal of nonsense about the
coronation. On Thursday last the
Daily Mail announced that 'the prepa-
rations are going on apace, and in the
course of the next few days the plans
of the seats in Westminster abbey will
be laid before the King for his approval"
1t does not seem to be understood that
the discussion Of all such arrangements
will be postponed until after the court
Of claims has completed its business.
abbey. are not likely to be laid before
the KinS for the next seven or eight
months. The internal arrangements of
the abbey will be much the same as at
previous coropations, the chairs of the
King and Queen being placed at the top
of the choir near the altar, where the
lectern usually stands. with rows of seats
both sides, and above the altar. The
King, the earl marshal and the lord great
chamberlain will each have a private
box, containing twenty seats in his maj
esty's loge: and twelve in each of the
others. Two large waiting rooms will
be erected and fitted up in the nave close
to the west door,
The court Of claims deals not only with
all rights and services, but also with the
numerous demands for valuable articles
as prerequisites" and, as to these latter,
there were brisk battles, more vigorous
than dignified, at the last three corona
tons. One claim, which is quite novel,
fn ho 1o1
presidents affording no aid This is the
appeal of the eight bishops who are not
yet members of the House of Lords, to
have places assigned to them in the abb
hey at the coronation. The case of these
pre!ates is being drawn up by the Bishop
Of Bristol, who may be trusted to make
the most of it. When Queen Victoria
House of Lords, and the junior prelate,
waiting for seat until a vacancy oc-
Cured, only emerged when the see of
Manchester was founded in 1S47.
The kissing of the King by each peer
is one Of the services" to be abolished.
William. ": wished to get rid Of this
was obliged to submit, and was even
kissed by the archbishops and bishops, a
part Of the affair to which he had strong
~ and specially objected.
Some rubbish has appeared in the pa
pers as to the distribution of tickets FOR
the abbey. The fact is that so many
personages have statutory right to be
present at a coronation that every seat
have a chance Of being admitted, so the
American and African "millionaires," Of
whom the lady journalists are always
discoursing in such rapturous terms, will
have to console themselves by hiring win
! dows or houses on the line Of route.
~ fhn hat
esses, members of the House of Com
mons and their wives, the corps diplo-
! matique, ministers and ex-ministers, and
variety. of official personages have been
seated, there will not be much accom-
mediation available, considering the
I amount of space which will be required
for the royal family both at home and
eign. sovereigns, and the Indian princes
Each imperial or royal parsonage, more
over, will, of course have a suite. The
universities, the various religious bodies
and certain corporations nave a right to
be represented at this ceremony. There
was trouble enough in 1888 to provide
accommodation, but next year the diff
ficulty will be enormously greater owing
! to the fact that the number Of members
of the House Of Lords has been so pro-
digiously increased. 1t is a question,
moreover, whether the eldest sons and
eldest daughters of peers are not en-
titled to places in the abbey; and privy
councillors, lords lieutenant Of counties,
and the knights of the various orders
have right to be present. This is all
very we'll as to the Garter. Thistle and
st: Patrick, for every member Of these
orders attends as a peer, and the G.. c..
BIS may be admitted, and perhaps the
G. c. NJ. G.'s, but it would be matter
Of utter impossibility to find places for
the lower grades Of the Bath, or the st..
bers Of the other orders.
| 1t will, therefore, be utterly useless for
anyone who is not in a position by birth
or official station to claim a ticket to
poster the personages concerned with the
ceremony on the subject of admittance to
the abbey. II the project of state pro-
cession from Buckingham palace to st.
tPaups cathedral and the guild hall and
back, on the day after the coronation, is
carried out, every one who has the means
to purchase place along the line Of
route, or the courage to run the risks Of
the crowd, will be able to see something
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