Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1901-01-25


years Of age that she was informed of her
possible future. 1t is told of her by the
Baroness Lehzen that on receiving this in
formation, THE princess having lifted the
forelingeT of her right hand while she
spoke gave me the little hand, saying: i
will he good. understand now why you
have urged me so much to learn even
Latin. understand all better now Twill
be good
Her Accession to the Throne
Victoria came Of age on May "a, 1887, and
on June 20, less than u month later, she was
declared queen Of England, William III
having just died 1t was in the middle of
the night that the young girl was notified
that she had become queen Of Great Britain
and sovereign of an empire so vast that on
1t the sun never sets The messengers who
conveyed to her the news of her accession
to the throne were the archbishop of Can
terhury, the lord chamberlain and Sir
Henry Halford They experienced a good
deal of difficulty in obtaining admission, az
the entire palace at Kensington, where the
young princess resided, was wrapped in
deep slumber Having at length made
their way to the apartment adjoining her
bedroom they caused her to be summoned
few seconds later she appeared, attired
in loose white dressing gown and shawl,
her long hair falling over her shoulders and
her bare feet in slippers.
On being informed of her new dignity
she burst into tears, and then, addressing
herself to the archbishop exclaimed ~ beg
your grace to pray for meF The whole
party, consisting Of the little queen, the
prelate. the lord chamberlain and the late
kings physician, Sir Henry Halford, then
knelt, and there, in the middle of the
night, offered up prayer to heaven that she
might be strengthened from above and
guided to the blessing Of her people
That was how Queen Victoria com
menced her long and prosperous reign, and
now it may well be said without fear of
contradiction that her prayer offered up on
the night of her accession has been fulfilled
and that her reign has proved blessing to
her people.
Victoria was from the first idolized by
the English people Her youth appealed
to their sympathies, and her good sense to
their respect She became Il sort of national
pet, yet withal she was admired for her
wisdom. her rectitude and her firnncss
Grevlle speaks with somewhat of regret Of
the last mentioned characteristic evidently
holding that the ordinary inpulsiycncss
would have been more charming The
glories and splendors that attended her
corouation-are they not all set down in
the chronicles of the day. The ceremonies
occurred on June IS 1883 Never had Eng
lands metropolis been so crowded. Places
along the line of the royal procession
brought high premium BY dark on the
preceding day the people began to gather
At daybreak of the 2Sth the popular en-.
lhusiHsm had reached "A high pitch. The
procession outdid anything of the kind that
had before been witnessed in London Be
sides the troops, which were ordered out in
full force. there were twelve royal car
riages, each containing two ladies and two
gentlemen, and each drawn by six pranc-
ing horses. Then came the queens state
coach, drawn by eight cream colored horses
and attended by yeoman at each wheel
and footman at each door The corona
ton itself was held in the vast building al
ways used for the imposing ceremonies Of
English royalty Westminster abbey. Vic
torias train of royal crimson velvet and
ermine was borne by eight young ladies of
noble birth. Cannons doomed, trumpets
sounded, and men and women cheered ont
side the building, and from every part OF
the sacred edifce were heard enthusiastic
handkerchiefs were waved aloft, peers and
p,eresSes put on their curonets and bishops
dunned their caps The guests included
other sovereigus, and they yielded to 20
one in the enthusiasm Of the moment.
The reinforcement was II singular pur
zion OF the ceremony The young sovereign
was lifted bodily into the royal seat being
surrounded by archb,hops bishops and
peers His grace Of Canterbury kuelt and
did homage for himself and other spiritual
lords, and all kissed the queens hand. Her
uuclcs, the Dukes of Sussex and Cambridge
removed their COrouets and did homage
with set and elaborate speech They touched
the crown upon her head. kissed her left
check and then retired. The peers also
touched her crown, but kissed her hands
Marriage For Love,
Queens enjoy privilege which is with
held, save in leap year, from women occu
plying "A less august position in the social
scale-namely that of themselves making
the offer of marriage, instead of waiting to
receive the proposal from their suitors
And it was therefore Queen Victoria who
year after her coronation ut Westminster
abbey. on June %, 1888, invited her cousin,
Prince Albert of SAKE Coburg- Gotha, to
share his life with her 1t is only stating
the truth to say of this marriage, however
that it was one that had been agreed upon
for many years, providing Victoria herself
approved of the young man For time
she is recorded as having been not well
pleased with him, but there is no doubt
that she fell in love with him before the
union was proposed by her The nuptals
took place on the 10th of February 1910, at
the Chapel Royal, St James palace. The
wedding break fast was given at Bucking
nam palace, ana the honeymoon, which
only lasted three days was spent at Wind
sOr castle
The marriage proved an exceptionally
happy one. Prince Albert turned out to be
an absolutely ideal husband, being II man
OF sin4ularly stainless and irreproachable
was absolutely unclouded as long us her
husband lived, and she was guilty of no
eXaggeration when she declared that the
only sorrow which he had ever caused her
was when he died
| People in this country will remember him
| as warm friend of the United States. His
amicable feelings with regard to America
were manifested on numerous occasions,
never more so perhaps than at the time
when, with the shadow of death already en-
| comprising him, he brought all his power
| full influence into play against the cabinet
| of the day to prevent the transmission of an
! ultimatum to the Washington government
on the subject Of the Trent controversy. IL
has since been recognized on both sides OF
| the Atlantic that had the dispatch drawn