The daily morning journal and courier., 1902-08-11
KING EDWARD CROWNED
WESTMINSTER ABBEY FILLED WITH BRITAIN'S NOBILITY.

Peers and Peeresses in Scarlet and Err
 mine-TheiF NInJestIes' Appearance in
 the Abbey Greeted With Blasts From Trumpets-King Looked Pale and Far from Robust Queen Was Radiant.
 London, Aug. 9-King Edward and Queen Alexandra were crowned in Westminster Abbey shortly after noon to-day. Though the ceremony was bereft of some of the elaboration and pageantry originally contemplated, it lacked little in the way of spectacu- lar perfection. The whole ceremonial was of magnificeptly decorative char acter and presented a constantly chang ing panorama-a picture which in it's combined brilliancy and distinction has seldom been excelled.
 IA brilliant sunrise promised perfect weather for coronation day, but long before the ceremonies commenced threatening clouds gathered and the
 
 cession came provided against contin- gencies. Earlier crowds were in no wise as large as 1t had been generally antic- ipated they would be.
 As the hour appointed for the depart ure of the royal procession approached the excitement about Buckingham pal- ace was most marked. Punctual to time, the advance guard of the royal cavalcade issued from the archway, the horses of the troopers curvetting nerv- ously as they faced the wall of human ity that cheered their coming. Shortly afterwards came the Princess and Prince of Wales procession, and finally within a few minutes their majesties' state coach appeared at the gateway and the king and queen smiled and bowed in response to the mighty roar of cheers that dwarfed ayy previous welcomes. The ovation was taken up by the crowds which thronged the Mall and was repeatedly acknowledged by the occupants of the state coach.
 The king looked pale and rather fine drawn. and was by no means as brown and robust as previous reports had led to expect, and while punctiliously bow ing from side to side he did so with a gravity very unusual to him. The queen, beside him, was radiant. She never looked better. The cheers which greeted the pair were loud and unmis- takably genuine and very different from the perfunctory applause which usually greets the appearance of members of the royal family. The crowd paid but little attention to the occupants of the vehicles.
 In Westminster Abbey the doors of that edifice were scarcely opened, and the gold sticks and ushers had barely found their stations, before the seats began to fill. Peers and peeresses swept up the nave, their scarlet and ermine making vivid contrasts with the deep blue of the carpet. As they arrived be- fore the thrones they separated, the peers going to the right and the peer esses to the left.
 Even when practically empty the ab- bey presented an interesting pictur- esque effect, the oldest feature of which consisted in every seat being practical ly covered with a large white official programme, in the center of which was placed a small deep red book of the ser- vice.
 After 10 o'clock the organ and band played while the spectators, many of whom showed signs of sleepiness, chatted or swept with their glasses what portions of the abbey they could see from their seats. The service com ;menced with the reconsecration of the regalia. The procession of the clergy with the regalia then proceeded from the altar to the annex, all present standing up and the choir singing "Oh, God, Our Help in Ages Past" Preced- ing the regalia came the boys of West minister Abbey, followed by the children of the Chapel Royal and the choir in royal uniforms.
 The Archbishop of Canterbury took his seat in front of the coronation chair and the Earl of Halsbury, the lord high chancellor. seated himself by his side. Several minutes elapsed, how ever, before the king and queen came in sight of those gathered about the throne Suddenly "Viva Alexandra" was shouted by the boys of Westmin- ster, and the queen, walking slowly to the left of the throne. gained her chair and knelt at a prie dieu. her magnifi- cent train of cloth of gold being lifted out of her way by six scarlet-coated pages.
 Then followed the recognition service read by the Archbishop of Canterbury, and after other cerenonials came the administration of the oath. Standing before the kings chair the archbishop asked:
 "sir. is your majesty willing to take the oath?"
 The king answered in firm, strong tones, 1T am wiling" etc, his replies being easily heard high up in the tri- forum near the roof. Then the ink stand was brought and the king signed the oath. After the archbishop's an- ointing prayer a gold canopy was brought ever the kings chair and his majesty divested himself of his outer