Daily Kennebec journal., 1902-03-29
THE CORONATION.
The Part Of This and Other
Nations There.
Our Special Embassy Sent in Re-
sponse to Invitation.
Uncle Sans First Participatcns ir
Growing King.

| out Of its way to associate itself in an
essentially monarchial and national
state function in England. AS soon as
ever the date Of the coronation was de-
cided upon by Edward VII. and by his
ministers, he at once proceeded to ad-
dress to the great powers invitations to
take part in the ceremony by means of
| representatives of their respective ex-
| ecutives. From an English point Of
view the coronation is the grandest and
most important state function of the
entire reign, and that the monarch, the
government and the people of Great
| Britain should wish friendly great
powers to take part in this great ma
tional celebration is a compliment, and
meant as such. No invitations have
been addressed to the minor powers ex
cept in cases where the rulers happen
to be personally related to the reigning
house Of Great Britain. and neither the
King Of Servia, nor yet, the Swiss re-
public have received any invitation to
be represented at King Edwards
coronation in June.
The United States, however. mas,
more especially since the war of the
Union, been regarded as one of the
great powers, and while no invitation
was addressed to it to take part in the
coronation Of Queen Victoria, it has
been among the first to receive an inti-
nation from the Court of st. James
that the King and his people would be
glad if Uncle Sam We're represented in a
very special manner at the coronation.
The French republic, or rather it's
president. has received a similar in
vitation, but the court of St. James
has not deemed it necessary to pay any
such compliment to Mexico, or to any
of the South American republics.
The various monarchial great powers
and those states of minor rank, whose
reigning houses are connected by ties of
relationship to the royal family of
Great Britain. will be represented at
the coronation by the most illustrious
Of their princes of the blood. though not
by the sovereigns themselves, since it is
etiquette that at coronations there
should be no other ruler present except
the one crowned, so that ne may be
alone to receive the homage accorded
by the people Of monarchial states to
the so-called anointed of the Lord.
Emperor William will doubtless be
represented at the coronation by either
his eldest son, the Crown Prince, or by
his only brother, Prince Henry. The
Car will delegate his brother and heir
and also the Grand Duke Sergius, who
is at the same time his brother-in-law
and his uncle. to represent the court Of
Russia at the ceremony. Austria will
be represented by the heir apparent,
ATchduke Francis Ferdinand, and like
wise, it is said. by Archduke Joseph,
while the Duke of Aosta and the Duke
of Genoa, respectively the cousin and
the uncle of the King of Italy, will act
as his ambassadors at the coronation.
Whitelaw Reid will be the ambassa-
dor extraordinary from the United
States. and some French general or
admiral of particular eminence, prob
ably General. the Marquis de Gallifet.
formerly minister of war, and an old
friend of King Edward, will represent
France as special ambassador. On the
occasion of Queen Victoria's last jubilee
| France sent as her ambassador extra
ordinary. General Davoust Duke Of
Auerstadt, at that time chancellor of
| the Order Of the Legion of Honor. But
as he has since been deprived of the
|
administration, it is unlikely that he
will be chosen again. The special am
| bassadors of both the United States
and of France will be treated with the
same honors and distinctions as the
royal and imperial representatives Of
the sovereigns of the various great
powers; that is to say. royal carriages
and servants will be placed at their dis
posal throughout their stay in London,
while military naval and court officials
of high rank will be designated to re-
main in attendance upon them as gentle
men-in-waiting precisely as if they
were royal personages. When White
law Reid went over to England as
special ambassador at the time of
Queen Victoria's jubilee, one of the
officers thus assigned to remain in at
tendance on him throughout his stay
was General Hallam Parr. at that time
one of the aide camps to the
sovereign.
incidentally I may say that altogeth-
er exceptional honors were lavished by
the late queen upon the special Ameri-
can Embassy at the time of her jubilee
in 1897. The ambassador and am
bassadress, in addition to the regular
official invitation to all the various
state functions, received no less than
three special invitations to dine with
the Queen at Windsor during their four
weeks stay in England: while when
the official painting of the jubilee cere-
mony. in front of st. Paul's Cathedral
was made. Queen Victoria gave special
commands that the portrait of tbs
.: American Special Amba ssador should
be included in this historical picture, al
though, by reason of the position of hi:
/: carriage in the procession. he would
not otherwise have appeared in th'
: painting. Ambassadors extraordinary
. Outrank the ordinary ambassadors, ant
= thus Whitelaw Reid, during the term o.
his special mission, will take prece
dence of Joseph Choate in all officia
and social functions. The special am
, bassador will, however, enjoy the same
Nd ,-i ;vv1Y