The suburban citizen., 1902-02-15
GROWING GEORGE III
A DESCRIPTION OF HIS CORONATION
AS SEEN BY A GENTLEMAN.

picturesque AnctdentB OF the Oereh1hy-
The Amounting of the KinE-GOrgeous
Banquet-KInK Edwards Coronation
VIII Be a Similar Function.
"As the friendship Of Mr.. ROLES, who
had procured me pass-ticket, as they
call it, enabled me to be present both
in the hall and the abbey, and as / had
a fine view of the procession out Of
doors from a one pair-of-stalrs-room,
which your neighbor, Sir Edward, had
hired at the small price Of 100 gum
cas-, on purpose to oblige his acquaint-
ance, 1 will endeavor to give you as
minute an account as can of all the
particulars omitted in the public
papers"
So wrote Mr.. James Heming to n
friend in the country ages ago. His
letter is dated Tuesday, September %,
,1761, the day on which George III. was
solemnly crowned. Mr.. Heming faith
fully guarding his precious passticket
which gave him the right to rove
where he chose, was afoot overnight.
The fronts of the houses in all the
streets that could command the least
point of view were lined with scaffold-
ing, like so many galleries or boxes,
raised one above another to the very
roofs. These were covered with car
pets and cloths Of different colors. and
filed quite early in the day with richly
dressed spectators, the mob underneath
making "a pretty contrast to the rest
Of the company.
OF course, there were plenty of foot
soldiers on the ground. Mr.. Heming
relates how surprised he was to see
the officers familiarly conversing and
walking arm in arm with many of the
privates. This surprise lasted until
1--WE were let into the secret that they
were gentlemen, who had put on the
dresses Of common soldiers, for what
purpose l need not mention"
Mr.. Heming has a tender heart. ut
gave me pain" he confesses, "to see
the soldiers, both horse and foot,
obliged most numerically to belabor
the heads of the mob with their broad
bNOlhcs bdyO OhtlN anu lAlhEhNlHs bub ~
was not unpleasant to observe several
tipping the horse soldiers slyly from
time to time (some with halfpence and
some with silver, as they could mus
ter up the CASH to let them pass be-
tween the horses to get near the plat
form, after which these unconscious
BILE gentry drove them back again"
Still he himself is not above having
recourse to "the irresistible argument
of half crown" One of the guards
accordingly pilots him to the hall gate,
where he got admittance just as their
Majesties We're seated at the upper
end under magnificent canopies.
The procession began to quit West
minister Hall between IL and 10. He
seems a veritable familiar does this
Mr.. Heming in his power to dart hith-
er and thither. Being willing to see
the royal procession pass along the
platform through the streets from
Westminster Hall to the west door Of
the abbey, he hastens from the hall,
and "by the assistance of a soldier"
gets back to his former station at the
corner Of Bridge street, where the win
dows commanded q double view at the
turning
He has not, however, the words to
express that innate joy and satisfac-
ton which the spectators felt and eX-
pressed especially as their Majesties
passed by; on whose countenances a
dignity suited to their station, tenn
pered with the most amiable compla-
cency, was senslbly impressed" The
young sovereign had only been mar
ried to the good Queen Caroline in the
previous July. 1t was noticed that as
their Majesties and the nobility passed
the corner which commanded a pros
pect Of Westminster Bridge they
stopped short and turned back to look
at the people, whose appearance, as
they all had their HAYS off, and were
thickly planted on the ground, which
rose gradually, Mr.. Heming compares
to nothing but a pavement Of heads
and faces.
Mr.. Heming next turns up in the
Abbey but it is not to be wondered at
that he did not get there in time to
have so distinct a view as he could
have wished. Still he saw good deal,
and "Our friend Harry Whitaker had
the luck to be stationed in the first
row of the gallery behind the seats al
lotted for the nobility" Harry Whit
aker consequently supplements the
narrative at this interesting point.
The coronation sermon lasted only
fifteen minutes. The king was anoint-
ed on the crown Of his head, his breast
and the palms Of his hands. At the
very instant the crown was placed on
the kings head a fellow having
been placed on the top OF the abbey
dome, whence he could look down into
the chancel, with a flag which he
dropped as q signal, the rark and Tow
er guns began to fire, the trumpets
sounded, and the Abbey echoed with
the repeated shouts and acclamations
of the people, which, on account of
the awful silence that had hitherto
reigned, had a very striking effect.
The raverpnt attention NVbich hoth