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A.D. 1818.Three of the royal dukes married this year, and towards its close, Queen Charlotte, who had been declining for many months, died suddenly while sitting in a chair.
A.D. 1819.The Duke of Kent, George III.'s fourth son, had married Princess Victoria of Leiningen. The event had no connection with this reign; but we mention it merely to announce the birth of their daughter, which occurred on the twenty-fourth of May. It was not supposed that she would ever mount the throne, therefore her appearance in the world was not considered of great importance. She was christened in June, and received the name of Alexandra Victoria. The baptismal ceremony took place in the grand saloon of Kensington Palace, in presence of the regent and other members of the royal family. The Emperor of Russia was god-father. As this princess is the present Queen of England, we shall have more to say about her by-and-by.
A.D. 1820.The great bell of St. Paul's announced the death of George III. at midnight, on January 29, and the accession of George IV. Before ten days had elapsed the new king was again embroiled with his ministers on the subject of a divorce from his wife, who, having met with a series of insults and petty slights at the various courts of Europe, had made her way to St. Omer, where she awaited her legal advisers before deciding on her future course.
It was Mr. Brougham and Lord Hutchinson who met her there, the latter with a proposition, that as the death of George III. left her without income, the king would grant her fifty thousand pounds per annum on the condition that she would remain on the continent, surrender the title of queen, and never, under any pretext whatever, set foot in England. She refused the proposal with infinitescorn, and declared her intention to proceed to England. This was the result of Mr. Brougham's advice, for he was always friendly to Caroline, and knew that her acceptance of Hutchinson's proposal would be most injurious to her character.
No sooner had her interview closed with the envoys from the king, than Queen Caroline, without a moment's delay, proceeded to Calais, dismissed her Italian followers, and, attended only by Alderman Wood and Lady Anne Hamilton, embarked on board the packet "Leopold," then lying in the harbor. She did not sail until the next morning, and reached Dover about noon. Much to her surprise a royal salute greeted her, and the whole town lined the shores to welcome their queen. Her progress to London was a perfect ovation, and by the time she reached the metropolis so many mounted persons had joined her that she found herself escorted by a vast cavalcade. It was seven o'clock in the evening when she passed through the city; and such crowds gathered to see her that the streets were almost impassable, and the windows were filled with eager faces and waving handkerchiefs. So great was the excitement that Carlton House had to be guarded, for threatening yells and cries arose from all sides.
The queen found refuge at the house of Alderman Wood, and no sooner was she domiciled there than the ministers met to decide what course was to be pursued with regard to her for the peace and well-being of the United Kingdom. Each one carried a "green bag," which was supposed to contain a copy of the report made by the Milan spies, or commissioners, as they were called, on the conduct of the Princess of Wales, now queen, while she was travelling abroad. Meanwhile the king had the humiliation of hearing the hussars of his own regiment shout, "Long live the queen!" and it was reported to him how at the Toy Tavern,Hampton Court, where they were quartered, a dozen or more of them had stood up and drank her health with a pot of porter.
Mr. Brougham threw himself heart and soul into the queen's cause, and conducted it in a masterly manner, showing himself a man of courage and ability. He was ably assisted by Canning, who warned and threatened the House of Lords, and boldly declared, "that his affection and respect for the queen were undiminished, and that he considered her the grace and ornament of every society."
While the trial was pending, the queen took possession of Brandenburgh House, where she daily received large mobs, who came with addresses of sympathy. The numerous amusing scenes created by these deputations were not lost sight of by the queen's opponents, who made such bitter attacks that the more respectable class, who were inclined to support her, were thereby driven away.
Having established herself comfortably, the queen sent for all her Italian attendants, who arrived in London in August,—several boatloads of them,—for the queen's house was on the river, and the government had so barricaded Westminster Bridge that it could be approached in no other way. So many Italians congregated together under one roof excited no little curiosity among the London rabble, who hovered around them and watched them as a cat does a mouse. On the seventeenth of August, the day fixed for the trial to begin, the city was in a perfect ferment. Bands of soldiers and police were stationed at every corner, and the space between St. James's and the houses of parliament was crammed with people soon after daylight.
As the peers began to arrive they were greeted with hisses, and groans, or loud cheers,—according as they opposed or defended the queen. The Duke of Wellington, who was prominent in the opposition, frequently had his horsestopped by people who would shout in his face, "No foul play, my lord!—the queen forever." He would answer in his characteristic style, "Yes, yes, yes;" and once, it is said, he added good humoredly: "And may all your wives be like her!" A perfect roar of voices and deafening shouts of applause greeted the arrival of her majesty's carriage each day; and as she passed Carlton House the crowd jealously watched to see whether the guard on duty presented arms. Fortunately they did, for they would otherwise have been torn to pieces. "God bless your majesty! We'll give our blood for you! The queen or death! May you overcome your enemies!" were the exclamations that arose on all sides as Queen Caroline passed along.
A confused sound of drums and trumpets announced her arrival at the house. The peers rose as she entered, and remained standing until she took her seat in a crimson and gilt chair, placed immediately in front of her counsel. Her appearance was not prepossessing; for she wore a black satin dress with a high ruff, and an unbecoming broad hat with a huge bow, and a bunch of ostrich plumes. On her head was a curled black wig, and her eyebrows were painted. Considering that nature had given her blue eyes and light hair, these artificial additions were not in keeping with her other characteristics, and gave her a bold, defiant, unattractive air.
It was embarrassing to the lords to have the queen present every day; but, as she could get no information as to the charges brought against her, she was resolved to be there.
Lord Liverpool's bill, which favored the king in every particular, concluded by proposing that "Caroline Amelia Elizabeth should be deprived of her rights, rank, and privileges as queen, and that her marriage with the king be dissolved and disannulled to all intents and purposes."We do not propose to give the details of the "queen's trial" as it dragged its slow length along. The bill passed by a majority of nine only, and they consisted of the members of the cabinet, who dare not vote as they chose. No action could be taken upon so small a majority, yet the queen can scarcely be said to have achieved a victory. The case had been unfairly tried, and the popular voice declared it so. She had made several attempts to have her name restored to the liturgy, and refused to accept an income offered by the king unless that was done. At last she was forced to abandon that request, much to the disappointment of her friends, and to accept the fifty thousand pounds a year.
A.D. 1821.The king's attention was now turned towards his coronation, which was to be managed on a most magnificent scale; for never was there a man more fond of display and theatrical effect than George IV. Queen Caroline immediately addressed Lord Liverpool on the subject, claiming her right to take part in the ceremony. Much correspondence, arguments, and discussions with legal advisers on both sides ensued, and the result was the entire exclusion of her majesty. She then addressed a note to the Archbishop of Canterbury, informing him of her desire to be crowned some day, within a week after that ceremony was performed for the king. The archbishop's answer was, "that he was the king's servant, and was ready to obey any command that he might receive from his royal master."
All this anxiety and disappointment began to tell on the poor queen's health, and she was ill and suffering, when, with her usual spirit and energy, she presented herself at the grand door of Westminster-Hall on the morning of the coronation, and demanded admittance as a spectator. She had started from Brandenburgh House at six o'clock, withLord and Lady Hood and Lady Anne Hamilton in attendance,-in a carriage drawn by six white horses. No person could enter the hall without a ticket, and, as the queen had none, an officer on guard respectfully declined allowing her to pass. She felt the insult keenly, but laughed and chatted in a flippant manner as she turned away. It was a pitiable sight,—that of the queen going to every door in turn, and being turned away because she could not show the indispensable ticket. Lord Hood suggested that on account of her rank the queen should not be bound by the rules which governed others; but the doorkeepers were inexorable, and there was nothing left but for her to enter her carriage and go back home, humiliated, almost crushed.
George IV. had spent days and nights with his tailor and friends, discussing and selecting the various articles in which he was to appear on the grand occasion. His robes are said to have cost twenty-five thousand pounds, and his jewels were gorgeous. Never was a more magnificent scene witnessed than that which marked the coronation ceremony of George IV., and never did monarch labor harder to make it so.
Poor Queen Caroline's nervous system had sustained a shock from which it could not rally, and three months after the king's coronation she died. On the second of August she was attacked with her last illness, and after five days of intense suffering sank into a stupor, from which she never awoke. She was conscious of her condition, made her will, and gave all the necessary directions for the disposal of her body. She died on the seventh of August, 1821, at the age of fifty-three.
Her will contained a clause to this effect: "I desire and direct that my body be not opened, and that three days after my death it be carried to Brunswick for interment,
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and that the inscription on my coffin be, 'Here lies Caroline of Brunswick, the murdered Queen of England.'"
The king was in Ireland while his wife was dying. There he was magnificently feted and escorted wherever he stopped. He made speeches to flatter his Irish subjects, promises that he never intended to fulfil, and received attentions that were remarkable for nothing more than their insincerity.
Lord Byron gave vent to his contempt of the whole proceeding in the following lines:—
"Ere the daughter of Brunswick is cold in her grave,
And her ashes still float to her home o'er the tide,
Lo! George the triumphant speeds over the wave,
To the long-cherished isle which he loved like his bride.
But he comes! the Messiah of royalty comes!
Like the goodly Leviathan roll'd from the waves!
Then receive him as best such an advent becomes,
With a legion of cooks and an army of slaves.
Is it madness or meanness that clings to thee now?
Were he God—as he is but the commonest clay,
With scarce fewer wrinkles than sins on his brow—
Such servile devotion might shame him away.
Spread, spread for Vitellius the royal repast,
Till the gluttonous despot be stuffed to the gorge;
And the roar of his drunkards proclaim him at last,
The fourth of the fools and oppressors called 'George.'"
Grief was great throughout the kingdom at the death of Queen Caroline. Fearing that the funeral might prove the occasion of a popular demonstration, it was resolved that the body should not pass through the city, but be taken through roundabout and private roads. In a pouring rain the procession started. It consisted of ahearse emblazoned with escutcheons and drawn by eight horses, heralds, twelve mourning-coaches, and six squadrons of soldiers. At every turn barricades had been placed by an angry and excited crowd, who, amid yells of triumph, saw the authorities yield to the coursetheyhad determined on, and, contrary to imperative instructions, pass with thecortègethrough some of the most public thoroughfares. But the excitement was intense; the soldiers were attacked with brickbats and stones, and several people were killed.
It took two days to get to Harwich; and, just before the coffin was placed on the man-of-war that awaited it, the discovery was made that the plate which Queen Caroline had ordered had been replaced by another bearing a simple inscription. The interment took place at Brunswick, after night, on the twenty-fourth of August.
The king survived until June 26, 1830. When he was dying, a letter was brought to him from Mrs. Fitzherbert, in which that worthy lady offered to watch over and soothe his last moments. After his death her miniature, attached to a red cord, was found hanging from his neck, where, it is supposed, he always wore it.
One historian justly says of George IV., that he was jovial, epicurean, good-natured; offering a disastrous spectacle of a life wrecked by self-indulgence and an unbounded love of pleasure.
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There is so little to relate about this queen, that were it not for the fact that her reign develops many matters of importance and interest to the whole civilized world, we should feel tempted to pass her by with a brief notice. But this would be unsatisfactory in an historical point of view. Queen Adelaide will, therefore, receive her share of mention whenever she takes prominence as we proceed.
It was on April 13, 1818, that the regent, afterwards George IV., announced to parliament through Lord Liverpool that he had given his consent to the marriage of his brother, the Duke of Clarence, with Adelaide Louisa Theresa Caroline Amelia, Princess of Saxe-Coburg Meiningen. Two other brothers of the regent were married the same year; but of these, more hereafter.
When quite a youth Prince William Henry had entered the navy as midshipman under Captain Digby, and for many years his life was one of neglect, poverty, and obscurity. Nobody ever thought it necessary to honor him until he reached his fortieth year, when Mr. Canning, the premier, brought him into notice by giving him the appointment of lord high-admiral. He reigned when the Duke of Wellington succeeded Mr. Canning, and sank into obscurityagain until, by the deaths of the Princess Charlotte and his elder brother, the Duke of York, he was made prominent by becoming heir to the throne.
A.D. 1830.The princess he had married was remarkable for nothing so much as her amiability. For many years she lived with her husband at Bushey Park, a pleasant domestic life, free from the intrigues and excitements of court or political affairs. She was by no means delighted when the death of George IV. elevated her to the throne; for she loved her retired home in the country, and it was a long time before she took upon herself the dignity of her new position.
It was the same with her husband, "the bluff sailor-king" William IV., who declared "that he had slept in a cot, and did not desire luxury and magnificence." By his simplicity and good nature he had made himself exceedingly popular with the lower and middle classes, and there never was anything like the enthusiasm with which he was greeted by all parties. He could not readily throw off the habits and manners of a country gentleman, even when a crowd gathered to stare at him at every turn he made, for he had been too long accustomed to trot about without exciting the least observation.
He began his reign by providing for old friends,—pensioning some and placing others in lucrative offices. He threw himself into the arms of the Duke of Wellington, whom he placed at the head of the administration, because he was to be depended upon for advice and support. William, as well as other members of the royal family, had always been friendly to Mrs. Fitzherbert, and he showed the kindness of his heart by responding to an application made in her behalf soon after his brother's death. He invited her to Windsor, desired her to put her servants into mourning,—though he did not show that respect to thedead king in his own household,—and settled an income of six thousand pounds a year on her.
King William was glad of every opportunity to show himself to his subjects, particularly in such public spectacles as he knew would give them pleasure. Indeed, he went about this task in such a business-like manner as to astonish everybody. A month after his accession he inspected the Coldstream Guards in St. James's Park, which was surrounded by a large assemblage of spectators. He was dressed (for the first time in his life) in a military uniform, with a large pair of gold spurs, half-way up his legs, like a game-cock. These were entirely useless, because a stiffness in the joints of his hands prevented his holding the reins, therefore he could not ride.
The queen appeared at this review, and afterwards held a drawing-room, when the ministers wives were presented to her, also various officers of state; but she did not enjoy that sort of thing at all, and is said to have behaved like a well-bred actress rehearsing a part, while anxiously awaiting the dropping of the curtain. Luncheon was served at one o'clock, and then the king and queen, seated together on one throne, received the addresses of the Oxford and Cambridge representatives. Then the queen retired, and a council was held, and the king had a civil word to say to everybody, inviting some to dine with him, promising to visit others, and reminding several of former intercourse in a most affable but rather undignified manner. When all this was over, his majesty put on his plain clothes, and took a stroll about the streets arm-in-arm with a gentleman, and followed by a mob that so shoved him about that on his return to the palace he was glad to take a quiet walk in the garden, saying, good-humoredly, to his companion: "Oh, never mind all this; when I have walked about a few times they will get used to it, and will take no notice."For the next three days regiments were inspected in the various parks, the king's affability being the theme on everybody's lips, and then he held a grand levee, which was crowded to excess. He had gained favor with the army, the navy claimed him as their chief, so it would be difficult to tell with which of the services he was most popular.
William IV. could not comprehend etiquette, and appeared at the House of Lords without his crown, because he found it less irksome when carried in the hands of Lord Hastings than on his own head. He wanted to take the King of Wurtemberg, who was visiting England, in his coach with him, but that was beyond all precedent, and could not be allowed; however, nobody could prevent his sitting backwards in his private carriage, or making any man who accompanied him sit by his side instead of opposite.
After the session at the House of Lords, William drove all over town in an open barouche with the queen, Princess Augusta, and the King of Wurtemberg; but that was not the worst of it: he actually stopped at a hotel to set down his guest, and that was a sample of simplicity and good-nature never before witnessed in a sovereign of England. He had immense dinners every day at the palace, often inviting the same people three or four times hand-running. At eleven o'clock he dismissed his guests thus: "Now, ladies and gentlemen, I wish you a good-night. I will not detain you any longer from your amusements, and shall go myself to bed; so come along, my queen."
One of the reviews made by his majesty was succeeded by a breakfast at Apsley House, the home of the Duke of Wellington, about fifty members of the council and foreign ministers being present, and that same evening he sat at a state dinner between the King of Wurtemberg and the
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duke. When his health was drunk, he returned thanks briefly, saying that he should give a toast by-and-by. So after a while he sent a message to his band to play the merriest waltz they could, and as soon as he was obeyed, he gave "The Queen of Wurtemberg," and praised her tremendously. He next ordered them to play "See the Conquering Hero Comes;" then he rose and said he had been so short a time on the throne that he did not know whether etiquette required him to speak sitting or standing; but he wished to propose the health of the Duke of Wellington, whom he compared with the Duke of Marlborough, and, after making a long speech, concluded by declaring that he gave him his fullest confidence, and should continue to do so as long as he remained upon the throne.
While King William was keeping himself busy with dinners, drives, reviews, breakfasts, etc., Paris was in a state of siege, and no end of reports—some true, some false—were constantly arriving in England, where the result was watched with the greatest anxiety. Three days brought the French Revolution to a climax, and established the Duke of Orleans—Louis Philippe—on the throne. But it did not tranquillize Europe; for there was every prospect of a general war, and much alarm was felt in England in consequence. The First Napoleon said that a revolution in France was a revolution of Europe; and so it proved, for there was fighting in all the principal towns before peace was really established.
Before William had been on the throne a year there was trouble in Ireland, and in some counties it became necessary for the military force to put down the outrages committed by mobs. The Irish people believed that their rights had been assailed by the government, and Daniel O'Connell made speeches to the ignorant portion of the inhabitants, which served, as he intended they should, toincrease their discontent. Then there was an outbreak among the English peasantry against the use of agricultural machinery. They met in crowds and went about destroying all the barns, corn, and hay-ricks, and setting fire right and left to the threshing-machines, like a set of maniacs. Of course such lawless behavior filled the country with consternation, because it was impossible to tell where it would end.
When parliament met, the king made a speech which proved to be one of the most offensive that ever proceeded from an English sovereign. It was known to be the work of his ministry, but did not increase his popularity on that account. The Duke of Wellington followed it up by a declaration against reform in parliament, which certainly sealed his fate, for it was condemned by friend and foe. It proved that, though a great general, the duke was by no means capable of filling the position of prime minister.
Excitement ran so high in London that the Lord Mayor's dinner, which had been fixed for the ninth of November, had to be postponed, for there was great fear of a repetition of Guy Fawkes's day. Troops paraded the streets, prudent citizens renewed their bolts and bars, lined their shutters with iron plates, and laid in a supply of arms, while little knots of people gathered at the street-corners, waiting for something, though they did not know exactly what. Before the end of the week everybody was laughing at the panic they had experienced; but the effect of it was seriously felt, for certain disorderly citizens organized meaningless riots, merely because they could think of no other way of amusing themselves just then. Besides, the impression got abroad that the King of England dared not pass through the streets of his own capital to dine with the Lord Mayor, and that the banquet had, therefore, to be postponed.The reform bill was a most important matter; and, when we consider the nature of it, we shall see why it created so much excitement among the common people of Great Britain. This measure was introduced into parliament with the intention of regulating the number of representatives from the various counties, according to their size and standing. It had another aim. Hitherto the affairs of government had been exclusively in the hands of the aristocracy; but the reform bill was introduced for the purpose of admitting the middle classes to a voice in public concerns. It is easy to see, therefore, why the workingmen were aroused; but those who witnessed the tame, wordy meetings of the workingmen not long since on the San Francisco sand-lots can form no idea of the riots which succeeded such demonstrations in England fifty years ago.
The panic had another effect, which was the removal of the Duke of Wellington from office, at the same time that Sir Robert Peel offered his resignation in the House of Commons. This meant a complete change in the ministry. Throughout the troubled and unsettled state of affairs the king behaved admirably, and proved that, although he had ignored court etiquette at the opening of his reign, he had much more real dignity than his predecessor, whose mind was ever bent on theatrical effect, and who never yielded one jot where a display of ceremony could be made. William treated his ministers with great kindness and consideration, supporting them while it was possible, and parting with them in sorrow when it became a necessity.
Lord Grey was requested not only to form a new ministry, but even to make the necessary changes in the royal household. No wiser selection could have been made; for Lord Grey was popular, and people saw in the parliamentary reform a noble beginning of a great work. Brougham, now Lord Brougham, who so warmly defended QueenCaroline of Brunswick, was appointed Lord High Chancellor, and this also gave general satisfaction. Lord John Russell, whose name appears often in the cabinet during the present century, was appointed paymaster-general.
The year closed with a report that Asiatic cholera was spreading over Europe, and making rapid strides towards England. Great anxiety was felt; but honest-hearted, unselfish King William took prompt measures towards the establishment of a proper quarantine, and so held the plague at bay.
A.D. 1831.All through the January nights of the new year the heavens were lit up by burning barns and ricks; and in the manufacturing districts men formed into organizations called trades-unions, because representatives of certain trades bound themselves to stand by one another in the maintenance of what they believed to be their rights. But they were merciless to those who dared to act independently, and murder was committed at Manchester out of revenge in consequence of a quarrel about the trades-union.
While discussions on the reform bill were engaging the attention of parliament, trades-unions were growing, and the arrest of O'Connell was agitating the Irish, the queen lived quietly, and took no part in public affairs. She was called a prude because she would not allow her ladies to wear low-neck dresses, while during the previous reign no others had been permitted.
One night in February the king and queen went to the theatre. They were well received on entering; but on returning home they were hooted at, and their carriage was pelted with stones, one of which broke the window and fell in the lap of Prince George of Cumberland. The king told one of his officers "that the queen was terrified, and it was very disagreeable, because they should always be going about somewhere."The queen had no influence whatever with her husband in public affairs; but she was interested in the elections, knew the king's weak points, and felt unhappy at his being so completely under the influence of his ministry. At her balls and drawing-rooms, scarcely anything was talked of but the doings of parliament, and the elections continued to cause great excitement. When the Lord Mayor unwisely had the city illuminated after certain of them had been decided, there was a great uproar and a general breaking of windows. A few nights later the queen attended a concert, and as she was returning the mob surrounded her carriage, and her footmen were obliged to beat the people off with their canes to keep them from poking their heads into the coach. Her majesty was dreadfully alarmed, and the king, who was not well enough to accompany her to the concert, had heard something of the tumult, and was anxiously pacing backwards and forwards in his room when Lord Howe, the chamberlain, who always preceded the queen, entered. "How is her majesty?" eagerly demanded William as he went down to meet her. "Very much frightened, sir," was the reply of the chamberlain; who, being an anti-Reformer, at once proceeded to give a most graphic and rather exaggerated account of the attack. The king was so angry that he declared neither he nor the queen should again enter the city, and the latter felt as distressed and disgusted as possible.
In June the royal family attended the Ascot races. They arrived at the course with acortègeof eight coaches, each drawn by four horses, phaetons, pony chaises, and led horses. Their reception was strikingly cold and indifferent, and the king looked bored to death. After the races there was a dinner at the castle each day, when the king invited a crowd of people. The queen was led to the dining-room by the Duke of Richmond, and the king followedwith the Duchess of Saxe-Weimar, the queen's sister. He drank wine with everybody, and after dinner dropped asleep from the effect of it. That did not interfere with the concert by a very good band, that was going on all through dinner, and continued for a couple of hours afterwards.
At this period a deputation waited upon Prince Leopold, the widower of Princess Charlotte, mentioned in the last reign, to invite him to become their king. As he had been expecting this for a long time, he did not hesitate to accept.
The next event of interest was the coronation. A council was held at St. James's to consider it, when the king made a request that the ceremonies might be short, and that all those not connected with the church might be dispensed with. His object was to make it less tedious and less expensive than the last, which had occupied the whole day, and cost two hundred and forty thousand pounds.
Greville, who occupied a position in the council, gives an account of the queen's decision with regard to her crown. He says: "I rode to Windsor to settle with the queen what sort of a crown she would have. I was ushered into the king's presence; he was sitting at a red table in the sitting-room of George IV. looking over the flower-garden. He sent for the queen, who came with two ladies. She tried to be civil to me in her ungracious way, and said she would have none of our crowns, and asked me if I thought it was right that she should. I said, 'Madam, I can only say that the late king wore one at his coronation.' However, she said, 'I do not like it, and I have got jewels enough, so I will have them made up myself.' The king said to me, 'Very well; thenyouwill have to pay for the setting?' 'Oh, no,' replied the queen, 'I shall pay for it all myself.'"When the estimates for the coronation were presented, they amounted to less than thirty-one thousand pounds, which was a moderate sum compared with similar preceding ceremonies. The king objected very seriously to being kissed on the cheek, as an act of homage, by the bishops, and ordered that part of the ceremony to be struck out; but it had been the custom for ages, and he had to give in, whether he liked it or no.
The coronation was announced for September 8, and very extensive alterations were made in Westminster Abbey for the occasion. About forty private gentlemen acted as pages of the Earl-Marshal, attired in blue frock-coats, white breeches and stockings, crimson silk sashes, and small oddly-shaped hats, with black ostrich feathers. Each carried a gilt staff, bearing the arms of the Earl-Marshal, and it was his duty to conduct people provided with tickets to their proper seats.
Shortly after five o'clock in the morning a royal salute was fired by the artillery stationed in the Green Park, and that was a signal for every one interested in the proceedings of the day to be on the move. At six the troops distributed themselves along the line of procession in St. James's Park. The members of the House of Commons, some in military, others in Highland costumes, had a covered platform all to themselves in Westminster Hall.
The queen's ivory rod, surmounted by a dove, was borne by Earl Camden, the sceptre and cross by the Earl of Jersey, and the crown by the Duke of Beaufort. Her majesty followed between the Bishops of Winchester and Chichester, and attended by five gentlemen pensioners on each side. Her train was borne by the Duchess of Gordon and six daughters of earls. The ladies and women of the bed-chamber and the maids-of-honor followed.
Of the king's regalia, St. Edward's staff was borne bythe Duke of Grafton, the golden spurs by the Marquis of Hastings, the sceptre with the cross by the Duke of St. Albans, the sword by the Marquis of Salisbury, the second sword by the Marquis of Downshire, the third by the Marquis of Cleveland, their coronets carried by a page. Then followed the Gentleman Usher of the Black Rod, and Garter King-at-Arms, and the Deputy Lord Great Chamberlain of England; the Royal Dukes with their train and coronet bearers; the High Constables of Ireland and Scotland, the Duke of Norfolk, the Duke of Wellington, with his staff and baton of field-marshal; Earl Grey with the sword-of-state, the Duke of Richmond with the sceptre and dove, the Duke of Hamilton with St. Edward's crown, the Duke of Somerset with the orb.
After them the Bishops of Rochester and Exeter with the Bible, the Bishop of Oxford with the chalice, followed by the king, supported by the Bishop of Bath and Wells and the Archbishop of York, his train borne by the Marquises of Worcester, Lichfield and Douro, and the Earls of Kerry and Euston, assisted by the Master of the Robes and his grooms. On each side of his majesty walked ten gentlemen pensioners in the uniform of officers of the Guard, headed by their lieutenant and standard-bearer; then came the Groom of the Stole, the Gold Stick, and the Master of the Horse, the Captains of the Yeomen of the Guard, and a few other subordinates of the royal household.
His majesty took his seat, the Bible and chalice were placed on the altar, where two officers of the wardrobe spread a rich cloth of gold, and laid two handsome cushions on the steps, while the Archbishop of Canterbury put on his cope, and the bishops, who had read the Litany, their vestments. The king and queen then, with their supporters and the bearers of the regalia, advanced to the altar, where the king offered a pall and an ingot of gold, and thequeen a pall of gold. Their majesties knelt while the prayer was said by the archbishop, and then were conducted to their chairs-of-state, when the Litany and communion service were read, and a sermon preached by the Bishop of London.
After the sermon, the archbishop administered the coronation oath, which was followed by the ceremony of anointing, and this concluded with a benediction. The spurs and sword were then laid upon the altar, and the latter returned to the king by the prelates, when his majesty offered it at the altar, whence it was redeemed by Earl Grey, who carried it without a scabbard until the end of the ceremony.
Then the mantle was placed around his majesty; he received the orb, the ring, and the sceptre, the crown was placed upon his head, and the spectators shouted, "God save the king!" while the trumpets sounded, drums were beaten, and the park guns sent forth a loud peal.
The prayers and anthems having been completed, the peers put on their coronets, and the Bible was presented to the king, who took his place upon the throne. Then followed the usual acts of homage, and the treasurer of the household scattered coronation medals. The anointing, crowning, and enthroning of the queen then took place.
After partaking of the sacrament, their majesties were disrobed, and proceeded, as they had entered, to the west door of the abbey. The regalia was received by the officers of the Jewel Office, and their majesties returned to St. James's Palace in the same state as they had approached the abbey. It was three o'clock in the afternoon before the ceremony ended.
There was no grand state banquet, but the king entertained a large party of the royal family and nobility, with the chief officers of the household instead. In consequenceof the ill-health of Princess Victoria, heiress-presumptive, neither she nor her mother, the Duchess of Kent, took part in the ceremonies.
Coronation day was distinguished as a general holiday, and in the evening the city was illuminated. It was selected for the laying of the corner-stones of two churches,—one at Hastings by the Princess Sophia Matilda of Gloucester, and one at East Cowes by the Princess Victoria. Everybody felt satisfied, the coronation had been a success, and a number of peers had been created.
The reform bill was not yet settled in parliament, and the debates upon it brought into prominence many men whose names are familiar to us at the present day. Macaulay was one of these, and his speeches were very brilliant. Robert Peel, whom we have already mentioned, was another. At last the real fight took place in the House of Lords, where there was a magnificent display of talent on both sides, which resulted at the first reading in the defeat of the reform bill. We need not give the details of this matter. While it was pending little else was thought of, and no sooner was it decided than the appearance of cholera, that dread disease that had been slowly but surely approaching, filled the public attention.
It broke out with violence at Sunderland among the filthy and degraded; but it did not become so dreadful a plague as many that had visited England in previous times. It proved a benefit in this, that it awakened people to the necessity for cleanliness in the thoroughfares, and prompted the benevolent to help those who were attacked with the disease on account of their privations and unhealthy habitations in wretched, damp country villages. A board of health was established, and England was from that period awakened to the duty of care for the public health, which, we have seen, was a matter of slight consideration in earlier days.
A.D. 1832.Riots continued while the reform bill remained unsettled; for this was the only argument that those ignorant, lawless people who took part in them could bring to bear against those who opposed them. The consequences of these proceedings were dreadful. In Derby the town jail and many houses of the respectable inhabitants were destroyed, and in Nottingham the ancient castle belonging to the Duke of Newcastle was completely demolished.
The rioters even marched upon St. James's Palace under pretence of presenting addresses, and several mansions in the neighborhood were stoned. Fortunately they first attacked the Duke of Wellington's house, which gave the troops ample time to assemble for the protection of the palace.
A riot in Bristol lasted three days, during which all the public buildings were set on fire, and the toll-gate was pulled down. The prison-doors were burst open, and all the prisoners liberated; dwellings and warehouses were completely demolished, and the property destroyed in that one town alone was valued at half a million of pounds. At last the military attacked the rioters, and, after several were shot down, order was restored; but many had perished in the flames they themselves had kindled, after having drunk to excess of the liquor they had stolen. Public meetings were held in every part of the kingdom to express dissatisfaction,—particularly in the large manufacturing towns, some of which were frequently set on fire.
In November a meeting of the political union of the working-classes was announced, their object being to demand universal suffrage, vote by ballot, and yearly parliaments; but government took the matter in hand, and the leaders of such illegal proceedings were frightened into abandoning them for the time being. These scenes of excitementproduced their effect, even across the channel in France, where demonstrations were made by men who attacked some of the principal places, and were only dispersed at last by the appearance of the National Guard in their midst. Lord Eldon wrote at the time on this subject: "The French are more volatile than we are; they have travelled somewhat quicker on the road to ruin than we sluggish Englishmen travel; but we are, I fear, on the same road."
We have said very little about the Princess Victoria, because she lived in retirement, pursuing her studies under the excellent supervision of her mother, the Duchess of Kent; but in the autumn of this year the two royal ladies made an interesting tour through the principal counties of Eng land and Wales, and were everywhere received with demonstrations of welcome and respect. They returned to Kensington Palace in November, highly gratified with their tour.
During this year occurred some events to which we must allude, because they are too important to be passed over in silence. One is the marriage of Leopold, King of the Belgians, with the Princess Louise, daughter of King Louis Philippe of France. This event was preceded by the death of the only son of Napoleon I., known as the Duke of Reichstadt.
He died of consumption at the palace of Schoenbrunn, near Vienna, at the early age of twenty-one. A funeral service at the church of St. Mary was the only mark of respect shown to the memory of this young man in Paris, because the Bonaparte family were not then in power.
Sir Walter Scott died on the twenty-first of September, at Abbotsford, at the age of sixty-one. Few men of genius ever had so brilliant a career, or acquired during their lifetime so widespread a reputation. He was a lawyer, an historian, a novelist, a poet, than whom none have maintained a longer or firmer hold on the popular favor; but, what isbetter, he died a great and good man. Carlyle says of him: "No sounder piece of British manhood was put together in the eighteenth century of time. Alas! his fine Scotch face, with its shaggy honesty, sagacity, and goodness, when we saw it latterly on the Edinburgh streets was all worn with care, the joy all fled from it,—ploughed deep with labor and sorrow. We shall never forget it; we shall never see it again. Adieu, Sir Walter, pride of all Scotland; take our proud and last farewell!"
A.D. 1833.At the beginning of the new year Queen Adelaide was anxious that Lord Howe, who had resigned the chamberlainship, should resume it. She was very fond of him, and received his respect and attentions in return for the favor she showed him. He had been opposed to the government, and, as his return to office was to be made only on condition that he would change his principles, he refused. He was replaced by William Basil Percy, Earl of Denbigh, who remained in her majesty's service to the close of her life.
There was a change in the government this year: Lord Brougham had become chancellor, and the reformed parliament, as it was called, emancipated the slaves in the British colonies. This was a most important event, and interested the whole civilized world.
Among the distinguished Frenchmen who visited England at this period was Monsieur Thiers, who was entertained by Talleyrand, the French ambassador to London, at a grand dinner.
At important assemblages the young Princess Victoria now began to be brought forward. She attended the ceremonial of the opening of a new pier at Southampton, which was managed with great pomp, all the city officials being present. About twenty-five thousand spectators were present, and the Duchess of Kent announced that shedesired her daughter to become impressed with the value of everything that could be of practical benefit to all classes of the community. Their royal highnesses were escorted by a military staff, and were treated to a splendid collation, served for them in a beautifully decorated tent that had been erected for the occasion.
An address was then presented by the corporation to the royal visitors, acknowledging the distinction they had conferred on the town, and requesting the duchess to name the pier. Her royal highness named it "The Royal Pier," and added her wishes that it might promote the prosperity of the town. This ceremony was followed by a regatta on the water and a public dinner, after which there was a display of fireworks. The young princess excited a great deal of interest, and the Southampton people felt quite as proud of her as they did of their new pier. Wherever she travelled with her mother, a salute was sure to greet them.
William IV. did not like this ever-increasing popularity of his successor at all, and remonstrated, saying that such an honor was only due to himself and the queen; but the Duchess of Kent insisted on receiving all the honors that she considered her due, and would not give orders that the salutes should be discontinued, as the king had requested.
A D. 1834.The death of Lord Grenville, which occurred this year, left the chancellorship of Oxford vacant, and the Duke of Wellington was appointed to the office. He was installed with grand ceremonies, and nothing could surpass the enthusiasm of the crowd that collected to do him honor.
Several distinguished people died just at this period. One was Lord Chancellor Bathurst, who had occupied public positions for many years, and boasted of being the only civilian invited to the annual banquet given by the Duke of Wellington on the anniversary of the battle of