That one of the last of the unfortunate race of the Stuarts, Prince
Charles, was in London, if not present at the coronation feast, on this
occasion, seems to be a fact pretty well established. The Gentleman's
Magazine, 1764, (p. 28,) speaks of it as "publicly said, That the young
Pretender himself came from Flanders to see the coronation; that he was
in Westminster Hall (?) during the ceremony, and in London two or three
days before and after it, under the name of Mr. Brown." And Mr. Hume
thus writes to one of his literary friends:--"What will surprise you
more, Lord Marshal, a few days after the coronation of the present king,
told me, that he believed the young Pretender was at that time in
London, or, at least, had been so very lately, and had come over to see
the show of the coronation, and had actually seen it. I asked my lord
the reason for this strange fact. 'Why,' says he, 'a gentleman told me
so who saw him there, and whispered in his ear--'Your royal highness is
the last of all mortals whom I should expect to see here.'--'It was
curiosity that led me,' said the other: 'but I assure you,' added he,
'that the person who is the cause of all this pomp and magnificence, is
the man I envy the least.'" A report recently found its way to the
public papers, which we have not been able to trace to any authentic
source, that a glove was actually thrown from an upper seat in the Hall,
as a gage to the king's champion, at this period: that the champion
receiving it from his attendants, asked, 'who was his fair foe?' and
that the rumour of the day soon connected it with the appearance, and
attributed it to the romantic dispositions of the young Chevalier.
Of the late coronation we shall at once consult the best feelings of our
own mind, and of the community, by presenting the most copious account
we have been able to collect:--
CORONATION
of
His Most Excellent Majesty
KING GEORGE IV.,
_On Thursday the 19th day of July, 1821._
ARRANGEMENT FOR THE ASSEMBLING OF THE
PEERS AND OFFICERS.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account