Fitzherbert, Maria Anne, 1756-1837; George IV, King of Great Britain, 1762-1830
'On Monday last, it being generally known that his Majesty would arrive
at the Palace on that day, the town, at an early hour, was in full
bustle and active preparation for receiving the Sovereign; and, by two
o'clock, the various public bodies and institutions were assembled,
and proceeded to take up their stations on the line of road by which
the King would pass, as allotted to them by a Committee appointed at
a public meeting, on Saturday, to conduct the various matters. By
three o'clock, Brighton had poured forth its thousands of every grade,
and dense masses of people flanked the road, from the Palace gates
to Preston, and even beyond; while vehicles of every description,
from the gay barouche of the Peer, to the humble hackney fly, formed
a continuous line for nearly a mile. The manner in which the various
authorities were stationed to receive his Majesty, was as follows:
'At the Palace gates,--the local Magistrates, the High Constable, and
the Clergy, in their Canonicals; at St. George's Place, the body of
the Commissioners and their officers; opposite St. Peter's Church, the
Overseers, Directors, and Guardians; at the Elephant and Castle, the
Revenue Officers; at the Hare and Hounds, the Friendly and Benefit
Societies of the town; and, from the Dairy to Preston, the children of
the various Charity Schools.
'Precisely at half past four o'clock, a gun, fired from the battery,
announced to the expectant multitude that their Royal Prince was
approaching; and, soon after, one of the Royal carriages, containing
his Majesty's pages, arrived. Twenty minutes elapsed, when the
acclamations of the distant throng made known that the King, himself,
had appeared.
'At Preston, the King, in his travelling chariot, (the glasses of which
were down) accompanied by Sir Frederick Watson, entered, amidst huzzas,
the line which had been formed, when his Majesty, to meet the wishes of
his delighted people, directed the postilions to proceed at a walking
pace.
'The King, who looked extremely well, and was in the highest spirits,
acknowledged the loyal gratulations and respectful obeisances, with
which he was, on both sides, saluted, frequently bending to the elegant
and beautiful females who filled the balconies and windows, waving
their handkerchiefs as he passed.
'The line of road was pretty well kept, until his Majesty had nearly
cleared Marlborough Place, when the anxiety of the crowd, who stood
in the back ground, in Church Street, to see the King, was not to be
withstood; and, despite the endeavour of the Headborough and Committee,
the populace rushed in, and the Royal carriage was literally beset: and
it was with extreme difficulty that the postilions wended their way
through the dense crowds, who rent the air with deafening acclamations,
which were continued for a considerable time after the King had entered
the Palace Gates.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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