Glimpses of King William IV. and Queen Adelaide: In Letters of the Late Miss Clitherow, of Boston House, Middlesex. With a Brief Account of Boston House and the Clitherow FamilyClitherow, Mary
History
Glimpses of King William IV. and Queen Adelaide: In Letters of the Late Miss Clitherow, of Boston House, Middlesex. With a Brief Account of Boston House and the Clitherow Family
Clitherow, Mary
Adelaide, Queen, consort of William IV, King of Great Britain, 1792-1849; William IV, King of Great Britain, 1765-1837
'The whole party left Kew for London at ten.
'We have been wondrous gay at both the fêtes at Syon House. As to the
first fête, I think it was the most perfect thing of the kind that
possibly could be. We were invited to a breakfast at three o'clock to
meet their Majesties, and we went according to orders; but the
breakfast proved a good dinner at seven. The day was lovely, the
company of the very first order, and the dresses most elegant morning
costume.
'The King did not come; he was overfatigued at the Waterloo dinner. The
Queen came at five. She and the Duchess of Northumberland led the way
to the famous conservatory, and all the party followed. I believe it is
reckoned the finest in Europe. The flower-garden, filled with all the
smart and the pretty, was really a sight of sights. There were chairs
and benches innumerable on the lawn, the Blues band of music, and
people amused themselves till dinner was announced. It was certainly
the most elegant party I ever was in, for the whole 524 guests followed
each other into the tent as quiet and orderly as into the dinner-room
at Windsor. The dinner was sumptuous. Three turkeys were drest, and
eight men cooks employed. A seat for everyone, a napkin, three china
plates, three silver forks, knife, and spoon. The waiters had only to
remove your plate. And such quantities of waiters! yet so quiet, no
bustle or clatter. We all came out of the tent together, when the house
was lit up, and you went in or staid out as you pleased. The great
drawing-room for tea and coffee, tables each side. And so the time
passed till it was dark enough for the fireworks, which were most
magnificent.
'The Queen was then ushered into the tent, which, like magic, had been
prepared for dancing. A very good floor, as clean as if no soul had
dined in the room. The tables were laid round the room on the floor to
make a platform to raise the sitters to look at the dancing. There were
two tiers of benches, so that really the room seemed hardly full. There
was a noble space for the dancers 180 feet long. Weippert's beautiful
band. I quite longed to dance. It was lit the whole length by large
handsome glass lanthorns, and round the tent was a broad border of
growing flowers and coloured lamps in festoons. Nothing could be
prettier. They had waltzes, quadrilles, gallopade, and reels. The Queen
went at eleven, and everybody was gone by one. Refreshments of all
sorts were provided at each end of the tent.
'The second fête rather failed, as the day it was to have been held was
so wet it was obliged to be put off; and then Royalty had gone to
Windsor, and thought it too far to come. Numbers also were engaged. We
were only asked in the evening, but everything was in as good style as
the first, only a different style of company. The fireworks equally
good, and the dancing, but the night was cold.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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