Life and Letters of Charles Darwin — Volume 1Darwin, Charles
History
Life and Letters of Charles Darwin — Volume 1
Darwin, Charles
Darwin, Charles, 1809-1882; Naturalists -- Great Britain -- Biography; Naturalists -- Great Britain -- Correspondence
Yesterday all the shops were shut, so that I could do nothing; and I was
child enough to give 1 pound 1 shilling for an excellent seat to see the
Procession. (The Coronation of William IV.) And it certainly was very
well worth seeing. I was surprised that any quantity of gold could make
a long row of people quite glitter. It was like only what one sees in
picture-books of Eastern processions. The King looked very well, and
seemed popular, but there was very little enthusiasm; so little that I
can hardly think there will be a coronation this time fifty years.
The Life Guards pleased me as much as anything--they are quite
magnificent; and it is beautiful to see them clear a crowd. You think
that they must kill a score at least, and apparently they really hurt
nobody, but most deucedly frighten them. Whenever a crowd was so dense
that the people were forced off the causeway, one of these six-feet
gentlemen, on a black horse, rode straight at the place, making his
horse rear very high, and fall on the thickest spot. You would suppose
men were made of sponge to see them shrink away.
In the evening there was an illumination, and much grander than the one
on the Reform Bill. All the principal streets were crowded just like a
race-ground. Carriages generally being six abreast, and I will venture
to say not going one mile an hour. The Duke of Northumberland learnt a
lesson last time, for his house was very grand; much more so than the
other great nobility, and in much better taste; every window in his
house was full of straight lines of brilliant lights, and from their
extreme regularity and number had a beautiful effect. The paucity of
invention was very striking, crowns, anchors, and "W.R.'s" were repeated
in endless succession. The prettiest were gas-pipes with small holes;
they were almost painfully brilliant. I have written so much about the
Coronation, that I think you will have no occasion to read the "Morning
Herald".
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