Palace and Hovel; Or, Phases of London LifeKirwan, Daniel Joseph
History
Palace and Hovel; Or, Phases of London Life
Kirwan, Daniel Joseph
London (England) -- Description and travel; London (England) -- Social life and customs
"My Lord Duke, may it please your Grace." And in state proceedings a
Duke is styled "High, Puissant, and Noble Prince." There are Dukes
and Dukes. Dukes of the royal blood are still higher in rank than the
noble Dukes. The eldest son of the reigning monarch always bears the
title of "Prince of Wales." The eldest daughter is called the "Princess
Royal." This princess is married to the Crown Prince of Prussia. These
two dignitaries, according to court etiquette, are served by the
attendants, when at table, on bended knees with uncovered heads. Those
admitted to kiss their hands must also kneel. In the House of Lords,
when the Queen is present, the Prince of Wales, as heir apparent, sits
on the right hand of Her Majesty, while Prince Albert always sat on her
left hand. The younger sons of the Queen, when they are Peers, sit on
the left hand of the throne, but after the father dies, they sit below
the Wool Sack, (a huge fiery red bed-tick full of wool, on which the
Lord Chancellor takes it easy when the Lords are in session,) on the
bench assigned to the other Dukes.
The Prince of Wales, when on his throne, wears a robe of ermine, a
cape of ermine, and a red velvet cap, with a gold tassel over a gold
crown, ornamented with pearls. The younger sons and daughters have no
diamonds, pearls, or crosses surmounting their diadems--unlike the
Prince of Wales.
The three highest subjects after the Queen and the Royal Family in
England, are: First, The Lord Archbishop of Canterbury. Second, The
Lord High Chancellor of England. Third, The Lord Archbishop of York.
The Archbishop of Canterbury, who is Primate of England, is styled in
public documents, and he also writes himself, "The most Reverend Father
in God, the Lord Archbishop of Canterbury, by Divine Providence." The
Archbishop of York signs himself, "By Divine Permission," as do all the
other Bishops. There are only two Ecclesiastical Provinces in England,
those of York and Canterbury, and two Archbishops. In the House of
Lords the Archbishops and Bishops, (excepting the Irish Bishops now
disfranchised,) sit as Spiritual Peers, and the two Archbishops wear
Ducal Coronets--the Bishops wearing fillets of gold on their heads,
with pearls and jewels. The Bishop of Sodor and Man, and the junior
Bishops have no seats in the House of Lords. A Bishop ranks next to a
Viscount. The nobility of Great Britain own three-fifths of the landed
property of the Kingdom, while starvation and want run riot in the land.
England is studded with parks, villas, castles, game preserves, rabbit
warrens, trout streams and deer parks, all of which are held by right
of primogeniture. No poor man can enter these beautiful ancestral
domains, and the severest penal punishments are meted out to those poor
wretches who dare to infringe on the game laws.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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