The Letter-Bag of Lady Elizabeth Spencer-Stanhope — Volume 1
History
The Letter-Bag of Lady Elizabeth Spencer-Stanhope — Volume 1
Great Britain -- Social life and customs -- 19th century; Spencer-Stanhope, Elizabeth Wilhelmina Coke, Lady, 1795-1873
A melancholy accident happened the other day to Sir J. Smith's second
son, Marriott. He was riding through the town of Bridgwater with a
young man of the name of Morris who is at the same Tutor's. The horse
became unmanageable, the two young men were thrown, Morris pitched on
his head and was killed on the spot, young Smith was very little hurt,
but his state of distress is such that they hardly know what to do
with him.
Your sisters who are looking over the catalogue of books at the
library have just met with _Countess Moreau's Works_--alias _Contes
Moraux_.
_July 21st, 1821._
We have just finished reading the newspaper account of the Coronation
which must have been a magnificent spectacle. We were horrified at the
Queen debasing herself so much as to ask admission at the door--a
request she was certain of being denied. We long to hear how you and
Philip saw the ceremony, and whether the latter is not half killed by
the fatigue of it.
But John Stanhope seems to have been more interested in the various events
attendant upon the Coronation than in the ceremony itself. His diary
records:--
_July 19th, 1821._
The morning was beautiful. I had not attempted to get a ticket for the
Abbey or the Hall, so I determined after breakfast to sally forth and
see the Balloon ascend, and then to walk down Palace Yard and try
whether there was not a place to be got. Nothing could be more
animating than the scene, the St James's Park and the Green Park were
entirely covered with Spectators. The Balloon ascended to a
considerable height before it was at all carried away by the wind, it
rose, indeed, out of our sight.
As soon as this spectacle was over, I went to see the guns fired, and
from thence to George St., where for five shillings I got a place in a
Booth for which the previous night they asked as many guineas, and
after waiting for some time I saw the procession go from the Abbey to
the Hall,--a superb sight. I afterwards returned home much fatigued,
but issued forth again to see the illuminations.
But a long time elapsed before I could get into the Park owing to the
string of carriages through the large gates and the pressure of the
mob through the smaller ones. At last I was obliged to go round by
Grosvenor Gate.
I first directed my steps to the fireworks, which were let off under
the direction of the Military from the middle of the Park. I
afterwards saw the Serpentine where there was a very brilliant
display. There was a splendid illumination at the lower end on the
water, a car drawn by elephants with lanterns, and boats with
variegated lamps, water rockets, and, at intervals, lights on the
terrace at Kensington Gardens which lighted up the whole park.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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