Material Progress during the Reign--Modern Locomotion--The
Bicycle--Motor Carriages--The Proposed Channel Tunnel--Steam
Navigation--Ironclads--The Telephone--The
Phonograph--Electricity as an Illuminant--Photography--Its
Effect on Painting and Engraving--Victorian
Architecture--Absence of Principle in Design--Universal
Education--Its Effect on Moral Character and Literary
Habits--The Predominance of Fiction--The Growth and Character of
British Journalism--The Advance of Natural Science--Surgery and
Medicine--Vaccination--Antiseptic and Aseptic
Treatment--Bacteriology--The Röntgen Rays--Sanitary
Legislation--Conclusion.
[Sidenote: Material Progress during the Reign.]
Allusion has been made in earlier chapters to the development during the
reign of Queen Victoria of the powers of steam applied to locomotion, of
electricity applied to the conveyance of news, to the institution of the
penny post, and to the invention of anæsthetics in surgery. But no
survey, however brief, would be satisfactory which took no note of a few
other stages in the progress of applied knowledge--progress which, up to
the present moment, shows no sign of slackening.
[Illustration: _From a Photograph_} {_by F. W. Burgess, Ringmer._
AN EARLY BICYCLE.
This is probably the earliest Bicycle seen in England; it was made in
1868 by Mr. W. F. Martin.]
[Sidenote: Modern Locomotion.]
First, as to locomotion: when Sir Walter Scott was writing the opening
chapters of the "Heart of Midlothian," in 1818, he referred to the
wonderful development of facilities for travel, and may have thought he
was exceeding the limits of the probable when he penned the sentence:
"Perhaps the echoes of Ben Nevis may soon be awakened by the bugle, not
of a warlike chieftain, but of the guard of a mail coach." Scott was by
no means deficient in imaginative power, but the maximum speed he can
have contemplated was ten miles an hour, for the standard of speed in
those days was the pace of a horse (we still reckon the strength of our
engines at so many "horse" power). What would he think now, were it
possible for him to take his seat in a luxurious saloon and be whirled
round the flanks of Ben Nevis, along the West Highland Railway? Eleven
years after the publication of the "Heart of Midlothian" a competition
of locomotives was held on the Liverpool and Manchester Railway, and the
prize was taken by Messrs. Stephenson's "Rocket." Weighing 7 tons 9
cwts., this engine was able to draw a load of 9 tons 10 cwts. at an
average speed of thirteen miles an hour. One of the first-class express
engines on the London and North-Western line at the present day weighs
77 tons 2 cwts., and draws a load of 160 tons, at an average speed of
forty-seven miles an hour.
[Sidenote: The Bicycle.]
But it is not only by steam that the standard of speed in locomotion has
been displaced. The invention and constant improvement of the bicycle
has not only caused the rise of a most important industry in their
manufacture (about half a million cycles are being turned out of the
factories annually, representing a value of at least £5,000,000), but it
has supplied a means of locomotion of incalculable convenience to
persons of all classes and of both sexes. This invention must be
reckoned a great boon, not only as a means of recreation to persons in
crowded towns, to whom the cycle affords easy access to the country, but
also to working-men living at a distance from their employment.
[Sidenote: Motor Carriages.]
With respect to the mechanical propulsion of carriages along ordinary
streets and highways, stringent regulations were in force until 1896,
under which such carriages were not permitted to travel at a higher
speed than four miles an hour. But the invention of "motor" carriages,
propelled by steam, gas, oil, or electricity, convinced the authorities
that these restrictions should be relaxed. This accordingly was done by
Act of Parliament, and their removal was celebrated, on November 14,
1896, by the excursion of a number of horseless carriages from London to
Brighton. Evil weather marred the display, nevertheless large numbers of
persons turned out to witness it. It is too early to predict the extent
to which horses may be displaced by motor carriages, but it can scarcely
be doubtful that their obvious imperfections will yield to the ingenuity
of inventors, so as to render them at least dangerous rivals to the old
kind of equipage.
[Illustration: GEORGE STEPHENSON, 1781-1848.
Railway Engineer. Born at Wylam, Northumberland. Son of a colliery
fireman. Constructed his first locomotive in 1814. Planned and
constructed the first railways--Stockton and Darlington, 1815-25,
Liverpool and Manchester, 1825-30. Was chief engineer to most of the
lines constructed until 1840, when he retired, leaving his business to
his son Robert.]
[Sidenote: The Proposed Channel Tunnel.]
Before leaving the subject of terrestrial locomotion, allusion must be
made to the project of carrying a tunnel under the Straits of Dover to
the French coast, to enable trains to be run without interruption from
Great Britain to the Continent. The tunnel, the favourite scheme of Sir
Edward Watkin, Chairman of the South-Eastern Railway, was begun some
years ago, and was actually carried for several hundred yards under the
sea. But the strategic advantages of an island realm are too substantial
to be sacrificed by the creation of a highway, command of which would
certainly be insisted on by any Power or combination of Powers which, in
the future, might overcome Great Britain in arms.
[Illustration: _From a Photograph_} {_by permission of Curzon, Robey &
Co._
THE MOTOR-CAR PARADE, November 14, 1896: THE START FROM THE HOTEL
METROPOLE.]
[Sidenote: Steam Navigation.]
[Sidenote: Ironclads.]
Turning now to locomotion by sea, or navigation, steam had been applied
to the propulsion of vessels as early as 1802, and its use had been
gradually extended till, in 1835, the first steamer with mails for Egypt
and India was despatched from Falmouth; but it was not until the second
year of the present reign, 1838, that the first vessel entirely
propelled by steam crossed the Atlantic. Greatly as the appearance and
strength of our mercantile marine fleet has been altered to meet the
requirement of speed, a still greater contrast is presented in the
construction of warships since the invention of rifled ordnance. When
our Queen ascended the throne, the famous wooden walls of Old England
were moved by sails alone. Greater speed was subsequently secured by the
introduction of engine room to vessels of the old type, with paddles or
screw-propellers. But experience proved how easily engines might be
thrown out of gear by a single shot, a danger which grew more imminent
with every fresh improvement in guns. Then began the long contest
between armour-plating and projectiles: the armour had to be made
thicker and ever thicker to resist the increasing weight and velocity of
projectiles, until, by the reduction of masts and spars to the bare
necessities of signalling, the submergence of the hull to reduce the
vulnerable surface, the increase of engine space, and the reduction of
the armament to a few pieces of great power, our battleships have lost
almost all semblance of the fabrics which used to move in such stately
manner under towers of canvas, and have acquired the character of
floating forts. Still, Britannia rules the waves; her seamen, of whom it
was predicted that the adoption of steam would deprive of their
superiority, have no equals in the world; and her people have proved, by
their enthusiasm in furnishing the necessary funds, that they will
endure almost any sacrifice rather than suffer the British Navy to be
second in power to any other.
[Illustration: _J. C. Horsley, R.A._} {_National Portrait Gallery._
ISAMBARD K. BRUNEL, 1806-1859.
Son of Sir Marc Isambard Brunel, engineer of the Thames Tunnel. Designed
the Clifton Suspension Bridge, the _Great Western_ (the first great
ocean steamer) and the _Great Eastern_ (see page 38), and was engineer
of the Great Western Railway.]
[Sidenote: The Telephone.]
The revolution in intercourse between distant places effected by the
electric telegraph has been noticed already, but even that has been
outdone in rapidity by later applications of the electric current; for,
just as spoken language is swifter than written words, so the telephone
has overcome the limits hitherto imposed by space on conversation. It
was a great marvel when, in 1852, the completion of a cable under the
Channel rendered communication possible between London and Paris by
means of a code of signals; but now statesmen and commercial men may
discuss affairs confidentially by telephone; nay, a lover in Paris may
listen with rapture to the very accents of his beloved lingering in
London.
[Sidenote: The Phonograph.]
One of the most remarkable modifications of the telephone is Edison's
phonograph, whereby the human voice and other sounds are recorded on a
delicate membrane, which afterwards, for an indefinite period, is
capable of being made to repeat or transmit these sounds. Future
generations will be able thereby to listen to the actual voice and
accents of the departed.
[Illustration: DRIVING THE TUNNEL FOR THE WATERLOO AND CITY RAILWAY.
The illustration represents the shield which protects the excavators.
This is from time to time driven forward, and another section of the
iron lining of the tunnel is inserted piece by piece between it and the
sections already completed. Compressed air is used in that portion of
the tunnel which is beneath the river to prevent the water entering. The
Blackwall Tunnel, opened by the Prince of Wales, May 22, 1897, was
constructed similarly.]
[Sidenote: Electricity as an Illuminant.]
Not the least important of the recent modes of employing electricity is
its use as an illuminant. At the beginning of the reign the streets of
London and other towns, as well as many of the houses, were lit by gas;
though as late as fifteen years ago it was still the custom in some
old-fashioned hotels to charge half-a-guinea for the use of a pair of
wax candles. But the invention of an illuminant which neither exhausts
nor pollutes the air breathed by human beings, nor involves risk of
accidental conflagration, which is easily manageable and throws off no
smoke and very little heat, has been one of the benefits conferred by
science so characteristic of this age.
[Illustration: THE BUILDING OF A WARSHIP: A FIRST-CLASS CRUISER IN
PROGRESS AT THE THAMES IRONWORKS.
These works occupy about 28 acres, and employ between three and four
thousand workmen.]
[Sidenote: Photography.]
The researches of Daguerre and Nicéphore de Niepce had established,
before Queen Victoria ascended the throne, the possibility of obtaining
permanent images by the action of light on silver-plated copper, but the
first notable advance in the new art of photography was the invention of
the calotype by Fox Talbot, who applied iodide of silver to paper, which
was rendered sensitive to light by further treatment. Then, in 1850,
came the collodion process, and the subsequent discovery of dry-plate
processes brought photography within easy compass of amateurs, and
greatly enhanced the value of photography as an aid to science. The
exposure of thirty minutes, required under the Daguerrotype process, has
been reduced to one-fifteenth of a second by the use of gelatine
emulsion. The latest manifestation of photographic skill is certainly
very marvellous, namely, the kinematograph. By a rapid succession of
instantaneous exposures a series of plates is obtained so closely
consecutive that when the images are reflected in equally rapid
succession upon a screen, men and animals may be seen the size of life
in natural movement.
[Illustration: THE BUILDING OF A WARSHIP.
Finishing the upper works of H.M.S. _Jupiter_ at Clydebank. In the dock
are also five torpedo-boat destroyers.]
[Sidenote: Its Effect on Painting and Engraving.]
Photography has had a powerful effect on the art of painting, not only
by the cheap reproduction of acknowledged masterpieces, which is not
without risk of encouraging conventionalism in design, but by creating a
more exacting standard of fidelity to nature. While it has caused some
painters to seek after intense realism, it has led others to a
reactionary course which they term impressionism. Judging roughly from
the vast numbers of pictures painted and exhibited each year, and from
the immense prices given for the works of favourite masters, both living
and dead, it is difficult to believe that, however great may be the
aggregate expenditure by the purchasing public on photographs, it has
interfered appreciably with the sale of pictures.
One branch of art certainly has suffered by the rivalry of sun pictures,
namely, the various kinds of engraving. Wood-engraving, indeed, had
already run to seed during the present century, from the affectation of
craftsmen to a freedom and rapidity of which the material was not really
capable: but engraving on copper and steel, etching, lithography, and,
above all, mezzotint engraving (said to have been the joint invention of
Prince Rupert and one of his officers named Siegen), had lost none of
their delicacy and power when photography invaded their province.
Excellent results are obtained from the best methods of photogravure and
photolithography, and, where absolute accuracy of detail is required,
they leave little to be desired; but the extent to which cheap "process"
plates have supplanted the older arts of book illustration affords much
to deplore from an artistic standpoint.
[Illustration: THE FIRST SELF EXCITING DYNAMO.
Made by Mr. S. A. Varley in 1866. The principle of the dynamo was
discovered also, and almost simultaneously, by Sir Charles Wheatstone
and Dr. Werner Siemens.]
[Illustration: _D. Maclise, R.A._} {_From the original sketch in the
Dyce and Forster Collection, South Kensington._
MICHAEL FARADAY, 1791-1867.
Son of a blacksmith, and apprenticed to a bookseller, he developed a
passion for science which ultimately led to most important discoveries
in electricity and magnetism. The sketch represents him lecturing as
Fullerian professor at the Royal Institution.]
[Sidenote: Victorian Architecture.]
In one respect the reign of Queen Victoria offers a strange and rather
melancholy contrast to all that have preceded it, inasmuch as it is the
first during which the architects of this country have been totally
destitute of any peculiar style of building. Never were builders more
ingenious or more skilful, never was there such vast expenditure in the
erection of private or public buildings, but never before were
architects so completely reliant on the past for design. Is it proposed
to build a church, a public institution, or a dwelling-house? If you
have the money you shall have one as well built as human hands can
accomplish. But you must name your style--Greek, Palladian, Norman,
Early English, Tudor, Jacobean, or Georgian--your architect will carry
out a masterpiece in any one of them; but if you say Victorian, or the
style of the day, he will give you François Ier to-day, Queen Anne
to-morrow, and Pericles the day after. Buildings grow apace, and they
are soundly and tastefully constructed, but British architecture is
dead.
The same may be said of design in general. People of taste look with
horror upon the fashions of the early years of the reign; the heavy
mahogany furniture, the flowered wall-papers, the tapestry, the plate,
the ornaments, are all condemned as barbarous; and the mode consists of
Chippendale and Sheraton furniture and so-called "art" fabrics and
papers. But how little this depends on more than fleeting fancy may be
seen when it is considered how the taste has changed within a few years
in the matter of table-glass. Ten years ago nothing would please but
blown glass of the thinnest; Mr. Ruskin convinced us that the two
qualities of glass which should be emphasised in the design were
transparency and ductility. But we have thrown that doctrine to the
winds now, and a visit to one of the leading warehouses will show how
completely we have reverted to the brilliant, many-facetted bottles and
glasses of fifty years ago.
[Illustration: _From a Photograph_} {_By Eyre & Spottiswoode._
ELECTRIC LIGHTING STATION, DAVIES STREET, WESTMINSTER.]
[Sidenote: Universal Education.]
It is natural, in considering the phenomenon of a great nation wholly
without any stable principles to guide it in art, to ask what has the
State done during sixty years in the matter of public education? Ask
rather, what it has left undone! Certainly our rulers cannot be charged
either with negligence or parsimony in this respect. Five years before
the accession of Queen Victoria not a shilling of money was voted by
Parliament towards elementary education. In 1833, for the first time, a
grant of £20,000 was made for that purpose; at the present day the vote
annually made for Education, Science, and Art exceeds ten millions. Even
this is not enough to satisfy some people, as was made plain by the
question addressed by an elector to a candidate for a Scottish
constituency at a recent election. "Is Maister Wilson," asked this
enthusiast, "in favour of spending £36,000,000 a year on the Airmy, and
only £12,000,000 on eddication? That's to say, twelve millions for
pittin' brains into folks' heads, and thirty-six millions for blawin'
them oot."
[Illustration: _From a Photograph_} {_by F. Frith & Co., Reigate._
MANCHESTER TOWN HALL.
During the present reign most of our leading towns have built handsome
and commodious Town Halls. That of Manchester, designed by Mr. Alfred
Waterhouse, R.A., is a well-known example. It was opened in 1877. Its
clock-tower is 285 feet high; the interior of the hall is decorated with
historical paintings by Ford Madox Brown.]
A generation has grown up under universal compulsory education, and it
is possible already to calculate some of the effects of that
far-reaching measure on the material prosperity, moral character, and
literary habits of our people. In regard to the first two, statistics go
to show that, notwithstanding an increase of nearly 35 per cent. in the
population since the introduction of compulsory education in 1871, there
had been a decrease between that year and 1894 of nearly 25 per cent. in
the number of paupers, from 1,079,391 to 812,441. The convictions for
crime showed a corresponding diminution from 12,953 to 9,634, or rather
more than 25 per cent.; while, during a similar period, the number of
"juvenile offenders" had been reduced to the enormous extent of over
71-1/2 per cent.
[Sidenote: The Predominance of Fiction.]
As to the impulse given to the demand for literature by the extension of
education, there need be no doubt whatever; the enormous supply
continually pouring from the press of the country is sufficient proof of
that. In respect of books, the returns from the numerous public
libraries in the country show that works of fiction are in request far
beyond all the other branches of literature put together. Some sinister
conclusions have been drawn from that fact, but it is not always
remembered that most of those who frequent free libraries are
hard-working people, who turn to books for recreation rather than
instruction. On the whole, English fiction remains wholesome, a result
which, notwithstanding the democratic nature of our Constitution, is
owing, undoubtedly, in large measure to the tone maintained in her Court
by our present Monarch.
[Illustration: _From a Photograph_} {_by Valentine & Sons, Dundee._
TRURO CATHEDRAL.
This is the only Anglican Cathedral built in England during the Queen's
reign. The foundation-stone was laid by the Prince of Wales, May 20,
1880, and the Cathedral was opened in his Royal Highness's presence,
November 3, 1887. A portion of the nave and the central tower have yet
to be built. The architect is Mr. J. L. Pearson, R.A.]
[Sidenote: The Growth of Journalism.]
That ephemeral, but not the less potent, form of literature known as the
Press, may be said almost truly to be the creation of the Victorian age.
Newspapers, as we know them, are the outcome of two circumstances, the
removal of the paper tax in 1861 and the spread of telegraphic
communication. Every industry, every sect, every amusement, every shade
of opinion, now has its special organs in the press; and perhaps nothing
is more remarkable than the enterprise and high quality of the
provincial journals, as distinguished from those published in the
Metropolis. British journalism differs in several important respects
from that of all other European countries. In the first place, it is
absolutely free: there is nothing approaching a censorship of the Press,
and in those rare instances in which, during the present reign,
publishers have been interfered with by the State, as has occasionally
happened in Ireland, the offence has not been a political one, but such
incitement to crime or disorder as would be punishable in any private
individual. It is matter for just pride that this liberty is exceedingly
seldom abused. Another point of difference is that the British
Government has no official or semi-official organ in the press. Official
announcements are communicated, when necessary, to press agencies, and
through them find their way into journals of all shades of politics.
Lastly, the British press has maintained, as a rule, its impersonality.
There has been a slight tendency of recent years to exchange the
editorial "we" for a more familiar style, but this has been confined so
far to journals of little influence. Leading articles and critical
reviews are almost invariably anonymous, whereas in France the weight
attached to these is proportioned to the repute of the name by which
they are signed. In order to give some idea of the daily output of the
newspaper press in London alone the following instance may be given:--On
Monday, February 13, 1893, Mr. Gladstone introduced his second Home Rule
Bill in the House of Commons. On the following morning there were
despatched from a single establishment, that of W. H. Smith and Son,
374,218 newspapers, weighing upwards of 44 tons.
[Illustration: _From a Photograph_} {_by Eyre & Spottiswoode._
CENTRAL PARCELS POST OFFICE, MOUNT PLEASANT.
This spacious but unimposing building occupies the site on which, a few
years ago, stood the Clerkenwell House of Correction. Parcel postage was
first introduced on August 1, 1883, and the number of parcels forwarded
between post offices in the United Kingdom during the succeeding twelve
months was about 25,000,000. During twelve months of 1895-96 the number
of "inland" parcels despatched reached the enormous total of
60,500,000.]
[Illustration: _L. Tuxen._} {_From the Royal Collection._
THE MARRIAGE OF THE CZAR OF RUSSIA TO PRINCESS ALIX OF HESSE,
GRANDDAUGHTER OF THE QUEEN, AT ST. PETERSBURG, November 26, 1894.]
[Sidenote: The Advance of Natural Science.]
It would be impossible within due limits to pass in review, even in the
most sketchy fashion, the advance made in natural science, especially as
each province of the whole realm of knowledge has become divided and
sub-divided into sections, each the peculiar department of specialists.
Three hundred years ago it was possible for Francis Bacon to survey the
entire firmament of human understanding, but in the nineteenth century
the task accomplished in the _Advancement of Learning_ and the _Novum
Organum_ has developed to a scale only to be compassed in such a
prodigious publication as the "Encyclopædia Britannica," of which the
latest edition consists of twenty-five volumes in quarto, containing
upwards of 20,750 pages printed in double columns, contributed by no
less than 1,200 different writers, besides translators and revisers.
[Illustration: _From a Photograph_} {_by R. Milne, Aboyne._
HER MAJESTY THE QUEEN, THE PRINCE OF WALES, THE CZAR AND CZARINA AND
THEIR INFANT DAUGHTER.
Photographed at Balmoral, November 1896.]
[Sidenote: Surgery and Medicine.]
In no department of science, perhaps, has progress brought such
immediate benefit to the people as in that of surgery and medicine. The
introduction of anæsthetics has been mentioned in an earlier chapter;
the present year, 1897, is the jubilee anniversary of that blessed
event. The vaccination laws were consolidated in 1871, and universal
vaccination insisted on, with the result that a loathsome disease, which
formerly brought unspeakable misery upon all civilised nations has been
practically vanquished. The deaths from small-pox in England, which, at
the close of the last century, were reckoned at 3,000 per million, had
sunk in the decade from 1878-87 to 54 per million. Attempts have been
made persistently by a small minority to resist compulsory vaccination.
Persons inclined to listen to arguments against this legislation on the
score of undue interference with liberty, should study the Report of the
Local Government Board upon an outbreak of small-pox in Sheffield in
1887-88. Of 6,088 persons attacked 590 died; among children under ten
years of age, 5 per 1,000 of those vaccinated were attacked and ·09 per
1,000 died; of the unvaccinated, 101 per 1,000 were attacked and 44 per
1,000 died.
[Illustration: _From a Photograph_} {_by Miss Acland._
PROFESSOR RUSKIN.
John Ruskin was born in London in 1819, and matriculated at Christ
Church, Oxford, in 1836. He published the first volume of "Modern
Painters" in 1841, and was elected first Slade Professor of Art in the
University of Oxford, 1870.]
[Illustration: _From a Photograph_} {_by Elliott & Fry._
LORD LISTER, P.R.S.
Born 1827. Discovered the antiseptic method in surgery. Created a
Baronet in 1883, and a Baron in 1897.]
Although it is the name of a Frenchman, the late M. Pasteur, which is
most conspicuously associated with recent progress in pathology, it was
Sir Joseph (now Lord) Lister who was led by Pasteur's researches into
the theory of fermentation to discover the antiseptic system of surgery.
He employed carbolic acid, previously known as little more than a
laboratory product, in destroying microbes which had found access to a
wound, and thereby first made surgery scientific. But Lister did more
than that; the antiseptic treatment was superseded in turn by the
aseptic, in which, by sterilising everything that might come in contact
with wounds, access was refused altogether to microbes, and henceforward
operations surpassing the most ambitious dreams of the old school of
surgery were rendered possible. From the work of Pasteur and Lister has
arisen the science of bacteriology, which, in the hands of Professor
Koch, of Berlin, and others, is being developed into the systematic
"cultivation" of the germs of specific diseases.
[Illustration: _From a Photograph_} {_by W. & D. Downey._
HER MAJESTY THE QUEEN, 1897.
The authorized Diamond Jubilee Portrait.]
British surgeons have not been slow to avail themselves of the
discovery, by Professor Röntgen, of certain non-luminous rays beyond the
spectrum, which are capable of penetrating substances hitherto
considered impermeable. By laying such a structure as a human limb upon
a properly sensitised surface, and exposing it to these rays thrown from
a tube excited by electricity, a permanent image is obtained of the
bones and denser portions of the structure. By this means the exact
position of any foreign substance, such as a bullet or needle, or the
nature of a dislocation or fracture, may be ascertained with precision;
and already it has been found possible to examine the condition of the
internal organs of a living person.
[Sidenote: Sanitary Legislation.]
Mr. Disraeli was once greatly laughed at for announcing that the policy
of his Administration was _Sanitas sanitatum, omnia sanitas_. Since then
the two great political parties have vied with each other in framing
legislation for the sanitation of cities and all human dwellings. It may
be difficult to decide which has had most hand in the good result
already shown in the mortality returns, legislators or men of science;
at all events, they are worthy rivals. The annual death-rate in England
during the first ten years of the present reign was 22·4 per 1,000; it
was a shade higher in the decade from 1861-70, standing at 22·5 per
1,000. Then came the age of sanitation and the dawn of bacteriology; the
death-rate sank in 1871-80 to 21·4 per 1,000, and in 1881-90 to 19·1 per
1,000.
[Illustration: _By permission of_} {_G. Houghton & Son, High Holborn._
RADIOGRAPH OF THE HAND OF H.R.H. THE PRINCE OF WALES.]
In bringing to a close this brief survey of the reign of twelve
lustres--the longest reign in the history of Great Britain--we may note
with gratitude that not one of the many influences that have contributed
to the moral or material well-being of the subjects of the empire shows
any sign of abating in force. It is a task of no little difficulty and
complexity to reconcile the rival, and sometimes conflicting, interests
arising in a vast population, and, at the same time, to maintain our
lead in the competitive industry of nations; yet it is one which the
personal character of the Monarch, in conjunction with the
constitutional development of the last sixty years justify the
Legislature in undertaking with courage and good hope.
[Illustration: _From a Photograph_} {_by H. N. King._
BUCKINGHAM PALACE: THE GARDEN FRONT AND THE LAKE.]
SIXTY YEARS A QUEEN.
THE DIAMOND JUBILEE CELEBRATIONS.
By ALFRED C. HARMSWORTH.
CHAPTER I.
The Central Idea of the Celebrations--The Imperial Character of
the Pageant--The Colonial Premiers Invited--The
Decorations--Influx of Visitors--Grand Stands--Precautions
against Accidents--Thanksgiving Services on Accession Day--The
Queen's Arrival in London--Night in the Streets.
We have traced the history of our great Queen down to the point where
her Record Reign reaches its culmination in the festivities of June,
1897. Nothing now remains but to give some account of these Imperial
celebrations--Imperial in the truest sense of the word, because faithful
subjects of Her Majesty, of every colour and every creed, came from the
four corners of the most majestic Empire that has ever existed to pay
homage to the Lady Ruler over all. Pen and pencil must necessarily fail
to do justice to so unique a demonstration of an Empire's love and
devotion, but the reader of these words may rely upon it that our
account is true in every detail. Such a record will be found useful not
only by those who actually took part in the Diamond Jubilee festivities
and who wish to refresh their memories, but also by those to whom they
will be matter of history.
The possibilities of a great celebration in 1897 were first discussed
after the Jubilee of 1887, although it was not until 1896 that public
interest was thoroughly aroused in the great event. Men felt vaguely
that the sixtieth anniversary of the reign of the best-beloved of all
British Sovereigns demanded an especial effort on the part of all loyal
subjects; but as to the manner in which the event should be celebrated,
opinions were as various as the men who gave utterance to them. One
only definite desire was in everybody's heart--that the Queen should
come down among her people and receive their congratulations in person.
This was the central idea round which all schemes clustered, and this
was the idea to which the Queen gave her sanction. In March of 1897 it
was officially proclaimed that Her Majesty would go in procession to St.
Paul's to offer up her thanks to the Supreme Being for all the blessings
of her long reign.
[Illustration: _From a Photograph_} {_by Russell & Sons._
THE RIGHT HON. JOSEPH CHAMBERLAIN.
Born in London in 1836. He was educated at University College School,
and afterwards joined his father, who was a member of the firm of
Nettlefold and Chamberlain, screw manufacturers, of Birmingham. He was
elected Chairman of the Birmingham Education League in 1868, member of
the Town Council in the same year, and of the School Board in 1870; of
the last he became Chairman in 1873. He was Mayor of Birmingham during
the years 1874-75-76, and has represented that town in Parliament since
1876. He accepted the Presidency of the Board of Trade with a seat in
Mr. Gladstone's Cabinet in 1880, and in 1886 the Presidency of the Local
Government Board, but resigned in March of that year when his political
chief declared in favour of Home Rule for Ireland. After the general
election of 1895 he became Secretary of State for the Colonies in Lord
Salisbury's Administration. He is the Leader in the House of Commons of
the Liberal wing of the Unionist Party. He married (as his third wife)
Miss Endicott, an American lady, in 1888.]
[Sidenote: Colonial Premiers Invited.]
And here let honour be rendered to whom honour is due. From the Colonial
Secretary, Mr. Chamberlain, emanated the action which gave the event its
Imperial character--the invitation of the Colonial Premiers and the
representative detachments of men from the various forces of Colonial
and other troops serving under her throughout our world-wide Empire. A
brilliant military pageant might have been effected by the employment
only of the troops of our regular army; but we have other forces across
the seas, small it may be in numbers, but magnificent in physique and
all that constitutes martial efficiency, whose presence on such an
occasion would add lustre and a peculiar significance to the great
function.
Meanwhile our grey old London set about adorning itself for the great
event. To transform a working city like London into a temporary
fairyland is a task of herculean proportions, but it was done! The
Corporation voted £25,000 to a decoration fund, and the most moderate
estimate fixes the cost of London's holiday garb at £250,000. Venetian
masts appeared suddenly in all the streets along which the procession
was to make its way; and as the fateful day drew near, festoons of
flowers and loyal inscriptions were suspended from these. Cunningly
concealed in the hanging bouquets of flowers were electric lamps
destined to make the streets even more brilliant at night than they were
in the daytime.
[Sidenote: The Decorations.]
The actual route literally blazed with colour. Flags were at a premium
and so were coloured stuffs and flowers, for the Jubilee had asked more
than the supply, and in many cases the North country mills were working
day and night to make good the deficiency. When at last the great city
had finished her toilet, not even her own children recognized her.
[Illustration: _From a Photograph_} {_by York & Son._
THE DECORATIONS IN ST. JAMES'S STREET.]
St. James's Street sat at the head of all, a perfect poem of decorative
beauty. There were two massive Corinthian pillars at either end, their
capitals of gold surmounted by large globes, their bases adorned with
choice growing palms and flowers. Forty venetian masts capped with the
Imperial crown stood on each side of the street, and from mast to mast
were laced festoons of evergreens, from which hung baskets of rare
flowers, birds in flight, and globes of red, white, and blue glass,
which sparkled in the sunlight and turned the roadway into a pathway of
quivering light.
Other thoroughfares vied with St. James's Street. In the Strand the
omnibuses ran under swaying lines of many-coloured globes hanging across
the roadway from one flower-bedecked venetian mast to another. Round the
pillars of the Mansion House and the Royal Exchange were serpentine
trails of tiny gas jets winding far up under the dark eaves of the roof,
and from Buckingham Palace to St. Paul's vast buildings were literally
outlined with tiny gas and electric light lamps. The Fire Monument and
other public monuments came in for special decorative attention, and in
some cases hundreds of pounds were spent in beautifying them for the
great show.
[Illustration: THE DECORATIONS AT THE CARLTON CLUB.]
In Victoria Street the offices of the various Colonies were alive with
colour, and even the south side of the river, where loyalty is more
abundant than money, was gay with its decorations, in the form of golden
eagles with outstretched wings, and lines of real flowers stretched
across the thoroughfares on invisible wires.
[Illustration: _From a Photograph_} {_By York & Son._
THE DECORATIONS IN THE WEST STRAND. Showing on the right a portion of
the Grand Stand at Charing Cross Station.]
[Illustration: _From a Photograph_} {_by York & Son._
THE DECORATIONS AT THE BANK OF ENGLAND.]
But the generous efforts of Civic and Parish authorities were not a whit
more remarkable than those of private individuals. Many of the houses
along the route of the procession were covered with decorations from
cellar to attic. The colour generally chosen was red, but in some
instances costly materials of delicate shades were used. Draperies of
brilliant hues were hung from almost every window, so that some of the
streets resembled theatres rather than the busy thoroughfares of a busy
city.
Nor were the decorations confined to the streets. Every errand boy wore
his Jubilee favour days before the event. From every whip fluttered a
little pennant of the national colour. Scarcely a bicycle passed that
had not on its handle-bar gay streamers of red, white, and blue, and
even the practical top-hatted city man sported in his button-hole the
colours which rule the world.
[Illustration: _From a Photograph_} {_by Lafayette._
THE RT. HON. SIR WILFRID LAURIER, PREMIER OF CANADA.
Born at St. Lin, Quebec, 1841. Educated for the Law, and called to the
Bar at Montreal in 1861. In 1871 he entered the Legislature of Quebec,
and, three years later, the Dominion Parliament. Up to this time his
speeches had been delivered in French; he now spoke in English with
equal eloquence. He became Minister of Inland Revenue in 1877, and
Premier in July 1896. He is of French descent, a Roman Catholic, and a
strong supporter of Imperial unity.]
[Sidenote: Influx of Visitors.]
Long before these preparations were completed, the invasion of London by
visitors from the country, from America, and from the Continent had
commenced. The streets, always pretty-well congested with the great
press of traffic, were now almost impassable. Vast good-humoured crowds
surged up and down the principal thoroughfares, and travelling from one
part of the town to another became a matter of increasing difficulty.
Where all the people were accommodated it would be difficult to say.
Certain it is, that all the rooms in the better-known hotels were taken
weeks beforehand, and the landladies of Bloomsbury reaped a rich
harvest.
[Illustration: _Photographed at the Crown Studios, Sydney._
THE RT. HON. G. H. REID, PREMIER OF NEW SOUTH WALES.
Was born at Johnstone, Renfrewshire, in 1845, and is the son of a
Presbyterian Minister. He began life in Sydney in the Civil Service, but
studied law and entered the New South Wales Legislature in 1880. He
became Minister of Education, 1883; Leader of the Opposition, 1891;
Premier, 1894. He is a strong advocate of Australian Federation.]
[Illustration: _From a Photograph_} {_by Lafayette._
THE RT. HON. SIR G. TURNER, PREMIER OF VICTORIA.
Born in Melbourne; he is by profession a solicitor. Entered the
Victorian Parliament in 1889, and became Prime Minister and Treasurer in
1894. He is between forty and fifty years of age.]
[Illustration: _From a Photograph by Talma, Melbourne._
THE RT. HON. R. J. SEDDON, PREMIER OF NEW ZEALAND.
Born at St. Helens, Lancashire, in 1844; went to Victoria in 1863. He
has been for twenty-five years in the New Zealand Parliament, and has
been Premier since 1893. He is also Colonial Treasurer, Commissioner of
Customs, Postmaster-General, Minister of Labour, and Minister of Native
Affairs.]
[Sidenote: Grand Stands.]
In addition to the vast amount of accommodation afforded by the houses
lying along the route, every available coign of vantage was seized upon
for the erection of a stand. Churches were lost to view beneath vast
tiers of red upholstered seats reaching half way up their towers, and
what had been known as Charing Cross Station was buried from sight under
a mammoth thousand-seated stand. "Can our City Princes not have
noticed," asks a writer in the _Daily Mail_ with quaint humour, "that
somebody has stuck a lot of carpentry on the very pediment of the Royal
Exchange? Somebody else has boarded up the Law Courts, and barristers
and solicitors stoop and dive in as if they were going to clean out
their chicken houses. The Houses of Parliament are all scaffolding too,
and at first, seeing no reports in the papers, I thought they had been
abolished while I was away.... Even to take a penny boat at Westminster
you have to go under a sort of triumphal arch of joinery.... They are
actually changing all London from building into furniture."
One of the largest stands was in Whitehall opposite the Horse Guards.[I]
A large number of carpenters were employed for more than six weeks in
its erection; £7,000 was paid to the Woods and Forests Department for
the rent of the site, and its construction cost another £6,000. It
contained some 4,000 seats, which were advertised at from four to twenty
guineas. It was built into foundations of solid concrete from three feet
to six feet thick, and contained 150 tons of timber and fifteen tons of
forty-five feet steel girders; 5,000 chairs were specially purchased for
its equipment and, besides the seats, it contained promenades, reception
rooms, a luncheon room for the accommodation of 400 people, ladies'
rooms, telephones, and a smoking gallery.
Another huge stand was that erected in the churchyard of St. Martin's
Church, Charing Cross. This also contained 4,000 seats, ranging in price
from one to fifteen guineas. Its erection engaged the labour of 120 men
for some five weeks. It contained 175,000 cubic feet of timber and
twenty tons of ironwork. The rent of the site was £4,000.
[Illustration: _From a Photograph_} {_by J. de Souza._
THE PROCESSION OF IMPERIAL AND COLONIAL TROOPS, June 19.
What was in effect a dress rehearsal of the Jubilee procession took
place on the Saturday preceding that event, when the Life Guards, the
Dragoon Guards, Horse and Field Artillery, and Colonial Mounted Troops
assembled at Victoria Park, and marched by Grove Road, Mile End Road,
and Whitechapel, to the Mansion House. The picture represents the South
Australian Lancers leaving the Park. The troops, and particularly the
Colonials, were received with the greatest enthusiasm by the immense
crowds which lined the route. It was a happy idea to give the East End
this opportunity of welcoming the Colonists.]
There were many other stands of colossal size, but that which
represented the most enterprising speculation of the celebration was
undoubtedly the colossal stand on the north side of St. Paul's
Churchyard.[J] For the purpose of its erection one of the most valuable
city properties was purchased and pulled down. The seats in these
various stands were offered at fabulous prices, but the public refused
to purchase, and the venture resulted in a heavy loss to its promoters,
as indeed did most of the speculations in seats. However, very large
sums indeed were paid to witness the procession, £2,000 being offered
and accepted for the use of a building in St. Paul's Churchyard for the
day. In some cases the vendors offered prizes ranging from £50 downwards
to purchasers of their seats.
On June 11 the official programme was published, and henceforth the sole
topic in men's minds was Jubilee Day and its doings. Previous to this,
however, the most elaborate precautions had been taken to ensure the
safety of the multitude of sightseers, and to guard against any hitch
occurring in the actual procession.
Meanwhile the guests of the Nation began to arrive from every part of
the World. The Prime Ministers of our great dependencies in Australasia,
in South Africa, and Canada, were lodged in the palatial Hotel Cecil;
the foreign princes and their suites were accommodated in the Royal
Palaces and in private mansions rented or lent for the occasion, while
the detachments of troops from the various self-governing and Crown
Colonies were billeted at Chelsea Hospital, at Hounslow, and at
Woolwich. The Indian officers composing the deputation from the Imperial
Service Troops, and the British officers in charge, were lodged at the
"Star and Garter" Hotel at Richmond. It is impossible to convey any
impression of the hospitality that was now lavished on our honoured
guests. While the troopers of the Colonial forces were being fêted by
Tommy Atkins and the Volunteers of London, the Colonial Premiers were
the lions of the great houses of the Metropolis. "He died from the
effects of British hospitality" is the humorous epitaph composed for
himself, in the event of that casualty, by the Right Honourable G. H.
Reid, Premier of New South Wales. Royal carriages and Royal servants
were placed at the disposal of visitors of high rank; but it is certain
that the genuine enthusiasm of their reception among the millions of
London was even more highly valued by our distinguished visitors than
these marks of Royal favour.
[Illustration: THE ROYAL TRAIN ON THE GREAT WESTERN RAILWAY, SPECIALLY
FITTED UP FOR THE JUBILEE OCCASION.]
[Illustration: INTERIOR OF THE ROYAL TRAIN.
The smaller picture shows the break-van and kitchen, with the gas stove
at which refreshments are prepared for Her Majesty's use while
travelling. The larger illustration represents the interior of the
Queen's saloon; in the picture at the top of this page it is the third
carriage from the engine. This saloon is lined, and its furniture
covered, with blue silk; it communicates by an enclosed gangway with
that of Her Majesty's personal attendants.]
[Sidenote: Precautions against Accidents.]
While the good citizens of London were entertaining the guests of the
Nation and getting their houses in order for the culminating function of
June 22, there was ever present in their minds a fear lest the great
festival would be marred by a catastrophe such as that which threw a
black shadow over the Coronation of the Czar. It was vaguely felt that
the vast multitudes that would throng the streets on that day might
become unmanageable--that some of the temporary stands would collapse,
or that the great pressure of the massed crowds at certain points would
result in disaster. It is due entirely to the sagacity and foresight of
the authorities that the streets were never more safe than they were on
June 22, and that not a single life was lost in consequence of the
Jubilee arrangements. Temporary stands were examined--and where faulty
condemned--again and again by the officials of the London County Council
and of the Corporation, and the most scrupulous care was taken that
there should not be gathered at any one point a larger number of persons
than could be easily controlled.
At an early stage in the proceedings the police decided to close the
great bridges connecting the north of London with the south. London
Bridge was closed at midnight on Jubilee Eve, the other bridges were
closed a few hours later, the idea being to prevent a possible great
and dangerous rush from north to south of the Thames to view the
procession both on the Middlesex and Surrey sides.
To make assurance doubly sure several rehearsals of the great Service at
St. Paul's, and the business of taking up and setting down at Buckingham
Palace were held; and so complete were these rehearsals, that every item
of the procession was fully represented, mounted grooms taking the
places of the princes and equerries who were to ride on horseback in the
procession. In the final rehearsals many of those who were destined to
high places in the procession were present, and there was a large demand
for seats to view in St. Paul's Churchyard.
So that the day might be one of universal rejoicing all over the
country, it had been declared, on March 18, a public holiday by Her
Majesty in the following proclamation:--"Victoria, R.--We, considering
that it is desirable that Tuesday, the twenty-second day of June next,
should be observed as a Bank Holiday throughout the United Kingdom, do
hereby, by and with the advice of Our Privy Council, and in pursuance of
the provisions of 'The Bank Holidays Act, 1871,' appoint Tuesday, the
twenty-second day of June next, as a special day to be observed as a
Bank Holiday throughout the United Kingdom, and every part thereof, and
we do by this Our Royal Proclamation command the said day to be so
observed, and all Our loving subjects to order themselves accordingly."
[Illustration: _Lucien Davis, R.I._}
THE SPECIAL THANKSGIVING SERVICE AT WESTMINSTER ABBEY, June 20.
PROCESSION OF THE LORD CHANCELLOR AND PEERS.]
[Sidenote: Thanksgiving Services.]
The actual celebrations may be said to have commenced on Sunday, June
20. This, being Accession Day, was marked by a universal service of
thanksgiving throughout the Empire, in addition to the four Special
Services, which must ever be memorable in British history: the Royal
Service at St. George's Chapel, Windsor, the great National Service at
St. Paul's, and the Services at Westminster Abbey and St. Margaret's,
Westminster, at which the Peers and Commons were present.
The Service at Windsor was of the simplest description. The Queen drove
from the Victoria Tower at 11 o'clock to the entrance to the Dean's
Cloister. Thence she was taken in a wheel-chair to the north-east door
of the Chapel. She entered the north door of the Choir leaning on the
arm of an Indian attendant. The Queen's chair was placed on the broad
step at the foot of the beautiful altar, which she faced throughout the
impressive Service. Besides members of the Royal family and suites,
there were but few privileged visitors. The Service was arranged and
conducted by Dean Eliot, and it began with the hymn, "Now thank we all
our God." The Te Deum was sung according to a very striking setting
composed by the late Prince Consort, one which is not often used, but
which was given on this occasion by special command of Her Majesty. The
Service concluded with "God Save the Queen," sung by the choir and
congregation. The very simplicity of the scene was its impressiveness.
It required a great effort of the imagination to fully comprehend it
all--that the little old lady sitting there in quiet black before the
altar was she who, sixty years ago, was awakened from her sleep in
Kensington Palace to wear the crown of a world-wide Empire.
[Sidenote: The Queen arrives.]
On Monday, June 21, the Queen travelled up to London from Windsor. At
half-past twelve the Royal train glided gently into Paddington Station
with the Royal Standard proudly waving at the front of the engine, and
the Royal coat of arms on either side.
Extraordinary arrangements had been made to secure Her Majesty's comfort
and safety, and had there been an accident it would not have been due to
the absence of competent officers, for besides the Royal party the train
contained the head and front of the Great Western Railway, from the
Chairman, Viscount Emlyn, and the Directors downward.
The Queen was dressed in black except for the white egret plumes in her
bonnet, and it was noticeable that, notwithstanding her great age, she
seemed in the best of health and spirits, and fully equal to the strain
of the morrow.
A halt was made while Marylebone's loyal address was presented, and then
the Queen moved on to Buckingham Palace amid the delighted shouts of her
subjects who lined the whole route. It was a brilliant morning and a
brilliant reception--a foretaste of the morrow. While the crowds of
sightseers spent the rest of the day in wandering through the
gaily-bedecked streets, Buckingham Palace was the scene of receptions,
banqueting, and rejoicing.
[Illustration: _Photo by_} {_W. J. Brunell._
TRIUMPHAL ARCH AT PADDINGTON (between Oxford and Cambridge Terraces),
Through which Her Majesty passed immediately after quitting Paddington
Station. It may be mentioned that it was by Her Majesty's express desire
that no arches were built on the route of the Jubilee procession.]
During the day the Queen graciously accepted a sunshade which was
presented to her by Mr. Villiers, the doyen of the House of Commons. It
was entirely covered with costly flounces of the finest black Chantilly
lace; it was mounted upon an ebony stick, with gold top, and a knob
handle of gun-metal set with Her Majesty's cypher and V.R.I, in
diamonds, and had a suitable inscription in gold letters inlaid round
the handle, thus:--"Presented to Her Majesty on the occasion of her
Diamond Jubilee, by her oldest Parliamentary member, C. Villiers."
[Illustration: _From a Photograph_} {_by Underwood & Underwood._
HER MAJESTY PASSING THROUGH THE TRIUMPHAL ARCH IN EDGWARE ROAD ON HER
ARRIVAL FROM WINDSOR.]
[Illustration: _Photo by_} {_J. S. Lee._
HOW THE QUEEN LOOKED: A SNAP-SHOT OF HER MAJESTY AND THE PRINCESS
CHRISTIAN, TAKEN IN EDGWARE ROAD, June 21.]
[Sidenote: Night in the Streets.]
At nightfall, an inhabitant of London who had known it in more prosaic
times might well have been pardoned for thinking the whole Nation were
mad and had turned the Metropolis into Bedlam. Vast armies of excited
people invaded the streets and, in spite of the fatigues that must have
been endured, comported themselves most admirably. There was little
prospect of their getting home. But no one cared. Why should they? They
had come to see the Jubilee, some of them from the uttermost ends of the
earth, and see the Jubilee they would, though they spent the night in
the streets--and thousands of them did so spend the night. Some possibly
had been unable to secure sleeping accommodation, others evidently
thought it scarcely worth while to return to distant suburbs when it
would be necessary for them to be up and doing early the next morning.
As the short night broke into day clusters of people were seen grouped
round the base of the Arch, on Constitution Hill, at Hyde Park Corner,
and in Trafalgar Square. Hundreds took their stand on the kerb all along
the route, and waited patiently. If they had but known it these loyal
souls might have saved themselves so much trouble--for if there was one
thing about Jubilee Day more remarkable than another, it was the
complete absence of undue crowding in the streets. Those who strolled
down to Piccadilly, St. James's Street, Fleet Street, or the Strand two
or three hours before the Procession started, were as well able to
witness the most impressive pageant that London has ever seen as those
whose eagerness led them to take up their positions four or five hours
earlier. The route was long, and the spectators, except at points of
convergence like Hyde Park Corner and Ludgate Circus, well distributed
throughout its entire length, while many hundreds of thousands were
accommodated in the houses; but this only partially explains the
complete immunity from uncomfortable crushing enjoyed by those who lined
the streets. The fact is, that a very large number of Londoners fearing
the crowd, and apprehensive perhaps of extreme fatigue and even of
actual danger, migrated from the Metropolis and spent the day in the
country or at the seaside. It is beyond doubt, moreover, that London
crowds grow more orderly and manageable year by year.
[Illustration: MORNING ON THE LINE OF ROUTE.
These two illustrations are copies of actual photographs taken for this
volume in the early morning of the great day. The upper one represents
the steps beneath the Duke of York's Column in Waterloo Place, and was
taken at half-past five. The other is the fountain near St.
Mary-le-Strand Church at six o'clock. A policeman with his horse is
already stationed in the roadway beyond the fountain, and many
spectators have taken their places for the day.]
[Illustration: _From a Photograph_} {_by York & Son, Notting Hill._
THE COLONIAL PROCESSION: ARRIVAL OF THE CANADIAN PREMIER (THE HON.
WILFRID LAURIER) AT HYDE PARK CORNER.
The Canadian Premier's carriage was preceded by Canadian troops, and
followed by the New South Wales Rifles and Lancers. The Procession is
just emerging from Constitution Hill by the great gates of the Arch
which are opened only for Royalty. The crowd at this point was, perhaps,
the biggest on the route, and stretched away down Grosvenor Place, down
Knightsbridge, into Hyde Park (there were thousands of people in the
Park who had given up all hope of seeing the Procession), and choked all
the streets leading into Piccadilly.]
CHAPTER II.
The Weather--A brilliant day for a brilliant pageant--The
Queen's Message to her people--The Colonial Procession--The
Royal Procession--Loyal enthusiasm--The Queen's reception at the
City boundary--The Service at the steps of St. Paul's--The halt
at the Mansion House--In the Borough--Return to the
Palace--Presents to the Queen--Congratulations from abroad--The
Royal Dinner.
The weather in the week before Jubilee week had been broken and stormy.
The most sanguine feared that "Queen's Weather" was not to be looked for
on the most momentous day in the great little lady's life. As a matter
of fact, the sky on the morning of June 22 was dull and overcast; and it
was not until the scarlet coats of the soldiers lined each side of the
roadway along the seven-mile route with warm colour that the expectant,
buzzing multitude gave itself up to an unqualified enjoyment of the day.
But the very elements conspired to add splendour to the great festival
of the Queen. It is a curious circumstance that at "the very moment when
the head of the Queen's Procession came through the archway into the
courtyard of Buckingham Palace the sun, which until then had been
waiting its opportunity behind the clouds, tried an experimental shine.
At a quarter-past eleven precisely, at the very moment when the first
gun of the Royal Salute boomed out in Hyde Park to announce that Her
Majesty herself was leaving the Palace, the experiment developed into an
achievement. The light haze that had hung in the air seemed
instantaneously to melt away, and the sunshine burst out bright and
clear over the jubilant city. It seemed as though the sunshine was one
of the prearranged items of the programme, and had been carried out with
the absolute punctuality which marked the carrying out of all the
arrangements."
[Illustration: In the above Map the Route of the Procession is indicated
by the thick outline; it lay up Constitution Hill, along Piccadilly, St.
James's Street, Pall Mall, the Strand, and Fleet Street to St. Paul's;
thence by Cheapside, King William Street, London Bridge, the Borough,
Westminster Bridge, Parliament Street, Horse Guards' Parade, and the
Mall, back to Buckingham Palace.]
[Sidenote: The Queen's Message to her people.]
Before leaving Buckingham Palace, the Queen gave the signal for the
transmission to all parts of the Empire of that gracious message which
is now engraven on the hearts of her people. A private telegraph wire
had been erected between the Palace and the Central Telegraph Office.
Her Majesty touched a button attached to a small telegraphic instrument
in connection with this wire, thereby giving the signal to the officials
at the Telegraph Office; and before the Royal carriage had passed
through the Palace gates, the royal message was being flashed along ten
thousand thousand miles of wire to the farthest outposts of British
civilization. Characteristic alike of the monarch and of her people were
the simple words:--
"FROM MY HEART I THANK MY BELOVED PEOPLE.
"MAY GOD BLESS THEM.
"V. R. and I."
Several replies from distant Colonies were found awaiting Her Majesty
when she returned to her Palace. Thus the witchcraft of science added
another touch of splendour to these unique festivities.
[Illustration: _From a Photograph_} {_by F. Frith & Co., Reigate._
THE PIPERS OF THE LONDON SCOTTISH VOLUNTEERS ESCORTING COLONIAL TROOPS.
The stand on the right, in front of the National Gallery, is occupied by
Peers and their Ladies and friends. The whole of the north side of
Trafalgar Square (from the steps on the left of the picture to the
corresponding steps at the other end of the terrace) was occupied by the
London County Council Stand, one of the largest on the route. At this
spot the roadway was lined by Bluejackets and Marines.]
[Illustration: _From a Photograph_} {_By A. H. Brunell._
THE COLONIAL PROCESSION: ZAPTIEHS FROM CYPRUS PASSING LUDGATE CIRCUS.]
[Illustration: _From a Photograph_} {_by the London Stereoscopic Co._
THE HONG KONG POLICE AND OTHER TROOPS FROM THE CROWN COLONIES PASSING
DOWN KING WILLIAM STREET.]
[Sidenote: The Colonial Procession.]
Soon after nine o'clock the first part of the Procession left Buckingham
Palace. It consisted of the Colonial contingent, headed by Field-Marshal
Lord Roberts, V.C., supporting a Field-Marshal's bâton on his right
thigh, and mounted on a grey pony. All along the route the gallant
soldier was greeted with mighty cheers, and it was universally thought
that the choice of so popular a General to command the Colonial troops
while they were in this country was a singularly felicitous one.
Immediately behind the Field-Marshal rode the Canadian Hussars, 2nd
Canadian Dragoons, and the Mounted Police--a magnificent group of men,
who excited universal admiration--preceding the carriage of the Premier
of Canada, the Right Hon. Sir Wilfrid Laurier. This gentleman was
received with thunders of applause by the spectators, as were the other
Colonial Premiers; and if anything were needed to convince our
illustrious visitors that the heart of the old country is warm for her
children, their welcome on this day of days amply fulfilled the need.
Then came the New South Wales Mounted Rifles, the New South Wales
Lancers, and the Victorian Mounted Rifles--superb horsemen these, and
singularly effective-looking in their slouch hats fastened up at the
side and khaki uniforms--and after them the carriage in which rode the
Premiers of New South Wales and Victoria. But it is impossible to give
an account of each group. The actual spectators of the beautiful
Colonial procession could but feast their eyes on each body of splendid
warriors as it passed, and cherish a vain wish that the pageant might be
repeated again and again until every individual horseman and
foot-soldier had received a due meed of admiration. Only too quickly
came into view and passed away New Zealand mounted troops--among them a
few giant Maoris--Queensland Mounted Rifles, riflemen from the Cape and
South Australian Lancers, Natal Carabiniers and Umvoti, Natal and Border
Mounted Rifles, and then troops from the Crown Colonies; Trinidad
Mounted Rifles, and Zaptiehs from Cyprus; "upstanding Sikhs, tiny little
Malays and Dyaks; Chinese with a white basin turned upside down on their
heads; grinning Hausas, so dead black that they shone like silver in the
sun--white men, yellow men, brown men, black men, every colour, every
continent, every race, every speech--and all in arms for the British
Empire and the British Queen." After the Cypriotes came a handful of the
Rhodesian Horse, headed by the Hon. Maurice Gifford, carrying one
pathetic empty sleeve across his breast--a group that evoked almost
frantic cheering. "Up they came, more and more," says Mr. G. W.
Steevens, in the _Daily Mail_ of June 23, "new types, new realms at
every couple of yards, an anthropological museum--a living gazetteer of
the British Empire. With them came their English officers, whom they
obey and follow like children. And you began to understand, as never
before, what the Empire amounts to. Not only that we possess all these
remote outlandish places, and can bring men from every end of the earth
to join us in honouring our Queen, but also that all these people are
working, not simply under us, but with us that we send out a boy here
and a boy there, and the boy takes hold of the savages of the part he
comes to, and teaches them to march and shoot as he tells them, to obey
him and believe in him, and die for him and the Queen. A plain, stupid,
uninspired people, they call us, and yet we are doing this with every
kind of savage man there is. And each one of us--you and I, and that man
in his shirt-sleeves at the corner--is a working part of this
world-shaping force. How small you must feel in face of the stupendous
whole, and yet how great to be a unit in it!"
[Illustration: _From a Photograph_} {_By Valentine & sons, Dundee._
THE COLONIAL PROCESSION: THE CARRIAGES OF THE PREMIERS CROSSING LONDON
BRIDGE.]
[Illustration: _From a Photograph_} {_by F. Downer, Watford._
THE COLONIAL PROCESSION: THE RHODESIAN HORSE IN THE MALL, HEADED BY THE
HON. MAURICE GIFFORD.]
[Sidenote: The Royal Procession.]
Ten minutes after the last of the Colonial contingent had passed, the
advance guard of the Royal Procession proper came into sight. The first
man in that gorgeous company rode the giant Guardsman, Captain Oswald
Ames, seeming not so very much taller than the splendid fellows who
followed him, in spite of his six feet eight inches. Close following
these came a Naval Gun Detachment who passed away through the avenues of
enthusiastic civilians amidst a tumult of acclaim. Then, in quick
succession, Life Guards, Dragoon Guards, Hussars, Lancers, and Batteries
of the Royal Horse Artillery--the finest Artillery in the World. More
quickly almost than these words are read the various component parts of
the resplendent cavalcade came into view and vanished again. The
populace waved its handkerchiefs and roared itself hoarse in a chorus of
approval that was too whole-hearted to discriminate.
[Illustration: _From a Photograph_} {_by F. Frith & Co., Reigate._
THE ROYAL PROCESSION: OFFICERS OF THE HEAD-QUARTERS STAFF LEAVING
BUCKINGHAM PALACE.
On the balcony are the three children of the Duke of York; little Prince
Edward in the centre. After the return of the Procession, when the
people were allowed within the space outside the Palace railings, His
Royal Highness frequently acknowledged their cheers by saluting in
military style.]
As a grand ceremonial figure the Crown Prince, afterwards the Emperor
Frederick of Germany, had attracted more personal notice in the
procession of 1887 than was accorded to any visitor in that of 1897, but
the _personnel_ of the latter function was, in general, far more
distinguished. As regards the procession of carriages, which followed
immediately after the glittering deputation of officers of the Imperial
Service Troops in India, those containing the Royal children--Her
Majesty's grandchildren and great-grandchildren--were most
enthusiastically received by the crowd. The gravity with which the tiny
Princes and Princesses acknowledged the greetings of the spectators
occasioned great delight among the people, and the military salutes of
the young Duke of Albany and Prince Arthur of Connaught, were the
signals for fresh outbursts of applause. The Empress Frederick, the
Duchesses of York, of Teck, of Connaught, and of Albany, the Princesses
Louise and Henry of Battenberg, were each and all cheered and cheered
again. The Princes and other illustrious persons representing the States
of almost every Kingdom and Republic in the World, who rode in threes
close before the Queen's carriage, made up a group of almost
unparalleled interest and importance. In recognition of his exalted rank
as Commander-in-Chief of the Army, Lord Wolseley, in the uniform and
carrying the bâton of a Field-Marshal, rode immediately in front of the
Queen's carriage.
[Illustration: _From a Photograph_} {_by Gregory & Co._
CAPTAIN AMES, 2ND LIFE GUARDS.
The tallest officer in the British army, who headed the Royal
Procession.]
[Illustration: _From a Photograph_} {_by Symmons & Co., Chancery Lane._
THE ROYAL PROCESSION: AIDES-DE-CAMP PASSING THE UNITED SERVICE CLUB.
Probably every officer had friends on the Club stands; the picture shows
all heads turned that way.]
To quote again from Mr. G. W. Steevens, who witnessed the Procession
from St. Paul's:--"The eye was filled with splendour, but fresh
splendour came crowding in on it. The advancing pageant shifted and
loosened and came up in opener order. But as the mass of colour became
less massive, it became more wonderfully coloured. Here, riding three
and three, came a kaleidoscope of dazzling horsemen--equerries and
aides-de-camp and attachés, ambassadors and Princes, all the pomp of all
the nations of the earth. Scarlet and gold, azure and gold, purple and
gold, emerald and gold, white and gold--always a changing tumult of
colours that seemed to list and gleam with a light of their own, and
always blinding gold. It was enough. No eye could bear more
gorgeousness; no more gorgeousness could be, unless princes are to
clothe themselves in rainbows and the very sun. The prelude was played,
and now the great moment was at hand. Already the carriages were rolling
up full of the Queen's kindred, full of her children and children's
children. But we hardly looked at them. Down there, through an avenue of
eager faces, through a storm of white waving handkerchiefs, through
roaring volleys of cheers, there was approaching a carriage drawn by
eight cream-coloured horses. The roar surged up the street, keeping pace
with the eight horses. The carriage passed the barrier; it entered the
churchyard; it wheeled left and then right; it drew up at the very steps
of the Cathedral; we all leaped up; cheers broke into screams, and
enthusiasm swelled to delirium; the sun, watery till now, shone out
suddenly clear and dry, and there--and there--
"And there was a little, quiet, flushed old lady. All in black,[K] a
silver streak under the black bonnet, a simple white sunshade, sitting
quite still, with the corners of her mouth drawn tight, as if she were
trying not to cry. But that old lady was the Queen, and you knew it. You
didn't want to look at the glittering uniforms now, nor yet at the
bright gowns and the young faces in the carriages, nor yet at the
stately princes--though by now all these were ranged in a half circle
round her. You couldn't look at anybody but the Queen. So very quiet, so
very grave, so very punctual, so unmistakably and every inch a lady and
a Queen. Almost pathetic, if you will, that small black figure in the
middle of these shining cavaliers, this great army, this roaring
multitude; but also very glorious. When the other kings of the world
drive abroad, the escort rides close in at the wheels of the carriage;
the Queen drove through her people quite plain and open, with just one
soldier at the kerbstone between her and them."
[Illustration: _From a Photograph_} {_by Symmons & Co., Chancery Lane._
THE ROYAL PROCESSION: THE "DEATH-OR-GLORY BOYS" (17th LANCERS) IN PALL
MALL.]
But we must go back a little. At the Griffin, which marks the spot where
Temple Bar once stood, the Lord Mayor (the Right Hon. Sir George
Faudel-Phillips) had arrived about 10.15, bearing the City Sword of
State. While waiting for the Queen the Lord Mayor was entertained, in
accordance with ancient custom, at Childs' Bank.
[Illustration: _From a Photograph_} {_by A. H. Brunell._
THE CROWD WAITING FOR THE QUEEN AT LUDGATE CIRCUS.
Her Majesty was visibly moved at the sight of the immense concourse of
people at this point; little Princess Eva of Battenberg on the contrary
waved her hand in delighted acknowledgment of their cheers. In the
foreground is the Lord Mayor, who headed the Procession from Temple Bar
to the Mansion House.]
[Sidenote: The Queen's Reception at the City Boundary.]
"Just before mid-day," says a writer in the _Times_ of June 23, "a loud
roar of cheering announced the approach of the Queen, and soon the State
carriages drew up at the Griffin, where the Lord Mayor and his
deputation, on foot, bareheaded, were awaiting Her Majesty. The
interesting ceremony of the presentation of the sword did not occupy a
minute. This handsome sword, in its pearl-covered scabbard, which has
been presented by successive Lord Mayors at this very spot to many
Sovereigns, from Queen Elizabeth's time to the present day, was handed
to the Lord Mayor by the City Sword-bearer with a low obeisance. Sir
George Faudel-Phillips held the hilt towards Her Majesty, who merely
touched it, and ordered him to lead the way into the city. The Lord
Mayor with considerable alacrity hurried to the spot south of the
Griffin where he had left his horse, mounted it, and rode off eastward
bareheaded, holding the sword aloft."
[Illustration: _From a Photograph_} {_by E. P. Robson, Old Broad
Street._
HER MAJESTY'S RECEPTION AT THE CITY BOUNDARY.
Her Majesty, in her carriage, is seen on the right, with the Prince of
Wales and the Duke of Cambridge (whose head is seen between those of the
Scotch attendants) immediately behind. In the background are the
officers of the Royal household and others. Just in front of the City
Griffin the Lord Mayor is seen preparing to mount his horse, an
operation in which the police and some officials exhibit an anxious
interest.]
So the magnificent cortège passed on up Fleet Street and Ludgate Hill to
St. Paul's. At the steps of the west front of the great Cathedral was to
take place that religious ceremony which was to be the central point in
the great celebration. On either side of the portico was erected a huge
stand, set apart for ambassadors and other officials who had no place in
the Procession. The right-hand stand facing Ludgate Hill was occupied by
a splendid company of Indian Rajahs and other Oriental notabilities. On
the steps themselves were 500 choristers, and bands. Soon after the
Queen left Buckingham Palace the Archbishops and other officiating
clergy took their stand upon the Cathedral steps. The Archbishops of
York and Canterbury wore purple coronation copes, the Bishop of London a
splendid new yellow cope, the Dean and Chapter copes of green, gold, and
white, while the Bishop of Winchester, as Prelate of the Order of the
Garter, wore the dark blue robes of that Order. The Marquis of
Salisbury, the Right Hon. A. J. Balfour, and the Right Hon. Joseph
Chamberlain were the most noticeable figures in the great assemblage of
distinguished laymen collected at this point.
[Illustration: _From a Photograph_} {_by F. Frith & Co._
LORD ROBERTS SUPERINTENDING THE ARRANGEMENTS IN ST. PAUL'S CHURCHYARD.
The two Sheriffs are seen in the immediate foreground, followed by the
officers representing the Yeomanry, Militia, and Volunteers, and by
Equerries, Gentlemen-in-Waiting, and Attachés. Lord Roberts stands in
the centre of the open space. On the right is the pavilion erected on
the site of a demolished warehouse.]
[Illustration: _From a Photograph_} {_by T. C. Turner & Co., Barnsbury._
HER MAJESTY'S ARRIVAL IN ST. PAUL'S CHURCHYARD.
The photograph was taken from the front of the Cathedral, looking down
Ludgate Hill, and shows the Princes and Representatives of Foreign
Sovereigns in the foreground, some of whom are just taking up their
positions within the enclosure. The carriages containing the Princesses
are parked in the open space beyond.]
[Illustration: _From a Photograph_} {_by Eyre & Spottiswoode._
THE CEREMONY AT ST. PAUL'S
The photograph was taken immediately after the conclusion of the
Service, when Her Majesty (whose face is clearly seen) turned to receive
the congratulations of the Prince of Wales and the Duke of Cambridge.
The latter is in the act of addressing the Queen; the Prince is close
behind him. The Princess of Wales and Princess Christian are the other
occupants of the carriage; the latter holds her fan to screen her face
from the sun. The Archbishop of Canterbury (Dr. Temple) stands directly
above the Queen.]
The religious ceremony was short. It commenced with the intonation of
the Te Deum by the assembled choristers, and ended with the Benediction,
pronounced by the Archbishop of Canterbury. The Old Hundredth was
then sung, followed by the National Anthem, the strains being taken up
by the general public all round the Cathedral, and then the Archbishop,
acting on a sudden and most happy impulse, called for three cheers for
the Queen. It is not too much to say that Her Majesty has never been
greeted with a more enthusiastic salvo from the throats of her people
than she received on this occasion.
On the conclusion of this most impressive ceremony the Colonial
contingent, who had hitherto led the Procession, and who had been
stationed at the north side of the Cathedral meanwhile, fell into
position behind the gallant Royal Irish Constabulary men and the
squadron of Royal Horse Guards, who had until now formed the rear escort
of the Royal Procession.
[Illustration: _From a Photograph_} {_by the London Stereoscopic Co._
THE ROYAL PROCESSION: EQUERRIES, GENTLEMEN-IN-WAITING, AND MILITARY
ATTACHÉS PASSING THE EASTERN END OF CHEAPSIDE.
The boys of Christ's Hospital ("Blue-Coat School") occupy the open space
between the Mansion House and the opposite corner of Queen Victoria
Street.]
[Sidenote: At the Mansion House.]
At a quarter to one the Queen's carriage halted outside the Mansion
House. The Lady Mayoress presented Her Majesty with an exquisite bouquet
of orchids in a beautiful silver basket. "The Queen," says a writer in
the _Times_, "was graciously pleased to accept the gift, and twice said
to her Ladyship, 'I am too grateful,' at the same time extending her
hand to the Lady Mayoress, who kissed it."
It is needless to trace the progress of the Empress-Queen through the
districts inhabited by her poorer, but no less affectionate,
people--from the City to London Bridge, in Southwark, in Lambeth, and on
over Westminster Bridge. Everywhere her reception was the same--a
magnificent outburst of love and devotion.
[Illustration: _G. F. Watts, R. A._} {_Photo by F. Hollyer._
THE MARQUIS OF SALISBURY, K.G.
Lord Robert Cecil, eldest surviving son of the second Marquis, was born
at Hatfield in 1830, and educated at Eton and Christchurch, Oxford. M.P.
for Stamford, 1853-1868, when he succeeded to the Marquisate. Secretary
of State for India, 1866-67, and 1874-78. Minister Plenipotentiary at
the Constantinople Conference, 1876; Foreign Secretary, 1878-80. With
Lord Beaconsfield he represented England at the Berlin Conference in
1878. Leader of the Conservative Party in the House of Peers since 1881;
Premier 1885-86, 1886-1892, and since 1895.]
The stand that had been erected for the Members of Parliament at
Westminster occupied almost the whole space between the Clock Tower and
the river, and was crowded in every corner. Places had been balloted for
and Conservatives and Radicals were found seated together in the utmost
harmony, differences of political opinion being entirely forgotten in
the universal desire to see the procession, and to do honour to the
great lady who was the centre and cynosure of all. When the Queen's
carriage came in sight the Members rose in one body and cheered as they
had never cheered even their chosen leaders in the House itself. This
assuredly is a testimony to the universal esteem in which Her Majesty is
held by the Nation at large. There were about 600 Members, representing
every shade of political feeling throughout the three kingdoms,
rivalling one another in their eagerness to display their devotion to
the hereditary head of the State. It is safe to say that no
popularly-elected president of any existing Republic would be greeted in
the streets of his capital by all classes of his fellow-citizens with a
tithe of the respect, admiration, and affection accorded to our
constitutional Monarch on this day of her Jubilee. The Sovereigns of the
other European States--some of whom are wont to exact loyalty at the
point of the sword--may well have envied the happy lot of a Queen whose
chief protection is her people's love.
[Sidenote: Return to the Palace.]
At a quarter to two the Queen re-entered Buckingham Palace. Right nobly
had she borne herself throughout the trying ordeal. Some there were who
said they had never seen Her Majesty looking better in her life; others,
keener of sight, perhaps, fancied that under that cheerful exterior
traces of great emotion were clearly to be detected. Certain it is that
on more than one occasion the Queen nearly broke down, "and once, as the
tears rolled down her face, the Princess of Wales leant forward, and
sympathetically pressed her hand."
[Illustration: _From a Photograph_} {_by the London Stereoscopic Co._
THE ROYAL PROCESSION: THE CARRIAGES PASSING DOWN KING WILLIAM STREET.
In the nearest carriage are the Duchess of York, Princess Victoria of
Wales, Princess Henry of Prussia, and the Grand Duke of
Mecklenburg-Strelitz.]
[Illustration: _From a Photograph_} {_by the London Stereoscopic Co._
THE NAVAL CONTINGENT CROSSING LONDON BRIDGE INTO SOUTHWARK.
Both Processions on Jubilee day--the Colonial and the Royal--were headed
by a few Life Guards and a strong naval detachment. In the case of the
Royal Procession the bluejackets dragged after them six naval guns--no
light labour, but performed with an ease and smartness which won
universal admiration.]
More than human must she have been had she been able to pass without
emotion through those millions of loving men and women shouting
themselves hoarse in the exuberance of their loyalty. Sixty years a
Queen, with such a celebration to mark the sixtieth year! Not when
Solomon reigned in all his glory--not when the Roman conqueror rode in
triumph along the Appian Way to receive the plaudits of Imperial
Rome--not when Napoleon the Great snatched the Emperor's diadem from the
Pope and placed it on his own brows--had a single human being been the
centre of so much earthly splendour before.
[Illustration: _From a Photograph_} {_by C. Bertschinger._
THE ROYAL PROCESSION: THE ROYAL HORSE ARTILLERY PASSING ST. GEORGE'S
CIRCUS, BOROUGH.]
[Illustration: _From a Photograph_} {_by Russell & Sons._
THE ROYAL PROCESSION: THE QUEEN'S COLONIAL ESCORT, CONSISTING OF
REPRESENTATIVES OF EACH OF THE COLONIAL CAVALRY DETACHMENTS, PASSING
WESTMINSTER BRIDGE.
The photograph is taken from the Clock Tower of the House of Commons.
Owing to the winding of the river, the dome of St. Paul's Cathedral can
be seen on the extreme left, over the warehouses on the Surrey side.]
[Illustration: _From a Photograph_} {_by Russell & Sons._
THE ROYAL PROCESSION: THE BANDS OF THE 1ST LIFE GUARDS AND DRAGOON
GUARDS PASSING THE HOUSES OF PARLIAMENT.]
[Sidenote: Presents to the Queen.]
Some mention should be made of the presents given to the Queen by her
royal kinsmen and her household. The Princes and Princesses more nearly
related to the head of the House of Hanover had prepared a pleasant
surprise in the shape of a copy of Mr. Holmes's authorised "Life of the
Queen," bound in covers of purest gold. Two hundred ounces of gold were
used, and the only ornaments consisted of the Imperial monogram
surmounted by a Crown, and having at its base a scroll bearing the
legend, "1837: June 20: 1897." These were composed of 352 diamonds, with
rubies and emeralds set in red enamel. On the back cover were engraved
facsimiles of the signatures of the various royal subscribers. A
magnificent brooch of diamonds and pearls was presented to Her Majesty
by the Princess of Wales, her children, the Duchess of York, and the
Duke of Fife. From her household the Queen received a bracelet of
beautiful workmanship composed of round medallions set in brilliants,
with large rubies and sapphires at intervals. On the medallions were
engraved the rose, shamrock, and thistle, the lotus-flower representing
the Colonies. The Queen was highly pleased with this token of the
affection of her household, and wore it at all the State dinners. The
design was the work of H.R.H. Princess Henry of Battenberg.
[Illustration: _From a Photograph_} {_by Russell & Sons._
THE ROYAL PROCESSION: THE ESCORT OF PRINCES AND REPRESENTATIVES OF
FOREIGN POWERS.]
[Illustration: _From a Photograph_} {_by F. Frith & Co._
RETURN OF THE ROYAL PROCESSION: THE ESCORT OF OFFICERS OF IMPERIAL
SERVICE TROOPS ENTERING THE PALACE YARD.]
[Sidenote: Congratulations from Abroad.]
In addition to the innumerable addresses which the Queen received from
every part of her dominions, an immense number of congratulatory
messages was sent from foreign countries. The quaintest of all was that
of the United States. It was delivered to Her Majesty by the Honourable
Whitelaw Reid, the Special Ambassador, who was conspicuous in the
Jubilee Procession as the only man partaking in it in everyday attire.
He wore evening dress and an opera hat. The text of the address was as
follows:--
"To Her Majesty VICTORIA, Queen of Great Britain and Ireland,
Empress of India.
"Great and good friend, in the name and on behalf of the people
of the United States, I present their sincere felicitations upon
the sixtieth anniversary of your Majesty's accession to the
Crown of Great Britain.
"I express the sentiments of my fellow-citizens in wishing for
your people the prolongation of a reign which has been
illustrious and marked by advance in science, arts, and popular
well-being. On behalf of my countrymen I wish particularly to
recognise your friendship for the United States and your love of
peace exemplified upon important occasions.
"It is pleasing to acknowledge the debt of gratitude and respect
due to your personal virtues.
"May your life be prolonged, and peace, honour, and prosperity
bless the people over whom you have been called to rule. May
liberty nourish throughout your Empire under just and equal
laws, and your government continue strong in the affections of
all who live under it. And I pray that God may have your Majesty
in His holy keeping.
"Your good friend,
"WILLIAM M'KINLEY.
"Done at Washington this 28th day of May, A.D. 1897,
by the President.
"JOHN SHERMAN, Secretary of State."
[Illustration: _From a Photograph_} {_by Russell & Sons, Baker Street._
THE ROYAL PROCESSION: HER MAJESTY'S CARRIAGE IN WHITEHALL.
On the right is seen a portion of the banqueting hall of the former
Royal Palace of Whitehall, and next to it a grand stand seating 4,000
persons. The Queen's carriage is turning to pass through the Horse
Guards' gate into the Mall.]
[Sidenote: The Royal Dinner.]
In the evening of the great day the Queen entertained an
illustrious company of foreign Princes at dinner in Buckingham
Palace. Here is the menu:--Potages--Bernoise à l'Impératrice,
Parmentier; Poissons--Whitebait, Filets de Saumon à la Norvégienne;
Entrées--Timbales à la Monte Carlo, Cailles à la d'Uxelle;
Relevés--Poulets à la Demidon, Roast Beef; Roti--Poulardes farcies;
Entremets--Pois sautés au beurre, Pouding Cambaceres, Pain d'Oranges à
la Cintra, Canapés à la Princesse; Side Table--Hot and cold roast,
fowls, Tongue, Cold beef, Salade. A great bouquet of orchids was placed
on the dining-table immediately opposite where Her Majesty sat.
[Illustration: BROOCH OF DIAMONDS AND PEARLS
Presented to the Queen by the members of her household, and worn by Her
Majesty on State occasions during the Jubilee. The original is much
larger than this engraving; it measures 2-7/8 inches across.]
[Sidenote: Jubilee Honours.]
The list of Jubilee honours published in the newspapers of June 22
presented some features of great interest. The most popular elevations
were those of the eleven Colonial Prime Ministers to the dignity of
Privy Councillors. It was felt that the nucleus of the long-dreamed-of
Pan-Britannic Council had been formed. The elevation of Mr. W. E. H.
Lecky, one of the members for the Dublin University, to the same dignity
was recognised as a graceful compliment to the world of learning. The
baronetcy conferred on the Lord Mayor of London was well-deserved, for
no Lord Mayor had done so much in the present century to enhance the
reputation of the Mansion House for philanthropic enterprise and lavish
hospitality. Two new Lord Mayoralties, those of Sheffield and Leeds,
were created; and three towns, Nottingham, Bradford, and
Kingston-upon-Hull, were raised to the importance of cities. In late
years peerages have generally been bestowed on men who have achieved
greatness in the commercial world, and no choice could have been happier
than that of Sir John Burns, Bart., the head of the Cunard Steamship
Company, while that conferred on the Right Hon. Sir Donald Smith,
G.C.M.G., was held to be as much a compliment to the man himself as to
the Dominion of Canada, of which he was High Commissioner.
[Illustration: _From a Photograph_} {_by Lafayette._
THE RIGHT HON. SIR HUGH M. NELSON,
PREMIER OF QUEENSLAND.
Born at Kilmarnock in Scotland in 1835, educated at Edinburgh High
School and University. Settled in Moreton Bay District in 1853, entered
the Legislative Assembly 1883, became Minister for Railways 1888-90,
Leader of Opposition 1891, Minister without portfolio 1892, Colonial
Treasurer 1893, Premier in November of the same year.]
Generally speaking, a more ample recognition of the claims of the
Colonial Empire, as well as of Art and Science at home, marked the
Diamond Jubilee honours list.
[Illustration: _By permission of_} {_F. Sanders & Co., Florists, St.
Albans._
DIAMOND JUBILEE ORCHID TROPHY.
This beautiful bouquet adorned the Royal Dinner Table on June 22. It
stood 8 feet 6 inches high and measured 6 feet through, and was arranged
in a gilded wicker basket. The upper portion took the form of a royal
crown, beneath which were the letters V. R. I., each a foot in length,
composed of Epidendrum Vitellinum on a ground of Odontoglossum
Citrosmum. Orchids from Australia, South Africa, New Guinea, Burmah,
British Guiana, the West Indies, and other parts of Her Majesty's
dominions were among the 50,000 to 60,000 flowers employed in this, the
most magnificent bouquet ever constructed.]
It was hoped by many that advantage would have been taken of this unique
occasion to extend the sovereign dignity of the Queen, so that it might
include not only the United Kingdom and India but also the
English-speaking Colonies. The addition of the names of the Colonies to
the legend on the coinage would have followed this step as a natural
corollary, and there can be no doubt it would have found favour with the
great majority of the Queen's subjects at home and abroad. Reasons of
State may have interfered, but they cannot be insuperable, and we may
look forward with confidence to the time when Parliament will decorate
the Queen with this splendid honour.
[Illustration: _From a Photograph_} {_by Elliott & Fry._
THE RIGHT HON. SIR J. GORDON SPRIGG,
PREMIER OF CAPE COLONY.
Son of the late Rev. J. Sprigg, of Ipswich; born in 1830. He worked on
the Hansard staff of the House of Commons; went to Africa for his health
in 1858 and settled there. Entered the Cape Parliament in 1869. He has
been thrice Prime Minister; also Finance Minister under Mr. Rhodes,
1893-96.]
[Illustration: _From a Photograph_} {_by Symonds & Co., Portsmouth._
THE NAVAL REVIEW, June 26, 1897: THE FLEET SALUTING.]
CHAPTER III.
Illuminations in London--Festivities in the Provinces and the
Colonies---Addresses of Congratulation from the Lords and
Commons--Gathering of School Children on Constitution
Hill--State Performance at the Opera--The Princess of Wales's
Dinners to the Poor--State Reception--Special Performance at the
Lyceum--Torchlight Evolutions by Etonians at Windsor--Naval
Review at Spithead--The Fleet Illuminated--The Colonial Troops
at the Naval Review.
[Sidenote: Illuminations in London.]
On the evening of June 22, and for two or three days following, London
was ablaze with illuminations. In the city especially these were on a
scale of unparalleled magnificence. The Bank of England was fringed and
festooned with myriads of many-coloured lamps, while from the parapet of
the corner which looks towards Cheapside there glowed and scintillated a
dazzling fan-shaped device of huge size. Over the chief entrance
appeared the following inscription in letters of living fire: "She
Wrought Her People Lasting Good." The pillars of the Mansion House and
the Royal Exchange were entwined with bands of light, and every detail
of their architecture was accentuated by rows of tiny lamps. In this,
the very heart of London, it was as light as day. It may be mentioned
that 35,000 gas jets were used in decorating the Mansion House alone.
[Illustration: ST. PAUL'S ILLUMINATED.]
[Illustration: _E. H. Fitchew._}
THE MONUMENT ILLUMINATED.]
Moving westward with the vast throng of well-behaved sightseers, the
next point of great interest was the dome of St. Paul's. It had been
suggested that the Cathedral should be illuminated, as were the other
important buildings in the city, but the possibility of danger from fire
acted as a deterrent. Instead of this, powerful electric search-lights
were focussed on the dome and west front with wonderful effect. The dome
stood up clear against the dark sky, and the stonework supporting and
crowning it glowed like whitest marble. It is said that the expense of
this installation was at the rate of £1,400 a night.
On every side of the route down Ludgate Hill, Fleet Street, and the
Strand, and more westward still, through Pall Mall, St. James's, and
Mayfair, iridescent stars and crowned monograms glowed like titanic
jewels from a thousand buildings. Fleet Street and the Strand were
garlanded across with festoons of many-coloured globes, and the streets
of this part of the town resembled nothing so much as an unending
triumphal arch of rainbow-hued fire. Observed from Waterloo Place, Pall
Mall seemed literally ablaze with general conflagration, so lavishly
were the Clubs illuminated. The beautiful floral arches which crossed
St. James's Street at every few feet were beaded with numberless
electric glow-lamps, and these were to have been set alight by the
Princess of Wales touching a button in Marlborough House. But on the
previous day some unexplained defect in the electric circuit had
resulted in the ignition of a portion of the illuminations, and it was
considered unsafe to try the experiment again. Marlborough House had
over the entrance gates a branch of laurel of various natural tints,
interspersed with red berries, forming one main arch over the gateway,
and two side arches over the doors. The main laurel arch supported an
oval medallion, surmounted by a crown, and bore the monogram "V.R.I."
surrounded by a garter. The side arches carried a Prince of Wales's
plume and badge. The whole of this was in cut crystal. The residence of
the Duke of York had a pretty wreath of white rose and pink may (the
former the emblem of the Royal House of York, the latter prettily
suggestive of the Duchess's name), with the monogram, "V.R.I." in the
centre. This device was carried out in gas jets. Piccadilly, Regent
Street, and Oxford Street were not so generally illuminated as those
thoroughfares we have already mentioned, but individual establishments
approached very closely to the high level attained elsewhere.
[Illustration:
A. Shot Tower.
B. Whitehall Court.
C. Hotel Metropole.
D. Hotel Cecil.
E. Savoy Hotel.
F. Embankment.
LONDON ILLUMINATED: THE VIEW WESTWARD FROM BLACKFRIARS BRIDGE.]
[Illustration: _Holland Tringham, R.B.A._}
THE MANSION HOUSE ILLUMINATED.]
[Illustration: _Holland Tringham, R.B.A._}
THE BANK OF ENGLAND ILLUMINATED.]
And everywhere through the most richly-decorated streets there moved an
enormous throng of admirably-behaved people. Well into the small hours
of the night the millions of London strolled leisurely along the
principal highways of their great city. Disorder and riot were
conspicuous by their absence.
[Illustration: _From a Photograph_} {_by G. Temple._
JUBILEE DAY AT SANDRINGHAM: THE CHILDREN'S TEA.]
[Illustration: _From a Photograph_} {_by G. Temple._
OUTDOOR SERVICE AT SANDRINGHAM ON JUBILEE DAY.]
[Sidenote: Provincial and Colonial Celebrations.]
It is safe to say that every town and village in England and Scotland
had its own miniature celebration, its own procession, its own feast for
the poor, its sports, or its firework display. At Sandringham a service
was held on the hill outside the church. About 2,000 children from the
various parts of the Prince of Wales' estate had tea in tents in the
cricket ground. In Liverpool the principal streets were lavishly
decorated, and about midday there was a procession of trades and
friendly societies, in which about 8,000 persons took part. On the river
there was a grand display of mercantile vessels dressed from stem to
stern in flags. The Corporation of Manchester had generously voted
£10,000 towards the Jubilee festivities. The streets were gaily
decorated, and in the morning 100,000 children were entertained at
breakfast and presented with Jubilee medals. In Birmingham there was a
great historical procession, and in the evening displays of fireworks in
three of the public parks. Many places commemorated the event by
building new hospitals or by placing those already existing on a sound
financial basis. The generosity of the citizens of Newcastle-on-Tyne was
such that a fund of £100,000 was raised for the purpose of establishing
a new infirmary. In the city of York the round of gaieties commenced at
the Mansion House, where the Lord Mayor and Lady Mayoress entertained to
breakfast the members of the Corporation and the Jubilee Committee. At
noon a thanksgiving service was held in the Minster. To the young people
of the city the occasion was made an eventful one, for 14,000 of them,
along with 1,300 teachers, assembled at 1.15 p.m. at their respective
schools, where each was presented with a medal commemorative of the
occasion. At night various points of the city were illuminated; a
powerful search-light lit up the country for miles around, this being
fixed on the central tower of the Cathedral, the west front of which was
also illuminated with coloured fires. All over the country the occasion
was made one of real rejoicing for the poor and needy, public and
private enterprise co-operating to entertain them in the most hospitable
manner.
There was a great bonfire display in Scotland. For a fortnight ten
Highland ponies had been carrying materials up Ben Nevis. The brush-wood
came chiefly from the neighbouring deer forest in Glen Nevis, and many
loads of peat from the Distillery mosses. A shower of "May" rockets gave
the signal to the bonfires on the neighbouring hills to make ready, and
a few seconds before 10.30 Mrs. Cameron Campbell of Monzie touched the
wire at the foot of the hill, and on the stroke of time the huge beacon
burst into a brilliant sheet of flame, and was answered from hill after
hill throughout Scotland. At the same time the following telegrams were
despatched:--
"To Big Ben, Westminster:--'Our Highland hills in blazing bonfires join
with London's illuminations in honour of our Queen.'" "To the Lord
Mayor, London:--'O'er loch and glen our bonfires shine to greet with you
our Queen.'"
[Illustration: _From a Photograph_} {_by Lafayette._
THE RIGHT HON. CHAS. C. KINGSTON,
PREMIER OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA.
Son of the late Sir George S. Kingston, Speaker of the South Australian
House of Assembly. Born at Adelaide in 1850; studied Law, and is a Q.C.
and Attorney-General for the Colony. Entered the Colonial Parliament in
1881, and has represented the same constituency (West Adelaide) ever
since. He became Prime Minister in 1893, and is President of the Federal
Convention.]
[Illustration: _From a Photograph_} {_by Elliott & Fry._
THE RIGHT HON. SIR WILLIAM V. WHITEWAY, Q.C.,
PREMIER OF NEWFOUNDLAND.
Younger son of the late Thomas Whiteway, of Buckyett, Devon; born 1828.
He went as a boy to Newfoundland, and, studying law, became a barrister
at St. John's in 1852, and Q.C. in 1862. Appointed Speaker of the House
of Assembly in 1864-69; he has since held every ministerial office in
the gift of the Newfoundland Government, which he has also represented
on numerous delegations and commissions. Attorney General and Premier of
the Colony, 1878-84, 1889-94, and since 1895.]
In all two thousand five hundred bonfires that had been erected on as
many eminences throughout the United Kingdom were set alight at about
half-past ten o'clock at night, and as the fires of these great beacons
died down there faded away into history the greatest day of rejoicing
the Anglo-Saxon has known since the glad news arrived that the conqueror
of Europe had been overthrown at Waterloo.
[Illustration: THE JUBILEE IN HIGH LATITUDES: ELMWOOD, FRANZ JOSEF LAND.
It is characteristic of our nation and our times that at this, the most
northerly outpost of civilized man--the head-quarters of the
Jackson-Harmsworth Polar Expedition--the Jubilee was celebrated "with
all the ardour of Big Englanders."]
The Colonies were as enthusiastic as the Old Country in their
celebrations of the Jubilee. In Ottawa there was a gathering of 7,000
school children on Parliament Hill. Each of the children carried a Union
Jack, and when these were waved together, while the National Anthem was
being sung, the effect is described as having been very remarkable. At
night the Parliament House was ablaze with 10,000 incandescent lamps, an
inscription on the right or Senate wing reading "God save the Queen,"
while on the left or Commons wing the device read "Dieu sauve la
Reine." Quebec, Montreal, Toronto, and Winnipeg had each its own
well-arranged festivities. In Melbourne, Sydney, and Adelaide, and in
the cities of New Zealand, the day was kept as a general holiday, the
decorations and illuminations being splendid in every case. In Cape Town
there was a review of troops and a huge procession headed by the Naval
Brigade. In Egypt, at Lagos, Sierra Leone, and at Mauritius, in the far
east at Singapore, at Hong Kong, and at Shanghai, in the East Indies and
the West Indies, in British Honduras and British Guiana--everywhere
where the Union Jack flies Her Majesty's subjects gathered together to
do her honour. Save only in her Empire of India, where the hearts of men
were hardly in tune with the festive spirit of the day. Yet, in spite of
the recent earthquake, which had shaken Calcutta to its foundations; in
spite of the plague, now happily only lingering in Bombay, and the
devastations of the recent famine, India was not without her joyful
celebrations, these appropriately taking the form, for the most part, of
acts of charity and mercy.
[Illustration: _From a Photograph_} {_by Eyre & Spottiswoode._
THE SPEAKER IN HIS STATE COACH BEARING THE COMMONS' ADDRESS TO HER
MAJESTY.]
[Sidenote: Addresses from Lords and Commons.]
On Wednesday, June 23, the Lord Chancellor (Lord Halsbury) carried the
address of congratulation of the Upper House to Buckingham Palace, and
presented it to the Queen. This address had been moved in the House of
Lords by the Marquis of Salisbury on Monday, June 21, in the following
terms:--
"That a humble address be presented to Her Majesty on the auspicious
completion of the sixtieth year of her happy reign, and to assure Her
Majesty that this House proudly shares the great joy with which her
people celebrate the longest, the most prosperous, and the most
illustrious reign in their history, joining with them in praying
earnestly for the continuance during many years of Her Majesty's life
and health."
Mr. Speaker Gully, arrayed in his handsome Robes of State, went in his
great old gilded State coach to the Palace with a similar message from
the Commons.
[Sidenote: Gathering of School Children.]
The same day the Queen left town for Windsor. A touching ceremony marked
the occasion. At Her Majesty's special request, the stands on
Constitution Hill were filled with 10,000 children from the Board
Schools and Voluntary Schools of all denominations. By four o'clock in
the afternoon the children were in their places, and were regaled with
buns, milk, and sweets. At about a quarter to five Her Majesty--with
whom were the Empress Frederick, Princess Henry of Battenberg, and the
Duke of Connaught--drove up from Buckingham Palace. The children rose in
their places and cheered their Queen to the echo, and immediately
afterwards they sang the National Anthem, the band of the Grenadier
Guards leading. "While the voices filled the air with the grand old
melody, Her Majesty turned upon the singers a face radiant with love and
happiness. Those who think of Her Majesty as 'the Queen-mother' should
have looked upon her then to have found a realisation of the ideal."
[Illustration: _From a Photograph_} {_by Eyre & Spottiswoode._
HER MAJESTY AND THE SCHOOL CHILDREN: THE ROYAL PROCESSION PASSING UP
CONSTITUTION HILL.
The carriage nearest the spectator contains the Duke and Duchess of
York, Prince Edward of York, and Prince Henry of Prussia.]
A State Performance at the Opera was, however, the principal feature in
the Jubilee programme of June 23. With the exception of the Queen
herself, almost every Royal personage who had taken part in the Jubilee
Procession of the day before was present, and a special box on the right
of the Royal Box was reserved for the Colonial Prime Ministers and their
wives. The house was decorated from floor to ceiling with roses of every
shade--some 60,000 blossoms being used for this purpose. Boxes on the
grand tier, which had been sold by the management for £50 for the
evening, were sold again at prices ranging up to £150, while the stalls
realised £10 at least in every case. Famous as Covent Garden is for
splendid "houses," the brilliant assemblage on this evening quite
eclipsed all previous gatherings.
It is not too much to say that the whole social world of the country was
there. The handsome uniforms of the men, the beauty, diamonds, and
dresses of the ladies, set in a frame of so much floral magnificence,
made up a scene the splendour of which was never likely to fade from the
memory of anyone who witnessed it. In all that gorgeous company none
attracted as much admiration as the Princess of Wales. Simply dressed in
white satin, with the red sash of some Order across her shoulders, and
wearing a crown of diamonds, Her Royal Highness was, by universal
consent, the queen of beauty in a house full of the most beautiful women
in the three kingdoms.
It was only to have been expected, perhaps, that the most
generally-approved Jubilee celebration should have been inaugurated by
the same most charming Princess. This was nothing less than the
entertaining at dinner of 300,000 of the London poor. The feast took
place in different large buildings all over the poorer parts of the
Metropolis. The Princess, accompanied by His Royal Highness and the
Princesses Victoria of Wales and Charles of Denmark, drove round and was
personally present at as many as possible of the dining halls. At the
People's Palace, in the Mile End Road, where 1,600 crippled children
feasted, Her Royal Highness went in and out among the children,
bestowing here and there a smile, and here and there a few words of
kindly encouragement.
[Illustration: _From a Photograph taken for this Work_} {_by T. C.
Hepworth._
THE PRINCESS OF WALES'S DINNERS: THE DINNER TO CRIPPLED CHILDREN AT THE
PEOPLE'S PALACE.
The Princess of Wales stands in the centre of the platform with the
Prince of Wales on her right. The photograph was taken during the
"silence for Grace."]
[Sidenote: State Reception.]
A State Reception at Buckingham Palace, where Her Majesty was
represented by the Prince and Princess of Wales, brought the festivities
of June 24 to a close.
[Sidenote: Special Performance at the Lyceum.]
Friday, the 25th, was marked by an afternoon performance of "The Bells"
and "The Story of Waterloo" at the Lyceum Theatre, to which the men of
the Colonial Contingent had been kindly invited by Sir Henry Irving. Sir
Henry was uproariously cheered on his first appearance and at every
interval during the afternoon, and after the splendid presentation of
"The Bells" he was called again and again before the curtain, and
finally compelled to make a speech. He said:--
"Ladies and Gentlemen--I will say my dear comrades--for your greeting
to-day proves that we are comrades, one and all--I cannot tell you how
great a delight and pleasure it has been to us to have the honour, the
privilege, and the pride of making you welcome here to-day, and I
hope--I can but hope--that centuries hence our children will hold very
dear to them the spirit which gives us the opportunity of meeting you;
that spirit of love for our Queen and our country--that great nation
which you typify--which is the strength and glory and power of it; and
of that sweet and gracious lady, that beloved Queen of ours, for whom
your swords will flash and our hearts will pray. I thank you with all my
heart and soul for your welcome, and I thank you on behalf of one and
all behind this curtain, and we send our most cordial greeting to one
and all in front."
[Sidenote: Torchlight Evolutions by Etonians.]
Eton College has always enjoyed the favour of royalty, and on the
evening of Saturday, June 26, the boys furnished one of the most
picturesque celebrations of Jubilee time. In the morning the Queen had
entertained, in the Home Park at Windsor, five or six thousand children.
After that a grand review of firemen from all parts of the country took
place. At ten o'clock in the evening the Queen took up her place in a
window in the east corridor, and the Eton boys filed into the Quadrangle
(many of them in the uniform of their Volunteer Corps) each boy carrying
a torch or a lantern. A beautiful effect was produced when the boys went
through a variety of intricate evolutions.
[Illustration: _Lucien Davis, R.I._}
THE STATE RECEPTION AT BUCKINGHAM PALACE: ENTRANCE OF THE PRINCE AND
PRINCESS OF WALES.]
[Sidenote: The Naval Review.]
All this time the Naval Review at Spithead had been a-preparing. Every
nation that boasts a Navy had sent a ship, and the streets of Portsmouth
were filled with our own bluejackets and those belonging to the foreign
ships. All the World had come to see for herself what the British Fleet
was like, and we were able to provide such a Naval spectacle as has
never been witnessed before. Just as on June 22 we had furnished forth
an Imperial pageant demonstrating the scope and strength of our dominion
over the land surface of the globe, so now, on Saturday, June 26, we
showed that our sovereignty over the seas is as far reaching and even
more absolute. Without taking one single vessel from the Mediterranean,
from the Chinese Seas, from Australia, India, or North America, we
displayed at Spithead such a congregation of ships of war as filled with
amazement and despair those representatives of alien Powers who knew our
sea-going prowess only by repute. In all about 165 ships of our Navy
rode at ease, in four long lines and two short ones in the narrow
Strait, and they were manned by 40,000 officers and men. The length of
the lines of British ships aggregated nearly thirty miles! The
Commander-in-Chief, Admiral Sir Nowell Salmon, G.C.B., V.C., flew his
flag on the _Renown_.
[Illustration: _From a Photograph taken for this Work_} {_by T. C.
Hepworth._
THE ROYAL VISIT TO THE PEOPLE'S PALACE.
The photograph shows the Princess of Wales with her two daughters, the
Princess Victoria and Princess Charles of Denmark (Princess Maud), who
have just entered the carriage after seeing the crippled children at
dinner. The Princess's bouquet is being handed to her. The Prince is
approaching the carriage. The Lord Mayor is seen standing by the pillar
over the centre of the carriage.]