THE CORONATION.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1076, 15 March 1911, Page 7

THE CORONATION.

FANCY PRICES FOR HOUSES. MILLIONAIRE EXTRAVAGANCE. By Telegraph—Press assoclatton-CoDrrlzht-(Rec. March 14, 9.45 p.m.) London, March 14. Huge prices are being obtained for West End mansions for the Coronation.

An American has offered £17,000 for three months' rental of a. house in Hall Street, but the owner is asking £20,000.

. A Liberal peer, has refused £10,000 to give up his residence for six weeks.

Mr. John Hays Hammond, the American mining magnate, who .has been appointed tho special representative of the United States at the Coronation, is paying £2000 for the late Baroness Burdetti Coutts's old house for a week.

AN AUSTRALIAN RECEPTION. Uy Tclcsrapli-Press As3oclat,lon-Coprrlglil London, March 13.

■ The High Commissioner for Australia, Sir George Reid, will hold a reception .for Australian visitors to the Coronation. Tho reception will take place at the Imperial Institute on June 8.

PRICES AT FORMER CORONATIONS.

WHEN GEORGE 111 WAS CROWNED. Some interesting sidelights on the London of a l>ygone. age are provided in a quaint little book edited by Richard Thomson, in the early days of last century, giving a "faithful'account" of the processions and cereriionies which took placo at the Coronation of Kin.? George 111 and Queen Charlotte. Some characteristic advertisements are culled from the '.'Public Advertiser" at the time of George Ill's Coronation, one, of which runs:—' "To be lett, for the Coronation, a whole house in New Palace Tard, which has a full view of .the Champion and Procession, with Beds in it, and all' other conveniences to bring their own servants for their attendance; or it may be divided for separate companies, not less than twe.-ve in each, all to be within doors. Enquire "t the Sadler's, the corner of Parliament Street."

As tho,great day drew nearer advertisements of this nature rapidly increased, together with others relating to the subject,, such as the following:—"An Karl and Countess's Coronet to be sold." ■ "Ermino skins nt. reduced prices"; notices to summon spectators to their seats on the night preceding the ceremony; and an announcement that "the 'Westminster Assembly would take place on thfe evening of the Coronation Dav. for the entertainment, of thnw who miffht not find it safe nor convenient to venture home." ' Ftom the orders and instructions we also lenrn that "a passive will be op«n for Chairs to pass th? North Poor of the through o-rtnin streets nnmed; that 'Westminster_Hall doors would be opened on Coronation T>!>r as soon as it was daylight; and, "for the greater convenient of hnvin" n proper access to : tb» scaffold '*n the F»U, it is requested that the Ladies will not appear in Hoops."

"EXORBITANT PRICES." The prices paid for seats on this and at former Coronations may have some interest. in view of the enormous sums which aro certain to' be asked at the forthcoming great function. Ono smiles at_ what were considered' "exorbitant prices" in those days. When- George 111 was crowned tho front seats in the galleries of the Abbey were let at ten guineas each, and those-, in "commodious houses" along the .route of proctssion at the same figure. ' In ordinary houses the prices were from one to five guineas. A small house in Coronation.'Bow cleared •£7OO, and some larger houses .£IOOO. In the Coronation Theatres, as they were called, which were large temporarv erections, capable of cohtaiaing'-fro'm'-1200"' , fft' 1500 seats, tho prices were .''beyond ail precedent," thoiirt some who fitted nn houses and scaffolds on this occasion lost considerably through the greatness- of their demands.: .

It goes without saving that these "exorbitant prices." as they are termed, were largely exceeded at the imposing.pageant which attended the Coronation of George IV; but going backwards in Tim's chronicle, one is amu=ed at. the ridiculously small sums paid—as the amounts sound to modern ears—for the . privile?e of seeing the King's Coronation pageant. Tho first of the Georges, for instance, was seen for a crown, the same price b o i<iff charged at the Coronations of King William and Queen Anne. Half-a-crown procured a seat when Charles 111 and James II were enthroned, and only one shilling Was charged at the. ceremonies of Charles I and James I. The picturesque ppgeant of Good Queen Bess was cheaply viewed at a "tester," and a eroat tfournence) served for a comfortable si?ht of Queen JTrtrv, Edward VI, and Fenry VIII. Half this humble coin was chnftr-

"A at the Coronations of Henrr VIT. TCicliard 111. Edward IV, Henry VI, and Henry V. though during the time of Henry VI, Coronations were so frequent that the price dropped as low as ft penny, and even a halfpenny, and sometimes, they were seen for nothing. A r>enny wm also the price at the time of Henry IV »nd Richard TT. A halfpenny, we Tead, "was verv well given" to w the Coronation if Edward ITI-; that of his predecessor. Edward 11, being seen for a" humble farthing. At the time of Edward Iwe eet down to "half a ferling," or farthing, but beyond that period the names of the. coins are nuite Unintelligible in the present day, for we imagine that no one at this stretch of time can work out tb* relative, values of a "dodkin," a "stiskin," a "pollard," a "crocard," and a "blank," which figure in the expenses at the Coronation of the Cornueror and his kingly successors up to Edward. ,