HEADS AT THE CORONATION.

Greymouth Evening Star, Volume XXXI, 6 December 1901, Page 4

HEADS AT THE CORONATION.

Identification Made Easy.

(Sydney Daily Telegraph.)

London, October 11. By their heads ye shall know thern, and by their furs ye shall place them. I refer to the Barons, Vicounts, Earls, Marquesses, and dukes and their ladies fair, at the Coronation. A co, may look at a King, but the greatest in the land may not see the crowning 'Most Sacred Majesties,' next June, unless they are arrayed according to a fixed schedule which Earl Mrrshall Norefolk has prepared. Let thero be no mistake about it, the Earl Marshall's dress schedule is no permissive document. Thero is neither 'may', nor 'or' about it, it is all 'mu3t', oven to half a row of ermine" The Peer who desires to bo present at the Coronation must wear full Court dress, or, if a naval man, uniform, or if a soldier, regimentals. That is .the base of his rig out for the day. Thereon lie must superimpose a robe of crimson velvet, edged with minervcr, the cape furred with minerver and 'powdered' with bars of ermine. If a Baron, he must sport two bars, a Viscount must show two bars and a half, an Earl must indulge in three, a Marquis in three and a half, and a Duke must sport four bars. Then, as to head gear for Peers, tho Marshal decrees that their coronets aro to bo of silver gilt; tho caps of crimson velvet turned up with crmino, with a gold tassel on tho top ; and no jewels or precious stones aro to bo sot or used in tho coronets, nor will tho uso of counterfeit pearls instead of silvor balls be allowed. Tho cornot of a baron is to have on tho rim six silver bulls at equal distances ; tho coronet of a viscount, 1(5 silvor balls raised upon poiits, with gold strawborry loaves between tho points ; the coronet of a marquis, four gold strawborry leaves and four silvor balls alternately, tho latter a littlo raised on pointa abovo iho rim- ana tho cornet of a duke eight gold strawberry loaves. Thus : Two bars of crmino and six silvcr balls equal ono baron ; two and a half rows of ermine and 16 silver balls equal ono viscount: threo rows of ormino, eight balls and strawborry leaves bclweon, ono earl: threo and a half bars of fur, four balls and four strawborry leavos, ono marqui*; and four bars of ermine and eight strawberry loaves equal ono duk >. There can bo no mistake, and visitors, by carefully memorising this formula, will be able to spot dukes and barons, and earls, from moro viscounts at once.

Tho pecrosscs will bo equally easy t > distinguish by their rains. Ovor tho usual full Court drcs3, a mero baroness must wear a mantle of crimson vclvof, tho cape furred with miniver, and powdored with two bars of ermino, the said mantle to bo edged round with miniver two inches in breadth, and tho train to bo threo foot on the ground. Her coronet must bo a (•ilver gilt one, with eix tilvcr balls, which must not be raised on points. The viscountess must sport tho samo sort of robe, only in hor case she must di play two row 3 and a half of ermine, and her train must only bo a yard and a quarter long. Who must also sport 10 silver balls on her coronet. A countess will be robed 'as before,' only sho will havo to wear threo rowa of ermine, the odging of miniver must bo three inehes in depth, and her train must trail a yard and a half. Her coronet must b) a silver gilt rim, w'th eight silver balls raised upon points with small strawberry leaves between. Tho mantle of a marchioness will bear threo and a half rows of ermine on the her miniver edging will be four inches wide, and hor train a yard and three quarters long. Her coronet will of course correspond to that of a marquis. A duchess's robe will bear on the capa four ermino bars, and the miniver edging will be five inches wide, and her train will trail a clear two yards.