JUBILEE NOTES. Interesting Items About the Jubilee.

Te Aroha News, Volume V, Issue 216, 20 August 1887, Page 5

JUBILEE NOTES. Interesting Items About the Jubilee.

London, June 24. T«e distribution of seats within Westminster Abbey for Jubilee Day was (despite the care taken) not at all well managed, and led to any amount of polite envy, hatred, and malice. The preference given to Americans over Australians and AngloIndians more especially caused endless illfeeling. One tair Yankee —for the time being high in favour at Marlborough House — was able to boast the possession ot no lens than three invitation cards, whilst numerous English peeresses were unable to secure even single tickets by hook or crook. "I wouldn't go to the Abbey if I were asked, "'quoth an unsuccessful applicant with whom the grapes were sour, to a more tortunato friend. " You know you are quite sine to be dynamited." " Nothing I should like better," replied the lucky lady, ■ not the leusfc disconcerted. " I have always had an ambition to be buried in West minster Abbey, and this seems to be tny only chance of having my wish gratified," The catering for the children's fC*tc in Hyde Park was undertaken by the famous Anglo-Australian firm— Spiers & Pond. The victuals included 00,000 buns, 30,000 moat pie*?, 30,000 cakes, 30,000 oranges, and 0,0')') gallons of lemonade and ginger beer. An arithmetician present calculated that if the buns, pies, cakes and oranges could be placed in a line they would evteu<d to a distance of nine miles and a half. The heroine of the children's fete in Hyde Park was a phenomenal infant named Frances Dunu, who has been a Board School pupil for scv*« long years without ever nns-iing an attendance. In recognition of this good conduct the little girl was selected by *he authorities to receive from the Queen's c-nvn hand, on behalf of her companions what think you ?— Why, a Jubilee mug! The Pi i nee of Wales himself goodnaturedly Jod up the trembling little one to Her Majesty, who kissed hoi and hpoku a tew kindly words ot praise. The Crown Princess oft&cimany and Princess Beatrice likewise added their quota or compliment, so thai altogether it was a great moment lor Mass ■I'hmn. She has barely turned thirtw.n, but one may safely piophesy that she v\ill nwor again rub shoulders v>ith so uuiny loyalties at once. The King of Denmark .and Greece weie particularly itt- , terc^hed in the proceedings, and asked ! nua»firoi»s questions as to the meaning c£ the good-conduct medals which the child! wore strung across her blue blouse. Tiie fOte itself was from first to last a ti<cmendoas success, the dismal prophecies of the "Pall Mail Gazette" beimr conspicuously falsified. The 30,000 children •came and went in as orderly and systematic a manner as an army of soldiers, and so excellent were all the arrangements thrt beyond the trampled grass the Park iinilf ha<* not suileied at all. Amongst the amusements supplied weie 20 Punch and Juays, 8 Marionette theatres, Stf peep shows. 0 tioops of perfoiimng dogs and monkeys, hundreds of Aunt .Sallys and bo\\l«,* 1,000 skipping ropes with Jubilee handles. 10,000 balloons, and 42,00.') small pri/en in addition to the renowned Jubilee xnugs. The Queen was much affected the fey.un.speakably genuine enthusiasm of the vast crowds which greeted her at Hyde Park Corner, Trafalgar Square, and Waterloo Place, and it was noticed that the tears sprang to her eyes' again and again. A correspondent ot the " Evening News '" says :—": — " It was noticed by man}', although not recorded, that teais came to the Queen's eyes again and again wJh>u *ihe cheers of the people burst forth fco welcome .her ; but as Her Majesty came into Ucan's Yard before the Abbey one may well believe that her thoughts were caviied buck to the coremony which had itaken place there fifty years before, for sibe did not attempt to restrain the tears of unmanly feeling. "Again, in the Abbey, when ThanksIfiving was over, and the solemn organ tones stilled, and when, one after the other, the relatives and connections of the Pvoyal House came up to salute the Queeaa, Hei Majesty was evidentally atiectedL But when the turn came to the Grand Duke of Hesse, the husband of the lost daughter, Alice, for whom the Queen still chat ishes the deepest love, Her Majesty broke down ■altogether. As he, bowing kissed her hand, and as her lips touched his cheek, the Queen was quite unable to control the passion of sorrow. Quietly afterwards she wiped the tears away and went on with the ceremonial which to her lepresented, no doubt, not only the fulfilment of many hopes, but also the realisation of many j soirows. While the Queen was weeping, the Royal princes, quite unconsciously as it seemed, bent their heads in unfeigned reference. " One touch of nature make* the whale world kin !" It seems to me that this incident in yesterday's ceremonial deserves to be j-ecorded. Let history deal with it as it will, I am ceitain that no one vrho witnessed it, and no one who reads of it, can realise all it must have meant without feeling that in those tears lies the true significance of the poet's phrase, that the Royal lady who wears " the white flower ot a blameless life " must inevitably find that her Throne is, indeed, * broad based upon the people's will. " :

The Women's Jubilee Offering. 3 The Women's Jubilee offering of L 75,000 ( was presented to Her Majesty by a repre- ] eentative body of 200 ladies on Wednesday j afternoon. j The Women's Jubilee present takes the ' form of as. equestrian statue of the late Prince Conaort, to be raised in Windsor Park, in the place known as Smith's Lawn. It will be & replica of the famous statue in Glasgow, <md the Queen has expressed her desire tli&t the foundation-stone of the monument Bhall be laid by herself on July 14. In addition to the statue, the funds will admit of a large amount being handed over to some charitable purpose, not yet decided upon. In all over L 75,000 has been collected, s*id before the subscriptions close it is expected that the sum will amount to LBO,OOO. There was in all about three million subscribers, 1,600,414 in England contributing on the average 7^(l per head ; 340,217 in Scotland, at stfd per head ; 149,346 in Ireland, at s^l ; and 128,438 in Wales at 4fd. Other parts of the Empire also contributed; 26,174 in JBurmah sending 9,134 rupees. With the gift was presented a beautiful address on vellum, fringed in gold, and adorned with the Royal Arms, the dates 1837-1887, and the arms of London, Liverpool, Glasgow, Dublin. Most of the crack London clubs presented their servants with a year's wages, in honour i of the Jubilee. The town of Chipping-Sodbury, in Gloucestershire, can boast the possession of a genuine Jubilee virgin of ninety-five years of age, who is hale and hearty, and can vividly recall the rejoicings in honour ofthe sQth anniversary of George lll.'s reign. Mistress ,J,ane. VVoodwai'd— for such is her name— was then a damsel of sweet seventeen,' She took part in the local festivities

of Tuesday last, and created an immeuso sensation by wearing the very same coalscuttle bonnet she" wore in 1809. The old lady had carefully preserved it, " laid up in lavender," for seventy -eight years. Amongst the edible presents accepted by the Queen may be mentioned a mammoth Royal sturgeon from the .Volga, a Jubilee cucumber of leviathan proportions, and a monster afternoon tea cake, weighing over a quarter of a ton and standing ten feet high. The latter was the humble offering of Cunter and Co., the renowned Berkeley Square confectioners. It took two months to make, and cost L2OO. Most of the London Theatres wore closed on Jubilee night. Those that remained open started their performance between 4 and 6 in the afternoon so that the audiences got out in plonty of time for the illuminations. The most popular of Jubilee engagements is unquestionably that of the tair Mary Anderson to her handsome jcunc premier. Forbes Robertson. Young Robertson, who is Mrs Kendall brother and a son of the famous dramatist, T. W. Robertson, first made his name ab a member of the Bancroft's company at the Haymarket. He has for some years past shared with HaiTy Conway and Terris the reputation of being tho most " mashed " man on the stage. His fascinations must indeed be irresistible, since tho icy Mimi has succumbed to them. The Jubilee has been a proiitable business for the gas companies and litters and timber merchants. Carpenters and decorators, too, have made " pots " of money out of it. The cost of erecting stands* on the lino of the procession alone is (allowing for wood that can be used again) estimated at more than L 120,000.L l 20,000.