KAISER'S FIRST BORN.

Auckland Star, Volume XXX, Issue 88, 15 April 1899, Page 5 (Supplement)

KAISER'S FIRST BORN.

The German Emperor on Tuesday, February 21,. as sovereign and head of the Order of the Black Eagle, says the 'Berliner Tageblatt,' held the" annual investiture and chapter of the order in the royal castle, Berlin, for the investiture of Prince Frederick William of Prussia, General yon Krosigk, Prince Oberst .Truchsen yon Radolin, -Herr yon Wedel, Minister of the Royal Household; Herr yon Gossler, Admiral yon Knorr and Professor yon Menzel.

Tne chapter was distinguished by the gorgeous ceremonial followed on such occasions. The princes of the Royal house and the knights belonging to reigning German houses assembled at two o'clock in the apartment known as Frederick the Great's Room, where the treasurer of the Order, Herr Bork, clothed them in the mantles and insignia of the Order. The other knights assembled in the adjoining ga-llery, ' and the new knights in the Hall of Order of the Red Eugle.

Among those invited to the investiture were the chief court officials, the commanding generals of the German army, the Ministers of State, the Privy Councillors and the Emperor's headquarters staff and suite. These assembled in the Room of the Cloth of Gold. Those of the higher rank took their places to the right of the throne, the imperial aides-de-camp to the left, and the remainder of the company stood opposite. Ail present were either in court dress or In full dress uniform.

In the flail of the Knights and in the Silver Galle.ry groups of trumpeters were placed, bearing long . silver trumpets, with silk bannerets attached to them.

When all the knights were assembled Count yon Kanitz, master of ceremonies of the Order, Informed the Emperor, who then assumed his mantle and headed the procession to the hall of the Knights. At the head marched the two heralds of the Order, then came tne court pages bearing the insignia of the new knights, followed by the secretary and treasurer of the Order. Then came Herr yon Knesebeck, under master of ceremonies, bearing the statutes of the Order, and Count yon Knesebeck, under master of cerembnies, his wand of otfice.

Then came the knights, marching two by two, the youngest leading. Among them were General Count yon SchliefCen, General yon Wittich, General Count yon Haeseler, Count yon Eulenburg, Master of the Court; Privy Councillor Dr. yon Lucanus, Dr. yon Miquel, Minister of Finance, and General yon Seeckt. These were followed by the Prince yon Pless, the chancellor of the order, and then came the German princely members of the order, Duke Ernst Gunther of Schles-» wig Holstein with Prince Frederick oi Hohenzollern, Prince Joachim Albrecht of Prussia with Prince Frederick Henry of

Prussia, the hereditary Prince of SaxeMeiningen with Prince Frederick Leopold of Prussia, the Landgrave Alexis of Hes-sen-Philippsthal zu Barchfeld with Prince Albrecht of Prussia, Regent of Brunswick, and, last of all, the Emperor..

In 'the Hall of the Knights the knights took their places in a half circle to .the left of the throne, in order of seniority, while the princes formed a half circle to the right. The chancellor and secretary of the order took their places on the steps of the throne. As soon as the procession began to enter the hall a fanfare was sounded by the trumpeters, which lasted till the Emperor had ascended the throne. ; .• : .

Prince Albrecht and Prince Frederick Henry, preceded by the two heralds, then went to the Hall of the Order of the Red Eagle and accompanied Prince- Frederick William to the Hall of the Knights, remaining beside him as his sponsors till the end of the ceremony.

A blast on the trumpets saluted the entrance of the new knight. After the reading of the vow. by the escretary. of the order, the Emperor, the statutes of the order in his hand, asked, the new knight if he would fulfil the duties. Prince Frederick William then advanced to the steps of the throne,- laid his right hand on the open volume of the statutes and swore to observe them. The band of the order was' then placed over his shoulder and his sponsors clothed him in the mantle, an old German fanfare being blown on the trumpets the while. His Royal Highness then knelt down on the steps of the throne and the Emperor placed the chain of tlie order round his neck and gave him' the accolade. The trumpeters then sounded the march of the order, and Prince Frederick William walked round the circle of knights, shaking hands with each in turn.

The ceremony of the investiture was gone through twice more, the first time for General yon Krosigk, Prince yon Radolin and Herr yon Wedel, whose sponsors were Count zu Eulenburg and General Count yon Schlieffen, the second for Herr yon Gossler, Admiral yon Knorr, and Herr yon Menzel. The procession was then re-formed, and to the sound of trumpets marched to the hall, where the chapter was held. As soon as the last knight had entered the doors of the hall were closed, the heralds mounting guard outside till the chapter was finished. At its conclusion the procession marched to the Hall of the Order of the Black Eagle, where the Emperor and the other members removed their mantles.