CORONATION FESTIVITIES.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1162, 24 June 1911, Page 11

CORONATION FESTIVITIES.

GOKGEOUS SHAKESPEARE BALL. A GEEAT SPECTACLE. Bj Telecraph-Press Association -Oonrrlchi London, June 21. Within tho annals of lioynl functions thero has been no assembly so' representative of the world's Powers as last night's Stato banquet at Buckingham Palace. There were SGO Coronation guests, including the representatives of tho Foreign Powers and the oversea Premiers. All tho gentlemen attending tho State banquet wero in uniforms and wore their orders and decorations. Various members of the Eoyal Family wero distributed among the several parties. Nearly ono hundred of tho ' principal guests were served from tho Sovereign's gold plate, brought under escort from the treasure vaults at Windsor.

A Charming Design for an Evening Gown. A Memorable Night. Their Majesties excused their guests early, .to enable those so■ desiring to attend tho Shakespeare Ball at the Eoyal Albert Hall, in aid of tho funds of the Shakespeare Memorial National Theatre. Tho ball was a brilliant spectacle, over four thousand persons being . present. Among the members of foreign Itoyal Houses 'who attended were the Crown Prince and Princess of Germany, .Prince 'Henry of Prussia (brother of the Kaiser), and tho Archduko Francis Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary (Heir-Apparent). The Duke and Duchess.of Connaught were also present. The leading idea of the ball was the arrangement of quadrilles based on Shakespeare's plays, the partners being dressed in character. Most of the grand dames of London society brought parties gorgeously arrayed in Tudor costume. Albert Hall Transformed, Tho huge hall itself had been transformed into a Tudor garden in the Italian style. The lowest tier of boxes Was faced with arching yew trees, real foliage being employed; the second tier was a series of vine-clad bowers, with bunches of real grapes, and the topmost tier'. wore the semblance of a carved stone colonnade. The balcony, viewed from below, was like a sloping green lawn, backed by fluwer-beds, from which a gfove of cypress trees rose, hiding the gallery pillars to the' "sky.". Tho,"sky".itself was formed of gauzy blue fabrics, behind which was an immense illumination of electric lights, the illusion'of a brilliant summer day being'wonderfully real. The King and (Jneen did not.attend the ball.

We read novels about Italy to let tho golden, sunlit atmosphere soak into us. Miss 'Marjorie Bowen's last two excellent novels make us wish to fly to Motley's Dutch Republic.

Sisniondi history helps us in many an Italian tangle, and it is well to realise Lorenzo tho Magnificent was not the ono and only Medici.

The extraordinary variations of the map of France are only to be believed by study, and if Burgundy is called Burgundy, and France France, it can lie realised the Valois kings had an anxious time.

I quite realise many people do not care for these far-away times, but could any history be more romantic than that of tho two Pretenders or the story of Mrs. Fiizherbert? People sometimes say, "Oh, but I don't know what books to net"; all I can say is, I find most booksellers tho kindest of helps. It is quite easy to belong to ono of the big libraries, who are most generous in help. ■ What I would counsel is, do not take too long a period at first, and let that period be ono you take a real interest in. One book will often point tho way to others, like Miss Hay's two delightful novels'. A "Winter Queen," and "A German Pom-