CORONATION ITEMS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXIX, Issue 11986, 7 June 1902, Page 6 (Supplement)

CORONATION ITEMS.

■ v.; : \'.;■ CORONATION ROSES. 'The best lands of roses that are being grown for the CoronatioH have to be tended with a. greater amount of care than many a mother" bestows upon her baby. 'Very soon > after the bud has formed the process of development will be watched with never-flag-ging interest, and will have to be retarded or accelerated with such exactness that the bloom will be at its very highest pitch of perfection at the exact hour at which it is required for use. ; The weather has at times, however the ... habit of upsetting the calculations of the '■■ most clever and painstaking gardener, and in order to prevent so far as possible the ravages of sun, wind, or excessive rain upon costly roses in June, just when huge quantities of the finest possible blooms will be required, an ingenious species of sunbonnet has been devised. This consists of an extremely light metal shade, fitted with a curved wire stem, and terminating in a clip, the whole apparatus somewhat resembling a standard gas or elec- *, tric rea'ding-lamp, minus the base plate. The clip clasps the stem of the rose tree in such a position that the shade forms a perfect umbrella for the bloom it is desired to protect, and effectually shelters it from the 'scorching rays of the sun or the boisterous ravages of wind. The shades are usually fitted with an adjustable screw, so that they can be turned 'in any direction as the sun moves across the heavens in the course of the day. They are exceedingly light, and can be fixed in position almost instantly. They , also do sot cut off the air supply to the rose, which was a great drawback to the oldfashioned wav of protecting the blooms— i.e., by carefully placing a paper bag or a piece 'of soft white paper over them and pinning it. Such delicate attention do some rare roses V need that it is often necessary to alter the position of the shade every hour, and this where several dozens of blooms are in course of cultivation at the same time is, as may be readily imagined, no light task. THE CORONATION SERVICE. HOW THE SHORTENING HAS BEEN , EFFECTED. • The King approved the form of the Coronation service on April. 24. At the first . Council which His Majesty has held at Buckingham Palace he signed the order confirming a greatly shortened form. ! ''"'■■ ■ There were present the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Duke of Norfolk (Karl Marshal). the Duke of Devonshire (Lord President of the Council), the Marquis of Cholmondelsy (Lord Great Chamberlain), and Mr. Almeric Fitzroy (Clerk of the Council). Viscount Esher. Permanent Secretary of the Office of Works, was in attendance at the palace. The service used at the Coronation of Willian IV. . was taken as the basis, and it was decided to make the following alterations : — The ceremony of the "First Oblation,',' the reading of the Ten Commandments, the Hallelujah Anthem, and Final Prayer to be V emitted altogether. The Litany to be reduced by about onehalf its length, the Benediction to be curtailed, and the Homage to be abbreviated by ■'■'■'■ limitation of the personal act to the senior 1 peer of each degree. The Coronation Oath itself is to be modified by the omission of all reference to the Church of Ireland, and there are alterations of certain anthems designed to save time. At the Coronation of King William and Queen Adelaide the Commandments came -".' .early in the Communion service, exactly as s in the order for Morning Prayer, while the Hallelujah Anthem would have come immediately after the ceremonies of crowning, .investiture, and homage, and just prior to the taking of the Holy Sacrament. The "First Oblation" came early in the ceremony difectly after the anthem, while the Litany, which is now to be about halved, -followed immediately. The anthems will be •sung while other portions of the service are going on. _ ; Perhaps the greatest time-saving is that effected in reference to the homage. This comes first after the ceremoneis of crowning ;: and " inthronisation."/ Following the homage of the archishop and bishops the other peers would under the old system have "done their homage," ; first taking the oath of allegiance, and then one by one ascending the throne and touching the crown on His Majesty's head, and ' "then every one of them kissetb the King's cheek." . ' , , With the foregoing exceptions the procedure at the Coronation of King William and Queen Adelaide will be closely followed. " ' THE ANOINTING. Interesting coronation letters. crop up daily. The Bishops of Bath and Wells and Durham have » unique place apart from ''.!'' their " Brother Bishops" on Coronation Day. Since the crowning of Richard 11. these two Lords Spiritual have enjoyed the honour of standing one on each side of ; the Sovereign after the crown has been placed on the King's head, in order to sup- • ?• port it should it be in any daiiger of falling off. .Special and splendid "copes," which have for their authority and correctness of cut and size ancient prints which are in the possession of the authorities of Westminster Abbey, are being made and embroidered for . their apostolic crown supporters. His Majesty, who, despite the many rumours to the '■' 'contrary, is going to be anointed in the ancient fourfold manner by the Archbishop of. Canterbury, thinking that some loss of ■ time might arise in preparing for the orthodox touch of anointing oil on the chest, has ordered that a . slit shall be made in his j magnificent cloth of gold vest, si as to en- " able the "chrism" to be applied without . difficulty. The chrism is a thick, almost solid compound prepared from oils and > balm, perfumed with herbs. At the coro- :, nation of William IV., when the Archbishop was about to anoint him on the chest, and , . [ opened his robes for that purpose, the King ,; was discovered to be wearing underneath his mantle a tight admiral's uniform. A ;• '-\cTelay was caused, during which the King ',' became impatient., showing a frank indiffer- ''.''■■"; , ence to the ritual part of the ceremonial. ~ >;-•' '" MILITARY PRISONERS TO BE .'. RELEASED. The chief feature of the. military celebra- ,; tions of the Coronation will be the release of all military prisoners under sentence. The decision to thus place on record the Royal appreciation of the efforts of the army in South Africa will prove extremely popular as well as humane. It is to affect | .all soldiers throughout the Empire , who are undergoing sentences up to two years with hard labour. ;;. Of courts, men sentenced to penal servitude are discharged from the service, and so will not participate. " ;v\ COLONIAL GUESTS. '.■;...■■ .The following is an official list of the colo- <• nial Governors and Premiers who will at- . tend the Coronation as Royal guests to re- ..'. present the. colonies: — : , Mediterranean . (comprising Gibraltar, Malta, and —General Sir Francis Wallace Grenfell, G.C.8., G.C.M.G. " i ; Eastern Colonies and Protectorates. Fiji, ~ A and Western Pacific—The Right Hon. Sir Joseph West Ridgewav, G.C.M.G., 'K. 0.8.. • K.C.S.I. : u <■■',: West Indies, Bermudas, British Honduras, • . and the Falkland Islands.—Sir Walter ; Joseph Seudall, G.C.M.G. 'West African Colonies and Protectorates. ,:. - —Sir William MacGregor, M.D. K.C.M G C.B. v; '.•; Canada—The Right lion. Sir Wilfrid ' - Laurier, G.C.M.G. Commonwealth fit" Australia.—The Right • Hon. t Edmund Barton. K.(J, :-\-•■<■'■■. New Zealand. —The Right Hon. Richard ■ John Seddon. Cape and St. Helena.— Right Hon. Sir John Gordon Sprigg, K.C.M.G. •'Natal.—Lieutenant-Colonel the Hou Sir Albert Heurv Hime, R.E., K.C.M.G. Newfoundland; — The Hon. Sir Robert Bond, K.C.M.G. .. . ••■:■':' Othei Royal Guests.-i-His Highness the Sultan of Perak, G.C.M.G.; and Lcwamka. \ Paramount Chief of the Barotse Kingdom. \\~y ■■■■■■!■ ■■'■:■/■'