nfully
fought against.

Of the ceremony itself, I say nothing--everything was done decorously and
in order. It took a long time, for it was a quarter to four when the
royal procession reformed and took its way through the nave of the abbey.
The Queen entertained a party of 100 at dinner; and, in the evening,
witnessed, from the roof of her palace, the fireworks discharged in the
Green Park. The Duke of Wellington gave a grand ball at Apsley House,
for which cards of invitation were issued for 2,000 persons.

As an indication of the numbers of people set down at the Abbey, I may
mention that the carriages which were ordered to proceed (after setting
down) to the south side of Westminster Bridge, occupied a line from the
bridge to Kennington Cross (more than a mile). The carriages which were
to proceed, after setting down their company, to the west side of London,
formed a line nearly to Kensington (a mile and a half). Those ordered to
wait in the Strand extended, in double lines, to St. Mary le Strand, and
those directed to wait in Bird Cage Walk, St. James's Park, occupied (in
double rows) the whole line to Buckingham Palace.

There was a balloon ascent from Hyde Park, which was a comparative
failure, for it descended in Marylebone Lane, quite done up with its
short journey, and another sent up from Vauxhall, which was more
successful. There were grand displays of fireworks in the Green and Hyde
Parks, and all London was most beautifully and brilliantly illuminated.

But the great thing was the Fair in Hyde Park, which had official leave
to exist for two days--but which, in fact, lasted four. The area
allotted to it comprised nearly one third of the Park, extending from
near the margin of the Serpentine to within a short distance of Grosvenor
Gate. The best account I know of this Fair is in _The Morning Chronicle_
of 29 June, and I here reproduce it:

"Of all the scenes which we witnessed, connected with the Coronation,
probably this was the most lively, and that in which there was the
least confusion, considering the mass of persons collected together.
Our readers are already aware that the Fair was permitted to take
place by the Government, on the petition of the present holders of
the show which formerly belonged to the celebrated Richardson; and it
was to their care, together with that of Mr. Mallalieu, the
Superintendent of Police, that its general management was entrusted