Page:Notes by the Way.djvu/245

Rh Vizetelly had to throw many sketches aside, as they could not be used for The Observer. These he "utilized for a panoramic drawing in columns, a dozen or more feet in length, which was published by Tyas, who paid me for it, I remember, at the rate of so much per foot!"

Before the starting of The Illustrated London News on the 14th of May, 1842, occasional illustrations would appear in some of the weekly papers. Among the first and best of these was The Athenæum, and Mr. Clement Shorter, in 'A Literary Letter' in The Sphere of the 14th of June, 1902, gives a beautiful reproduction of two illustrations which appeared on the 12th of March, 1831, of the Lowther Arcade and the improvements at Charing Cross. Other illustrations included a general plan and a perspective view engraved on steel of the new Houses of Parliament. These engravings attracted great attention, as they were supplied exclusively to The Athenæum. They were given with the number for the 21st of May, 1836.

Among incidents which occurred at the coronation of Victoria is one given in the diary of Sir John Bickerton Williams, who was the first knight made by Her Majesty. He occupied a seat in the part of the Abbey allotted to the Royal family. He noticed that "when Her Majesty had to take off her crown to receive the Sacrament, she was obliged to apply both her thumbs to pinch it up; it appeared rather too tight." Another incident will be remembered, as mentioned in 'The Greville Memoirs,' that the ruby ring was made for the Queen's little finger instead of the fourth, on which the rubric prescribes that it should be put. The Archbishop insisted upon its being placed on the fourth finger, and it was forced on and hurt her very much, and "she was obliged to bathe her finger in iced water in order to get it off."

The note on the 5th of July, 1902, with the well-known signature of J. S. S., reminds me how often in years gone by we sang the hymn written by Chorley to commemorate the birth of the Prince of Wales, now King Edward VII., "Thou that from Thy throne of splendour." It was set to Haydn's music, the Austrian National Anthem, and was included in Hullah's Part-Music: Sacred Songs, published at first by John W. Parker in 1842, and now by Novello & Co. Among many poems by Chorley was one, a prayer for peace, "Give to us peace in our time, O Lord." This was set to the music of the Russian National Anthem, and was frequently sung at the time of the war with Russia. This also belonged to the same series, the secular volumes of which likewise include three songs by Chorley: No. 1, 'May Day,' "The sun already from the skies," and No. 2, the well-known harvest song, "Thro' lanes with hedgerows pearly," as well as a fireside song,