Page:The Book of Orders of Knighthood and Decorations of Honour of All Nations.djvu/697

330 second birthday). He also promulgated new statutes, which King Charles XIII. afterwards modified in many points.

The principal provisions of the new statutes are:

That the Order is to consist of only one class, comprising twenty-four Swedish and eight foreign Knights (the number has, however, of late been greatly exceeded), exclusive of the King and the royal princes, who are considered born Knights, as also of the reigning monarchs and princes abroad, and their eldest sons, who may be admitted to the Order.

The candidates to possess the rank of, at least, LieutenantGeneral.

The nomination of new members to take place once a-year in the Chapter, usually on the Monday after Advent, to remind the Knights that faith is due to the King of Zion. The actual reception into the Order, however, is fixed at the 28th April, the birthday of King Frederick I. of glorious memory. In the interval between the nomination and reception, the newly elected member can only wear the star, but not the cross with the ribbon.

The reception takes place at Stockholm in the Knightly Holm Church, or in the royal chapel in the Castle, in the presence of all the Knights and functionaries of the Order, as also of the Commanders of all the other Orders.

The ceremonies are as follow:

The King is seated under a canopy to the right of the altar, and the Knights assembled occupy benches to the right and the left, while the newly elected member is placed in front of the altar between two senior members, who act, as it were, as sponsors. After the hymn, " Come, Holy Spirit" is chanted, the chief preacher of the Court briefly addresses the meeting on the duties of the subjects towards God, the King, and the country. The Chancellor, who stands to the left of the sovereign, then explains in a few words the object of the Order, the honour attached to it, and the reasons which have induced