Marlborough house and its occupants, present and past . elena) to theImperial car. This was hardly artistic, being littlebetter than a huge, cumbrous machine, rolling, asbest it might, upon four wheels of antique the platform thus supported, adorned withbanners, laurels, eagles, and velvet hangings, weretwelve gilded statues, upholding with raised armsan enormous shield whereon rested the coffin. AnImperial crown, partly concealed by violet crape,was placed on the top of all, and at a given signal,horses in splendid trappings, led by grooms inImperial livery, drew the vast structure
Marlborough house and its occupants, present and past . elena) to theImperial car. This was hardly artistic, being littlebetter than a huge, cumbrous machine, rolling, asbest it might, upon four wheels of antique the platform thus supported, adorned withbanners, laurels, eagles, and velvet hangings, weretwelve gilded statues, upholding with raised armsan enormous shield whereon rested the coffin. AnImperial crown, partly concealed by violet crape,was placed on the top of all, and at a given signal,horses in splendid trappings, led by grooms inImperial livery, drew the vast structure slowly, andwith difficulty, to its destination. The Wellington car differed materially fromboth of these. Its main feature, like the two •v -?» &:> _— •X _ u — CM M d c **] T. V w c» s c *T) b *«. ^0* ^ ?s pi (/^* - r •4 ft •v. v. q Co O sr 2 ^. v? **. a — v c S z S — s r ^ O fc V > 9 C/3 £ — ft H & > «* a ?0 b B **. > &- 7> «\ — ^ C o<: ?• ^n ^» cc ^ l-i ** M X Ci N. Marlborough House. 251 just described, was necessarily a platform calculatedto bear a considerable weight, but a trophy at thefour corners consisting of real helmets, guns, flagsand drums, produced a sense of reality and fitting-ness, contrasting favourably with the semi-theatricaladornments of the vehicle upon which the body ofNapoleon was borne to the Invalides. Wellingtonsbier, covered with a splendid velvet pall, diaperedwith the Dukes crest and baton across, fringedwith laurel leaves, the whole worked in silver,rested upon this platform ; and upon the bierbeneath a canopy of rich tissue, supported byhalberds, lay the coffin, uncovered by pall, andbearing upon it the old warriors sword and plumedhat. (By the way, the great Duke was always sup-posed to be somewhat below the ordinary height ofman ; but this, like many other popular illusions,has recently been dispelled—and in a very simplemanner. A suit of clothes worn by the Duke ofWellington, was tried on by th
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1890, booksubjectedwardv, bookyear1896
