It is stated
that Her Majesty did not seem exhausted, though she was observed to put
her hand to her head frequently, as though the crown was not, after all,
a very comfortable fit.
After reigning more than a year, she had been obliged to spend nearly
five fatiguing hours in being finished as a Queen. How strange it all
seems to us American Republicans, who make and unmake our rulers with
such expedition and scant ceremony.
CHAPTER XIII.
Pictures and descriptions of the Queen--Her love of pets--Her passion for
horseback exercise--Her spirited behavior in the first change of her
Ministers.
In the Hall of the St. George's Society of Philadelphia there is a very
interesting picture by the late Mr. Sully of Queen Victoria in her
coronation robes. It is life-size, and represents her as mounting the
steps of the throne, her head slightly turned, and looking back over the
left shoulder. It seems to me that Her Majesty should own this picture,
for it is an exquisite specimen of Mr. Sully's peculiar coloring, and a
very lovely portrait. Here is no rigidity, no constraint, no irksome
state. There is a springy, exultant vitality in the bearing of the
graceful figure, and the light poise of the head, while in the complexion
there is a tender softness and a freshness of tints belonging only to the
dewy morning of life.
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