52 REMINISCENCES OF 



CHAPTER V. 



QUEEN VICTORIA'S CORONATION. 



I WENT up from Nottingham for the Coronation ; the 

 first time I ever travelled on a railway. The North- 

 Western line was open to Denby Hall where there 

 was no station, and they drove the coach up to the 

 side of the rails in a grass field, shoved it on to a 

 truck and took it bodily up to London. The only re- 

 freshment-place was Wolverton, and the only refresh- 

 ment hot elder wine and " parliament" ginger-bread. 



Not having a ticket for Westminster Abbey I did 

 not take my uniform with me. On arriving in Lon- 

 don I found they had got me a ticket, but I had 

 no means of getting the uniform in time. My sister 

 Mary went with my uncle, General Sir Frederick 

 Adam. My uncle, Sir Charles Adam, was at this 

 time one of the Lords of the Admiralty, so we were 

 allowed to get on to the top of the archway in front 

 of the Admiralty to see the procession. 



My sister wrote the following account : 



" DOVER STREET, Friday, 1838. 



" MY DEAR JEAN, 



" As it has begun to rain, I think I may 

 find time to write to you and tell you about our 

 gaiety, so expect a regular journal of nonsense. 



