Office of the Historian

No. 601.
Mr. Schuyler to Mr. Blaine.

[Extract.]
Legation of the United States,
Bucharest, May 26, 1881. (Received June 17.)
No. 69.]

Sir: The coronation festivities have just ended. Although they were in a manner improvised, and little time had been given for their preparation, they were on the whole successful and drew a large crowd to the capital.

The coronation itself was a very simple affair. It took place on the 22d of May, the anniversary of the first entry of King Chalres into Bucharest as prince and of the independence of the country. At noon in the court of the cathedral, in the presence of the diplomatic body, the Senate, the House of Deputies, and other bodies of state, the two crowns, one made of the steel of a Turkish cannon captured at Plevna, and the other of gold, were blessed by the Metropolitan and bishops. The King and Queen, Prince Leopold of Hohenzollern, the Metropolitan, and the ministers of state, then signed the formal act of coronation. Subsequently, in the palace, the King and Queen received the congratulations of the representatives of foreign powers, of the bodies of state, and of the deputations from the whole country, amounting in all to about 10,000 persons. Prince Dimitri Ghika, the President of the Senate, presented the steel crown to the King, and Mr. Rosetti, the President of the Chamber of Deputies, the gold one to the Queen. The King, taking the crown and raising it above his head, made a short address, of which I inclose a translation herewith, marked 1.

On the next day, May 23, there was an historical procession of the representatives of commerce, manufactures, trades, science, and art, and yesterday a parade of the troops, which had been deferred for a day on account of the rain. On both of these occasions the diplomatic body was provided with seats on the right of the royal pavilion.

Having learned that various powers were about to present congratulations to the King on the day of his coronation, and the letter of the President in reply to that of the King announcing his change of title not having yet been received, I judged it best on May 21 to telegraph you that fact. (A copy of my telegram is inclosed herewith, marked 2.) And, on the morning of May 22, I received your reply, marked 3. I immediately afterwards gave a copy of your telegram to the secretary-general of the ministry of foreign affairs, and presented the congratulations [Page 988] of the President to the King in person. His Majesty requested me to thank the President for this kind attention, for which he was very grateful, and I was subsequently officially requested by the minister of foreign affairs to transmit to the President and the Government of the United States the thanks of His Majesty and his government.

Several governments had previously asked whether it would be agreeable to receive special missions on the occasion of the coronation. The reply was given to them that the Roumanian Government preferred to consider the fete as one of a domestic character. Nevertheless, at the last moment, and much to astonishment of the government, General Bauer, the military commandant of Transylvania, arrived with an autograph letter from the Emperor of Austria.

* * * * * * *

I have, &c.,

EUGENE SCHUYLER.
[Inclosure 1 in No. 69.—Translation.]

Speech of the King.

The festival of to-day is the consecration of fifteen years of difficult struggles and great acts. In the shade of its constitution Roumania has grown, has developed, has strengthened itself. The perseverance of the nation, the bravery of the army, and the faith I have always had in the virility of the people have realized our most ardent wishes by the proclamation of royalty, which is the surest guarantee for the future. I accept then with pride, and as a symbol of the independence and the power of Roumania, this crown made from a cannon which has been watered by the blood of our brave soldiers and blessed by the church. It will be guarded as a precious treasure, recalling the critical moments and the glorious times that we have passed together; it will show future generations the bravery of the Roumania of to-day, and the union which reigns between the country and the sovereign. For the Queen, as for myself, the most beautiful crown is always the love and confidence of the nation, for which we have but one thought, its happiness and its greatness.

Let us all join, then, before these banners which have shone on the field of honor, before this crown, emblem of royalty, and around which the entire nation should group itself as soldiers around a banner, before this grand manifestation by which the whole country has thronged to the capital, let us join in this cry dear to our hearts and which will find a powerful echo in this place consecrated by the proclamation of the most solemn acts: “Long live our beloved Roumania, crowned to-day by its civic and military virtues.”

[Inclosure 2 in No. 69.]
[Telegram.]

Mr. Schuyler to Mr. Blaine.

Legation of the United States,
Bucharest, 2 p.m., May 21, 1881.

Blaine, Secretary, Washington, Columbia District:

Coronation to morrow, Sunday. President’s letter not arrived. Would suggest direct telegram to the King.

SCHUYLER.
[Inclosure 3 in No. 69.]
[Telegram.]

Mr. Blaine to Mr. Schuyler.

Washington. [undated].

Schuyler, Chargé, Bucharest, Roumania:

Convey cordial congratulations of President on King Charles’s coronation to-morrow, [Page 989] and sincere wish that it may bring a new era of happiness to His Majesty and prosperity to the Roumanian nation.

BLAINE,
Secretary.