Last week Kensington was quite en fete as Her Majesty went there to lay the foundation stone of the addition about to be made to the South Kensington Museum, in completion of the original design, The weather was lovely, everyone donned their newest and brightest spring costumes in honour of the vecasion and quite a jubilee air prevailed. Tt was a semi-state function, so men were all either in uniform or Court Gentle: cent attire and the scene was brilliant beyond description All Officers of State were received by the Prince of Wales, who wor? the uniform of a Field Marshal and the blue ribbon of the garter. The Queen, sore black, but her bonnet was white feather and some roses. After the ational anthem had been sung the proceedings were opened by the Duke of Devonshire, who read an address stating the reasons for the required enlargement and explaining the objects, ete., of the Museu After this the stone
with a silver trowel, then the Prince spread vas laid, Her Majesty tapped the mortar it on the brick-work. A few skilled workmen in white coats adjusted the heavy stone (which was worked by pulleys from above), three taps were given by the Queen with a polished wooden mallet, and the Prince, in her name, declared ''the stone to be well and truly laid." After this a very Faureate andthe music by Sir Hubert Pars) retty Madriga (the words by the Poet
was sung by the pupils from the Raya College of Music, the Archbishop of Cwnter bury offered up a short prayer, a fanfare of trumpets was sounded, and all was over. The entire ceremony lasted barely 20 minutes, but so great was the crowd that Her Majesty must have been well on her way to Windsor before all the invited guests had dispersed.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.