London, 27th June.
What was to have gone down to history as procession day, when it was expected there would be the greatest crush ever witnessed in the streets of London, finds the city practically deserted. The bank holiday proclaimed for to-day paralysed business, The masses, apparently surfeited with their eventless wanderings in the streets yesterday, either cleared out to the country, tempted by the perfect weather, or else stayed at home.
Certainly the main thoroughfares could not have been more deserted on any Sunday in the year. The big hotels, however, were each an oasis of activity amid the otherwise general stagnation. Many Americans are preparing to start. for the continent. and others have already gone there or to the country, while numbers took advantage of the fine day to visit the great. fleet assembled off Spithead. Sir Thomas Lipton is entertaining a distinguished party on hoard his steam yacht: Erin.
The fashionable cafes and restaurants were the scenes of numerous smart luncheons, while extensive but quiet preparations were made for week-end house parties at the surrounding country places, whose owners seem to think the situation warrants at least some subdued gaiety in honour of the many prominent visitors.
A party of 1,100 orphans from the various institutions were entertained by the Prince and Princess of Wales to-day at a dinner given in the grounds of Marlborough House. The Prince and Princess visited their little guests.
Throughout the afternoon only small crowds gathered about Buckingham Palace. The 2 o'clock bulletin created the greatest satisfaction. Subsequently a member of the government said to a representative of the Associated Press Really everything is going on wonderfully well and we all now think the King will recover, though, of course, we are pior'ng himself a gallant good deal of ill feeling and miscredited criticism seems to have been caused by the omission of the temperature from the bulletins. I understand the doctors avoided mention of it for the purpose of preventing what they believed would be an avalanche of faulty deductions from the press and alleged experts. It is only natural that the King's temperature slightly rises at night and it is expected to do so for some time. Wednesday evening when, perhaps, the King might have been expected to have been at his most critical period, his temperature was normal, yet the doctors purposely refrained from mentioning it."
From an equally authoritative source, the Associated Press learns that the King reads and converses continually with the Queen and the Prince and Princess of Wales. All that the doctors insist is that ho shall not discuss matters requiring careful weighing.
The government officials expect. possibly within a week to fix the approximate date of the Coronation, which will probably occur early in the autumn.
The latest bulletins created the most favourable impression in Parliamentary circles. Many of the medical experts now believe that all danger of any septic process has passed and that so far as can be seen the crisis may be regarded as at The operating table, bandages and other appliances connected with surgical operations were removed from the Palace this afternoon.
At the adjournment of the House of Commons at 5.30 p.m. to-day, A. J. Balfour, the government leader, announced that the progress of the King was quite satisfactory.
The American Special Ambassador, Whitelaw Reid, and Mrs. Reid, called by appointment. on the Prince and Princess of Wales this afternoon to take official leave of their royal highnesses. Mf, Reid will now close up the special embassy and go to Portsmouth to visit Rear Admiral Crowninshield, commander-in-chief of the European station, on the flagship Ilinois.
Rear Admiral John C. Watson, who was to have represented the United States navy at the Coronation, went to Paris yesterday. and General J. H. Wilson, the representative of the United States army in the special embassy, is to follow him. Col. John Biddle, General Wilson's aide. will return to America, The presence of the Princess of Wales, and the inclusion of Mrs, Reid in the audience to-day, was simply a continuation of that special friendly attitude which {ho British royal family ard government have throughout shown towards the Ame mission. King Edward has expressed himself as greatly pleased with the receipt of President Roosevelt's message of greet ing, and the members of his government. have missed no opportunity throughout the mission's visit of indicating its appreciation of the friendly feeling shown by them, Prince Henry of Prussia leaves to-morrow for Germany.
When Prince Henry was leaving Buckingham Palace after his visit this after. noon the marked warmth of the cheering of the people evidently pleased him great-Only to-day is London beginning to realise the practical effects of the Coronation postponement. The exodus of visitors to the continent and the provinces is taxing the railroads. The big tourist agencies were crowded al. day booking the cheaper class of "trippers" for whom London, minus the Coronation, had no attraction.
How much London's floating population has been reduced during the past twenty-four hours it is hard to estimate. All per-song of moderate means wha are getting out of the city as quivsly possible. The smaller hotels and voard-ing houses are the worst sufferers. The big hotels declare that they have been almost unaffected by the postponement of the Coronation, the wealthier Americans and others who had come to witness the Coronation making no move to go, though the next fortnight doubtless will witness a general migration to the continent and Scotland.
The trans-Atlantic booking offices -are flooded with inquirers for early pass=ge by Americans for whom the Coronation was the sole object of their visit to England. New York, 27th June.
The colonial premiers and ministers, while sorely disatinointed over the postponement of the Coronation. are consult-jing among themselves. cables the London correspondent of the "Tribune," and receiving cues from Colonial Secretary Joo
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.