Francis Joseph, of Hapsburg, was crowned King of Hungary at
Buda on the 8th inst., with sacred unction, thirty hours' fasting, defiance on horseback to the four ends of the earth, and all the rest of a ceremonial which must have been at once barbaric and imposing, the magnates appearing covered with jewels, their servants blazing in fantastic liveries, and the peasantry huddling together dressed in skin jackets with the hair turned inwards, trousers of linen, and sandals of cowhide sewn with sinew close to the feet. The King's reception appears to have been enthusiastic, and the nation, as a whole, accepts the reconciliation, though it is said the Radical members of the Diet appeared in mourning dresses, and held an open-air funeral service outside Buda for the lost independence of Hungary. At any rate, freedom has not been lost when such a service is possible without interference.
