436 FORTIa’s TRAVELS IN SWEDEN .

being rather too gay for the Commanders and Grand Crofles of the Sword , who can-not be young people. The coat, waiftcoat, breeches, and cloak, are feverally of thefame colour in each of the orders: all the knights wear white ftockings, with whiterofes in their fhoes. The Prince Royal alone wore a coat of cloth of gold, on accountof his not having yet been inverted with the Sword . The levee being ended, we re-paired to a gallery in the chapel, fet apart for minifters and foreigners who had been,prefented at court. The King entered in all the luxury of royal pomp, announced bymufic, and feated himfelf in a filver chair, beneath a canopy fronting the church. (Thisceremony ought to have taken place in the church of Redderholm, but the King pre-fers the chapel of the cartle, as being more near and more convenient.) On the left,,beneath a canopy, were three chairs with the arms of the Emprefs, the King of Prurtia,.and King of Denmark: on one fide upon a turning, chairs of a fmaller fize for princesof royal blood, not yet fovereigns. On the right and left of the King, were His Ma-jefty’s two brothers, with their officers behind them, and an officer belonging to theguards; the other Knights were afterwards placed on the right and left according totheir anceftry, each feated on a cuffiion of crimfon velvet, and bearing above his arms.In the middle of the choir, the four novices to beinftalled awaited the ceremony, featedon raifed benches, each between two Knights who were to ferve for their fponfors ; ona line fronting the altar, were the Knights of the other orders with their heralds at arms,,the drefs of whom is abfolutely the fame as that of the heralds of France , with the ex-ception of crowns inrtead of fleurs de lys. Service being finilhed (a ceremony, which,thanks to the fermon of the Biffiop of Wefteros, Grand Almoner of the order, was offufficient duration),, the three grand officers approached the altar to receive the cordonslaid on cuffiions; as well aS the book which contains the form of oath to be taken onthe occafion. One of the Knights then rofe for the fword of the kingdom, and placedhimfelf by the fide of the King, holding it drawn. It is cuftomary for the Chancellorof the order to make a fpeech, in which he exprefles the motives which have inducedthe King to grant the Order of the Seraphim to fuch and fuch Knights ; as His Majeftyhimfelf executed the funftion of Chancellor, he put on his hat and made a fpeech ofnearly half an hour’s duration. The four Knights inftalled, were General Platen ,Baron Armfeldt, Count Munok , and Count Oxenftier\i; the two latter fill civil appoint-ments ; the two former general officers diftinguilhed themfelves in the late war, which.His Majefty did not fail, in his addrefs, to notice with his ufual grace.

The four new Knights knelt and took the oath, they were then admitted one afterthe other. The King ties the chain of the order round the neck, and afterwards ftrikesthe novice three times on the fhoulder with the flat part of the fword, then drawing offhis glove, prefents his hand to be kified. The Knight then embraces every fellowKnight in fucceffion, and after embracing the Princes of the blood, kifles their hand:he is conftantly attended by his fponfors. The King withdrew with the fame paradehe entered, and dined in public with the Knights of the order, who, during the wholeof dinner, remained covered. The carving fquire alone ferved all round the table. Inthe evening a court is held ; the Knights of the Seraphim on this occafion wear a crim-fon coat with gold facings, and two fimilar ftripes at the two corners of their cloak.After cards, a grand fupper was given : except on this occafion, we never faw the twoprinces of the blood royal at the fame table with His Majefty in public. The Knights of this order, if of the military profeffion, wear as well the crofs of the Order of theSword, and of the Polar Star, if in civil life. The number of them is twenty-four,cxclufive of the King, the Swedifh and foreign Princes. The infignia are a large bright. blue-