The 1901 Royal Pageant in Grand Harbour

54 I JANUARY 6, 2019 THE SUNDAY TIMES-OF ~TA THE SUNDAY TIMES OF MALTA JANUARY 6j 2019 I 55 HISTORY j -,.1 A water carnival float of a lion from HMS Caesar. A water carnival float of a replica of the Hibernia from HMS Hoivernia. A water carnival float of a swan from HM's Dockyard. Water carnival floats of a whale from HM's Drydocks, and of an elephant from HMS Canopus. The 1901 royal pageant in Grand Harbour can be read in printed facsimile form. I have Harbour were the awe-inspiring warships flukes, there were crocodiles with moving, View of Grand Harbour with the liner Ophir, March a number of images related to that event, HMS Renown, Ramillies, Andromeda, Diana, flaming jaws, ready to devour, thei·e were 1901, by the court painter Edoardo de Martino. which, I believe, have never been published Caesar, Canopus, Emperor.of India and many swans of the mammoth age and of antedilu again since 1901. others, as the main actors. Spectacular fire vian size, tl1ere were huge and innocent-look GIOVANNI The royal visit to Malta marked the second works, music, waltzing searchlights con ing sheep, sea serpents, colossal elephants, BONELLO stop in a long-tour of the empire undertaken tributed, but an original water carnival owls, camels, dromedaries, Noah's arks, lions, by the son of Edward VII, his Royal Highness added the most strikingly memorable note miniature Hibernias, dragons and whales and the Duke of Cornwall and York and his wife, in to the evening. we know not what else. What a scene of the 10 years' time to be crowned King George v Vice-Admiral John Fischer (who many con real and the unreal, the serious and the ludi At least one person in Malta was hoping that and Queen Mary. This grand royal tour evi sider the greatest British admiral since Nel crous, the serene and the imperious and the the forthcoming royal visit of the Duke and denced a political thank you from London for son), on appointing the organising committee simple and submissive! End of quote. Duchess of Cornwall and York would turn pro the support the empire had lavished on Great on March 12, had invited the ships and the pub Novel and striking for Malta in this water pitious. Vincent Farrugia of Strada Saluto, Val Britain in the Boer War. lic in Malta to contribute water floats to the carnival was the use of floats. Over a metal or letta, lately an assistant engineer at'the Dock The royals stopped at Gibraltar, Malta, Port plmmed carnival, offering lavish prices for tl1e wooden armature shaping the desired ani yard, had been asked by the crew to of HMS Said, Aden, Ceylon, Singapore, Australia, New best-decorated. The British Mediterranean mal, the carpenters stretched translucent Monkey to write to the Admiralty to request Zealand, Mauritius, South Africa, Canada and fleet, the Dockyard and the British-owned cloth. Strong electric lights were placed inside payment for overtime work. Newfoundland. Everywhere they met spectac yacht White Ladye took 'Up the invitation enthu the armature. When, at a signal, the other He wrote the letter, he said, because he was ular welcomes, in an empire--building propa siastically, but not a single Maltese chipped in. illuminations dimmed, the lightsinside the the only one around who could write. The ganda exercise that cost millions in entertain Passive resistance by boycott. floats switched on, turning them into bright Dockyard instantly fired him from his job, the ment, decorations, pageants, security, presents The committee set a general theme for the fluorescent creatures gliding in the darkness punishment such impudence deserved. He -at a time when many native colonials were water carnival- Noah's Ark. Two 'arks' took around them. was now begging their Royal Highnesses per suffering severe hardships. part, the proper Ark from HMS IUustrious, and Special effects enhanced the drama: the sonally to solicit his re-employment, signing an imperial baton. Artillery and gymnastics window, roof or balcony facing the harbour that a smaller replica of the Hibernia, from the mouths of dragons spewed flames and croco his petition "their obedient and humble and displays held sway at Corradino. was not crammed with people corning from all depot-ship herself, on which a military band diles devoured lesser animals. These effects do loyal servant", cringe de la cringe. The Admi "Lights inside the floats Curiously, one minor cultural event organ over the island to admire and enjoy the beauti· played martial music while it glided around not show in the photographs taken in daytime, organisers an expensive lesson. Maltese proceeded out of the harbour, showers of ralty snottily returned his petition, refusing to switched turning ised for the delectation of the royals left far ful Venetian festival organised by Vice-Adriliral the harbour. The other floats, built around but Harry Price's watercolour of the event cap craftsmen had offered to provide an unfor bright light ascended, the whole effect being forward it to the Duke. on, more lasting consequences: the Malta Society Fisher". The Chronicle stated that "practically very large boats or barges, represented ani turesthe dramaticcontrastbebweenthefloating gettable display for £100, but the authorities too beautiful and brilliant to describe, guns · An event described by hardened contempo them into bright of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce put all Malta assembled... the walls, bastions, cur mals from the Ark - a swan and a whale from transparencies and the surrounding darkness. had spurned their offer and awarded the con thundered forth a parting salute and their raries as "undoubtedly the finest sight ever together a 'Maltese Antiquity' exhibition in the tains, Baraccas, forts and approaches were 'sin1· the Dockyards, a camel from the Royal Oak, the The use of huge public transparencies tract to the old London firm Messrs James God speed, the enthusiastic onlookers seen in the Grand Harbour'' deserves to be rec fluorescent creatures grand hall of Palazzo Xara, opposite StJohn Co ply crowded with happy sightseers". extinct dodo from the Victorious, the British dated from the times of the Knights: large Pain for five times that cost. cheered themselves hoarse, whilst the boys ollected. "Never," echoed an Italian-language Cathedral, in honour of the royals. That exhi And Malta added "notwithstanding the dan heraldic lion from the Caesar, the Welsh allegorical paintings in transparent colours A fiddle and a disappointment. What Pain in blue on the forecastles, on the riggings, on paper, "have we seen a more splendid festival". gliding in the darkness bition turned into the germ of the flrst national gerous overcrowding on the bastions, no acci Dragon from the Gladiator, an elephant from on translucent cloth, at night illuminated delivered was "a veritable mockery, all the the sides, in every place like ants; and the Even making allowance for some hard-sell museum in Malta, inaugurated four years later dents were reported and public order was not the Canopus. And a crocodile, an owl, an animal from the back. What the 1901 pageant added more bitter because it cost the trifle of 500 gentlemen in khaki cheered and cheered extravagance of the press, what we know of around them" on May 24,1905, with TemiZammit as found minimally disturbed". But then some critiCism that started as a bulldog but then grew into a to the concept was the newly discovered gold sovereigns. The country was fooled." while the sirens of the merchant vessels in the night of Wednesday, March 27, 1901, would ing curator. Enemy action destroyed Palazzo of the police: why didn't they ban vehicles! om rhino, a sea-serpent, a kangaroo, sheep and wonder of electric light, only introduced in The matter ended in court. Had lessons the harbour effectively assisted in a farewell truly qualify as over-the-top grandiose. Even In Malta it had an added message. The Xara in World War II, and its footprint has now passing through the crowds squeezed o the more from other ships. Malta in December 1896, and the fact that been learnt? such as was never accorded to anyone leaving the anti-colonialist, nationalist Malta failed to island was then in the throes of the distress been taken over by post-war StJohn's Square. harbour waterfront? It was miracle th t no The owners of the White Ladye decorated the tableaux were moveable. At 11pm the regiments, with their respective Malta's shores before". ' disguise its admiration entirely. ing 'language question', with the British press The highlight of the royal visit was to be a one was hurt by the vehicles (not cars) that and illuminated her 'splendidly'. The boat had The mini-Hibernia carried off the coveted bands, marched to prearranged points on the And, to round off, a maudlin bout of impe One difference. The anti-Italian press ing to suffocate Italian, the language tradi naval spectacle in Grand Harbom~ to coincide arrogantly forced their w1y through the previously belonged to Lillie Langtry, the most Admiral's award. Second prize went to the bastions to witness the Ophir leave - 350 of the rialist sentimentality: "all experi¢nced the described the pageant as a 'water carnival' while tionally used for centuries, to introduce with the departure of the Ophir at midnight. crowds, to the indignant protests of the p lblic. talked- about actress of her times, mistress of Malta Dockyard's huge swan. 1st Lancashire Fusiliers, 250 of the 3rd, 300 of peculiar sensation, naturalto us, when we are the pro-Italian paper referred to it, understand English instead. They spared no effort and The organisers spared no efforts, pared no What follows comes from the newspapers Edward VII when he was Prince of Wales, and The festival proper started at Spm with the the Royal Malta Artillery, 500 of the 5th about to part from those we love and rever ably, as a 'Venetian carnival'.

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