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ROYAL ASCOT FOUNDED BY QUEEN ANNE. "Royal Ascot," as the English call the famous race course, has enjoyed the favor of kings and queens for 200 years. It was in the summer of 1711 that Queen Anne, while driving across Ascot Heath, noticed its fitness for her favorite sport of horse racing. She stopped to size of the situation and forthwith ordered a "round heat" to be prepared and also announced her intention of presenting a plate to be raced for. The "round heat" was duly made and the queen herself opened the racing life of Ascot by being present at the first meeting. From that time its history has been a brilliant one. One of the great features today is the so-called "Royal Progress," meaning the imposing arrival of the king and queen with outriders and sundry trappings of more or less brilliance. The first real attempt at this Royal Irogress the English write it with capitals was in 1814. but on that occasion the people were so enthusiastic over the fact that the allies had entered Paris and peace had been declared that they very nearly swamped the carriage containing the royal party. It was after the prince regent had ascended tho throne as King George IV.. says the Gentlewoman, that lie instituted the Royal Procession, riding on I- to the course up the New Mile in a coach and four with a splendid retinue and attended by the master of the royal buckhounds. A writer of the time makes a curious comment on the spectacle. He notes that "the uniform cleanliness of the servants and their appointments do infinite credit to the persons in charge of the establishment." and further informs us that the king afterwards "ate potted meats and fruit at the royal stand." During the reign of William IV. the brilliancy of Ascot waned considerably, but this was due more to lack of management than to lack or interest on tho part of the king. Like lils predecessor, he was a patron of the course and attended the meeting in semi-state. It was in 1832. when he appeared with the queen at the window of the royal etaud to acknowledge tlic salutation of his subjects, that he was struck by a stone hurled at him by one of the crowd. There was considerable excitement at the time, but luckily the king escaped without injury and the incident produced a great burst of loyalty from the assembled crowd. There were seven carriages and a phaeton in the procession in 1S34. The occasion was especially interesting in that it was the first time that the young Princess Victoria had attended a race meeting. She was in the first carriage with the kiug and queen and tho Duchess of Kent. In 1S3S, when the royal calvacado of seven carri ages drove up the New Mile and the young Queen Victoria, attended by a large party of outriders and the yeoman prickers of Windsor Great Forest, made her first appearance at Ascot as queen, it was the occasion of great excitement and enthusiasm. "The queen was attired in a pink slip over which was a lace dress; she wore a white gouge poke bonnet trimmed with pink ribbons, and ornaments with roses inside and out." Another interesting year was 1S4-1, when that stern autocrat Nicholas I.. Czar of All the Russias, was on a visit to this country. The royal procession then was exceptionally brilliant and included the Emperor of Russia, tho King of Saxony, with Queen Victoria and Prince Arthur. Little did any one think that within a few years Balaclava, Sebas-topol. Alma and Inkernian would be red with the blood of many who were then acclaiming the czar; least so he. for it was on this occasion that he offered to present annually the Emperors Plate, to bo raced for in place of the Gold Cup, and in fact for the following eight years the Cold Cup gave place in the program to the Emperors Plate. In all the Royal Progresses at Ascot until the end of tho nineteenth century members of the royal buckhounds held an important part. The master of the buckhounds had supreme control of the course and was senior steward until the abolition of the royal pack. It had lecome, therefore, the accepted order for the master of the royal buckhounds to ride at tho head of the calvacadc and to be attended by tho huntsman and whippersin. The course had boon cleared by the band of special constables in top hats and arme.d with peculiar poles painted blue and striped with red. and then amid the waving of hats and vociferous tokens of loyalty the procession passed up the green. There were nine open royal carriages, cacli drawn by four horses with outriders. In the first sat Queen Victoria in poke bonnet and holding a miniature parasol. There are several stories told of the high spirits of the queen at this meeting and the enthusiasm with which she entered into the racing even to putting her arm through a glass window in her excitement to watch the finish of one of the races. It used to be a favorite expression that the sun always shone when the queen went among her people, but 1S00 proved the exception and the Royal Progress from AVludsor was made In torrential rain. As it proved it was the last occasion on which Queen Victoria visited Ascot, for after the death of the prince consort, although by no means withdraw-1 iug her patronage, the queen did not attend another race meeting. A great deal of the present distinction in which Ascot is held is due to the never failing interest that King Edward took in its welfare. As Prince of Wales he was a constant patron of the royal race meeting and his marriage In March 1S03, lent additional interest to the procession at Ascot that year. When it became known that he would attend the races in semi-state, accompanied by his bride, an enormous crowd assembled on the heath to welcome the royal couple. Headed by the master of the buekhouuds. Lord Colville. wearing his silver couples the badges of his office and followed by the royal huntsmen and the whips, royal park keepers, footmen and postilions gay in uniforms of scarlet and gold, the procession of eight or nine carriages moved up the course amid tremendous enthusiasm. Willi the abolition of the royal buckhounds ton years ago one picturesque item in the procession was lost, but King Edward continued tin? ceremony which has become so popular, and the spectacle lost little of its color. Accompanied by Queen Alexandra and the present king . and queen, the procession usually consisted of eight carriages, each drawn by four bays with postilions in the familiar scarlet and gold livery and headed by outriders in scarlet. The tradition was maintained with the usual distinction by King George and Queen Mary at the recent Ascot meeting".
