coronation. How far she and her husband will influence and lead Society
life in Holland remains to be seen. Both are young, and their union is
younger still. During the late King's life and Queen Emma's subsequent
widowhood, society was for scores of years left to itself, and of course
it has settled down into certain grooves. But, on the other hand, the
tastes and inclinations of well-bred, well to do people, with an
inexhaustible amount of spare time on their hands, and an unlimited
appetite for amusement in their minds, are everywhere the same. Of course,
Ministerial receptions, political dinners, and the intercourse of
Ambassadors and foreign Ministers at The Hague form a special feature of
social life there, but here, again, The Hague is just like European
capitals generally.

Once every year the Dutch Court and the Dutch capital proper meet.
Legally, by the way, it is inaccurate to indicate even Amsterdam as the
capital of Holland; no statute mentions a capital of the kingdom, but by
common consent Amsterdam, being the largest and most important town, is
always accorded that title, so highly valued by its inhabitants. The Royal
Palace in Amsterdam is royal enough, and it is also sufficiently palatial,
but it is no Royal Palace in the strict sense of the word. It was built
(1649-1655), and for centuries was used, as a Town Hall. As such it is a
masterpiece, and one's imagination can easily go back to the times when
the powerful and masterful Burgomasters and Sheriffs met in the almost
oppressing splendour of its vast hall. It is an ideal meeting-place for
stern merchants, enterprising shipowners, and energetic traders. Every
hall, every room, every ornament speaks of trade, trade, and trade again.
And there lies some grim irony in the fact that these merchants, whose
meeting-place is surmounted by the proud symbol of Atlas carrying the
globe, offered that mansion as a residence to their kings, when Holland
and Amsterdam could no longer boast of supporting the world by their