Celebration of the Imperial Birthday in Bolzano

Tyrol.

Botzen, 13 Feb. The supreme birthday of His Majesty, our most gracious Monarch, was celebrated yesterday in this town with the most heartfelt participation. In the earliest morning hours, the roar of the mortars and the tolling of bells heralded the dawn of the festive day. At 9 o'clock, all princely and municipal authorities gathered at the residence of the District Captain in order to proceed in solemn procession to the parish church for the solemn High Mass and Te Deum, celebrated by our Provost. An immense crowd of local residents filled the church to send prayers of thanksgiving and pious wishes to heaven for the preservation of our dearly beloved Sovereign. On Johannesplatz, the garrison of the Kaiser-Jäger Regiment was on parade, answering the crack of the mortars with its volleys during the High Mass and Te Deum. At noon, in honor of the supreme feast, a banquet of 80 covers was held at the Kaiserkrone inn, attended by the District Captain, the President of the Collegial Court, the officers and civil servants of all authorities, alongside the most distinguished residents of the town. Amid the sound of trumpets and kettledrums and the thunder of the mortars, toasts to the health of His Majesty the Emperor, Her Majesty the Empress, and the entire most illustrious imperial family were offered by the District Captain and the President of the Collegial Court, to which those present joined in loud cheers. A public shooting competition held by the local Standschützen society enhanced the solemnity of the festive day. In the evening, the playhouse was illuminated. The dramatic performance was preceded by a prologue suited to the day's celebration by our patriotic poet, Kapistran Knoflach, whereupon the well-known anthem "Gott erhalte Franz den Kaiser!" was struck up, in which the enthusiasm of the numerously assembled public was expressed through repeated cries of "Vivat!". Thus ended this festive day, on which the devotion and reverence of the local inhabitants for the most gracious Monarch were once again most vividly expressed.