Celebrations for the 40th Jubilee of Emperor Francis I's Reign in Bozen

Tyrol.

Bozen, 2 March. The first of March, being the day on which His Majesty the Emperor completed His fortieth year of reign, was observed by the inhabitants of this district capital in a distinctive manner that was as dignified as it was heart-stirring. The local municipal council had resolved to celebrate this day in a charitable way, and consequently one pleasing to His Majesty, and to this end had forty poor, yet very well-behaved school children—twenty boys and twenty girls—as well as a married couple who had already spent forty years in a happy marriage, fully and completely clothed anew. Forty mortar salutes and the festive ringing of bells from near and far announced the dawn of such a rare celebration early in the morning. At 9 o'clock, the entire school youth, festively adorned with their school banners and led by Turkish music at their head, processed from the school buildings accompanied by their male and female teachers to the solemn religious service. The forty newly clothed children, with the married couple in their midst, were surrounded by children of the city's finest families, who virtually encircled them with floral garlands. All the sovereign provincial authorities, the Imperial-Royal military, and the civic and mercantile magistrates had already assembled in the district office building to convey their congratulations to the Imperial-Royal Gubernial Councillor and District Captain on the long and blessed reign of His Majesty, and subsequently followed the procession into the local collegiate and parish church, where the gymnasium with all its professors and an extraordinary multitude of people had already gathered to ask Almighty God in fervent prayer for the further long preservation of His Majesty. After the conclusion of the church service, during which another forty mortar salutes were discharged and which ended with the Ambrosian hymn of praise, the forty children clothed anew in honour of His Majesty, together with the couple married for forty years, were escorted by all the school youth to the voluntary workhouse, where a special dinner had been prepared for them in a hall decorated with the portrait of His Majesty; during this meal, the aforementioned married couple, who stood in the place of parents to those children on this day of joy, proposed toasts to the health and long life of His Majesty the Emperor and to the enduring continuation of His Supreme and blessed reign, as well as to the well-being of Her Majesty the Empress and the entire most serene Imperial House, which were joined in full cordiality by the children as well as by the notables present. In the evening, forty mortar salutes sounded once more, whereupon a splendid and very numerously attended ball in the Casino hall—where the portrait of His Majesty was erected in dignified decoration and beneath which the chronogram below was affixed—closed this day of universal joy, which also shone out on the nearby mountains through well-placed fireworks. For the celebration of this memorable day, the local shooting association designated forty Imperial Thalers for a prize shooting competition, which, however, in order to allow more distant marksmen to take part in this universally popular national pastime, was postponed to 23 April, the day of homage to His Majesty.

UPRIGHT AMIDST ALL STORMS, THE EMPEROR REACHED HIS FORTIETH YEAR OF REIGN.“