NEW ZEALAND.

Gisborne Times, Volume V, Issue 19, 24 January 1901, Page 2

NEW ZEALAND.

HOW THE NEWS WAS RECEIVED IN THE COLONY.

[By Telegraph—Press Association.] Wellington, last night. The first intimation that the Government received of the sad event was contained in the following cablegram from the AgentGeneral: “Very much-regret to report the death of Her Majesty the Queen.” The members of the Government in Wellington, the Hons. W. C. Walker, W. Hall-Jones. T. Duncan, and C, H. Mills, at once met together and despatched the following message to each_member of Parliament: —“ With profound sorrow we have to announce the death of Her Majesty the Queen. No particulars are to hand so far.” • The message was signed by the Hon. Mr Walker as the senior Minister at present in Wellington. The Ministers also sent a‘ somewhat [similar [telegram to the Speakers of both Houses, as well as to the Premier and the Native Minister (Mr J. Carroll), now in Australia. The Acting-Premier (Mr J. G. Ward) wired from Dunedin the news of Her Majesty’s death to all the Mayors throughout the colony. At twenty-one minntas past noon the following urgent cable was receive! by Ministers from the Hon. Mr

| Seddon, at Sydney: “With profound regret l o n d sorrow I received the following cable 3 from the Agent-General— 1 Regret Queen died | 7.45 p.m. on the 22nd. A world’s loss, a % nation’s grief.”’ The City Council met to-day, and on the motion of the Mayor passed the following resolution“ That this Council places on record its heartfelt sorrow at the death of Her Most Gracious Majesty the Queen, and i its deep sense of the great loss sustained by millions of people over whom she mled. Authority was given by the Council for the despatch by the Town Clerk of the following j cablo to the Secretary of State for the Coloi nics:—“The Council and citizens of WelI lington deeply regret the sad news received of j the death of our beloved Queen.” ! The Acting-Premier supplies the following memorandum :—“ All the. public offices throu"hout the colony will be closed to-mor-row. Sunday hours will be observed at all telegraph offices excepting the chief centres, where a minimum stall is to be kept on duty to enable the necessary telegrams of the public to be transmitted. Citizens of all classes arc invited - to observe the day as one of national mourning. The public offices have been instructed to drape their flags and (ly them half-mast.. Something more than this may be necessary to mark the sad event of the Queen’s death, but in the meantime this intimation applies till to-morrow.” The French Consul (Count de Comte) had his Hug lowered to half-mast as soon as the news reached him, and telegraphed to His Excellency the Governor, who is on his way back to Wellington, his sincere condolences,, together with those of the French colonists j in New Zealand. A Government proclamation was issued to-night. It appoints to-morrow as a day of mourning, and relieves the Government officials from duty on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. Auckland, last night. Intense regret was felt in Auckland when the news of Her Majesty’s death becamcknown throughout the city, and expressions of heartfelt sorrow at the loss of a great and good Queen were hoard on every hand. Flags were run up to half-mast on every building that boasted a flagstaff or pole, and in a few minutes the whole city was seen to bo in mourning, whilo many business firms at once closed their doors. One of the first flags hoisted at half-mast was the New Zealand ensign on tlio Qovernment Departmental Buildings in Customs street. The municipal authorities promptly Hew flags on the City Council offices, and business firms and private persons all over the city followed suit very promptly. At all the foreign Consulate’s the same outward form of regard was observed, and all the vessels in the harbor, including the l't.M.S. Alameda, quickly lowered their ensigns and house Hags to half-mast. The cathedral and church bells slowly tolled, and many continued tolling throughout the afternoon. The Mayor requested the citizens to join in the demonstration of mourning by shutting up their establishments. All amusements for the evening wore cancelled. A royal funeral salute of 101 guns will be fired at intervals of one minute from Fort Cautley. by the Permanent Artillery on the day of the funeral. The Police Court was adjourned as soon as the death was announced. Dunedin, last night.

General and universal regret was felt on receipt of the news of the death of the Queen, and as ling after Hag was lowered to halfmast in the city, and the bells were tolled, all thought of gaiety was abandoned, and the merits of the good Queen wero generally discussed. In the evening theatres wero closed, and memorial sorviccs wove held in St. Paul’s Cathedral and at the Salvation Army. Arrangements aro being made for othor services on another day. The City Council, on assembling, at once adjourned for a week. The Burns’ anniversary gathering and other fixtures havo been postponed. At the request of the Acting-Premier, tomorrow (Thursday) will be observed as a day of mourning. Through the Governor, Bishop Yerdon has cabled deeply regretting the death of the great ami good Queen. A similar cablo has been sent by the Jewish congregation. Nelson, last night. The nows of the death of the Queen was received with profound regret. The Hags were half-mast high, the church bells tolled, and the Government and City Council and other offices wore closed. The shops closed as usual, Wednesday being the weekly halfholiday.

Wanganui, last night.

The news of the death of Her Majesty was received with profound regret. All the shops and business places promptly closed, bells woro tolled and minute guns wero lived. The sitting of the District Court was adjourned, and all the local meetings postponed. Memorial services, under the auspices of the united churches, will be held in the Opera House tomorrow night. The Mayor has telegraphed to His Excellency the Governor: “The citizens of Wanganui desire to express and tender their very great regret and sorrow on the occasion o£ the death of their late beloved Queen.”

Now Plymouth, last night. Groat sorrow was evinced at the news of the Queen's death. The business places were immediately closed and public meetings adjourned. The newspaper offices were draped in black, tiro bells and church bells were tolled, and there was every expreseion of regret at the sad news.

Napier, last night. A special funeral service was hold in the Cathedral this evening. The largo building was packed in every part. The Bishop of Waiapu prcaohcd a sermon in which he eulogised the public and private virtues of the Queen. THE GOVERNOR RETURNING. Christchurch, last night.

The Governor arrived from the South tonight, and went or. to Wellington. His Excellency received the following cable from the Secretary of State for the Colonies: “Deeply regret Her Majesty the Queen passed away at b. 30 this evening.

SYMPATHETIC MESSAGES. On receipt of the sad news the Poverty Bay section of the New Zealand Natives’ Association wired to His Excellency the Governor as follows The Poverty Baysection of the New Zealand Natives’ Association desires to express the poignant sorrowwinch pervaded the native born in the loss which the whole Empire has sustained in the death of our beloved Queen and Empress. Please convoy our heartfelt sympathy. We shall ever mourn her loss, and desire expression of our deep love and loyalty to one who has so wisely and well ruled throughout our generation.” The telegram bore the signatures of the President, Rev. H. Williams, and secretary, Mr C. F. Lewis. The following telegram was also sent to the Governor by Mr E. P. Joyco, President, on behalf of the Cook County Liberal Association: —“The Cook County Liberal Association express extreme sorrow as'Her Majesty’s death. It is a national calamity.” The Hon. Chas. Hill-Trevor, for His Excellency, forwarded to Mr Joyce the following reply:— “ Your telegram of sympathy duly received, and will be promptly attended to.”

SPEECHES AT THE BELFKY.

the mayor’s address.

I His Worship the Mayor, who spoke 1 with much depth of feeling, said: I Fellow citizens, wo meot this afters uoou on a solemn and mournful I occasion, to express our sorrow at the I death of our beloved Queen. I need ! n ot say to you who know so well that I she was the greatest Queen ever I known —she was the Queen of our life. I This is the first time wo are met to- > getlier iu our town to express onr 1 S r eat sorrow at the loss of our gracious 1 and beloved ruler. Although we were 1 almost prepared for it by the alarming I bulletins issued, we are still none the • less bowed down with sadness. So I long had the good lady ruled over us JJ that it came to us as a surprise—so || strong had custom grown upon us—fl chat sho was not allowed to continue S her beneficent reign for years yet to S come. However, though sho so

graciously filled her high position, she was but human as the rest of us, and subject to those frailties by which all mortals may have to suffer. It is therefore only fitting that in the Divine ordering of things she should at her great age he given red from her labors, and this we may sincerely believe that of those taken from this world to be lifted to the heavenly _ sphere, none would have a title more clear to “mansions in the skies.” She has been taken from us to be translated to that heavenly homo. A better woman never lived; everyone regrets the great loss the Empire has suffered. It was truly fitting, I thought, that wo should have some solemn ceremony on this sad occasion, and therefore I have invited the Ministers hero to oxpress their great sorrow at this period. I will now call upon the Dean of Waiapu to express to you his feelings on this sorrowful occasion, all much regretting as we do the sad event that has bronght us together. X)EAX HOVELL’S TIIIBUTE.

Doan Hovoll began in slow, solemn tones, and spoke with touching omotion. Ho said: It is indeed, Mr Mayor and fellow citizens,'with feolings of sadness that I respond to your request to say a few words on this inexpressibly sad occasion, an occasion which -brings its sadness not only into tho immediate circlo of the relatives of Victoria the Good, but which takes its sadness over the wide world wherever the good old Anglo-Saxon tongue is spoken—ayo, may I not truthfully say into parts of tho world whoro the Anglo-Saxon tongue is not spoken ? Eor beneath the sway of Queen Victoria aro found gathered, not meroly men of our own nationality, but also such races as aro to be found in tho far distant Hindoostan and such as we havo in New Zealand —I refer to those loyal Maoris who aro now amongst the tho very first to tondor their expressions of sympathy to tho authorities at Homo. Tho featu.ro which seems to mo to stand out first and foremost in connection with the character of that groat and good woman, who. in tho providonco of God has boon takon to her last resting place, is her goodnoss. You remember, perhaps, that when sho was a littlo child and tho nows was first told to her that sho might some day roign over the kingdom of Great Britain, sho mado to horsolf tho resolve, “I will bo good.” To-day wo aro ablo to say that sho has kept that resolution magnificently throughout her life. There had, wo see in her life, entered into her heart the principle contained in tho words —

Be good, my friends, and lot who will be

clever; ' Do noblo things, not dream them all day

long; And make life, death, and the vast forever One grand sweet song.

It is tho goodnoss of Victoria that will always render Her reign unique in the annals, not only of monarchies of tho Anglo-Saxon raco, but of tho wide world. And, tlion, how sympathetic sho lias been! Sho has passed, as Queen Victoria, through the valley of tears, and sho has learnt, through tho loss of husband and child and friend, to sympathise with thoso throughout hor wide dominions who havo suffered in a similar way. How many have boon consolod in their losses throughout tho wide Empire over which she has ruled when they havo roalisod that Quoon Victoria, in her high and exalted position, has sympathised most thoroughly with them in thoir grief. We mourn for ourselvos bocauso wo havo sufforod, I believe, an irreparable loss. CONTINUED ON FOURTH .PAGE.