The Funeral.

Mataura Ensign, Volume 7, Issue 360, 27 May 1884, Page 2

The Funeral.

C European Mail,' April 14.) After a week of mourning, outward symbols of which were shown on every side,; the remains of the Duke of Albany were laid at rest in the Koyaltomb of St George's Chapel on April .5. The ceremonial observed was ! grand and impressive, befitting the funeral of a Koyal Prince. The clash of arms, tha [ roll of artillery, and the glitter of uniforms imparted to the scene the splendour of a military pageant ; the presence of prelates, statesmen, aad Court officials , notified the exalted rank of the departed ; even the Royal Standard, floating above the Round Tower of Windsor Castle, bespoke the pre-. : seuce of an grief-stricken Sovereign. In the town an . oppressive stillness prevailed, although the principal streets— full of closed shops and houses with drawn blinds— rwere thronged with large crowds attired in mourning. Up the steep ascent leading to the Castle entrance lines of in sombre garments silently watched the arrival of the distinguished guests as they came from the railway stations on foot and iv carriages, and passed under Henry VIII.'s Gateway into the Lower Ward on their way to the chapel. No relief of coloring was seen beyond the' Castle walls, except ia the liveries of the Queen's servants in attendance i on the carriages, or the uniforms of the soldiers as they swept out of view to ta|ke their share in the duties of the day, ■ $he lowering sky merged into: the, lofty grey walls of the Castle, and i the gloomy picture was completed by the! compact mass of spectators, jSO strangely still, yet 1 so "quietly intent. ; ■ By eleven o'clock the stream of carriages was at its. height, conveying distinguished personages to the chapel, which they entered through the south door. Half ani hour later the first minute gun was ' fired' by a battery of the Royal Horse Artillery, Stationed in the Long Walk. Three more minute guns had fired when the head of the cortege appeared in view, and passed slowly along the gravel path nearest to the quarters of the military knights. First oame two of the .Queen's J^arehalmen, wearing; their quaint Waterloo shakos, and carrying black, gold-, patoztiS^ and then succeeded the servants of his late Royal Highness, followed in turn by such servants of the Queeii as had been in attendance, on the, Duke, Next n order were the gentlemen of his household, and then Mr Boyle, the Hon, A. G-. Yorke, Captain Perceval, and Major-General dv Plat, Her Majesty's Equerry, passed. Foreign uniforms next met the eye — Baron Mohrenheim, representing the Emperor and Empress of Russia ; Count Piper. , the King and Queen of Sweden ; Count perponcber^ the German Emperor and Empress ; Admiral J. H. Van Capellen and Count Schimmelpenninck van Nyehuis, the King and Queen of the Netherlands respectively; Count d'Oultremont, the King of. tbe Belgians ; and Admiral Hedemann, the King of Denmark. The Groom, in Waiting sp.d the Lord jn Waiting came next in' order/and were succeeded' Hy JVJr Collins, G.T3., " and Major : Waller, R.E., Comptroller of the Household and Equerry' to the late Duke. Each carried; a crimson cushion, heavy with bullion, on the first of whicfy reposed the Ejuke qf Albany'^ cqronet, and on the second his . insigi^iaj being prominently displayed the star, ribbon, and collar of the Garter, ■ Then followed Windsor uniforms and wandg gf office,' indicative of Her Majesty's household, Erominent'J figures being the" Lord Chamber-, tin and the Lord Steward. Concealed by the silken folds of the Union Jack, which, in its turn, was almost hidden from view by a wealth of flowers, came the

lamented Duke's coffin, surmounted by his plumed bonnet and claymore, borne on the stalwart shoulders of men of the Seaforth Highlanders, while on either side walked the eight pallbearers, dressed in Court mourning, with shoulder-knots of white satin. d They were Lord Brooke, the Hon. Sydney A Herbert, Mr Walter Campbell, Mr Baglan B Somerset, Viscount Castlereagh, Lord Harris, B the Hon. H. Uourke, and Mr Algernon Mills, ♦fi Garter King at Arms. A relief party of Highlanders immediately followed the Te« mains, and then came the mourners. The Prince of Wales, as chief mourner, walked between the Crown Prince of Germany and the Grand Dlike "di ' Hes^and'ln^^gSPe Prince' Christian,, the, Keigning PrinfcjE of Waldcck and Pyfmoht (father of the' widowed Duchess), the Duke of Cambridge,., Eriuo© Albert Victor of Wales,- Prince Christian Victor of Schleswig-Holstein, Prince Edward .-• ot Saxe- Weimar, Prince Louis of Battouberg, Prince Francis of Teck, ihe Maharajah Dhuleep Singh, the Marquis of Lome, Prince Philip of Saxe-Coburg Gptha, and the Hereditary Prince of Waldeck and ! ;;Bjrn^t. All, with the exception of two of the'yomiger princes, wore, fuiL- military uni^prmx^l^ decorations, and the procession was brought to a close by the suites of the Boval personages, also in uniform— Slowly^wirding its way round to the right, the procession disap* peared from view through the gatdw^y leafl* ing into the Horseshoe Cloisters, the Cajstfe guard presenting arms as the coffin passed on its way to St. -George's £)hapel. Every part of the nave, except the way prepared for the procession, was screened from the choir, the entrance being draped with black cashmere. . .Within the, choir the preparations 1 were simple bniJ effective, .ahl especially striking in their contrast with the appearance presented by; -this beautiful building on the last occasion when it was the scene of a great public ceremony— the marriage of the lamented Prince whose obsequies were now,, about to ,be , performed within its- walls. The altar wW ftfajJet in mourning, the floor of the chapel and the cushions of the stalls' of' the Knights of the Garter were also covered with black cloth. Several oak chairs, cushioned •witfr>tolask cloth, were placed close to the steps of the CommunioSriTable -oa-the north side* and directly under the Royal closet, the windows of which were, ( shrouded .in mourning. TKe chairs' were provided ior^toe Queen, the Princess of Wales, and the other Princesses of the Koyal Family. The ancient gold communion plate of the chapel was displayed on the altar; large branches of palm from Kew Gardens were arranged tastefully behind, .while in front of the comfa.union< table /and &|l'|alosgCH|^ upper steps there was a splendid display of wreaths. Among; thel fiogt .remarkable were the exquisite wreath with white and violet flowers in concentric" circles, having in the bridesmaids of the -Duchess of Albany, of % arum lillies, white roses, and violets, a cross contributed by the '3BHch^o4<WeUins&s4, a device in the fp,rm,>of s att anchor, from tgie president, and officers of the Royal Naval CollegV and (r wreatl& from '"'the 11 2nbt talion ' Ooldstream .Guards,, ; the ; Seafqr th Highlanders, tie mayor.and^.cprporat^pii of Windsor, the inhabitants' of Esfler, Itne Australian colonies, and 1 %& Sbciete'N»tioniff« of Prance. The offering of the Dean "and Canons of, Windsor, w,/,ich took the form of a 'cross and a ' large ' •wreath, was ' placed Immediately in front of- -the altar, and on the south side, conspipuouj|,.froux f .is, great size and beauty, was the "wreaih' >' J which the Seaforth Highlanders paid their tribute to the ipemqryrof- /their late.hpnprao ]o<;loijei, t At eleven o'clock the gmsis Specially in* vited had commenced'to take their seats in theiplacesJaliottei to 'ttumr in the choir. But a few minutes had elapsed .after all the guests had taken their places when a simultaneous rising of the assemblage indisated the approach, of the Queen. ■ Her Majesty, attired, iii the deepest 'mourning, entered AHe bhkpel on the north side, and was^onducted by the Lord Chamberlain', tfie Earl of Kenmar?, to her chair near the Communion table. lac Ji| Princess of Wales sat on one aide of the Queen, and ,the Princess Ohristian\iof/ Sc&les-wig-Holstem on, the other. . %hp Priqjb^js Louise, Marchioness of Lome, the Princess Beatrice, the Grand Duchess'of Mebkle'nbur^ atrelitz, and the Princes* Frederica of Hano-* I ver occupied the second row of chairs, Whett the Queen was seated the Lordj iChamberlaar y I approached Her Majesty, and handed to her "*" a programme of; the ceremonial. t Scarcely.* | had this been done when, at twenty minutes* to 12 o'clock, the atraias of fuaeral music were heard .outside, proclaiming , that the I procession ' had ' reached' ' the wesV door ,of the chapel. Here- the cortege was met by . the choir, the Canons, and the Dead of Windsdr, 'who' took *■$&$ places next to the coronet of his late Royal Highness, and the procession thus headed advanced slowly "up. t&e/^ave,! '^Tftej'yoice of the Dean of Windsor was heard reciting in clear and solemn; tones the opening sentences of the Burial Service, and while the procession moved up the aisle Mr Walter Pairate, the organist,; play e^Ghopm's, press* Mdc No. i iri ! 3fl mirioi, a!sweeTand f pMntlYe air which was selected: foiCtteis occasion because it was a special favorite of the late Duke. The bearers having the remains on the bief, : whichjStobai3.tf iSe^SHe of 'the choir facing the altar, and within a few yards of the chair occupied, by. Her. Majesty, the : cßrbn'cti and** insignia ' v&M placed on the coffin. The latter. WasilowevSito within a few r inches ,. ; of j.fhe $oo£ j£rss chapel, and over it was spread' a large* Union Jack in silk, completely 1; cohc#alitig ili fift> chasm of the, vault .belqw;; tHia^Bpyal rHigfer ness the. Prince of Wales, . the chief, mourner, stood ' "at "" 'the "' ties<r i; 'of ' ; 'tfie coffin, supported; on 'the; ' "right' f by t;*faetf Crown Prince of Germany, and on tte teft by the Grand' Duke' of : Hesse? 1 Tfie 'supporters of the pall stood otrei tier sidei-of the 1 coffin, and the Lord Chamberlain^.and the ; Lord Steward at its foot.' The Duke of Catnj bridge, Prince Albert. Victor of Wales, Prince I Christian, illtj&.t£ou%#elatives •of the late Royal Highness who took part in 'the procession were~gronped around, and with their attendants : almost ■• completely filled up the centre of the choir. While the procession was passing, Her Majesty stood, but resumed -her 'seat when' 3 the, Seaforth ! Highlanders had placed the coffin on the bier, and remained, seated until, her. departure immediately Übef ore i the closings" part oivtoe^ , ceremonial. The choir haying reached theit I places, sang the hymn, "'U God our help in ;ages past," to the tune of St Anne's, and the iDean then proceeded r to resiiJMe of the beautiful and .impressive Burial ;Service. It. may be here remarked that the i whole of the serriee Vas^at'the^desire^ra the .Queen, read ;an;d; no* intoned» ( j SpebW ! anthem, " Iflessed ,are* the Departed/ from [his oratorio : of the 1 " Last Judgment,' 1 'having ibeen sung, the coffin was loweM&x'fakp.i-tt* 6 ivault^ the Queen retiring just before this i was, dona The coffin^ when4naHy^.l<>we||^j| was placed at the '"cml of the raised slab in Ithe centre of the vault, and next to the reimains of the late King of Hanover, near to which lies the body of the infaiit? I child of his Idaughter, the Princess Frederica. The solemn ceremony having concluded, the jßayaJ parsonages were fiondu^ted^ fi|piaj tbes, Ichapei; while ' Chopin's Funeral March aria* the March from Beethoven's Sonata in A ;Flat were, played on the>orgaa.. t- ■ ; - / ■ *x 1. - . ■ ■ '. l ..' n. >'j j i i.' i. /J > 1 — — — ~ mma , '1.1-