THE FUNERAL OF THE LATE SIR EVERARD HOME.

New Zealander, Volume 9, Issue 794, 23 November 1853, Page 3

THE FUNERAL OF THE LATE SIR EVERARD HOME.

(From the “Sydney Herald,” Novcn.b-r, 5), Yesterday the funeral of the late very ««n-rally respected Sir Everard Home took place, in accordance with an announcement in Government Gazetie Extraordinary, published on Thursday last, in the following to as:— Colonial Secretary’s Office, Sydney, November 3, 1853: His Excellency the Governor General, with feelings of deep regret, announces to the public the decease, on the Ist insiant, of Captain Sir James Everard Home, Bart., C.8., commanding Her Majesty’s ship Calliope, and senior naval officer on the Australian station. The funeral procession will move from the Circular Quay to-morrow, at half-past ten o’clock, a m,; and his Excellency the Governor-General, with a desire to show every possible respect to the memory of the deceased, directs that the public offices be closed, and invites all officers of the Civil Government to attend. By his Excellency’s command, E. Deas Thompson. The regret expressed in (be Governor-General’s announcement appeared to be very generally shared in by the citizens of Sydney. The hope we yesterday ventured to express, that due respect would be evinced on this occasion was fully borne out. Almost without exception, not only the shops and ordinary places of business were shut, but we were glad to remark that the houses of entertainment were almost universally closed in the whole line of the way to the cemetery. The inhabitants of Sydney assembled in far greater numbers than we ever remember to have witnessed on any other occasion, to see this interesting ceremony. Throughout the whole course of the procession, the streets were lined with people, and the windows, balci - nies, and even the roofs of many of the houses were thronged. Every decorous propriety, and every manifestation of respect were evinced throughout; and attributing, as we must on all such occasions a considerable portion of the excitement exhibited to the spirit of curiosity, which will ever prevail in popular communities when such public demonstrations are made, we cannot but consider the general demeanour of the City yesteras most, appropriate and becoming—deserving of the occasion, and worthy of itself. Comparatively little known, in the popular sense of the word, the late Sir Everard commanded deep and even affectionate esteem from those who knew him well. This feeling extended very widely into the lower ranks of those over whom lie held command, and, through their agency an alnu st universal ,-eiitiment of regret was experienced on the announcement of Iris decease. It is satbfactory to know that such a feeling should exist here;—that the quiet merit, the sterling worth of the late lamented officer should meet wi'h the appreciation of a community like this. It is matter of still greater satisfaction (and would be so, we are sure, in the mind of the deceased, if be were yet amongst us) to see how heartily, how cordially, when genuine worth is concerned, the spirit of this community recognises the services of officers of the British Government, and respects even the long-accustomed pomp and ceremony of British customs.

Tliefu eral of yesterday was as a whole fraught with instruction to the Colony, To lose great ami serviceable men involves in the sentiments it inspires one of those principles by the observance oi. which the British Constitution has been gradually established and maintained ; and to recognize worth, morally, intellectually, or socially, is a forward step in the path of imitation of the glorious institutions of the mother country. In addition, therefore, to the memory of his own worth, Sir Everurd Home has bequeathed to us an ad-

difional 'egney, in the opportunity he has afforded us of manifesting how deeply we can appreciate the value of those institutions of our fatherland which assist and advance us, and which, in this instance, we nave made our own. , There are many phases in which this subject might be viewed and considered ; but the discussion of tie n would be out of place here, and we would not throw any divergent thought into the prayer heartfully offered up bythrongs of spectators of the ceremony of yesterday. —“We give Thee hearty thanks for that it has pleased Thee to deliver this our broilter out of the miseries of this sinful world.” , The morning of the funeral broke most beautifully—all the signs of inclement weather which had been exhibited the previous night had disappeared, and the waters of the harbour placid and undisturbed, reflected only the bright sun, and mirrored their sister shining firmament above. There were few, we may almost say no boats afloat to witness the ceremony of the deportation of the corpse of the gallant officer from the vessel, but this is to be accounted lor from the anxiety which prevailed .everywhere to view the land procession. Stricly to the moment the boats of the naval squadron had assembled round the Calliope, and the reflective and serious deportment both of officers and men were unmistakeable tokens of the respect in which he was held, whose funeral rites they were called on to assist in. Precisely at ten o’clock the coffin of the late Sir Everard Home was lowered into the J pinnace of the Calliope, and the procession on the water assumed the following order, in slow time, to the Circular Quay : Calliope’s first cutter. j jj, n « 2. > so towing S' 31 - * * -Os i So •? ,5p sc 3 r«llmt»V ninna« g "a OST Ha o H 05 ce re Fantome's galley. The water procession was brought up by the ga'ley of the Fantoine, with Captain Get.nys, who has taken the command of the squadron here, as senior officer; and as the boats cleared her broadside, the Calliope commenced to fire a salute of twenty guns. The Calliope’s boats were under command of Lieut,. Morgan, the Fantome’s under Lieu'. Compton, The serenity of the weather allowed the boats to form with beautiful precision; and although certainly a large attendance of ships’ boats might have been expected, but which, however, did not lake place; iis progress from the Caliope to the Circular Quay was solemn and imposing.

D awn up in file to receive tbe corpse was a large body of the military with colours folded, and tbe military band with drums muffled. Amongst those who proceeded to the wbarf to receive tbe corpse we noticed the lion. Colonial Secretary. Major-General Sir Robert Nickle, tbe Hon. the Speaker of tbe Legislative Council, the officers of the Commissariat and Ordnance Departments, Colonel Bloomfield, and the officers of tbe Garrison, Colonel Barney, Captain McLean, and many other civil officers; —the various foreign consuls (in uniform), and the chaplains of tbe Calliope, supported by tbe Rev. Messrs. Walsh, Milner, and Lruitt. Tbe police arrangements for keeping tbe ground clear for the rec ption of the body, and forming tbe procession, were admirable, and large as tbe crowd as sembled was, no unseemly interruption or disturbance took place. Tbe gun carriage on which tbe coffin was to be conveyed to its place of interment, was a light one belonging to tbe ship, and was stationed at tbe Waterman’s Stairs, at the Circular Quay. The tide being at its height, there was no difficulty in removing the coffin from the pinnace to the carriage, after which the procession immediately formed in tbe Idllowing order: Tnoors. Firing party. Band 6f 11th Regiment.Chaplains and Surgeons. -| i~ Pall bearers. Pall bearers. i The Corpse, | Lieutenant LesMr.Weaver, Pay- I with bat and I lie, Royal Mamaster of tbe ( sword and or- | rines. Calliope. }■ ders,drawn by Mr. Knox, MasL : eut. Ward. twenty-four | ter of the CalLieut. Morgan. seamen of the Hope. Calliope. i Lieut. Fitzßoy, . I. Acheron* Field Piece. Relieving party of twenty-four seamen of the Calliope. Chief Mourners. Midshipmen of the ship Calliope. Marines, four abreast. Seamen of the Calliope, four abreist. Seamen of tbe Fantome, four al reast. Seamen of the Torch, four alueast. Warrant officers of the Calliope* two abreast. Officers of the Army and Navy, two abreast. The Junior Officers first. Civilians. Carriages.. Amongst those who joined in tbe proeession, we may ro ntion, in addition to tbe names we have already recorded, his Honor Sir Alfred Stephen, Chief Justice; bis I’on >r Mr. Ju-tice Therry, the honorable AttorneyGeueial, the Solicitor General, and Collector of Customs, the Postmaster,. and several ' of the leading merchants of the city. The procession having been formed in due order, the Military Baud commenced to play the Dead March in Saul, which was continued at intervals througbout the progress of the solemnity. On arrival at Christ Church, the corpse was carried in by a p rty of seamen, the appointed bearers supporting the palL The Church, under the esc Bent arrangements made, though well filled was not overcrowded. The Rev. Canon Walsh named the funeral psalms, which were chanted by the choir of the church; and tbe lessons were read very impressively by tbe Rev. George Carwithen, chaplain of tbe Calliope, Tbe service having been concluded, tbe coffin was conveyed out of Church, tbe organ playing the Dead Vlarch in Saul, and the ordinal order-of tbe procession was resumed. At tbe Cemetery the congregation of people was immense, although the strictest order andpropriety prevailed throughout. .jjiTbe service was read at the grave: a plain one, amidst many simple tombs, decked out by tbe rough hewn stone, or mouldering heaps, and the flowers that kind and loving bands had planted, by the Rev. Mr. Carwithen, chaplain of the vessel, who evidently laboured under very deep emotion. Amongst tbe rougher portion of tbe crowd too we could not but hear tbe tokens of distressful grief, and Sir Everard Home did not at least go to bis long rest in Australia, without many “ a tear to grace bis obsequies.” Three volleys were fired over the grave by tbe military, after which tbe it top naval and military returned to quarters in the same order in which they had arrived.

The flags of the vessels in the harbour were at halfmast till the ceremony was over, and the Government offices were closed throughout the day.