The Queen’s Funeral.

Waimate Daily Advertiser, Volume III, Issue 128, 26 March 1901, Page 3

The Queen’s Funeral.

A gentleman in Wnirant# a 8 received a letter from London dated February Brd. and has permitted us to take the following interesting account of the Queen’s funeral from it Of course, the death of our wellbeloved Queen has caused a sense of sadness and loss to hang as a pall over the whole country, and it is impossible to describe what London looks like draped in the trappings of mourning. The scene as the body was borne through London I cannot describe. The whole route along which the procession passed was packed with thousands upon thousands of quiet spectators, all attired; - in- black. The windows and fronts of the houses were draped in black; and in Hyde Park (through one of the gates of which the procession passed) there was nothing to be seen but people and soldiers : even up the leafless trees the people had climbed to see the last of the best Queen that ever ruled this or any other country. I was with your aunt and your two cousins, and we were very fortunate in getting a stand close up to the park railings. Wo managed to hold on there) for nearly six hours before the procession came along. Though the weather was extreme!v cold, yet there was a ' *' 1 constant call for the ambulance to , 'ake out of the crowd fainting men j ■ iid women. Your cousin fainted, but .ve managed to prop her up, and so

prevented her being taken away by ■he ambulance. She came to, how ever, before the funeial came along. After the cortege had passed we had a terrible time in the crush for about an hour, but eventually we got home safe and sound. We congratulated ourselves on having seen what will always bo remembered as one of the grandest and saddest processions that ever passed through the streets of London : grand in the sense of there I)‘ing gathered together so many lungs and the gro.Ui st in this and other lands (a noble md of mourners truly), and sad because all remembered that under the silken pall that covered the coffin upon the gun-carriage onr Queen mother was lying at rest. From the King down to the humblest in that mighty throng the sorrow was felt, and we are somewhat pleased to know that the sorrow is felt in New Zealand and the other colonies. 1 cannot give you any true idea of my impressions of the scene, but you may be sure it is one I will never forget. We can only hope that the new King will rule as wisely and well as his beloved mother did for so many years.