FUNERAL OF JOHN BROWN.

Waikato Times, Volume XX, Issue 1702, 2 June 1883, Page 3

FUNERAL OF JOHN BROWN.

On Tuesday evening, 3rd April, the remains of Mr John Brown, the Queen's late personal servant, wci c removed from Windsor Castle and conveyed to the north for inteiinent in Crathie Churchyard, Ahcrdeenshire. The corpse, which had been lying for a week in the room where the deceased expired, was enclosed within a coiiin over 7ft. in length, constiucted of polished English oak, ornamented with solid biass handles and nailb, and beaiing a massive namcplatc, with the inscription: "John Blown; l)oin December Bth, 1820; died March 27, 188.'}." After the remains had been deposited w ithin tho coffin, w reaths of choice ilowcis, contnbutcd by the Queen, Pmicess Beattice, the Empiess Eugenie, . and other distinguished personages, weie placed upon the lid, while wieaths composed of nnmoitelles weie hung at the sides and ends. A shoit sen ice was held by the Rev. T. Oir, minister of the Congregational Chapel, Windsor, about halt-past twelve o'clock, in the apaitment containing tho remains, which, it is understood, was attended by her Majesty and Pi in cess Beatrice. The coffin was canied shortly afterwards to the hall, near the visitots 1 entrance at the northeastern corner of the Giand Quadrangle, where a second service, also conducted by the Rev. T. Or, was held, shortly alter four o clock, in the presence of the lelativcs of the deceased, and many members of the Queen's establishment and sen ants, to the number of neatly 200, who had been invited to attend the funeral cciemomal. The service ovei, the leinains wete cariitd out of the palace, and placed in the mourning cai, the collin and the floial contulnitious with w Inch it was coveied being visible to the .spectatois tlnough the glass panels of tliu v elude, which was sin mounted by sable plumes, and drawn by tour hoise& equipped infuneial tiappings. Theiela tives and mouiucis, including the biothcis of the deceased, and hcveial membcis ot tlic Queen's household, formed at the i carol the car, the pioeession, witnessed by hci Majesty and the Painicss Reatuco fiom the windows of the Oak Room, winding in blight sunblnne of an almost summer day lound the Grand Qiuuhangle, in fiont of the Queen's Entiance, passing out of St. CJuoige's Gateway, and down the Castlelull and Thames-stieet to the Windsor station of the (South- Western Railway. Most of the shops in the town were partly closed, and many of the residents gathered along the loute fiom the palace to the tei minus. Here the car v\a's taken tlnough the gates to tho poich of the ioy t \l waiting-ioom, wheie the coilm was lifted liom the bier and canied tlnough the apai tn. cut to the van which, with a saloon carnage, had been provided by the JJoith- Western Railway. Then the wieaths of beautiful exotics and the choice (lowers that had been seat by hei Majesty ucie disposed about the cofhn, the sclatnes and mouiucis leniaining m the waiting loom and upon the plattoim till the final arrangements were completed. The saloon and van wcie subsequently attached to the twenty-five minutes to &i\ up tiain for Wateiloo, whence the f uncial party, accompanied l)y Dr. Piofcit, piocccdcd by special tiain to Euston, in oider to catch the Scotch limited mail, leaving the metiopoli& at ton mniHtes to nine. Tlie body aimed at Ballofer on Wednesday afternoon. ATaigc crowd bad assembled to witness the tiansfeience of the coffin fiom the railway van to the hearse, which was no soonei accomplished than the paity staited for Balmoifil, nine miles oil, animig at the biothei's lesidence about totfr) o'clock. The coffin was convejjetffrom the hearse to the dining-room, many beautiful wieaths being hud upon it. The interment took place at Ciathie Chuiehyaid onThuisday. The body had lam since the pievious evening in one of tho looms as Ualuaclioillc, and gicat numbeis of the people of tlio neighboiuhood availed themselves of the opportunity to see the coiiin with thu immeroiio wie.iths. B.ilu ichoille is a twostouy edifice with gieatly-piop'oting loof, and is pleasantly situated at the foot of Ciaiggovan, about thice quaiteis of a mile to the east of Baluioial Castle, and facing the chinch of Ciathic, only a little to the westwaid of the place where its late ownci was bom and spent his early days. It was built by her Majesty as a re tuat w herein a faithful servant might spend the evening of his days, but its owner never occupied it till brought to it a corpse. The invitations to the funeral were issued for noon, and about that hour knots of people began to gather at the house. As each person ai lived he was olTeied lefieshmcnts, and passed to the back of the dwelling, where the guests etood oi sat in groups talking, to pass the time which must elapse betoie the " lifting." At one o'clock another lound of refreshments was passed about, after which the company assembled in fi out of the house, w hen the coffin was brought out and set on ticstles at the door, where the seivice was conducted by the Rev. Mr Campbell, of Crathie. The lcmains were then placed in the heaise, and tho mournful pioeession took its way to thechurchyaid. The bi others and other neat lelativcs of the deceased, w ith the mcmbeis of the Rojal Household who had come fiom London with the corpse, walked next to the body, and can icd the bouquets of floweis that had been sent by her Majesty and others, numbeiing in all about twenty-four, many of them of great beauty. The route taken was fiifat wcstwaids along the south approach to Balmoral Castle, to the point wheie it is joined by the other and better known avenue from the biidge, along which it then turned and piocceded to the bunal giound. The number of those present was about 200, made up mostly of the people fiom w ithin a radius of a few miles, but including also a number ot persons from Ballater, Aberdeen, and other more distant places. Arrived at the churchyaul, the coffin was withdrawn from the heaise, and carried by eight men to the grave, at the edge of which it was laid while Mr Campbell conducted another very imprc&sive service. It was then lowered, and befoie being covered w itb a heavy slab a wreath was placed on the coffin, composed of beautiful spring floweis with evergreens, aud healing the following insciiption in the Queen's handwriting : — "A tribute of loving, grateful, and everlasting friendship and affection from his truest, best, and most faithful friend, Viowiua R. and I." The earth was then filled in, many of the people lingering in country fashion till the last touch was given. During the forenoon heavy lain had fallen, but before the funeral started it had cleared up, and by the time the church was reached the sun had broken out, and the afternoon was beautiful and mild.

The Stranger in LoxdOiV.— That the Great City will ere long be hardly recognisable by its former dcni/ens, all the world has heard. The visitor passing up the Thames now finds his eye gratified by the many edifices recently erected. As he reaches the famous Victoria Embankment, there rises o\er bim on the right hand the new Times office, and, on the left hand the new tower-crowned works of Messrs J ami's Epps & Co., both phases of Italian architecture. It may be said that these two buildings are types of the far reaching business energy of the nineteenth century, for it has resulted iiom such means that these two establishments ha\e brought themselves to the fore, and that the annual issue of each has come to be estimated by millions. During the last year, the number of copies ot the Times is estimated at 10,270,000, while the number of packets of Eiu>s Cocon. sent off in the same period is computed at 14,749,095. 'Ihe Litter is a large total, when it ib borne in mind that in 18J0 the consumption of Cocoa throughout the whole kingdom was but 425,382 lbs., there then existing no preparation of it such as this, which by the .simple addition of boiling water would yield a palatable drink. Truly time may bo said \q work many qlian^e?,