The Express.
London, England, 1863-12-30 00:00:00

THE EXPRESS, WEDNESDAY EVENING, DECEMBER 30,

SPECIAL NOTICIL-THE BOOKS OF THE
NORTH BRITISH and MERCANTILE
INSURANCE COMPANY,

-
For the yew 11161, rime ea flet December
Life Policies 'Masted es a before that date will rank for an
additional yeer's bones la esetherlison to later entrant&
Dorms the Foos Yenta preceding last division of
Pronto „UFO, the Dempsey toned 1,595 Life Policies,
assuring
Duriug the Four succeeding Teen the number of Life
Policies Issued amounted to 1,108, and the gams
assured to C2,?.-.21,522
Being an Increase of St per cent.
The SIXTH SEPTENNIAL DIVISION of the Company's
Profits will take place on 81st December, IS-06.
The whole Profits which have accumulated dace list Decem-
ber, DOH will then be divided, and ninety per cent. allocated
among the assured on the participating scale.
i'etithles of ImUsputabllity granted, and every facility offered
insurers

are laid, for their sepulchre is al the world, and true
genius lives evermore in ita works. Whatever we
have loved and admired in THAcIIZAY death can
never touch. And we are consoled at least by the
thought that if he was taken away before his time,
death came to him, and beckoned him away gently,
and removed him as in a dream from infirmity and
decay. It is not in such a case, or, indeed, in any.
case, for the dead that we speak, when we say that
while we have Westminster Abbey, Kenaal-green
Cemetery should not be the final resting-place for
the ashes of one whom even in death Europe
envies us to-day.

THE FUNERAL OF MR. W. M.

THACKERAY.-(THIS DAY.)

This morning the mortal remains of Mr. W. M.
Thackeray were interred in the Kensal-green ceme-
tery, the resting-place of many who have served
this generation by their genius, their character, or
their unselfish industry. This great author lies in
ground made sacred by the ashes of numerous good
men, but a fitter place of sepulture may possibly
yet be found. Westminster Abbey has been men-
tioned in connexion with his name, and the sug-
gestion is not unlikely to approve itself to the
public mind and to gain so large an amount of as-
sent as to become a realised idea. However this
may be, English eyes will never look emotionless
on the grave of the author of " Pendennis," of
" The Newcomes," and of " Henry Esmond," whe-
ther it is to be found in • modern cemetery or a
time-honoured abbey.
The hour appointed for the funeral was 12
o'clock, and for the season of the year this was
sufficiently early. The sky was clear and the sun
bright, but had the weather been less favourable
the group of mourners would still have been numer-
ous. So identified was the deceased with the litera-
ture and thought of the time, that many felt that
they knew him though actual personal acquaintance
was wanting, and were drawn to his grave to bear
him associated with the words of immortal hope, and
to pay the last tribute of human respect and grate-
fulness. But though the assemblage contained
several who knew the deceased through his
works alone, very many were personal friends
and former colleagues. Rarely has been seen so
large a display of the representative men of
English literature and art.
The funeral procession left the private residence
of the deceased, at Kensington, shortly before 11
o'clock, and arrived at the cemetery about noon.
There was but one mourning coach, and in this
and the succeeding carriage, which was the private
one of the deceased, were seated the Rev.
F. St. John Thackeray and Mr. James Redd,
cousins of the deceased. Captain Shaw his
brother-in-law, and the Hon. E. Curzon. The
remaining carriages were those of Mr. Martin
Thackeray, General Low, Lord Gardiner, Sir W.
Frazer, Hon. E. Curzon, Earl Granville, Mr.
Macaulay, Q.C., Sir James Colville, and Messrs.
Bradbury and Evans.
The funeral service was read, in a solemn and
impressive manner, by the chaplain of the cemetery,
the Rev. Charles Stuart. When the coffin was placed
in the little chapel of the burial ground a strong
desire was manifested by nearly every one to enter
the building ; biat the space inside was soon occu-
pied, as far as it could be conveniently, and the
pervading reverence for the departed was quite suf-
ficient to prevent any unseemly pressure.
After the conclusion of the first portion of the
service, the mass of those present proceeded to the
grave, which is in a quiet spot on the left side of
the cemetery, and not far from the entrance gate.
In looking round, men were to be seen on every
side, whose writings constitute the mental food of
our people, the muscle and the flesh of our litera-
ture ; writers whose books go wherever the
Englishman treads, whoee portraits are hung up
in the hut of the early settler in a newly-disco-
vered tract of a distant colony, as in the mechanics'
institute of a provincial town. Instinctively the
presence of the great English humorist whose
genius was ever touchingly and gracefully
acknowledged by the author whose burial was cele-
brated tay, was felt to be assured. Mr. Dickens
was naturally present at the solemnity. Some
who were aware of the long-established friendship
between the deceased and the author of " Sartor
Resartus" looked for him too in the group, but
Mr. Carl7le dislikes crowds, and is all but a sep-
tuagenarian, and he wail not recognised among
the spectators.
Among other mourners were the successful
dramatist and pungent writer, Mr. Toni Taylor ;
Mr. Shirley Brooks, who possesses no slight share
of the wit, the finished style, and the knowledge
of the world which distinguished his departed
friend ; Mr. Mark Lemon, the genial and popular
editor of the famous periodical in which were laid
the foundations of Mr. Thackeray's fame ; Mr.
John Leech, a fellow pupil and friend ; Mr. Tenniel,
Mr. Horace Mayhew—in short, the whole staff
of the contributors to Punch ; Mr. Robert
Browning, the poet ; Mr. Anthony Trollope, Mr.
Theodore Martin, Mr. John Hollingthead, Mr. G.
H. Lewes, Mr. Dallas, Dr. W. Ruse.% Sir James
Carmichael, Mr. H. Cole, C.B. ; Mr. Robert Bell,
Mr. IY/feile, Mr. Creswick, R.A. ; Mr. George
Cruikahank, Archdeacon Hale, Mr. E. Pigott,
M. Louis Blanc, eke., tkc.
The numbers present amounted to nearly a thou-
sand. The scene at the grave both during and after
the ceremony of interment was extremely affecting.
The silence was profound, and every countenance
bespoke a deep sense of the loss which the nation as
well as individuals have sustained. When the ser-
vice had terminated, the Misses Thackeray,
the two daughters of the deceased, who bad
formed no part of the procession, but who
broke through the conventionality which ex-
cludes from such scenes those who are the
deepest sufferers, and were in the chapel,
approached the open grave and looked into
it with a grief which was touching to
behold. After they had withdrawn, other relatives
advanced for the same purpose, and these again
were followed by the immediate friends, and
successively by almost everybody present.
The coffin, which was exceedingly plain, bore
upon it the following inscription :

WILLIAM MAXIIMACZ THACZELAT,
FAQ..
Dun 24TH Dzczion,
1863,
MID 52 YZABIL

Peach of to-day has the following :—" While
generous tributes are everywhere paid to the genius
of him who has been suddenly called away in the
fulness of his power and the maturity of his fame,
some who have for many years enjoyed the advan-
tage of his assistance and the delight of his society
would simply record that they have lost • dear
friend. At an early period in the history of this
periodical he became • contributor to its pages,
and he long continued to enrich them, and though
of late he had ceased to give other aid
than suggestion and advice, he was • constant
member of our council, and sat with as on
the eighth day from that which has saddened
England's Christmas. Let the brilliancy of
his trained intellect, the terrible strength of his
satire, the subtlety of his wit, the richness of his
humour, and the catholic range of his calm wisdom
be themes for others ; the mourning friends who
inscribe these lines to his memory think of the
affectionate nature, the cheerful companionship,
the large heart and open hand, the simple
courteousness, and the endearing frankness of a
brave, true, honest, gentleman, whom no pea but
his own could depict as those who knew him would
desire."

A Paris paper informs us that an English gentle-
/ma ordered of • mechanist in the Roe Vidal du Temple—
s. an &roam, too—a " bon Anglaise ;" that is to say a ring,
la which the champions of England and America are to
fight over again—whenever the purchaser winds them op
—the recent great battle. The mechanism is said to be
most curious, and the toy cost 22,0001 r. (8801.) The de-
scription of the model, and the contest which gun rise to it,
I. amusing. A " bore Aeglaise " is a generic term, meaning
• make of moiety which frequents le ring." " Boxeure "
indicate the people who go to see a fight. There is always
preseet a "jags du camp "or " humspire," who " imposes
Waal" looks at his watch, and gives the signal to begin."
The paper then takes a moral tor., and says "The magis-
trates are now determined to stop this brutality so loved of
Ball! The blows showered es the human chest would
make • outlet tender. They produce no effect on Bull. Let
as, thee, oongratulate • cutlet on being more impressionable
thee se Englishman."

WHITEHALL. Dec. 28.—The Queen has been
tatto appoint Francis Alexander, Earle( Kismet., to be
at and sheriff principal of the shire of Aberdeen, is
the room of Charlie, Marquis of Hazily, deemed The
Qom ham also bees phased to appoint air AWNS Bern
Burnett, Bert., to be lieutenant sod sheriff principal of the
shire of Kincardine, in the room of Francis Alexander, Earl
of Bisbee, resigned—Gazettc.

LATEST INTELLIGENCE.