The Express.
London, England, 1861-12-24 00:00:00

TEE ROYAL VAULT.

Whoa all was over, and the lad of the los& Roger-
* toils of mourners led departed, the attendants desoesided
the estranos to the grave with lights, sad moved the bier
and man along t►e narrow pussy' which leads to the
estrum» to the Royal vault. At the bottom of the grave
down which the bier wm lowered is a stone wane,
about six feet broad and rows eight or nine
feet high. On the right, in a little niche, stands
the very simple machinery used for lowering the
Diets, sad • little beyond this, io soot►er niche, a row of
very tall, black, punt•looking, two-armed wooden mode-
lobes, employed for torches when the royal vault itself is
opened. For some twelve or fifteen feet beyond this the
mime continues descending, and turning • little to the
' left, till further ingress is cut off by two plain, rusty, wide-
barred iron gates. This is the entrance to the royal vault. It
is difficult without strong lights, to pierce the intense
gloom which always envelopes this lad resting•place
of royalty, and even when its sombre contents are revealed
there is, after all, but little to be moo. It is a very plain,
wide, lofty stone vault, with • groined roof springing from
stone columns. On either side, supported by these
columns, are four tiers of marble shelves; in the
centre are three very wide end MIMNAVII slabs of
marble, mimed some two feet from the posed. The side
shams are destined for the members of the royal family—
the centre marble biers for the coffins of monarchs only.
As the light slowly penetrates this dismal chamber, two
purple conies, looking almost black in the gloom, can be
distinctly seen at the furthest end, brightly reflecting back
the nye of light as the beams fall upon their richly gilded
ornaments, which shine as though affixed but yesterday.
These are coffins of George 111. and Queen Charlotte.
Above their heads, but shining out warmly with a
bright crimson glow, are the realm of three of their
children, who died young. At their feet, but some
distance apart, and quite alone, lies the gorgeous coffin of
George IV. On the centre slab, and nearest to the gates,
the coffins of William IV. and Queen Adelaide rest side by
aids, the Queen being on the left. The light Matiectly
allows thole cal" and the velvet is as soft and rich,
and the gilded plates and handles as bright, as on the day
when they were first laid there many years ago. Not
even dust seems to have soiled them funeral
graodeur ; and except a few stray bits of gravel on and
round the centre plates, where the earth was thrown
at that solemn pasespi which conunits the body to
pseud, and Ws bow we are all alike before
the might of Goa, the.. is nothing to show that all

MANCHESTER, MOIDAY.
In Manchester and Salford the shops end places
of buslatam generally wire &odd, out of respet to the
memory of his late Royal Highness. Map were heisted
half.mast high oa the public bedding% special rimless were
held in the cathedral and several of the pleas far public
worship, sad to a peat eatest thin Mina were the ap
menace of sedum sad mourn*. la Manchester the
several righnents of volunteers paraded in the Islevorp.
square at able o'clock in the morale& each volunteer wear-
ing a circlet of crape round the left arm. From home they
rasarked through Mosley...treat, York-street, Kleg-street,
At. Ann's-square, and Victoria-street, to the Cathedral
Church, when the Bishop of Manchester preached. The
mayor and arrilsoritim joined the procession -at the Town-
hall, Mingegmet, and acsompanisd the volunteer's. la
Salford the mayor and corporation, with all the pube
servants, went in procembre to Trinity Church. where
the sonnet vie preached by the Rev. Edward Allen.
With the examption of the spree reserved for the volunteers,
for the mayor and corporation, and for other umbers of
the procession, the cathedral was filled with a very =oinked
eongreptioo long before the opening of the service, which
was appointed for eleven o'clock. The arraegements for
maintaicing order at the eat:same were extremely Made-
pate, and the consequeese was a perilous sweat of
mashie; and discomfort *summit every one who Sought or
pined admission. Nearly all the mats and standing room
in the save were set apart for the volunteers.
The Bishop of Manchester took the text for an eloquent
and touultiag discourse frees the 57th chapter of Isaiah, the
lit and Mad verses--" The righteous perisheth, and no man
layer& it to heart : sad mercifcl mu are taken away, pone
corriaderieg that the righteous is takes away from the evil
to come. He shall enter into peace : they shall net in
their beds, each one walking is his uprightness." The
service terminated about half-pent one (Nook.

BRISTOL. MONDAY.
The ooeseion of the funeral of his Royal High-

near the Priam Consort was observed in this city with a
solemnity which has been surpassed on soy occasion
within the memory of man. Business has been almost
entirely suspended, the shop him', speaking minimally,
been either wholly or very nearly closed, and many of the
places of worship have been opened and resorted to by large
conpsiptiona The mournful chiming and tolling of the
Tingled bells appeared to awaken a ad response in every
breast, and it was not difficult to discern in the count*.

maces of the mourning groups which passed through the
streets that the regret fur the deoseeed Prince and sym-
pathy with our bereaved Queen were largely shared is by
them. In the morning the Bristol Volunteer Rifle Corps,
I. the number of six hundred and upwards, attended Divine
envies at the cathedra They paraded in Berkelersquar%
and marched to the sacred edifice, to which also thousands
besides resorted. In the afternoon the Bristol Vohint«,
Artillery, to the number of about 2,500, and tho Volunteer
Esighseers, to the number of about 150, marched to theism*
sacred edifice, which we crowded almost to suffocation
The services were of • suitable;eharacter, Headers 6ae
anthem, " When the ear beard him," ban sang is the
morning, and I. firsoltesl" Blest are the departed," in the
afternoon. This afteracea the Jews had a special seek.,
at the New Synagogue, Tenplentreet, sad there will be
service at several places afgwerebip this evening.

BIRYINGRAIC MoNDAy.

Public businas, and every other description of
business, was suspended here—in fact, as a day of mourn.
leg it could not have been mare generally observed. There
were special carriage at the churches ; the Towo•bal wee
crowded to mom ; there Mr. George Dawson delivered an
appropriate sad eloquent address—its solemnity being ren-
dered more imprinrive by a'servioe of sacred music. Funeral
bells tolled throughout the day. The volunteer oorps as-
sembled on parade as two dela*, and, preceded by their
land playing the " Dead March," marched to the Old
Church, where an impressive sermon was preached by Dr.
Miller, the rector. Never was such a day of mourning la
the town.

SOUTHAMPTON, MopmAY.

Many of the shops hero were closed until the
afternoon. The church bells rang muffled peals at inter-
vals during the day. Tha front of the Audit House was
hung in black. Some of the churches and chapels were
opened for divine service between the hours of eleven and
one. The mayor sad town councillors proceeded in state
to All Saints, the principal church in the town ; the silver
and gold corporation mama, borne before the Mayor, were
enveloped in crepe. Minute guns would have been fired
from the platform, but an Admiralty order wee received
forbidding this to be dose, to prevent the sound from
adding to the affliction of her Majesty at Osborne. For the
same reason her Majesty's ships Eagle and Dauntless, lying
in Southampton Water, did not fire minute guns. The
Southampton Volunteer Rifie Corps met and marched to
church in solemn silence. Many of the churches and
chapels were hung in black. Funeral sermon. were preached
in all the churches and chapels on Sunday at Southampton.

NOTTLNGIIAM, MONDAY.

This day being appointed for the interment of
his Royal Rieman, the lamented Prince Consort, themes..
sloe was observed with great solemnity in this town. The
warehouses, shops, and other places of business here, as •
ruM, closed during the whole of the day. Divine service
wee performed in St kfary's Church (the mother church of
the town), when • suitable pennon was preached by the Rev.
Canon Brookes, the vicar. The mayor and corporation walked
in procession from the Guildhall to the church, heeded by
the police band, which played the " Dead March" in Saul
with mused drums. Next followed the sheriff and under.
sheriff, after whom came the mace-bearer, who carried the

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