The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1824-10-29 00:00:00

!RAL OF THE LATE KING OF FRANCK.

(From the Journal in Dthats at October 111.1
()cs. 44.
This tie', at three o'clock, the grave closed upon the
late Monarch, whom so many precious recollections will
attend in the page of history, as the benefactor of France,
as the immortal author of the Charter. Nothing has been
spared that could confer upon the Royal Funeral a dig-
uity and a splendor worthy of him who was its object—
vecathy of the high (degree of prosperity and glory to
which France has been raised, under the reign of Louis
XVIII. The pillars and the Gothic inches of the Church
of St. Denis had disappeared, concealed by the hang-
ings used upon the ocasiou ; and in their place was
substituted, in the nave, a beautiful pillar of the lonic
order, with raised mouldings of gold. Figures of an-
gels, adapted to the candelabras, placed at the top
of the pillars, and a large black girdle extended filen'
ono to the other, formed the crown of this order of archi-
tecture. The architectureof the upper gallery, of the cir-
cumference of the church, which was left open, to facilitate,
if it should be found necessary, the working of the engines,
was gilded, and formed a segment of a large vault, covered
with black, and strewed with golden fleurs-de-lis. Accord-
iag to custom, tribunes were erected in the hollow rarta of
tbs arcades. The supports of these tribunes, and the dra-
peries which covered them, wore of velvet, fringed with sil-
Ver, sod ornamented with fi• urside-pis, ciphers, and escut-
cheons, embroidered on vellum, and enamelled upon gold,
fiber, and silk. Over the altar, upon which was placid a
multitude of wax tapers, was fixed, upon a funeral cloth,
a large burning cross; forty-eight large lamps, tilled with
three rows of lights, hung from the vaults of the church,
iiiuminated by the candelabras placed upon the pillars of the
order of architecture, and also by two additional reeve of
light, and by the blaze of the funeral decoration (catafalque),
equal to six thousand of these lights.
The catafalque itself, placed in the centre of the nave,
was a piece of architecture of the Corinthian order. in
admirable taste, resembling the beautiful mausoleums,
raised in marble to Francis I. and Henry 11. by the archi-
tecta of the 16th century. This mausoleum was enriched
with gilding, and surmounted by a dome, which served to
support a figure of Religion, encircled by eight angels in the
act of adoration. There was also upon it a sarcophagus
of gold, partly covered by a mounting cloth, and by a pall
of cloth of gold. A dozen large lamps of gold, suspended
from the ceiling of the tnaucoleum, and twenty-four cande-
labras of gold and marble, placed in regular order upon the
basement, composed the light of the catafalque, as at the
funeral ceremony of Louis XVI. The stalls at the right
of the body were reserved for the princes, and places were
marked out in the nave for the occupetion of the marshals,
the ministers, the grund officers of the palace, the amble-
eiders, the peers of France, the deputies of the th pertments,
' and the deputations from the corps of magistracy, and the
municipal corps. Front eight o'clock in the morning,
considerable numbers were repairing to Saint Denis.
The road was covered with carriages. At ten the mu-
nicipal corps, having at its head the Prefect of the
Sdne, that of the Courts and Tribunals, arrived in
succession ; their carriages were escorted by the gene-
d'armerie of the department of the Seine. These bodies
were conducted to the places assigned them ; a crowd of
the servants, and the affectionate subjects of the King,
filled the tribunes, one alone excepted. The coffin of the
late King was enclosed since yesterday in the sarco-
phagus, covered with mourning cloth, and with the pall
of the Kings, coinptsed of cloth of gold. At eleven
,o'elook arrived, in the following order, M. Prince de
Talleyrand, Grand Chamberlain, bearing the banner of
France; M. the Duke d'Uzes, representing the Grand
Master of France ; M. the Duke de Pollgnac, representing
the Grand Equerry of Fiance, beating the royal sword,
snepended by a belt of violet-coloured velvet; M. Vis-
count St. Pant, representing the first Equerry Carver,
bearing the ancient banner, called the Pennon of the
King ; (under this banner the King's Household was
ranged) M. de Vernon, as first Equerry, bearing the
iiitreiwhelmet ; the Chevalier Riviere, as kenerry, bearel
ing the Kirles coat of arms ; Viscount Roomette, carrying
the crown ; Count Peyrelongue, the gauntlets ; the Mar-
quis de Fresne, the spurs ; Marshal the Duke of Ragusa,
klajor-General of the Royal Body Guard ; the Duke of
Mortemar, commanding the infantry of the Guatd du
Corps ; the Dukes of Luxembourg, Mouchy, Grammont,
and de Havre, Captains of the four companies of the Garde
du Corps. preceded by an officer, bearing the standard of
the companies which they commanded : after them came
the Chancellor, preceded by the Grand Master, the Aesist-
set Mantle of the Ceremonice, the King at Arms, and the
lleralds of France ; and next M. leaves, President of the
Clamber of Deputies in the S.ssion of 1624; Co.int De-
seer, First President of the Court de Caseation, Marshal
Dloncey, Duke de Cornegliano, senior of the Marshals
of France, appointed to support the funeral pall.
All the Royal titles placed in succession upon a stand in
front of the catafalque, formed a funeral trophy. At half-
past eleven the sound of the drums anuounced the arrival
of the Princes, and the Clergy proceeded to inset them. The
Dauphin and the Duke of Orleans were accompanied by a
numerous train, at the head of which moved the Dukes de
Tremoville, de Cherreuse, de Brisseau, named by the
King to take, at the proper time, and deposit in the koval
pave the crown, the sceptre, and the hand of justice,
which were to remain until then in front of the catafalque.
The Dauphin and the Duke &Orleans took their places
upon a scat reserved for them, and to this seat were admit-
ted the three Peers of France to whom was entrusted the
care of the Royal insignia above described. 'f he Dauphin
Dpikarcil at the same time on one of the scaffolds or the
tribune, the usual sanctuary of his pious grief, The other
rabid of the tribune, which was over the ':at of the
Princes, was occupied by the Duchess of °flatus and some
of her family.
The office was celebrated by the Greed Almoner of
France. The Bishop of Hermopolis pronounced the (unc-
ut otat!on of the late King. He teok for his text these
words of the Seripture—" It is I who give death, it is I
Vs) give life, I alone strike, 1 alone give comfort, and
&Use can hide himself' from env power." The discourse,
eruilv prodeeed the most profotmtl sensation and whose
p able:anon will compel us to acknowledge its beauties,
pios, t,i4vtee e than an hour. The metes finished with a De
firrtZtnt' and a Libera, chaun ted to music, during which
body, Pointed out by the King, made near the
ry, abeolutions prescribed by the ritual. After
7;:w. five Prelates repaired to the entrance of the tomb,
iw,liteh the coffin of the late King was let down by
toe.*
of the Gard du Corps. The officiating Bishop
threw Inv.!' that body, a shovelful of earth and some holy
..4ler as he pronounced the Ref'i meiscal ice pate.
The King at Arms then approached the grave, stripped
himself of his coats of arms, laid down the cap and wand,
thee, thou into the grave, and, retiring three paces, ex.
domed in a loud voice—" Heralds at Arms of France,
sane, Perform your duties!"
The Heralds thus summoned appreached, and likewise
east into the grave their coats of anus, their caps, and
wends.
.Tbe_Kieg at Arms then called the Major-General of the
tiogainard, and addressed him—" Marshal Duke of
ssteooG ml . Nlajor-Gene of the Royal Guard, bring the
idm
dard of your guard. Duke de lefontemar, Duke de
Luxembourg Duke de G
Duke de Ming *summit, Duke de Mondry,
ngteeelt of you the stentlanl of the com-
Palm entrusted to your charge.
The standards the helntet, the coat of aims, the crown,
the Moves, a '
n: the spurs of the late King, were then suc-
cessively deposited in the grave. The wand of justice, the
ceePdi.„Le, and‘ corowg, were also consigned to the grave by the
Er"muaori""lctst
tiVtoz, they were entrusted, upon being
g at Anna.
TL rovel-soo 1
the and carried
by
the l)teke
de Polignac, and
met. w.re
not espy,' borne by the Prince de Talley
in the grave, but merely held
over it by their est • •
tbeTheDuke.dtsesie nal; mini his baton of Grand Master In
vault, "Yong: " The King is dead I—fhis cry was re-
'Peeled three •
law p"rameeti the King at Arms, who allied on the
°eel atelyteed foe the repos:: of his soul." lan-
d* numerous clergy and all the assistance, by a

spontaneous movement, knelt down, and made a short
prayer.

'the Duke d'uzi!s, on withdrawing his baton, cried,
" Vire le Roi," and the King at Arms, afeer having re-
peated the cry three times, added, " Long live King
Charles the Tenth, by the grace of God King of France
and Navarre, Most Christian, August, and Powerful, our
most honoured Lord and Master, to whom God give a long
and happy life. Let all shout Vive le Itoi !"
A Herald at Arms, placed in the organ gallery, turning
towards the nave, cried " Vive le RM."
Salvoes of artillery and musketry were discharged, amidst
the acclamations of the people who surrounded the church.
It was now four o'clock. The Princes retired into the
interior of the Abbey, and shortly afterwards set cut on
their return to Paris.
The whole of these magnificent preparations—all these
extensive works--planned and concluded in the space
of a few days, does the greatest credit to the Intendant
of the Ceremonies, to whom their sole direction was con-
fided ; and to Mears. leccointre and thaw'', architects,
who fund/bed the designs, and superintended their execu-
tion. • The effect of the interior of the church cannot be
conceived by those who did not witness it ; and yet this
splendor of gilding and of light in profusion, finely
tempered by the grave style of the decorations, and a certain
grand simplicity, in the midst of so much brightness, ex-
cluded nut the impression of sadness, but yielded to the
prevailing character of funeral pomp. The Mass. composed
by the superintendent of music, M. (7lierubini, was in every
respect worthy of the high reputation of that celebrated
composer.