The Sun.
London, England, 1852-10-29 00:00:00

PREPARATIONS AT ST. PAUL'S.

The preparations in connexion with the funeral ob-
sequies of the late Duke are proceeding with great ra-
pidity, and on the most extensive scale, under the di-
rection of Her Msjeaty's Commissioners of Woods and
Works, she Lord Chamberlain, and other authorities.
Yesterday the workmen, in number amounting to be-
tween three and four hundred, were engaged in com-
pleting the vast amphitheatre of seats, on either aide of
the great central aisle, leading from the western end of
the cathedral, and which are constructed to contain
5,000 persons on each side, rise tier upon tier, com-
pletely to the roof, a height of some hundred feet from
the ground.
It has been determined by the Government authori-
ties that all the seats shall be free, and that no gra-
tuities shall be taken by the representatives of the
Dean and Chapter. The steps at the western por-
tico are to be covered with black cloth, and a plat-
form, also black, is being erected to receive the
bier, with its illustrious remains, after ascending
Ludgate-hill. On entering the Cathedral yard, where
the funeral car and equipage will be drawn
up, the procession will have to diverge slightly from the
straight line, in consequence of the interposition of the
statue of Queen Anne. Machinery, in connexion with
the platform, is being specially constructed for the pur-
pose of conveying the bier, on a moveable stage, along
the centre aisle to its place of deposition, under the dome;
and its; slow solemn transit will be accompanied by the
Dead March, or other requiem. It is stated that in con-
sequence of the limited height and width of Temple-bar,
the proportions of the funeral car will have to be mate-
rially curtailed as regards their originally meditated
dimensions. The proprietors of one of the houses front-
ing the cathedral is reported to have let his house for
1,0001. for the occasion, and the purchase money for
seats to view runs enormously high, both in the neigh-
bourhood of St. Paul's, and over the whole route.
During the progress of the works the usual daily ser-
vices are announced, with the exception of those on
Sundays, to be suspended. The cost of carrying out the
arrangements is estimated at 10,000/.
EXPERIMENT WITH THE GAS IN ST. PAUL'S, FOR THE

FUNERAL.
List evening the first general experiment was made
in St. Paul's, at the instance of Lord John Manners,
Commissioner of Woods and Works, of the effect of

the gas arrangements within the edifice. The gas is
thrown downward from near the roof, throughout the
entire length of the cathedral, springing in one con-
tinuous chain from the cornices on both sides of the
centre aisle, around the base of the whispering gallery,
and along the choir. The appearance is that of a beau-
tiful beading, lending that " dim religious light" so
appropriate to the cathedral and the solemnity of a
grand funeral. Mains and pipes have been laid on in
the edifice to supply many thousands of small burners.
A specimen pipe, with its burners, was shown in action,
by Mr. Goulding, the manager of the gas department
under Messrs. W. Cubitt, who pointed out the necessity
of regulating the supply of gas so es to cause an equal
play of the gas from every jet.

THE LONDON CITY Missunc—Last night the sixth
annual meeting of the Holborn-hill Association in connexion
with this organization was held in the Inquest-room, St.
Andrews's court, Holborn. Admital Vernon Harcourt, RN.,
occupied the chair, and was surrounded by several clergymen.
He referred to the great work going on in Ireland, where
between 30,000 and 40,000 conversions from Roman Catho-
licism hal taken place within the past year.—The Secretary
then read the report, which stated that during the past year
the missionary had made 2,579 calls add visits; of these 192
had been to the sick and dying. He bad read the Bible to
552 persons, distributed 2,340 tracts. The domiciliary visi-
tations had occupied 1,109 hours, and 107 meetings had been
held for devotional exercises. It appears that the sphere of
the City Mission Society embraces 2,528,000 persons, which
is a larger population than that in ten English counties, viz.,
Bedford, Berks, Bucks, Cambridge, Chester, Cornwall, Cum-
berland, Dorset, Durham, and Rutland. Of the 3,428 adults
who died last pear, 1,047 were visited exclusively by the mis-
sionaries. The number of persons in the metropolis regularly
neglecting public worship was as large as the entire popula-
tion of Edinburgh, Bristol, Manchester, Birminghanm, Ox-
ford, and Wolverhampton I There were 275 missionaries, all
of whom visited 500 families per month, or 2,000 persons.
Since the mission was reamed, 8,309,197 visits had been
paid, of which 864,970 were to the sick and dying; 204,504
devotional meetings had been held, and 11,324,949 tracts
and 77,761 Bibles had been distributed. There were mis-
sionaries to the police, to cabmen, to soldiers, to Germans.
to Italians, to Jews, to Irish, and to the Welsh residing in
the metropolis. The report was adopted.
GOVERNMENT FMlGRATlON.—Southampton, Thurs-
day, Oct. 28.—1 t has this morning been officially an-
nounced by telegraph that the Emigration Commis-
sioners have fixed upon Southampton as a Government
depot fur emigrants to the British colonies, and of depar-
ture for ships employed in this service. We under-
stand that the terms on which the Commissioners have
LondonPateosathbeg.
accepted the tender of the London and South-Western
Railway Company for constituting Southampton an
emigrant station are, that a depot cap Able of accom-
modating 2,000 emigrants is to be built at the London
from thisp
me on the yoya e
as. tnahien" and in the Southampton docks ; and,
vessels, and additionalg
esrhaiplares i
dt
eo abee c o L
Southampton,v eye d b y railway lw ay from
departure
sengers and crew attenodstanotf
port will be, practicaly, a starting from the
of ships of
metropolisti without the dangers, delay, expense, loss of
increased premiums of insurance on
dispatch rizorovaisnioni
nil
cfiodre
nbtottho ptaahe-
of
the
new sear
cargo. in the London river.
freight of passengers large
activity to shipping atsize taking on board their
3ear is expected to give great
The opening
Southampton,hc and many ships, it
is anticipated, will be dispatched
—lt is stated that tthhaet the water.
d to .4
terms a the new regulation: ' Ustralia under the
THE 31ST REGIMENT.
to
of this
Inreegniknoetn. t,Qvvinheonbtaurwe a stationedief.tl taot IlSpike Island,dn
L 9 or from the iehiud in their boats.—Coric Constitution.