The Sun.
London, England, 1852-11-18 00:00:00

ST. PAUL'S CATHEDRAL

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The lesson (the Ist Cor., 15 c. 20 v.) was next read by
the a Dean, Dr. milman, in a very emphatic and impressive
manner. After this was sung the Nunc Dimitis, to a
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Beethoven, followed by a dirge composed
cut
by
expressly for the occasion, composed by Mr. John Goss,
organist of the Cathedral, who, assisted by the deputy
organist, Mr. George Cooper, presided over the musical
portion of the service. The words are so applicable to
the occasion that we cannot refrain from giving them :
DIRGE.
" And the King said to all the people that were with
him, Rend your clothes and gird you with sackcloth and
mourn. And the King himself followed the bier.
And they buried him. And the King lifted up his
voice and wept at the grave, and all the people wept.
" And the King said unto his servants, Know ye not
that there is a Prince and a great man falen this day in
Israel ?"

This was sung by the whole strength of the corps, as-
sisted by the organ and a numerous band of wind instru-
ments, the happy combination of which greatly increased the
effect of this talented production, and produced an impres-
sion on the minds of those present which, we venture to say,
will remain to their dying day. Then followed the " Dead
March in Saul," during which solemn and heart-touching
performance, the body of the great departed hero was
slowly seen to sink into the tomb amidst the suppressed

excitement of the spectators. The remainder of the burial
service for the dead having been concluded, the Garr
King-at-Arms proclaimed the titles of the deceased at full
length, which occupied some time, and the Controller of
the Duke's Household having broken in twain his staff of
office, handed it to the Garter King-at-Arms, who threw it
into the tomb. Afterwards was sung a hymn from Men-
delssohn's " St. Paul," and the Bishop of London pro-
nounced his blessing,which concluded the ceremony.
Thus were the mortal remains of Arthur Duke of Wel-
lington committed to the tomb in the presence of the wisest,
the best, and the bravest of the country, whose annals he
had beyond all other men adorned. Borne to his last
place amidst all the pomp and splendour which a grateful,
generous nation could bestow ; mourned by a h
people with that heartfelt sincerity which could only be
felt by those who have lost the dearest and nearest
of friends, the scene of to-day was a fitting close to a %ever
of which the length, the glory, and the fortune
no parallel in the history of time. To use the words of the
Funeral Anthem—

"Hie body is buried in peace,
But his name liveth evermore."

The doors of the Cathedral were not opened until past
eight o'clock, though half-past six was the hour fixed—the
delay having been occasioned by the incompleteness of the
arrangements. Unfortunately, no sooner were the com-
pany permitted to enter than the greatest confusion took
place, owing to the unintelligible directions respecting the
particular doors at which the differently coloured tickets
would be admitted. The holders of the blue, yellow, and
green tickets flocked all to the entrance at the south tran-
sept, each disputing that this was the place pointed out for
their admission ; and the consequence was a general rushing
to and fro—the police in attendance being wholly ignorant
of the arrangements, and therefore unable to give the
slightest information. The people were first sent to one
way and then another, until at last, their patience being ex-
haused, they determined to force their way nto the build-
ing, which they eventually did with but little opposition,
no tickets being asked for or shown ; and indeed so culpable
was the whole management, that scores of persons without
tickets might have as easily found their way into the in-
terior and selected some of the best places, to the
exclusion of those to whom they were allotted. There
was no authority to appeal to either for redress
or guidance, and every one was allowed to do pretty
much as he liked, and it is a matter of astonishment that,
in the general scramble for seats, so much order was pre-
served ; but that no disturbance took place on the solemn
occasion, is to be attributed to the good sense and temper
of the people, and not to the efficiency with which the
Dean and Chapters had discharged their duties. We have
not the least doubt that many had the good fortune to see
the whole ceremony, who, on leaving their homes in the
morning, had made up their minds to withstand the crowd
at St. Paul's Churchyard.
It is impossible to give any adequate idea by a written
description of the grand yet solemn scene which the vener-
able edifice presented, when viewed from a position almost
immediately under the dome. A row of small gas jets,
which threw out a brilliant yet soft light, more resembling
the reflection of the sun on some glittering substance, tra-
versed the whole interior along the cornices which sur-
mounted the Corinthian pilasters on each side. A similar
row encircled the Whispering Gallery, and served to
heighten the effect of the dome, and to bring it out in its truly,
magnificent proportions. None of the windows, with the ex-
ception of those in the aisle, were closed up, but the black
cloth, with which the floor and the whole of the seats and gal-
leries were covered, added to the sombre character of the
building, rendered it unnecessary to increase the gloom by
excluding any further amount of light. In every direction,
as far as the eye could reach—in the naves, the area, the
aisles, the choir, and the galleries—nothing could be seen
but dense masses of humanity, the prevailing black attire
being here and there relieved by military and naval uni-
forms, with their glittering appendages. The bier, which
consisted of 'a raised platform, about six feet high, and
seven feet in length, covered with black cloth, was
placed on the floor directly under the lantern of the
dome. There were round it a considerable number of black
ottoman stools, for the mourners, the pall-bearers, and the
officers who carried the bannerols. The large area on each side
was fitted up with seats, forming one immense amphithea-
tre, which stretched back to the extremity of the tran-
septs. Here the sight was truly grand. The centre of the
north side of the area was appropriated to the House of
Commons ; the Speaker occupying a massive gilt chair,
covered with black in the front row, and directly
opposite the bier. The House of Lords had allotted to
them precisely the same position on the south side, the
Lord Chancellor being seated in a similar chair to that
used by the Speaker who faced him. Some of the Peers
appeared in uniform, but none in their senatorial robes.
The Members of the Commons wore the ordinary black
mourning dress. On the left of the Commons a space was
set apart for the Corps Diplomatique, who attended in con-
siderable numbers, all wearing their several uniforms,
some of which were very beautiful. Among them We
noticed Count Walewski, the French Ambassador, as well
as the Prussian and Belgian Ambassadors. Austria was
unrepresented.
To the left were the Corporation of the City of London,
and next to them the deputation from the University of
Cambridge. To the right of the Lord Chancellor, a very
large compartment was filled with Knights of the Bath,
and Privy Councillors, who wore their gorgeous uniforms.
On the Lord Chancellor's left were a large number of
the late Duke of Wellington's personal friends, and in the
next compartment the Deputation for the University of Ox-
ford. The galleries under the organ were kept exclusively for
Peeresses and the daughters of Peers. The choir of 140 voices,
as well as the musicians, occupied a gallery behind the
Peeresses. The organ was assisted by trombones and
opheiclides. The reading-desk, supported by a large eagle
with outstretched wings, was fixed on a pedestal a few feet
to the north of the bier. The Duchess of Wellington,
with a party of relatives and more immediate friends, was
observed in one of the octagon galleries, which overlooked
the grave of her illustrious father-in-law.
The Members of the House of Commons arrived all in a
body about twelve o'clock, the most prominent among
them being Sir James Graham, Mr. Hume, Lord
John Manners, Mr. Gladstone, the Attorney-General,
Mr. Macaulay, the Solicitor-General, Sir Benjamin Hall,
Lord Dudley Stuart, Mr. Miall, Mr. J. Wilson, &c., &c.
Among the distinguished individuals who attracted con-
siderable attention until the arrival of the procession, may
be mentioned Sir Harry Smith, Lord Gough, and Sir
William Napier.
Both sides of the nave were lined by Chelsea pensioners,
and privates and sergeants belonging to different regiments.
Many of the old pensioners, who were bent with age, bore
unmistakeable marks of having once been engaged in active
warfare, and presented a striking contrast to the stalwart
young soldiers who sat beside them.
In reference to the arrangements for admittance into the
Cathedral, it is only right to say that no blame whatever
attaches to the Rev. Dr. Milman, the Dean of St. Paul's,
who had throughout shown the greatest anxiety to
promote the convenience of the public. It ap-
pears that the army of men whom he had em-
ployed to regulate the admission at the different doors
were not allowed by the police to enter the building
when they presented themselves at 6 o'clock. The worthy
Dean was roused soon afterwards to rectify the
mistake ; but strange to say, when he reached the
Cathedral, and began to remonstrate with the police, they
would not acknowledge his authority, and refused to listen
to him. In what way this misapprehension arose we are
unable to say; but the Dean assured us that to this, and to
no other cause, the inconvenience previously alluded to
was entirely owing.
Upon arrival at St. Paul's Cathedral the Marshalmen
and Conductors divided and arranged themselves on each
side at the foot of the steps without the Greot West Door ;
the Chelsea and Enrolled Pensioners, together with one
Soldier from every regiment in her Majesty's service, the
Royal Marines, and six Soldiers of the East India Com-
pany's armies of Bengal, Madras, and Bombay (two officers
from every regiment having been previously provided with
seats in the nave behind the place assigned to the soldiers)
proceeded into the nave filed off right and left; the
rest of the procession, having arrived, moved forward
in order, to the west door of the church ; on entering which
they proceeded up the nave. The officers of arms, the
officers bearing the banners, with their supporters, and the
officers of the late Duke's household, took their places
in the area.
The deputations and delegations from public bodies, the
officers of the Tower of London and of Dover Castle, the
Castles of Deal, Weimer, Sandgate, and Sandown, the
barons and officers of the Cinque Ports, the physicians of
the deceased, chaplains and the High Sheriff of the county
of Southampton, was also conducted to seats. The Com-
mon Council, Sheriffs, Recorder, Aldermen, and Lord
Mayor, proceeded to their own seats. The military secre-
tary, the Companions, Knight Commanders, and Knights
Grand Crosses of the Bath, representing the Order of the
Bath, was also conducted to the seats appropriated to them ;
the Lords Justices, the Master of the Rolls, the Lord Chief
Baron and the Lords Chief Justices, the other official per-
sonages, ministers, and great officers of State, took the
seats appropriated to them respectively.
His Royal Highness Prince ALBERT occupied a
chair on the right hand of the Chief Mourner ; the Suite
o f his Royal Highness took their places near his Royal
Highness. His Royal Highness the Duke of CAMBRIDGE
had a seat near his Royal Highness.
The Body, was taken from the Car, and received by
the Bishop, Dean, Canons, and Prebendaries, attended by
the Minor Canons and Choir, and borne into the Church.
The Chief Mourner were seated in a chair at 'the head
of the body : his supporters on either side ; the train-
bearer behind, and the assistant mourners upon stools—
also on either side. The relations and friends of the de-
ceased took places behind the chief mourner.
The body being placed on a bier and the pall being re-
moved, the coronet and cushion was placed on the
coffin, and also the Field-Marshal's baton of the deceased.
The foreign batons was held and supported during
the ceremony by military officers of high rank in the re-
spective armies of the different foreign powers, and they
and their supporters, and the Marquess of Anglesey and
his supporters occupied stools at the front of the coffin.
The Supporters of the Pall were seated on stools on
each side of the. Body. The Officers bearing the Bannerols
were ranged behind the Supporters of the Pall.
The service commenced by a dirge, which was
sung by the choir, consisting of 130 performers,
as the body was borne in from the west door. A
short time was required to remove the coffin into the bier
stationed over the grave ; after which the mourners and
others having taken their places, the service was proceeded
with by chaunting the 39th and 90th Psalms, the
music of both being by Lord Mornington. At this par-
ticular moment, the coup d'ceil was one of the most striking
that could be imagined, and which it is impossible
adequately to convey in language. The Prince Consort
remained standing during nearly the whole ceremony, and
seemed to be deeply affected.