The Sun.
London, England, 1864-11-05 00:00:00

The Funeral of Mr. John Leech.

Yesterday morning the remains of the late Mr.
John Leech were consigned to their last resting-
place in All Souls' Cemetery, Kensal.green. Many
carriages and a larger concourse of mourning friends
than is common on such occasions attended his body
to the cemetery chapel, and, as they passed along
on their melancholy errand, there was a masked
and unusual manifestation of sympathy on the part
of the tenants of the thoroughfares thrcugh which
they proceeded to the cemetery. It was as if the
latter knew that a great artistic genius had ceased
to exist, and were deeply interested in the tribute
which his friends and admirers were thus paying
to his cherished memory. There was no mistaking
the sentiment of those who lined the roads or
thronged the paths up to the cemetery chapel.
The procession arrived at the gate of the cemes
tery shortly after half-past one. The carriages
passed up the broad roadway towards the north of
the cemetery, and drew up in front of the chapel,
the bell of which had been mournfully tolling while
the procession was slowly moving onwards.
The pall-bearers were :—Mr. Mark Lemon, Mr.
Shirley Brooks, Mr. Tom Taylor, Mr. J. E. Mil-
lais, R A., Mr. Horace Mayhew, Mr. F. M. Evans
(Bradbury and Evans, proprietors of Punch), Mr,
John Tenniel, Mr. Samuel Lucas, Mr. F. C. Bur-
nand, and Mr. Henry Silver. There were seven
mourning coaches, the first three being occupied
by members and friends of the deceased's family,
including Mr. John Leech (his father), Captain
Charles Eaton and Mr. T. Eaton (his brothers-in-
law), Mr. Hayward, Mr. Armstrong, Dr. Quain,
Dr. Walsh, Mr. Hutchinson, Mr. John Denton,
Mr. Charles Adams, &c. In the last four car-
riages were 16 gentlemen, all more or less, with
one exception, associated with Mr. Leech in his
relation to Punch, the exception being the Rev.
S. R. Hole, who real the service over the
grave. The first of these four carriages were
occupied by Mr Shirley Brooks, Mr Evans,
Mr J. E. Millais, R A., and the Rev. Mr Hole; the
second by Mr Tom Taylor, Mr S. Lucas, Mr John
Tenniel, and Mr H. Mayhew; the third by Mr H.
Silver, Mr C. Keene, Mr F. C. Burnand, Mr W.
Bradbury, jun., and Mr G. Da Maurier ; the fourth
by Mr Mark Lemon, Mr R. H. Howard, Mr Evans,
jun., and Mr F, Joyce. In the cemetery among the
crowd were Captain Sherard Osborn and Comman-
der Heath, R.N. ; Mr Charles Dickens, Mr Dallas,
Mr W. H. Russell, Mr P. Leigh, Mr W. Topham,
Mr Edmund Yates, Mr German Reed, Mr H, K.
Browne (Phiz), Mr J, C. Parkinson, Mr A. Halli-
day, Mr W. P. Frith, R.A., Mr T. Landseer, the
Rev. Mr Lyte, Mr Gruneisen, Mr George Cruick-
shank, Mr G. Turner, Mr Creswick (the tragedian)
Mr Richard Doyle, Mr Marcus Stone, Mr W. Brun-
ton, Mr G. Hodder, Mr Blackett (Hurst and Blac-
kett), Dr Hood, Mr O'Neil, Mr Elmore, Mr George
Russell, Mr Freeman, the Rev. Mr Gibson, Mr A.
Lewis, Mr W. King, the Rev. Horace Roberts, the
Rev. Mr Currey (preacher at the Charterhouse), Mr
F. Knyvett, Mr A. 13. Kelly, Mr O'Dowd and Mr
Orridge (barristers), Mr Gilbert, Mr E. Murray,
Mr Philip, R.A., &c.
The arrangements for the funeral were conducted
by Mr W. Garstin, of Welbeck-stroet. The hearse
used on this occasion was the same that conveyed
the remains of the late Douglas Jerrold to the grave.
It was not the unsightly oblong box upon wheels
which is usually employed at funerals in this
country, but a light open carriage, of a gracefully
curved shape, having on each side an escutcheon
with the initials J. L., and the coffin and pall
being fully visible.
As soon as the coffin was placed upon the trestles
and the mourners had taken their places, the friends
of the deceased entered the chapel, while the first
part of the Burial Service was solemnly read by
he Rev. Charles Stuart, of King's College, London.

The remainder of the service was read at the grave
itself by the Rev. S. R. Hole, an intimate and che-
rished friend of the deceased, and the coffin was
loviered into the grave with an accompaniment of
visible emotion on the part of those surrounding it,
which is rarely witnessed at the interment of either
a good or a great man, but which was singularly
intensified here where the good and great man were
one, How many who locked down into that deep
grave recalled the familiar charm of their life,
hich they owed to the cunning of that practised
hand, which lay there still and motionless! How
many, above the average even of a popular man!s
friends, bewailed the fatal numbness of that manly
and tender heart !
"For Lycidas was dead, dead ere hi 4 prime,
Young Lycidas, and had not left his peer:
Who would not sing for Lycidas?"
Who would not rather mourn when a spirit so
gentle and graceful had passed away, and even it
mortal frame had gone forth from our sight for
ever P

He was buried with one grave only between him
and Thackeray, who was his schoolfellow at Char-
ter-house and his attached friend through life. It
was no further back than the commencement of this
very year that he stood weeping for his friend, pro-
bably on the very spot where his own monument
will be erected.