The Sun.
London, England, 1859-10-22 00:00:00

THE LATE ROBERT STEPHENSON.

The following is the letter, in reply to an appli-
cation from the Bouncil of the Society of Civil Engi-
neers, requesting permission for the funeral pro•
cession to pass through Hyde-park. It will be
seen from it that her Majesty is not unacquainted
with the importance of the national works which
have been carried out by Robert Stephenson :

•' Horse Guards, Oct. 20.

" Sir,—Before sanctioning your proposal that the funeral
procession of the late Mr. Stephenson should be allowed to
pass through Hyde-park on its way to Westminster Abbey,
his Royal Highness deemed it expedient to take her Ma-
jesty's pleasure on so unusual an application, and for which
no precedent exists. Her Majesty considers that, as the
late Mr. Stephenson is to be buried in'Westminster Abbey,
in acknowledgment of the high position he occupied, and
the world-wide reputation he had won for himself as an en-
gineer, his funeral, though strictly speaking private, as
being conducted by his friends, partakes of the character of
a public ceremony; and being anxious moreover, to show
that she fully shares with the public in lamenting the loss
whic the country has sustained by his death, she cannot
hesitate for a moment in giving her entire sanction to the
course which his Royal Highness the ranger recommends.
—I have the honour to be, sir, your obedient servant,
" J. MACDONALD."

" Charles Manby, Esq., &e."
In addition to a large number of private bequests
Mr. Robt. Stephenson has made the following pub-
lic donations :
Newcastle Infirmary
Literary and Philosophical Institution at Newcastle 7,000
Institution of Civil Engineers, London 2,000
North of England Mining Institution at Newcastle 2,000
Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge
Society for Providing Additional Curates in Popu-
lous Places

£25,000
The remains of Mr. Stephenson are placed in
immediate contiguity to those of Telford, the cele-
brated engineer of h's day, and thit more by
chance than design. Stephenson was wont to say
that, had Telford been buried in some quiet country
churchyard, he should have wished his remains to
b e in!.erred along with him there; but since he lay
in Westminster Abbey that was an idle wish.
Whilst the congregation were leaving the cathe-
dral many persons from the outside rushed in, and
there seemed to be a general anxiety to look down
at the coffin, a privilege which was with some diffi-
culty obtained, as the undertakers' men had. covered
the top of the grave with boards immediately the
service was concluded. Thanks, however, to the
exertions of Mr. Page, the architect of Westminster-
bridge, these obstructions were speedily removed,
and we saw numbers of men in workmen's jackets
looking eagerly down the aperture, and carefully
spelling out the simple inscription which recorded
the name and quality of one of the heads of their
order.

It was said that the Dean had refused admission
for the body by the western entrance to the Abbey
on the ground that that was reserved for " Noble-
men, Statesmen, and Warriors," but the very rev.
gentleman acted merely in accordance with the
rule, which, for the present is peremptory on the
point.