The Sun.
London, England, 1861-12-20 00:00:00

THE LATE PRINCE CONSORT.

The alterations and fittings of St. George's Chapel,
-Windsor, for the funeral ceremony of the late Prince
Consort are progressing with the utmost rapidity.
It was at first thought almost impossible that the
work necessary to be done could be accomplished in
the time, but, owing to the great efforts made by
Mr. Myers and Messrs. Banting, this difficulty has
been overcome, and all the preparations will be
completely finished by Sunday afternoon next.
The arrangements are almost precisely similar to
those made for the interment of the late Duchess of
Kent. A raised dais has been erected along the
entire length of the chapel, from the western door
to the communion rails. This, and all the side
passages, the aisles, and, in fact, all the basement of
the building, will be covered with black cloth.
Two porches, to be similarly draped with black,
are being erected on the side entrances at the east
and west ends. The western porch will be very
wide and lofty, capable of containing the hearse,
which will stop at this point. The mourners are to
alight at the eastern porch, and pass at once to the
south aisle, where the procession will be arranged
in order of rank. -When these brief arrangements
have been made, the ceremony will at once com-
mence, while the bier is slowly moving up to the
entrance to the Royal vault. Instructions have
now been issued that the Royal vault is not to be
opened on this occasion. It is understood to be the
wish of her Majesty to build a private vault of her
own. The coffin of his late Royal Highness, there-
fore, will remain on the bier in the passage, outside
the iron gates which close the Royal vault, until
the mausoleum which her Majesty intends building
is completed.

Yesterday morning the younger branches of the
Royal Family left Windsor, at 10 o'clock, in a
special train for Osborne. At 12 o'clock her
Majesty also took her departure from the Castle.
With-the Queen were his Royal Highness the Prince
of Wales, the Princess Alice, Princess Helena, and
Prince Louis of Hesse. The Royal party crossed
the park to the private station of the South Western
terminus. All the party were, as a matter of course,
in the deepest mourning, the Queen wearing a
widow's cap. His Royal Highness the Prince of
Wales and Prince Louis only escorted her Majesty
till she embarked on board the Royal yacht at the
Clarence yard.

Directly her Majesty quitted the Castle, the
Royal standard, which is never put at half-mast
save on the death of the reigning monarch, was
hauled down, and the Union hoisted in its place,
half-mast high.
The Record, referring to the illness of the
lamented Prince, says :—" We understand it origi-
nated in his having slept in a damp room on his
recent visit to the Prince of Wales at Cambridge.
It was afterwards increased by attending a review
of the Eton Volunteers, when he said that, although
he had put on two fur coats, he felt as if cold water
had been poured down his back. Unhappily his
Royal Highness was averse to medicine, and, even
after the character of the fever had declared itself,
he objected to all active remedies, and especially to
his being confined to a recumbent posture, He was
each day occasionally wheeled about the apartments
which he occupied, until Friday, when his state,
which even on Monday and Tuesday was critical,
had become nearly hopeless. His Royal Highness
himself had a presentiment that the illness would be
fatal from the time he heard of the nature of the
fever, which was the same as that which carried off
the King of Portugal ; but it was not till after her
Majesty's return from her drive on Friday that she,
realised the danger, and for twelve successive hours
she watched over the Prince with affectionate
solicitude, and without intermission. Last year an
incipient attack of the same kind had been warded off
by the prompt measures resorted to by the lamented
Dr. Baly, who was able to overcome the Prince's
repugnance to active medicine. On the present oc-
casion, we hear that this repugnance was not to be
overcome, and therefore that the Court physicians
cannot, at all events, be blamed for active treatment.
His Royal Highness was conscious almost to the
last, but occasionally wandered, and in his delirium
his thought seemed to be occupied about the Prince
of Wales. We have reason to think that there is
no ground for the statement that his Royal High-
ness took leave of the Queen and royal family in
three languages,"

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