THE FUNERAL.

Tlie funeral of the late Mr John Joyce was not only the largest and most impressive ever seen in Lyttelton, but was also one of the most remarkable that has taken place in the colony. The sudden and tragic ending of Mr Joyce's life, the many and varied ramifications of his work, and the estimation in which hei was generally held, combined to draw a gathering Which, in the broadest sense of the term, was representative. The Ministry and the Legislature, tlie defence forces, the local bodies, the legal profession, the Masonic fraternity, Friendly Societies, the Royal Humane Society, and other important organisations were represented ; as were also humbler, if not less useful, bodies, such as the Sunday School, which sent a throng of little children bearing flowers to strew oh. the grave of their superintendent. Men Of all classes, needs and political opinious, attended, there being those who had opposed the deceased politician, as well as those whb had fought by his side, and all were ready to show their appreciation of a man who, if a staunch fighter, was a fair one. -The residents of Lyttelton, as was to be expected, gathered in thousands at the interment of one who, in his lifetime, had set a notable example of devotion to the interests of his constituents, and large numbers of people from Christchurch and other parts of Can- < terbury went to the port for the purpose of Spaying a last tribute to a politician who, while attentive to local interests, was far from unmindful of those of wider import.

It had been intended that the funeral cortege should leave Mr Joyce's late residence, at the corner of Oxford and London Streets, at half-past three in the afternoon, but, through the delays inseparable from bringing together 'so large and diverse a gathering at such short notice, it was considerably after that hour when the procession started. As Mr Joyce had at one .time been prominently associated with the volunteer forces of Canterbury, liis friends deemed it befitting that his body should be accorded a military funeral, and their Wish was promptly complied wifth by the authorities. Accordingly, the cortege wa3 headed by au escort of 130 men, composed of the Permanent Artillery, the Naval Artillery, and the N Battery. The Christchurch Garrison Band, playing alternately the Dead March in " Saul " and ah American- funeral march, Boyer's "Garland of Flowers, y followed, and then came the Nordenfeldt carriage of the N Battery, which carried the coffin, covered*with the Union Jack, bearing ftie helmet and sword of the deceased, and decorated with wreaths. The coffin was borne by petty officers of the Lyttelton Navals to the carriage. The/ chief mourners, Mr Joyce's eldest and youngest sons — his second, son is serving in South Africa— his stepson, Mr Buckley Joyce, and his son-in-law, walked with some of the intimate personal friends, close behind the coffin. The pallbearers were Captains Creswell, Fairbairn, Dougall and G. J. Smith. The late Mr Joyce was a member of the van terbury Kilwinning Lodge No. 23, and the Masonic fraternity was represented at the funeral by over 230 members. They were headed by the officers of the Albert Edward Royal Arch Chapter, the New Zealand Grand Lodge officers, and the Board of General Purposes, amongst whom were Bro H. Thompson, acting Grand Master, Bros F. J. Smith, H. Y. Widdowson, A. Binns, H. M'Dougall, H. 0. Fenton, T. J. Strange, H. F. Arnold, S. J. Grubb, G. E. Collins, J. Ashley, A. Bates, and others. The Lodges represented were the Canterbuiy Kilwinning, Conyers, Unanimity, " Crown, Robert Burns, Christchurch St Augustine, Concord, and Southern Cross (Kaiapoi). The District Grand Lodge of Scotland was also represented by its officers. Then followed a number of friends and representatives of public bodies, to the number of many a hundred, and some fifty members of tlie Railway Servants Society. About sixty Orangemen came next, including representatives from lodges No 3. 1, Maiden City (of which the deceased had been a member), 2, 3, 4, 5, 14, 24, 32, 33, 36, 37, and Nos. 1, 3 and 7 Ladies' Lodges. The Oddfellows mustered about seventy, including representatives from the Loyal City of Norwich, Lyttelton Juvenile Lodges, Loyal Perseverance, City of Christchurch, Loyal Benevolent, Loyal Volunteer, and Sister Pearce Ladies' Lodge. Twenty members of the Good Templars Order, representing the Mariner's Pride and Reviving Stream Lodges, followed. . The military, who inustereefbstween 500 and 600 strong, presented an imposing appearance, their bearing and marching being, on the whole, admirable. The' strength of the various corps present was as follows : —

Permanent Artillery, Lieutenant Hume, 27 ; Lyttelton Naval Artillery, Lieutenant Hewlett, 67; Canterbury Mounted Rifles, 8; E Battery, Captain Donald, 44; N Battery, Lieutenant Brice, 50 ; Canterbury Engineers, Captain Dougall, 46 ; Christchurch City Guards, Captain Creswell, 34 ; Christ's College Rifles, Lieutenant Merton, 15 ; Christchurch City Rifles, Captain Fairbairn, 30 ; Imperial Rifles, Captain Charlewood, 40 ; Sydenham Rifles/ Captain G. J. Smith . 54; Linwood Rifles, Captain Drayton, 35 ; Cycle Corps, Lieutenant Finnis, 22 ; Bearer Corps, Colour-Sergeant Bishop, 20; Queen's Cadets, Captain Lane, 29; Lyttelton Naval Cadets, Captain Languet, 52 j Garrison Band, Bandmaster Merton 26; Total, 545. Lieutenant-Colonel Gordon, the officer commanding the district, Major Slater, Y.D., of the district Staff, Lieutenant-Colonel (Francis, V.D., officer commanding the North Canterbury Battalion, Majors Wolfe, V.D., and Day, Captain Lynn, and the warrant officers" of the district and battalion staffs Were present, bringing the total of all ranks up to 554.

Thirty-two members of the Lyttelton, Christchurch and Sumner Fire Brigades, commanded respectively by Lieutenant Rbind and Superintendents Smith and Phillips, followed the volunteers.

About 100 children from the Lyttelton Methodist Sunday School, with their teachers, came next, and the rear was brought up by a large number of Mr Joyce's friends. The Premier wfa represented by the Rev W. S. Bean, and amongst the public bodies represented were.— The Lyttelton Harbour Board, the Lyttelton Regatta Committee, all Mr Joyce's election committees, the North Canterbury Board of Education, Royal Humane Society, the Riccarton Liberal Committees, the Christchurch Sailing Club, representatives of the Christchurch, Lyttelton, Sumner, Linwood, St Albans and Woolston Borough Councils, and members of the Selwyn and Akaroa County Councils and various Road Boards.

Amongst those present were the Rev C. Coates, E. E. Chambers, A. H. Treadwell, J. Maxwell and S. Salvador, Captains Willis (representing Lloyd's Register), T. M'Clatchie, Galbraith, Hendry, M'Dougall and^ M'Lellan, the Mayor of Lyttelton, Messrs J. A. Graham, T. A. White Parsons, G. Fletcher, R. Allen, J. Spencer, C. Cooke, A. .». Pavitt, C. L. Wiggins, W. Olliver, ten., E. A. Earley, W. Clydesdale, G. 11. Hume, G. H. Harris, G." Harper, T. S. We3ton, S. P. Andrews, W. Stringer, P. C. Cooper, F. Waymouth, C. Hood-Wil-liams, T. W. Stinger,. l. Gibbs, A. Kayo, W. Dunlop, M. Donnelly, H_ G. Ell, 'C Taylor, W. W. Tanner, W". H. Montgomery^ A. E. G. Rhodes, R. Moore, G. W. Russell, G. Laurenson, W. W. Collins, T. Ritchie, V. W. Porsohs, C. Howard, F. Trent, W. W. Charters, J. H*imilton, W. H. Gundry, J. Richardson, J. M. Douglass, J. Forresterj N. C. Schumacher, J. C. Wilkin, W. H. Triggs, S. Saunders, E. U. Just, W. J. Cresswill, C. Allison, E. Denham, W. Jacques, C. Allard, H. J. Raphael, S. R. Webb, G. Weston, H. Mills,' C. Clarke, W. H. Walker, T. Gapes, G. Tombs, H. Van Asch, T. Wrenn, W. Rollitt and others.

•Wreaths had been sent by the Cabinet, the Premier and Mrs Seddon, the- Minister of Public Works, the Lyttelton Harbour Boai'd, the Royal Humane Society, Naval. Cadets, the Mayor and Borough Councillors, of Lyttelton, the New Zealand Grand Lodge of Freemasons, Permanent Militia, the.

Naval Artillery, tha Kilwinning Masonic Lodge, the trustees of the Lyttelton Methodist Church, Mr.G. Laurenson's committees, tho Lyttelton Regatta Committee, the Sunday School teachers, the Ladies' Guild of the Wesleyan Church, Mr and Mrs G. Laurenson, Mr and Mrs Qilligan, Mrs Thompson, Mr and Mrs D. M'Nicoll, Mr and Mrs J. Clark, the Misses Hollis, Mrs O'Brien, Mr and Mrs G. Halliday, Mr and Mrs Arnold, Mr and Mrs J. C. M'lntyre, Mr J. Lough, Mr and Mrs A. Aschman, Captain J. Olliver of the barque Thetis, Mr and Mrs R. Morgan, Mr and the Misses Stringer, Mr and Mrs Dockery, Mr R. M. Laing, Mr ,G. Taylor and family, Mrs Kenner, Mr and Mrs Eaton, Mr Prentice, Mrs Hewlett, the Misses Aschman, the Rev W. S. and Mrs Bean, Mr and Miss Cleary, Mrs Comer, Miss Begg, Mr A.. Agar, Mrs Whyte, Mr .and Mrs J. R. Webb, Mr and Mrs E. U. Just, Captain and Mrs W. Williams, Mr and Mrs Dyer, Mr and Mrs Woods, Mr and Mrs W. Austin, Mr G. Kelly, Mr and Mrs Archer, Mrs Walker, Mr and Mrs G. Scott, Captain and Mis Galbrait,li, Mr and Mrs T. C. Field, Mr and Mrs Symonds and family, Mr and Mrs Mos-jt ley, Mr F. Wright, Mrs and the Misses Rouse, Mrs Ironsides, Miss Dennelay, Dr Russell, Captain and Mrs Willis, Mr and Mrs G. A. Lewin, Mrs Hulme, Miss Nina Parsons, MrTLanyon, Mrs Hildyard, Miss Bradley, Mr and Mrs N. C. Schumacher, Mrs Guise, Mrs Bell, 'Mrs Curtis, Mrs M'Clelland, Miss Brown, Mrs Ryder, Mr and Mrs Lough, Mrs Sutton, Mr and Mrs J. Carter, Mr and Mrs M'Rae, Mr and. Mrs Gow and others.

Through streets lined with thousands of people, the procession passed to the Wesleyau Church, into* which the coffin was borne, and in which the Rev D. M'Nicoll conducted the first part of the burial service, the hymn "Thee We Adore, Eternal Name," was sung, and, as the coffin was borne out, the organist, Miss Kenner, played the " Dead March."

Winding slowly through the steep streets, the cortege then proceeded to the beautiful Public Cemetery. The volunteers, except the firing party, halted outside the burial ground, the remainder of the procession entering the gates to the plaintive strains of "The Garland of Flowers," played by the band. The escort, drew up in line on the hillside above the grave, and tlie Methodist burial service was conducted by the Rev D. M'Nicoll. At its close the beautiful funeral service* of the Freemasons was read by the Grand Chaplain, R. "W. Bro the Rev E. E. Chambers and Bro H. Y. Clow, W.M., of the Canterbury Kilwinning Lodge. After the impressive farewell of the Masons to their departed brother, the military paid their last tribute. Three volleys rang out. The ceremony was then over, and the thousands of people who had thronged the cemetery and the surrounding hillsides, dispersed.