DEATH OF SIR GEORGE GREY

Evening Star, Issue 10767, 31 October 1898, Page 1

DEATH OF SIR GEORGE GREY

INTERESTING DETAILS. HOW AND WHERE HE WAS BURIED. (Fbom Or/a Special Cobbksfondkht.) London, September 23. The •-'one clear call for me" which Sir George Grey had bo long and patiently awaited came on Monday evening last, and with a gentle sigh of content the strong soul quitted the worn-out body and passed " beyond these voices." . It must have been a welcome release. To pretend anything else would be affectation. If Sir George* conld have had a say in 'the time of his own decease I am sure he would have chosen to* go whilst his keen intellect remained unimpaired. But he had extraordinary pluck and a thoroughly wholesome disposition. Instead of orouching over the .fire and wailing : "Oh/God* my mind's going 1 my mind's going!" as I have known too many very old folks do, he faced the inevitable, with wondrous courage. When he oould nd longer remember recent events in New Zealand he talked of South Africa, South Australia, and even earlier days. His resurrection last year, in order to do honor to Mr Seddon, was a phenomenal triumph of will over weakness. Doctors, nurse, private secretary, and relatives were aghast at the great pro-consul's sudden resolve to visit the New Zealand Prime Minister at the Hotel Cecil. Only a week previously he had for about the fourth or fifth time—been pronouoced irretrievably moribund. " Die before the Jubilee!" cried Sir George on recovering ; " Certainly not ! I'm living for it, and mean to see it through." And so he did, though that rjackless visit to the Hotel Cecil nearly ended him. Remonstrated with on his imprudence by Lord Stamford, Sir George chuckled in quite his old form. " No, no," said he ; " Seddon doesn't tire me. I like him ; I like him very much— when he's not making speeches." This was so absolutely the English feeling with regard to " loquacions Dick " that Lord Stamford roared. Later Mr and Mrs Seddon visited Sir George at the Norfolk Hotel, when nothing would satisfy the proconsul but that they should all be photographed together. He wanted to go out to have it done, but this the nurse vetoed. Ultimately a man was got from close by and a group taken. It is not an altogether satisfactory picture, as by the time things were arranged the aged statesman was very tired, and the bright light of intelligence had gone out of his face. Still it is the last photo of the G.0.M., and, so far as I know, the Premier of New Zealand and Mr Cecil Leys, of Auckland, alone possess copies. Sir George was the despair of bis modioal attendants, whose predictions he consistently falsified. When they pronounced him in extremis he forthwith recovered, and if they called him better he promptly relapsed. Last week we had scarcely been informed by. the nurse that the COM. was physioally stronger than he had been for a long time before the final illness supervened.

HOW THE END CAME. I On Friday came the beginning of the end. i When his former companion and secretary called to see him that morning, after the requiem servioe for Lady Grey, he was sleeping peacefully, but in the evening congestion of the brain set in, bis ternfieratnre went up rapidly, and paraysis appealed to some extent. The loDg spell of hot weather had doubtless taxed his strength considerably. Those in attendance sent for Dr Walker in hot haste, and believed that at last death was about to triumph. But Sir George's* elastic vitality remained unsubdued for the next three days. On Saturday evening his temperature was better, and ice was placed on his head. L»dy Grey's maid and bis nurse (Mrs Wilkinson) were in constant attendance. Ho opened his eyes and looked about, but spoke little, and it is doubtful whether he was conscious. Soon after lunch on Sunday afternoon came another crisis. The breathing was affected, there was death in his face, and again his relations, expeoted that every moment would be his last. But he lingered on unoonscious all Sunday night. On Monday morning oame a wonderful change for the better. It seemed—so the nurse surmised—as if there had been a clot of blood on the brain, which had now cleared away. He was able to get out of bed without difficulty, and to reply "No" and "Yes" when Mr Bidaulph askea : "Have you had any breakfast ? Would you like me to get you some V Both physically and mentally he seemed stronger. He was able to speak a little, and gleams of consciousness manifested themselves from time to time. It looked as if the old statesman, worn as he was, had managed to Bhake off his grim antagonist again. But the ray of sunshine was soon clouded by death's last storm. Soon after lunch on Monday it was clear that Sir George was dying. His breathing became labored, his whole frame heaved with the struggle for breath, the teeth became clenched, and he was unable to swallow the brandy and water which Mr Biddulph and the nurse tried to give him. From time to time his eyes opened, but all consciousness had left them, and he became quite black in the face. There was nothing to do but moisten his lips and await the end. Dr Barlow was out of town, but Dr Colenso, the son of Sir George's old friend Bishop Colenso, was at hand, and Dr Walker, his regular' medical attendant, looked in from time to' time. As the evening wore on his color improved a little, but at half-past ten Sir George ceased his heavy breathing, drew a few quiet breaths like a child, then the breath just stopped, the head fell forward, and Sir George Grey, the great Imperialist, had parsed peacefully to another Empire. x At the bedside were Mr and Mrs Campbell,* Mr Ormus Biddulph (who has been living at the Norfolk Hotel during Sir George's illness), and the doctors and nurses. Lord Stamford, who had not been present at Lady Grey's funeral, was still away in Scotland.

A FAITHFUL FRIEND. Death must have come as a happy release to the old man eloquent, who realised that the tongue that had once held thousands spellbound would no longer respond to its owner's thoughts. The last year since the Jubilee had brought naught but sorrow to the dying statesman, "remote, nn- j friended, melancholy, slow," even in the throbbing heart of the great Empire which | he had done so much to preserve and con Bolidate. But for the unremitting care and attention of Miss Aston, the daughter of an old South African friend, who, as a pure labor of love, gave up the greater part of her day to tending him, reading to him for hours at a time, and endeavoring by patient sympathy to fathom the vague thoughts and wishes that tried in vain to find utterance, Sir George's fate would have been still sadder. It was she who. attended to his correspondence, put his affairs into order,/ and, above all, bore with him in his trying moments as with an a : ling child, u'ntitt he felt that she alone of all people** was able to grasp his desires, and by tbe expression of his faee could almost think for him. It waß pathetic to see the way the once strong despot leaned upon her, and oould not bear to be parted from her. Miss Aston has never pushed herself forward and shrinks from publicity, but without having anything to gain, at the sacrifice of time and health, she has given him far more than a daughter'* loving care, and it is only just that colonials, who revere Sir George's name, should realise who bore the brunt of the patient watching and who was Sir George's brain in the statesman's clouded days. When Lady Grey took up her abode at the' Norfolk, as the result of the reconciliation that Mist Aston bad been largely instrumental in bringing about, Sir George's relatives, who <bi&- dropfed in s>fc, internls to pay their duty .cwU» gave herr-so I. believe—a hint that her services could be : dispensed with; and from that time forward, although she saw Sir George occasionally, he could no longer feel that he could turn to ber at any minute in hie time of trouble. I His relations had been but slightly in touoh I with him, Lady Grey and he had been so

long estranged that their reconciliation could have been little more than a form, and those about him could not understand him or sympathise with him as his former secretary could. Although he often seemed towards the end in a more or leas comatose condition, and was unable to express his thoughts, it is by no means certain tint he did not possess a great deal more consciousness and intelligence than was generally imagined. .He often seemed away in the put, brooding over wrongs, the omission to make him a G.C B. (to which he sometimes referred with bitterness), or the snubs and slights to which he was subjected by the Colonial Office. His aotions, often incomprehensible to one unaccustomed to exchange confidences with him, yet had a substratum of reason when you ondgelled yonr brain for an explanation. Thus onoe when his secretary came in he looked at her with something of a frown, and seemed disinclined to take her hand. "Don't you recognise me J'' she asked. "Recogniseyou? Of course I do," he replied. Then, looking at her hands, she saw that she had black gloves on. Drawing one off she exclaimed : " Oh, you don't like black, do you?' and the smile that illumined his face showed that she had fathomed his thought. I fancy that he never realised bis wife's • death at all; but when he was told that Bismarck was dead ■he said, slowly : "Is Bismarck dead? I thought he died loDg ago." Some of his delusions were very unhappy (he sometimes imagined that people were trying to rob him ; and at the time of the inflammation of the brain, last August, became so violent, and possessed of such strength, that he had to be most carefully watched lest he should throw himself window) but at other timeß he wm -Sappy in picturing himself setting out for the scene of his former labors, and would cry: " Now I'm in the boats; now I'm going back to New Zealand " ; and every now and again he would plaintively exclaim: " I want to die in England ; I want to lie near my mother." To those who knew his past life, there was much touching tragedy in the last year of his existence.

LONELY LAST DAYS. It is not perhaps for us to criticise the manner in which Sir George Grey, during the final months of his life, was practically abandoned by relatives and friends to hired attendants. One can only feel that had the G.O.M. returned to New Zealand with Mrs Seymour George the end might have been different. During his last hours I understand some relatives did appear at his quarters, but prior to this the manner in which he was left alone had excited considerable remark in the Norfolk Hotel.

ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE FUNERAL. At first there was some talk of the dead statesman being buried at Kenßal Green, a cemetery which, by the way, he detested. Then, as for a couple of days there was no sign from those in authority of any move- . ment being taken to secure a public funeral Mr Biddulph made arrangements for a funeral service at noon on Friday at St. Peter's, Cranleigh Gardens, and for the interment at Brompton Cemetery, of which Sir George had more than once remarked when driving past " I suppose I shall lie there." When, however, nothing seemed likely to be done the newspapers took action. Remembering how courteous and obliging Sir George Grey always was to the Press, it is satisfactory to be able to record that the Londonpipers—led by the' Chronicle' (whose representative, Mr Mibe, by the way, waß a great crony of Sir George's, and often dropped inior a yarn with him) and 'Echo' —promptly demanded with no uncertain voice that a place should be found for the distinguished statesman in the national Valhalla "by the side of the great public servants whom the nation has honored in their death." The burial of Sir George Grey in St. Paul's Cathedral with national honors was declared co "be " a duty we owe to onr fellow-subjects under the Southern Cross as well as to ourselves and to posterity." The Agents-General of New Zealand, South Australia, Western Australia, and the Cape then oommunioated with one another with a view to approaching Lord Selborne, who, however, like most of Her Majesty's Ministers, was out of town. The following joint " urgent" letter from the representatives of those four oolonies was sent on Wednesday morning to the Under-Seoretary of S.ate for the Colonies; —

It has been suggested to us that the mortal remains of so distinguished a man as the late Right Hon. Sir George Grey, K.C.8., should find a resting place in St. Paul's Cathedral. Knowing that the Governments we hero represent would heartily desire this suggestion to be carried out, we hasten, through you, to invite the assistance of Her Majesty's Government, and to request you —if our proposal be approved—to take, as speedily as possible, such steps aa may be necessary to secure Her Majesty's sanction and the consent of the Cathedral authorities."

Her Majesty's consent was at once given in gracious terms, and the Dean and Chapter of St. Paul's made arrangements for the funeral, which has been fixed for noon next Monday. The question of expense then cropped up, and although Sir George had done perhaps more for the Cape than for any other colony, and thought about it constantly in hi« Jast days, Sir David Tennant, I am told on good authority, seemed at first to have some red tape scruples as to pledging his Government to their share of the sixty guineas or so which burial in the national mausoleum would involve. Mr Reeves's attitude left no ground for doubt. He said in effect: " Without hesitation I will not only pledge my Government to guarantee their share of the funeral expenses, but the whole of such expenses, and if there be any trouble in the matter I will cheerfully pay the whole sum out of my own pocket rather than that there should be any hitch in giving Sir George a national funeral." Several people have not unnaturally asked why it should be necessary for the Agents - General to guarantee the expenses. It seems somewhat ungracious for the nation to give one of its great men a national funcial, and to grudge a paltry sixty guineas for burying him when it is contemplating giving £25,000 to the S ; rdar for his brilliant exploits. I hear that the various colonies with which Sir Georgo was associated, will lay wreaths on the coffio, whioh will be draped with the flags of these colonies. Probably the AgentsGeneral will act aB pall-bearers. HIS LAST RESTING PLACE.

Sr George Orey'a will not, in the strict sense of the term, be a public funeral. A State or public funeral is one in which the arrangements aro conducted by the S:ate, and the bills paid out of public moneys. Such a funeral was that of Mr Gladstone, when the Earl-Marshal controlled the details. There has been no public funeral at St. Paul's since that of Lord Napier of Magdala. In the case of Sir George Grey, the Cathedral authorities will receive and bury the boty, leaving the rest of the arrangements to the Agents General, who may allot .the sea's in the choir at discretion to mourners and friends. The nave of the Cathedral will be open to the pub'ic. It will be what is known at St. Paul's as a " choir funeral." The service will be the ordirary burial service, fully choral. S r George will be buried next to the grave of Sir Bartle Frere, on the north side of tbe crypt. It is a place more imposing by its associations than by its appearance. Like the Cathedral itself, the crypt; has not lost its suggestion of newness. The columns and arches look brand new; there are no crumbling archways or picturesque carvings; the aisles are more like tunnels than cloisters; the dimness i* that of a cellar rather than of a placa of the mighty dead. Yet the tombs of Wellington and Nelson are in tbe approach, and the grave of Captain Cook is hard by. The place of burial is a nook between two columns, paved with red brick.' In front of it is the grave of Sir Bartle Frere, who also was once Governor of the Cape' bf GTreAJlope. The grave is covered with a -uuubAtlab, in the centre of whioh is a cross, and in the wall above is an ornate design of tablets recounting the offices and honors of tbe dead soldier and administrator.

Bit George and Sir Bartle stood htßm»l pin-obMf M f» ft« ontposta, *A juA away liesanotfcer knight who stood for tte Empire at itt centre—Alderman NottafSj once Lard Mayor of London. TOKENS OF REGARD. Making allowanoe for tha fact tint tbo season haa not yet began, and numbers of prominent people, inclnding tie Earl of . Stamford, are still away on their holiday*, I was surprised to find on calling at tin Norfolk Hotel that-considering Sir George 9 * Imperial fame and wide riroif of acquaintances, and friends—email number of people had no to xlJMblmjr,' night left their cards at the hotel, or sent messages of condolence. ■ The Qneajs caused the fallowing telegram to be seat to S r George's representatives -the day after his death :«* Her Majesty has commanded me to convey to the relatives of Sir George Grey an expression of her sincere sympathy and condolence on the lots of that distinguished statesman and loyal servant of the Grown, of whose deah she haa not heard with great regret." Mr Chamberlain also sent an interesting telegram:—"l have received with deep regret your telegram an« nouncing the death of Sir George Grey. Aocept my profound sympathy in the bereavement yon have sustained—a sympathy which I am sure will be felt throughout the Colonial Empire, to which he rendered such eminent service during his long acd brilliant c ireer." The Consul General for the Orange Free State wired as follows :—" lam requested by telegruph to convey to the iad*<tives of the late Sir George Grey in their sad bereavement through his death the heartfelt sympathy of the President and burghers of the Orange Free State." Amongst the callers were the AgentsGeneral for the Cape, New Zealand, Booth Australia, and Western Australia, Mr Gerard Craig-Sellar (for Mr Chamberlain), Sir Rawson VV. Rawson, Major the Hon. Djvid Erekino (formerly Colonial Secretary of Natal), Mr J. S. O'Halloran (Secretary of the Royal Colonial Institute), Surgeon Lieutenant-Colonel Hartley (of the Cape Mounted Riflemen), Commissary • General Hatnley (" with sincere regrets at the loss of an intimate friend and acquaintance during thirty years in New Zealand"), MajorGeneral and Mrs Blewitt, Lidy Sudeley, and Mr Philip Mennel. Sir Julias Vogel has written to the Agent-General deputing his son to represent him at the funeral; while Mr J. C. North Russell, of Oriel College, Oxford, will represent his father, Captain Russell. ______________