THE QUEEN'S DEATH.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CV, Issue 12424, 13 February 1901, Page 5

THE QUEEN'S DEATH.

[Pe& Press Association', j WET,i.,:CCTON, Feb. 12. The sum «f £IOO2 iias been collecttd locally for the Queen's Statue Fend. Before business was begun at the meeting of the Drainage Board yesterday, Mr Pv. M. Taylor, the acting Chairman, xa&fwL the following resolution: —"That Board, a,t its first meeting B.fter the de»tk of her Majesty -the Queen, expresses Iti deepest sympathy with ihis most Qgatihittii Majesty King Edward VTL at Hihe -grw* loss he and! the Empire 3iave sustaanedf and that a copy of the resolution be f«> warded, through tie Premier, to ids Excellency the Governor." The 4-osolatioa was carried unanimously, all tlrfe aiembeS* standing. . THE LAST DARK DAYS.

PATBjE'iIDO SiMßg.

AN AMEMCAN ACCOUNT. (By Telegraph, IfbanitA.'acklaiid.) The "New York World" gave out W, Jan. Si thp following account of tbs fereaJC! ing down* of the Queen: Your correspondent has obtained *£fom .source witain court circles tie first cpnija*i •tensive and actual account of the illness given out. The facts given, -plat* *bt illness of tine Queen in a standing aiJfl •pathetic light. They show that her *lflw has been failing for "many months. EW6t before her visit to Ireland she had keen, J 'mental -wreck foi) months. Whenever « was officially announced tha/fc «he had mad 4 felicitous responses to the speeches at. jwfe* lie functions it is "a matter of cold Sari> that the poor old was in •saoh a daze thai all she could say to her companion «M "Where am -I? ,s Several times when «&4 has appeared in public, during the ptefe *ix or eight months she has fallen, asleep. Mm it been anyone else (but the Queen- of -Eng* . land it would hare been plain l«*c ago *&*< the inalady was senile d-ecsy, m&wzt irata« fully is -what afflicts Victoria.,.'•';,. But for the Queen's physical of the past -week and the ateatikjof paoalysis in her left side, it -would have teen possible for the Court and the Royal -household W have kept from the British people the knowledge of her. mental decay, for an indefinite period, for the Queen bad lapses of intellec-; tual vigour. But these were "ffifere . sing to her than her periods 01 aaseatia *en" - eity. When her Twain was clear *he lamt- ■ diately reverted'ro the horrors of South Africa, &vaia. and ■agaioi bm / anon the vuv. This war, wfojeh ife-"WIKJf*i with "all ber power to avert, w*a,« the -Ufet hours of England's Qu«*n, -*s& reigned happily longer than most me:£ Jive, # *«t wretched and miserable. In tt»r lucid in*. tervals it haunted her inoe**a*tl;yv The Queen's etronf coratitution manifested the finst symptoms of seriomidecay *jxingi the stay of the Cburf. at .jjW mdsor *B November and {December of when. fcVD tidings of the South African waj> 'began to arrive in rapid succession. General BuUer>4 before leaving England sca the Sputh. African campaign, assured -the Queeiji tbat tn* war would be " difficult, tat not dangerous.' In consequence the news of maoy reverses came to her with added severity; fshe felt she had been deceived, and she never forgave General Buller. It was at xhis time that the Queen had the fits of crying in, «ft aggravated form which immediately "Preceded, her present critical illness. The excitement incidental to her visit to Ireland,which, despite everything stated to the w»* trarv, was her own idea, seemed to revivs ■ her, but oeio o t:>e -..--i c.j >- < l »■• had set in. The public, however, wastoodj winked by the accounts of her Majesty* doLass and utterances given to the newspapers by her household, but the able war news and the reports of the actf** Bufferings of her dying daughter, toe impress Frederick, affected the Queen fceenlj* The last time the Queen, drove outsi*» the grounds of Osborne the voll*g«te * Eaet Cowes were ■astounded to near «» clear treble of the son of the Prince* ** Battenberg trilling out popular songs tarn the Rwal carriage. The boy was s*S»* to keep" his grandmother awake, m «•»"■"• to her wishes. Now and ag&ui she, <*«*»♦ waking to tell the boy to oontaue ft* chant,'which,'to the onlookers, confine* a world of pathos. The Queen drove abw* in her donkey chaise within >fch« grounds <£ Osborne Housa for the 3ast time on ±ue«day, when the Duchess of or the Duchess of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha was nor compp.nion. On her return, to the Oa&ti* the "Queen was and in that conoitjon she was carried to. bed never to rm a-gainL Dr Pageaistecher, the German ocalilt, who was attending the Duke of Somerset foT an injury to his eyes, was summon ed to Osborne. The Queen suffered acutely, from ber eyes owing to her constant crying. Dr Pageastecbter made a general examination on Monday, and reported that the Queen had nothing <*rgajrocally wrong, but was suffering from nervous exhaustion, to her periods of mental activity sbe harped so incessantly noon the war that the loEial Secretary, Mr Chamberlain, was coOimaaded to go up to Osborne to. consols ft** ■with reassnring aews. Mr Chamiberlasn led the war party when' the Queen favoured peace in South Africa, and it was aot » we thing as it tusned out for ber bousebold to summon Mr Ctemberlain. Hrii efforts to console the Queen were fruitieasj and she abruptly closed the conference. Subsequentiy, Lord Roberts was directed* *« appear ab Osborne. He reached tberfi last Tuesday. He did not attempt to deceive the Queen, but frankly explained the difficulties which had to be overcome before the war in South Africa could be ieminated. The interview lasted some time-, and! it was the last time the Queen displayed the wide knowledge and shrewd common-sense Whicb played siich an important part in ber long reign. It was after Lord Roberts's interview that fche Queen, accompanied by tit* Docluess of Edinburgh, went for the drive already mentioned. Two weeks before the public knew Of lb; Sir Francis Lakihg had been assisting SJ» j. Reid at Osborne. On Thursday,. S& Douglas Touril, -htart and lung sspecialisti was summoned because of two attacks c$ heart failure from which the Queen traffereil o« Wednesday night. At this ; titoe the Queen's condition had assumed the gravest complexion, bub tho Prince of Wales, in order to prevent public alarm, attended the dinner given to Lord Roberts, and appeared at the theatre on Thursday night. Oni I'lnirsday the Queen, had a stroke ol paralyses, and since then has been ia a wfi»* tose condition. AMERICAS TRLBtTTES. • /" •'THE WISEST WOMAN THAT S3V£» ■ LIVED." : ", SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 94. v [ The Press of th«> UniteflL States mad* «f'

Magnificent showing in handling the publication of the details of the grey I change in the British nation. Mr Alfred Harmsworth, the distinguished London newspaper -proprietor, now visiting the United States, sent out a telegram complimenting the Press highly upon the masterful and enterprising maimer in which the news'had been set forth. Doubtless, to the work of the Press 33 due -the credit of bringing all of the/English speaking world 1 at least into close touch and uniting the nations as one family in • anxiety in mourning and hope for the new -dynasty. " . ' The following are some expressions toy * leading Americans -regarding the life of Queen Victoria:John D. Long, . the Secretary of -the Navy: " There is a general feeling of sincere respect for Queen Victoria, not only in. .view of her unprecedented reign, but also for her high, character and good influence as al queen and a woman. Her death comes i, as a personal loss to. her people and to

others." ~ ' A. E. Stevenson, former Vice-President of the United States: " The tidings of the, death; of Queen Victoria will bo read! with Idavp regret throughout tho British realm, and the world. In the highest sense hers 'was an exemplary life. it will stand in "r.lhistory in marked contrast to that of many ■ |\vho havo preceded her in her great'office; ! Eer. reign marks an epoch in English ihisItory." ■ Lord Pauncefots, British Ambassador: !""'£he many expressions of sympathy which 'have .come to this embassy during the past .tryuig days are fully appreciated. This (feeling is natural when it is -considered 1 tha* .jQueen Victoria has been the guiding spirit ■of almost numberless efforts for the advance■Weut of "'her. people at homeland the better--msent of tho conditions for multitudes under ■he* sway beyond the limits of her home) •islands. To those who had tho wonderful 'distinction of knowing the venerated Queen 'her loss is something inexpressible. Those •Iwho have served her have priceless treasures 'in remembering her kindness, her encourageWnt and her benignant disposition to reIward with mere than generosity the smallest personal or national service." ,' General Nelson A. Miles: "Her reign, ■considering the history of the past sixty ■.jyeara,>the important political events that jhave. occurred, the progress made by the iwhole ' world, "th'e part Great Britain has flayed in tho progress,- and the influence iits Sovereign constantly exercised upon the iaffairs of the world, is the mo->t remarkable in the history of the country." ■ Robert T. Lincoln, formerly United •■(States Minister at London-: "Queen Victoria was one of the wisest women, prob,'ably the wisest woman, that ever Jived." ' Bishop Potter: "She was not a woman 'of great intellect or of great gifts,- yet no 'human being who has lived in the last 'eighty-two years- has.exercised so enduring !or remarkable an influence on the world as she." • Tunis G. Bergen, leading member- of the Boer Relief Committee: "That the reign in England should be the , -greatest is because the sceptre was in the of a pure and loving woman."-