SYDNEY. FUNERAL OF SIR MAURICE O'CONNELL.

New Zealander, Volume 4, Issue 214, 17 June 1848, Page 3

SYDNEY. FUNERAL OF SIR MAURICE O'CONNELL.

(Fiom the Sydney Herald, May 30 ) Yr.sTBRDAY the remains of Sir Maunce Charles O'Connell were committed to the tomb. Full of years, — like the shock of corn in its ripeness has one amongst us, not less respected in his official capacity than he is lamented as a colonist-, passed away fiom the earthy tabernacle of human exist enre. It is scarcely decent on such occasions to revert too minutely to the histoiy of the recent dead , but in the life of Sir Maurice, so little is to be conc.alcd, to little is to be told, that the narrative of his public life may be set forth w thout fear of [offending the feelings of the most sensitive heart. And this i& something at least to say in his praise. Alter a life of eighty yeai s, spent for the most part in the service of his country ; exposed at all times and in all situations, varied as the latter were, to the ciitieisng eye of public opinion, we remember not tint the departed veteran ever fell under the lash of censure. Uuobti n s ive virtuf s, dignified quietude, may exalt a man, as much as striking talents and bold .achievements. It is not to all, that fortune holds out the opportunity to obtain distinction by any ■means, and when that opportunity occurs, how often is it neglected or lost. Such, however, was not the case wiih Sir Maurice O'Connell. Entrusted early in ife with impoitant national duties— rising into respect in different colonies — in different climes— in the fulfilment of those duties, his life has shown, that although a soldier, •• the pomp and circumstance of glorious war" is not always wanting to give the memory of the brave a name and place in the affections of a people. The universal feeling of respectful sorrow which pervaded the whole scene, spoke more eloquently of sterling worth of the deceaied than could the triumphant shouts whidi wait upon dazzling achievements. S r Maurice O'Connell has returned t«i the dust from whence he came, not indeed without the fame of brilliant deeds, but honoured by all for bis high, his excellent, and noble qualities of mind and heart. It is something to sny, that in a colony like this, the soldiery under his controul have, with scarcely an exception, contrived to win the respect and goodwill of the inhabitants. It is more to say, and few who do not think deeply can imagine how much it gives of worth to his memorj— that in a colony like this, placed in his high position, wheie temptations of all sorts might have obtained their dominion, he has left a family to deplore his loss, universally lespected, and against any member of which, no voice has ever dared to utter an accusation! We do not remember ever to have wilnessed so large a gathering of the population of this city as that which took place yesterday, to witness the last ceiemonieb paid to the venerable officer who, for so many ' years, and in such exalted positions hai resided among ßt us. In despite of the inclemency of the wea» ther, thousands on thousands attended the melancholy procession through its various stages. At about half-, past ten, officials aud friends of the family of the deceased began to arrive at bis mansion at Darling, hurst, and by eleven the verandah and front of the house werecrowded — it were needless here to particularise the visitors. Without exception we believe all the high officers of the colony, of every service, were pi esenti while the number of private gentlemen who c tt ndedjto pay their tribute of respect testified,how deep the sense ot his private worth was rooted in the heart of this community. At eleven o'clock the military arrived under the command of Major Lust, and formed round the front ef the house— ths band being stationed in the front, with the colours of the regiment, furled in black crape, displayed. Shortly after eleven o'clock a signal gun was fired from Fort Phillip and immediately the coffin supported on the shoulders of soldiers of the 90th regiment was placed in the hearse. Whatever of busy expectation or excitement had existed before f all was hushed and silent as the body of the late Csmmander-in-Chief was bourne from the house of his family, except the solemn funereal mnsic of the band of the 99th icgiment, The gei tfemen who had

been visiting the home, of mourning then adionrned in their rama^es, and the procession commenced in the following 01 dei • —

Mounted Pnlico in sprlions of Five l.llllt iM'lillllC M,i|>n Nuliolson The I9lh Regiment uiulci tin; command of Major Last, with aims rc\ei r ul. Hand ol the ')')tli Regiment Mine 0 Bcarcis fsoidiois ) The Coflm fi Ueiiois (solrticis Mutes. Mutes

Tiist MoinninjjCoaph. Capiain O'Connell Lieut O'Conriell Cnpt.im N 0' Council Mi Chniln, D. U'Conncll Sl< mid Mourning ('curb His llonoi flip Chief The Jlonoi.ible Colonial JllMltC TIIMMUCI The Honor.iblp Colonial The Honoi.ihlc the Sl'lki.ds SpiAei. The Norse of (ho late Kn Rr-ini ire O'Connell, led by an Oidcilj l\ill Dc.uors Lieut -Ci lonel ,1-irksnn Lieut -Colonel Mtunly, T) A O. Dep Com M.nns.w Lioul -Colonel Gonlcm, I! 70 M.gor-(juiei.il \V}M\.iwl Colonel Dcspaul, !)!)thltugt

Chii'f Mmuneis (In C.uiia;:t!> ) Assist -Com On Walker Mi Louiy Assist Coin -don Owen Mi M'Dun.ilil Assist C tun Owen Suisfcnn H.ully, OOtll Rcgt ]) A C (Jen W.iH Mi W.iikci St.ill Siiitfoon Eldi twoll Dcpt Sloiekt-epci Wilkinson l'd>m.ist. Pratt O'Mli Uctjt The \ssist Mil Striclaiy

Chilli im<* fUmekctpiH lingers The Aidu-do-Cimi) The Cauiajjc of tlie late tin Mauuu 1 O'Conneli, ronlnining Di D.iwson Mi William Mister ThcAttnincyfieiici.il The Ke\ William Gore, Mi Ch.iilcb OConiuH's Cannae, containing Oflimsot tlioSt.ifl Colonel Despnul s C.iin.igc. I'iivatcCaiii.igis

The number of carriages joining in the procession was nc.irly 150. Tlio road fiom Woolloomoolno to the church, notwifhstanding the falling ram, was thronged with people and throughout the streets through which the procession passed, the shops were closed. A larger number of people were congregated at Hyde Park to witness the procession than we have ever before seen assembled in Sydney. Seven guns were fired at intervals from Foit Phillip, whilst the procession was moving from Tarmons to St. James's Church. Tho hearse arrived at St. James's church at about half-past twelve o'clock. A large number of pew owneis were piesent, but the gates were closed to the multitude ; but such was the anxiety to catch fven a glimpse of (he funeral rites, that the lamps beside the church, and some panes of window glass were broken, which caused a slieht confusion. The Right Rev. the Lord BMiop of Sydney, with his chaplains, met the corpse at Hie door ol the church, and the service was impressively read by the Rev. Mr. AHwood. After leaving church the lengthy procession proceeded, in the most solemn and ordeily manner, down Kingstreet, and along Pitt-stieet, to the Old Burial Ground, where attain a vast number af spictators were assembled. Eight guns were fired at intervals from Fort Phillip during the procession from St. James's to the Burial Grrund. At the tomb the service was read by the Lord Bishop, and fifteen guns were hred from Fort Phillip as the body was lowered into the grave. The order was given for the soldiery to fire over the buried remains of the veteran, as a matter of form, but in comequenee of the state of the weather there was no actual finnfi; We may remark in passing, that according to the usages of the array, Sir Maurice was entitled to be fir d over by his whole regiment, but the policy of the home government \u.d not left a regiment to perform this duty. Immediately after the interment hud taken place the ciowd dispersed, and the numerous officials and other persons who had paid the last sad tribu'.e of respect to Sir Maurice, depaited to their homes. Appended to this account of the funeral we have n/Thed a biicf memoir ot the life of Sir Maurice O'Comi'll, e.\tr.ideil (rom the newspaper formerly published in this city under the title of the IFtckly ZJcgfs^er. In reLtion to some incidents contained theiein. paiticulaily that of the resistance to the French in their attack on the island of Djinitiiea, in theytar lfcOa, we insert the following cxtraits from authenticated documents. The Committee for managing the Patriotic Fund at Lloyd's, at a mctt ng held in reference to the event we have alluded to, passed tne following resolution — " That 11 sword ot the value of X'so, and a piece of plate of the value of t CIGO, with appropriate inscriptions, or that sum of money at bis opfon, be presented to Captain O'Comiell, who-c wounds did not induce him to forego the honour of the command to which he succeeded on Major Nunn being disubltd, and .n which he resisted the repeated charges of the enemy, notwithstanding their great bupeiionty in number, till he ouliged them to retire with gic.it slaughter." On the occasion of the same event the House of Assembly of Dominica passed a vote of thanks highly complimcn* tary to Captain O'Connell, and the Kcgiment which was at that time under his command. We have been unable to obtain a copy of the tei ms in which the vote was passed, but the following cxtiact from the reply of Sir Maurice is characteristic of the man, and speaks more for his feeling as a soldier than a thousand cnlopj cs ; — "The officers, non commissioned officers, and privates of tlie Ist West India Regiment, highly sensible of the honour conferred upon them, beg to assure the House, that should another attempt he made by theii inveleiato enemy, they are ready to make any saciifice for its defence. »* « # Permit me, Sir, to offer you, individually, my thanks for your handsome niannci oi expi cssing the sense of the House of my conduct, in executing, to the best of my judgment, the able and judicious oideis I received on the 22d Fcbriuuy (1805). I havu so little claim to meat, that I feel deficient in expressing the sense 1 eutertain of jour obliging sentiments."

The late Sir Mauiice Cl)arlcs O'Connell was the youngest son of Charles. Philip O'Connell, Esq , of Riveiston, in the county of Keny, in licland. lie was at a very early age sent to Fiance for his education, and in the year 1790 he enteied the iiish Brigade, in which he served until the piogicss of the events of the revolution compelled him to quit France, and join the army of the Emigrant Princes. He was promoted to rank of captain, and seived under the command of the Duke of Brunswick until the breaking out of the war between England and France. He then joined the Yoik llangeis, raised by Colonel Ramsey in the Low Countries ; and on the Irish Brigade having been taken into the service of England, in 1796, he resumed his rank of captain in that corps, in the regiment of his relative, Count O'Conncll. He continued in the Irish Brigade until its reduction, when he was appoin'ed to the Ist West India Regiment, and commanded the small force which, in 1805, repulsed the repeated attacks of a veiy superior French force, which attempted the capture of the island of Dominica. Captain O'Connell was wounded in this action, and ordeied home on account of his wounds ; and for Ins gallantly and good conduct on ihe occasion, he was presented by the legislature of the island with a sword and service of plate, lie also received a sword from the Patriotic Fund. He was in the same year promoted to a majolity in the 73rd Regiment, and appointed lieutenantcolonel in 1809. In 1809 the 73id Itegitnent was ordered to New South Wales to lelieve the New South Wales Coips, and Lieutenant Colonel O'Connell was appointed Lieutenant- Governoi of the colony. In 1814 he proceeded in command of the regiment to Ceylon

and in that islmd eomnnndod i division of th^ ai my, which took possession of the Kami} an tciutoi} in IHIS. Colonel O'Coniicll continuod in command ol the 7 -"id llffjmipnt until l.S<">o, at which tune he was stationed at i\].ilt,i, and had been acting LieutenantGovcinoi of that isl.ind. lie was in 18.J0 uioriiolud to the I.lllk of M.ijoi-Gcncial, and in 3812 to that of Lieulcunnt-Gcncul General O'Connell was made a Knight Commandei of the Ifanovenan Ouclphic Order in 1831', and lecoived the honour of Knighthood from his late Majesty AVillinm IV. In IS3B he \\n* appointed Commamlcr of tlie Foicos in the Australasian colonies, and in 181\3 Colonel of the 81 st Regiment, and 111 the following jcir Colonel of the 80th, which was then slationcdat Sjdney. Sir Main ice O'Connell held a seat in the old Legislative Council. lie was also a mcnibci of the picsent House, having boon one of the twelve official mcmbi'is nominated by the Crown, under the Act ol l'aili.uncnt for the government ol the colony. On the depnitiire of Sn GcoigcGipps, in July, 1811), Sir Mam ice O'Connell became Governor of the colony, which ofilce he held until the ai rival of Sii C. A. Fitz Roy. His Excellency tcmained in command of the Liccs until the anivnl of Major-Gcneial Wynyard, in l)eccinbei last, when ho commenced making anangements to lctuin to Euiopc, and had engaged to bail in the ship Medway on the 251h instant, the clay on wluoh he died.

Calcutta. Our files of Ca'cutia papers extend to the sth March. Political news there is none. Commercial aifFirs, we arc soiry to say, were in a very bad 6tate. Tlip Union Bank of Calcutta was in a worse condition than had been suppose*). .£BOO,OOO appears to have been entirely sunk , and a large call is made on the shareholders to make up deficiencies. Alluding to the Bank of Australia case, one of the speakers at a meeting of the shareholders of the Union Bank declared that bad as was that case, theirs' was worse, and that they ftink in the nostrils of (he people of " Noifolk Island," which he evidently supposed is the capital of Australasia. Among other persons involved with the fall of the Union Bank was Sir Thomas lurton, who had a salary of ,£ J 5600 a year as Ecclesnstidil Register of the Supreme Couit, and who was deficient in his public accounts to a large amount The picckc sum had not been ascertained, but a private letter saya it wai < i^hteen lacs, or ,£1HI),000. The hinall houses were all breaking, and several charitable associations whicl< had invested their money in the Bank shares were large looscrs. Sydney llc>ahl, May 30.