THE LAST SCENE

New Zealand Times, Volume LXXI, Issue 4263, 24 January 1901, Page 5

THE LAST SCENE

!1 PASSING HENCE OF HER 1 MAJESTY. » I ' THE LAST SAD BULLETIN. I ANNOUNCEMENT BY THE LORD I MAYOR. |A PEACEFUL AND PAINLESS END. 1 SCENE AT THE ROYAL DEATH- | BED--1 (Received January 23, 11.59 a.m.) i SYDNEY, January 23. I The Queen is dead. | (Received January 23, 5.31 p.m.) I SYDNEY, January 23. I The Governor-General, Lord Hopetoun, has received a cable message iron: the Secretary of State for the Colonies announcing that the Queen passed away at 6.30 last evening. CHRISTCHURCH, January 23. His Excellency the Governor has received the following cable from the Secretary of State for the Colonies • •'Deeply regret her Majesty the Queen passed away at six thirty this evening.' (Received January 23, 11.24 p.m.) « LONDON, January 22. | The room in which the dying Queen |iay was at the rorth-west angle of Ossborne House, overlooking the Solent. I Wearily and expectantly, in heavy gsiience, throughout the morning and |afternoon the saddened crowds at the Sgates waited and watched. | | Daylight gave place to twilight audi I twilight to darkness, and the crowds Istill watehad the lighted windows. I At a. quarter to seven in the evening |a Royal servant appeared and reverenti|ally placed on tha gate a board beavling the last; sad medical bulletin to the Seffect that the Queen breathed her last |at half-past six. surrounded by her chilIdren and grandchildren. I The crowd read the bulletin, and, exjcept for a wail of anguish, silently departed to hide their grief, the AVbippingfliam Church bells tolling. I There was-great tension throughout Ithe country on Tuesday. i "When the bulletin was posted at rhe IftMansion House in the morning stating It-hat the Queen's strength was diminiah|ing, the crowd struck up the National §Ant-hem. hundreds singing and uncovering their beads. Passengers on passing jmnibuses also bared their heads. When the sad news reached London, a luige, earnest, breathless crowd was in Front of the Mansion House. A window opned and the Lord Mayor appeared. The crowd bared their heads. The Lord Mayor, leaning for support on the window-sill, said, in a voice at first broken, but soon audible to «he; thousands assembled : " Citizens, it is with the deepest distress that I announce the following telegram from the King— 'My beloved mother passed to her rest.' " The crowd was speechless with sor. row, and then the great bell at St. Paul's boomed forth at intervals of a .-minute. S (Received: January 24, 0.28 a.m.)

f| LONDON, January 23. | «3 The Lord- Mayor, in addressing '' ie l biPrince of Wales, tendered the condolen-K ||ces of the City, where feelings for thee 11l Queen would be cherished in the iHmemory. ' Ej ffl The innumerable tributes that haveg |§|been received from all part of theKing-| Bffldoin, the Empire and the world haveSj ISgreatly touched the Royal Family. | Effl All the theatres and places of ainuse-| SSirent have closed. Drury Lane Hivas packed with children at the limel Isof the Queen's death. When the mana-| ragev announced the sad tidings, the audi-? g|ence spontaneously rose and left the! jsSbuilding. | |Kj (Received January 24, 0.21 a.m.) I M LONDON, January 23. I '39 Bells in Canada werei tolling at 1.40 ||lp.m. The newspapers are. pouring ediHjtions out. 'IS The news of the Queen's death was re'jSceived within fifteeni minutes of the ocjSourroucei. Business was suspended, and "rathe Courts adjourned after paying brief to the deceased Sovereign. Kg In ihc United States the flags on the and public buildings are iialf--jflinasted, and church bells tolling. ; . v u jl ill It was unanimously resolved in the

■Senate, “That the death of Queen Victoria, a woman of noble virtues and great renown, is sincerely deplored by the Senate’’; and the American flag on the Executive mansion was for the first time for a foreign ruler half-masted. President McKinhiv addressing the King at Osborne, and Colonel John Hay addressing Lord Lan.sdowno, sent verj sympathetic messages. The French Chambers adjourned over to-day as a token of mourning and n> gard. (Received January 24, 1.0 a.ra.) LONDON, January 23. The Hon A. J. Balfoiu>le!e'-'ranijert tc Earl Pembroke, Lord Steward at Buckingham Palace, that the Queen dice! peacefully. The Queen was rather restless throughput the night, and the only persons ad-1 jrnitted were Dr Dosser and two maid; ■ under Nurse Soal, from a sanatorium on ■ the cptate. j The Royalties in the morning were ■summoned, with the Bishop of Winchester, who is Clerk of the Closet. Al: wore recognised by the* Queen, who apneared especially gratified at the Kai•ier’s filial devotion. She slept fer a while, and then the relapse came. At 3.30 p.m. the Royalties were resummoned. The Bishop was already kneeling beside the bed, the attendants having withdrawn to a corner. The Prince of Wales and the Kaiser entered together, then the Princess ol Wales, the Duke of Connaught, the Duke of York, Princess Henry of Battenburg, the Duchess of Saxe-Coburg, Princess Christian, Princess Elizabeth of Hesse, and the Duchess of Argylo. There were three hours of intense emotion. Meantime the patient had occas'onal [returns to consciousness, but her recognition of others was loss clear as the dull grey day passed. The Duchess of York, the Duke of S Connaught’s children, the Duke pf Arjgyle, Princess Louise, Princess Henry ol Battenburg, and Lord Clarendon (Lord Chamberlain) arrived in time for the I closing scene. Mr Balfour did not enter ! the chamber. The end was absolutely peaceful and painless.