ANOTHER ACCOUNT OF THE FUNERAL.

Otago Witness, Issue 2728, 27 June 1906, Page 26

ANOTHER ACCOUNT OF THE FUNERAL.

The funeral of tho late Premier took place to-day. Immense crowds of people thronged the route taken by the cortege, from the Parliamentary Buildings to the Sydney Street Cemetery, where the interment took Dlace. Shortly before 8 o'clock

this morning the coffin was removed frpw the deceased's late resident .in Moleswortli street to the main lobby oi the Parliamen tary Buildings, where the hundreds of floral tributes received by the family during the past week had been arranged. There representatives of the Maori race, who had assembled from all parts of the colony held an impressive tangi. '* The sun has set," said the Native Minister, speaking in' the Maori tongue to the mourners of his race. " The people have lost their pro vider. The totara tree of the forest has fallen. Come tread where he trod while alive. Death is no respecter of persons. Man is like a butterfly." Mr Carroll then read an address to Mrs Seddon, which he handed to Captain Seddon, who. with his two brothers, stood by the coffin. Following this lameuts were delivered, the women keeping up continuous wailing. - Mats and other tokens had been placed by the coffin. After this the <3oors of the building were thrown open to tho public, and iq the succeeding hours a stream of people filed through the lobby, paying their last respect to the memory of the deceased. Over 30.000 people thus viewed the coffin. By noon the streets in the vicinity of the Parliament and Government Buildings were thronged, and every point of vantage was crowded. On the lawn in front of the House of Representatives stood a ■*«tachment of military and bandsmen.^ At 2 o'clock the coffin was removed from i the building and placed on a gun carriage, around which the Ministers' of the Crown ,t, t stood as pall-bearers. In a few minutes a ♦ gun sounded, arid the procession moved • towards "St. Paulas Cathedral, the band ' playing the '* Dead March" from " Saul." ■ Mrs Seddon, Captain R. J. Seddon, Mr T. Y. Seddon, Master Stuart Seddon, Misses Mary S. Seddon; May E. Seddon, and Rubi , Seddon. . tho Rot. Mr and Mrs Bean-, Mr. "' F. and Mrs Dyer, Dr and Mrs Morice (sons-in-law and daughters), Mr E. Sed-, don (brother), Mrs Cnnliffe and Mrs M'Kay (sisters), Mr G. Spotswood (Mrs Seddon's brother), Captain .Henna 1 and, Mrs Hennah (Mrs Seddon's sister), W.8. Hennah (Mrs Seddon's nephew; and - Mrs Hennah, Mr H. Hennah (Mrs Sed- ; don's nephew), Miss Elsie Hennah (Mrs Seddon's niece), Mr Reid and Mrs Reid' (Mrs Seddon's niece), Mr N. Seddon {Mr Seddon's cous,in),_ and Mrs Js. Seddon headed the procession, and after the members of the family followed his Excellency the Governor's carriage, tho representative of his Excellency the Admiral, Sir J. G. Ward's carriage, the Commandant of the New Zealand Forces, judges and ex-judges of tho Supreme Court, the Speaker and members of the House of Representatives, ex-Ministers of the Crown, ex-members o£ Parliament, foreign consuls, representatives of other colonies (including representatives of New Zealanders in Sydney), and following these wero representative men from all parts of New Zealand. At the church the remains wero met bjr Dr Wallis (Bishop of Wellington) and other clergy. When the Bishop had read the usual texts the choir sang hymn No. 231, the 90th Psalm, and then hymn No. 27, ' "Abide with me." On the completion of tho service the cortege moved off, the choir chanting the ""Nunc Dimittis." Leaving the church, the cortege fumed) out oi Mulgrave street into semicircular Pipitea street, past the Girls' High School, and across Hobson street into Davis street, amid ever the same cordon ,of watching thousand*! held by each of the lines of Volunteers — Highlanders, Maori Corp* (North Canterbury Mounted Rifles), ajid. , sundry others, not forgetting the school - Cadets, The same unimpeded progress vnfchr out hitch saw the cortege pass along Thorndon quay into Lambton quay. where th« crowd began to thicken, and the vlevr opening out showed the bend of WellinjrtoA . terrace, some distance ahead, lined with ' spectators, who bad chosen this spot tjp a. distant but commanding viewpoint. P-stfc' it was on entering, Bowen street, whiuh rises gradually from Lambton qu&v, il.nt the greatest press and the most striking sight was witnessed. Here on the rise *t> . the top of the street were gathered to many people that they presented a sottu* of human heads, rising gallery-wise from the level of the procession to the top of the eminence on which they stood. But on the middle of the human sea something streaked across. It appeared a quivering band of green — something that lived and moved and seemed to beckon. As the cortege drew up it was seen to be the green wreaths of the Maoris, now waved in the hand in the manner of the poi, and quivering in unison with their wild Native chant. It was a master stroke of effect, both visually and morally, and one not * to be forgotten. For a moment the procession lingered, then on it went to its destination, via Museum street into Sydney ~ street, and on to the cemetery gates. There was gathered the full force of the mighty crowd, requiring all the authority of law . and order, backed up by the Volunteers, - to keep the human wave in check. This was, however, done. Inside the cemetery gates the body was received by representa- * tives of the headquarters 6taff — Colonel Webb, Major Joyce, and Major A. R. Hislop, V.D. A detachment of bluejackets from the cruisers Encounter and Pioneer, under Lieutenant Frenen, of the former vessel, formed a guard at the graveside, and a gun party of 23 men from the Encounter — the gun crew of 18 and five bearers, — under Warrant Officer Weaving, awaited the body at the entrance to the cemetery. The nine feet wide winding gravel path from tho Sydney street gates to the summit of the hill, where the grave is situated, was lined with Naval Volunteers. A detachment of marines from the Encounter formed a line on the north 9jde of the grave, under Marine Lieutenant Skafe. The Garrison Band, which headed the cortege, drew past the cemetery gates to permit the artillery gun carriage to pull up close to the Encounter's 12-pounder Armstrong field gun carriage and limber. The transfer of the coffin to the smaller gun carriage occupied less than two minutes, and the men-o'-warsmen started up the hill at a smart walking pace. Ifc was necessary for all other vehicles to h& abandoned owing to the narrowness of the pathway, and the procession proceeded up the hill, headed by the Bishop. Soon tho grave was reached, and the body of New Zealand's great statesman lay above the tomb. The chief mourners gathered round, with members of Parliament and others, and Bishop Wallis -commenced duties. First the ground was consecrate . Then followed the 6hort, but beautiful, service of the Anglican Church. Then a very brief Masonic service was gone through, Bro. Malcolm Niecol, Grand Secretary, and a. Past Grand Master of the Grand Lodgo of New Zealand, conducted the service, concluding with a prayer and the custom ir*" dropping in the grave of the late bro' aa*

©f a sprig of acacia — the Masonic emblem of immortality. Thus the religious portion of the ceremonial was over, and the illBuppressed sobs of tear-stained mourners concluded, to the accompaniment of the "Weeping of women. But there was one more token of respect to be paid to the departed. In the course of his busy life Mr Seddon carried out the duties of Minister of Defence, and he was therefore honoured by th© firing of three volleys by a detachment of the Permanent Force. The men were drawn i:p on the eastern side of the grave, and' as soon as the devotional service was over tbe firing took place. After the' first and second volleys a bugler sounded a bar of the " Sunset," and after the third the "Last Post." The ceremony was over.