LATE QUEEN ALEXANDRA

Otago Witness, Issue 3742, 1 December 1925, Page 32

LATE QUEEN ALEXANDRA

A NATION IN MOURNING. WIDESPREAD SYMPATHY. Local bodies, the c’trches, organisations of all kinds, and every class m the lommunity havo expressed regret at the ieath of the Queen Mother. THE LAST RITES. LONDON, November 27. The King was most anxious to save |he nation unnecessary expense. Those responsible for the arrangements, therefore, were careful to avoid excessive pageantry; moreover, it was realised that tmdue military display was unfitting, so the troops were confined to the repre fentatives of the regiments with which Queen Alexandra, as Princess and Queen, tad been officially connected. The keynote of the procession was to afford Londoners an opportunity for showing their affection for the Queen Mother, as the service in the Abbey was intended to allow the Court and the official world to pay its last tribute to its well-loved jnistress. Throughout the night the coffin lay in the Chapel Royal at St. James's Palace, trhere it was received on Thursday evening by the Bishop erf London. Apart from the recital of the sentences from the burial service, there was no ceremonial in the chapel. \ The lovely interior was brilliantly lighted throughout the night. Gold communion plate was displayed on the altar beneath tall candles. The altar vases were filled with j white roses, and wreaths in rich profusion were placed on and about fhe coffin, which was watched by gentlemen-in-arms *ind Yeomen of the Guard in their familiar crimson-and-gold uniforms. King George reached the Chapel Royal from Buckingham Palace at 10.45 a.m., accompanied by the King of Denmark and the King of Belgium. Here he was Coined by the King of Norway, who spent the night at the Marlborough House. Bearers carried the coffin to the Colour Court, where the coffin was placed on a gun carriage drawn by six horses, the bearer party marching alongside, accompanied by Queen Alexandra’s equerries. Tlie procession then moved on, marching with arms reversed, headed by 200 fnen and officers of the Air Force and 200 of the Brigade of Guards. Troops In single rank lined the whole of the route from Marlborough gate to The Mall and the Horse Guards, massed bands 6f the Brigade of Guards playing continuously and minute guns booming from a field* battery in St. James’s Park. The first gun was fired as the coffin was placed on the gun carriage, and the last as the coffin entered the Abbev.

Following the detachment of the Air Force and the Guardsmen came 20 officers and men of the yacht Victoria and Albert, and immediately preceding the gun carriage were 250 bluejackets and marines.

Behind the gun carriage King George walked alone, followed by the King of Belgium, the King of Denmark, and the King of Norway, walking abreast. The Crown Prince of Rumania and the Crown Prface of Sweden, on either side of the J’rince of Wales, followed; then came the Duke of York, the Crown Prince of Norway, Prince Waldemar of Denmark, and bthers, including Prince Henry, Prince Arthur of Connaught, Lord Louis Mountbatten, the equerries of the Kir.g and Princes with gold sticks and silver sticks, fend the aides-de-camp. The procession was completed by detachments representing Qv&n Alexandra’s Regiments —the 15th and 19th Hussars, the Yorkshire Regiment, and Queen Alexandra's Own Gurkha Regiment, which Represented the people of India.

At the ceremony the Life Guards turned |ut as the coffin passed the Horse Guards’ frvenue and entered Whitehall.

Queen Mary and the Queen of Norway find the Queen of Spain and the Royal princesses drove direct to Dean’s Yard laid' reached the sacrarium by the cloister door.

Meanwhile the Abbey was crowded With notable personages. While they Were gathering Mr Nicholson, the Abbey Organist played a selection of solemn inusic, including Stanford's “Funeral March” from “Bekel;” Parry’s prelude to "‘Abide With Me;” choral preludes by Bach and Brahms, “Solemn Melody jValford Davies, Greig’s “Death of Ase,” from “Peer Gynt" suite, ending with STscbaikovskyls “Funeral March.”

Arriving at the west door of the Abbey, the troops fell out, and the procession, beaded by the Choir Chapter, passed up the nave, the coffin being borne by the bearer party from the King’s Company jbf Grenadiers, the choir meanwhile singing sentences to Dr Croft’s music. The bearers stopped under the lantern and placed on tire coffin on the catafalque conBing and mourners standing at the head pf the coffin and the Lord Chamberlain ind Lord Steward at the foot. The bbey altar was hung in funeral black. The Archbishop of Canterbury canducted the service, assisted by Canon Carnegie and the precentor of the Abbey, HI wearing purple capes.

The service commenced with the twenty-third Psalin. The lesson was from the fifteenth chapter, I Corrinthians, Verses 51 to 68, then the hymn, "Now the Labourer’s Task is O’er,” and the Lord's

Prayer, and collects from the Burial Service. The anthem from the Russian Liturgy, “Give Rest, O Christ” followed, and the service concluded with the hymn, “On the Resurrection Morning.” When their Majesties and the Royal Family left by the west door, the coffin was covered by Queen Alexandra’s Standard, and remained under the lantern, watched by Gentleraen-in-arms and Yeomen of the Guards.

The general public was admitted to the Abbey at 1 o’clock, and continued to enter until late in the evening, entering at the poet’s corner and leaving by the north door.

. INCLEMENT WEATHER. LONDON, November 27. The drear, frosty morning, with a light fog and bitterly cold, turning into a snowstorm by 9 o’clock, undeterred the black-coated, befrocked crowd, which early took up vantage points between St. James's Palace and the west door of the Abbey. Many, obviously East Endere, provided jugs of tea to keep out the cold. Vendors of black crepe and flowers, in a shape recalling Queen Alexandra’s roses, did a big trade.

WONDROUS WHITE FUNERAL. LONDON, November 27. Queen Alexandra’s final pilgrimage will live in history as tl\p wondrous white funeral. Snow invested London with a beautiful pall, but happily it ceased just at the time of the setting out of the procession, in which the uniformed Royalties were able to walk behind the coffin.

SAD AND PATHETIC INCIDENTS. LONDON, November 27.

The interior of the Abbey presented a wonderful contrast with the wintry conditions outside. Hundreds of distinguished personages, including Cabinet Ministers and ex-Ministers, diplomats and High Commissioners in full leyee dress, entered covered with snow.

Notwithstanding the brilliant uniforms black was the dominant tone, women wearing deepest mourning. The chief centre of colour was the coffin, which was a mass of gold and crimson. The weeping of women made a most affecting scene.

When the service opened with the singing of “I Am the Resurrection and the Life,'’ King George was the lone grave figure standing beside the coffin. A pathetic incident was the arrival of a number of blinded soldiers from St. Dunstans.

There was a tragic sequel to the funeral of Queen Alexandra. Canon Westlake custodian of the Abbey, who participated in the funeral service, died suddenly this evening' at his residence within the Abbey precincts. Memorial services for Queen Alexandra were held in churches, schools and hospitals throughout the Empire. Thousands of people in the Mother Country who were unable to leave their homes participated in the service broadcasted from Canterbury Cathedral.

Business in the various law courts was at a standstill during the Abbey ceremony, and many shops and business houses were closed. Blackboards were prominent everywhere in the London theatres and dance halls were closed for the day. Farewell salutes were fired by guns at the principal naval and military stations. Special memorial services were held at Sheerness, whose guns were the first to salute Queen Alexandra on her arrival in England as a Princess from Denmark.

So great a queue waited to file past the coffin that it is anticipated that the Abbey doors will remain open past tin* appointed hour of 10 this evening.

SUFFERINGS OF ONLOOKERS. LONDON, November 28.

London was already white with 16 houra’ frost, and by 3 o'clock this morning the cloud-flecked sky became an ominous grey, and from a dull canopy came in a thickening fall a white mantle which gave a gorgeous touch to the loved Queen Alexandra’s funeral. The cold literally gnawed into one’s bones yet nobody abandoned his or her vantage point, and few even raised their umbrellas. The whole line- of tfie procession was wedged between masses of the mourning public, who derived some warmth from the density of their packing. They at least were at liberty to move their frozen feet, but the less fortunate troops stood like snow-shrouded statues. Quite a number of them faipted from sheer cold, and that hundreds of women were similarly affected is not surprising, because crowds of them formed the first line of the human avenue soon after dawn.

An unceasing vigil had been kept all night at St. James’s by Yoemen of the Guard and Gentlemen-at-Arms.

The atmosphere in the tiny chapel was heavy with the fragrance of white lilies and roses upon the altar. The coffin was borne to the gun-carriage by a party of Grenadiers, and .as they moved with slow and reverent step the Bishop of London recited two short prayers. King George, sad-faced and care-worn, with his head bowed, walked immediately behind the casket, and as the coffin was placed on the gun-carriage all the Roval mourners stood at the salute. Then along the snow-covered roads Alexandra was borne to the Abbey, the snow serving to muffle the sound of the foot steps.

Reports from the Continent state that memorial services were held wherever there wns a British community. One of the most touching remembrances on the Continent was a gathering in St. Albans Church, Copenhagen, where the. Queen, the Crown Prince, and the Royal Family, Cabinet Ministem and diplomats were present, after which a salute of 60 puns was fired.

Almost every hamlet in Great Britain had its special service simultaneously with the striking ceremony in the Abbey. The villagers at the east Parish Chmch, Perth, were moved by a beautiful rendering of

“Ave Maria,” and discovered that the singer was Signora Tetrazzini, who was a warm friend of the Queen Mother. It was noticed that the Admiralty flag in Whitehall alone was not half-masted, and it was explained that the flag is governed by the same regulations as the Admiral’s flag at sea, and is never low ered, day or night, except on the death of the reigning monarch.

TRIBUTE OF COMMON PEOPLE. LONDON, November 28. Queen Alexandra’s funeral in its way, despite lack of ordered show, was a tribute of the common people. Perhaps the most abiding of to-day’s sad memories is that from daybreak, in chilling winds, through a heavy snowstorm and a bitter evening, and far into the night, the pilgrimage to the flower-decked Abbey shrine continued. A queue, four abreast, stretched for two miles away into a thick mist, advancing step by step. Many women, unable to endure the cold, fainted. Ambulances were in attendance, and were kent busy.

More than three-quarters of the patient waiters were women. Bv midnight 60,000 had passed the catafalque, of whom 40,000 were women, mostly middle-aged or elderly, many poorly dressed and illeqninped to meet the rigours of the bitter weather.

ARRIVAL OF WINDSOR. LONDON, November 28.

The arrival of the motor hearse with Queen Alexandra’s coffin at Henry the Eighth gate at Windsor at 8.30 this morning was witnessed by only a few passersby, thus showing the regard for the King’s wish for privacy and the minimum of interruption of business. Tleir Majesties motored from London, and entered unobserved, the old Windsor side of the castle, upon which the Union Jack flew at the top of the staff, till, in accordance with custom the Royal Standard was substituted, to denote that the King had arrived. The coffin, still bearing the King’s wreath, was taken into the memorial chapel, where in the presence of only the Royal Family and members of the household, the Dean of Windsor read the commital prayers, the choir sang the anthem, “How Blest are They,” and the hymn, “Now the Labourer’s Task is O’er.” Then the casket was lowered into the tomb house, where it will remain till the sarcophagus in St. George’s Chapel is ready to receive Queen Alexandra’s and King Edward's coffin. *

ABBEY SCENE DESCRIBED. LONDON, November 28.

Sir Jofin Poster Fraser in describing the Abbey scene, says he saw Queen Alexandra smiling with grandmotherly delight at Princess Mary’s wedding, and contrasted that scene with one now of King George standing a little way from other men, but very near his mother. He never moved or lifted his head, but first stood amid a mighty congregation—a nation in mourning—bidding the longest of farewells as though he were all alone and very lonely, which indeed he was. The Prince of Wales stood in wistful sadness behind his father. Three Queens meanwhile stood within the altar rails. Princess Mary was so heavily shrouded in mourning that few recognised her when she entered.

The superb service was marked by many manifestations of emotion, but the whole congregation seemed to find voice when the hymn “On the Resurrection Morning,” chosen by King George himself, was sung. When all was over the King stood for a long time beside the coffin before he turned to join his sons.

The crowd entered the Abbey two abreast, and the time allowed was very short, the policeman's sharp, “Hurry on please” being necessary in order that all could enter. Often the women wept as they bowed, and many dropped flowers beneath and in the shadow of the coffin.

Evensong was held in another part of the Abbey, the music adding reverence to the people’s homage. At a late hour it was arranged that the Abbey would be open until 6 o’clock on Saturday. Upon the Queen’s own flag, bearing the Arms of England and of Denmark, rested blossoms of pink and white, forming a cross, while almost covering the chancel rails were wreaths from Europe’s sovereigns. There we.re great masses of other**, but the tributes of the humble found place also. The newspapers print messages of the scenes of mourning throughout the world. Cities as far apart at Paris and Peking joined with the Empire in constituting a girdle of grief around the whole earth. Theatres, cinemas the principal resorts were closed for the day. While thousands of people stood shivering in the cold to catch a glimpse of the procession thousands listened to a special commemoration service held in Canterbury Cathedral, and broadcasted throughout England. Some idea of the quantity of floral tributes is gained from a message reporting an unprecedented shortage of roses, violets and carnations, whole trainloads having been sent to England to meet the enormous demand. Those remaining in Paris were retailed at 50 per cent, above the usual prices. The Crown Prince and the Princes of Sweden, the Crown Prince of Rumania, the Prince of Wales, the Duke and Duchess of York, and Prinoess Mary and Viscount Lascelles dined with their Majesties at Buckingham Palace last evening. Canon Westlake, arranged the allotting of the 2600 seata in the Abbey, and participated in the service in the morning as well as at evensong, died from heart attack at his house in tne Cloisters.

THE KING’S MESSAGE. LONDON, November 28. The King in a message “to my people” •ays: In my great sorrow I am helped by a flood of sincere and generous aym-

pathy, reaching me from every quarter of the British Empire, and indeed from all parts of the world. While I am deeply grateful for these expressions of goodwill I also rejoice that my beloved mother enjoyed the constant and warm affection of ray people. It is such proof of allegiance to my throne and family that has given me confidence and strength in many anxious days I have had to face in the past 15 years.

MOURNING IN DUNEDIN

ST. PAUL'S CATHEDRAL.

Beautiful in its conception and impressive in its solemn dignity was the memorial service for her late Majesty Alexandra, the Queen Mother, held in St. Paul’s Cathedral yesterday morning. It was attended bv an unprecedented gathering of representatives of eight nations and of countries within the British Empire, together with officers from the army and army, and dignitaries of the State. ...

Bv 11 o’clock a large gathering of citizens had assembled outside the Cathedral, and all unreserved pews were filled. Tbo aisle 9 were also crowded when the service commenced, and manv were unable t.o gain admittance to the Cathedral. Their Excellencies. Sir Charles and Lady Alice >ergusson, together with the other members of the Vice-Regal party, arrived a few minutes prior to the commencement of trie service, and t'ook their places at the head of the officers from the Royal Navy and the New Zealand Defence Forces. His Excellency wore a plain black band on the sleeve of his full-dress uniform, and Lady Alice was in deep mourning. The following official representatives were also present:—-Commodore and Mrs BeaJ. with Commander Peters and 13 officers of the H.M.S. Dunedin; Major Bell and 35 officers of the Otago District; Sir William and Lady Sim. Miss Stewart (representing the Hon. W. Downie Stewart), Mrs Statham (representing the Hon. L. it. Stathani', the Hon. G. M. Thomson, Lady Lute., the Consuls for the Argentine Republic. Belgium, France, Denmark, (Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, and the Cm ted States; Commissioners -for Great Britain, Canada. Australia, and Fiji; representatives of the Returned Soldiers’ Association, South African veterans, Army nurses (includingmembers of "Queen Alexandra s Imperial Army Nursing Service Reserve), the Mayor of Dunedin (Mr H. L. Taplev, M.P.), and councillors, the Chancellor. \ ice-chancellor of the Otago University, and members of the Universit.v Council, the stipendiary magistrates (Messrs J. R. Bartholomew and H W. Bundle), Sir George Fenwick, a party of police officers from the Dunedin headquarters, representatives from the Harbour Board, Trades and Labour Couiuiil. Hospital Board, Education Board, Red C*ros9 Council, and Exhibition directorate. The military band of the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders as » lso on P arad J: lending beautilul effect by the P ar ‘ ‘°£ in the service, while 100 men of the H.. M-. 'Dunedin who paraded in front of the Cathedral afterwards filed m to take their part in the service. Church Army, Navy, State and representatives of lands beyond the sea—all assembled in that solemn hour to mourn one whose name will he cherished for ever by the people of the and the service was one which will never be forgotten bv those who were present. The service opened with the reading of St. John, chapter 11. verses 25 and 26. Job, chapter 19, verses 25, 26, and and 1 Timothy, chapter 6. verse 7. the choir then sang Psalm 90: "Lord thou hast been our refuge . . .. ■ ® d ■lt' the reading of 1 Corinthians, chapter 15, verse 20. The choir sang the anthem, “Blest are the Departed,” and the congregation united in prayers for the departed Sovereign. The hymn "Now the Labourer s Task,” followed. . _ .. -In the prayer for the Royal Family, contained in our prayer book, there is the following passage—‘lmbue theni with iny Holy Ipirit? enrich them with Thy heavenly grace,’ ’’ said Bishop Richards, in commencing his memorial sermon Our thoughts,” ho continued, are taken up at this time with a great national sorrow When on Saturday last the news came from Home of the passing of her Majesty, the Queen Mother, it is not too much to say tliat here in New Zealand, from one end of the Dominion to the other, we were all profoundly moved as with the sense of personal loss as real as it .was universal Most of us were never privileged to meet her nor even to see her. and yet we felt somehow as though she was one of ourselves. For more than 60 years, prayers were offered daily for her in our churches, that God would imbue her with His Iloly Spirit and surely this morning it is fitting that we should pause for a time and consider how this prayer has been answered. How the Queen Mother was imbued with Heavenly grace to fulfil her part in the high position to which she was called. ‘‘And in order to understand things in this way it is well to look back a little to the past—to those days when the relations of English Sovereigns to their people were variously conceived, and when Parliamentary institutions were in their infancy. In early times of English history we find that monarchy was not absolute. It was limited either by the Church, by the forces of feudalism, or by the progress of constitutional freedom. We find Parliamentary institutions of a kind, but under the Saxon and Norman Kings these were composed mainly of the highest nobles and ecclesiastics'in the realm, and were more or less subject to the Royal will, bor the birth of constitutional liberty and of parliamentary institutions in anything like the modern sense of the words, we have to come to the latter part of the thirteenth 'century—to the time of the first Edward. From that time for the next 150 years the relations of English Kings to their peoples developed wisely and well, so that by the year 1450 England is described as Among all the world, that where the public weal is best ordered and where least violence reigns over the people. “ But things did not continue thus. Owing to various causes—largely through circumstances attendant upon the Wars of the Roses—a reaction set in. The kings became more and more absolute; the people less and less free; until by the middle of the reign of Henry VIII the old liberties of England lay prostrate at the feet of the King. Royal proclamations took the place of parliamentary legislation, and Parliament itself became spiritless, converted into an engine of opproesion at the Royal will. But, of course, such a condition of things could not be permanent. Even in the darkest hour of constitutional failure, the old theory of liberty remained. The minds of men soon reverted to earlier ideals, and from that period until the present day the development, of freedom has been steadily making way.

"Of couise, it bus noi been plum sailing ail the tune. There waa nearly a century of troubles in me Stuart period, and even alter the Act ot Settlement by which George 1 and his successors held the throne, it was more than 100 years bet ore an English King rose above the contentions of party factions ami the vanity ot personal greatness, and ruled wisely in the fear of t»od as the representative of a gre.it and a united people. But ut length this waa attained ; the King and the various estate* of the realm bound in the bundle of lift together, fulfilling their proper functions each according to his power and office. “ This, then, is the ideal which we find throughout the whole of our history, sometimes rising into greater clearness sometimes obscured, but never lost—that the Sovereign belongs to no one estate, of class of party, more than another, but is the representative equally of all. He does not create unity, for that comes from God alone. He is. however, the symbol of national unity, the complimentary truth being that unity and the freedom of the people are bound up inseparably with loyalty to the Crown. “ Coming now to more recent times, it is not too much to say that it remained to our beloved Queen Victoria to be the first among modern sovereigns to set forward the ideal of constitutional government into clean and living reality. And after her, the late King Edward carried out perfectly the inherited tradition. Possessing in a rare degree the combination of clearness of perception and insight into affairs with singleness of purpose and -vmpathetic devotion to the people, he raised aloft the ideals of national life of the great Edward of earlier days. In this he was upheld and strengthened bv the gracious Queen Alexandra, whose death we mourn to-day. Indeed, who can ifieasure the profound influence for good exercised by that sweet and beautiful nature upon the King and the Empire during the 62 years that she lived amongst us? If it is true, as it is, that official position count* for much, it is equally true that personal character counts for more. And while the Queen Mother upheld with similar gra.e and dignity everything in connection with sovereign iank, it was by the pure beauty of her life—by her faith, her sympathy, her wifely and motherly tenderness, her benevolence, her devotion to whatever things were lovely and of good report, that sno held the affection and devotion of the people. “As a statesman at Home has said—every household felt an intimate kinship with her because of her kindly deeds and because of the human appeal she made to all. “ * Imbue her with Thy Holy Spirit.’ So we prav for her, and the prayer has been answered. To-day, while our hearts go out in sympathy with our King and Queen and with all the members of the Royal Family, and while we pray that the God of all comfort will uphold them and bless them in their sorrow, we say, too, that their sorrow is also ours. A great and good Queen has entered into rest. We thank God for her life which, having begun so faithfully on earth, has opened out into greater fulness and blessedness in Paradise. And we pray that the ideals of life which, by the grace of God, she was enabled to set forth, may be increasingly reverenced among us for evermore.” The sermon was followed by the hymn “Ten Thousand Times,” and the processional played by the band. The band then played the “Dead March” in “Saul” and the National Anthem, which closed the service. FIRST CHURCH. The service in the First Church under the auspices of the Council of Christian Congregations was magnificently impressive, and the building was packed to overflowing, many not even being able to find standing room. A detachment of men from the H.M.S. Dunedin and the pipers of the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders’ Band lent a note of brightness to the scene which was couched by a stateliness and solemnity fitting to the occasion. Reserved seats were occupied by the chairman (Mr Jas. Wallace) and members of the Education Board and the Board of Managers of the King Edward Technical College. Special accommodation was also provided for 36 officers and men of the H.M.S. Dunedin, the pupil* of Archerfield and Columba Colleges, and the members of the Dunedin Presbytery and Council of Christian Churches. The service opened with Chopin’s Funeral March, played by Dr Galway, after which the Rev. Tulloch Yuille offered up a prayer, which was followed by the singing of the twenty-third Psalm. The Rev. W. Saunders then read the ninetieth Psalm, and the congregation joined in singing Dykes’s beautiful requiem, “Now tfie Labourer’s Task is O’er,” the second Scripture reading being taken by the Rev. H. E. Bellhouse, who chose the seventh chapter of the Revelation of St. John.

After Miss Med a Paine's rendering of Willoughby’s setting of “Crossing the Bar” the Rev. Tulloch Yuille, who conducted the service, spoke briefly in eulogy of the late Queen Mother. He said that to-day the Empire mourned one who had come among us as a stranger, but who had died among us as a friend. Though she was not of British birth, she lost all alien characteristics and took on the likeness of her people, and it could be said that she was a good Britisher. It was, said the speaker, a long time since we had thought of Queen Alexandra as a Dane, for in a life of noble self-sacrifice she had worked out everything alien in her, and she waa wedded not only to our late King, but to his people. She had completely obliterated self and become bone of our bone and flesh of our flesh—a good Britisher. It was not often that any Prince of Wales had brought lustre to the princedom. Since the days of Edward the Black Prince our late King was the only one who had done so, and much of the lustre was reflected in the good works and Christiun influence of the beautiful and dignified Princess Alexandra. When Queen Alexandra was overwhelmed with the duties of statecraft the burden of the domestic side of the royal household fell on the shoulder* of the Princes of Wales, and with diliSence and punctuality she performed those utie*. The fact that the British monarchy was to-day popular with all classes wa* largely due to the labour of Queen Alexandra. She saw that what kept the King beloved ’by his people was that he should bo their servant. She had proved a good Queen and a good woman. During her life she has been stricken with much sorrow. In IS7I the life of her consort had been despaired of, and in 1892 a lasting sorrow on the death of Prince Albert Victor had overwhelmed her and wounded her to the very spul. In 1890 the Prince of Wale* was shot at, anl again, in 1002, on the eve of hi* coronation.

he was laid lwo l*y illness, and all the nation sorrowed. Gol had truly opened the Mother's eyes to suffering. She became the friend of the sick—the royal Florence Nightingale, and Rose Day, now held in London would ever keep fresh and fragrant the name of her who had done so much for the sick and suffering. Alexandra was a good woman, and a beautiful woman. Though her earthly beauty might have faded, she possessed a beauty of soul which could never fade. Iler name would live for ever and lu the house of many mansions there would be prepared for her ft place of wonder and glory. Surely her name would be written in the Lamb’s Book of Life. Following the address, the wail of the pipes rose in the lament “Flowers of the Forest,” and the Rev. F. M. Beattie, Moderator of the Presbyterian Assembly, offered up a prayer. The congregation then stood whilst the organ pealed forth the “Dead March’’ in “Saul,” the proceedings concluded with the massed singing of the National Anthem. AT THE ~SYXAGOGUE. The memorial service at the Synagogue, which was draped in black, the sombre tones relieved with white roses, was most impressive. The roses were a touching reminder of the fondness of the late Queen Mother for this most beautiful of all flowers. In addition to the special prayers composed for memorial services by the Very Rev. J. 11. Hertz, Chief Rabbi of Great Britain and the Overseas, prayers and psalms were recited in both Hebrew and English, the late Queen’s favourite psalm, the 23r<l, being included. The service, which was attended by practically the whole of the now very small Jewish community, closed with the chanting of the solemn hymn, “The Immortality of the Soul,” and (he singing of two verses of the National Aulliein. PORT CHALMERS SERVICE. In the Presbyterian Church at Port Chplmers a united memorial service was held, and it was attended by the Mayor and councillors. The Rev. W. M. Grant officiated, and was assisted by Captain Blaikie, the Rev. J. M. MKenzie, and the Rev C. B. Jordan. The service concluded with the Deal March. HARBOUR BOARD'S TRIBUTE. At Friday’s meeting of the Otago Hai hour Board sympathetic: reference w. made to the death of Queen Alexandra, and members stood as a tribute of respect 10 her memory. AUCKLAND SERVICES. AUCKLAND, November 27. . Memorial services were held in St. Mary’s Cathedral and St. Matthew’s Church, and the Synagogue, Archbishop Averill preaching in St. Mary’s, where 100 men with officers from the three warships in port attended. WELLINGTON’S TRIBUTE. WELLINGTON, November 27. In connection with the funeral of the Queen Mother, a royal salute of 40 minute guns was fired from the Mount Cook Barracks here to-day, and flags on all the Government and man- other buildings were flown at half-mast. A belated notice of tin Mavor asking business people to close their premises from 10.30 a.m. till 1.30 p.m. was almost generally ignored owing to the want of sufficient publicity. The notice was posted on the newspaper office windows only this morning, and comparatively few saw it. At St. Paul’s Pro-Cathedral there was an impressive service, and the Bishop of Wellington, the Right Rev. Dr Sprott, preached eloquently IN CHRISTCHURCH. CHRISTCHURCH, November 27. A memorial service way held in the Anglican Cathedral this morning. The majority of business places and hotels closed from 11 o’clock till noon. NEW ZEALAND'S SYMPATHY. KING'S GRATEFUL THANKS. The Governor-General has received the following telegram from the Secretary of State for Dominion Affairs in reply to the message sent by his * Excellency on behalf of New Zealand : I have it in command from his Majesty the King to convey to your Excellency, your Ministers, and the people of New Zealand his grateful thanks for the expression of warm sympathy in his great sorrow, and for assurance of loyalty and devotion. MESSAGE FROM DUNEDIN. From the private secretary to his Excellency the Governor-General (Sir Charles Fergusson), the Mayor (Mr H. L. Tapley) received on Saturday the following message : The Prime Minister has sent to the Governor-General your message of sympathy in the death of her iate Majesty Queen Alexandra. His Excellency directs me to thank your Worship most warmly for this message from the Dunedin people, and to say that lie will forward it for submission to their Majesties the King and Queen. A SERIOUS CHARGE. YOUNG WOMAN’S ALLEGED CRIME. TAIHAFE, November 27. At the Police Court a young 6ingle woman, a recent arrival from Ireland, waa charged with manslaughter and concealment of the birth of a new-horn male child, the body of which was found in a trunk in tbo girls’ room at the borne where the worked at Mangaweke. Accused pleaded not guilty, and waa committed for trial on both charges, bail being allowed cn her own recognisance and one aurety of £IOO, which was forthcoming. An inquest was held concurrently with the court proceedings, and a verdict returned that death was due to sevozance of the umbilical and, and lack of attention thereafter.