FUNERAL OF THE DUKE OF WELLINGTON, (Hansard, 17 November 1852)

§ SIR CHARLES WOOD
brought up the Second Report of the Select Committee appointed to consider the circumstances relating to the attendance of the House at the solemnity of the funeral of the Duke of Wellington. The Committee reported that they had proceeded further to inquire respecting the most convenient mode by which Members could proceed to St. Paul's Cathedral, and they stated that arrangements had been made for steamboats to be in waiting at the river esplanade in front of the House at half-past ten o'clock in the morning of Thursday, to convey Members to St. Paul's Wharf; that the city authorities had undertaken that a passage should be kept clear from that place to the great western entrance of St. Paul's Cathedral, where Members could enter the cathedral by the northern door of that entrance, and proceed to the seats allotted them; that steamers would be in waiting at St. Paul's Wharf from three o'clock P.M., and that a passage would be kept clear from the cathedral to the wharf to enable Members to return. The Committee, therefore, recommended that the Members should assemble in the House at ten o'clock on Thursday morning; that they should be called over by counties in the usual way, the names of the counties being drawn by lot; that they should proceed to the steamboats, as far as possible, in the order in which such counties were drawn; and that the clerks and officers of the House, not exceeding thirty in number, should be permitted to accompany them.

§ MR. WALPOLE
said, that in order that a record of these proceedings might be inserted in the journals of the House, he would beg to move a Resolution to the following effect:— That on the occasion of the Public Funeral of Arthur late Luke of Wellington, Mr. Speaker be deputed to attend the Procession on the part of the House; and that this House, on the same occasion, do attend in the Cathedral Church of St. Paul, where Seats have been provided for its Members.

§ CAPTAIN SCOBELL
said, he thought there was one omission in the arrangements, inasmuch as no deputation from the Navy was appointed to attend the procession. It was true that the First Lord of the Admiralty would attend; but he would have gone whether he had been a naval man or not, and so with respect to the different Orders of the Bath; though 223 there would be a naval man in each class, they would represent the Order of the Bath, and not the Navy. Considering that much of the military proceedings of the great man whose memory they were about to honour were conducted in conjunction with the Navy, he thought that there ought to he a distinct deputation to represent that branch of the service in the procession; and, as a hasty mode of remedying the defect, he would suggest that the Board of Admiralty, being composed entirely of naval men, should be a deputation to represent the Navy.

§ MR. WALPOLE
said, it was far from the intention of those who had the regulation of the proceedings to omit that most popular force from being represented on the occasion of the funeral, or to show the slightest disrespect to the Navy. The hon. and gallant Member would observe that throughout the procession it was considered necessary to have deputations representing a great many public bodies. The difficulty was to prevent the procession being inconveniently long upon a winter's day. The Navy he conceived to be fully represented in the person of the First Lord of the Admiralty. He could also inform the hon. and gallant Gentleman, that 200 tickets had been placed at the disposal of that noble Lord for the use of naval officers. He was not aware of any other mode by which Her Majesty's Navy could be represented except by adding one more carriage for the conveyance of four admirals.

§ MR. MONCKTON MILNES
said, he would refer to an Order issued that morning, which stated that all naval officers should appear at the funeral in their uniform. He thought it important to ascertain whether officers of both services being Members of that House were expected to appear in their respective uniforms or in their senatorial character.

MR. HUME
hoped, that the respect due to the Commons of England would be considered, and that all Members of that House would appear at the funeral in their ordinary dress—being plain black, and suitable to the solemn occasion.

MR. STAFFORD
said, there was no wish on the part of the Admiralty to require naval officers being Members of that House to attend the ceremony in uniform.