quaintance-a ripe, though somewhat stiff scholar, and a nice, friendly Christian fellow. Mrs. H. and her husband have both shown us all imaginable kindness.

"All this coming unexpectedly over and above parish work has overdone me, and I sadly want change; so I am off on Easter Monday for South Wales, to Glasbury, near Hay, where a brother-in-law of mine has a curacy. There I spend a week, and make my way to Canterbury on Saturday to read in on Sunday. On Easter Monday Mrs. Lyall leaves the Deanery, and on the following week is her sale, so that I shall be fairly in possession in May.

"This, as you may suppose, has suspended the Greek Testament, but I hope to get to work again in October or before with redoubled vigour. Poor -'s has indeed

been a melancholy course. We must now be expecting almost yearly thinning off; and indeed one's own summons begins to assume a reality in the future, and to occupy a place in one's thoughts which it never did before."

The following letter, written about the same time to his aged aunt, Mrs. Freeman, mentions one of the first plans which he formed to increase the usefulness of his new office:

"Upper Hamilton Terrace.

"I am sure you will be glad to hear that Lord Palmerston has offered me the Deanery of Canterbury, and I have accepted it. I have every reason to be thankful for this gracious arrangement, for my work here was getting very hard, and I must soon have made some change; whereas now, please God, I can finish my Greek Testament with much more leisure and quiet. There is much to be done at Canterbury. At present the Dean only preaches three times a year!-and there is but one sermon each Sunday. My first care will be to establish an afternoon sermon, which I shall take myself when in residence. I have been much overdone for the last few weeks, what with this new matter, and all the Lent and Easter work coming after it.

"I send you [vol. vii.] my last volume of Quebec Sermons. I have not printed any volume in which I have had more

1857]

Letter of Archbishop Sumner.

271

my heart and my prayers-may God bless it, and may it be used for His glory.

"Last autumn I went to the West, to attend my sister's funeral, it has been indeed an afflicting and mysterious dispensation. Six little helpless children are left without a mother. Our meeting was even cheerful; it seemed as if death had lost its sting to us all: may it prove to be so in the hour which shall try us all!"

It is due to some members of the congregation of Quebec Chapel to say that a proposal was made by them for presenting some kind of Testimonial from the congregation to their Minister on his removal. But it came accidentally to his knowledge at an early stage, and in deference to an expression of his wishes, the proposal was abandoned.

Among the numerous letters of congratulation which he received, perhaps none was more gratifying to him than the following from Archbishop Sumner:

"Lambeth, March 9.

"MY DEAR SIR,-I did not venture to express my satisfaction at your appointment to Canterbury till I had ascertained the fact without danger of writing prematurely; but allow me now to add, that it has given me much gratification to know that you are to be the head of my Cathedral Church, and that my metropolis is to have the advantage of your talents, and my clergy your example.

"I am, my dear Sir, very faithfully yours,

"J. B. CANTUAR."

His old acquaintance the Bishop of Ripon (Dr. Bickersteth) said on the same occasion:

"It seems the very post for which you are fitted, and in the occupation of it abundant leisure will be afforded for the prosecution of the studies which you pursue with so much advantage to others. May God bless you in your new sphere!

"R. RIPON."

Mr. (now Bishop) Ellicott said :—

"You have indeed borne the heat and burden of the day, and borne it bravely, and now comes suitably and appropriately your present reward."

His friend and old pupil, Mr. W. H. Gurney, wrote:

"It is delightful to think of you in a place you are so fitted for; the only drawback seems to be that you will have to leave London and give up Quebec Chapel; however, you have done a great work there, and one you will look back upon with thankfulness as well as pleasure."

CHAPTER VIII.

1857-1860.

WORK AT CANTERBURY-TOUR IN GERMANY-THE EVANGELICAL ALLIANCE AT BERLIN-TOUR IN THE WEST OF SCOTLAND— VISITS THE WEST OF ENGLAND-BISHOP MACKENZIE'S FAREWELL SERVICE AT CANTERBURY-LAST VOLUME OF THE GREEK TESTAMENT.

TH

HE new duties on which he now entered as Dean were very different from the daily cares of a pastor of a large rural parish, and from the excitements which belong to the life of a minister of a congregation in the metropolis. Still he continued to apply himself to those Biblical studies which he regarded as the principal work assigned to him by the Great Taskmaster, amidst other duties belonging to the positions which he filled. From the time of our arrival at Canterbury he began to attend as a rule, the meetings of the Ecclesiastical Commission of which he was an official member. At some seasons this required a weekly journey to London; and it gave him an opportunity of transacting many matters of business connected with his various occupations. Another office, which also belonged to his position as Dean, was perhaps somewhat more congenial to his character. He was an official member-indeed, next after the Prolocutor, the senior member-of the Lower House of Convocation of the Province of Canterbury. He took at all times an interest in its proceedings; and on such occasions as the debate on the Revision of the Authorized Version of the Bible, he was one of the prominent speakers.

T

Two brief entries from his journal and an extract from a letter to his wife from town, whither he had been summoned to preach a funeral sermon, afford a specimen of his occupation in the first month at Canterbury.

"July 13.-Cathedral service in the morning-nice walk with the dear girls to St. Stephen's-glorious weather; sat in the Deanery garden in the evening; what shall I render to the Lord for all His mercies to me!

"July 17.-Very busy arranging my library, my newly bound books are come-settled about work to be done whilst we are away on our German tour-made calls, felt low and poorly, but how wrong in me-got some iodine for my hand, which I hurt in packing my hooks.”

TO HIS WIFE.

"July 26.

"I steal a few moments after an interesting and trying day. I preached from John xiv. 1-4. I did not prepare but spoke extempore, and was enabled to do so with effect, I trust; at least, I felt very much what I said, which is, I suppose, the best test of preaching with effect.

"In the afternoon I went to Quebec Chapel; how natural the ugly old place looked; I felt much addressing my old flock, and spoke to them about their old minister.

July 27.-What would you like by way of sketch-book for our German tour? I have got a large book, and a little one for scraps. I have one brief hour to rush about, getting the passport viséed for Austria, Belgium, Bavaria, and France."

For some time past we had felt a little anxiety about the health of our eldest daughter: and this led him to effect a costly and permanent improvement in the Deanery, by laying down hot-water pipes on each storey.

During the first few weeks his ordinary studies were partially intermitted, and he applied himself to storing his own mind and his children's with information connected with a long projected Continental tour, in which he designed to visit that part of Germany which is connected with most