vessels and boats, to work among our sailors all round our coasts, was established in 1856.

An interesting local event occurred in Chatham at the beginning of the year, when the new Church of St. Paul was opened by the incumbent, the Rev. George Venables, an able and impressive preacher.* Thus the increasing population of these towns, provided for at Brompton some years ago, as we have noticed, by the erection of Trinity Church, is in like manner now provided for at another extremity of Chatham. As Churchmen, we rejoice that the religious wants of the Government employés and their families, and of the people of the locality in general, are thus kept in view. We are pleased, too, at the extension of Chapel accommodation, desiring that spiritual provision be made for all our brethren in Her Majesty's Service. It may be observed that as a rule the Admiralty contribute (on application) towards the erection of places of worship, schools, and other important local institutions in dockyard towns, designed for the accommodation and benefit of their employés.

* Afterwards Vicar of St. Nicholas', Great Yarmouth (the largest parish church in England), and author of "The Numbered Prayer-Book," etc.

CHAPTER XV.

EVENT ON EVENT.—THE INDIAN MUTINY-ADMIRALTY COMMITTEE ON DOCKYARD ECONOMY.

TH

HE estimates for 1857-58 for wages to Chatham Yard amounted to £106,778 for 1,778 established workmen; £1,467 for teams; £3,993 for police; and for men employed on new (architectural) works, improvements, and repairs £48,666; together with £16,600 in the aggregate for all the Yards for men of the Yard-craft.

One of the first events of 1857 was the arrival of the Resolute at Chatham, where she came to take her place in that long line of old ships which stretched between Chatham and Sheerness,* and bore witness to the reality and truth of events celebrated in our national history. The officers of the Yard had the pleasure of visiting and inspecting her. Many regretted that she was not (as it seemed) to be kept apart and honoured as a memorial of our Arctic Expeditions and of stirring incidents in our Navy; as a receptacle for those Arctic trophies which attested the daring and fortitude of our seamen; and as a monument of international friendship and of the respect and love of England's children, even though they had been alienated from her for awhile, for the old Mother-Land.

The programme of lectures, etc., at the Mechanics' Institution of Chatham for the spring quarter indicated a very remarkable advance of intelligence among our working men and their families, and a love of history and poetry which are really noteworthy. It included "A Night wi' Burns," * See pp. 45 and 91.

with musical illustrations; a lecture by Mrs. C. L. Balfour on the "Contrasts and Parallels in the Lives of the Celebrated Women living at Times of Great Revolutions in England and America"; a lecture on "Henry VIII. and his Wives," and one on the " Art of giving Expression to Poetry"; a pictorial, historical, and musical entertainment, entitled "The Road, the River, and the Rail"; a lecture on "Sir Thomas More and his 'Utopia""; and a final lecture on "Authors, Actors, and Auditors," with musical and other illustrations.

The great event of this fateful year was the MUTINY IN INDIA, which broke out on the 10th of May. Familiar as I was with the principal cities and towns of North-West India -Meerut, Agra, Cawnpore, Lucknow-these names were sufficiently mnemonic to recall the places themselves vividly to my mind, and make me almost a witness of the various events which occurred. It may be added that the Navy rendered invaluable aid in the conveyance of reinforcements to India; and that the Mutiny ultimately led to the construction of our Indian troopships, by which a large European force is constantly maintained in the East, with frequent changes for the several regiments.

Our holiday trip in 1857 included Ramsgate, Canterbury, Deal, Dover, Hastings, and Maidstone, most of them places of popular resort, yet great in the interest they possessed. for the student and the scholar.

I have mentioned our famous ex-missionary to Africa, the Rev. G. T. Schön. He had been appointed Chaplain of Melville Hospital, and his history was full of interest. Born, in 1803, near Baden, in Germany, and educated at the Basle Missionary College and at the Church Missionary College at Islington, he went out to Sierra Leone in 1832. He accompanied Captain Trotter in the Niger Expedition of 1841, with a view of exploring new regions for missionary effort. (With him was young Samuel Crowther, afterwards Bishop of the Niger Territory.) On that occasion Mr. Schön contracted the germs of a fever which eventually compelled him to leave Africa for ever in 1847; since which time he had resided in England, and had been constantly employed in compiling books and making translations in the languages

of Africa. When at Sierra Leone he studied and published works in the Mende language; and when on the Niger he mastered the Ibo language, and by keeping himself in touch with negro scholars in the field he had kept his knowledge up to high-water mark.* Large portions of the Bible and Prayer-Book in Ibo will survive him as proofs of his learning and industry.

The Niger Expedition had little result, in consequence of the sickness that attended it. But about 1852 Dr. Barth set forth to explore the Dark Continent. He entered Africa from the north, passed through the Sahara, and at last reached Sukota, a town situated on a branch of the Niger. In the course of his travels he found that the Haussa language was widely spread over all that part of Africa through which he had passed; and he hired the services of two Haussa young men, Abbega and Dorugu, to accompany him on his return journey, and brought them with him to England. Mr. Schön was probably the only person in this country who could speak their language, and they were invited to reside in his house at Chatham. With their assistance Mr. Schön translated the Gospels of St. Matthew and St. John and the Acts of the Apostles into Haussa, and this employment led to their embracing the Christian faith.

On the 2nd June, 1857, these two young men were baptized at Chatham, in the presence of a large congregation, by the names of Frederick Buxton Abbega and James Henry Dorugu. They were baptized, too, in their own language, which was first used on that occasion in public Christian worship.†

On that day week, June 9th, it was my pleasure to see and to hear Louis Kossuth, the patriot leader of Hungary. He came to lecture at Rochester on "Naples and Sicily in their Relation to England." Though the night was very wet, an audience of about 400 was assembled. The accent

* Dr. Cust.

+ It was afterwards arranged that the younger man, Dorugu, should remain in England to assist Mr. Schön in further translations, while Abbega returned to Africa to join a new Government expedition to the river Niger.

66

of Kossuth was broadly foreign; his appearance denoted an acquaintance with grief." I was much interested in his lecture, which was an endeavour to show that it was the duty of England to fulfil "her foreign engagements," and assist in destroying oppression in Naples; or at least not to throw any impediment in the way of the people of the Two Sicilies in achieving their freedom.

The great Handel Festival held at the Crystal Palace in June must be noticed. It was not only an event in the musical world, but one affecting all classes of society, and calculated to promote the love and practice of music, both sacred and secular, throughout the land. It was, moreover, a precursor of the Triennial Festivals subsequently held.

Her Majesty, it will be remembered, had instituted the decoration of the Victoria Cross-that new and highest order of honour, "FOR VALOUR"-at the end of the Crimean War. On the 26th June, 1857, the Queen conferred that honour in Hyde Park on sixty-two Crimean heroes, being surrounded by her great officers of State, thousands of her gallant soldiers, and a great multitude of her people.

On the 1st July, 1857, Vice-Admiral Edward Harvey was appointed Commander-in-Chief at the Nore in succession to Admiral the Hon. William Gordon.

The interest of the whole civilized world was directed in the month of August to the marvellous endeavour to connect Europe and America by an electric cable to be laid between Valentia and St. John's, Newfoundland (already connected with the American continent). So long before as 1843 the idea had been suggested by Professor Morse; but the bed of the Atlantic had been supposed to present insurmountable obstacles to the deposit of a cable, and it was not until Captain Maury, of the United States Navy, ascertained that it was almost level, and covered with a soft ooze, that it was resolved to make the attempt. A company was formed under the leadership of Mr. Cyrus Field; and the goodwill, aid, and guarantee of the British and American Governments having been assured, the cable was made and shipped in two parts-one of them on board Her Majesty's ship Agamemnon, the other on the United States ship Niagara.

VOL. II.

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