“ On what a proud eminence has the consistent and persevering piety of Wilberforce placed him! How far above the most successful hero that ever became the idol of a nation! Here indeed we see the precepts of our Blessed Saviour brought into practice. Here we see a fellow creature ‘so letting his light shine before men,’ that we are naturally inclined with one voice to ‘glorify our Father which is in heaven.’ We must, if we steadily contemplate the life and actions of this most exemplary of our countrymen, feel a desire to imitate him. ”

“ To prevent any alarming reports reaching my beloved Isabella, I sent off a midshipman to give her an account of what had happened. Her feelings received a severe shock, but her resolution was soon formed, and in a few hours she was with me at Portsmouth,—my tender nurse—my inestimable companion—and this she continued to be during the whole course of her invaluable life; the soother of all my cares and sufferings; making adversity itself a period marked by bright gleams of happiness. ”

“ These were the last his mother was capable of enjoying; how little did she then think she was so soon to meet this darling child in the realms of everlasting happiness, and how merciful was the dispensation of our heavenly Father, which prevented her last days from being agonized by the account of his unexpected departure; for with whatever resignation the purest heart may bear its own sufferings, the feelings implanted in our nature render the strongest mind accessible to the most sincere affliction, at the awful separation from those we love. ”

“ I hope through life you will preserve a grateful recollection of this friendship. Even here (in a small lodging at Paddington) we passed a cheerful and [412] tranquil season. It was the piety, and resignation, and sweetness, that beamed from your dear mother’s expressive features, which, under the blessing of heaven, shed this felicity over our little society; and rendered this period of trial one of those, that in the retrospect of my life presents itself also as a period of peculiar happiness. ”

“ It was hardly possible to have conceived a man more perfectly fitted for the situation which he had to fill at Greenwich; and the old veterans who had either known or heard of his character as an officer, and were prepared to receive their new Lieutenant Governor with the honour due to his gallantry and achievements, were delighted to find the tenderness of a parent exhibited in his consideration of their wants, and to see the kind cheerfulness of a sailor tempered by all the dignity of a Christian in his manners and conversation. ”

“ But a Christian community, while it admits this painful necessity, and tracing the origin of wars and fightings to the lusts which war in our members, sees in them the marks of the universal corruption of our nature; and looks on war as the disgrace rather than the glory of man; must still feel anxious, that the courage which it cherishes and honours as the means of national security, should be the courage formed on those bright and lofty principles, which shall discharge its duty to the public most effectually, without any unjustifiable risk to the individual. ”

“ Your consolation under loss is drawn from higher sources, and needs not the support of human praise bestowed on him, who was dearer to you than life itself. The recollection of his holy, humble walk, of his work of faith, his labour of love, his cheerful submission to pain, his forgetfulness of self, and his zeal for the good of others, forms for you a source of comfort, which no human honour can equal, and no earthly possession rival. ”

“ With a full and perfect conviction upon my mind of the truths of our holy religion, of the promises of the gospel, still I found the charms of this world capable of taking entire possession of me. How differently do I now view it. Affliction only can clear away the mist from before our eyes, and enable us to distinguish the fleeting and chequered enjoyments of this world, from the real and never ending felicity which can only be attained in that which is to come. ”

“ I felt from the first day of our meeting a delight in her society, and a wish to be in the constant enjoyment of it, to a degree which was quite unusual with me. Our situations in life were too distant from each other for me to form any hope of gaining her affections. Young women take their place in society, so early in life, in comparison with what is customary with the other sex, that I saw her placed in a situation far above mine. ”

“ But he, who has allowed his imagination to dwell on the secrets of that unexplored abyss, which commences when life ceases; and has weighed calmly and deliberately the value of things that are infinite and eternal; turns back to life with a conviction which cannot be uttered of the vanity and nothingness of temporal objects, when once compared with those which are to come hereafter. To him, the eagerness with which the world is pursuing the various prizes of gain, honour, pleasure, wealth, seems nothing less than madness ”

“ Still we may hope that these feelings and these prejudices are fast wearing away, and that the intelligence of the rising generation both of blacks and people of colour, will shew the blessings of liberty upon the human mind, a liberty which will lead him to that state in which all shall be free indeed, to pure and life-growing Christianity, a state in which the labourer will work for love, and the master rule in kindness, and with a sincere desire that all around him shall be happy. ”

“ He died as he lived, a hero; and a pattern to every young man both in public and private life, universally regretted and esteemed. The loss is only on our side. His amiable conduct through life has ensured him felicity for ever: and as a time must arrive when we must quit all who are dear to us, I can conceive no greater alleviation to our grief, than the object having fallen in his country’s service, whilst nobly distinguishing himself, which was the case with my dear brother, who had already acquired a high reputation with his brother officers. I shall not attempt to offer consolation ”

“ Blessed with all that could render life a state of happiness, the most perfect description of it, domestic happiness, I never once considered the certainty that a few years must end it, but allowed myself to be as much absorbed in the contemplation of it as though this life were all in all. ”

“ These circumstances and experiences should teach us temperance in the enjoyment of the blessings of this world, and in the measure of our attachment to them; should teach us to form no long view of such short lived felicity; to receive with gratitude that share which is so abundantly bestowed upon us; and when we are threatened with the loss of what we consider so essential to our happiness, to consider that we are in the hands of Him who has our eternal interests in view, and who knows what is good for us, better than we do ourselves. ”

“ It seemed fit and proper, that the world should be made acquainted with a character of such rare and peculiar excellence as that of your husband; and I felt that it was due to the naval service generally, and in particular to the younger members of it, that they should see how qualities of a very different kind might be combined in one man; and might render him, who was the ornament of his profession, a model of what man ought to be in every relation of life. ”

“ You, my sweet I——, will never forget the impressive manner in which your beloved mother inculcated the various instructions you received from her, or with what judgment she distinguished between those acquisitions which were to have an influence upon your comfort and prosperity through life, and such as were only likely to procure for you an ephemeral admiration. That you should gain entire possession of the former, was the object of her constant solicitude, of her unwearied endeavours, because she felt that real happiness even in this world, is not to be attained without piety and virtue ”

“ It is impossible, indeed, to deny that the first impulse of strong religious conviction, must lead a man to wish to withdraw from every thing that separates him from God; and to live to Him alone, whom he has now found to be alone worth living for. It is equally certain, that the fear of falling back, the dread of being entangled again in sins, which the soul has learnt to hate, may reasonably lead a man to fly from associations, which he knows from experience to be dangerous ”

“ The world estimates its heroes by a different rule, and looks in consequence to qualities of a different kind. It dwells on that which is professional to the exclusion of that which is personal. It dwells on those things which catch the eye, and fill the ear, and arrest the imagination; while that which passes within, that which constitutes moral eminence, and which renders a man a model for a Christian to follow, is overlooked in the more exciting narrative of contests for distinction, as irrelevant to the character which is being exhibited ”

“ From this delightful contemplation we must, however reluctantly, turn our eyes to that great portion of the human race still in bondage, whom the energy of our beloved country has not yet been permitted to reach, blessed as it has been with the Divine Protection; their hour is not yet come, but it may be reserved for us as the humble instruments of the mercy of our Creator and Redeemer to soothe, and alleviate the sufferings of numbers now in misery ”

“ Captain Brenton adds, “Whilst so many are habitually congratulating themselves upon the instances of what they call ‘good fortune,’ or their ‘lucky escapes,’ or pluming themselves upon their own success as the necessary consequences of their own judgment or merit; let us, my darling children, follow the example of your angelic mother, and refer all we meet with to the merciful and watchful care of a benign and superintending Providence—let us pay our gratitude where it is due; and in all our trials remember what He has done for us. ”

“ The farm lies at the eastern extremity of the Kleine Riverberg, and has a distant view of the sea, near Mossel Bay and the mouth of the Kayman, or ‘Crocodile’s Gut.’ There are some deep and well wooded glens and precipitous ravines in the immediate neighbourhood of this farm, beautifully wild and picturesque. The aloe, the mimosa, with every description and size of shrubs, and an immense variety of blooming and curious heaths, and other flowering plants, give a richness and beauty to the scene of which neither the pen nor the pencil could give any adequate idea. ”

“ In reference to Charni, Captain Brenton says, “Our retreat here was a most delightful one, in a spacious mansion belonging to Monsieur de Beaumont, who was of an ancient and noble family. We had an excellent suite of apartments, and the use of an extensive garden. The season of the year was particularly delightful; and every thing for some time conspired to make us enjoy as much felicity as human nature is capable of doing. If I had not entirely forgotten that I was a prisoner, I ceased to feel the pressure of captivity, and was resigned to my lot. ”

“ To what state of happiness should we be instantly transported, and upon how sure a foundation it would stand! We should smile at the worst efforts of the world, and we should weep with delight, as well as grief, at the translation of those dear to us, to a region of everlasting happiness. ”

“ Sir Jahleel witnessed the working of elements of evil, which were to have their fuller development after he had left the colony. He saw the state of the Negro and the Hottentot population, and he did what he could to ameliorate the condition of each. Had his power been greater, or even had his residence at the Cape been longer, he would have done much towards correcting the evil, and improving the general state of the society; for he possessed in no ordinary degree the qualities which fit man for command, or enable him without command to exercise influence on the minds of others. ”

“ If the Christian, therefore, is not only encouraged against fear, but is actually commanded not to fear; if he is taught to regard courage as a duty; and to glorify the Master whom he serves, by the firmness with which he overcomes that, from which other men are [24] shrinking; we see that it is not without reason that he is daring; and that he is bold in the midst of danger, only because he is superior to it.
High as the standard is, which the gospel proposes; and much as it exceeds all the bearings of the mind in general, it is as reasonable as it is lofty. ”

“ He may learn from the narrative, what vicissitudes of trial life may include; and he may distrust the exultation inseparable from moments of success by calling to mind its uncertain tenure, and the reverse that may be immediately at hand. But above all let him remember, that he who labours for man, must be prepared to meet with ingratitude, or at least neglect; and that from the very nature of society, the sacrifices that are made for the public good can seldom be properly appreciated, or justly recompensed by the public, for whom they are performed. ”

“ There is danger, therefore, in all such memorials, that much that is great and good in the individual, may be merged in the merits of the officer, or in the brilliancy of the career pursued in practice; and that private excellence, that which constitutes the real foundation of the man’s value, and [11] makes his life most profitable as an example, may be lost sight of, while justice is being done to that which only made him an ornament to his profession, or an instrument of national advancement. ”

“ Then said the Captain, “It is the enemy’s fleet. Haul your wind at once.” They did so, and then made the private signal, and no sooner had the Spartan made this change in her course, than every ship to leeward made all the sail she could carry upon a wind. The Spartan set her coursers, jib, and driver, and Captain Brenton, finding the enemy did not gain much ground upon him, felt satisfied with this addition, and was rather desirous that they should get a little nearer to him before night, when he felt that he could always get from them. ”

“ To those who knew Sir Jahleel Brenton, or who can now recall the singular combination of qualities which formed his character; qualities which impressed respect while they conciliated the affection of every one around him; it is unnecessary to dwell upon features not likely to be forgotten. ”

“ He then saw, that through life he had been striving to obtain the favour of man rather than that of God. He saw that the love of men, and the praise of men had been desired, and not the praise of God. He felt that he had been touched by the love which his fellow creatures bore to him, while strange to say, he had been indifferent to the love which he believed that his Redeemer had evinced towards him. ”

“ War no doubt is a great evil, but when war is carried on in this spirit it loses something of its sufferings, and much of its horrors; and one may be forgiven for dwelling with pleasure on those gleams of light which kindness of heart and liberality cast across the dark and melancholy period of those protracted hostilities. ”

“ In this way the world distinguishes the frenzy of the drunkard, or that recklessness of life which is found in the infuriated savage, from the well ordered deliberate firmness, with which a disciplined mind meets every emergency of trial; and refuses the very name of courage to the madness, which rushes on death, from the mere impulse of excited passion. ”

“ I feel it, therefore, due to the character of Sir Jahleel Brenton, to dwell on this point of his story, because it includes circumstances of trial which cannot be generally appreciated, and because it involves that species of trial which has been commonly found the hardest to endure. Oppression, we are told, maketh a wise man mad. Ingratitude, man’s ingratitude is continually named as the bitterness of life. The great men of heathen times are found quitting their country in the decline of life, disgusted at the treatment they met with ”