LL*

, WH.M.U froa

k>uL _ Jt.J.

THE

REV. HAMBLE JAMES LEACOCK,

LEADER OF THE WEST INDIAN MISSION
TO WESTERN AFRICA.

BY THE

EEV. HENET CASWALL, D.D.

VICAR OF FIGHELDEAN, WILTS,

AUTHOR OF " AMERICA AND THE AMERICAN CHURCH," &C. &C.

AND ENGLISH SECRETARY TO THE WEST INDIAN CHURCH

ASSOCIATION FOR THE FURTHERANCE OF THE

GOSPEL IN WESTERN AFRICA.

LONDON:

RIVINGTONS, WATERLOO PLACE.
1857.

LONDON :
GILBKKT AND RIVINGTON, PRINTKH.*,

ST. JOHN'S sm'AKE.

PREFACE.

FEW missionary heroes have been more remarkable
than the man of God whom the West Indian Church
is now lamenting. Seldom has more encouraging
success attended so brief a career; seldom has a
nobler example of self-devotion adorned the records
of the extension of Christianity.

The history of such a man, if faithfully told, is
well adapted to show the elements which form the
able missionary, and to exhibit the modes of action
by which, with Divine help, the Gospel may, in our
own age, be effectually propagated.

The Author is fully aware of the difficulty of
giving due effect to such a history. Yet he has done
all that a long and hearty friendship could dictate, to
perpetuate the blessed memory of one whom he loved
and revered. "With the hope of representing him as
A 2

IV PREFACE.

he really was, lie lias allowed him to speak for him-
self whenever opportunity permitted. He has at-
tempted to show the varied connexions and associa-
tions of his life, and the origin, as far as it can be
traced, of his principles and habits. It is not pre-
tended that Hamble Leacock was in all respects per-
fect. It is not denied, for example, that he may have
been sometimes restless and self-willed, sometimes
hasty and over sensitive, and sometimes mistaken.
Yet his failings were generally the result of those
very qualities which constituted the peculiar emi-
nence of his character. His stern and unflinching
mind (so tender and holy withal) was doubtless given
him that he might dare in a wonderful way, amidst
the prejudices of the West Indies, the doctrinal
laxity of America, and the heathenism of Africa.

The reader will not see in Mr. Leacock an un-
amiable abstraction destitute of human feelings and
sympathies, but a man thoroughly real and un-
affected. He will see in him a religion which,
though supremely devoted to (rod, still cherished
the impulses of affectionate attachment to friends,
relatives, and country ; a religion which though pro-
foundly adoring the mysteries of Redemption, was

PREFACE. V

by no means blind to the glories of Providence and
Creation. There will be found in it no undue esti-
mate of spiritual condition, no idea of exclusive
sanctity or wisdom, no fondness for loud professions,
no habit of displaying frames and feelings. On the
other hand, there will be seen a superiority to the
world, practically manifesting itself in the surrender
of property and prospects, in the readiness to take a
secondary place, and in the cheerful willingness to
endure any sacrifice required by justice, truth, and
duty.

In the ministry of Christ's Church, it is well that
there should be decided varieties of type, and that all
should not be formed precisely according to the same
model. It is not desirable, for instance, that a clergy
designed for service in various nations and climates
should be always trained by English Universities
and amid the conventionalisms of English society.
It will be seen that the man of God whose life is
recorded in the following pages, grew up remote from
our fashions of thought, and from the traditionary
influences of our Colleges and Cathedrals. Yet it
cannot be denied that he was not only a worthy re-
presentative of our Reformed Church, but a true spe-

VI PREFACE.

cimen of the class of men produced in our distant fields
of Christian enterprise. Though his early theologi-
cal training was, in some respects, defective, he was
yet sound in the faith, and inflexible in his adherence
to the great bulwarks of orthodoxy. Though firmly
attached to the distinctive principles of Episcopacy,
he lived in charity with those whose lot had fallen
among separatist communities. Believing in the
divine origin of the Christian ministry, and uphold-
ing a high standard of clerical responsibility, he yet
had none of that asceticism which prescribes terms of
salvation more severe than are to be found in the
Word of God. Faithful in his friendships, firm in
his convictions, and sincere in his conversation, he
possessed an honest dignity which neither honours
nor preferment could have bestowed, and which he
maintained throughout all the changes of his event-
ful life.

Those who have done great things in the world
have usually been peculiar persons, different from
other men. They have shown uncommon fire,
energy, and decision, and, at the same time, have
tempered these qualities with knowledge and wisdom.
Men of this stamp are not only able to accomplish

PREFACE. Vll

much, but, amidst the difficulties which surround
them, they are susceptible of the choicest encourage-
ments and consolations. Now a mission, properly
understood, is no common thing. Persons of an ordi-
nary cast of mind are unfit for such a work. The
true missionary cannot be expected to think and feel
like those who walk in the beaten track, and, conse-
quently, he will often be reproached as an eccentric
person or an enthusiast. Yet his enthusiasm, if such
it be, is of the same kind which glowed in the bosoms
of the Prophets and Apostles. It must be carefully
distinguished from that enthusiasm which puffs men
up with vain conceit, and makes them arrogant, dic-
tatorial, and assuming. Keenly alive to his own
personal imperfections, the man who is blessed with
this holy fervour looks beyond himself for support,
and believing in the power of prayer, habitually and
confidently, in all his undertakings, expects strength
and succour from above.

In this sense alone Mr. Leacock possessed enthu-
siasm. But in addition to this, he had qualifications
not always combined with a fervid temperament.
His habits were regular, economical, active, diligent,
and persevering. He was brave and intrepid with-

Vlll PREFACE.

out being insensible to the real value of life. His
piety was of a vigorous and manly character, and
at the same time entirely free from that melan-
choly which has hindered the usefulness of many
faithful missionaries. While maintaining habitual
communion with his Saviour, he exhibited a genial
disposition, which, in every place, gained him hearty
friends. His practical earnestness led him, not to
teach people to say certain things or use a certain
formula, but to aim at turning them in reality " from
darkness unto light, and from the power of Satan
unto God."

From early life he had shown the spirit of a
martyr, and his death was in all respects worthy of
his life. He might probably have escaped dying in
Africa, but he deliberately chose to face " the last
enemy," in the conviction that his decease would be
less injurious to his mission than his abandonment
of his post. Christians like Hamble Leacock are
truly " the chariots of our Israel and the horsemen
thereof." By their deaths they bear the strongest
possible testimony against the unbelief of a self-
indulgent generation, and having themselves " fought
the good fight," and encouraged others to follow their

PREFACE, IX

example, they receive a "crown of glory which
fadeth not away."

Besides exhibiting Mr. Leacock as a missionary,
this little work incidentally affords some insight
into the widely-extended operations of our Reformed
Church. The Episcopate is seen actively engaged
in furthering the salvation of men, not only in
England and the West Indies, but in Eastern and
Western America, and on the pestilential sV>res of
Africa. Facilities of intercourse and co-operation
are disclosed, which, when more fully employed, will
result, with the Divine blessing, in great and per-
manent additions to the Redeemer's kingdom. We
may behold an augury of happier times in the loving
sympathy with which Churchmen of different schools,
climates, and nationalities, have cheered the heart of
the veteran soldier of Christ on the banks of the

The brief services of Mr. Leacock in Africa have
been far from fruitless, even independently of the
good which he saw accomplished in his lifetime.
They have paved the way for new labourers in the
same field, who, confidently relying on Providence,
may now carry on the work so favourably commenced.

X PREFACE.

We may hope that our Church will continue to ex-
ercise an important influence in the conversion of
the people of that great continent, in which part of
our Lord's infancy was spent, and out of which God
was pleased to call his Son. To the West Indian
Church in particular this African mission, so mani-
festly favoured by heaven, will probably become a
source of many blessings. In "watering" others
she will be herself " refreshed." She has in truth
offered unto God, for the sake of the Gospel, one of
her own beloved children. Believing that the offer-
ing is to Him "a sacrifice acceptable and well-
pleasing," we have reason to hope that He will
" supply all her need according to his riches in glory
by Christ Jesus."

With these prefatory remarks the Author commits
this little volume to the blessing of God, and to the
favourable consideration of Christia'n people.

Vicarage, Figheldean,
Epiphany, 1857.

CONTENTS.

CHAPTER I.

PAGE

Birth and Parentage of Mr. Leacock. Development of his Cha-
racter. He becomes decidedly religious. Entrance on a
Course of Study at Codrington College. His Ordination. His
Firmness in respect to the Slaves. His Character as a Clergy,
man. Marriage. Settlement in Nevis. Death of Mrs. Lea-
cock. Effect of an Earthquake. Second Marriage. Removal
to the United States 1

CHAPTEE II.

Arrival of Mr. Leacock at Lexington, Kentucky. Society in
Lexington. Dr Coit. Dr. Cooke. Amos Cleaver. The
Bishop of Kentucky. The Professors. The Southern Plan-
ters. Efforts for the Promotion of Religion. Christ Church.
Instruction of the Slaves. Confirmation of Mr. Leacock. He
undertakes the Charge of Pupils. He is elected Rector of St.
Paul's . 16

CHAPTEE III.

A General Scattering of Mr. Leacock's Friends. He removes to
Tennessee. Journey with the Bishop of Tennessee. He

Xll CONTENTS.

PAGE

accepts a Church at Franklin. Anecdote of him by Mrs. Wheat.
Letter from Bishop Otey. He purchases an Estate in New
Jersey. Brief Connexion with a Church at Louisville. His
character as a Preacher and a Pastor. Removal to New Jersey.
Settlement during four years at Perth Amboy. Return to
the West Indies . 28

CHAPTEK IV.

Reasons for his return. State of Nevis. African Practices.
Obeah. Mr. Leacock delivers Lectures against Obeah. Death
of the Obeah-man. Effect of Charms on the African. Return
to Barbados. Temporary Charge of St. Peter's. Death of
Amos Cleaver and of Dr. Cooke. Mr. Leacock is appointed to
the Chapel at Bridgetown. Testimonial of the Parishioners of
St. Peter's. Commencement of Efforts in Behalf of Africa.
Formation of the Society for the Furtherance of the Gospel.
Outbreak of Cholera. Death of Mrs. Leacock . . .50

CHAPTER V.

Mr. Leacock volunteers to go as a Missionary to Africa. He is
accepted. He is joined by Duport. -His Negro Servant de-
sires to accompany him. Letter to Archdeacon Trew. Ar-
rival in London. He attends a Meeting of the Church
Emigrants' Aid Society. He visits the Crystal Palace. Visit
to Wiltshire Stonehenge Salisbury. Meeting of the S. P. G.
His Cheerfulness. Conversation with Young Persons. His
views of Prophecy, of the Church of Rome, and of the
Church of England. His opinion of the Voluntary System.
Thankfulness for Mercies. Note on the Effects of Emancipa-
tion in the West Indies . . 66

CONTENTS. Xlll

CHAPTEE VI.

PAGE

Providential Preparation in Africa for the West Indian Mission.
The Chief Wilkinson introduced. Remarkable Dream in
Africa. Mr. Leacock attends various Meetings in the Diocese
of Salisbury. He meets with a Portrait of Mrs. Trimmer.
Verses by Mr. Marriott. Mr. Leacock 's opinion of the S. P.O.
He visits Malvern and the Bishop of Barbados. His Admira-
tion of England. His Feelings in Wells Cathedral. He em-
barks at Plymouth for Africa ...... 87

CHAPTEE VII.

Voyage of the "Ethiope." Dangerous Storm. Arrival at Ma-
deira. Warm Reception by a Governor on the African Coast.
Arrival at Sierra Leone. Description of Freetown. Various
Opinions as to the Site of the Mission. Similarity of Sierra
Leone to the West Indies. Joy at the Discovery of Devil-
grass. Dr. Bradshaw's Advice as to a House. The Niger consi-
dered. Plantain Island and John Newton. Further Delay.
Interview with the Spanish Consul. Meeting of the Church
Missionary Society . . . . . . . .103

CHAPTEE VIII.

When the Episcopate is a Blessing, and when the Reverse.
Value of the Episcopate to Sierra Leone. Its Benefits in the
West Indies. Rise of the West Indian Church in Conse-
quence of the Episcopate. Establishment of the West Indian
Mission. Episcopacy acknowledged by Christendom. Greet-
ing to the Bishop of Sierra Leone. Prophetic Declaration . 1 20

XIV CONTENTS.

CHAPTEE IX.

PAGE

Melville Home on the Qualifications of an African Missionary. The
Rio Pongas is mentioned to Mr. Leacock. The Governor promises
to send Mr. Leacock to the Pongas in a Steamer. Character
of Governor Hill. Meeting with a Mohammedan King. Land-
ing at Tintima. Palaver with Kennyback Ali and King Katty.
Description of the Pongas River. Hut at Tintima. Wretched
Character of the People. Deceitfulness of Kennyback Ali. Mr.
Leacock visits him. Encounter with a Mohammedan . .132

CHAPTEE X.

Events of St. Thomas's Day. Arrival of Lewis Wilkinson.
Interview with the Chief of Fallangia. Mr. Leacock opens his
Ministry among the Heathens. Mr. Wilkinson gives him
a Site for a Church, &c. The Missionaries are attacked with
Fever. Anxiety of Governor Hill on their Account. He sends
a Steamer and removes them to Sierra Leone. They return
to Fallangia. John Duport begins to teach. Supplies ordered
in England . 154

CHAPTEE XI.

American Sympathy towards Mr. Leacock. Dr. Coit and the
Editor of the " New York Church Journal." The Parish at
Perth Amboy and the Slaves in Tennessee. Joint Offerings
from America and England to Africa. Appointment of an Eng-
lish Secretary. Account of the martyred French Missionaries . 170

CHAPTEE XII.

The School at Fallangia. Return of Fever. Conversation with
Wilkinson. Extent of the Soosoo Language. Need of addi-
tional Teachers. Welcome from King Jelloram Fernandez.

CONTENTS. XV

PAGE

The Missionaries again taken ill. Continuance of Journal.
Duport sent for his Health to Sierra Leone. Resemblance of
the Negroes of Fallangia to those of Barbados. Conversation
with " old Martha." Witchcraft. Second Conversation with
" old Martha." Return of Duport. Death of Kennyback All.
Description of neighbouring Chiefs. Agriculture and Animals 181

CHAPTER XIII.

Assurance of King Katty. Miseries of the People. Visit from
Mr. Columbini de Wasky. Application from Cassini. Excur-
sion to the Bangalong River. Domingia. Sangha. Farrangeah.
Increase of the Congregation under Duport. Journal con-
tinued. Relapse of Mr. Leacock. He visits Sierra Leone, and
is ordered to return to England. He determines to remain at
his Post . 208

CHAPTER XIV.

Mr. Leacock's Friends desire him to escape from Africa. Letters
to that Effect to him from Mr. Wilkinson, from the Author,
and from the Bishop of Barbados. He appears to recover.
His Plans for building. Letter to a Young Person . . 223

CHAPTER XV.

Satisfactory Progress of the Mission under Duport. Report sent
by Duport to Mr. Leacock. Mr. Leacock's Remarks upon it.
Favourable Opinion of the Bishop of Sierra Leone respecting it.
The Lord's Prayer in Soosoo 23 1

XVI CONTENTS.

CHAPTEE XVI.

PAGE

Continued Improvement of Mr. Leacock's Health. Letter to his
Son. Letter to the Bishop of Barbados. Mohammedan Oppo-
sition. Assistance from Governor Hill. Contest between
Christ and Mohammed. Last Letters of Mr. Leacock . . 254

CHAPTEE XVII.

Articles despatched from England for the Mission. Shipwreck of
the " Ida." Death of Mr. Leacock. Letter from the Rev. F.
Pocock. Letter from Mr. Duport. Lamentations at Fallangia
and Sierra Leone. Letter from the Bishop of Sierra Leone.
The mournful News reaches America and the West Indies.
Eulogy in the " Barbadian." Concluding Letter from Mr.
Duport. Funeral Anthem ....... 268

ERRATA.

Page 5, line 10, for Berbuda read Barbuda.

Pages 6 and 10. Mr. Leacock's Ordination as Deacon and his

engagement at St. Vincent should be placed in the year

1 826 instead of 1827.

MEMOIR,

fyc.

CHAPTER I.

Birth and Parentage of Mr. Leacock. Development of his Character.
He becomes decidedly religious. Entrance on a Course of Study at
Codrington College. His Ordination. His Firmness in respect to
the Slaves. His Character as a Clergyman. Marriage. Settle-
ment in Nevis. Death of Mrs. Leacock. Effect of an Earthquake .
Second Marriage. Removal to the United States.

HAMBLE JAMES LEACOCK was born at duff's Bay, on
his father's estate, in the parish of St. Lucy, Bar-
bados, on the 4th of February, 1795. He was the
second son of John "Wrong Leacock and his wife
Rebecca, a sister of Dr. Hudson, of the same parish.
He was baptized at home shortly after his birth, but
his name did not appear in the parish register at the
time, in consequence of the sudden death of the cler-
gyman a few hours after the ceremony was performed.
His family had resided in Barbados about a century
and a half, having emigrated from Great Britain in
the reign of Charles I. Their respectability and

B

A SLAVERY.

loyalty were always above question, and their ancient
plate and coat of arms were retained as badges of
tbeir descent from wortby ancestors in the mother
country. Mr. Leacock's father was possessed of a
sugar plantation and other similar property, in con-
sequence of which the subject of our memoir was
familiar from his childhood with many practical
details respecting the growth and manufacture of
West India produce.

At this time slavery existed in the islands, and
produced effects in many respects similar to those
described in the romances of Mrs. Beecher Stowe.
To slavery, in the abstract, as well as to its abuses,
it is needless to say that the spirit of Christianity is
decidedly opposed. Yet it must not be forgotten
that in the West Indies many temperate and well-
considered measures had been adopted, long before
emancipation, tending to relieve the system of many
of its horrors. The African was becoming an object
of much sympathy, and the negro race in general
escaped that extreme contempt which in other coun-
tries is too often their bitter portion. The slaves in
return often showed themselves faithful and attached
dependants, and in times of trouble manifested a
readiness to suffer or die with their white protectors.
Young Leacock grew up in immediate contact with
the subject race, and learned by experience the surest
methods of influencing their conduct.

His own character, like that of others, was pro-

DEVELOPMENT OF CHARACTER. 6

bably developed, as to its main features, at an early
age. It may readily be believed that he was always
truthful, courageous, and energetic. His temper was
no doubt severely tried by the harsh schoolmaster
under whose care he was placed, yet perhaps the dis-
cipline which he underwent was a blessing to him in
after life. He acquired all that was essential to the
basis of a good education, and became fond of read-
ing useful and instructive books. One of the first of
these which made any serious impression on his mind
was a volume of Mrs. Trimmer's " Instructive Tales."
In the early formation of his character, we must
not omit to notice the peculiar circumstances of his
West Indian descent and early associations. He had
watched the effect of hurricanes as they swept across
his native island, prostrating every resisting sub-
stance, uprooting trees, and scattering the materials
of the strongest edifices. He had known cannon to
be blown from the ramparts, and human beings
whirled into the sea. The dwelling inhabited by his
family he had seen totally demolished, the last
inmate barely escaping before the whole fabric was
scattered before the winds. He had gone through the
terrors of the earthquake, and had seen the ground
undulating like the sea, while men, women, and chil-
dren were crushed beneath the ruins of their homes.
He had seen Barbados covered with the ashes con-
veyed by the winds from a volcano which burst forth
in one of the neighbouring islands. Such events as
B 2

4 A DECIDED CHANGE.

these had served to predispose his mind to ideas of
the grand and terrible, and to fill it with awful
thoughts of the dread majesty and irresistible power
of the Almighty.

Through divine grace he was preserved in his
youth from the contagion of vice, and always main-
tained a high character among his equals. Still he
had not become decidedly religious, nor made that
complete surrender of himself to the love of Christ
which constitutes the essence of a devout life. At
length, after the days of boyhood, while on a visit
to a neighbouring island, his convictions found at
the same time their expression and confirmation in a
remarkable dream. The future state of the just was
represented to him in all its blessedness, and he
seemed to hear the harps of gold and the general
chorus of the redeemed. Again he beheld in his
dream the miseries of the condemned, and his ear
seemed to thrill with their groans of anguish as they
endured the never-ending penalty of their trans-
gressions. He awoke with the firm conviction that
thenceforth he must strive with all his might to
enter in at the strait gate, and labour to the utmost
of his capacity in promoting upon earth the know-
ledge of divine truth. From this period he became
a very decided Christian, constantly subordinating
time to eternity, and living under the influence of
the things which are not seen.

The same miserable policy which formerly kept

CODRIXGTOX COLLEGE.

the American colonies without bishops had prevailed
up to this period in the West Indies. In conse-
quence of the destitution of episcopal superintend-
ence, Mr. Leacock had not hitherto received Confir-
mation. The means of a good and Christian edu-
cation, however, were not wanting, even in Bar-
bados. Codrington College had been founded in
1710 by the worthy General whose name it bears,
and who had given it by will his two plantations
in Barbados and part of the island of Berbuda.
This property had been held in trust by the Society
for Propagating the Gospel " to erect a college
in Barbados, and to maintain a convenient number
of professors and scholars who are to be obliged
to study and practise physic and chirurgery, as
well as divinity, that by the apparent usefulness of
the former to all mankind, they may both endear
themselves to the people, and have the better oppor-
tunity of doing good to men's souls whilst they are
taking care of their bodies." At this institution,
then nothing more than a grammar school, and
under the care of the Rev. Mark Nicholson, formerly
of Queen's College, Oxford, Mr. Leacock entered as
a student. He did not aim at eminence as a classical
scholar, but became familiar with English literature
and other useful branches of knowledge.
On quitting Codrington College he kept a private
school in Speightstown for several years, and after-
wards the public school of his native parish. Many

6 ORDINATION.

of his pupils are still living, and continue to love
and revere his memory. In the midst of his engage-
ments he constantly allotted certain portions of his
time to the study of the Scriptures, in which he
became a proficient.

In the year 1824 a happier era dawned on the
Barbadian Church. In that year Dr. Coleridge was
consecrated bishop of Barbados and the Leeward
Islands, and on the 30th of January, 1825, landed
in his new diocese. Bishop Coleridge soon after-
wards licensed Mr. Leacock as a reader or catechist
for his native parish of St. Lucy, of which the Rev.
"W. M. Harte was at that time rector. On the 6th
of January, 1827, after studying divinity under Mr.
Harte, he was ordained a deacon, and on the 18th of
October in the same year he was admitted to the
priesthood at St. John's Church, in one of the
country parishes, his confirmation being still unac-
countably neglected.

While continuing his connexion with Mr. Harte
and the parish of St. Lucy, he fully established his
character as a zealous and uncompromising Christian.
At that time the teaching of the slave population in
the West Indies was a most unpopular measure.
Mr. Harte was publicly prosecuted because he boldly
affirmed his right to instruct all persons, bond as
well as free, living within the limits of his parish.
He was charged with preaching an offensive sermon
on Easter-day, 1827, and " with disgraceful conduct

FIRMNESS IN EESPECT TO THE SLAVES. 7

while administering the Lord's Supper." The
truth was that Mr. Harte permitted a vacant space
at the Lord's Table to be occupied by blacks, who
knelt down at the same time with some white
members of the congregation. In allowing this,
Mr. Harte was supposed to be teaching " doctrines of
equality, inconsistent with the obedience due to
masters and with the policy of the island." The
planters resolved to take the matter into their own
hands, and expressed their determination to refuse
Mr. Harte and Mr. Leacock admission into their
estates, and to prevent as much as possible all inter-
course between them and their slaves. They desired
the bishop to remove Mr. Harte, who they said " had
deservedly lost the confidence, respect, and regard of
every white inhabitant of the parish." Owing to
the admirable wisdom of the bishop, the people were
ultimately brought to a better mind, and the imme-
diate expulsion of two devoted servants of God was
averted. Mr. Leacock never yielded for a moment
to the popular prejudice, but acted in full accordance
with the views and wishes of his rector, in regarding
the humblest negro as a part of his ministerial charge.
Those who know not the violence of feeling which
then existed on the subject can form no correct
opinion of the strength of character required to resist
the will and combat the inveterate prejudices of
almost all the influential inhabitants of the colony.
A venerable divine, who was acquainted with

8 CHARACTER AS A CLERGYMAN.

Mr. Leacock at this period, still bears admiring testi-
mony to the zeal and determination constantly mani-
fested by him in his ministerial duties of every kind.
Courage and decision were indeed striking points in
his character, together with a certain impulsiveness
which often led him to act and speak vigorously on
the spur of the moment. Like other inhabitants of
tropical climates, the earthquake and hurricane
seemed, in a manner, to have entered into his consti-
tution. In him, however, it was seen that West
Indian fervour, when sanctified by divine grace, is as
effectual an instrument of good as the coolness of the
Englishman, the shrewdness of the Scot, or the
enterprise of the American. His religion was of a
thoroughly warm and glowing character, far re-
moved from the frigid zones of mere formalism and
precision. He cared not for verbal subtleties or nice
disputations ; but firmly believing the grand central
verities of the Christian Faith, he ardently loved the
Redeemer on account of what He had done and
suffered, and was willing to perish for his sake.
When he rebuked vice, he did it with an awful
earnestness which made the sinner tremble and turn
pale. With a few words -he swept away all his re-
fuges of lies and set before him the real horrors of
his position. When he comforted the sorrowful or
penitent, on the other hand, nothing could exceed
the beautiful tenderness with which he applied the
promises and encouragements of the Gospel.

CHARACTER AS A CLERGYMAN. 9

His mode of reading and speaking was vividly
dramatic, and often accompanied by expressive ac-
tion. The Scriptures, when read by him, became, as
it were, a new book. The awful images of Ezekiel
and of the Apocalypse were made to appear plain
and distinct, so that the hearer perceived depths in
the word of God of which he had been previously
ignorant. He impressed divine truth on the minds
of others because he had first been deeply impressed
by it himself.

His conduct was consistent with his faith and
teaching. With a heart fully alive to heavenly things,
he was comparatively careless as to worldly interests.
Money, luxuries, and even comforts, were lightly
esteemed by him, and he regarded all solicitude
about such matters unworthy of a candidate for
eternal life. Yet he always maintained a respectable
appearance, and showed himself sensitively punc-
tilious in the discharge of pecuniary obligations. In
his worldly transactions he was a model of simplicity
and godly sincerity.

Mr. Leacock had married a distant relation, the
only daughter of Dr. Leacock, of Barbados, by whom
he became the father of several children. Being the
owner of many slaves in right of his wife, he set
them all free at a great sacrifice and expense, since
the manumissions had to be obtained from England,
His uncompromising opposition to slavery was still

10 SETTLEMENT IN NEVIS.

disapproved of by his countrymen. He therefore left
his native isle, and in December, 1827, immediately
after his ordination to the Priesthood, was sent by
Bishop Coleridge to St. Vincent. Soon afterwards
the bishop removed him to Nevis, where he was
appointed rural dean, and succeeded the Rev. Mr.
Parham at Charlestown as rector of St. Paul's, one of
the five parishes of the island. Here he built a
house and established his wife and family comfort-
ably. After a short time, however, Mrs. Leacock
and one of his children died, and he was made to
feel the vanity of all earthly consolations.

Nevis is a beautiful little spot, consisting of a
single mountain, rising like a cone in an easy
ascent from the sea, the whole circumference not
exceeding twenty-four miles. It evidently owes its
origin to some volcanic eruption, for near the sum-
mit there is a crater which contains a hot spring
strongly impregnated with sulphur. The population
of the island amounted during Mr. Leacock' s incum-
bency to about ten thousand, of whom not more than
six hundred were whites. Here Mr. Leacock
laboured with characteristic energy, establishing
schools and promoting the catechetical instruction
of the blacks. The evils with which he contended
were of a fearful character, polygamy and other
forms of licentiousness being too generally prevalent.
In due time, however, he found his labours rewarded

EFFECT OF AN EARTHQUAKE. 11

by a marked improvement in the religion and morals
of the people. The following event contributed to
this happy result :

Nevis, like Barbados, is within the sphere of de-
vastating earthquakes, and between the 8th of Febru-
ary and the 27th of March, 1833, it was terribly
shaken, together with St. Kitt's and others of the
Leeward Islands. In Nevis the populace were so
alarmed that they flocked to the places of worship at
all hours of the day. In Charlestown they suppli-
cated Mr. Leacock to -open his church that they
might there find the security which was elsewhere
denied them. Contrary to the prognostications of
some worldly-minded scoffers, the church did not fall.
The poor negroes crowded it at all hours of the day,
beseeching Mr. Leacock to pray for them. It is a
fact, attested by eye-witnesses of the highest credit,
that a great and abiding change was wrought upon
the inhabitants. They who never went to church
before, now attended devoutly, and continued to do
so afterwards ; and many whose lives had been any
thing but Christian became decidedly religious,
under the terror arising from the earthquake, im-
proved by the faithful teaching of the man of God.
Like the gaoler at Philippi, they asked, "What
must we do to be saved?" like Paul and Silas, he
answered, "Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and
thou shalt be saved." One of Mr. Leacock's parish-
ioners, a lady of respectability, was reading the 24th

12 EFFECT OF AN EARTHQUAKE.

chapter of St. Matthew when the first shock was
felt. She had just read the 7th verse, " and there
shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in
divers places," when the house was shaken violently.
She immediately fell from her seat, and was taken
up insensible, in which condition she remained some
time. At St. Kitt's, there were similar instances
of violent mental impressions, though a party who
were dancing at a public ball, and felt the room
tremble from the shock, still continued their dance.
So different is the effect of these tremendous visita-
tions according to the character of the persons con-
cerned and of those who influence them.

A contemporary writer, after alluding to Mr. Lea-
cock's faithful labours at this time, remarked as
follows :

"Whatever the infidel or free-thinker (or rather
no-thinker) may say to the contrary about impres-
sions on weak minds and so forth, the believer can-
not fail to recognize in these narratives a proof of
that principle, upon which every operative clergyman
(to borrow a cant expression of the day) will sooner
or later stumble, viz. that the Almighty seems often-
times to send visitations of his power to a mass of
people, as well as to an individual, for the purpose of
opening a door to the preaching of the Gospel, where,
perhaps, sin had closed up every avenue to exhorta-
tion and the. common method of teaching."

While residing in Nevis, Mr. Leacock married

SECOND MARRIAGE. 13

Mrs. Beard, a most amiable widow lady, wlio admi-
rably fulfilled the duties of a mother to his surviving
son and daughter. Having no children of her own,
she devoted herself to the good and charitable works
which lie within the appropriate province of a clergy-
man's wife. She did even more, often visiting
distant parts of the island with the object of convey-
ing relief and good advice to sick persons and others
who requested her assistance. She was in all re-
spects a help meet for the earnest-minded man who
had chosen her as his companion, and by her gentle
influence and thoughtful consideration for the wants
of others, she greatly increased the sphere of his use-
fulness. But their days of labour at Nevis were
drawing to a close.

Some uneasiness had arisen between Bishop Cole-
ridge and Mr. Leacock, in consequence of certain
public proceedings in which the latter associated
himself with members of the Methodist connexion.
The bishop had also been annoyed by Mr. Leacock's
refusal to sign testimonials in behalf of an applicant
whom he conscientiously believed to be unfit for the
holy ministry. It is however worthy of note that
this person, who was afterwards ordained, wrote a
letter at a subsequent time to Mr. Leacock to thank
him for his conduct in this respect.

There were also troubles of a different kind. At
this period the negro population in the West Indies
was in an unsettled and sometimes in an insurrec-

14 REMOVAL TO THE UNITED STATES.

tionary state. Discussions were going forward in
the British Parliament which held out prospects of
emancipation at no distant date. In the meanwhile
property of all kinds was rapidly depreciating, and
it was generally supposed by respectable white per-
sons that the islands would soon cease to be tenable
by those of European origin, and must be wholly
given over, like St. Domingo, to the African race.
Mr. Leacock and his relations generally shared more
or less in these anticipations.

In 1832 his brother, a clergyman of Jamaica,
visited the United States, and in the course of his
rambles happened to form some acquaintance with
the State of Kentucky. His early ideas of the Ken-
tuckians were dissipated by the intelligent and
polished society among which he was hospitably re-
ceived. He was pleased with the agreeable climate
of this region, its general salubrity, and its freedom
from hurricanes and earthquakes. In addition to all
this, he found the slave population quiet and far
from dangerous, and felt convinced that he could in
Kentucky educate a family in greater security than
in the colonies of which he was a native.

Emancipation, in the unsatisfactory form of an
apprenticeship, took place on the 1st of August,
1834. In 1835 the two Leacocks, with their wives
and children, and other near relations, bade farewell
to the West Indies, and after . a favourable voy-
age landed in New York. Here their emancipated

REMOVAL TO THE UNITED STATES. 15

negro servants were informed of their freedom, and
were reminded that in going to Kentucky they would
be returning to a land of slavery. They determined
however to proceed, and one old negro woman ex-
pressed the feelings of the others, when she said with
hearty good feeling, " Wherever massa goes, there I
go too."

Travelling in those days in America was a dif-
ferent thing from what it is at present. The whole
party proceeded by Philadelphia, and by a tedious
journey across the Alleghany mountains to the West.
Accustomed to islands generally smaller than the
Isle of Wight, they now saw before them a vast and
apparently unlimited extent of fertile territory,
rapidly filling up with inhabitants. They entered
Kentucky, a country as large as Ireland, and con-
taining a population at that time of about seven
hundred thousand, of whom two hundred and fifty
thousand were negro slaves. Finally their land
journey of nearly a thousand miles was completed,
and they established themselves in the pleasant city
of Lexington, where the Church people were pre-
pared to give them a hearty welcome.

16 ARRIVAL IN KENTUCKY.

CHAPTER II.

Arrival of Mr. Leacock at Lexington, Kentucky. Society in Lexing-
ton. Dr. Coit. Dr. Cooke. Amos Cleaver. The Bishop of Ken-
tucky. The Professors. The Southern Planters. Efforts for the
Promotion of Religion, Christ-Church. Instruction of the Slaves.
Confirmation of Mr. Leacock. He undertakes the charge of Pupils.
He is elected Rector of St. Paul's.

ON the 15th. of July, 1835, the Leacocks arrived in
Lexington. Although in latitude 38, nearly fifteen
degrees from the tropics, they found the heat of the
summer intense, and greatly missed the sea-breezes of
their native islands. I was, at that time, residing in
Lexington, as professor in the Episcopal Theological
Seminary, and as minister of Christ-Church during
the absence of the Bishop. I lost no time in forming
an acquaintance with the new-comers, and on the
following Sunday, at my request, Mr. Hamble Lea-
cock occupied the pulpit. After hearing his dis-
course, I felt persuaded that among the impulsive
and warm-hearted people of Kentucky so fervid a
preacher would have great opportunities of doing
good.

SOCIETY IN LEXINGTON. 17

At the period of which. I speak there was much of
an interesting character in the society of Lexington.
As the life of every man is more or less influenced
by his associates, it seems proper in this place to give
some account of those with whom Mr. Leacock lived
for several years on the most intimate terms.

There is in Lexington an institution founded and
amply endowed by the State, and denominated
Transylvania University. The principal building
occupies an eminence, upon which its spacious
Grecian portico shows to considerable advantage.
Like other State institutions of the kind in Ame-
rica, this university is not attached to any par-
ticular religious denomination, and the president
and professors are at liberty to exert whatever doc-
trinal influences they may individually prefer upon
the minds of the students. Sometimes, in the Ken-
tucky University, Unitarian influences had predo-
minated, and sometimes Presbyterian. During the
whole period of Mr. Leacock's residence in Lexington,
Churchmanship was in the ascendant, the president
of the institution being the Rev. Dr. Coit. Dr. Coit
represented that large class of American Episcopalians
who have been led into the Church by honest con-
viction. Of a family once partly Quaker and partly
Puritan, he was himself an able expounder of the
peculiar principles which separate us from sectarian
bodies. He had already shown himself skilful in
polemic theology, and the Puritans in particular had

18 DR. COIT.

often felt his power in controversial engagements.
As a native of New England, he was different in
temperament from our West Indian friend, but
not less earnest, and probably not less successful,
in maintaining the cause which was equally dear
to both.

Connected with the university there was also a
Medical College, which boasted an array of distin-
guished names, some of which have acquired an
European reputation, while all were possessed of at
least respectability in the West. Among the medical
professors there was one who deserved the peculiar
gratitude of all earnest Churchmen. This was Dr.
Cooke, Professor of the Theory and Practice of Me-
dicine.

Dr. Cooke, though a native of the United States,
was of West Indian origin, his parents having re-
moved from the island of Bermuda. He commenced
practice as a physician in Virginia, and in 1827
removed to Lexington, where his career as a professor
is described by his biographer 1 as one great and
almost unexampled triumph. Although troubled with
a slight impediment of speech, the earnestness of his
manner, the depth of his convictions, the singleness
of his purpose, the simplicity and comprehensiveness
of his views, and his intense devotion to truth, made
him the most interesting of companions.

1 Rev. Dr. Craik, of Louisville.

DR. COOKE. 19

It was during this active period of his life that
Dr. Cooke was called upon to turn his great powers
to another and very different field of research. For
many years previous to 1829 he had been a zealous
member of the Methodist body. The causes that in-
duced him to abandon this connexion, and to attach
himself to the American Episcopal Church, are before
the public in the introduction to his work, republished
in England, on the " Invalidity of Presbyterian Ordi-
nation." In prosecuting his inquiry he had ran-
sacked the University Library, rich in many old
books, and all the private libraries within his reach.
The examination was begun and prosecuted with all
the ardour of a strong and enthusiastic nature. Only
four hours were allowed for sleep ; one hour was
given to the accustomed lecture before the medical
class ; the shortest time possible to meals, and the
rest of the twenty-four devoted to the absorbing
inquiry upon which he had entered. To relieve the
brain from the effects of this intense and unremitted
application, and to keep his mind in the highest
state of free and vigorous action, he several times
bled himself during the six weeks of this remarkable
investigation. At the end of that time his convic-
tion was complete, and the materials of that con-
viction, soon afterwards embodied in the essay above
mentioned, were accumulated and ready for future
use. He immediately connected himself with the
Episcopal Church, and neither he nor his family
c 2

20 DR. COOKE.

ever after attended any other place of worship.
With all the force and enthusiasm, of his character,
Dr. Cooke then applied himself to the work of
raising up the Church in Kentucky. It was in a
great measure through his persevering efforts that
the Rev. B. B. Smith was consecrated bishop of the
diocese in 1832, and the Theological Seminary esta-
blished two years afterwards.

It may readily be imagined that Mr. Leacock
found much in Dr. Cooke congenial with his own
earnest character. A friendship was formed between
them, which was dissolved only by the death of
Dr. Cooke in 1853. The intercourse was beneficial
to both parties. On the one hand, the fervent piety
of the clergyman warmed the heart of the physician ;
on the other hand, the physician's researches into
ecclesiastical history enlightened the mind of the
clergyman on many points which hitherto he had
but slightly considered. Mr. Leacock had readily
acquiesced in episcopacy, as the established system in
that portion of the British dominions in which he
had been educated. But now in the United States
he was made to perceive that religious institutions, to
be permanent, require a foundation deeper than an
" establishment" can afford. Dr. Cooke's argument
assured him that no ministerial authority can be
justly esteemed valid which can be traced to any
origin short of Christ's commission to the Apostles.
He was thus led to the idea of a regular line of

AMOS CLEAVER AND THE BISHOP. 21

ecclesiastical descent, which his new friend enabled
him to trace as a matter of fact through the his-
tory of the Church, from, the earliest institution of
Christianity to the present English and American
episcopate.

In addition to Drs. Coit and Cooke, Mr. Lea-
cock and myself had another friend in the Rev.
Amos Cleaver, once a Baptist minister in England,
but then a devoted Churchman, acting as mis-
sionary in a town within a moderate distance of
Lexington. Mr. Cleaver had found in this place not
more than one or two families of Episcopalians ; yet
upon this foundation he had resolved to commence
operations. He purchased a piece of ground, and
with his own hands, assisted by his two sons and a
hired negro, began erecting the walls of a church,
officiating on Sundays for the benefit of a mere
handful of people in the Court House. His private
means soon failing, he performed several tours
through the United States, and by dint of hard beg-
ging succeeded in raising five thousand dollars, with
which he erected a handsome place of worship, now
occupied by a comparatively large congregation.
After seeing this work completed, Mr. Cleaver went
as a missionary into Mississippi, where in 1853 he
died a martyr to duty, having caught the yellow
fever while faithfully attending to his flock during
the prevalence of that devastating pestilence.

The Bishop of the diocese was necessarily often

22 PROFESSORS AND PLANTERS.

absent, but when at home he contributed greatly to
the intellectual society of Lexington. His philoso-
phical views on various subjects, combined with con-
siderable originality in his style of thought, rendered
his conversation as interesting as it was instructive.
He had long been an earnest friend of the missionary
cause, even in times when the American Church was
too negligent of her duty in this respect.

Besides the above, we were more or less acquainted
with the various professors in the university, the
medical and theological students, the intelligent
citizens of Lexington, and a somewhat diversified
selection of Baptist, Methodist, and Presbyterian
ministers. Not unfrequently we met the pastor of
the Roman Catholic Church, and his able assistant,
the Rev. Mr. McGill, a native Kentuckian, and now
the Roman Catholic Bishop of Richmond.

During the heat of summer the seven thousand
inhabitants of Lexington received an annual aug-
mentation in the numerous wealthy planters and
their families, who came up to escape the still
greater heat of the States further south. Among
them was always a considerable proportion of refined
and cultivated persons, whose minds had been en-
larged and improved by foreign travel. Many of these
were sincere members of the Church, who strove to
do their duty to their negro dependants, and to make
them as virtuous and happy as their circumstances
would admit.

EFFORTS FOR THE PROMOTION OF RELIGION. 23

But in Western America there are multitudes
who, from the want of a generally accepted system
of external as well as internal religion, grow up in
practical heathenism, unbaptized and unbelieving.
Sectarian divisions augment the tendency to negation
of truth ; and it generally happens that a large por-
tion of a clergyman's efforts are directed against open
infidelity. Our friend Dr. Coit was eminently
useful in this particular branch of service. He de-
livered from time to time admirable lectures to the
medical students and others, in which he proved the
divine origin of the Christian religion, the genuine-
ness of the Scriptures, and the inspired character of
the sacred writers. Dr. Cooke, in his professional
instructions, availed himself of frequent opportuni-
ties for demonstrating the existence of a Deity, his
wisdom, goodness, and power. Mr. Leacock, in his
sermons and exhortations, took a different line and
addressing himself directly to the heart and con-
science, attacked the strongest holds of unbelief.
Taking it for granted that Christianity was divine,
and divinely adapted to the human soul, his great
aim was to present it in all the fulness of its claims
and in all the greatness of its sanctions.

Our church was a spacious building, accommo-
dating about six hundred persons. At the time of
Mr. Leacock's arrival we were much engaged in
promoting the Greek mission-school which Mr. and
Mrs. Hill had recently established at Athens, and
which has since become a powerful instrument of

24 CHRIST-CHURCH:.

good. For the advancement of missions in foreign
parts as well as in Kentucky itself, we had weekly
collections, which amounted to about 135/. in the
course of a year. A " Ladies' Sewing Society," in
which Mrs. Leacock took an active and efficient part,
was one of the means of swelling this fund. The
ladies assembled usually at the house of some clergy-
man, who, as their work advanced, read to them in-
teresting details of missionary progress.

Mr. Leacock found in Kentucky but few oppor-
tunities of doing special service to the negro race.
Unlike the West Indies, he found the slaves in this
region almost wholly disconnected with the Church,
and living under a system necessarily adverse to
mental and moral culture. The greater part of them
were predestinarian Baptists, and addicted to a noisy
and exciting form of religion. Besides this, the au-
thorities had been alarmed by the emancipation going
forward in the British possessions. Strict measures
were now adopted to prevent entirely the somewhat
rare practice of teaching slaves to read. With the
help of our theological students, we had succeeded
in assembling about seventy-five young negroes in a
Sunday school. But when it was understood that
something more than oral instruction was attempted,
the mayor of the city requested us to desist from so
dangerous a proceeding, as he felt himself unable
to protect us against a mob, which in a moment of
excitement might level our seminary with the
dust.

INSTRUCTION OF SLAVES. 25

Meantime Dr. Cooke was augmenting his library
by the importation from Europe of the best editions
of the Fathers and other theological works of value.
He acted in our seminary as professor of the History
and Polity of the Church, occasionally delivering
lectures on these subjects to our students. On the
llth of June, 1835, he was elected by the Diocesan
Convention of Kentucky as one of its lay deputies to
the General Convention which assembled that year in
Philadelphia. Mr. Leacock was much interested in
this appointment, and offered up many prayers in
regard to the proceedings of the great triennial
assembly of the American Church. Dr. Cooke on
this occasion startled the quiet conservatism of the
members of that body, by introducing a resolution
providing for the immediate election and conse-
cration of a bishop for each State and Territory
in the United States in which there was no bishop.
This sweeping and thorough proposition was par-
tially acted upon at the time, by the appointment
of two missionary bishops for the "West, one of
whom, Bishop Kemper, still continues, in a vigorous
old age, to perform his apostolic duties throughout a
vast extent of territory. Ultimately the Church
awoke to a sense of her high calling ; and at present
there is no part of the United States without its
bishop.

Soon after Dr. Cooke's retuni from the Convention,
the winter set in with its usual severity. Although

26 CONFIRMATION OF MR. LEACOCK.

we were so far to the southward, the frost was often
as sharp as in Canada, the thermometer being forty
or fifty degrees below freezing. Our West Indian
friends suffered severely, and, for the first time in his
life, Mr. Hainble Leacock saw the phenomena of ice
and snow. During a part of the winter, sleighs
were travelling about as in the northern states and
colonies, and Christmas appeared in a garb worthy of
its ancient English character. About this time the
bishop held a confirmation in Christ-Church. Mr.
Leacock resolved to fulfil the duty which had been
neglected in his youth, and came forward together
with ,a number of young persons to receive the im-
position of the bishop's hands. He felt that, in so
doing, he was not only setting a valuable example to
others, but that he was placing himself in the way
of receiving a blessing to his own soul.

He was at this time engaged in tuition, having re-
turned for a brief space to the occupation of his
earlier life. His pupils were sincerely attached to
him, and his deportment towards them was in all
respects that of a father. In the summer of 1836 a
new congregation or "parish," denominated St.
Paul's, having been commenced in Lexington, Mr.
Leacock was elected rector, with a moderate com-
pensation. The University Chapel was lent to the
new congregation, in view of the possible erection
of a church. The instrumental music was led by
Mrs. Leacock, the body of the worshippers joining

HIS ELECTION AS RECTOR OF ST. PATJI/S. 27

in the chants, psalms, and hymns, usual in the
American Church. The subject of this memoir
seemed again to have found his proper place, and
soon showed himself the fervent preacher and the
efficient pastor of former times.

28 A SCATTERING OF FRIENDS.

CHAPTER III.

A General Scattering of Mr. Leacock's Friends. He removes to Ten-
nessee. Journey with the Bishop of Tennessee. He accepts a
Church at Franklin. Anecdote of him by Mrs. Wheat. He pur-
chases an Estate in New Jersey. Brief connexion with a Church at
Louisville. His Character as a Preacher and a Pastor. Removal to
New Jersey. Settlement during four years at Perth Amboy. Return
to the West Indies.

OUR pleasant ecclesiastical society in Lexington was
not destined to a long duration. Dr. Cooke's bio-
grapher remarks with, much justice that " the effort
then making for the extension of the Church in
Kentucky involved too much centralization. The
large ecclesiastical force collected in Lexington was
utterly disproportionate to the condition and strength
of the diocese. It was an enormous head without a
body. If Dr. Cooke and his fellow- Churchmen could
have brought from the East a band of itinerant
preachers, and sent them with the bishop at their
head through the State, gathering up and organizing
into congregations the Episcopalian families which
were thickly scattered over the whole country, the

A SCATTERING OF FRIENDS. 29

result would have been different. Unhappily this
policy was not pursued in Kentucky, and the conse-
quence is that we still mourn over the deplorable
weakness of the Church in this diocese."

Historical veracity makes it necessary to add that
difficulties of a peculiar kind had now overshadowed
the bright early days of the Church in Kentucky.
A controversy involving many personal considera-
tions had arisen, which finally involved the clergy
and laity together with the Bishop and the Diocesan
Convention. The result of the whole was an epis-
copal trial, at which Bishops Kemper, Mcllvaine,
and McCoskry presided. Throughout the entire
course of these painful proceedings the conduct of
Mr. Leacock was in complete accordance with the
truthfulness and integrity of his character.

Dr. Coit, meeting with considerable discourage-
ment in the management of the State University,
resigned his appointment in 1837, and returning to
the East became the pastor of a congregation in the
pleasant village of New Rochelle, on Long Island
Sound, not far from New York. About the same
time the admirable position and rapid growth of
Louisville induced the majority of the medical pro-
fessors to look to that city as the most eligible place
in the western country for a great medical school.
Accordingly Dr. Cooke removed from Lexington to
Louisville, and united with four other scientific
gentlemen in founding the medical institute in that

30 A SCATTERING OF FRIENDS.

city, now known as the Medical Department of the
University of Louisville. He continued to teach in
this school until its prosperity was placed beyond the
reach of competition. Mrs. Polk purchased his valu-
able ecclesiastical library, at a price of several thou-
sand dollars, and presented it to her husband, the
Bishop of Louisiana.

Although highly respected by those who were in-
timately acquainted with him, Dr. Cooke never
attained to popularity. He constantly manifested
thorough indifference to public opinion, and stern
intolerance of error and flippancy. He threw his
great truths before the world, and used no further
care to commend or introduce them. He took it for
granted that every man would be as devout a wor-
shipper of truth as himself, and was at little pains to
conceal his contempt for those who seemed to make
truth a secondary consideration. As a necessary
consequence Dr. Cooke had many enemies.

Mr. Leacock's brother had quitted Lexington,
having purchased an estate at some distance in the
country. Several of his relations had returned from
Kentucky to the West Indies, where they found that
notwithstanding the apprenticeship system, it was
still possible for white persons to exist. Nearly
at the same time with Drs. Coit and Cooke, I
quitted the diocese of Bishop Smith, and accepted,
at Bishop Kemper's invitation, the charge of a rising
congregation in the free State of Indiana. In conse-

REMOVAL TO TENNESSEE. 31

quence of ill health, I retained this position little
more than a year, and in 1838 removed with my
family to the healthy North, and took up my resi-
dence on British territory, in the loyal colony of
Upper Canada. Before parting from Mr. Leacock,
I gave him a copy of Thomas a Kempis, with which
he was greatly delighted, and which, except his
Bible, he valued above all the books in his possession.

In consequence of these and other removals, Mr.
and Mrs. Leacock felt themselves solitary, and
having no local ties to bind them to Lexington,
began to contemplate another change. Mrs. Lea-
cock wrote as follows, in June, 1837 :

" Another thing which has damped my spirits and
rendered me unfit for writing, is that our friend

J has left us. She went on Monday with Mrs.

Coit and her little ones. Dr. Cooke and his family
haA r e also taken their departure. Mrs. Cooke and
the girls went yesterday, in their private carriage,
and the good doctor has this instant started in the
car with all his servants. Lexington looks deserted.
It makes me melancholy whenever I think of the
many excellent friends who have left it, and who in
all probability we shall never meet again on earth.
I almost wish our turn had come ; but it strikes me
we shall be the last to move."

"Within half a year from the date of this letter
the expected change had taken place, and Mr. Lea-
cock, at Bishop Otey's invitation, removed south-

32 JOURNEY WITH THE BISHOP OF TENNESSEE.

ward, into the adjoining State of Tennessee. He
spent some time in .travelling with the good bishop
throughout his extensive diocese, and found in him a
cordial friend, a man thoroughly after his own heart,
and an edifying and instructive companion. As the
two men of God rode together on horseback, they
engaged in conversation on noble and elevated sub-
jects, and sometimes made the forests echo to the un-
wonted sound of their chants and hymns.

Having taken charge, at the bishop's request, of
the parish of Franklin, he found himself again en-
gaged in that ministerial work which had always
been his delight. Yet his success did not altogether
equal his expectations, and certainly fell short of
what he had experienced in Nevis. Writing to me
on the 5th of February, 1838, he spoke of having
innumerable calls on his time, and added as follows :

" I am getting on tolerably well. Franklin is a
charming little place, and if the Lord will bless my
labours I shall be happy. The people are friendly
and kind; but I want to see grace. I long once
more to hear the cry, * What must I do to be saved ?'
Remember us affectionately to your dear wife, and
may the Lord abundantly bless you in your labours
and in your family."

Mrs. Selina Wheat, the wife of a clergyman then
residing in Tennessee, has kindly supplied me with
the following interesting sketch of Mr. Leacock :

" During his residence in Tennessee, Mr. Leacock,

ANECDOTE BY MRS. WHEAT. 33

as "was generally required of the clergy of that day,
had to do much missionary or itinerant work for the
Church. After a Sunday's service in Clarksville, he
was returning to his home in Franklin, when he was
obliged by illness to stop at our house in Nashville.
He had travelled all day, on horseback, under an
oppressive sun, and having had a severe chill he was
now burning with fever. He was unable to dismount
without assistance. My husband and son carried
him in their arms to his room, and we immediately
sent for a physician. As soon as it could be done, a
foot-bath, which we knew to be peculiarly refreshing
to him, was prepared ; and my husband, himself
taking off his shoes and stockings, began to bathe his
feet. As I was, at the moment, making a cooling
application to his head, I observed Mr. Leacock
weeping passionately. Alarmed, I begged to know
the cause. 'Was he more ill than we supposed?
Should we send for his wife? What was the
matter ? Why did he weep ? ' With some effort he
became more calm, and confessed would you believe
it ? that he wept because my husband was perform-
ing so menial an office for him. ' Why ! Mr. Lea-
cock,' I said, ' would not you do as much for him ? '
' Oh yes, certainly/ he replied, and then, no doubt
recurring to the incident in the Gospels, he added,
' not bis feet only, but his hands and his head.'

" A few weeks after this, he was called to be our
comforter; for we had been bereaved of a precious

D

34 ANECDOTE BY MRS. WHEAT.

child. He remained with us several days after the
funeral, taking my husband's duty on the following
Sunday, and oh, how well I remember his untiring
efforts to console us ! Once in the anguish of my
grief, I said to him, 'Oh! Mr. Leacock, we little
thought when you left us so lately that you would be
called to perform this sad office for us that I should
lose my Heber ! ' He was pacing the floor, and sud-
denly turning upon me, he said very earnestly, ' Are
you a Christian mother, and say that Heber is lost ?
Oh, say not lost ; but only gone before. Do not let
me hear you use such language again. You shall go
to him, if you meekly submit yourself to your hea-
venly Father's will but say not again that your
child is lost.' I confess his stern rebuke did more to
calm my grief than all his previous words of gentle
remonstrance.

" We once again saw him and his model wife, in a
great trial of a very different kind, after they had
lost the greater part of their property by the failure
of a friend. I never can forget their Christian
fortitude and magnanimous forbearance towards the
wrong-doer, who had so cruelly disappointed them.
'God will provide/ they said; 'yes, and He will
bring good out of this evil. We can but pray for
him who has done us this great wrong.' Not a
word of severity, hardly of reproach, did I hear from
those holy lips."

The following letter addressed to me by Bishop

LETTER FROM BISHOP OTEY. 35

Otey completes the record of Mr. Leacock' s ministry
in Tennessee :

" Ebenezer, near Memphis, Tennessee,

Dec. 8, 1856.
" Rev. and dear Sir,

" I feel a melancholy interest in complying with
your request to furnish any particulars I may possess
connected with the ministry of our late dearly-
beloved and lamented brother, the Rev. Hamble J.
Leacock, while resident in this diocese. These par-
ticulars are not many, being collected chiefly, such
as they are, from notices scattered through my
annual reports to the Diocesan Convention.

" He was canonically transferred from the diocese
of Kentucky to that of Tennessee on the 5th day of
January, 1838. You are yourself aware of the un-
happy difficulties which disturbed the peace of the
Church in Kentucky for several years previous to
this time, in consequence of which Mr. Leacock and
his brother were induced to seek situations in this
State. Hamble took charge of St. Paul's, Franklin,
to the rectorship of which he was formally invited
by the Yestry. In his first parochial report, he says
with characteristic modesty, ' The rector sees no de-
cided testimony that his labours have been success-
ful ; yet he hopes that they have not been altogether
in vain. He trusts there are a few who maintain, in
secret, a faithful adherence to Christ, and like plants
in the wilderness blossom unseen, and diffuse their
D 2

36 LETTER FROM BISHOP OTEY.

fragrance unperceived, except by Him who seeth all
things.'

"As evidence of the estimate in which he was
held by his brethren, it may be mentioned that, at
the Convention held six months after his removal
into the diocese, he was elected a member of the
Standing Committee and a trustee of the General
Theological Seminary.

" The next notice of him is taken from my annual
report for the next year, in these words : ' The Rev.
H. J. Leacock preached an effective and impressive
sermon on the duties of the ministry, on the occasion
of ordaining two deacons to the priesthood and a
candidate to the diaconate.' This took place at
Clarksville during the session of the Convention.
His manner was very impressive and earnest, and
few who heard him then, or at other times, are
likely to have forgotten the power with which he
spake.

" It was during the years 1838 and 1839 that he
accompanied me on a visitation of the greater part
of my diocese. Our journeyings together on horse-
back gave me good opportunities to learn the cha-
racter of this truly great, because he was a truly good,
man. It was here that he opened his heart, and un-
covered the deep well-springs and fountains of the
spiritually-minded man, overflowing with love to
Christ, and gushing forth into streams of affection
for his fellow-men. The grace of Christ, the sane-

LETTER FROM BISHOP OTEY. 37

tifying influences of the Holy Spirit, and the neces-
sity of faith evidenced by a holy life, were his con-
stant themes in public and in private. He would
sometimes become so earnest, that, forgetting his
manuscript, he would lean over the pulpit, and with
his lion-like eye fixed upon some attentive hearer in
the congregation, he would seem as if he was reading
the very thoughts of the sinner's heart, and arraign-
ing him before God for the murder of the soul. He
was fond of preaching. He felt that it was an hon-
ourable employment, and never declined when asked,
unless for some cogent reason, which every one would
appreciate when named.

"But it was not in his pulpit ministrations only
that he sought opportunity to preach Christ. When-
ever we stopped at night, during a tour of several
hundred miles, and sought lodging in the log-cabin
of the pioneer settlers, he never failed, either in the
evening or morning, to call the members of the
family, as well as the sojourners present, around the
domestic altar, to read a portion of God's word, com-
ment on it, and then invite all to unite with him in
prayer. In this way he not only inspired respect
for religion, but also for its teachers.

"I remember very distinctly one of these occa-
sions. He was making a running commentary on
Romans viii., and had begun to remark on the 3rd
verse, when a young woman present interposed a
question, which implied that the law of God was de-

38 LETTER FROM BISHOP OTEY.

fective, and needed to be annulled or set aside, be-
cause of its imperfection. He seemed to be aroused
as if by an electric shock, and turning round towards
the questioner, he said in his own peculiar manner,
'Don't you hear the Apostle say that the law was
weak through the flesh ?' And then he proceeded to
descant in a most lucid manner, and with thrilling
effect on his hearers, upon the holiness, justice, and
goodness of the law, showing that it was honour-
able to God and just to man, and for that very reason
rendered the exercise of mercy through Christ glori-
ous to God.

" Naturally of a quick and excitable temperament,
he felt very keenly an unprovoked injury or wrong.
At the same time, I have met with few men who, I
think, were possessed of a more ready disposition to
forgive an offender than he was, upon a proper mani-
festation of repentance. For two years successively
he accompanied me in my visitation of the diocese,
relieving me of much of the duty of reading prayers
and preaching. In every place the people mani-
fested an eager desire to hear him. To this day they
retain a very pleasing remembrance of his labours,
and the announcement of his death will draw forth
many a deep sigh from hundreds who cherish a
grateful recollection of his labours for their spiritual
and eternal good.

" I am sorry, my dear Sir, that the time to which
I am limited does not allow me to seek for many

CONNEXION WITH LOUISVILLE. 39

more gratifying reminiscences which. I am sure exist,
of one who by his Christian spirit and burning zeal
in the cause of our blessed Redeemer, endeared him-
self to every Churchman in America who enjoyed
the pleasure of his acquaintance. Would that the
mantle of his faith, charity, and zeal, might rest upon
us all!

" I remain

" Your affectionate and faithful brother,
"JAMES H. OTEY,

Bishop of Tennessee.
"To the Rev. H. Caswall, D.D., &c."

The event last mentioned by Mrs. Wheat obliged
Mr. and Mrs. Leacock to leave Tennessee, and they
soon afterwards went to the warm welcome of their
friends in Louisville, Kentucky, under the following
circumstances. At Louisville, Dr. Cooke was now
settled, together with the Harts, the Andersons, and
other families once connected with St. Paul's at Lex-
ington. These old acquaintances earnestly desired Mr.
Leacock to become again their pastor, and to undertake
the laborious task of " building up" a small congre-
gation, worshipping in an old and unseemly church.
This church had been almost deserted in consequence
of the erection of a new and handsome edifice by the
people under the charge of the Rev. W. Jackson.
Mr. Anderson, aware of the power of Mr. Leacock,
and believing that he could persuade him to throw

40 LOUISVILLE.

himself into the breach, went two hundred miles by
the stage-coach to Franklin, and determined to take
DO refusal. He seized Mr. Leacock with friendly
violence, and actually brought him back with him
to Louisville. Mr. Leacock commenced in that city
with a kind of forlorn hope, and after some weeks
returned to Franklin for. his family.

Louisville then contained nearly forty thousand
inhabitants, and has probably more than doubled
that population at the present time. Its situation on
the Ohio river renders it a most important com-
mercial emporium, while railroads connecting it with
the interior of Kentucky bring the produce of that
fertile country on board the numerous steamers
which perpetually crowd the landing-place. The
people, though excitable, are hospitable, warm-
hearted, and intelligent. Mr. Leacock already pos-
sessed many influential friends among them, and it
is probable that if he had decided on a permanent
engagement with them, he would have found a wide
sphere of usefulness. A handsome stipend was pro-
mised to him, but he had determined that his stay
should be Ifui brief, and that he would never again
live under the jurisdiction of the ecclesiastical au-
thority of Kentucky.

For six months, however, he laboured most suc-
cessfully in augmenting the congregation and in
giving the people time, confidence, and opportunity
to obtain a permanent minister. The Rev. Dr.

LOUISVILLE. 41

Craik, of Louisville, thus -writes respecting his minis-
trations at this period. "As a preacher, he was
fervent, animated, and always interesting. Some-
times he ^produced a most startling sensation.
Once, referring to the many good and able men who
have been the propagators of false doctrine, he said,
' Do you suppose that the devil does not know how
to choose his agents?' Another time, 'Do you
know who was the first Unitarian? It was the
devil.' ' IF thou be the Son of God, &C. 1 ' "

Mrs. Jackson, widow of the clergyman mentioned
on the last page, states that Mr. Leacock's inter-
course with her husband was of the most fraternal
and agreeable character. She adds, "I remember
that he was particularly forcible in his sermons on
the doctrine of the Trinity, and though he was in the
habit of introducing the most pointed remarks on
that subject, the Unitarians went much to hear him,
and had a great respect for his character."

Another lady, Mrs. Field, says, " During his short
residence in Louisville he endeared himself to his
people by the warmth of his own affections. His visits
were like a gleam of sunshine to the sorrowful and
the suffering. He seemed to live a life of childlike
faith, never doubting his Father's love, ever looking
to Him for strength. Once he preached a very
solemn sermon on the certain punishment of the

1 Matt iv. 6.

42 CHARACTER AS A PREACHER, &C.

wicked. It was evident that the listeners were
almost spell-bound. I said, ' Your sermon produced
a great impression.' He looked quite sad, and an-
swered, ' Yes, fear stirs up men's souls, but how few
hearts would have been melted by the story of the
Saviour's dying love ! ' In his visits from house to
house he often made stirring appeals to those who
stood aloof from the body of Christ. When he found
that a heart was touched, he would say, 'Now, my
brother, let us kneel down and pray together.' A
person very dear to him once said in his presence,
* I wish I had never been born.' He seemed much
affected, and replied, * What, when you know that
Christ died for you?' His constant theme was
the Divine love manifested in Christ Jesus. He be-
came so dear to us, that to part from him was a
great sorrow."

In April, 1840, I revisited Kentucky from Canada,
and after a journey of about nine hundred miles,
found myself among my former associates at Louis-
ville. I shall never forget the hearty welcome which
I received from Mr. and Mrs. Leacock, and from the
principal persons of their congregation. Dr. Cooke
stated that Mr. Leacock was producing a powerful
effect in the place, being distinguished by the bold-
ness and decision with which he gave utterance to
unpopular and unpalatable truths. Instead of being
offended with his plainness, the people had the good
sense to perceive the practical worth of such a

CHARACTER AS A PREACHER, &C. 43

preacher. They respected him for his sincerity, and
would have made great sacrifices to retain him among
them as a regular pastor.

Since the general dispersion of his friends at
Lexington, he had never felt at home in the West,
and had preferred to act only as a missionary. There
were no local ties as yet to bind him to any part of
the United States, in which he always felt himself in
some sense a foreigner. There can be no doubt
also that change of place was not wholly unsuited to
his character and habits. Wherever he dwelt he
was strongly impressed with the conviction that in
this life he had no abiding place, and that his only
true home was in that Jerusalem which hath foun-
dations, whose builder and maker is God.

A Committee of the House of Bishops in the
American General Convention of 1856, made some
valuable observations on the best mode of employing
the various gifts bestowed on men for the edifying of
the Church. " There are men," they state, " whose
temperaments incline them to be constantly moving
from place to place. Connected with this consti-
tutional peculiarity, there is generally a frankness
and cordiality of manner which renders such persons
favourites wherever they go. They may not possess
any great breadth or variety of learning, nor any
great powers of thought ; but they have a faculty of
correct and close observation, a knowledge of men as
individuals and in masses, and perhaps extraordinary

44 REMOVAL TO NEW JERSEY.

skill and tact in controlling them. In this class will
be found those best calculated of all, perhaps, in the
Church, to fill the office of evangelists. Such a
corps of active labourers seems almost indispensable
to the complete organization of the Church according
to the primitive model."

Mr. Leacock's circumstances had been, as before
mentioned, considerably straitened while in Frank-
lin, and the idea had occurred to him that he might,
by the purchase of a farm, secure a competence for
his family in the event of his decease. His health
was now much impaired, and he wished to obtain a
situation in which he might rest himself and recruit
his energies. He desired also to enjoy facilities for
ready communication with his aged father in Bar-
bados.

Accordingly, with the remnant of his means, he
had already purchased a small estate near the sea-
shore, and not far from the town of New Brunswick,
in New Jersey. His friends in Kentucky greatly
disapproved of this step, and assured him that he
could never succeed as an agriculturist; but their
solicitations and representations were alike fruitless,
and he remained in Louisville only to complete his
six months as a wayfaring man and a sojourner.
The work of God, however, prospered in his hand,
and under his successors. The congregation, of
which he undertook the charge in its day of weak-
ness, has been steadily improving and enlarging

NEW JERSEY. 45

itself to the present day. The capacity of the
church has been several times increased for the ac-
commodation of the worshippers. Two new parish
churches have also been erected since Mr. Leacock's
brief incumbency, and a third is now in progress.

A letter from Mrs. Leacock, written soon after my
visit to Louisville in 1840, showed that the per-
severing efforts of the congregation to retain her
husband had proved fruitless. "We live," she
wrote, " with our kind friends, the Harts, where it
is likely we shall remain so long as we stay in Louis-
ville. This is a sore subject to the ears of our con-
gregation (I mean our leaving Louisville for New
Jersey), but Mr. Leacock says he sees no alternative,
and that go we must in July." Accordingly in July
they proceeded to their destination, and shortly
afterwards Mr. Leacock appeared in his new cha-
racter of a New Jersey farmer.

He did not, however, permit agricultural labours
to divert his attention from the great work of his
ministry. In the autumn of this year he visited
Connecticut, where he preached a striking sermon at
an ordination held by the bishop of the diocese in
the town of Bridgeport. For a few Sundays he con-
tinued to officiate in that neighbourhood, but his
anchorage in New Jersey compelled him to return,
and to confine his ministrations to places in the
vicinity of his new home. During the winter he

46 NEW JERSEY.

supplied the pulpit of Christ Church, New Bruns-
wick, the rector being temporarily absent.

In 1841 he spent some time in the West Indies,
endeavouring to recover the property of which he
had been deprived, and to which his son would be
entitled in right of his mother. In this endeavour
he was partially successful. Soon after his return
to America, I accidentally met him in Broadway
during the session of the General Convention in New
York. He was rejoiced to see an old Kentucky
friend, and gave me much interesting information
respecting his plans and prospects.

About this time he was visited at his farm by the
Rev. Mr. Pitkin, who had succeeded him at Louis-
ville. Mr. Pitkin had heard so many things re-
ported in his praise, that he longed to form his
acquaintance, and went on a kind of pilgrimage to
visit him in his rural retreat, eight hundred miles
eastward of Kentucky. He found him at work in
his barn, and met with a most cordial reception.
The two clergymen sat down on the hay, and long
remained together in agreeable and Christian con-
versation. "I sat there as long as possible," says
Mr. Pitkin, " drinking in his sweet speech, and
learning how he had held hearts so knit to him. I
left him at last, but shall never forget him. He
being dead, yet speaketh to us by the noble example
of his self-sacrifice."

SETTLEMENT AT PERTH AMBOY. 47

Shortly after his return from the West Indies, he
was desired by Bishop Doane to undertake the
charge of two little stations, one five and the other
twelve miles distant from his residence. At these
places he laboured faithfully and zealously until
1843, when he was prevailed upon to part with his
farm, and to become rector of St. Peter's, in Perth
Amboy. The situation of Perth Amboy is pleasant
and healthy. It stands on a neck of land at the
head of Raritan river, on the great thoroughfare
between New York and Philadelphia. At a very
early period in American history it carried on a
trade with the West Indies, having one of the best
harbours on the continent. The church in this
place is of a comparatively ancient date, having
been founded in the times anterior to the Revolu-
tion.

Mr. Leacock, as usual, soon made friends in his
new parish, and being pleased with the situation
became apparently settled for life. During four
years he continued in Perth Amboy, and fully main-
tained his already high reputation as a faithful
minister of the word of God.

In the summer of 1843, he had the great pleasure
of receiving another of his old Kentucky friends.
Dr. Coit visited him from New Rochelle, and wrote
to me as follows on the 29th of July. "I had a
spare Sunday a short time since, and ran down to
Perth Amboy to spend it with Hamble Leacock.

48 RETURN TO THE WEST INDIES.

He is well, and very comfortably situated, and
took great delight in talking over old Kentucky
times."

In 1847, the decaying health of his father, and
the necessity of looking after the property of his son
(now of age), obliged him to revisit his native island
of Barbados. He left his parish at Perth Amboy in
the charge of a clerical friend, and received the fol-
lowing letter from Bishop Doane to Bishop Parry,
the successor of Bishop Coleridge :

"To the Right Reverend the Lord Bishop of
Barbados.

" This is to commend the Reverend Hamble James
Leacock, a Presbyter of this diocese, who is about to
visit some of the islands of your Lordship's diocese,
as a brother, faithful and beloved, and worthy of all
confidence and kindness.

" Affectionately in the bonds of Jesus Christ,

" a. W. DOANE.

" Riverside, Easter Monday, 1847."

Mr. Leacock expected to return to his duties at .
Perth Amboy in the spring of 1848. Being, how-
ever, detained longer than he had anticipated, he
was informed that his parishioners were somewhat
impatiently awaiting his return. He immediately
sent over his resignation of the rectorship, and ter-

RETURN TO THE WEST INDIES. 49

minated his connexion with the diocese of New
Jersey. All attempts to induce him to reconsider
this decision were fruitless, and in 1849, having
settled all his affairs in the United States, he ap-
peared once more as a West Indian clergyman.

50 REASONS FOR RETURNING.

CHAPTER IV.

Reasons for his Return. State of Nevis. African practices. Obeah.
Mr. Leacock delivers Lectures against Obeah. Death of the Obeah-
man. Effect of Charms on the African. Return to Barbados. Tem-
porary Charge of St. Peter's. Death of Amos Cleaver and Dr. Cooke.
Mr. Leacock is appointed to the Chapel at Bridgetown. Testimonial
of the Parishioners of St. Peter's. Commencement of Efforts in
behalf of Africa. Formation of the Society for the Furtherance of
the Gospel. Outbreak of Cholera. Death of Mrs. Leacock.

IT was not a mere fondness for change, and still less
was it the communication from Perth Amboy, which
induced Mr. Leacock to attach himself again to the
West Indies. His father was now very aged, and
indeed died in the following year, after a long and
gradual decline. His only daughter, Elizabeth, was
about this time married, and happily settled in Bar-
bados. The apprenticeship system from which he
had justly apprehended evil consequences, had been
found inexpedient on trial, and had given way to
the complete abolition of negro slavery on the 1st of
August, 1838. The relative position of blacks and
whites was now fully understood, and, although West
Indian property had in many instances become nearly

STATE OF THINGS IN NEVIS. 51

valueless, it was clear to Mr. Leacock that the two
races might now exist together in harmony. He
found that old prejudices originating in slavery had
in a great measure died away, and the people of
Barbados, who had all but ejected him in 1827,
gave him a cordial and respectful greeting twenty
years afterwards. While engaged on his son's busi-
ness in that island he performed for several months
the duties of minister of his native parish, during
the illness of the rector, to the edification and delight
of the congregation.

Having concluded this brief engagement he re-
visited Nevis, where he found a strong affection still
subsisting towards him among his old parishioners.
When he spoke of the possibility of his returning
to the United States, many of them implored him
with tears to become once more their pastor. He
yielded to their entreaties, and after definitely re-
signing the charge of the parish at Perth Amboy,
again occupied his former position in the church at
Charlestown.

But twelve or thirteen years had made great
changes among the people. Many old friends of
the pastor were dead, and others had departed. The
negroes had too generally become idle since the ac-
quisition of liberty, and with idleness had betaken
themselves to the bad habits of former times. African
superstitions had been re-introduced by a number of
recaptured slaves, and the horrid practice of Obeah,
E 2

52 AFRICAN PRACTICES OBEAH.

as it is called, was spreading terror throughout the
island.

Mr. Leacock, being a man of known energy and
courage, was armed by the governor with the autho-
rity of a magistrate, and exerted himself in appre-
hending and punishing some of the worst criminals.
But there was an Obeah-man whose influence had
become so extraordinary that he had managed to
paralyze even the strong hand of justice. He was
believed to possess a certain charm, by which he could
at any time cause the death of those who fell under his
curse. He was in reality a most accomplished poisoner.
He could insinuate the means of destruction into vege-
tables, melons, and other fruits as they grew in the
field or in the garden. Through the agency of his
creatures, presents were conveyed to his enemies which
occasioned their speedy death. At length no one dared
to receive a gift of any article of food. So deep was
the cunning of the " doctor," as he was called, that
hitherto it had been impossible to bring legal evi-
dence to bear upon him. Besides this, few could be
found who possessed the courage to come forward as
witnesses against him, or to find him guilty if
brought before a jury.

Under these circumstances, Mr. Leacock announced
his intention of delivering a course of public lectures
exposing the infamous practice of Obeah. The Obeah-
man, on the contrary, declared that if Mr. Leacock
should persist in this intention, a curse should rest

EFFECT OF CHARMS. 53

upon him and that he would certainly die. Nothing
daunted, the intrepid pastor proceeded with his lec-
tures, though many of his congregation already re-
garded him as a dead man. Meantime the " doctor"
was engaged in the preparation of the most deadly
poisons to secure the fulfilment of his curse. It is
supposed that he incautiously tasted some of these
in order to assure himself of their potency. Certaio
it is that his corpse was found among some sugar-
canes, frightfully disfigured, yet without any visible
cause of death.

To show the terrible effect of a curse upon the
mind and body of the African, Mr. Leacock related
to me the following circumstance as having happened
within his own knowledge. Three negro men having
stolen a pig from a woman of their own race, were
solemnly cursed by her. In their terror they restored
the pig, but the woman refused to revoke the curse.
She buried a piece of the animal in the ground, and
assured the thieves that before it should decay they
would all undoubtedly perish. In a short time the
three men began to grow weak and became un-
able to perform their accustomed work. Their em-
ployer went to the woman and entreated her to
remove the imprecation. She apparently consented,
and seemed to make light of the whole transaction.
But nothing could re-assure the three victims, who
gradually pined away, and not long afterwards died.

In 1852 Mr. Leacock returned to Barbados, where
in July he took charge of the parish of St. Peter's,

54 RETURN TO BARBADOS.

Speightstown, in the absence of the Rev. W. Payne,
the rector, and retained it to the end of 1853. In
the autumn of that year, being resident in England,
I was sent with others on a deputation to the Epis-
copal Board of Missions, which assembled in October,
at New York, during the session of the General Con-
vention. On this occasion I had the pleasure of
meeting Mr. Leacock's brother, the Rev. Dr. Lea-
cock, of New Orleans, who attended the Convention
as a clerical deputy from the diocese of Louisiana. I
met also Mr. Hamble Leacock's only son, Benjamin,
a promising young clergyman of the American
Church, who had recently received Holy Orders after
completing his studies at the Episcopal Theological
Seminary of Virginia. At the same time I heard of
the death of Mr. Cleaver, who had fallen a victim to
his fidelity to his parishioners in Mississippi during
the prevalence of yellow fever. It was during this
session of the Convention that Dr. Cooke was re-
moved to another life, having attained to the age of
seventy-one. A last notice of this remarkable man,
as a friend of Mr. Leacock, will hardly be inappro-
priate in this place.

In 1844 Dr. Cooke resigned his medical professor-
ship and retired to Woodlawn, a beautiful farm in
the neighbourhood of Louisville. A few years later,
in 1848, he purchased a large unimproved estate on
the southern bank of the Ohio, about thirty miles
above Louisville, where his energies were employed
in the labours of the farmer and the pioneer. The

DEATH OF DR. COOKE. 55

wild beauties of nature, which he intensely enjoyed,
the love of his family, and the consolations of reli-
gion, were here his solace and delight. His biogra-
pher says that it was deeply affecting to see that
strong old man. weeping at bidding adieu to the
Christian minister who from time to time celebrated,*
at his secluded home on the Ohio, the solemn offices
of the Church.

For many years he had been subject, upon expo-
sure, to violent attacks of inflammation of the lungs.
These he had often removed by the prompt applica-
tion of his own vigorous treatment. The attacks
became so frequent under the exposure incident to
his new mode of life on the Ohio, that his strong
constitution gave way, and, on the 19th of October,
1853, he breathed his last, with a firm trust in the
mercy of the Saviour whom he had loved and served
for the greater part of a long life. While on his
death-bed, for many weeks, and until within a few
hours of his death, the Greek Testament was his con-
stant companion. All day long, and every day, he
pored over its sacred pages with critical attention
and devout affection. His mind retained its power
and freshness to the last. Truth and love he found
embodied in the "Word of the Almighty, and on that
his soul rested, in life and death, with satisfied de-
light.

While his old friends in America were thus going
the way of all the earth, Mr. Leacock was putting

56 TESTIMONIAL TO MR. LEACOCK.

forth all his energies in Barbados, and becoming an
influential clergyman of the diocese tinder Bishop
Parry. In December, 1853, Mr. Payne returning
from England, Mr. Leacock resigned into his hands
the charge of the parish of St. Peter's. The follow-
ing account of the proceedings on this occasion is
taken from the "Barbadian" newspaper of December
14th:

"TESTIMONIAL TO MR. LEACOCK.

" "We have great satisfaction in placing on our
page the following handsome address of the pa-
rishioners of St. Peter to the Rev. Hamble J. Lea-
cock, with the reverend gentleman's grateful reply.
This is the second instance which we have had the
pleasure of recording in our journal, within the last
six years, of the good feeling of the parishioners of
St. Peter on the subject of pastoral superintendence,
and their just appreciation of the labours of faithful
and zealous ministers, who have happened tempo-
rarily to perform the responsible duties of parish
priest in the absence of the rector, viz., the Rev. H.
R. Redwar in 1847, and the Rev. H. J. Leacock, for
the last seventeen months. The separation which is
now about to take place, we can well imagine will be
painful to both parties.

" The reverend gentleman, who is the subject of
the following correspondence, has evinced a generous
and disinterested feeling in intimating his intention

TESTIMONIAL. 57

to appropriate the greater part of the munificent gift
of the parishioners to the endowment of a ' Coleridge
Scholarship' at Codrington College. We are author
rized, however, to state, that it was the unanimous
wish of the donors that the whole sum should be laid
out in the purchase of a piece of plate, and that
Mr. Leacock has yielded to their wish.

" The deputation of the parishioners waited upon
the reverend gentleman at the rectory.

" ' Reverend and dear Sir,

" ' As parishioners of Saint Peter, and especially
as members of the congregation of the parish church,
we are unwilling that you should relinquish the trust
which has devolved upon you during the temporary
absence of our rector in England, without conveying
to you the strong sense we entertain of the faithful
and efficient manner in which you have discharged
your ministerial responsibilities.

" ' Your earnest and impressive teaching of the
truths of the Gospel, the zeal manifested in your un-
wearied efforts to promote the spiritual welfare of the
people, and your diligent attention to other pastoral
relations which exist between the minister and his
flock, have endeared you to us, and call for an ex-
pression of our gratitude and affectionate regard. In
offering, on the eve of our separation, this our testi-
mony to your worth, we desire also to present you
with a somewhat more substantial, but inadequate

58 TESTIMONIAL.

mark of our esteem, and beg your acceptance of this
purse, containing the sum of three hundred and fifty
dollars, which we request you will appropriate to the
purchase of a piece of plate, to perpetuate the re-
membrance of the connexion which has so happily
subsisted between us for the last seventeen months.

" 'With our sincere wishes that your ministry
may be continued to the Church of this island, and
that God may in all things bless your labours and
devotion to his service,

" ' "We remain, reverend and dear Sir,

" ' In behalf of the parishioners of St. Peter,
and your late congregation,

" ' Yours sincerely,

" ' Sir R. A. Alleyne, Bart., Francis Goding, N. Fo-
deringham, Jones Pile (Members of H.M. Coun-
cil), Wm. H. Farnum, James D. Bend, Isaac
Skinner, Benjamin Norville, J. C. B. Scantle-
bury, John D. Emptage, G. R. Challenor, Wil-
liam Jordan, Robert Challenor.
" ' The Rev. Hamble J. Leacock.' "

" ' Gentlemen of the Deputation,
" ' I cannot decline this honourable testimony
which you, and certain parishioners, and especially
the congregation of your parish church, have offered
me ; and at once I beg to thank you, and to appoint
you as the organ through which my grateful ac-

TESTIMONIAL. 59

knowledgments may be conveyed to every indivi-
dual.

" ' As an expression of thankfulness for my labours
during my short residence amongst you, nothing can
be more satisfactory to me than your address, since it
induces a hope that my labours have not been in vain.
But the very circumstance of a general approval,
which so augments my sense of obligation, creates in
me an anxious fear, lest, in the discharge of my
ministerial duties, I may be found to have been un-
faithful. You have indeed strongly testified to my
earnestness and diligence in endeavouring to promote
the spiritual welfare of my charge ; but, gentlemen,
I know somewhat of the magnitude of ministerial
responsibility ; and the consciousness of my own in-
efficiency, humbles me under the conviction that I
am utterly unworthy of the favourable opinion so
honestly entertained by you.

" ' You have honoured me with another evidence
of your favourable regard, an evidence more weighty
indeed, but not more acceptable than the one to which
I have already alluded. This purse of gold, this
free-will offering of a generous, magnanimous people,
shall, with their concurrence, be consecrated to the
service of our common Lord and Master, at least
the greater portion of it. It is my desire to offer it
as a contribution towards 'The Coleridge Scholar-
ship,' to be established in Codrington College, there
to perpetuate the memory of our connexion and reci-

60 APPOINTMENT TO ST. LEONARD'S.

procal attachment ; and to afford me the additional
satisfaction of anticipating the day in which it will
be returned to you all, in abundant showers of the
Divine blessing. One of your own sons, educated
through that very Scholarship, and moulded and
fashioned by the grace of God, may be sent to the
inhabitants of this parish, as Paul was to the Gen-
tiles,' a minister and a witness, to open

their eyes, to turn them from darkness to light, and
from the power of Satan unto God, that they may
receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among
them which are sanctified by faith in Christ's name.'

" ' With the balance of your liberal present, I will
purchase a piece of plate, merely to tell my children's
children that their grandsire received from his coun-
trymen, after fifty-nine suns had rolled o'er his head,
the honourable testimony which renders this day one
of the brightest and most distinguished of his humble
life.

" ' That the Divine blessing may be ever with you
all, to keep you in the ways of holiness, and peace,
and usefulness, is the prayer of

" ' Gentlemen,
" ' Your faithful friend and servant,

" 'H. J. LEACOCK.

" ' Monday, Dec. 12th, 1853.' "

In January, 1854, Mr. Leacock was appointed to

EFFORTS IN BEHALF OF AFRICA. 61

the charge of the chapel of ease of St. Leonard's in
Bridgetown. But at this time a cause was gaining
ground in the West Indies, which, in process of time,
enlisted his entire bodily and mental powers, and led
him on to the attainment of the high honour of dying
for Christ, the Master whom he had so long and so
faithfully served.

The debased condition of Western Africa had long
furnished matter of melancholy reflection to Christian
philanthropists. The idea had been suggested that
the work of the missions to that country called loudly
for the co-operation of the inhabitants of the West
Indies, partly on the ground of natural relationship,
and partly as a debt of common justice. It was also
supposed that from these colonies might be obtained
missionaries who were not only accustomed to a tro-
pical sun, but who, by reason of African descent,
might encounter, with less danger than Europeans,
the risks of an African climate. Codrington College
had been originally founded, as we have seen, for the
education of missionaries, and was made dependent
for its support on labour derived originally from
Africa.

Early in 1847, a change in Codrington College
placed at its head the Rev. R. Rawle, late Fellow of
Trinity College, Cambridge, who, from the first,
evinced a peculiar interest in Africa, with a strong
sense of its claims upon the College. In the follow-
ing year Barbados received for its Governor, in the

62 FORMATION OF A SOCIETY.

person of Sir William Colebrooke, an individual to
whom Africa had long been an object of especial
concern. Throughout the whole community, too,
from various causes, a lively feeling had been excited
respecting that unhappy continent.

At this juncture, the publication by Mr. Rawle of
extracts from a parliamentary report, placed in his
hands by Sir William Colebrooke, served to show the
existence of an encouraging opening for Christian
instruction among the natives of Africa, and it was
consequently agreed to bring the matter before the
public through the medium of the Barbados Church
Society. Accordingly, a meeting of that society was
convened by Bishop Parry on the 15th of November,
1850, at which resolutions were passed to the effect
" that a mission to Western Africa would be a work
peculiarly suitable to the Church in the West Indies,
where the population consists so largely of persons
deriving their origin from that country, that the
time for such an enterprise had arrived, and that it
would especially become Barbados to be forward in
this great and good work," inviting at the same time
the co-operation of the whole West Indian Church.
On the 16th of June, 1851, the Jubilee day of the
Society for Propagating the Gospel, it was determined
to make the African Mission the object of a distinct
society, to be called " The West Indian Church Asso-
ciation for the Furtherance of the Gospel in Western
Africa." It was proposed to direct the efforts of this

FORMATION OF A SOCIETY. 63

society to parts of Africa unoccupied by the older
missions either of the English or of the American
Church.

The society, thus founded, received the cordial ap-
proval of the West Indian and English bishops, the
Society for Propagating the Gospel, and many of the
governors of the West Indian islands. The British
Government was -also pleased to regard the under-
taking with favour, and the Secretary of State, on the
24th of February, 1851, promised to give it what-
ever countenance and protection could be legitimately
ajfforded.

Contributions now began to flow into the treasury
of the Society. The Society for Propagating the
Gospel gave 1000/. from its Jubilee Fund. Collec-
tions were made in Barbados and other islands, and
missionary meetings were attempted with satis-
factory results. The widow and sons of the late
well-known philanthropist, Sir T. F. Buxton, re-
mitted the sum of 135/., and a Committee organized
for the purpose in the University of Cambridge
obtained in a few days contributions to the amount
of 158/.

Encouraged by the amount of sympathy and aid
already received, the Society determined to com-
mence work in Africa as soon as practicable. Bishop
Parry therefore, as President of the Board, opened a
direct communication with Dr. Vidal, the first bishop
of Sierra Leone, and received from him two letters

64 OUTBREAK OF CHOLEEA.

conveying assurances of his interest in the projected
mission, as well as valuable advice in regard to the
part of Western Africa in which it should be com-
menced. As yet, however, no man could be found
willing or ready to undertake the certain difficulties
and risks which such a mission involved.

Mr. Leacock was one of those who from the first
had taken a lively interest in the design. Sometimes
indeed he expressed to Mrs. Leacock his earnest
wish to be sent on such a mission himself. She
trembled at the thought of so perilous an enterprise,
and assured him that if sent to Africa he could not,
at his time of life, withstand the malaria of that
pestilential climate. He did his best, however, to
promote the objects of the mission within his sphere,
and in the district of St. Peter's the collections at
his missionary meetings, in nine months, amounted
to more than twenty-six pounds. The Bishop, in
recommending this example to his clergy generally,
remarked that "such meetings might add to the
labours of the clergy, but the benefits arising from
them would be largely shared by the people them-
selves, and the piety of the country would gain
strength and maturity." In fact, the advantages,
direct and indirect, of such meetings are too well
known in England to admit of any reasonable
doubt.

In January, 1854 (as I have stated), Mr. Leacock
was appointed by the Bishop to the charge of the

DEATH OF MRS. LEACOCK. 65

chapel of ease of St. Leonard's in Bridgetown. In
the spring of the same year the cholera broke out in
the island with fearful destructiveness, and at one
time more than twenty dead bodies lay unburied in
Mr. Leacock's churchyard. Owing to the general
terror it was impossible to hire labourers to dig the
graves, and Mr. Leacock found himself compelled to
apply to the authorities for bands of soldiers and
prisoners to aid him in that necessary work. Although
Mrs. Leacock had a strong presentiment that her end
was at hand, she shared her husband's unremitting
exertions in attending upon the sick and dying,
without distinction of party, sect, character, or
colour. At length, in the month of August, when
the disease seemed to have nearly spent its strength,
this admirable woman was struck down, and after a
period of unspeakable agony, endured with Christian
fortitude, breathed her last. Her grave is still
tended with watchful affection by the hands of those
who loved her while living, and who reverence her
memory when dead.

66 MR. LEACOCK OFFERS TO GO TO AFRICA.

CHAPTER Y.

Mr. Leacock volunteers to go as a Missionary to Africa. He is ac-
cepted, and is joined by Duport. His Negro Servant desires to
accompany him. Letter to Archdeacon Trew. Arrival in London.
He attends a Meeting of the Church Emigrants' Aid Society. He
visits the Crystal Palace. Visit to Wiltshire Stonehenge Salis-
bury. Meeting of the S. P. G. His Cheerfulness. Conversation
with Young Persons. His views of Prophecy, of the Church of
Rome, and of the Church of England. His opinion of the Volun-
tary System. Thankfulness for Mercies. Note on the Effects of
Emancipation in the West Indies.

FOR some time Mr. Leacock continued crushed and
almost stupified by the terrible blow which had
fallen upon him, and even the thought of Africa
seemed to have lost its interest. At length, after
the lapse of half a year, the idea of volunteering to
lead the projected mission flashed suddenly upon his
mind. On the 19th of March, 1855, being then
over sixty years of age, he offered himself to his
bishop in a letter containing the following charac-
teristic sentences :

"The Church calls, and some one must answer.
But few years' service are now before me. I rise
therefore to save my brethren in the ministry, the

HIS OFFER IS ACCEPTED. 67

young who are the hope of the Church, the old who
are the stay of large families. Believe me, I do not
suppose that my services, unaided by Divine grace,
can accomplish any thing. To God alone must we
look for any strength, or for any success, whatever
may be the character of the instrument employed,
whether young or old, learned or unlearned. If
the Board concur with your lordship I will go ;
but 'I will go in the strength of the Lord (rod;
and make mention of his righteousness, and of his
only.' My lord, in placing my services at your dis-
posal, I have done only my duty, and I shall be satis-
fied with the issue, be it what it may."

It was with deep regret that Mr. Leacock's family
learned of his determination to venture on this mis-
sion. He seemed, however, so earnest in the cause,
and so zealous for the glory of God and the good of
souls, that they did not attempt to resist his purpose.
The bishop, of course, did not feel himself at liberty
to discourage the offer, nor the Mission Board to
refuse it. It was accordingly brought before a special
meeting of the association held at Bridgetown, Sir
"William Colebrooke presiding, on the 16th of May.
The offer was unanimously accepted, though not
without many painful feelings at the loss of an indi-
vidual so generally esteemed and beloved, and as a
clergyman so valuable to the diocese. On this occa-
sion Mr. Leacock acknowledged his election in a
very feeling speech, from the report of which,
F 2

68 HE IS JOINED BY DTJPORT.

printed in the "Barbadian," the following is an ex-
tract :

" It is through the grace of the Son of God that
I have not shrunk from engaging in the work ; and
I humbly trust, through the same grace to hold on,
and to hold out, till a more youthful, enterprising,
and efficient champion of the Cross be found to take
my place. And, if the example of an old soldier of
the Cross can fire with true missionary spirit and
Christian zeal the bosoms of some noble, brave, dis-
interested, accomplished youth, of our little island,
and cause them to rise up, and quit the soft, smooth,
downy, attractive elegances of polished life, and pre-
pare and arm them for that rugged, perilous war-
fare, and to follow me in it, I shall then know
that I have not lived in vain, that I have not
spent my strength for nought. With hand and
heart will I receive them, cheerfully give place to
them, or remain and labour with them as ye shall
see best. And when my work is done, I will thank-
fully go to bed in Afric's dust, and sweetly and
quietly rest from the toil and burden and heat of
the day, till the bright morning dawn, in which the
trumpet shall announce the approach of our great
King, and we shall rise up, and mount up to meet
Him in the air, and be with Him for ever."

A young black man, of good character, Mr. John
H. A. Duport, readily accepted an invitation to ac-
company Mr. Leacock as an industrial help in the

HIS SERVANT WISHES TO GO WITH HTM. 69

\

work of civilization, as well as a subordinate teacher for
missionary objects. Mr. Duport had been educated
at the Mission House attached to Codrington College.
He had been well instructed in the Holy Scriptures,
history, geography, mathematics, and arithmetic,
besides which he had formed some acquaintance
with Latin, and was a good practical mechanic.

Mr. Leacock now disposed of his worldly goods, in
the full expectation of never seeing his native land
again. To the very last his old negro female servant
continued earnestly imploring him to allow her to
bear him company. " Oh, massa," she said, " who
will take care of you in Africa, who will nurse you
when you are sick, who will attend on you ? Oh,
take me with you, dear massa, take me with you
to Africa ! " But Mr. Leacock would not permit, this
faithful creature to share his perils, and, to her bitter
grief, she was left with her friends in Barbados.

Archdeacon Trew of the Bahamas had been deeply
interested in the projected mission, and had furnished
Mr. Leacock with an introductory letter to his
friend, Governor Hill of Sierra Leone. Mr. Leacock
wrote to the archdeacon the following letter on the
eve of his departure.

"Bridgetown, Barbados, July 13, 1855.

" Dear Mr. Archdeacon,

"I cannot leave the "West Indies without ac-
knowledging the receipt of your letter, forwarded by

70 LETTER TO ARCHDEACON TREW.

the Rev. T. Clarke. It was very considerate and
very kind in you to think of your African missionary
at the moment of his departure for the scene of his
future labours, and the more so because he is a
stranger to you. The letter to Governor Hill is a
valuable appendage to my little parcel, and I hope
I shall have the pleasure of seeing his Excellency and
presenting it myself.

" I thank you, Rev. and dear Sir, for your -warm-
hearted wishes for my success, and also for your
promise of assistance. A man who can feel and act
as you do will never fail to pray for a blessing on the
labours of God's servants. I need not, therefore, beg
you to remember me in your prayers. It will be a
comfort and an encouragement in my journeyings,
labours, and solicitude to know that, in the Bahamas,
as well as in this little island, I have Christian
friends who sympathize with me, who feel as deeply
interested in my work as I do myself, and who will
often be found with me at the throne of grace,
begging for that help which alone can keep me from
the evil of the world, strengthen me for my work,
and crown my labours with that success which shall
make our hearts ' rejoice in the God of our salvation.'.
I have nothing to declare but ' Jesus Christ and Him
crucified' pardon through his blood, justification
through his righteousness, sanctification by his Spirit,
I know nothing else, and I am determined to know

DEPARTURE FROM BARBADOS. 71

I

nothing else. / This will I teach, and trust in God to
give it his blessing.

" I ajar^very busy getting ready for the steamer
which is expected this evening, so I must lay by
this. As soon as I can get fairly into my work, and
have somewhat to write about, you shall hear from
me. May the Lord bless you and your labours, and
preserve many years your valuable life for the good
of his Church.

" Yours very sincerely and faithfully," &c.

The chapelry in Bridgetown having been provided
for, Mr. Leacock and his companion embarked on
the loth of July on board the steamer for England,
there being no direct communication between the West
Indies and the African coast. Many tears were shed on
this occasion, recallingto mind the departure of St.Paul
from Miletus, when the Ephesian elders "wept sore,
and fell on Paul's neck, and kissed him, sorrowing most
for the words which he spake, that they should see
his face no more." Like St. Paul, the veteran mis-
sionary might have said to his mourning friends,
" Remember that by the space of three years I ceased
not to warn every one night and day with tears;
and how I kept back nothing that was profitable to
you, but have showed you, and have taught you pub-
licly, and from house to house. And now, behold,
I go bound in the spirit, not knowing the things
that shall befall me. But none of these things move

72 DR. COIT AGAIN.

me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that
I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry,
which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify
the gospel of the grace of God."

His native land soon sunk below the western
horizon. He lost sight of the island in which he
had gone through so many vicissitudes, and in which,
" through evil report and good report," he had con-
stantly maintained the testimony of. a good con-
science in the sight of God. He beheld Barbados no
more.

While Mr. Leacock was on his voyage, the " Bar-
badian" newspaper reached his old parishioners in
Perth Amboy, informing them of the mission to
which he had devoted himself. The intelligence
spread itself among his American friends, and, on the
28th of July, Dr. Coit wrote me the following letter
from his new parish at Troy (New York), enclosing
the Barbados paper :

" My dear Caswall,

" I received the enclosed paper a short time since
from Perth Amboy, from some one of Hamble's old
parishioners. It appears that he is going as a mis-
sionary to Africa, and perhaps you can find out his
residence and communicate with him. If so, bid him
God speed from me, and tell him that if we never
meet again in this world I shall never forget him, or
cease to esteem and love him. I wrote to him two

LETTER FROM LONDON. 73

or three times, but perhaps my letters never reached
him, \0xrw comes on Convocation, and how do you
like yourllew Bishop ?

" Yours affectionately,

" T. W. Con."

This was the first intimation I had received of the
connexion of my old friend with the West African
Mission. Immediately on receiving Dr. Coit's letter,
I concluded that Mr. Leacock would proceed by way
of England, and accordingly requested a friend in
London to ascertain whether he had made his appear-
ance in this country. The reply informed me that
he had already been some time in London, at a lodg-
ing in Cecil-street, in the Strand. I wrote to him
on the 18th of August, and received the following
answer :

" London, August 23, 1855.
" My dear Caswall,

" Your warm-hearted salutation, ' dear old friend,'
sounded in my ears like good news of a dear friend from
a far country. I am in London, solitary in the midst of
its millions, having found but two acquaintances, who
reside so far from me that I seldom see them. The
Bishop of Barbados is now in England, and the
object of his visit partly, and of mine entirely, is to
make known as extensively as possible my mission
and its design ; and to enlist in its favour, and

74 MEETING WITH MR. LEACOCK.

receive the help of as many friends as it shall please
God to make for me.

"In a few days I shall proceed to Bristol and
Bath, where I expect some assistance ; but I must
endeavour to find out your whereabouts, that so, if
possible, I may once more look at you. I have no
map of England at hand, and your letter is not suffi-
ciently explanatory. But there is a difficulty. I
am travelling at our Society's expense, and as your
letter dated the 18th has only now reached me, I
fear the expense of travelling. You will, I know,
pardon this explanation, and not think me capable of
a meanness. I am but the servant of a society. If
the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel have a
meeting near you, and I be required to attend it, it
will be a good opportunity to see you. I shall leave
England in October with the Bishop of Sierra Leone.

" Ben is not with me. He is in the ministry, and
rector of a church in Mobile, Alabama, with a salary
of three thousand dollars. He is a true man and a
good son. Elizabeth is married and in comfortable
circumstances. They are both dear children ; not-
withstanding I am alone and a wanderer, God only
being with me.

" With affectionate remembrances to your dear wife
and daughter, believe me," &c.

On the 27th of August I went to London, and on
the next morning visited Mr. Leacock in Cecil-
street. I found him in his lodging, sitting at a table,

CHURCH EMIGRAOTS' AID SOCIETY. 75

making out an account of his expenses, while Duport,
an intelligent-looking black' man, was working a
problem in algebra. His hair had grown grey, but
otherwise, he was little changed since I had last seen
him in 1841. Our meeting was extremely gratify-
ing, and brought back a flood of old reminiscences.
He mentioned, among other things, that he was at
this time living on about eighteen-pence a day, in
order to avoid putting his society to any unnecessary
expense. Instead of ordering a regular dinner, he
was in the habit of purchasing a few simple eatables
at a shop in the Strand.

On the following day he attended with me one of
the preliminary meetings of the Anglo-American
Church Emigrants' Aid Society. He was delighted
to be informed that efforts were being made to retain
in the fold of the Church the natives of Old Eng-
land, who, to the number of about fifty thousand
annually, take up their residence within the United
States. He rejoiced in the formation of the society,
not only on account of the spiritual advantages which
it offered to the stranger in a strange land, but
because he saw in it a method of fraternal inter-
course and Christian co-operation between the
Churches of England and America.

Mr. Leacock being a total stranger in England, I
was anxious to show him some of the most interest-
ing things connected with the metropolis. On the
31st I took him to the Crystal Palace, where we

76 VISIT TO THE CRYSTAL PALACE.

spent the greater part of the day. After wandering
through the memorials' of ancient nations, Assyria,
Egypt, Greece, and Rome, after hearing some effec-
tive music, and examining choice and beautiful
specimens of the vegetable world, we walked through
the gardens, saw the geological models, and finally
beheld a grand display of the fountains. As we re-
turned, Mr. Leacock said that he had spent a day
well worthy of remembrance. He assured me that
the whole scene far exceeded any thing which he had
expected to behold in this world. It served, he said,
in a measure, to carry on his thoughts to the hea-
venly city, the New Jerusalem, having the glory of
God, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal.
" And the building of the wall of it was of jasper :
and the city was pure gold, like unto clear glass."

On the following day I took him home with me to
Wiltshire, and, for the first time in his life, he rode
on the top of a stage-coach. As we passed through
the country, he expressed in the strongest terms his
admiration of its beauty, and of the healthy appear-
ance of the people. He assured me that he had
always been a loyal British subject, like his ances-
tors before him, and that his allegiance had never
wavered.

On the 1st of September he preached in my
church at Figheldean, taking for his text the words,
"My son, give me thine heart." He showed that
God required mainly and principally the service of

VISIT TO WILTSHIRE STONEHENGE. 77

the heart, and that we were bound to give Him not
a portion of our hearts, but the whole. The people
were deeply impressed by his earnest manner, as well
as bv the thoughts to which he gave utterance.

/

They saw in him a man going forth with his life in
his hand for the sake of that religion which he
preached. Every word therefore took effect, and the
discourse will not soon be forgotten. In the evening
he delivered a missionary address to a concourse of
persons, who completely filled the church, and who
listened to the speaker with admiration and delight.
On the following day I reminded him that Eng-
land was formerly a heathen country like Africa,
and proposed to show him a vast idolatrous temple
which God's providence had preserved to the present
time, as if to remind us, in the midst of our boasted
civilization, of the " rock whence we were hewn,"
and the "hole of the pit from whence we were
digged." Accordingly we walked about four miles
across the open plain, until we arrived at Stone-
henge. The good missionary passed with me under
the enormous overhanging stones, and when we
arrived at the broken altar, near the centre, on
which human victims are supposed to have shed
their blood, he viewed it with profound emotion anil
awe. Through the surrounding colonnade he de-
scried in the distance a small point like that of a
needle rising above the horizon. On being told that
this was the summit of Salisbury Cathedral, he spoke

78 MEETING AT SALISBURY.

of Gospel times succeeding the dreary ages of
idolatry, and expressed his firm belief that Africa,
like England, would yet look heavenward, and
stretch forth her hands unto God.

The next day was devoted to Salisbury, where we
attended the Cathedral service, and partook of the
Holy Communion, Archdeacon Grant preaching on
the subject of Missions. The intoning of the service,
being altogether new to Mr. Leacock, struck him
rather painfully, and he could not at once bring him-
'self to regard it as a natural mode of addressing
supplications to the Almighty. In the evening we
attended a large meeting held at the Council
Chamber, in behalf of the Society for the Propaga-
tion of the Gospel. The bishop was in the chair,
and among the speakers were Lord Nelson, Canon
Bickersteth, Archdeacon Grant, and Canon White,
of the diocese of Capetown. I was permitted to
introduce Mr. Leacock to the assembly, and to make
a brief statement respecting the mission in which he
was engaged. Having been received in a warm-
hearted manner, Mr. Leacock then rose and delivered
an address full of pathos, in which he asked the
sympathies of his English brethren, and described
the wretched condition of the region to which he
was proceeding. Every eye was fixed upon him,
and when he ceased to speak it was evident that a
decided impression had been created. Indepen-
dently of the usual collection for the Society for the

RETURN TO LONDON. 79

Propagation of the Gospel, the kind-hearted bishop
set on foot a subscription for the West Indian Mis-
sion, which immediately realized a considerable sum.
From Salisbury Mr. Leacock returned to London,
where he officiated for a few Sundays at the church
of St. Clement, in the Strand.

After his departure I wrote to the Bishop of Bar-
bados, then in Malvern, and gave his Lordship a full
report of the meeting at Salisbury, and of the excel-
lent effect produced by his good missionary. The
bishop was much gratified, and replied that he felt it'
as a matter for great thankfulness that his valued
friend and brother had met with so warm and cordial
a reception. He wrote to Mr. Leacock on the sub-
ject, who addressed to me on the llth, in reply to a
letter of my own, the following note, expressing his
lively thanks for an act of common friendship :

"London, Sept. 11, 1855.

" My dear Caswall,

" Your letter is a great lift by the way. The in-
terest which you have manifested in me and my poor
labours, while it greatly encourages me, endears you
more than ever to my poor heart, and fills it with
gratitude imperishable. I see, by the tenor of the
bishop's note, what you have written, and I do hope
you will consent to its being forwarded to Barbados
and published. It will disarm the opponents of our
mission, warm and rejoice the hearts of its friends,

80 HIS CHEERFULNESS.

awake the sleepers, and stir up a lively interest in its
favour, and in the cause of missions generally.

" I am now in great trouble, having much bag-
gage to take along with me, and freight- charges
which almost cover its real value. In this country it
would be hardly worth the cost, in Africa it will be
indispensable. I have to submit.

" I have just returned from the Bishop (of Sierra
Leone's) residence, a long, long walk, and back
again, all to save our association a few pence. The
bishop was with the Archbishop of Canterbury, and
I had to leave my papers and a message at his
house.

" Yours sincerely," &c.

On the 20th Mr. Leacock returned to us from
London. Great was our joy when his noble and
manly form entered our house, when we heard his
cheerful laugh, and received the cordial shake of his
hand.

"It is pleasing to see in experience," remarks a
recent writer l , " that oftentimes the men of most
depth and seriousness of character, the men who in
their closets take the most earnest view of life, and
have cultivated heavenly wisdom most largely, have
also been men of lively fancy, sprightly and agree-
able repartee, seem to have had within them a spring

1 Goulburn : " The Idle Word," p. 86.

BOOKS. 81

of joy and merriment bubbling up when the obstruc-
tion of serious affairs was removed, and covering with
fertility even the leisure hours of their lives. The
world's wisest men have mingled mirth with earnest-
ness, they have not gone about with starched visage,
prim manner, or puritanical grimace." This character
applies in every particular to the friend whom it was
now our happiness to welcome.

Speaking, about this time, of books, Mr. Leacock
expressed his admiration of Thomas a Kempis, and
Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress. He mentioned having
parted with the copy of a Kempis, which I had given
him in Kentucky, at the earnest solicitation of one of
his parishioners in Perth Amboy, who had formed an
attachment to the book. I now presented him with
another copy, which he received with great delight,
and took with him to Africa.

He was a man of few books. His well-worn Bible
was the companion of all his wanderings, and an un-
failing source of consolation. During this visit it was
delightful to observe the intense enjoyment which he
derived from his religion. He seemed to have risen
above the murky region of anxieties, apprehensions,
doubts, and fears, and to be cheerfully reposing in
the calm sunshine of divine love. He had severed
most of the ties which bound him to the world, and
was already looking forward with happy a