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FRQM  THE  LIBRARY  OF 

TRUSTY  COLLEGE 


TO 


BISHOP  JOHN  SELWYN 


J. 


BISHOP  JOHN  SELWYN 


A  MEMOIR 


BY 

F.   D.   HOW 

AUTHOR    OF 

BISHOP    WALSHAM    HOW  I     A    MEMOIR 
ETC. 


LONDON 

ISBISTER    AND    COMPANY   LIMITED 

15  &  16  fAVISTOCK  STREET  COVENT  GARDEN 

1899 


Printed  by  BALLANTYNE,  HANSON  &>  Co, 
London  <&•>  Edinburgh 


OCT  2  *  1991 

136265 


TO  THE  MOTHER 

WHOSE  INSPIRATION  BREATHES  THROUGH 

ALL  HIS  LIFE  AND  LETTERS 

THIS  BRIEF  MEMORIAL 

OF 

BISHOP   JOHN   SELWYN 

is 

RESPECTFULLY  AND  GRATEFULLY 
DEDICATED 


PREFACE 

THE  following  sketch  of  Bishop  John  Selwyn  has 
appeared  to  me  more  and  more  inadequate  in  pro 
portion  as,  in  the  course  of  writing  it,  I  have  been 
privileged  to  become  more  and  more  familiar  with 
the  beauties  of  his  life  and  character. 

Such  as  it  is,  I  lay  it  before  those  who  knew  and 
loved  him  well,  and  beg  them  to  pardon  its  deficiencies. 

The  members  of  the  Bishop's  family  were  urgent 
that  the  book  should  be  short.  With  this  desire  I 
fully  sympathise,  but  it  has  in  some  measure  added 
to  my  difficulties. 

Before  the  work  was  undertaken  another  hand 
had  begun  to  write  a  history  of  the  Melanesian 
Mission.  I  undertook  to  trespass  as  little  as  possible 
upon  this  ground.  Those,  therefore,  who  desire  to 
read  chiefly  of  mission  work  must  await  the  publica 
tion  of  that  history. 


x  PREFACE 

I  wish  to  give  warm  thanks  to  those  who  have  so 
greatly  helped  me.  Chief  of  these  are  the  members 
of  the  Selwyn  family,  who  will  not  desire  a  special 
mention  of  their  names.  Besides  these  I  am  deeply 
grateful  to  Mrs.  a  Court-Repington,  Mrs.  Long 
Innes,  Mrs.  Balston,  the  Lord  Bishop  of  Newcastle, 
the  Rev.  Dr.  Codrington,  the  Rev.  John  Still,  the 
Rev.  F.  E.  Waters,  the  Rev.  the  Provost  of  Eton, 
the  Rev.  C.  Abraham,  the  Rev.  O.  Mordaunt,  the 
Rev.  Professor  Stanton,  the  Rev.  A.  Penny,  the  Rev. 
J.  O.  F.  Murray,  Robert  Kinglake,  Esq.,  Richard 
Durnford,  Esq.,  and  Charles  Bill,  Esq.,  M.P. 


CONTENTS 

CHAP.  PAGE 

I.  EARLY    LIFE         .......  1 

II.       CHOICE    OF    A    PROFESSION ALHEWAS     .             .             .  16 

in.  ST.  GEORGE'S,  WOLVERHAMFI-ON — TRIP  TO  AMERICA 

DEATH    OF    BISHOP    PATTESON           ...  26 

IV.       ARRIVAL    IX    MELANESIA NORFOLK    ISLAND,    ETC.    .  44 

V.       MELANESIA SUGGESTIONS    OF    THE    BISHOPRIC             .  58 

VI.  NORFOLK    ISLAND            ......  71 

VII.  VARIOUS    INFLUENCES — BISHOP    PATTESON,    ETC.          .  82 

VIII.  HIS    CONSECRATION        ......  92 

IX.  DEATH    OF    MRS.    J.    R.    SELWYN      ....  117 

X.       DEATH    OF    HIS    FATHER VISIT   TO    ENGLAND             .  131 

XI.  MELANESIA            .             .             .             .             .             .             .150 

XII.       HIS       SECOND       MARRIAGE RENEWED       WORK       IN 

MELANESIA    .  .  .  .  .  .  .161 

XIII.  MISSIONARY    ADVENTURES      .....  177 

XIV.  LAST    YEARS    IN    MELANESIA             ....  195 

XV.  SELWYN    COLLEGE,    CAMBRIDGE       ....  207 

XVI.  THE    END  ........  242 

XVII.  A    FEW    LETTERS    ON    SPIRITUAL    MATTERS  253 


CHAPTER   I 

EARLY  LIFE 

JOHN  RICHARDSON  SELWYN  was  born  on  May  20, 
1844.  Of  him  alone  of  our  Missionary  Bishops  it 
may  be  said  that  he  was  born  in  the  region  of  his 
future  labours,  for  his  birthplace  was  the  Waimate 
in  the  Bay  of  Islands  in  the  northern  part  of  New 
Zealand.  There  it  was  that  his  father,  George 
Augustus  Selwyn,  Bishop  of  New  Zealand,  had 
established  his  headquarters,  making  use  of  the 
roomy  wooden  station  belonging  to  the  Church 
Missionary  Society.  There  too  St.  John's  College, 
"  a  Polynesian  College  for  the  different  branches  of 
the  Maori  family  scattered  over  the  Pacific,"  first 
saw  the  light,  and  there  it  remained  until  some 
difficulty  with  the  owners  caused  its  removal  in 
1846  to  Auckland. 

Owing  to  these  circumstances  the  future  Bishop 
of  Melanesia  could  never  in  after  life  have  felt 
himself  the  stranger  in  the  Islands  that  many 
another  man  would  have  done,  for  the  Maoris  were 

A 


2  BISHOP  JOHN  SELWYN 

proud  to  boast  that  he  was  one  of  themselves,  and 
the  sound  of  their  languages  was  as  familiar  to  his 
baby  ears  as  was  his  mother  tongue.  Then  again, 
when  the  College  was  moved  to  Auckland  he  was 
taken  thither  also  by  his  parents,  and  his  earliest 
childhood  was  passed  in  an  institution  where  Maori 
and  English  boys  learnt  lessons  side  by  side  and 
lived  a  life  in  common.  It  was  when  he  w^as  five 
years  old  that  his  father  returned  on  October  1, 
1849,  at  midnight  from  a  cruise  among  the  Islands 
in  the  schooner  Undine.  Mrs.  Selwyn  was  aroused 
by  the  Bishop's  voice  exultingly  exclaiming  "  I've 
got  them  !  "  "  Them  "  turned  out  to  be  five  little 
savage  boys,  the  first  of  many  who  afterwards  were 
brought  in  to  be  educated,  and  to  form  in  time  a 
native  clergy  for  Melanesia. 

With  these  little  natives  Johnnie  Selwyn  made 
great  friends,  and,  when  one  of  them  was  ill  with  a 
disease  which  proved  fatal,  it  was  Johnnie  Selwyn's 
name  which  was  on  his  lips  as  he  kept  constantly 
calling  for  his  beloved  playmate. 

All  these  things  must  have  had  their  effect,  and, 
though  for  many  years  he  lived  in  England  at 
school  and  college,  and  though  his  knowledge  of  the 
Maori  language  was  entirely  lost,  yet  the  seeds 
sown  in  the  first  ten  years  of  his  life  were  destined 
to  bear  ample  fruit. 

The  influence  of  his  father  was  but  little  felt  in 
these  early  days.  There  were,  it  is  true,  strong 


EARLY  LIFE  3 

traits  of  character  directly  inherited ;  there  came 
also  in  later  life  that  admiration  for  his  father's 
work  and  desire  to  share  in  it  which  was  so  large  a 
factor  in  his  dedication  to  missionary  work ;  but  as  a 
child  he  saw  little  of  him.  "  My  boyhood,  alas  !  " 
he  wrote,*  "  can  remember  little  of  my  father.  I  can 
remember  him  suddenly  appearing  in  the  middle  of 
the  night,  fresh  from  one  of  those  voyages  which 
laid,  with  so  much  daring  and  so  much  forethought, 
the  foundations  of  the  Melanesian  Mission.  I  can 
recall  the  dingy  cabin  of  his  little  schooner,  creaking 
and  groaning  in  a  gale  of  wind  off  the  coast  of  New 
Zealand,  and  a  figure  in  wet  and  shiny  oilskins 
coming  down  from  the  long  watch  on  deck  to  see 
how  my  mother  and  I  were  faring  below." 

It  was  on  his  mother  that  he  depended  from  the 
very  first.  It  was  from  his  mother  and  from  her 
alone  that  he  learnt  his  earliest  lessons.  In  those 
first  years  of  his  life  he  and  his  mother  were  so 
closely  welded  together  that  no  distance  of  space 
or  time  was  ever  able  afterwards  to  loosen  the 
bond  between  them.  There  is  an  old  rhyme  which 
says  : 

My  son  is  my  son  till  he  gets  him  a  wife, 
My  daughter's  my  daughter  all  her  life. 

This  was  certainly  falsified  in  John  Selwyn's  case. 
No  matter  what  friendships  he  made  or  what  ties 

*  Selwyn  College  Calendar,  1894. 


4  BISHOP  JOHN  SELWYN 

he  formed  in  the  course  of  his  life,  he  never  altered 
one  hair's  breadth  in  his  devoted  intimacy  with  his 
mother. 

It  is  curious  to  note  in  a  man  of  so  essentially 
"  manly "  a  type  some  characteristics  which  show 
that  he  also  possessed  certain  feminine  qualities 
of  mind  and  even  habits.  His  handwriting  may, 
perhaps,  be  taken  as  typical  of  this.  This  twofold 
nature  especially  endeared  him  as  a  child  to  his 
mother.  "  He  was  my  son  and  my  daughter,"  she 
says,  "  he  was  exactly  like  a  son  and  a  daughter." 
She  bears  witness  at  the  same  time  to  his  having 
been  a  very  spirited  boy,  and  to  his  having  shown 
at  an  early  age  some  of  those  traits  which  became 
familiar  afterwards — as,  for  instance,  an  unfailing 
courtesy,  and  a  quickness  of  temper  followed  by  an 
equally  quick  desire  to  make  amends.  Mrs.  Selwyn 
was  fortunate  enough  to  take  out  with  her  an 
admirable  servant  who,  in  spite  of  severe  illness, 
remained  faithful  to  her  in  her  New  Zealand  home, 
and,  as  was  the  case  with  most  women  who  came  in 
contact  with  him,  became  devoted  to  John  Selwyn, 
whom  she  nursed  from  the  hour  of  his  birth.  Her 
love  for  him  was  fully  returned,  and  their  affectionate 
relations  were  maintained  to  the  end  of  her  life  a 
few  years  ago.  He  would  often  go  to  visit  her  after 
he  became  a  Bishop,  and  the  story  goes  that  on  his 
first  arrival  she  would  address  him  with  some  awe 
as  "  My  Lord,"  then  in  a  little  while  it  would  come 


EARLY  LIFE  5 

down  to  "Bishop,"  and  then  to  " Master  Johnnie," 
and  at  last,  when  old  memories  swept  everything 
before  them,  it  was  always  "My  darling  Johnnie." 
This  same  old  friend  bore  witness  to  the  early 
piety  of  the  boy,  saying  that  she  remembered  well 
finding  him,  when  a  very  little  fellow,  on  his  knees 
praying  for  her  at  a  time  when  she  was  far  from 
well.  This  habit  of  prayer  grew  with  his  growth, 
and  it  will  be  seen  how  greatly  it  influenced  his  life 
from  beginning  to  end. 

Of  his  chief  interests  as  a  little  lad  there  is  not 
much  to  be  recorded  excepting  that,  like  most  small 
boys,  he  was  very  fond  of  fishing,  of  which  he  was 
able  to  get  plenty — of  a  sort ! — from  the  rocks  at 
Taurarua,  where  they  used  constantly  to  stay  with 
Sir  William  Martin,  the  Chief  Justice.  One  of  his 
chief  delights  then  as  always  wras  history  and  all 
connected  with  it.  He  knew  all  about  the  chief 
battles  by  land  and  sea,  and,  as  he  himself  said  in  a 
letter  long  afterwards,  "  whatever  I  read  of  that  sort, 
it  just  sticks."  When  he  was  quite  a  little  fellow  he 
was  most  indignant  and  contemptuous  because  some 
of  the  boys  at  St.  John's  College,  Auckland,  didn't 
know  the  ballad  of  "  Chevy  Chase."  This  keenness 
made  the  history  lessons  with  his  mother  a  delight  to 
them  both,  and  she  well  remembers  his  intense  enjoy 
ment  of  Macaulay's  "  Lays  of  Ancient  Rome."  His 
only  other  teacher  at  this  time  was  Mr.  Abraham 
(now  Bishop),  who  taught  him  his  first  Latin. 


6  BISHOP  JOHN  SELWYN 

In  May  1854  the  Bishop  of  New  Zealand  and 
Mrs.  Selwyn  came  to  England,  and  then  for  the 
first  time  John  Selwyn  set  foot  in  his  mother 
country.  What  a  marvellous  change  it  must  have 
seemed  to  him  !  A  change  from  the  life  of  a  young 
colony  to  the  old-world  English  ways,  from  the  little 
black  Maori  boys  of  St.  John's,  Auckland,  to  the 
manners  and  customs  of  the  most  famous  of  our 
public  schools.  He  was  sent  to  Eton  very  soon 
after  his  arrival  in  England,  and  it  was  arranged 
that  his  holidays  should  be  spent  at  Ely.  His 
father's  eldest  brother,  Professor  Selwyn,  was  one 
of  the  Canons  there,  and  another  relative  living 
there  at  that  time  was  Mrs.  Peacocke,  wife  of  the 
Dean,  and  his  father's  youngest  sister.  It  was  with 
this  aunt  that  most  of  his  time  was  spent,  and  to 
this  day  she  writes  in  terms  of  the  warmest  appre 
ciation  of  his  affectionate  companionship. 

He  was  very  careful  in  the  selection  of  his  friends, 
bringing  only  one  or  two  specially  nice  boys  to  stay 
at  the  Deanery.  He  does  not  indeed  seem  to  have 
had  many  companions  in  the  holidays.  His  brother,^ 
four  years  older  than  himself,  was  little  with  him. 
There  seems  to  have  been  a  systematic  separa 
tion  of  the  two  boys,  for  they  were  at  different 
houses  at  Eton  and  their  holidays  were  spent  with 
different  uncles.  However,  Johnnie  Selwyn  was 
never  at  a  loss  for  amusement :  he  gratified  his  love 
*  Rev.  W.  Selwyn,  Vicar  of  Bromfield,  Salop. 


EARLY  LIFE  7 

of  adventure  by  making  perilous  journeys  outside 
the  roof  of  Ely  Cathedral,  to  which  he  obtained 
ready  access  as  the  Dean's  nephew,  and  the  river 
and  its  boats  were  a  source  of  continual  delight  to 
him.  His  aunt  Mrs.  Thompson  (on  the  death  of  the 
Dean  Mrs.  Peacocke  married  Dr.  Thompson,  the  late 
master  of  Trinity  College,  Cambridge),  tells  of  his 
devotion  to  his  "  dear  boats,"  but  adds  that  his 
readiness  to  leave  them  and  nurse  her  in  a  time  of 
illness  was  most  touching.  On  another  occasion,  too, 
he  was  known  to  have  given  up  a  boating  expedition 
and  could  nowhere  be  found,  until,  on  search  being 
made,  he  was  discovered  reading  to  a  page-boy  who 
was  ill  upstairs.  This  sympathy  with  suffering  was 
one  of  his  strongest  characteristics  :  in  Melanesia  he 
would  sit  up  night  after  night  nursing  the  sick,  and 
often  gave  up  his  own  bed  to  a  native  boy  who 
was  ailing,  though  it  might  not  improbably  mean 
that  the  bedding  could  not  be  used  by  him  again. 
Towards  the  close  of  his  life,  when  lame  and  broken 
in  health,  it  will  be  seen  that  he  devoted  much  time 
to  visiting  hospitals  and  did  all  in  his  power  to 
alleviate  the  pain  and  trouble  of  others. 

But  to  return  to  his  boyhood  :  he  gives  just  one 
glimpse  in  a  letter  written  to  his  mother  many  years 
afterwards,  where  he  says  that  he  accounts  for  his 
own  learning  being  inferior  to  hers  in  depth  and 
variety  by  the  fact  that  she  when  a  girl  spent  her 
evenings  in  reading  with  her  aunt,  while  he  spent 


8  BISHOP  JOHN  SELWYN 

his  in  playing  cribbage  with  his  uncle.  To  sum  up 
the  impression  he  made  upon  his  relations  during 
these  Ely  holidays,  nothing  can  be  better  than 
Mrs.  Thompson's  own  words  :  "  I  dare  not,"  she 
says,  "  begin  about  his  lovely  character,  unselfish 
and  cheerful  under  suffering,  and  thoughtful  for 
every  one." 

At  Eton  he  seems  to  have  borne  an  excellent 
character  with  the  authorities,  for  it  is  said  that 
there  was  "  not  one  complaint  from  either  school 
master  or  tutor,"  though  he  was  never  a  particularly 
studious  boy.  His  appearance  at  that  date  has 
been  described  by  an  old  schoolfellow  as  that  of  a 
sturdy,  square-shouldered  boy  with  the  countenance 
of  a  Lord  Chancellor.  There  is  no  doubt  that, 
whatever  he  took  in  hand,  he  was  tremendously  in 
earnest,  and  this  shone  out  in  his  eager,  determined 
face  and  sparkling  eye.  He  was  not  a  tidy  boy  :  in 
fact  all  his  life  long  he  was  noted  for  a  certain  care 
lessness  of  dress  :  a  striking  instance  of  this  is  given 
by  Dr.  Hornby,  the  Provost  of  Eton,  who  writes  : 

"I  believe  that  I  first  saw  John  Selvvyn  on  the  Oxford 
towing-path  in  1865  or  66,  running  with  the  University  crew. 
He  had  come  over  from  Cambridge  to  see  his  rivals,  he  being 
then,  I  think,  stroke  of  the  Cambridge  eight.  I  Avell  remember 
his  appearance,  which  was  very  characteristic.  He  had 
borrowed  a  set  of  flannels  from  one  of  his  friends  at  Uni 
versity  College,  Oxford,  probably  an  old  comrade  in  the 
Eton  eight,  and  was  running  along  very  joyously  in  a  Uni 
versity  College  '  blazer,'  which  was  far  too  narrow  for  his 


EARLY  LIFE  9 

broad  shoulders,  and  a  pair  of  white  flannel  trousers  which 
were  much  too  long  for  his  legs.  It  was  impossible  not  to 
notice  this  as  well  as  his  bright,  happy  look,  as  of  a  man  out 
for  a  good  holiday  and  thoroughly  enjoying  himself?1 

In  order  to  obtain  a  true  notion  of  his  Eton  and 
Cambridge  life  the  following  valuable  paper  is 
inserted  here — valuable  both  from  its  intrinsic 
interest,  and  also  from  the  fact  that  it  is  penned 
by  his  chief  school  and  college  friend,  Mr.  R.  A. 
Kinglake. 

"  My  first  meeting  with  John  Richardson  Selwyn  was  at 
John  Hawtrey's,  where  we  were  together  for  about  a  year, 
Selwyn  being  at  this  time  eleven  years  of  age.  John  Hawtrey, 
a  nephew  of  the  Provost,  was  a  Lower  School  Master.  He 
took  none  but  little  boys,  and  as  soon  as  they  got  into  the 
fourth  form  they  migrated  to  other  houses.  Selwyn  went 
to  Coleridge's,  while  I  went  to  Evans'.  Coleridge,  who  was 
then  Lower  Master,  was  soon  after  elected  to  a  College  fellow 
ship,  and  Selwyn  thereupon  became  a  pupil  of  the  Rev.  E. 
Balston,  who  was  also  my  tutor,  and  he  came  across  the  road 
from  Coleridge's  to  Wm.  Evans"1,  where  he  and  I  struck  up  a 
friendship  which  was  only  severed  by  death.  Selwyn  did 
not  live  in  the  boys'  house,  but  he  occupied  a  room  in  the 
cottage  where  Mr.  Evans  lived,  and  where  the  Earl  of  Pem 
broke  and  one  or  two  pet  boys  had  rooms.  .  .  .  There  was 
no  dining  hall  at  Eton  to  be  compared  to  Evans'.  It  was 
hung  round  with  old  tapestry,  and  the  walls  decorated 
with  coats  of  armour,  &c.  ...  At  the  high  table  the 
head  boys  sat  in  high-backed  velvet  chairs  :  it  was  a  charm 
ing  specimen  of  an  old  baronial  hall.  [What  an  impression 
this  must  have  made  on  the  small  New  Zealander !] 


10  BISHOP  JOHN  SELWYN 

"  Although  he  must  have  been  separated  from  his  parents 
at  a  very  early  age,  the  training  and  religious  teaching  he 
had  received  were  indelibly  stamped  upon  his  mind,  for  at 
twelve  years  old  he  had  a  marvellous  knowledge  of  the  Scrip 
tures  .  .  .  and  could  repeat  by  heart  numberless  texts  and 
passages  from  the  New  Testament. 

"When  he  was  about  fifteen  years  of  age  Mrs.  Selwyn 
came  from  New  Zealand  on  a  visit,  and  stayed  at  Evans"1. 
He  went  to  London  to  meet  his  mother,  but  not  having  seen 
her  for  so  many  years  did  not  recognise  her.  He  had  also 
grown  out  of  her  recollection,  being  by  this  time  a  broad- 
shouldered  strong  boy.  However,  it  did  not  take  long  for 
them  to  be  on  the  most  affectionate  terms,  and  I  remember  his 
expressing  his  joy  at  having  his  mother  again  with  him,  to 
whom  he  could  tell  all  his  inmost  thoughts  and  hopes. 

"  Evans"1  was  a  great  house  in  those  days.  Four  Lytteltons 
were  there,  Lord  Cobham  and  his  three  brothers.  The  house 
was  ruled  and  managed  by  the  head  boys  .  .  .  and  this  con 
fidence  was  never  misplaced.  .  .  .  Selwyn  took  to  football  and 
rowing,  and  was  one  of  the  best  '  long  behinds  '  at  football  I 
ever  knew.  Cool  and  calm  at  the  moment  of  danger,  never 
flurried,  the  house  had  a  perfect  defender  for  their  goals,  and 
with  him  as  captain  Evans'  won  the  football  challenge  cup, 
and  became '  cocks  of  college."1  .  .  .  Selwyn,  I  think,  played  in 
the  house  cricket  eleven.  He  rowed  three  in  the  house  four, 
the  remaining  members  of  the  crew  being  myself,  S.  E.  Hicks, 
and  the  Rev.  J.  Trower.  About  this  time  he  and  I  took  up 
pair-oar  rowing  together,  and  we  won  the  'Pulling'  with 
great  ease.  .  .  .  Selwyn  stood  so  high  in  football  4  choices ' 
that  he  might  have  been  either  captain  of  the  field  eleven, 
or  captain  of  the  '  Wall,'  which  was  considered  a  better 
position.  I  was  next  to  him  in  the  6  Wall  choices '  and 
stood  low  in  the  field,  so,  for  the  honour  of  the  dear  old 
house,  and  thinking  I  should  like  to  be  captain  of  the  '  Wall,' 
he  accepted  the  captaincy  of  the  field  eleven,  and  I  took  the 


EARLY  LIFE  11 

'  Wall,'  an  act  which  was  greatly  appreciated  by  the  boys  in 
the  house. 

"  He  was  a  great  favourite  with  the  headmaster,  Dr. 
Balston,  who  knew  he  had  a  boy  of  strong  will  and  character 
at  the  top  of  the  school,  and  one  who  would  set  an  example 
of  good  to  the  younger  and  weaker  boys,  and  he  felt  he  could 
always  rely  on  him  if  he  should  want  his  aid. 

"  Selwyn's  principal  amusements  were  rowing  and  bathing. 
[He  was  a  splendid  swimmer,  and  on  one  occasion  when  at 
Scarborough  during  his  holidays  he  swam  so  far  out  that  a 
boatman  rowed  after  him  and  fetched  him  back — a  totally 
unnecessary  proceeding.  His  "  rescuer  "  proceeded  to  demand 
five  shillings  for  what  he  had  done,  on  which  John  Selwyn 
remarked :  "  I  observe  there  are  sharks  in  the  sea  even  on  the 
coast  of  England  !  "] 

"  Two  of  his  very  intimate  friends  at  Eton  were  Stephen 
Fremantle,  a  brother  of  the  present  Lord  Cottesloe,  who 
won  the  Newcastle  Scholarship  and  became  a  student  of 
Christchurch  and,  unfortunately,  died  young  after  giving 
promise  of  great  things ;  and  Charles  Bill,  now  member 
for  one  of  the  divisions  of  Staffordshire.  [His  love  and 
admiration  for  Stephen  Fremantle  is  mentioned  in  many 
of  his  letters,  and  in  memory  of  him  he  called  his  eldest 
son  «  Stephen.11] 

"  I  went  to  stay  with  him  at  Ely  during  the  Easter  holidays 
of  1862  to  read  for  our  matriculation  examination  at  Trinity, 
Cambridge.  Here  we  used  to  row  every  afternoon  in  a 
pair-oared  outrigger.  .  .  .  On  one  occasion,  in  consequence 
of  some  inadvertence  in  the  steering,  we  both  lost  our 
tempers,  and  each  tried  to  row  the  other  into  the  bank. 
The  river  was  absolutely  straight  for  over  three-quarters  of 
a  mile,  and  after  rowing  the  whole  distance,  and  finding  the 
boat  still  keeping  her  course  in  the  centre  of  the  stream, 
we  burst  out  laughing.  .  .  .  Thus  we  gained  perfect  con- 


12  BISHOP  JOHN  SELWYN 

fidence  in  one  another,  and  when  we  went  up  to  Cambridge 
we  had  no  difficulty  in  winning  the  University  Pairs,  and 
afterwards  the  Silver  Goblets  at  Henley. 

"  When  Selwyn  went  to  Trinity  he  '  kept '  in  Malcolm 
Street,  and,  as  he  preferred  the  freedom  of  lodgings,  he  re 
mained  there  during  the  whole  of  his  University  career,  and 
never  had  rooms  in  College.  He  rowed  twice  in  the  University 
crew  (1864  and  1866).  [He  was  stroke  of  the  boat  in  the 
former  year,  and  rowed  two  in  the  latter.  Cambridge 
rowing  was  at  a  low  ebb  at  the  time,  and  he  lost  both  races 
with  Oxford.]  As  I  was  President  of  the  C.U.B.C.  and 
captain  of  3rd  Trinity,  I  resigned  the  latter  post  to  him,  thus 
repaying  him  for  his  generosity  to  me  in  our  Eton  football 
days.11 

In  1866  John  Selwyn  made  one  of  the  great 
friendships  of  his  life.  This  was  with  John  Still, * 
captain  of  the  Cams  College  Rowing  Club,  who 
was  a  member  of  the  Cambridge  crew  for  four  years, 
of  which  the  first  was  1866,  thus  just  overlapping 
Selwyn.  This  friendship  resulted  in  the  two  men 
working  side  by  side  for  some  years,  first  of  all  at 
Wolverhampton,  and  then  in  Melanesia. 

One  or  two  extracts  from  letters  written  during 
his  Cambridge  life  may  be  added  to  this  chapter, 
each  one  being  interesting  for  some  special  reference 
or  allusion. 

Thus  it  is  curious  in  view  of  after  events,  and  his 
father's  acceptance  of  the  See  of  Lichfield,  to  find 
him  writing  to  his  mother  on  August  25,  1863,  as 

follows  : 

*  Rector  of  Hockwold,  Brandon. 


EARLY  LIFE  13 

"  I  went  up  to  Uncle  Charles'  for  a  cricket  party 
on  the  1st,  and  then  to  Lichfield  to  play  in  a  match 
there.  Did  you  go  to  Lichfield  when  you  were  in 
England  ?  It  has  one  of  the  most  perfect  Cathedrals 
in  England,  not  excepting  Ely,  as  it  has  been  com 
pletely  restored,  and  now  they  are  putting  in  a 
reredos  similar  to  that  at  Ely." 

Then  again,  writing  to  his  mother  on  May  26, 
1864,  we  find  an  allusion  to  his  intention  to  take  up 
the  law  as  a  profession.  His  uncle,  Sir  Charles 
Selwyn,  was  a  notable  judge,  and  his  grandfather  on 
his  mother's  side  (after  whom  he  was  named)  was 
Sir  John  Richardson,  of  whom  Lord  Campbell  in 
his  "Life"  (vol.  i.  p.  379)  says  :  "  He  is  not  only  a 
deep  lawyer,  but  a  very  elegant  scholar.  I  do  not 
recollect  any  appointment  which  gave  such  universal 
satisfaction."  For  these  reasons,  and  also  for  much 
in  his  own  nature  which  fitted  him  for  the  profession, 
it  was  always  thought  that  he  would  go  to  the  Bar. 
He  writes  as  follows  : 

"  The  great  thing  with  us  now  is  Willie's  [his 
brother]  ordination.  He  is  regularly  started  in  the 
world  now,  and  I  hope  I  shall  get  as  good  a  one.  I 
think  a  young  clergyman's  life  and  a  young  lawyer's 
are  about  as  widely  different  as  anything  can  be, 
though  I  suppose  both  have  their  own  temptations, 
especially  the  latter.  I  think  I  shall  try  when  I  am 


14  BISHOP  JOHN  SELWYN 

in  London  to  get  lodgings  a  little  way  out  in  the 
country,  and  then  one  will  be  able  to  get  away  from 
the  eternal  din ;  and  besides,  it  is  very  much  better 
to  put  oneself  out  of  the  reach  of  temptation,  as  they 
say  that  men  who  have  been  working  all  day  feel  so 
inclined  to  knock  about  at  night.  However,  you 
shall  have  my  experiences  when  I  have  arrived  at 
that  state.  At  present  I  am  only  a  Cambridge 
undergraduate  who  is  not  very  likely  to  floor  the 
Classical  Tripos,  unless  he  works  very  hard,  which, 
what  with  boat-races,  Prince  of  Wales  coming  to 
Cambridge,  &c.,  does  not  seem  very  easy." 

His  lonely  independence,  owing  to  his  great  dis 
tance  from  his  father  and  mother,  comes  out  strongly 
in  the  following  extract  from  a  letter  to  his  father 
written  from  Dresden,  where  he  was  reading  with  a 
party  under  the  auspices  of  Mr.  Richmond,  on 
August  22,  1864. 

"  It  is  a  very  queer  state  of  things,  but  at  present 
I  am  almost  entirely  on  my  own  (see  the  paucity  of 
my  English  when  I  know  no  other  word  to  express 
what  I  mean  but)  hook ;  thereby  meaning  that 
hardly  anybody,  uncles,  &c.,  knows  how  I  am  going 
on  in  the  working  way.  .  .  .  Everybody  said  that 
the  Germans  would  be  very  rude,  on  account  of  the 
mess  England  had  made  by  inserting  her  finger  in 
the  Danish  war,  but  such  is  anything  but  the  case. 


EARLY  LIFE  15 

I  never  met  with  more  civility  and  kindness.  My 
German  is  not  so  flourishing  as  it  might  be,  but  by 
a  reckless  disregard  of  all  genders,  and  often  of 
declensions  also,  I  generally  manage  to  make  myself 
understood." 

This  pluck  in  the  matter  of  unknown  tongues  was 
to  stand  him  in  good  stead  when  he  first  went  out  to 
Melanesia.  It  is  said  that,  while  many  a  more  timid 
man  hesitated  long  before  attempting  to  address  the 
natives,  as  soon  as  John  Selwyn  knew  twenty  words 
of  Mota,  he  preached  a  sermon  and  made  himself 
understood. 

His  fears  as  to  flooring  the  Classical  Tripos  were 
unfounded,  for  he  came  out  safely  in  the  3rd  Class 
in  1866,  and  then  returned  to  New  Zealand  on  a 
visit  to  his  parents. 


CHAPTER   II 

CHOICE  OF  A  PROFESSION— ALREW AS 

THIS  visit  to  New  Zealand  proved  the  turning-point 
in  his  life.  He  went  out  with  law-books  in  his  box, 
and  no  other  intention  in  his  mind  than  that  of 
preparing  for  the  legal  profession.  Before  the  visit 
was  over,  an  entirely  different  path  of  life  opened 
out  before  him. 

But  this  did  not  happen  just  at  first.  There  were 
other  things  to  occupy  his  mind  for  a  time,  such  as 
the  joy  of  being  once  more  with  his  father  and 
mother.  He  describes  his  arrival  in  a  letter  to 
Mrs.  a  Court-Repington,  in  which  he  says  : 

"  My  father's  house  looks  straight  over  the 
entrance  to  the  harbour,  and  they  saw  us  coming  in, 
and  before  we  anchored  there  was  the  well-known 
shovel  hat  in  the  stern  sheets  of  a  man-of-war's  boat, 
which  soon  transported  me  to  my  native  land.  .  .  . 
My  old  nurse  appeared  in  most  gorgeous  attire  to 
greet  me,  one  item  of  which  was  a  brooch  containing 


CHOICE  OF  A  PROFESSION— ALREW AS         17 

as  a  centrepiece  a  glass  button  which  I  wore  at 
somebody's  wedding  in  the  year  one  !  What  do 
you  think  of  that  for  fidelity  ?  " 

There  is  evidence,  too,  in  the  recollection  of  one 
who  was  at  that  time  a  little  lad  of  nine,  and 
lived  at  Auckland,  N.Z.,  that  law  studies  were 
at  all  events  in  John  Selwyn's  mind  during  the 
first  part  of  his  stay  with  his  parents.  This  friend 
writes  : 

"  He  was  supposed  to  be  reading  law,  and  used  to  spend 
much  time  in  his  shirt  sleeves  teaching  a  black-and-tan  terrier 
tricks,  much  to  my  delight.  He  would  take  me  out  in  his 
little  10-ton  cutter  in  the  harbour,  and  let  me  steer  when  all 
was  plain  sailing,  or  hang  on  to  the  sheet  when  we  tacked.  I 
can  remember  one  day  drifting  off  with  the  ebb  tide  with  one 
scull  in  the  dinghy,  and  finding  that  the  most  frantic  exertions 
only  made  her  spin  round  and  drift  away  further  from  shore. 
He  had  his  boots  and  coat  off  in  a  moment  as  he  caught  sight 
of  the  plight  I  was  in,  and  swam  out  in  his  clothes  to  bring 
back  the  nine-year-old  brat." 

But  two  things  soon  happened  which  between 
them  brought  about  a  change  of  mind,  and  made 
him  determine  to  take  Holy  Orders.  The  first  of 
these  was  a  long  six  weeks'  expedition  with  his 
father  to  the  district  of  the  Waikato.  This  was  a 
newly  conquered  part  and  the  travellers  had  to 
undergo  a  series  of  hardships,  such  as  sleeping  in 
huts  on  fern  beds,  &c.,  which  would  have  been 

B 


18  BISHOP  JOHN  SELWYN 

thought  severe  enough  by  most  men,  but  which  the 
father  and  son  seem  to  have  equally  enjoyed. 

In  the  course  of  his  lectures  on  pastoral  work  in 
the  Colonies  and  Mission  Field,  delivered  in  the 
University  of  Cambridge  in  1896,  Bishop  John 
Selwyn  thus  described  his  experiences  on  this 
occasion  : 

"  Just  after  I  landed  my  father  took  me  on  a  six- 
weeks'  tour.  I  was  cook  and  bed-maker.  It  was 
mine  to  hoist  up  the  little  tent,  to  fill  it  with  fern 
judiciously  arranged,  to  cut  the  scanty  rasher,  and 
fit  it  between  a  cleft  fern-stick  ready  for  toasting, 
and,  when  he  came,  to  do  this  deftly,  so  that  all  the 
grease  might  fall  on  the  solitary  biscuit  which 
acted  as  dripping-pan.  This  was  when  we  camped. 
Sometimes  we  slept  at  settlers'  houses,  and  never 
did  men  receive  heartier  welcome.  Sometimes  a 
soldiers'  mess  welcomed  us,  and  the  guard  turned 
out  to  salute  a  very  travel-stained  Bishop,  but  one 
who  they  all  knew  had  gone  through  hardships  and 
peril  for  their  sakes." 

This  journey  gave  John  Selwyn  an  insight  into 
the  difficulties  and  self-sacrifice  of  his  father's  work, 
and  sowed  the  seed  of  a  desire  to  be  allowed  to  take 
his  own  share  in  the  labour.  Then  came  his  know 
ledge  of  and  devotion  to  Bishop  Patteson,  whose 
advice  and  example  watered  that  seed  and  fostered 


CHOICE  OF  A  PROFESSION— ALREWAS         19 

it  until  it  bore  fruit  in  a  fixed  determination  to  help 
his  father,  "  not,"  to  quote  Dr.  Codrington's  *  words, 
"  for  his  father's  sake  only,  but  for  the  work's 
sake." 

Full  of  this  idea  he  returned  to  England  with  his 
father  and  mother  when  the  former  was  summoned 
to  the  first  Lambeth  Conference  in  1867.  Then 
came  another  change.  The  Bishop  of  New  Zealand 
was  with  great  difficulty  persuaded  to  accept,  at  the 
request  of  the  Queen,  the  vacant  Bishopric  of  Lich- 
field,  and  John  Selwyn  had  to  make  up  his  mind  to 
give  up  for  a  time  his  missionary  aspirations  and 
help  his  father  to  settle  into  his  new  diocese,  first, 
however,  going  back  with  him  for  a  hurried  visit  to 
New  Zealand  to  settle  up  affairs  there. 

On  their  return  to  Lichfield  he  seems  to  have 
spent  his  time  partly  as  his  father's  secretary,  partly 
in  attending  theological  lectures  at  Cambridge,  and 
latterly,  for  a  few  months  before  his  ordination  to 
the  curacy  of  Alrewas,  in  working  as  a  layman  in 
that  parish. 

This  period  was  no  doubt  a  time  of  considerable 
trial.  He  had  always  been  a  thoroughly  good  fellow, 
but  he  was  endowed  with  immense  spirits  and  was 
exceptionally  boyish  and  unconventional  in  his  ways, 
so  that,  while  the  prospect  of  being  a  clergyman 
was  attractive  enough  to  the  strongly  marked  serious 

*  Dr.  Codrington  was  Head  of  the  Melanesian  Mission  after 
the  death  of  Bishop  Patteson. 


20  BISHOP  JOHN  SELWYN 

side  of  his  character,  yet  it  seemed  to  him  to  require 
so  great  a  change  in  his  mode  of  life  that,  as  appears 
in  many  of  his  letters  at  this  date,  it  caused  him 
grave  apprehension.  However,  he  was  ordained 
deacon  by  his  father  on  Trinity  Sunday  1869,  and 
went  to  work  at  Alrewas  under  the  Rev.  W.  H. 
Walsh,  an  old  friend  of  the  family.  There  is  a  short 
account  of  his  ordination  in  a  letter  to  a  friend, 
which  is  worth  quoting  for  its  simplicity.  He  says : 

"  I  ought  to  have  thanked  you  before  for  your 
delightful  little  '  George  Herbert.'  I  read  some 
of  him  while  I  was  waiting  in  the  morning  to  go  to 
church,  and  wondered  whether  it  was  possible  to 
reach  such  a  standard.  The  service  was  delightful 
on  Sunday.  My  father  could  hardly  say  anything 
when  I  came  up,  and,  of  course,  it  was  the  most 
solemn  moment  I  have  ever  passed.  I  only  hope 
all  the  love  and  kind  wishes  that  have  been  sent 
me  may  end  in  something,  but  it  seems  very  hard 
not  to  turn  back  again  to  one's  old  ways." 

It  may  be  as  well  to  describe  his  personal  appear 
ance  at  this  time,  as  it  does  not  appear  to  have 
altered  much  until  he  became  broken  in  health 
towards  the  end  of  his  life.  He  is  described  as  a 
man  of  strong  physical  frame  and  eyes  full  of  fire 
and  enthusiasm  ;  not  tall  but  very  muscular,  his 
head  well  set  on  his  shoulders ;  the  sort  of  man  to 


CHOICE  OF  A  PROFESSION— ALREW AS         21 

have  near  one  in  a  crowd ;  almost  boyish  in  manner, 
very  merry  and  cheerful,  and  always  a  most 
welcome  guest  to  children.  Many  people  (especially 
strangers)  saw  in  him  a  strong  resemblance  to  the 
great  Napoleon.  His  exact  height  was  5  ft.  7f  in. 
as  may  be  gathered  from  an  extract  from  a  letter  to 
his  eldest  daughter  written  from  Norfolk  Island  in 
1888  :  he  pretends  to  be  horrified  at  having  so  tall 
a  daughter  and  says  : 

"  I  see  you  are  5  ft.  6f  in. — only  an  inch  below 
me  !  !  !     Wretch  !  Stop  !  " 

As  would  be  supposed  from  his  natural  tastes  he 
devoted  a  great  deal  of  attention  to  the  children  in 

o 

the  parish  of  Alrewas,  going  much  to  the  school, 
joining  in  the  cricket  and  football,  and  teaching  the 
village  lads  to  swim.  Many  acts  of  kindness  are 
still  recorded  of  his  brief  stay  in  that  place,  such 
as  helping  an  old  woman  to  take  in  her  coals, 
leaving  his  own  dinner  to  carry  some  to  a  sick 
neighbour,  taking  medicine  late  at  night  from  the 
doctor  to  a  distant  hamlet,  and  going  night  and 
morning  for  many  weeks  to  carry  an  infirm  old  man 
up  and  down  stairs.  Some  neighbours  in  the  county 
asked  him  frequently  to  dinner,  and  were  almost 
vexed  at  his  constant  excuses.  After  he  left  they 
found  out  that  his  real  reason  was  his  reluctance  to 
miss  his  attendance  on  this  old  paralytic.  By  these 


22  BISHOP  JOHN  SELWYN 

and  such-like  characteristic  actions,  as  well  as  by  his 
absolute  lack  of  ecclesiastical  priggishness,  he  became 
in  a  short  time  deeply  endeared  to  the  people 
among  whom  he  was  first  called  to  work. 

One  other  matter  must  here  be  mentioned. 
There  was,  staying  with  the  Walshes,  a  young  lady, 
an  orphan,  by  name  Miss  Clara  Innes,  to  whom 
John  Selwyn  became  engaged  shortly  after  he  left 
Alrewas  for  Wolverhampton,  and  who  was  the 
faithful  and  loving  partner  of  his  first  missionary 
labours.  He  thus  describes  his  engagement  : 

To  MRS.  A  COURT-REPINGTON. 

"  WOLVERHAMPTON,  July  7,  1871. 

"  What  will  you  say  to  me  for  having  been  such 
a  bad  correspondent  ?  .  .  .  One  reason  is  that  I 
have  had  a  great  many  letters  to  write  to  another 
lady,  who  is  very  exigeante  and  never  lets  me  off ! 
All  which  means  that  at  last  I  have  broken  the 
spell,  and  am  really  engaged.  The  young  damsel  is 
one  Clara  Innes,  who  has  been  Hving  for  some  time 
with  my  old  vicar  at  Alrewas,  where  I  got  to  know 
her  very  well.  She  filled  my  place  when  I  left,  and 
used  to  do  great  things  in  the  parish  which  roused 
my  admiration,  and  this  grew  into  love  which  has 
deepened  every  minute  since  we  have  been  engaged, 
and  I  think  we  are  as  happy  in  each  other  as  any 
two  people  in  the  world.  She  is  very  tall  [she  was 


CHOICE  OF  A  PROFESSION— ALREWAS         23 

exactly  his  own  height],  fairly  good  looking,  and 
very  bright  and  merry,  so  we  mean  to  be  a  most 
jovial  couple." 

This  letter  has  been  quoted  a  little  out  of  place 
here,  because  it  throws  a  sidelight  upon  the  Alrewas 
life,  and  also  because  it  affords  an  opportunity  of 
saying  a  word,  thus  early,  on  a  subject  of  great 
interest  in  studying  the  life  of  Bishop  John  Selwyn. 
From  first  to  last  he  owed  nearly  everything  to  the 
beneficent  influence  of  women.  It  is  true  that  the 
example  of  his  father  and  of  Bishop  Patteson 
inspired  him  to  a  great  degree,  but  there  was  not 
any  very  close  intimacy,  and  the  few  great  friends 
whom  he  possessed  among  menkind,  such  as 
Mr.  Charles  Bill  and  the  Rev.  John  Still,  had 
nothing  like  the  influence  over  him  that  several 
women  acquired.  When  separated  so  widely  as  a 
boy  from  his  parents  he  depended  in  some  measure 
for  sympathy  on  his  aunt,  Mrs.  Peacocke,  but  far 
more  on  a  saintly  and  lovable  cousin  who  enjoyed 
his  closest  confidence,  and  to  whom,  had  she  lived, 
he  would  in  all  probability  have  been  married.  Then 
there  were  one  or  two  married  ladies  who  were 
devoted  to  his  interests  and  with  whom  he  carried 
on  an  immense  correspondence.  The  sister  of  the 
cousin  above  mentioned  was  one  of  these,  as  also  was 
Mrs.  a  Court -Hepington,  an  aunt  of  Lord  Pembroke, 
with  whom  John  Selwyn  was  in  the  same  house  at 


24  BISHOP  JOHN  SELWYN 

Eton.     That  he  deeply  valued  these  friendships  is 
plain  from  the  following  extracts  : 

To  MRS.  A  COUHT-REPINGTOX. 

"ALREWAS,  Jan.  21,  1870. 

"  Did  you  see  an  article  in  the  Saturday  on 
friendship  ?  I  got  in  such  a  rage  with  it,  especially 
when  it  talked  about  women's  friendship  for  men. 
It  rather  ignored  and  sneered  at  the  idea,  while  / 
think  that  a  good  married  woman  friend  is  the  very 
best  thing  a  man,  and  especially  a  young  one,  can 
have.  I  have  got  about  three,  and  they  do  one 
more  good  than  anything  else.  So,  great  was  my 
wrath  at  the  article." 

Then  again,  just  before  he  started  for  Melanesia 
in  January  1873,  he  wrote  : 

"  I  have  two  memories  to  help  me  on  in  the  work, 
all  summed  up  in  one  line  of  a  hymn,  '  Martyrs 
brave  and  patient  saints' — Bishop  Patteson  the 
one  and  dear  II the  other." 

He  is  here  referring  to  the  cousin  who  died,  and 
whose  memory  was  with  him  all  through  his  life  ; 
thus  in  1890  he  says : 

"  How  much  I  learnt  from  B and  you  all  of 

the  beauty  and  helpfulness  of  women  '     It  is  a  very 


CHOICE  OF  A  PROFESSION— ALREWAS         25 

good  faith  for  a  youngster  to  get  hold  of,  and  I 
have  never  found  it  fail  yet.  Of  course  I  have  met 
foolish  and  extravagant  and  some  wicked  women, 
but  on  the  whole  I  have  met  and  cared  for  so  many 
good  ones  that  my  faith  has  never  wavered,  and 
I  have  been  helped  and  comforted  by  them  more 
than  I  can  say." 

And  then  what  can  be  said  of  his  close  affection 
for  his  mother  and  her  wonderful  influence  over 
him  ?  Only  that  to  read  the  long  and  frequent 
letters  to  her  with  which  he  supplemented  his  diary 
is  a  revelation  of  an  intercourse  between  mother  and 
son,  both  spiritual  and  otherwise,  such  as  is  not 
commonly  conceived  possible. 


CHAPTER   III 

ST.  GEORGE'S,  WOLVERHAMPTON— TRIP  TO 
AMERICA— DEATH  OF  BISHOP  PATTESON 

WHEN  John  Selwyn  had  been  some  eighteen  months 
at  Alrewas  his  father  found  him  a  fresh  sphere  for  his 
energies.  A  large  and  important  town  parish,  that 
of  St.  George's,  Wolverhampton,  had  got  into  a  con 
siderable  state  of  disorder  through  a  want  of  a  good 
understanding  between  the  people  and  the  Vicar, 
who  was  at  that  time  given  leave  of  absence  by  the 
Bishop.  Here  seemed  an  admirable  opportunity  for 
testing  what  there  might  be  in  his  son,  and  at  the 
same  time  for  placing  some  one  in  the  parish  upon 
whom  he,  as  Bishop,  could  thoroughly  depend.  So, 
reluctantly  enough,  John  Selwyn  had  to  go.  He 
thus  writes  of  the  matter  : 

To  MRS.  A  COURT-REPINGTON. 

"  ALREWAS  [end  of  1870  ?]. 

"  I  dare  say  you  have  heard  of  the  row  going  on 


ST.  GEORGE'S,  WOLVERHAMPTON  27 

at  St.  George's,  Wolverhampton.  Well,  the  incum 
bent  is  going  on  leave  of  absence,  and  my  father, 
more  suo,  is  packing  me  off  thither.  It  is  an  awful 
responsibility,  and  one  that  I  would  not  undertake 
were  I  not  told  to  go.  You  will  think  of  me  some 
times  and  pray  that  I  may  have  the  spirit  of  counsel 
and  of  peace." 

He  went  there  on  January  2,  1871,  and  certainly 
did  not  find  a  very  pleasant  state  of  things,  the  one 
redeeming  feature  being  the  presence  of  the  Rev.  F. 
E.  Waters,  now  Vicar  of  Holy  Trinity,  Hanley,  who 
had  just  been  ordained  Curate  of  the  parish,  and 
who  became  his  lifelong  friend. 

Writing  to  his  mother  four  days  after  his  arrival 
he  thus  describes  what  he  found  : 

"  I  am  quite  settled  down  now,  though  I  feel  some 
what  moped  and  lonely  at  times  without  a  single 
soul  one  cares  very  much  about  except 

"  Still.  I  think  things  might  be  a  good  deal  worse 
than  they  are.  The  parish  certainly  is  in  an  awful 
mess.  The  schools  at  the  upper  end  are  going  to 
the  dogs,  and  at  the  lower  end  they  are  not  much 
better.  This  last  place  is  where  the  Mission  Church 
is,  and  I  have  received  rather  a  facer  to-night,  as  I 
meant  to  have  an  Epiphany  service  there  this  even 
ing.  Waters  went  to  see  about  it,  and  the  man  told 
him  he  didn't  dare  open  it  without  an  order  from 


28  BISHOP  JOHN  SELWYN 

the  Committee.  Now  this  Committee  consists  of  a 
good  many  of  the  malcontents  who  have  paid  their 
guineas,  and  are  therefore  members  according  to  the 
terms  of  the  deed.  To-night  they  have  said  that 
they  cannot  let  me  have  the  school  without  a  meet 
ing  of  the  Committee.  I  have  quietly  acquiesced, 
and  they  will  know  better  than  to  make  such  a  false 
step  as  to  stop  me  altogether.  Still  it  is  a  bore  just 
as  things  are  at  present,  as  I  looked  on  that  as  my 
working  ground,  and  it  may  bring  me  into  collision 
with  them,  which  is  just  what  I  want  to  avoid.  I 
dare  say  there  will  be  no  fuss  however,  so,  as  you 
say,  I  will  not  take  trouble  at  interest.  There  are 
many  rays  of  hope,  though,  going  about.  ..." 

Again,  writing  to  a  cousin  on  January  9,  1871,  he 

says  : 

"  What  a  change  this  is  !  ...  To  be  011  one's 
guard  for  everything  one  says  or  does,  and  to  be 
going  on  in  a  sort  of  armed  neutrality  with  no  end 
of  foes  outside,  ready  to  take  advantage  of  a  slip. 
That  is  about  one's  state  at  St.  George's  just  now. 
Perhaps  it  will  get  better  soon." 

To  MRS.  A  COURT-BEPINGTON. 

"ST.  GEORGE'S,  WOLVERHAMPTON,  Feb.  27,  1871. 

"  This  is  a  queer  life  altogether,  as  one  has  to  be 
greatly  on  one's  Ps  and  Qs,  The  principal  opposing 


ST.  GEORGE'S,  WOLVERHAMPTON  29 

churchwarden  is  a  pawnbroker  with  whom  I  discuss 
questions  of  theology.  Then  I  have  another  man 
who  wants  to  preach  in  a  licensed  schoolroom  in  the 
parish,  and  I  won't  let  him.  Hence  a  small  row. 
But  I  think  that  is  smoothing  down." 

It  was  certainly  no  slight  test  to  which  the  Bishop 
had  put  his  son,  and  it  must  have  been  no  small 
satisfaction  to  him  to  find  how  amply  his  trust  in 
that  son's  capabilities  was  justified.  The  Rev.  F. 
E.  Waters  gives  the  clue  to  the  success  which  met 
John  Selwyn's  efforts  to  bring  about  a  better  state 
of  things.  He  says  : 

"  I  quite  well  remember  the  bright,  cheery  greeting  I  re 
ceived  from  my  new  chief  at  his  first  coming,  and  all  the  time 
he  stayed  at  St.  George's  I  found  him  a  kind  friend,  a  very 
inspiring  leader,  and  a  noble  example.  He  was  from  the  first 
full  of  faith,  hope,  and  charity.  He  had  a  most  lovable  and 
winsome  way,  and  soon  began  to  win  back  the  confidence  and 
respect  that  had  been  lost.  If  I  were  to  be  asked  what  were 
his  chief  characteristics  I  should  say  cheerfulness  and  prai/er- 
fulness.  I  remember  his  telling  me  when  a  very  tiresome 
meeting  was  over,  where  bitter  things  had  been  said  and  angry 
speeches  made  :  '  I  was  praying  all  the  while was  speak 
ing,"  and  the  meeting  which  began  so  badly  broke  up  quite 
peacefully. "" 

Any  one  who  has  been  to  Wolverhampton  and 
wandered  even  a  few  yards  from  the  station  will 
have  noticed  the  specially  rough  appearance  of  the 
lads  who  loiter  about  on  the  look  out  for  a  job.  It 


30  BISHOP  JOHN  SELWYN 

was  this  element  that  Selwyn  managed  chiefly  to 
attract  to  himself  by  his  mixture  of  manliness  and 
affection,  qualities  which  when  found  in  combination 
few  boys  can  resist.  The  first  whom  he  won  were 
sent  out  to  bring  in  others,  and  so  his  adherents 
increased  in  numbers.  He  used  to  preach  in  the 
streets,  and  these  lads  formed  his  bodyguard.  He 
had  one  special  champion  by  name  "  Tom,"  of  whom 
it  is  told  that  on  one  occasion  he  was  fighting  for  the 
fourth  or  fifth  time  another  lad  who  had  insulted 
Mr.  Selwyn.  Unfortunately  a  policeman  appeared  on 
the  scene  and  carried  off  the  coats  of  the  combatants, 
and  no  doubt  Tom  would  have  had  to  appear  before 
the  magistrates  if  Mr.  Selwyn  had  not  turned  up  in 
the  nick  of  time  and  begged  him  off. 

So  things  went  on  getting  day  by  day  smoother 
and  more  satisfactory  for  the  six  months  during 
which  he  was  curate  in  charge  of  the  parish.  Then 
a  change  in  his  position  occurred,  as  will  be  gathered 
from  the  following  letters  to  Mr.  Waters,  who  was 
away  on  his  holiday. 

"  WOLVERHAMPTON,  Aug.   8,    1871. 

"MY  DEAR  WATERS, 

"  I  have  two  very  good  pieces  of  news  for 

you  :  1.  That  the  Bishop  has  offered  Mr.  [the 

vicar  of  St.  George's]  a  living.  He  goes  to  see  it 
to-morrow,  and  it  is  almost  certain  that  he  will 
take  it.  If  he  does  (this  is  entre  nous)  the  Bishop 


ST.  GEORGKS,  WOLVERHAMPTON  31 

will  leave  me   here,   and   we  shall  I  think  get  on 
famously,  as  the  people  seem  to  want  me  to  stay, 

and  H told  me  the  other  day  that  he  thought 

it  was  the  best  thing  that  could  be  done.    This  from 
what  he  had  heard. 

"  And  now  comes  the  to  me  still  better  news  that 
Still,  my  greatest  friend,  has  determined  to  give  up 
the  curacy  he  was  going  to  in  Dorsetshire,  and  will 
come  here.  This  will  be  splendid,  as  he  is  a  man 
one  can  thoroughly  trust,  and  as  good  a  fellow  as 
ever  breathed.  I  trust,  therefore,  that  this  winter 
we  shall  be  able  to  show  the  town  what  the  young 
ones  can  do. 

"  Believe  me, 

"  Yours  very  truly, 

"J.  R.  SELWYN." 

To  the  SAME. 

"  WOLVERHAMPTON,  Aug.  14,  1871. 

"  Things  go  on  flourishingly  here,  and  I  think 
everybody  is  glad  I  am  going  to  stay.  Forty  boys 
to-night.  I  am  going  to  take  them  to  Sandwell  on 
Saturday.  There  is  no  small-pox  yet." 

This  last  sentence  was  ominous.  It  was  not  very 
long  before  a  terrible  scourge  of  this  disease  visited 
St.  George's,  and  indeed  the  whole  town  of  Wolver- 
hampton.  A  general  small-pox  hospital  was  opened 


32  BISHOP  JOHN  SELWYN 

in  John  Selwyn's  parish,  and  with  that  charac 
teristic  energy  and  devotion  which  marked  his  work 
and  his  play  he  threw  himself  heart  and  soul  into  the 
heavy,  anxious,  and  often  nauseous  work  of  visiting 
and  nursing  the  sufferers.  It  was  an  example 
of  what  his  friend  Mr.  Charles  Bill  describes  as  the 
motto  of  Selwyn's  life — viz.,  "Whatsoever  thy  hand 
findeth  to  do,  do  it  with  thy  might."  In  subse 
quent  letters  he  frequently  referred  to  this  severe 
experience.  Thus,  writing  to  the  Rev.  F.  E.  Waters 
from  on  board  ship  off  the  Solomon  Islands  in  1876 
he  says : 

"  You  and  I  know  from  old  experience  at  St. 
George's  how  out  of  weakness  we  are  made  strong, 
and  how  God  answers  prayer.  ...  I  wonder  if  you 
ever  feel  the  good  of  that  sharp  time  we  had 
together  ?  I  do  often  and  often,  if  only  to  teach  me 
faith  and  prayer." 

One  of  the  patients  whom  he  nursed  was  a  drover, 
a  very  rough  fellow  and  a  leader  of  unbelief.  This 
man  one  day  said  to  Mr.  Selwyn,  "  Parsons  are 
no  different  to  any  one  else,  only  for  their  coat." 
Off  came  Selwyn's  coat  in  a  moment,  and  he  offered 
to  change.  That  man  became  a  staunch  friend. 

The  staff  at  St.  George's  at  this  time  consisted  of 
J.  E.  Selwyn,  John  Still,  and  F.  E.  Waters.  At  a 
parish  meeting  the  vicar  playfully  said,  "  Now  that 


TRIP  TO  AMERICA  33 

we  have  got  into  Still  Waters,  everything  will  go 
smoothly  I  am  sure."  This  soon  became  a  stock 
joke  all  over  Wolverhampton. 

In  September  1871  he  was  given  the  great 
pleasure  of  accompanying  his  father  to  America, 
the  Bishop  of  Lichfield  having  been  invited  to 
attend  the  Convention  of  American  Bishops  at 
Baltimore.  Of  this  expedition  John  Selwyn's 
diary  is  in  existence,  and  a  most  amusing  book  it 
is.  In  it  he  tells  of  their  journey  to  the  above- 
named  city  : 

"  The  train  was  full  of  bishops,  who  speedily  came 
crowding  round  to  bid  us  welcome.  The  heartiness 
was  extreme,  but  there  were  sundry  shocks  to  be 
undergone  even  in  the  midst  of  the  greatest 
cordiality.  A  bishop  in  a  white  coat  and  pot  hat  is 
startling  to  one's  English  notions,  but  one  soon 
learnt  to  forget  that  in  one's  admiration  of  the  man 
who  had  bearded  Brigham  Young  in  his  very 
stronghold  at  Salt  Lake  City,  and  had  laid  the 
material  foundations  of  his  Church  there  so  deep 
that  the  Saints  themselves  said,  '  These  Gentiles 
mean  to  stop.' ' 

Then  comes  an  account  of  their  introduction  to 
the  Convention  : 

"  We  stood  on  the  dais  and  then  the  President 
proceeded  to  introduce  us  seriatim  to  the  Con- 

c 


34  BISHOP  JOHN  SELWYN 

vention,  and,  what  was  worse,  we  had  seriatim  to 
make  speeches.  I  do  not  think  we  disgraced  our 
selves,  but  it  was  trying.  .  .  .  After  the  cere 
mony  was  over  up  jumped  a  member  and  said, 
'  Mr.  President,  I  propose  that  the  House  now  take 
a  recess  of  twenty  minutes  for  the  purpose  of 
shaking  our  distinguished  visitors  by  the  hand.' 
'  Seconded/  said  some  one,  and  resolved  nem.  con. 
Thereupon  we  had  to  go  down  the  centre  aisle 
shaking  hands  vigorously  as  we  went.  Special  seats 
were  then  assigned  us,  and  the  synod  went  on." 

Amongst  other  experiences  he  went  to  hear  Ward 
Beecher.  He  thus  describes  what  he  saw  : 

"  I  got  a  good  place  on  the  platform  steps  close  to 
Ward  Beecher  himself.  He  was  sitting  in  an  arm 
chair  with  a  table  by  his  side  on  which  was  a  vase 
of  flowers,  and  on  the  other  side  there  was  another 
vase  full  of  exotics.  .  .  .  The  choir  were  singing 
an  anthem  when  we  got  in  to  which  the  people  sat 
and  listened  with  apparent  contentment.  When 
this  was  over  Ward  Beecher  read  a  Psalm,  the  people 
still  sitting.  Then  followed  a  hymn.  .  .  .  Then 
there  was  an  extempore  prayer.  I  suppose  an 
extempore  prayer  by  Ward  Beecher  is  as  good  a 
thing  of  its  kind  as  one  wants  to  hear,  but  the 
effect  on  me  was  to  make  me  more  than  ever  con 
tented  with  the  simplicity  and  beauty  of  our  own 
Prayer-book." 


TRIP  TO  AMERICA  35 

After  this  follows  a  long  description  of  Ward 
Beecher's  sermon  on  Rachel,  in  which  he  contrasted 
Esau  and  Jacob,  saying  that  the  "  diplomatic  skill  " 
of  the  latter  made  him  the  best  on  whom  "  to 
organise,"  and,  therefore,  most  fitted  for  God's 
purpose.  He  seems  to  have  tried  to  raise  a  laugh 
here  and  there  in  his  sermon  by  unworthy  means, 
as  when  he  spoke  of  the  love  which  Rachel  inspired 
as  being  unaccountable,  "  but  then,"  said  he,  "  I  am 
not  Jacob." 

One  excellent  story  is  told  by  John  Selwyn  in 
this  diary  : 

"  A  party  of  settlers  were  met  going  to  the  back 
woods.  The  man  who  met  them  asked  their  various 
occupations,  and  was  told  that  some  were  to  build 
the  houses,  some  to  clear  the  ground,  &c.  'And 
pray  what  is  that  old  gentleman  going  to  do  ? ' 
pointing  to  a  very  old  man  who  accompanied  the 
party.  '  Oh  !  that  is  my  father,'  was  the  answer, 
•*  I  am  going  to  start  the  cemetery  with  him.' ' 

On  the  voyage  back  to  England  which  began  on 
November  19,  his  love  of  sailors  and  wish  to  help 
them  is  recorded : 

"  I  have  discovered  a  way  of  getting  at  the 
sailors,  and  since  Sunday,  when  I  had  service  with 
them  in  the  dog  watch,  have  been  there  [fore 
castle  ?]  every  evening  to  give  them  a  series  of 


36  BISHOP  JOHN  SELWYN 

readings.  They  respond  most  heartily  and  always 
ask  me  to  come  again,  and  are  most  thoughtful 
about  my  comfort.  First  they  get  a  cloth  to  spread 
on  the  table,  and  a  stool  for  me  to  sit  on,  then  a 
candlestick  for  my  candle,  and  to-night  a  decanter 
and  some  water  as  I  was  hoarse.  Poor  fellows,  I 
think  one  could  do  them  some  good  if  the  voyage 
were  longer.  I  have  enjoyed  the  hour  and  a  half 
'  forward  '  very  much." 

Thus  ended  a  two  months'  holiday  of  great  enjoy 
ment,  and  it  may  be  also  of  some  influence  on  his 
future,  for  it  must  have  moved  him  greatly  to 
witness  the  reception  given  to  his  father  by  the 
American  Church,  not  so  much  as  an  English 
Bishop,  as  the  great  Missionary  of  the  English 
Church. 

But  a  terrible  blow  awaited  the  travellers  on 
their  return  in  the  news  of  the  death  of  Bishop 
Patteson. 

To  MRS.  A  COURT-EEPINGTON. 

"  WOLVERHAMPTON  [end  of  1871  ?]. 

"  It  was  a  terrible  blow  to  us  to  come  back  to  the 
news  of  Bishop  Patteson's  death.  We  have  had  no 
particulars  yet,  and  rather  dread  them  just  now. 
We  only  know  the  fact,  and  that  is  so  glorious  that 
one  is  afraid  of  anything  to  make  it  harrowing.  It 


DEATH  OF  BISHOP  PATTESON  37 

is  certainly  a  carrying  out  of  Solon's  adage  that  no 
one  could  be  called  happy  till  he  died.  There  was 
a  chance  of  his  health  failing,  when  he  would  have 
had  to  have  given  up,  but  now  he  is  spared  that 
and  has  died  in  the  zenith  of  his  usefulness,  having 
just  seen  enough  of  the  fruit  of  his  labours  to  cheer 
him  on  (he  had  baptized  eighty-four  children  on  one 
island  with  a  fair  certainty  of  their  being  brought 
up  Christians),  and  without  a  man  to  throw  a  hard 
word  at  him.  Certainly  one  hardly  ever  read  of  a 
more  blameless  life  or  a  more  noble  death." 

John  Selwvn  and  his  friend  John  Still  had  more 

•j 

than  once  discussed  the  idea  of  going  out  somewhere 
together  as  missionaries.  The  death  of  Bishop 
Patteson  brought  things  to  a  crisis,  and,  although 
his  engagement  to  Miss  Innes  had  altered  his  cir 
cumstances,  yet  he  went  to  his  father  and  offered, 
if  he  thought  well,  to  give  himself  to  the  work  in 
Melanesia.  The  following  letters  tell  the  story  : 

To  MRS.  1  COURT-REPINGTON  from  MRS.  SELWYN. 

"  WESTMINSTER  PALACE  HOTEL,  Feb.  ]3,  1872. 

"  It  is  not  improbable  that  my  dear  Johnnie  may  carry  on 
this  work  [in  Melanesia].  He  is  ready,  and  there  seems  a  fit 
ness  of  things  in  his  father's  son  being  willing  to  come  forward 
if  necessary.  It  is  not  a  settled  and  certain  thing  in  any  way 
but  in  the  minds  of  himself  and  his  wife,  for  it  depends  on 
certain  contingencies  at  present.  He  told  his  bride-elect  a 


38  BISHOP  JOHN  SELWYN 

week  before  the  wedding,  and  she  said  she  could  only  answer 
in  the  words  of  Ruth,  which  pleased  us  and  augurs  welL 
Then  came  his  wedding  and  a  very  bright  sojourn  at  the  Isle 
of  Wight,  and  now  they  are  settled  at  St.  George's,  Wolver- 
hampton  with  their  many  thousands,  and  their  brave  young 
hearts  to  work  for  them.  It  will  be  a  pang  when  it  comes, 
but  we  are  old.  ...  I  shall  not  have  misled  you,  shall 
I  ?  about  Johnnie.  There  is  no  thought  of  his  succeeding 
Bishop  ^Patteson.  Happily  he  is  too  young  for  that.  No 
one  can  fill  that  place,  though  I  hope  some  one  may  be  found 
to  take  it  up.  .  .  ." 

To  MRS.  A  COURT-KEPINGTON. 

"  ST,  GEORGE'S  VICARAGE,  WOLVERHAMPTON, 
"March  11,  1872. 

"  MY  DEAR  MRS.  A  COURT, 

" .  .  .  Of  course  I  had  thought  something 
about  it  when  the  news  first  came  home,  but  the 
thought  went  out  of  my  head  and  I  felt  nearly  con 
vinced  that  I  ought  to  stay  where  I  was.  But  on 
the  Thursday  before  I  was  married  I  went  over  to 
Lichfield  to  see  Miss  Yonge,  who  is  going  to  write 
Bishop  Patteson's  memoir,  and  Fanny  Patteson,  and 
there  I  read  all  the  letters  that  had  come  home  on 
the  subject,  and,  as  I  read,  it  all  seemed  to  surge 
over  me  that  I  ought  to  go,  and  for  these  reasons  : 
( 1 )  It  was  my  father's  work,  his  son  in  the  faith  had 
died  in  it.  Who  then  so  fit  as  his  son  in  the  flesh 
to  go  on  with  it  ?  (2)  There  was  a  doubt  about 
Codrington  staying,  and,  if  he  didn't  stay,  it  seemed 


DEATH  OF  BISHOP  PATTESON  39 

likely  that  the  mission  would  go  into  another  groove 
which  wouldn't  suit  it  so  well.     If  then  Codrington 
knew  that  one  or  two  men  were  coming  out  from 
England  whom  he  knew,  there  would  be  a  chance  of 
his  going  on  and  thus  carrying  on  the  work  in  its 
integrity.    Then  my  name  would  be  a  help,  especially 
in  the  Australian  Colonies ;  and  lastly,  Jack  Still, 
the  dearest  man   friend  I  have,  would,  I  knew,  go 
with  me,  and  he  would  be  such  a  gain  to  any  work 
that  I  felt  the  chance  ought  not  to  be  thrown  away. 
So  with  these  thoughts  I  knelt  down  and  prayed 
that  I  might  be  guided  aright,  and  the  thought  only 
came  the  stronger.     Then  I  had  a  long  talk  with 
my   mother,    and   she,    poor   thing,    told    me    with 
tears  in  her  eyes  that  she  thought   it  was  right. 
c  You  know,  Johnnie,  I  am  arguing  against  myself, 
but  I  think  it  is  right.'    Then  I  went  out  to  Alrewas 
to   preach,  and  on  the  counter  of  the  Post  Office 
wrote  a  line  to  C.,  telling  her  what  I  had  done,  and 
saying  that,  as  this  was  quite  a  new  idea,  she  ought 
to  know  of  it  before  she  tied  herself  down  to  me  for 
life,  and  that  life  meaning  transportation  to  New 
Zealand.     Of  course   she  answered  as  I  expected, 
but  still  I  thought  it  right  to  let  her  know.     Then 
when  I  came  home  in  the  evening  I  spoke  to  my 
father.     He  was,    I    think,  very  glad,  but   said   it 
depends  on  a  variety  of  circumstances,  and  the  chief 
of  these  was,  and  is,  whether  Codrington,  who  has 
been  with  Bishop  Patteson  some  years,  will  stay  at 


40  BISHOP  JOHN  SELWYN 

the  head  of  the  mission.     If  he  does,  as  I  have  said, 
all  will  go  well. 

"  God  has  given  me  grace  to  pull  the  parish 
together,  but,  much  as  I  love  the  place  and  the 
people,  still  I  do  think  that  many  a  man  could 
now  work  there  better  than  I,  and  though  I  do 
not  feel  myself  at  all  fit  for  the  work  out  there — 
mentally — yet  I  believe  my  physical  training  and 
my  delight  in  ships,  &c. ,  will  stand  me  in  good  stead. 
So  you  must  not  think  that  I  have  done  this 
wantonly,  or  without  due  consideration,  or  without 
a  full  knowledge  of  all  that  it  entails.  Still  enters 
into  it  all  most  thoroughly,  and  he  and  I  have  many 
a  laugh  over  the  details  of  the  business,  however 
serious  the  whole  of  it  may  be.  We  have  already 
arranged  our  respective  shares  of  the  work,  he  as 
purser,  I  as  first  mate.  My  father,  too,  is  very 
amusing  in  the  exceedingly  commonplace  view  he 
takes  of  it  all.  Still  went  in  to  see  him,  and  rather 
expected  some  sympathy,  but  all  he  got  was,  '  Well, 
you  have  spoilt  another  little  plan  of  mine.  I 
wanted  you  to  be  barge  missionary  on  the  canals/ 

"  Ever  yours  aff. 

"J.  R.  S." 

He  was,  however,  to  work  for  nearly  another  year 
at  Wolverhampton,  a  period  during  which  his  labours 


DEATH  OF  BISHOP  PATTESON  41 

were  aided  and  his  life  brightened  by  his  wife,  to 
whom  he  was  married  in  January  1872.  He  said 
that  they  meant  to  be  a  jovial  couple,  and  St. 
George's  is  reported  to  have  been  for  that  year  the 
merriest  vicarage  in  England,  as  it  w^as  also  the 
scene  of  some  of  the  hardest  work.  How  thorough 
that  work  was  on  the  part  of  both  may  be  gathered 
from  a  letter  from  Mrs.  Selwyn  (his  mother)  to 
Mrs.  a  Court-Rep  ington,  written  after  the  missionary 
party  had  sailed  for  Melanesia. 

"THE  PALACE,  LICHFIELD,  April  2,  1873, 

"  I  have  just  come  back  from  a  week  at  Wolverhampton, 
where  the  Bishop  has  been  confirming,  and  where  I  wished  to 
go  to  see  Johnnie's  people  and  to  tell  him  of  them.  I  could 
never  have  thought  that  that  dingy  town  would  have  such  a 
halo  round  it  as  now  it  has  in  my  eyes.  Yet  it  was  sad  enough 
in  some  ways,  and  how  I  missed  on  arriving  there  the  bright 
face  and  loving  looks  that  always  awaited  me  at  the  station  ! 
But  these  I  do  not  expect  to  see  again  in  the  flesh.  I  may  as 
well  dwell  on  the  bright  part,  and  there  was  a  great  deal  that 
was  very  bright  to  me  in  the  warm  remembrance  in  which 
they  are  both  held,  and  the  great  love  shown  for  Johnnie. 
The  common  form  of  its  expression  was  in  pity  for  the  present 
incumbent  in  coming  after  one  whose  like  the  people  do  not 
expect  to  see  again.  The  whole  staff,  too,  was  young  and  full 
of  energy,  I  hope,  and  it  seems  to  have  had  a  great  effect  on 
the  parishioners,  of  which  perhaps  they  were  hardly  aware 
till  they  lost  the  cause.  I  went  to  all  the  schools,  and  to  a 
mothers'*  meeting.  Clara's  night  school  came  to  see  me,  and 
I  went  to  Johnnie's  4  Arabs,'  a  wild  set  of  boys  he  gathered 
together  in  the  course  of  open-air  services,  who  have  been  kept 


42  BISHOP  JOHN  SELWYN 

together  since  by  a  devoted  satellite  of  Johnnie's.  The  grimy 
lads  listened  eagerly  to  the  account  of  the  service  at  Lambeth 
on  Sunday  and  of  the  going  on  Monday,  and  they  showed 
their  zeal  in  Melanesia  by  having  collected  since  Johnnie  went, 
in  pennies  and  halfpennies,  more  than  twelve  pounds.  It 
pleased  me  to  find  how  much  Clara  was  cared  for  by  her 
scholars  and  their  teachers  who  came  daily  to  see  me." 

It  is  plain  how  great  a  hold  he  had  on  the  affec 
tions  of  his  parishioners,  especially  of  the  lads,  who 
"  could  not  resist  him,"  and  also  how  he  bound  them 
not  only  to  himself  but  also  to  God  and  to  the 
Church.  All  this  must  have  made  the  wrench 
harder.  Dr.  Codrington  says  : 

"  The  news  of  Bishop  Patteson's  death  came  to  John  Selwyn 
as  a  call  to  devote  himself  to  the  Melanesian  Mission.  He 
gave  up  (not  to  speak  of  his  prospects  in  the  Church)  his 
place  by  his  father's  side  in  the  manifold  enterprises  and 
undertakings  which  were  opening  among  the  vast  and  busy 
population  of  the  Diocese :  he  gave  up  the  intercourse  with 
his  parents,  so  delightful  to  a  most  affectionate  son  who  had 
been  so  long  separated  from  them :  he  gave  up  the  home  of 
married  life  into  which  he  had  just  settled,  the  intercourse 
with  his  many  friends,  and  the  many  attractions  and  interests 
of  English  life." 

No  small  things  these  for  a  man  of  John  Selwyn's 
temperament  to  sacrifice.  But  he  made  the  offering 
not  only  cheerfully  and  with  both  hands,  as  his 
generous  nature  ever  prompted  him  to  do,  but 
deliberately  and  prayerfully.  Mr.  John  Still  re 
members  how,  when  it  was  settled  and  they  were 


DEATH  OF  BISHOP  PATTESON  43 

one  day  going  upstairs  together,  Selwyn  turned  to 
him  and  said,  "  I  say,  old  fellow,  we  must  have  a 
prayer  about  this,"  and  drew  him  into  his  room. 

As  against  the  sacrifice  must  be  put  the  attraction 
of  an  adventurous  life — the  boy  who  made  perilous 
excursions  on  the  roof  of  Ely  Cathedral  was  nothing 
loth  to  extend  his  adventures  to  the  islands  of 
Melanesia — his  love  of  a  seafaring  life,  and,  last  but 
not  least,  the  beautiful  and  trustful  readiness  of  his 
young  wife  to  share  with  him  whatever  of  hardship 
or  banishment  might  fall  to  his  lot. 

So  it  was  that  after  a  dedicatory  service  in 
Lambeth  Chapel,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  J.  R.  Selwyn,  with  a 
little  daughter  born  at  Lichfield  shortly  before,  and 
the  Rev.  John  Still,  sailed  in  the  Dunbar  Castle  for 
Melanesia  in  the  middle  of  February  1873.  His 
mother  thus  describes  the  departure  : 

To  MRS.  A.  COURT-REPINGTON. 
"THE  LOLLARD'S  TOWER,  LAMBETH,  Feb.  11,  1873. 

"  Monday  was  a  day  of  intensity.  The  Bishop  went  down 
the  river  (with  the  nursery  department !)  in  the  ship,  and  we 
followed  by  train  to  Gravesend.  By  that  time  everything  was 
comfortably  in  order  in  both  cabins.  Then  came  the  parting 
prayers  and  the  farewells,  just  where  eighteen  years  ago 
Johnnie  had  left  us  to  go  to  Eton  when  we  sailed  for 
New  Zealand/1 


CHAPTER   IV 

ARRIVAL  IN  MELANESIA— NORFOLK  ISLAND,  ETC. 

THE  voyage  out  in  the  Dunbar  Castle  was  almost 
entirely  lacking  in  incident.  A  letter  written  by 
John  Selwyn  towards  the  end  thus  describes  it : 

"We  have  had  the  most  utterly  uneventful 
voyage,  even  as  voyages  go.  Not  spoken  one  single 
ship — at  least  we  did  speak  one  wretched  barque  we 
passed  going  the  same  way  as  ourselves — have  had 
one  stiff  blow  last  Sunday,  caught  three  sharks,  and 
lost  the  cat  overboard.  Voila  tout !  " 

A  good  deal  of  time  on  board  was  given  by  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Selwyn  and  Mr.  Still  to  the  study  of 
"  Mota " — the  language  of  one  of  the  islands  in 
Melanesia,  and  the  recognised  tongue  of  the  Mission 
work.  The  island  of  Mota  is  one  of  the  smallest  of 
the  Banks  Islands  group,  and  it  was  in  the  years 
1860,  '61,  and  '62,  that  openings  began  first  to  be 
given  there  for  Mission  work.  Bishop  Patteson 


ARRIVAL  IN  MELANESIA  45 

took  a  party  of  some  sixteen  to  Lifu,  an  island  in  the 
Loyalty  group,  and  lived  with  them  there.  Of  these 
the  greater  number  belonged  to  Banks  Islands,  and 
in  1863  four  of  them,  all  from  Mota,  were  christened. 
Thus  the  Mota  language  gradually  became  the  one 
generally  in  use  in  the  Mission.  When  it  is  known 
that  almost  every  small  island  had  its  own  language, 
and  many  of  them  more  than  one,  it  is  obvious  that 
some  choice  had  to  be  made,  and  it  seems  natural 
from  the  above  circumstances  that  Mota  should  have 
been  selected. 

The  learning  of  a  new  language  was  a  severe 
ordeal  to  John  Selwyn.  He  refers  often  in  the 
course  of  letters  to  the  want  of  application  to  work 
both  at  Eton  and  Cambridge,  which  had  made  it 
difficult  to  him  to  study  one  subject  for  long 
together.  He  also  laments  his  weakness  in  com 
position,  which  his  correspondence  shows  was  never 
entirely  overcome,  for,  while  possessing  the  power  of 
graphic  description  and  of  making  his  meaning 
perfectly  clear,  his  grammar  often  left  much  to  be 
desired,  and  he  had  some  curious  tricks  such  as  the 
use  of  capital  letters  before  substantives  and  some 
times  before  adjectives  in  an  absolutely  indiscrimi 
nate  manner.  He  also  had  a  habit  of  using  a  full 
stop  to  supply  the  place  of  a  comma  or  semicolon, 
and  marks  of  interjection  or  interrogation  he  seldom 
used  at  all.  These  are  small  things,  but  they  point 
to  a  certain  inaccuracy  of  detail  which  must  have 


46  BISHOP  JOHN  SELWYN 

made  the  acquisition  of  a  new  language  much  more 
difficult. 

The  little  daughter  proved  an  immense  source 
of  amusement  during  the  voyage,  and  he  gives 
several  pretty  pictures  of  which  "  baby "  is  the 
centre.  Space  must  be  found  for  one  : 

"  Babs  now  enters  our  cabin  in  a  triumphant  pro 
cession  at  10  P.M.  and  is  wedged  in  on  the  arms  of 
the  arm-chair  between  the  table  and  the  wall,  so 
that  the  bassinette  cannot  slip,  and  then  lashed  in  as 
a  further  precaution.  The  young  damsel  is  then 
the  greatest  fun  possible.  She  seems  utterly  regard 
less  of  cold,  and  when  one  wakes  about  seven  the 
chances  are  one  sees  two  little  feet  sticking  straight 
up  out  of  the  cradle,  and  triumphant  crows  proceed 
ing  out  of  the  same." 

There  was,  however,  one  grave  drawback  to  what 
would  have  been  to  one  with  his  love  of  the  sea  an 
immensely  enjoyable  time.  He  was  attacked  by 
severe  rheumatism  which  abated  slightly  for  a  time 
but  came  on  again  with  increased  virulence  when  on 
board  the  Hero,  by  which  ship  he  proceeded  from 
Australia  to  New  Zealand.  This  upset  all  plans. 
Mr.  Codrington,  head  of  the  Melanesian  Mission,  was 
to  have  met  them,  and  to  have  taken  him  and  Mr. 
Still  on  a  voyage  to  the  Islands.  How  this  arrange 
ment  was  upset  is  described  in  the  following  letters. 


ARRIVAL  IN  MELANESIA  47 

From  REV.  JOHN  STJLL  to  C.  BILL,  ESQ. 

"  AUCKLAND,  NEW  ZEALAND,  June  3,  1873. 

"Billy  [Selwyn's  nickname  at  Cambridge]  has  been  very 
bad  indeed,  quite  unable  to  move,  but  is  now  better  and 
fast  recovering.  His  right  hand  is  bad,  so  he  is  writing 
by  deputy." 

To  REV.  F.  E.  WATERS. 

"  AUCKLAND,  NEW  ZEALAND,  June  16,  1873. 

"  I  dare  say  you  will  have  heard  ere  this  reaches 
you  of  our  safe  arrival  in  Sydney.  .  .  . 

"  I  found  letters  waiting  to  say  that  Mr.  Codring- 
ton  was  coming  down  to  Auckland  on  or  about  the 
last  day  of  May,  and  then  wanted  to  take  Still  and 
me  a  tour  of  all  the  Islands,  so  that  we  might  get 
acquainted  with  our  work.  .  .  . 

"  After  a  hard  fight  with  Mrs.  Selwyn's  brother 
[who  apparently  wished  them  both  to  stay  longer] 
we  effected  a  compromise,  which  was  that  she  should 
stay,  and  Still  and  I  go,  and  I  was  then  to  come 
back  to  Sydney  for  her.  Lliomme propose  mais  Dieu 
dispose.  My  rheumatism,  which  had  been  rather 
bad  on  board  the  Dunbar  Castle,  came  on  frightfully 
in  the  Hero,  so  badly  that  Jack  had  to  carry  me 
about,  and  I  had  nearly  a  week's  bed  when  I  came 
here.  Thank  God  I  am  nearly  well  now,  but  the 
doctor  won't  hear  of  my  going  this  trip,  as  he  says  it 


48  BISHOP  JOHN  SELWYN 

might  make  it  chronic  ;  so  Jack  will  go  without  me. 
You  may  imagine  what  a  disappointment  this  is  to 
me,  as  we  have  so  long  run  in  couples. 

"  However,  it  is  an  ill  wind  that  blows  nobody  any 
good.  Dudley,  one  of  our  old  mission  clergy  and 
now  an  incumbent  in  the  town,  has  developed  a 
clergyman's  throat,  so  I  am  going  to  take  his  duty 
and  he  is  going  off  to  get  well. 

"  Jack  and  I  often  talk  of  you  and  the  old  Wolver- 
hanipton  days,  and  tell  our  friends  how  light  we 
used  to  be  on  Sunday  evenings." 

To  MRS.  A  COURT-BEPINGTON. 

"  AUCKLAND,  July  30,  1873. 

"  I  got  very  rheumatic  on  board,  how  and  why  I 
know  not,  but  it  made  life  a  great  burden,  and  me 
very  cross,  which  was  not  as  it  should  be.  ... 

"  Still  and  I  departed  by  the  Hero,  and  the  next 
evening  I  was  laid  up  again  with  very  bad  rheuma 
tism  which  utterly  crippled  me  for  the  rest  of  the 
voyage,  and  I  had  to  lie  night  and  day  in  the  saloon, 
as  getting  into  my  berth  was  out  of  the  question. 
Dear  old  Still  used  to  carry  me  about  like  a  child, 
and  I  made  my  entrance  into  Auckland  on  men's 
shoulders." 

It  must   have  been    a  severe  blow   to  arrive  on 


ARRIVAL  IN  MELANESIA  49 

the  scene  of  his  labours  a  cripple.  For  nearly 
two  years  he  had  been  looking  forward  to  the 
time  when  he  should  find  himself  in  the  region 
where  his  father  did  his  great  work,  and  where  he 
hoped  to  be  allowed  to  carry  that  work  on.  He  had 
inherited  many  traits  of  character  from  that  father, 
but  he  was  fully  conscious  of  many  things  in  which 
he  could  scarcely  hope  to  emulate  him.  He  had 
much  of  his  father's  determination,  a  full  measure  of 
his  father's  indomitable  courage,  a  great  deal  of  his 
resourcefulness  under  difficult  circumstances  both 
external  and  spiritual,  and  a  spice  of  his  father's 
temper.  On  the  other  hand,  he  fell  short  in  learn 
ing,  and  to  some  extent  in  power  of  organisation, 
but,  as  compensation,  he  had  a  sweetness  of  dis 
position  and  an  eagerness  to  make  amends  which 
were  all  his  own. 

Feeling  then,  fully,  his  intellectual  inferiority  to 
his  father,  it  was  not  unnatural  that  he  should  rely 
greatly  on  his  physical  powers,  all  of  which  had  been 
trained  and  developed  by  his  athletic  life  at  Eton 
and  Cambridge.  It  was,  therefore,  a  specially  severe 
ordeal  to  be  carried  as  an  invalid  on  to  the  shores  of 
New  Zealand.  No  doubt,  looking  at  the  matter 
afterwards  in  his  own  spirit  of  prayerfulness,  he 
would  have  seen  the  hand  of  God  teaching  him  that 
"  neither  delighteth  He  in  any  man's  strength." 

Sir  William  Martin,  the  first  Chief  Justice  of  New 
Zealand,  and  a  co-fellow  of  St.  John's  with  Bishop 

D 


50  BISHOP  JOHN  SELWYN 

George  Augustus  Selwyn,  lived  at  Auckland.  He 
was  a  great  Maori  scholar  and  a  warm  patron  of  the 
Mission,  and  in  his  house  John  Selwyn  was  for  a 
while  laid  up.  The  time  was  not  however  wasted, 
for  the  two  or  three  months'  delay  which  were 
ordered  by  the  doctor  were  spent  partly  in  taking 
charge  of  the  parish  of  Mr.  Dudley  (now  Arch 
deacon)  who  was  away  in  bad  health,  and  partly  in 
making  friends  with  as  many  of  the  neighbours  as 
possible,  whereby  fresh  interest  in  the  Melanesian 
Mission  was  aroused  and  fresh  help  ensured  through 
the  attractive  personality  of  himself  and  Mrs. 
Selwyn. 

By  the  beginning  of  October  he  was  well  enough 
to  start,  and  the  middle  of  that  month  found 
him  settled  in  Norfolk  Island.  This  is  the  head 
quarters  of  the  Melanesian  Mission,  and  here  is 
situated  the  St.  Barnabas  Station  and  the  College 
for  native  boys  who  are  brought  there  from  the 
other  islands  by  the  Mission  vessel  in  her  frequent 
voyages.  The  Station  (by  which  is  meant  the 
group  of  Mission  buildings)  stands  about  three  miles 
inland  from  the  town  or  village  where  the  Pitcairn 
islanders  were  allowed  to  settle  in  the  old  convict 
prison  buildings. 

Besides  Dr.  Codrington,  the  Selwyns  found  on 
arriving  at  Norfolk  Island  two  other  staunch 
workers,  both  married  men  —  viz.,  the  Rev.  John 
Palmer  and  the  Rev.  Charles  Bice.  The  latter  of 


NORFOLK  ISLAND,  ETC.  51 

these  came  from  St.  Augustine's  College,  Canter 
bury,  and  joined  the  Mission  in  1866.  He  remained 
for  twenty  years  one  of  the  most  active  members  of 
the  staff,  and  latterly  had  charge  of  the  New 
Hebrides  district.  Mrs.  Bice  came  out  just  before 
the  Selwyns,  and  was  one  of  the  two  ladies  they 
found  in  the  Mission,  the  other  being  Mrs.  Palmer, 
the  first  lady  who  ever  came  to  Norfolk  Island. 
The  Rev.  John  Palmer  had  been  labouring  in  the 
Mission  since  1863,  and  has  been  there  ever  since, 
steadily  devoted  to  its  service,  for  which  he  has 
done  an  unequalled  work.  He  is  now  Archdeacon. 
Mrs.  Palmer  was  the  first  to  begin  the  system  of 
the  ladies  taking  charge  of  the  unmarried  girls,  an 
example  followed  by  Mrs.  John  Selwyn  on  her 
arrival.  In  many  other  ways  too  her  influence  was 
greatly  felt.  The  ladies'  society  was  very  small, 
and,  naturally  enough,  difficulties  occurred  from 
time  to  time.  The  veneration  felt  for  Mrs.  Palmer 
enabled  her  to  do  much  towards  smoothing  these 
away,  and  promoting  that  harmony  without  which 
life  at  Norfolk  Island  would  have  been  almost 
impossible. 

These  were  the  main  fellow  workers  who  greeted 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Selwyn  and  who  did  so  much  to  make 
their  life  at  St.  Barnabas'  a  happy  one.  The  day  of 
their  landing  at  the  Island  was  a  memorable  one  in 
the  history  of  their  lives.  Here  is  John  Selwyn's 
own  description  of  his  first  impressions  : 


52  BISHOP  JOHN  SELWYN 

"NORFOLK  ISLAND,  Oct.  19,  1873,  Sunday. 

"  MY  DEAREST  FATHER  AND  MOTHER, 

"  Here  we  are  at  last,  and  you  may  imagine 
the  thankfulness  with  which  we  landed  all  safe  and 
well,  with  bright  sunlight  and  smooth  water  to 
greet  us,  and  a  very  hearty  welcome  from  all  here. 
It  is  one  of  those  occasions  which  seem  to  bring  out 
all  the  deep  humbling  feelings  of  a  man's  heart,  and 
they  were  very  real  and,  I  trust,  fervent  prayers 
which  we  sent  up  to-night  at  the  evening  service. 
It  was  all  Mota,  which  we  could  follow  fairly  with 
our  prayer-books  before  us,  but  it  is  the  custom  here 
to  read  the  Collect  for  the  day  in  English,  and  so 
we  suddenly  heard  the  very  prayer  we  wanted  to 
say  coming  in  the  midst  of  the  strange  language 
like  an  oasis,  seeming  even  more  beautiful  than  it 
really  is  from  the  familiarity  in  the  midst  of  so 
much  that  was  unfamiliar.  "  0  God,  forasmuch  as 
without  Thee  we  are  not  able  to  please  Thee."  We 
could  not  have  a  better  motto  than  that  to  begin 
our  work  with,  and  I  know  you  will  pray  more 
earnestly  for  us  that  His  Holy  Spirit  will  in  all 
things  direct  and  rule  our  hearts.  .  .  . 

"  The  people  who  rowed  us  ashore  were  full  of 
recollections  of  you,  and  of  tender  inquiries  about 
you.  I  hope  your  name  will  be  a  help  to  me  in 
helping  them.  Good-night  and  God  bless  you  both. 
Clara  sends  her  dearest  love,  but  is  too  tired  to  write. 


NORFOLK  ISLAND,  ETC.  53 

Dear  little  Pearlie  [the  baby]  takes  most  kindly  to 
her  new  quarters,  and  sends  her  love  to  you.  I  don't 
think  the  photographs  give  any  idea  of  the  place  at 
all.  It  is  much  better  kept  than  they  make  it  look. 
Indeed,  going  down  the  hill  from  the  avenue  into 
the  place,  one  would  think  one  was  going  into  a 
small  and  rather  well-looking  English  village.  .  .  . 
Our  little  house  stands  on  the  left-hand  side.  They 
all  say  it  is  a  bad  situation,  as  it  is  exposed  to  the 
prevailing  wind,  and  it  is  not  very  grand,  being  like 
nothing  so  much  as  the  inside  of  a  workbox.  .  .  . 
Clara  and  I  are  charmed  with  the  place  altogether, 
and  think  we  shall  like  it  all  very  much.  I  have 
been  proving  my  strength  by  much  carting  and 
lifting  boxes,  and  find  I  am  nearly  quite  as  strong  as 
I  was,  which  is  a  great  comfort,  .  .  .  Good-bye, 
my  dearest  father  and  mother, 

"  Ever  your  affectionate  son, 

"J.  R.  SELWYN." 

As  may  easily  be  imagined  it  did  not  take  him 
long  to  get  to  work.  He  threw  himself  heart  and 
soul  into  the  work  of  the  Mission  and  of  the  school, 
delighting  especially  in  taking  his  share  in  the 
outdoor  manual  labour  which  formed  an  important 
part  of  each  day's  duties.  The  following  two  letters 
give  his  early  impressions  of  the  place  and  also  of 
the  native  boys  and  girls  who  were  being  trained  at 
St.  Barnabas'  : 


54  BISHOP  JOHN  SELWYN 

To  MRS.  A.  COUKT-REPINGTON. 

"NORFOLK  ISLAND,  January  13,  1874-. 

"  You  must  imagine  our  mission  station  as  lying 
on  the  slope  of  a  hill  about  three  miles  from  the 
settlement.  The  main  road  to  nowhere  runs  right 
through  the  station,  and  as  you  come  down  the  hill 
you  see  what  looks  very  like  an  English  village 
green.  At  the  far  end  of  it  is  a  cart-shed,  cowyard, 
barn,  &c.,  looking  very  homey,  and  on  the  right  lie 
the  main  buildings  of  the  Mission  ;  e.g.,  chapel  and 
house  attached,  hall  and  kitchen,  carpenter's  shop 
and  two  houses  where  the  bachelors  reside  and  look 
after  the  boys.  We  married  folk  live  further  afield 
in  little  houses  of  our  own. 

"It  is  marvellous  how  like  a  boy,  say  up  to 
twelve  or  thirteen,  from  the  Solomon  Islands  is  to  a 
boy  from  Belgravia.  In  point  of  adaptability  to 
circumstances  I  should  be  inclined  to  give  the  palm 
to  the  former,  but  qua  pickle  and  jokes,  &c.  &c.,  all 
that  constitute  small  boy  nature,  even  to  tears  in 
their  trousers  on  all  occasions,  &c.  &c.,  I  don't 
think  there  is  a  pin  to  choose.  Darwin  and  Co. 
may  say  what  they  like,  but  my  fellows  who  can't 
take  four  from  five  are  not  at  all  different  from  two 
of  my  greatest  friends  at  Eton  and  Cambridge,  one 


NORFOLK  ISLAND,  ETC.  55 

of  whom  was  asked  what  a  stalactite  would  melt  in 
three  hours  if  it  melted  an  inch  in  two,  and  fled  at 
the  bare  word  ;  and  the  other  learnt  his  Euclid  by 
heart,  signs  and  all,  from  sheer  inability  to  com 
prehend  it.  I  say  it  is  all  nonsense  to  say  that 
these  fellows  are  not  capable  of  higher  training 
because  they  are  dull  at  first,  or  to  compare  them 
with  those  who  have  had  all  the  weight  of  thousands 
of  years  of  at  least  partial  civilisation  to  start  with, 
and  whose  common  everyday  facts  would  be  great 
discoveries  to  these  fellows.  ..." 

To  A  COUSIN. 

"  NORFOLK  ISLAND,  Jan.  9,  1874. 

"  I  daresay  you  fancy  that  as  we  are  called  mis 
sionaries  we  are  bound  to  be  living  in  great  hardship. 
I  am  afraid  that  is  not  the  case.  C.  and  I  are 
luxuriating  for  the  first  time  in  our  married  life 
(two  years  next  week)  in  having  a  settled  home  of 
our  own,  and  a  very  pretty  little  home  it  is  too. 
Not  large,  certainly,  but  compact,  and  with  a  nice 
garden  and  cool  verandahs,  &c.  The  house  was 
originally  built  for  some  of  the  younger  members  of 
the  Mission  to  live  in,  and  had  one  sitting-room  and 
a  number  of  tiny  bedrooms  branching  off  from  it. 
We  have  thrown  some  of  these  together,  moved 
partitions,  &c.,  and  made  a  most  cosy  little  bedroom 
for  ourselves,  which  C.  has  titivated  up  with  muslin 


56  BISHOP  JOHN  SELWYN 

and  pink  calico  till  it  looks  like  a  boudoir.  Then 
comes  a  long  narrow  room  for  the  nursery.  Then  a 
small  store-room  and  then  the  kitchen.  My  room 
occupies  one  end  of  the  verandah,  so  that  I  have  to 
go  out  of  doors  to  get  to  it.  But  it  is  all  very  snug, 
and  being  wooden  one  can  put  up  nails  and  shelves 
anywhere,  and  stow  any  amount  of  things  away. 
Then  the  verandah  in  this  climate  is  as  good  as 
another  room,  and  our  garden  keeps  us  gay  with 
flowers,  so  that  altogether  we  are  most  luxurious — 
too  much  so  perhaps. 

' '  We  live  altogether  in  a  primitive  fashion  as 
regards  meals,  &c.,  breakfasting,  dining,  and  having 
tea  in  the  big  hall  with  all  the  boys.  This  makes  it 
easy  work  for  the  housekeeper,  as  C.  has  never  to 
think  about  dinner,  except  what  is  wanted  for  nurse 
and  baby. 

"  We  go  out  in  our  turns  to  work  with  the  boys 
and  superintend  the  various  works,  farm  and  other 
wise,  that  are  going  on.  Then  for  those  who  know 
Mota  there  is  a  good  deal  of  translating,  &c.,  to  be 
done,  and  besides  all  this  there  is  work  in  school 
and  chapel,  so  that  one's  day  is  pretty  well  filled  up. 
We  begin  early  too.  At  6  a  bell  rings  to  call  us, 
then  another  for  church  at  a  quarter  to  seven,  and 
breakfast  at  a  quarter  past.  School  at  8  till  9.30, 
then  work  till  1.  I  go  out  to  hoe  or  plant  with 


NORFOLK  ISLAND,  ETC.  57 

the  boys,  and  find  out  how  profoundly  ignorant 
I  am  of  the  simplest  matters  connected  with  hus 
bandry,  and  wish  I  had  taken  lessons  !  I  covered 
myself  with  confusion  the  other  day  trying  to 
plough,  but  at  hoeing,  &c.,  I  can  hold  my  own.  At 
1  comes  dinner,  and  school  at  2.15.  It  is  very 
hard  work  to  keep  oneself  awake  then,  and  I  often 
go  to  sleep  over  dictation,  much  to  the  disgust  of 
the  boys  who  want  to  keep  their  books  neat,  and  to 
whom  I  dictate  something  utterly  wrong.  Then 
comes  a  blessed  two  and  three-quarter  hours  in  which 
we  try  to  improve  our  minds  by  reading,  our  bodies 
by  riding,  or  our  gardens  by  working.  Tea  follows 
at  six,  then  evening  chapel,  and  school  for  an  hour. 
You  would  like  to  see  my  evening  school  in  a  corner 
of  my  room,  with  my  little  black  fellows  with  curly 
heads  and  black  eyes  and  spindle  shanks  stretched 
out  straight  in  front  of  them,  all  writing  away  at 
dictation  for  bare  life,  and  as  keen  about  their  marks 
as  can  be.  I  try  and  chaff  them  into  order  as  well 
as  I  can,  and  find  it  answers  admirably." 


CHAPTER   V 

MELANESIA— SUGGESTIONS  OF  THE  BISHOPRIC 

JOHN  SELWYN'S  arrival  at  Norfolk  Island  had  been 
greatly  looked  forward  to  by  all  the  members  of  the 
Mission.  He  had  offered  himself  to  the  work  with 
no  view  of  ultimately  succeeding  Bishop  Patteson, 
but  there  is  no  doubt  that  it  was  felt  from  the  very 
first  that  he  was  the  man  for  the  future  bishop. 
Even  had  his  personal  qualifications  been  fewer  than 
they  were,  it  would  have  seemed  strange  that  any 
one  else  should  fill  the  office  when  a  Selwyn  was  to 
the  fore.  There  was  one  other  man  who  was  an 
obviously  fit  person  if  he  would  have  accepted  it. 
This  was  Dr.  Codrington,  the  head  of  the  Mission, 
whose  linguistic  skill  and  powers  of  organisation 
were  invaluable,  and  to  whom  the  Mission  largely 
owed  its  vitality  during  the  years  immediately 
succeeding  the  death  of  Bishop  Patteson.  Another 
name  suggested  was  that  of  the  present  Archdeacon 
Dudley,  but  ill-health  prevented  his  seriously  con 
templating  the  post.  Under  all  the  circumstances 


MELANESIA— SUGGESTIONS  OF  BISHOPRIC     59 

it  was  obvious  that  John  Selwyn  would  be  nominated. 
His  natural  fears  and  sense  of  unfitness  come  out 
again  and  again  in  letters  full  of  the  simplest 
humility,  but  it  is  more  than  doubtful  whether  he 
would  really  have  liked  any  one  else  to  have  been 
appointed.  One  of  the  qualities  which  he  inherited 
from  his  father  was  a  kind  of  "  masterfulness,"  to 
which  he  alludes  in  a  letter  to  his  mother  as  having 
been  checked  by  her  when  he  was  a  child  ;  and  this 
wish  to  lead,  arising  from  a  true  sense  of  the  power 
of  leading,  would  have  made  his  work  less  happy, 
and  probably  less  effectual,  had  it  been  his  lot  to 
be  a  subordinate  member  of  the  Mission.  It  was  the 
same  all  through  his  life.  Captain  of  the  field 
eleven  at  Eton,  he  stroked  the  University  boat  when 
at  Cambridge.  In  succession  a  Bishop  and  Master 
of  a  College,  his  leadership  ran  consistently  through 
every  part  of  his  life,  it  being  said  that  at  a  dinner 
party  it  was  invariably  he  who  led  the  conversation, 
and  led  it  right  well. 

"  NORFOLK  ISLAND,  St.  Andrew  s  Day, 
"Advent  Sunday,  1873. 

"  MY  DEAREST  FATHER, 

"  There  are  two  great  memories  for  us  in  the 
two  days  which  have  come  together  this  year.  The 
first  is,  that  on  Advent  Sunday  1867,  you  accepted 
the  Bishopric  of  Lichfield.  How  well  I  remember 
your  letter  from  Windsor  telling  me  of  it,  and  the 


60  BISHOP  JOHN  SELWYN 

thought,  almost  the  revulsion  of  feeling  that  came 
over  me  that  one  would  not  go  to  N.  Z.  after  all  ; 
and  here  I  am  six  years  afterwards  not  only  at  N.  Z. 
but  beyond  it,  and  working  at  your  work,  though 
alas  !  not  with  you.  And  St.  Andrew's  Day  carries 
us  both  back  to  the  evening  service  at  Lichfield  last 
year,  when  dear  little  Margaret  was  baptized.  We 
thought  of  it  first  thing  this  morning,  when  baby 
came  in  in  her  most  joyous  mood  to  see  us,  and  after 
wards  at  the  early  (English)  Communion  at  which  I 
celebrated,  and  now  9.30  P.M.  (10.15  A.M.  with  you) 
I  dare  say  you  are  thinking  of  us  as  the  bells  are 
ringing  for  church.  It  is  a  very  pleasant  thought 
for  us  out  here,  and  it  will  be  a  pleasant  thing  to 
tell  her  about  when  she  grows  a  bit  older,  of  the 
old  Cathedral  and  the  warm  soft  light  falling  on  her, 
and  your  voice  praying  over  her,  and  the  Amens 
coming  down  from  the  choir,  with  such  a  long 
interval  as  it  seemed  between  the  prayer  and  the 
response.  All  these  are  very  pleasant  memories,  and 
seem  to  bring  us  closer  together,  and  I  think  prove 
what  a  help  the  Church  services,  with  their  round 
of  Holy-days  and  Seasons,  are  in  helping  not  only 
one's  love  to  God,  but  one's  love  to  each  other." 


"Jan.  8,  1874. 

"I  have  now  to  tell   you  about  a  very  serious 
matter  which  has  turned  up  here,  which  I  am  afraid 


MELANESIA— SUGGESTIONS  OF  BISHOPRIC     61 

you  will  not  quite  like.  It  is  this  :  By  the  statute 
of  the  Melanesian  Bishopric  which  was  passed  in 
1868 — your  last  session — and  altered  slightly  in 
1871,  it  was  provided  that  'the  members  of  the 
Mission  may  recommend  a  person  to  be  appointed 
Bishop,  or  in  default  of  such  recommendation,  or  in 
case  such  recommendation  shall  not  be  accepted, 
then  the  Synod  shall  appoint  some  person  to  be 
Bishop.'  This  rule  put  us  in  a  quandary.  We  are 
all  willing,  nay  wishful,  to  continue  as  we  are  for 
another  year  or  two,  and  there  is  no  immediate 
need  for  any  strictly  episcopal  work.  Ordinations 
there  are  none,  and  I  dare  say  the  Bishop  of  Auck 
land  could  manage  to  run  down  again  in  case  of 
confirmation  being  needed.  But  this  rule  seemed  to 
leave  neither  us  nor  the  Synod  any  choice.  Either 
we  must  recommend  or  else  let  the  nomination  lapse, 
in  which  case  it  seemed  to  us  the  Synod  would  be 
bound  to  elect.  Codrington  therefore  called  a 
meeting  on  the  Epiphany  to  consider  the  matter. 
He  first  put  it  to  us  whether  we  would  recommend 
or  let  the  matter  take  its  chance.  They  were  all 
very  strongly  in  favour  of  recommending.  Then 
came  the  question,  '  Who  ? '  .  .  .  We  pressed  on 
Codrington  most  strongly  the  wish  of  us  all  that  he 
should  be  Bishop,  but  he  refused  decidedly,  and  said 
his  mind  was  quite  made  up.  ...  I  have  written 
to  Dudley  and  to  Sir  Wm.  Martin,  urging  that  if 
he  does  feel  well  enough,  he  (D.)  will  let  himself 


62  BISHOP  JOHN  SELWYN 

be  nominated.  .  .  .  Failing  that,  they  nominated 
me — and  indeed  they  did  this  absolutely,  as  the 
recommendation  which  will  be  sent  to  the  Primate 
runs  thus  :  '  We  recommend  the  Rev.  J.  R.  Selwyn 
to  fill  the  vacant  Bishopric,  but  we  shall  be  willing 
to  accept  the  Rev.  B.  Dudley,  if  the  Synod  should 
see  fit  to  elect  him,  and  he  should  accept  the  office,' 
There  the  matter  stands,  and  you  will  feel  what  a 
responsibility  I  feel  thrown  on  me." 

The  following  letter  from  Dr.  Codrington,  then 
at  the  head  of  affairs  in  Melanesia,  tells  of  the 
impression  made  by  John  Selwyn  on  his  first  arrival 
at  Norfolk  Island.  It  sets  out  most  clearly  the 
reason  for  the  nomination  to  the  Bishopric,  and 
allows  one  to  gather  the  generous  sentiments  which 
actuated  the  writer  in  resigning  his  own  claim  to 
the  post  and  welcoming  the  appointment  of  a 
younger  man.  The  letter  is  written  to  the  then 
Bishop  of  Lichfield,  and  runs  as  follows  : 

"NORFOLK  ISLAND,  Jan.  10,  1874. 

"  MY  DEAR  LORD, 

.  .  .  With  regard  to  your  son  I  really  don't  know 
what  to  say  because  I  don't  want  to  be  anything  but  moderate 
in  my  language,  and  the  satisfaction  with  which  I  contemplate 
him  is  extreme.  He  certainly  keeps  us  alive,  and  all  the 
community  feels  his  presence.  He  at  once  was  on  the  most 
friendly  terms  with  the  Melanesians,  who  many  of  them  call 
him  simply  '  John '  without  any  scruple,  and  go  to  his  house 
as  if  he  had  been  here  for  years.  He  is  very  energetic  in 


MELANESIA— SUGGESTIONS  OF  BISHOPRIC      63 

school  and  in  work,  but  meets  with  more  admiration  as  yet 
when  he  works  than  when  he  teaches,  for  his  deeds  are  more 
intelligible  than  his  words.  I  believe  it  is  a  good  thing  for 
his  health  that  he  should  work  out  of  doors,  though  it  will 
hardly  be  possible  to  do  much  in  this  climate.  .  .  .  He 
will  also  try  to  get  up  some  boating,  a  much  more  difficult 
thing  here  than  would  be  supposed.  ...  I  can't  say  very 
much  yet  about  progress  in  the  Mota  language,  but  I  perceive 
that  there  is  enough  for  common  use,  which  no  doubt  will 
gradually  increase. 

"  I  must  not  omit  to  say  how  much  we  are  all  pleased  with 
Mrs.  John  Selwyn.  She  is  so  very  good-natured  and  lively 
that  she  adds  very  much  indeed  to  the  happiness  of  our  little 
party.  It  is  very  agreeable  to  see  that  she  makes  friends  at 
once  with  the  Melanesians,  and  it  is  a  good  thing  that  she 
should  have  some  to  live  with  her.  Their  house  is  not  suited 
I  should  say  to  a  family,  having  been  built  to  accommodate  a 
very  mixed  party  of  young  men,  but  they  seem  very  well 
pleased  with  it,  and  have  already  very  much  improved  it. 

"  You  will  have  read  something  of  what  we  did  on  the 
Epiphany  before  you  read  this.  I  don't  suppose  it  was  exactly 
what  you  wished  or  expected,  but  it  was  really,  I  think,  the 
only  thing  for  us  to  do.  ...  We  thought  that  it  would  be 
right  that  on  the  first  occasion  of  carrying  out  the  Statute 
we  should  exercise  our  privilege.  The  practical  result  is  not 
much  if  it  is  anything,  for  one  may  take  it  for  granted  that 
the  General  Synod,  having  heard  from  me  what  at  any  rate  in 
my  opinion  and  ours  here  ought  to  be  done,  would  have  made 
the  appointment  as  we  now  recommend.  But  we  have  a 
certain  advantage  in  that  in  making  the  recommendation  we 
express  our  desire  that  the  new  Bishop  should  not  be  conse 
crated  yet,  but  wait  till  he  and  others  have  had  proof  of  his 
being  suitable  to  the  post.  Everybody  here  is  more  content 
than  I  am  to  go  on  as  we  are,  and  I  am  tolerably  content ;  but 


64  BISHOP  JOHN  SELWYN 

it  is  certainly  a  comfort  and  support  to  me  to  know  that  the 
future  is,  if  all  goes  well,  secured,  and  it  will  give  him  a  sort 
of  right  to  occupy  a  position  which  whether  Bishop  elect  or 
not  he  would  have  to  occupy,  and  which  he  will  occupy  more 
satisfactorily  with  such  a  title  than  without  it.  ...  For  my 
own  part  I  am  quite  easy  about  my  future  relations.  I  don't 
see  the  difficulty,  which  I  have  been  told  is  a  serious  one,  of 
playing  second  fiddle  after  having  played  first.  ...  I  hope 
and  trust  all  will  go  well,  and  I  am  sure  it  will  be  a  great 
satisfaction  to  you,  and  go  far  to  make  up  to  you  for  the 
absence  of  your  son,  if  you  hear  that  his  work  out  here  is 
blessed  with  success  and  carried  on  in  harmony  with  all  of  us. 
With  very  kind  remembrances  to  Mrs.  Selwyn,  I  remain,  my 
dear  Lord, 

"  Yours  very  faithfully, 

«R.  H.  CODRINGTON." 

The  Synod  seem  to  have  ultimately  postponed 
the  whole  matter,  so  that  there  was  no  thought  of 
his  immediate  consecration.  He  was  yet  barely 
thirty,  and  all  were  agreed  that  it  would  be  far 
better  that  he  should  wait  for  two  or  tbree  years 
and  gain  experience  of  the  work  and  further  know 
ledge  of  the  language.  It  would  be  well,  too, 
that  the  Melanesians  should  learn  to  love  and  trust 
him,  as  they  did  so  amply,  before  he  took  over  the 
command  of  tbe  Mission. 

Early  in  1874  his  second  child,  another  girl,  was 
born,  and  was  named  after  the  cousin  to  whom  he 
had  been  so  devoted  in  bis  boyish  days.  Writing 
to  this  cousin's  sister  he  says  : 


MELANESIA— SUGGESTIONS  OF  BISHOPRIC     65 

"NORFOLK  ISLAND,  March  28,  1874. 

"  Baby  No.  2  has  arrived  !  Isn't  that  dreadful  ? 
.  .  .  She  was  born  on  January  30,  and  baptized  on 
St.  Mathias'  Day,  the  day  Bishop  Patteson  was 
consecrated  in  1861.  The  little  font  was  most 
beautifully  decorated,  and  in  it  stood  the  portable 
font  which  my  friends  gave  me.  It  looked  so  pretty 
shining  up  through  the  leaves  and  water.  The 
service  was  in  English,  but  all  the  Melanesians 
came,  and  we  had  two  hymns  and  the  blessing  in 
the  native  language  we  use.  Afterwards  there  was 
a  whole  holiday,  and  a  pig  for  the  boys  to  cook  and 
eat  out  of  doors." 

Before  going  on  to  describe  the  general  work  of 
the  Mission,  especially  John  Selwyn's  share  therein, 
which  as  a  matter  of  fact  included  a  little  of  every 
thing  both  indoor  and  outdoor,  spiritual  and  tem 
poral,  by  land  and  by  sea,  it  is  interesting  to  note 
his  position  as  a  Churchman  and  the  anxiety  he 
always  felt  about  affairs  in  the  Church  at  home.  As 
might  be  expected  from  a  man  of  his  breezy  dis 
position  and  wholesome  mind,  all  extremes  were 
abhorrent  to  him.  His  natural  piety  and  prayer- 
fulness,  coupled  with  the  fact  that  his  father  was 
ruling  an  English  diocese  on  slightly  new  lines, 
caused  him  to  give  much  anxious  thought  to  these 
matters  even  when  far  removed  from  them,  and  in 

E 


66  BISHOP  JOHN  SELWYN 

an  atmosphere  where  such  things  fade  away  when 
men  are  brought  face  to  face  with  heathenism. 

His  great  idea  was  that  there  should  be  some 
general  assembly  of  the  Church  of  England  which 
should  speak  with  a  voice  of  authority,  and  be 
obeyed  by  all.  Writing  to  Mrs.  a  Court-Repington 
in  1874  he  says  : 

"  I  am  perturbed  about  the  state  of  the  English 
Church,  though  there  is  so  much  real  work  being 
done  which  one  does  not  hear  of,  that  one  must 
expect  some  disturbances.  But  why  won't  men 
learn  to  obey  that  they  may  rule  ?  How  can  men 
set  up  the  high  standard  of  sacerdotalism  that  they 
do,  when  they  rebel  in  every  possible  way  ?  How 
can  they  speak  of  the  voice  of  the  Church  when 
they  refuse  to  listen  to  the  voice  of  one  of  its 
Captains  ?  There  are  worse  disciplines  for  a  man's 
mind  than  the  University  course  from  Putney  to 
Mortlake,  and  the  inexorable  '  row  on  all,  and  the 
kicking  out  of  the  boat  if  you  don't  row.  ...  I  do 
earnestly  long  to  see  some  power  outside  Parliament 
which  may  reform  the  great  abuses  in  the  Church, 
and  some  body  which  may  define  what  is  the  limit 
of  the  Church  of  England  both  upwards  and  down 
wards.  There  is  no  danger  of  such  a  body  narrow 
ing  our  freedom  unduly,  but  the  weight  of  the  voice 
of  the  living  Church  would  be  very  great,  and  men 
would  have  to  weigh  their  *  conscientious'  (!) 


MELANESIA— SUGGESTIONS  OF  BISHOPRIC     67 

scruples  more  deeply  than  they  do  now  before  they 
opposed  it." 

In  the  same  year,  writing  to  his  mother  about 
affairs  in  England,  he  asks  : 

"  What  is  the  temper  of  the  Church  ?  I  think  I 
know.  Every  one  wants  to  work  after  his  own 
fashion  totally  regardless  of  his  neighbour,  especially 
if  that  neighbour  happens  to  be  his  Bishop.  But  men 
must  see  that  they  must  unite  soon  in  a  true  Church 
Association  of  which  the  leading  principle  will  have 
to  be,  '  What  can  I  give  up  for  the  sake  of  unity  ? ' 

In  1877,  soon  after  his  consecration,  he  thus  writes 
to  his  father  : 

"  I  can't  understand  the  position  which  the  E.C.U. 
have  taken  up.  .  .  .  But  it  is  not  a  time  for  ana 
lysing  people's  consciences.  It  is  a  time  for  doing. 
And  here  I  do  think  you  have  your  chance.  Do 
stir  up  people,  say  the  Bishops  of  Peterborough 
[Magee],  Manchester  [Fraser],  and  others,  and  go 
straight  to  the  Prime  Minister  and  say  we  MUST 
have  a  Synod  Conference  of  the  whole  Church. 
We  can't  go  on  like  this.  The  Rock  will  howl  on 
one  side  and  the  Church  Times  on  the  other  :  but  I 
am  sure  the  great  body  of  clergy  and  laity  would 
welcome  such  a  proposition,  and  the  Church  would 
speak  with  a  power  it  has  never  known." 

He  was  fully  conscious  of  the  advantage  of  his 


68  BISHOP  JOHN  SELWYN 

work  being  far  away  from  the  scene  of  agitation,  as 
may  be  gathered  from  the  following  : 

To  REV.  F.  E.  WATERS. 

"OFF  THE  SOLOMON  ISLANDS,  August  1,  1876. 

"  Though  we  have  our  share  of  difficulty  and 
doubt,  and  endless  secular  work,  yet  are  we  free 
from  much  which  disturbs  you  at  home.  But  let  me 
give  you  this  comfort,  that  I,  as  an  outsider,  can 
see  how  much  the  Church  is  gaining.  Though  torn 
by  doubt  and  insane  enthusiasm,  yet  the  main  body 
is  advancing  steadily.  There  may  be  much  to  give 
the  blues,  but,  as  at  St.  George's,  the  whole  thing  is 
going  on  slowly  but,  I  am  certain,  surely." 

Lastly,  there  is  one  line  written  from  his  brother's 
vicarage  at  Bromfield  in  1879  to  Mrs.  a  Court- 
Repington  : 

"  Did  you  go  to  the  prayer-meeting  at  Wilkin 
son's  [now  Bishop  of  St.  Andrews]  ?  He  asked  for 
men  for  me,  and  I  have  already  heard  of  two.  But 
one  is  married,  which  I  don't  want,  and  extreme, 
which  would  frighten  our  Australian  supporters,  but 
not  me.  It  would  soon  be  knocked  out  of  him  by 
contact  with  heathenism." 

There  seems  to  have  arisen  once  or  twice  in  the 
minds  of  some  who  were  most  intimate  with  him  a 
doubt  as  to  his  absolute  soundness  on  all  matters  of 


MELANESIA— SUGGESTIONS  OF  BISHOPRIC     69 

belief.     Thus  a  very  close  friend  in  writing  a  descrip 
tion  of  him  after  his  death  said  : 

"  His  views  were  rather  broader  than  mine,  and  (I  used  to 
think)  not  thoroughly  sound  upon  some  points.  He  was  so 
full  of  the  love  of  God  that  I  do  not  think  he  quite  saw  the 
necessity  of  dwelling  so  much  as  some  of  us  do  upon  the 
severity  of  God  as  essential  to  preserve  the  balance  of  the 
attributes  set  forth  in  Holy  Scripture.1'1 

There  is,  however,  110  trace  in  the  course  of  a  vast 
correspondence,  much  of  it  of  a  most  intimate  nature 
and  relating  to  spiritual  affairs,  of  anything  more 
than  a  wish,  natural  to  a  frank  and  simple  mind,  to 
satisfy  himself  so  far  as  possible  of  the  truth  of  what 
he  held.  In  the  middle  of  all  his  work  he  never 
failed  to  find  time  for  reading,  and  studied  many  theo 
logical  books,  sermons,  Bampton  Lectures,  &c.  &c., 
which  were  sent  out  to  him  by  friends  in  England. 
At  the  same  time  there  is  a  touching  extract  from  a 
letter  to  his  mother  which  suggests  that  she  too  had 
some  fears  of  this  kind  :  he  writes  from  Norfolk 
Island  in  1883: 

"  And  now,  mother,  you  see  that  I  am  always 
ready  to  follow  your  advice,  so  please  never  hesitate 
to  give  it  me.  I  may  be  a  Bishop  in  the  Church  of 
God,  and  as  such  have  to  advise  and  direct  others, 
but  to  you  I  am  your  son,  and  nothing  can  abrogate 
that  highest  of  relationships.  Please  do  not  fancy 
that  I  am  going  to  drift  away  at  all  seriously  from 


70  BISHOP  JOHN  SELWYN 

anything  you  hold.  I  thank  God  that  every  day 
the  light  seems  clearer  and  clearer  as  to  the  utter 
impossibility  of  believing  anything  else  than  the 
awful  majesty  of  God,  and  the  union  with  Him 
which  He  has  made  for  us  in  His  Son.  I  may 
hesitate  here  and  there  as  to  the  evidence  for  this 
or  that,  but  it  is  a  hesitation  which  springs  from  an 
absolute  faith  in  God  in  Christ  manifesting  His 
love  to  the  world,  and  often  arises  because  it  cannot 
quite  reconcile  this  or  that  doctrine  with  the  great 
fundamental  truth.  But  anything  like  infidelity  or 
agnosticism,  which  so  troubles  men  of  my  age  and 
standing  nowadays,  seems  to  me,  thank  God  (I  say 
it  most  humbly  and  unboastingly),  as  a  thing  on 
which  my  mind  is  firmly  settled  and  made  up ;  and 
this  not  by  any  shutting  of  my  eyes  to  their  argu 
ments,  but  by  a  perfect  concord  and  agreement  of 
my  reason  with  my  faith.  Dear  mother,  I  have 
written  this  for  your  sake,  as  I  sometimes  think  that 
what  I  say  troubles  you  a  little.  You  will  feel  why 
I  write  it,  not  because  I  think  I  stand,  or  that  I  am 
not  conscious  of  utter  shortcoming,  but  because  I 
feel  more  and  more  the  rest  of  such  a  faith,  and 
more  and  more  thank  God  for  it.  And  with  this 
comes  a  greater  acquiescence  in  my  work,  as  I  realise 
more  and  more  what  God  is  to  me,  and  therefore 
what  He  can  be  to  those  to  whom  I  am  sent." 


CHAPTER    VI 

NORFOLK  ISLAND 

THE  work  of  the  Melanesian  Mission  was  twofold. 
The  Southern  Cross  (the  Mission  ship)  made  several 
voyages  each  year  to  the  various  Islands,  those  who 
sailed  in  her  being  left  for  shorter  or  longer  periods 
at  different  places  to  start  or  encourage  schools,  and 
to  help  such  native  teachers  as  were  working  among 
their  own  people.  On  her  return  journeys  the  ship 
brought  as  many  boys  as  possible  to  be  trained  at 
St.  Barnabas'  School  on  Norfolk  Island.  The  other 
part  of  the  work  of  the  Mission  was  mainly  with 
this  school,  though  there  was  always  a  certain 
amount  of  extra  labour  incurred  in  ministering  to 
the  Norfolk  Islanders  at  the  town,  who  seldom  seem 
to  have  been  provided  with  proper  clerical  super 
vision  of  their  own. 

Sometimes,  then,  John  Selwyn  found  himself 
voyaging  about  the  Islands,  and  sometimes  working 
at  the  school  and  enjoying  domestic  life  with  his 
wife  and  children.  His  letters  home  to  England 


72  BISHOP  JOHN  SELWYN 

never  fai]  to  picture  the  progress  of  his  two  little 
girls  "Pearlie"  and  "  Rebie,"  and  afterwards  of  his 
boy  "  Stephie,"  born  in  1875,  and  named  after 
Stephen  Fremantle,  a  dear  Eton  friend  whose  early 
death  was  a  great  grief. 

"  I  am  very  full,"  he  wrote,  "  of  the  loss  of  my 
dear  friend,  Stephie  Fremantle.  He  was  such  a 
grand  fellow,  so  simple  and  straightforward,  and 
with  such  a  power  of  work  in  him  and  influence  for 
good." 

And  again  : 

'  You  may  imagine  my  sorrow  on  the  abrupt 
announcement  of  dear  old  Stephie  Fremantle's  death. 
Still,  one  could  not  and  does  not  feel  very  sorry. 
Long  separation  such  as  ours  takes  off  a  great  deal 
of  the  bitterness  of  death,  and  I  think  brings  out  all 
the  more  strongly  the  bright  recollections  of  past 
life.  This  certainly  is  the  case  with  Stephie's 
memory.  The  old  days  at  Eton  come  crowding 
back,  and  I  can  see  the  fives'  walls  where  he  and 
Johnny  Waller  and  I  used  to  be  such  allies,  and  the 
place  where  he  once  made  a  cut  for  five,  and,  above 
all,  the  little  captain's  room  at  my  dame's  where  he 
used  to  read  so  hard,  and  I  used  to  come  in  for  half 
an  hour's  chat  before  going  to  bed.  And  above  all 
I  remember  him  reading  prayers  at  my  dame's,  and 
setting  us  all  such  a  bright,  good  example." 


NORFOLK  ISLAND  73 

But  to  return  to  the  domestic  life  at  Norfolk 
Island.  His  delight  in  his  children  was  unbounded. 
Here  are  some  descriptions  of  their  ways  which  he 
sent  to  his  mother  : 

"  Pearlie  has  one  very  quaint  custom,  which  is  to 
say  two  graces  at  meals.  The  first  is  long  and 
orthodox,  the  second  is  in  Mota,  and  consists  of  two 
words,  '  Taltoa,  Amen,'  which  means  '  Hen's  egg, 
Amen.'  Where  she  got  this  from  nobody  knows, 
or  what  it  means  either,  but  she  is  not  satisfied  till 
she  has  said  it." 

"  Pearlie  chatters  in  the  most  delightful  way, 
half  Mota  and  half  English,  though  she  understands 
both  equally  well,  and  is  always  ready  to  translate 
one  into  the  other.  Some  of  these  translations  are 
very  funny.  For  instance  the  [native]  girls  call 
Clara  '  Clara  '  and  me  '  John  Selwyn,'  and  if  you  ask 
Pearlie  what  is  the  Mota  for  mamma  and  papa  she 
always  says  '  Clara '  and  '  John  Selwyn,'  and  then 
shouts  with  delight." 

On  August  5,  1875,  he  is  able  to  write  and  tell 
his  mother  of  the  birth  of  his  first  son.  The  pleasure 
of  the  baby's  arrival  was  a  little  marred  by  the 
prospect  of  losing  his  other  children,  for  it  had  been 
arranged  that  as  soon  as  she  was  able  to  do  so  their 
mother  should  take  them  (or  at  all  events  the  eldest 
one)  to  England  to  live  for  a  time  with  their  grand 
parents  at  Lichfield. 


74  BISHOP  JOHN  SELWYN 

"NORFOLK  ISLAND,  Aug.  5,  1875. 

"MY  DEAREST  MOTHER, 

"  Clara  has  got  the  wish  of  her  heart — a 
boy.  .  .  .  Well,  my  family  increases  fast,  and  I 
shall  soon  be  like  the  old  woman  who  lived  in  a 
shoe.  However,  rooms  are  easily  added  to  a  wooden 
house,  and  if  Pearlie  goes  home  we  shall  be  reduced 
to  our  normal  state  of  two.  It  is  hard  work  to  think 
of  giving  up  the  child,  but  I  like  to  think  of  my 
daughter  profiting  by  that  influence  which  I  know 
so  well,  but  have  not  followed  half  enough.  I  like 
to  think  of  her  sitting  by  your  knee,  and  hearing 
those  stories  I  know  so  well,  and  above  all  being 
ruled  by  that  loving  will  which  is  so  much  more 
strong  and  so  much  less  fiery  than  mine.  .  .  .  Clara 
wants  the  boy  to  be  called  John,  but  I  rather  object: 
but  she  will  have  her  way,  I  take  it.  Good-night, 

mother. 

"  Your  loving  son, 

"J.  R.  SELWYN." 

The  domestic  life  of  the  Selwyns  on  Norfolk 
Island  must  have  been  to  some  extent  spoilt  by  the 
presence  in  their  house  of  a  number  of  native  girls 
who  lived  with  them.  The  boys  lived  in  the  school, 
but  the  girls  were  boarded  at  the  various  married 
people's  houses.  These  girls  were  many  of  them 
betrothed  to  the  boys  in  early  days  before  they  were 


NORFOLK  ISLAND  75 

brought  to  the  island,  and  it  was  found  far  better 
when  possible  to  bring  them  also,  because  it  was 
thus  easier  to  get  the  boys,  and  also  there  was  a 
better  chance  of  their  remaining  Christians  when 
both  husband  and  wife  had  been  trained  at  the 
Mission.  The  affection  shown  by  these  girls  to  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Selwyn  comes  out  in  many  letters  from 
the  future  Bishop  to  his  mother,  and  must  have 
been  a  full  recompense  for  all  the  care  and  love  so 
ungrudgingly  given. 

In  1875  measles  attacked  the  school,  and  almost 
every  boy  was  down  with  the  disease.  In  their 
native  islands  very  little  was  ever  done  to  help  a 
sick  man ;  in  fact,  he  was  usually  taken  to  a  small 
hut  away  from  his  own  home  and  left  to  take  his 
chance.  It  must  have  been  a  surprise  to  these  boys 
to  find  how  tenderly  they  were  nursed.  Writing  to 
his  mother  on  October  30,  1875,  John  Selwyn  says  : 

"  Every  night  we  used  to  make  a  great  jorum  of 
arrowroot,  and  then  I  used  to  sally  forth  with  a 
lantern,  and  do  the  rounds.  One  had  to  unearth 
figures  in  all  sorts  of  shapes  and  contortions,  rolled 
in  blankets,  feel  their  pulses,  look  at  their  tongues, 
and  cheer  them  up  as  well  as  one  could." 

This  is  all  of  a  piece  with  the  love  of  nursing 
and  sympathy  with  suffering  which  was  one  of  the 
features  of  his  self-sacrificing  life.  It  was  no  doubt 


76  BISHOP  JOHN  SELWYN 

prompted  also  by  his  affection  for  the  boys,  of  which 
he  writes  often.  Thus,  when  a  very  heavy  trouble 
had  fallen  on  the  Mission  work  in  Florida,  he  wrote: 

"  I  know  my  own  love  for  the  boys  has  doubled 
since  it  [the  scandal]  came  out,  and  the  sort  of 
feeling  came  over  me  that  I  used  to  have  at  Wolver- 
hampton  in  a  difficulty  there  of  an  awful  sense  of 
God's  presence,  and  yet  a  confiding  trust  in  His 
help." 

But  it  was  not  all  easy  to  him.  It  was  no  doubt 
delightful  on  Sunday  evenings  to  sit  and  watch  the 
native  girls  gathered  round  his  wife  and  singing  in 
Mota  "  Art  thou  weary,"  and  pleasant  enough  to 
teach  the  boys  to  row,  or  see  them  start  out  with 
their  food  in  a  bundle  for  a  long  day's  pleasure  on 
Saturdays,  which  were  (after  the  Eton  plan)  whole 
holidays.  But  sometimes  a  feeling  of  weariness  and 
a  sort  of  despair  took  hold  of  him  even  in  the  begin 
ning  of  his  mission  life ;  on  November  14,  1874,  he 
wrote  to  his  mother  : 

"  One  wants  to  have  a  touch  of  Arnold's  spirit, 
and  teach  them  what  true  responsibility  is.  But 
how  ?  One  is  never  sure  of  anything  being  done, 
and  never  sure  that  anybody  sees  that  anything 
wants  to  be  done.  Well,  it  all  comes  to  this,  that, 
as  Still  says,  one  wants  the  patience  of  ten  Jobs,  and 


NORFOLK  ISLAND  77 

I  haven't  got  it,  and  so  take  gloomy  views  whiles, 
when  it  is  one's  own  fault  five  times  out  of  six." 

On  the  whole,  however,  he  was  hopeful  about  the 
school  work. 

"  I  think  it,"  he  wrote,  "  a  very  remarkable  and  a 
very  blessed  thing  that  a  school  of  two  hundred 
should  have  been  managed  so  long  without  any 
ostensible  punishment.  The  boys  are  on  the  whole 
wonderfully  obedient  and  trustworthy — far  more  so 
than  the  same  number  of  English  boys  would  be." 

Every  now  and  then,  too,  some  special  event  would 
come  to  cheer  him  and  bring  new  hope.  A  boy 
crept  up  to  him  one  night  and  whispered,  "  What 
can  I  do  to  help  the  people  of  my  village  ?  "  This 
proof  that  the  boy  had  learnt  not  only  to  value 
Christianity,  but  was  filled  with  the  Christian 
desire  of  helping  others,  was  a  great  joy  to  John 
Selwyn.  "  One's  heart  lifts  up,"  he  said  when 
describing  it.  Again,  in  the  course  of  a  letter  to  his 
mother,  he  writes  : 

' '  Sometimes  one  has  great  comfort.  One  sees  a 
boy  dying,  as  Simeon  did  the  other  day,  with  calm 
faith,  and,  I  believe,  a  sincere  repentance,  and  the 
hope  that  springs  from  such  a  death  is  very  great. 
I  often  have  the  calm,  peaceful  face  of  the  boy,  as  he 


78  BISHOP  JOHN  SELWYN 

lay  in  our  room  with  his  hand  on  his  head  as  if 
asleep,  in  my  mind,  and,  if  one  can  only  send  one  or 
two  such  as  he  before  one,  one  won't  have  lived  in 
vain." 

It  must  not  be  forgotten  that,  besides  all  the  work 
of  the  Mission,  Selwyn  had  while  at  Norfolk  Island 
to  study  hard  at  the  new  language.  The  difficulty 
of  this  was  in  his  case  increased  by  his  lack  of  ear. 
When  lecturing  at  Cambridge  long  afterwards  he 
said  : 

"  Let  us  take  language  ;  and  by  that  I  do  not 
mean  philology,  though  the  more  you  know  of  that 
the  better,  but  the  art  of  acquiring  and  distin 
guishing  uncouth  sounds.  I  speak  feelingly,  as  my 
ear  was  my  bane  all  through  my  missionary  life.  I 
have  lived  as  much  as  most  people  on  islands  where 
I  was  pioneer,  where  hardly  a  soul  understood  me, 
and  I  understood  not  one  word.  I  have  preached  a 
sermon  by  means  of  two  small  boys  who  were  far 
too  shy  to  stand  up  before  their  countrymen  in  the 
open,  but  could  just  manage  to  translate  my  words 
if  they  were  allowed  to  hide  under  the  table.  And 
I  will  back  myself  under  such  circumstances  to  pick 
up  a  fair  speaking  vocabulary,  which  will  pass 
muster,  as  soon  as  most  people.  But  there  I  stop, 
I  could  not  hear,  not  even  languages  in  which  I 
catechised  and  preached.  An  unexpected  sentence, 


NORFOLK  ISLAND  79 

though  I  knew  every  word  in  it,  was  a  jumble  of 
sounds." 

So  life  at  St.  Barnabas'  Mission  Station  went  on, 
broken  at  intervals  by  voyages  to  the  islands  of 
which  there  will  be  much  to  say  hereafter.  His 
first  journey  in  the  Mission  ship  was  taken  in  the 
autumn  of  1874,  when  he  stayed  for  a  time  at 
various  places  to  live  with  the  natives,  and  so  get 
on  far  more  intimate  terms  than  would  have  been 
otherwise  possible.  It  was  the  plan  on  which  the 
Melanesian  Mission  worked,  and  in  those  same 
lectures  at  Cambridge  he  describes  it  thus  : 

"  This  brings  me  to  the  method  which  alone 
appears  to  offer  hope  for  the  conversion  of  great 
masses  of  people,  and  which  I  believe  to  be  the  hope 
that  sways  most  missionaries  to-day.  It  is  this  : 
that  the  function  of  the  missionary  is  not  so  much 
himself  to  try  and  convert,  as  to  thoroughly  train 
and  fill  with  his  own  spirit  those  who  shall  convert 
their  own  people.  For  this  ...  we  want  great 
teachers  and  we  want  great  faith.  Great  teachers, 
men,  that  is,  who  feel  the  full  force  of  Christ's 
teaching  in  their  own  souls  and  thus  are  able  to  fill 
others  with  it,  not  only  in  the  letter  but  in  the 
spirit.  Men  who  live  with  their  scholars  as  a  father 
lives  with  his  children,  and  absolutely  fills  them  with 
himself.  .  .  .  You  will  find  a  glorious  example  of 
this  sort  of  work  in  the  life  of  Bishop  Patteson." 


80  BISHOP  JOHN  SELWYN 

In  after  years  he  grew  well  accustomed  to  these 
prolonged  absences,  but  just  at  first  the  time  seemed 
long,  and  there  was  always  a  sense  of  uneasiness  as 
to  those  he  had  left  behind  him.  One  of  the  places 
at  which  he  stayed  on  this  first  journey  was  Ara,  a 
tiny  island  south  of  Motalara.  There  he  received 
letters  from  England  and  from  Norfolk  Island,  his 
delight  in  which  he  describes  in  a  letter  to  his 
mother  : 


,  Sep.  27,  74. 

"  On  the  10th  the  ship  turned  up  at  Mota. 
What  a  pleasant  sight  it  was  to  see  the  gleam  of 
her  sails  through  the  trees,  and  to  know  that  she 
had  letters  and  news  aboard.  It  was  not,  however, 
our  only  news,  as  a  man-of-war  schooner  came  down 
with  an  unexpected  note  from  Clara,  which  was 
delightful. 

"  When  one  had  shipped  and  unshipped  persons 
and  things  at  Mota  and  Ara,  was  it  not  pleasant 
to  lie  on  one's  back  and  feast  on  your  going  to  the 
1  Drawing-room,'  and  Pearlie's  quaint  vocabulary  and 
Clara's  walks  and  talks  with  the  girls,  &c.  &c.  It 
ivas  good  !  Certes,  though  one  has  a  good  deal  of 
separation,  yet  one  gets  a  good  deal  of  concentrated 
enjoyment  out  of  it  all.  ...  I  must  tell  you  how 
delighted  I  was  with  the  bright  happy  tone  in  which 
Clara  wrote.  It  was  such  a  help.  Of  course  I  felt 


NORFOLK  ISLAND  81 

a  little  anxious  as  it  was  our  first  real  separation. 
.  .  .  And  then  she  wrote  me  such  a  bright,  hearty 
letter,  full  of  the  work  she  had  got  to  do,  of  her 
girls  in  the  house,  of  my  class  at  school  which  she 
takes,  of  the  children,  and  of  bright  sympathy  with 
my  work,  no  complaining  about  the  separation,  but 
looking  upon  it  as  our  little  cross  which  makes  the 
months  we  spend  together  all  the  sweeter.  Alto 
gether  I  never  read  a  letter  with  more  thankfulness 
than  I  did  hers." 


CHAPTER  VII 

VARIOUS  INFLUENCES— BISHOP  PATTESON,  ETC. 

BEFORE  going  any  further  with  the  history  of  Bishop 
John  Selwyn's  missionary  work  two  or  three  points 
must  be  mentioned  with  a  view  to  its  proper 
appreciation.  It  is  difficult  to  realise  how  young  he 
was  :  reading  the  serious  letters,  full  of  the  grave 
thoughts  of  an  older  man,  which  he  wrote  to  his 
mother,  finding,  too,  how  universal  was  the  feeling 
that  he  was  to  succeed  Bishop  Patteson,  it  is  hard 
to  remember  that  so  few  years  had  elapsed  since  he 
stroked  the  Cambridge  boat,  or  indeed  since  he  was 
playing  the  "wall"  game  at  Eton.  But  his  youth 
must  be  remembered  in  order  to  understand  the 
difficulties  as  well  as  the  successes  of  his  career. 
The  responsibilities  thrown  upon  him  so  early  in  life 
were  a  heavy  burden,  but  the  physical  strength  and 
the  fire  and  dash  which  belonged  to  his  years  did 
much  to  carry  him  through  many  a  time  of  stress 
and  danger. 

Then  again,  the  climate  in  which  his  work  had  to 


VARIOUS  INFLUENCES— BISHOP  PATTESON     83 

be  carried  on  must  be  borne  in  mind.  This  is,  of 
course,  tropical,  with  very  little  variation  all  the 
year  round.  The  rainy  season  is  the  most  trying 
time,  and  the  interior  of  the  islands  where  the  bush 
is  thickest  is  the  most  deadly  locality.  Near  the 
open  beach  the  climate  is  more  endurable  for 
Europeans,  but  fever  and  ague  are  prevalent  every 
where.  John  Selwyn  suffered  severely  from  these, 
and  it  was  these  that  caused  his  early  death  just  as 
surely  as  if  he  had  fallen  a  victim  to  the  poisoned 
arrows  of  a  savage  foe.  Mr.  Still  relates  as  an 
instance  of  Selwyn's  dogged  determination  that  he 
would  take  his  turn  at  reading  prayers  on  board  the 
Southern  Cross,  while  his  teeth  were  chattering 
loudly  with  an  attack  of  ague. 

One  thing  more  must  be  remembered.  In  all  his 
work  and  the  free  sacrifice  of  himself  that  he  made 
he  was  influenced  by  the  example  of  Bishop  Patte- 
son.  He  seems  to  have  tried  to  follow  closely  in 
his  footsteps.  The  fact  that  the  Bishop  was  also  an 
Etonian  may  have  helped  to  foster  this  devotion. 
He  never  forgot  that  it  was  Bishop  Patteson's  death 
which  inspired  him  to  volunteer.  Thus  he  writes 
to  Mrs.  a  Court-Repington  on  May  5,  1874  : 

"  You  speak  of  some  of  the  passages  in  Bishop 
Patteson's  Life  being  a  sort  of  prophecy  of  my  going 
out.  Did  you  notice  a  letter  to  his  uncle,  Edward 
Coleridge,  in  which  he  says  that  there  must  be  some 


84  BISHOP  JOHN  SELWYN 

young  fellows  rowing  up  to  Surly  that  night 
(June  4)  who  ought  to  be  able  to  help  ?  Curiously 
enough  I  was  rowing  that  evening." 

Again,  to  his  mother  on  September  27,  1874,  he 
says  : 

"  I  have  not  told  you  how  we  remembered  Bishop 
Patteson  last  Sunday  (September  20).  We  were 
nearly  in  the  latitude  of  Santa  Cruz,  though  some 
way  to  the  westward.  It  was  a  bright,  sparkling 
day,  and  when  one  read  the  accounts  in  Miss  Yonge's 
'  Life '  it  came  up  very  vividly  before  one's  eyes. 
How  quickly  the  three  years  have  gone  !  And  yet 
it  seems  a  long  while  ago.  We  had  just  come  back 
from  America  when  we  heard  of  it ;  do  you  re 
member  ?  I  do  quite  well,  and  the  coming  of  the 
first  thought  into  my  mind,  '  Ought  I  to  volunteer  ? ' 
Well,  here  I  am,  and  last  Sunday's  memories 
brought  home  very  forcibly  what  I  have  volunteered 
to  try  and  do.  And  how  one  shrinks  when  one 
thinks  of  it !  But  then  faith  says,  '  Don't  be  a 
coward  or  distrust  the  power  of  God  and  His  work. 
Distrust  yourself,  but  not  Him.'  ' 

He  seemed  to  be  continually  measuring  his  life  by 
that  of  Bishop  Patteson  and  regretting  his  inability, 
as  he  thought,  to  reach  so  high  a  standard. 

"  I  confess,"  he  said,   "  I  do  not  care  for  these 


VARIOUS  INFLUENCES— BISHOP  PATTESON     85 

people  as  Bishop  Patteson  used  to  care  for  them. 
They  often  irk  me,  and  I  get  tired  and  weary.  But, 
thank  God,  I  do  feel  a  desire  to  spread  the  honour 
of  His  name,  and  this  is  such  a  help." 

His  reverence  for  the  memory  of  Bishop  Patteson 
was  a  large  factor  in  his  conduct  of  the  Mission, 
inasmuch  as  it  led  him  to  alter  as  little  as  possible 
the  lines  of  work  which  had  been  laid  down  by  his 
great  predecessor.  So  he  entered  with  enthusiasm 
into  the  twofold  life  ;  happy  in  his  home  and  his 
teaching  in  the  school,  even  happier  (except  for  the 
separation  from  his  wife  and  children)  in  the  sea 
faring  and  adventurous  life  in  the  Southern  Cross 
on  her  voyages  among  the  islands.  His  knowledge 
of  nautical  things  and  of  navigation  stood  him  in 
good  stead,  though  he  was  fortunate  enough  to  have 
the  services  of  a  splendid  captain  who  took  charge 
of  the  Mission  ship.  This  was  Captain  Bongard,  a 
Sussex  man  and  a  marvellous  navigator.  It  is  said 
that  if  he  did  but  catch  sight  of  the  smallest  scrap 
of  an  island  he  always  knew  it  again.  He  was  mate 
of  the  Southern  Cross  in  Bishop  Patteson's  time, 
and  became  captain  afterwards.  He  succeeded  an 
officer  who  had  been  old  and  rather  timid,  and  the 
change  was  greatly  to  the  advantage  of  the  Mission. 
It  is  sometimes  said  that  the  Melanesian  Bishops 
navigated  the  Mission  ship  themselves,  but  such  a 
thing  rarely  occurred,  indeed  never  when  Captain 


86  BISHOP  JOHN  SELWYN 

Bongard  was  on  board.  Few  men  did  so  much  as 
he  in  a  practical  way  for  the  advancement  of  the 
work.  He  grasped  the  scheme  of  the  Mission,  and 
carried  it  out  to  admiration.  He  was  so  fine  a 
seaman  that  Bishop  John  Selwyn  himself  stood  a 
little  bit  in  awe  of  him.  That  he  had  a  vast  respect 
for  him  is  evidenced  by  an  extract  from  a  letter  to 
Mr.  Charles  Bill,  in  which  he  says  : 

"  The  ship  feels  very  odd,  as  I  have  sent  Bongard 
home  to  look  after  the  new  ship.  So  the  mate  is  in 
charge,  and  he  and  I  look  after  the  navigation.  If 
you  come  across  Bongard  ...  he  is  a  first-rate 
fellow,  and  as  good  a  seaman  as  ever  stept." 

John  Selwyn's  delight  in  all  naval  matters  was  a 
great  help  to  him  in  dealing  with  the  officers  and 
men  of  the  various  men-of-war  and  other  vessels 
that  touched  at  the  islands.  He  sometimes,  how 
ever,  felt  that  too  much  of  his  interest  was  taken  up 
in  such  things.  Writing  to  his  mother  from  the 
Southern  Cross  "  at  sea,"  he  says  : 

"  If  I  only  knew  things  worth  knowing  as  well  as 
I  know  the  ins  and  outs  of  half  a  dozen  different 
professions,  battles,  &c.,  I  should  do.  The  other 
day  a  young  lieutenant  told  me  that  by  my  talk  on 
naval  matters  lit*  would  think  I  was  one  of  her 
Majesty's  officers.  I  felt  humiliated,  but  I  can't 
help  it.  .1  read  a  thing  and  it  sticks.  Now  I  must 


VARIOUS  INFLUENCES— BISHOP  PATTESON     87 

go  and  take  a  sight,  and  see  whether  we  have  done 
twenty  miles  this  twenty-four  hours." 

His  great  friend,  Mr.  Bill,  writes  of  him  that  it  is 
a  curious  speculation  to  consider  which  of  all  pro 
fessions  would  have  suited  him  best,  and  surmises 
that  in  the  Army  or  the  Navy  or  at  the  Bar  he 
would  have  risen  to  considerable  eminence.  It  is 
interesting  to  find  him  wondering  how  far  such 
subjects  interfere  with  the  profession  to  which  he 
had  given  himself.  The  following  striking  letter 
bears  upon  this  : 

To  his  MOTHER. 

"  Easter  Day,  1875,  NORFOLK  ISLAND. 

"...  How  one  felt  the  truth  of  the  story  of 
God's  love  to  man  when  I  was  trying  to  bring  the 
message  of  peace  to  bear  on  this  matter.  That 
message  always  is  real,  but  it  is  when  you  bring  it 
into  direct  antagonism  with  some  heathen  custom 
that  one  sees  how  very  real  it  is.  And  yet  how 
little  does  one  realise  it  oneself.  Here  have  I  been 
spending  a  couple  of  hours  this  morning  devouring  a 
volume  of  Alison  on  the  last  campaign  of  Napoleon 
before  the  battle  of  Leipsic.  And  he  was  the 
greatest  master  of  the  opposite  doctrine  that  the 
world  ever  saw.  And  yet  I  have  been  admiring 
him.  Of  course  one  says  that  one  is  only  admiring 


88  BISHOP  JOHN  SELWYN 

the  pluck  and  science  and  energy  in  that  wonderful 
man.  And  yet  I  am  not  sure.  I  am  not  at  all  sure 
that  there  is  such  an  exact  balance  in  one's  mind 
between  the  right  and  the  wrong  as  there  ought 
to  be.  How  many  would  refuse  the  name  he  won, 
if  it  were  all  clearly  put  before  them,  if  they  had 
to  purchase  it  with  the  meanness,  rapacity,  and 
unscrupulousness  which  he  displayed,  and  with  all 
the  loss  of  life  which  he  so  unhesitatingly  induced  ? 
Not  many  :  no,  not  even  if  they  had  St.  Helena  put 
into  the  opposite  scale.  ...  I  have  learnt  a  lesson 
or  two  from  it.  How  carelessly  one  reads  of  ten 
thousand  men  being  killed  or  wounded,  of  men 
working  under  the  fire  of  a  hundred  pieces  of 
artillery,  just  as  if  it  were  a  mere  matter  of  course 
for  a  soldier  to  expose  himself!  While  I  sometimes 
think  of  a  very  trifling  risk  to  be  incurred  at  this  or 
that  island.  Or  again,  I  read  this  morning  of 
Napoleon  meeting  the  remains  of  the  Old  Guard 
after  the  Russian  campaign  on  the  field  of  Lutzen. 
What  for  ?  To  send  them  back  to  rest  at  home  ? 
Never  a  bit :  but  to  wheel  them  round  and  send  them 
back  to  Dresden.  And  I  think  that  I  am  justified 
in  wasting  a  whole  side  of  notepaper  in  describing 
my  quarters  if  I  sleep  on  the  sand  at  Rowo,  or  some 
such  place  !  and  think  five  months  a  very  long  time 
to  be  away  from  Oara !  Well,  they  thought  of 
'  glory.'  Perhaps  I  haven't  got  a  right  idea  yet  of 
*  the  glory  that  is  to  be  revealed.' ' 


VARIOUS  INFLUENCES— BISHOP  PATTESON     89 

While  upon  this  subject  it  may  not  be  out  of 
place  to  mention  that  later  on,  when  he  had  been 
consecrated,  one  of  his  grand  schemes  was  to  have  a 
ship  of  his  own.  He  even  went  so  far  as  to  start  a 
fund  for  the  purchase  of  a  vessel  to  be  called  the 
Ruth,  presumably  because  she  was  to  go  gleaning 
souls.  One  lady  alone  gave  him  £1000  towards  this 
object,  and  he  would  have  succeeded  in  his  desire  if 
it  had  not  been  for  the  strenuous  opposition  of  his 
friends  in  the  Mission,  who  knew  very  well  that  it 
would  be  fatal.  When  on  the  Southern  Cross  he 
had  to  be  guided  by  the  regularly  arranged  voyages, 
but  it  was  recognised  that  in  a  ship  of  his  own  he 
would  not  be  sufficiently  cautious,  would  have  prob 
ably  anchored  for  days  at  the  mouth  of  some  pesti 
lential  river,  and,  as  one  of  his  advisers  has  said, 
"  would  not  have  lived  a  twelvemonth." 

The  following  extracts  from  letters  prove  how  keen 
he  was  on  the  scheme,  the  first  one  showing  that  the 
idea  had  taken  hold  of  him  even  in  the  early  days 
before  he  became  Bishop. 

To  his  MOTHER. 

"Sept.  15,  1876. 

"  I  wish  I  had  £10,000  to  start  a  small  ship  of  my 
own  to  go  among  the  islands  into  whose  hands  we 
could  play,  whose  agents  we  could  oversee,  and  by 
means  of  which  [ship]  we  could  ensure  the  natives 


90  BISHOP  JOHN  SELWYN 

getting  a  fair  price  for  their  work.  The  old  monas 
teries  won  their  way  by  some  such  action,  and  I  do 
not  think  it  at  all  beneath  the  dignity  of  our  work. 
It  is  a  puzzle,  which  I  see  Bishop  Pattesoii  was 
thinking  about." 

(In  connection  with  this  idea  several  references 
occur  in  Bishop  John  Selwyn's  letters  to  a  project 
for  forming  a  trading  company  in  the  islands.  He 
was  not  able,  however,  to  carry  this  out.) 

To  his  FATHER. 

«MAEWO,  July  1,  1878. 

"  I  am  very  seriously  meditating  turning  my  house 
into  a  small  vessel,  say  something  like  the  Undine, 
in  which  I  can  be  more  my  own  master  than  in  the 
large  one  which  has  to  carry  boys  from  place  to 
place,  and  is  necessarily  much  tied  down  by  this. 
All  these  traders  and  labour  vessels  go  about  in  the 
islands  throughout  the  year  without  much  damage, 
and  I  should  be  able  to  maintain  a  great  deal  of  life 
in  the  schools  by  being  able  to  visit  them  in  January 
and  February,  besides  being  able  to  pop  over  to 
Sydney  or  Queensland  or  Fiji,  if  need  be.  My 
official  income  ought  to  keep  such  a  vessel  going  for 
the  five  months  in  which  the  big  vessel  is  not  down 
here.  But  this  is  all  a  thought  and  may  be  a 
crotchet,  but  I  am  very  anxious  to  spend  as  much 


VARIOUS  INFLUENCES— BISHOP  PATTESON     91 

time  in  the  islands  as  possible,  and  Codrington  is  so 
superlatively  good  in  all  matters  pertaining  to  the 
school  that  I  do  not  feel  that  I  am  much  wanted 
there." 

To  his  MOTHER. 

"BoLi,  April  5,  1882. 

"  This  Mission  teaches  me  the  depth  of  my  father's 
insight,  as  I  see  more  and  more  how  much  more  can 
be  done  by  really  good  native  teachers  than  by 
almost  any  white  man.  What  one  wants  is  to  train 
them  a  little  better  than  we  have  hitherto  done. 
My  plan  for  that  is  a  permanent  head  at  Norfolk 
Island,  leaving  the  Bishop  visitor  there  and  supreme 
in  the  Islands.  [This  could  only  be  worked  by  the 
possession  of  a  ship  of  his  own.]  The  others  do  not 
quite  see  it  in  this  light ;  but  I  do  not  see  how,  as 
the  churches  grow,  a  man  can  be  both,  and  inter 
mittent  headship  is,  like  an  intermittent  spring,  apt 
to  fail  just  when  you  don't  want  it  to." 


CHAPTER  VIII 

HIS  CONSECRATION 

To  return  to  the  early  years  of  his  mission  work,  it 
has  already  been  stated  that  the  nomination  of  the 
Bishop  of  Melanesia  rests  with  the  members  of 
the  Mission,  and  very  soon  after  Selwyn's  arrival 
they  submitted  his  name  to  the  General  Synod  of 
the  Church  in  New  Zealand.  The  whole  matter 
was  by  this  body  postponed  for  three  years  to  his 
great  relief,  as  is  recorded  in  the  following  letter 
to  his  mother  : 

"NORFOLK  ISLAND,  Sept.  1874. 

"  We  have  news  by  this  mail  of  the  General  Synod 
at  Wellington,  though  not  a  soul  has  written  about 
it.  I  can't  tell  you  how  thankful  I  am  about  the 
Bishopric  question.  I  seem  to  breathe  quite  freely 
now,  and  perhaps  by  the  end  of  three  years  some 
body  may  have  turned  up  much  more  fitted  for  the 
post  than  I,  or  at  least  I  shall  have  ample  time  to 
win  my  experience.  Meanwhile  I  am  getting  to 


HIS  CONSECRATION  93 

know  the  physical  part  of  the  business  pretty  well, 
I  think,  and  the  boating  comes  very  natural  and 
handy  to  me.  I  am  not  out  of  the  wood  yet,  but 
hitherto  I  haven't  had  a  touch  of  rheumatism.  I 
feel  as  strong  as  ever  I  did  .  .  .  even  my  old  back 
has  given  up  being  stiff ! " 

In  1875  Mrs.  John  Selwyn  and  her  children  went 
to  England,  and  he  was  left  to  feel  their  loss  acutely, 
though,  as  he  sometimes  said,  it  made  the  depar 
tures  for  island  voyages  much  easier.  The  Bishopric 
question,  though  postponed,  was  never  out  of  his 
mind,  and  he  greatly  missed  the  presence  of  his  wife, 
with  whom  he  could  talk  it  all  over  freely.  He 
wrote  much  to  his  parents  on  the  subject : 

To  his  MOTHER. 

"NORFOLK  ISLAND,  Dec.  13,  75. 

"  What  would  I  not  give  for  one  good  talk  with 
my  father,  though  such  a  question  must  I  think  be 
settled  by  one's  own  conscience.  I  own  I  cannot 
see  any  one  else,  and  on  that  ground  it  seems 
cowardly  to  let  the  Mission  go  on  without  a  working 
head.  But  then  when  that  thought  is  done  it  is 
succeeded  by  such  a  burst  of  one's  own  short 
comings  that  one  is  afraid  lest  the  Mission  should 
take  any  harm  by  my  taking  an  office  for  which  I  am 
so  unfitted.  And  then  sometimes  I  am  conscious  of 


94  BISHOP  JOHN  SELWYN 

a  cowardly  thought,  '  What  if  the  Mission  should 
fail  and  I  get  the  blame  of  it/  but  this  I  drive  away 
as  utterly  unworthy  and  untrustful.  God  has 
guided  me  hitherto,  unworthy  as  I  am,  and  He  will 
guide  me  in  this  also,  but  it  is  a  heavy  trial. 

"  One  has  not  time  to  be  very  dull,  but  I  find  that 
it  is  a  very  different  thing  being  away  from  one's 
wife,  and  having  one's  wife  away  from  home.  In 
the  former  case  one  has  new  scenes  and  a  different 
life,  but  at  home  one  expects  to  see  a  wife  or  chick 
about." 

To  his  FATHER. 

"  SOUTHERN  CROSS  (at  sea), 

"  3  days  out  from  N.  L, 

"Oct.  5,  1875. 

"  Codrington  has  been  pressing  the  question  of  my 
consecration  in  a  letter  which  the  Bishop  [of  Christ- 
church]  received  in  August  '75.  The  Bishop  says  in 
answer,  '  The  chief  difficulty  in  the  way  of  the 
election  of  J.  Selwyn  to  the  Episcopate  is  the 
securing  a  meeting  of  the  General  Synod.  If  that 
could  be  done  I  do  not  see  why  his  consecration  to 
the  office  should  not  immediately  take  place.'  .  .  . 
He  then  says  that  he  will  make  inquiries  as  to  the 
possibility  of  convening  a  meeting  which  shall  have 
due  weight  and  authority  in  the  estimation  of  the 
Church  :  and  goes  on  to  point  out  that  the  General 


HIS  CONSECRATION  95 

Synod  might  meet  very  early  in  1877.  .  .  .  I  mean 
to  write  to  the  Bishop  of  Christchurch  on  my  own 
responsibility  begging  him  to  hold  his  hand  as  far  as 
I  am  concerned.  For,  apart  from  personal  reasons  on 
which  I  will  enter  presently,  this  haste  seems  to  be 
useless  and  dangerous.  Useless,  because  in  no  case 
could  Codrington  get  the  Bishop's  reply  till  about 
the  end  of  the  year,  and  I  do  not  suppose  that  the 
Bishop  would  act  until  he  had  heard  from  him 
again.  How  then  would  it  be  possible  for  me  to  be 
elected,  consecrated,  and  get  off  with  the  ship  in 
April  ?  and  if  it  is  deferred  till  October,  no  great 
harm  can  be  done  in  waiting  till  February  1877. 
And  it  would  be  dangerous,  for  the  Synod  would 
be  almost  certain  to  think  that  I  was  crammed  down 
their  throats,  especially  after  their  former  action, 
and  would  probably  resent  it  accordingly.  I  cannot 
see  therefore  that  any  good  would  come  from  this 
haste,  and  I  think  an  indefinite  amount  of  harm 
might  arise. 

"  But  all  this  is  apart  from  what  is  with  me  the 
main  reason  :  namely,  a  growing  sense  of  unfitness 
for  the  office.  I  do  not  mean  unfitness  in  the  sense 
in  which  we  talk  of  unfitness,  or  rather  unworthi- 
ness,  for  the  Holy  Communion ;  of  that  any  one  must 
needs  have  an  overwhelming  sense  while  at  the 
same  time  he  may  be  conscious  of  powers  within  him 
which  by  God's  grace  may  enable  him  to  do  his 
work.  But  I  am  conscious  of  no  such  powers.  Day 


96  BISHOP  JOHN  SELWYN 

by  day  I  feel  my  own  deficiencies  more  and  more 
galling.  I  have  no  memory  for  languages,  and  but 
little  application  in  studying  them,  and  I  am  utterly 
deficient  in  the  very  important  power  of  remember 
ing  people's  names.  Besides  this,  until  this  last  year 
I  have  felt  myself  utterly  unable  to  gain  any  hold 
on  the  boys.  Certainly  during  and  since  the 
measles  I  have  felt  more  power  in  this  way,  and 
consequently  have  never  enjoyed  my  life  so  much  as 
during  these  last  three  months,  hard  work  though 
it  has  been. 

(i  Against  this  the  only  thing  I  can  fairly  put  in  the 
balance  is  that  I  am  fond  of  the  ship  and  of  boating, 
that  I  know  nearly  all  the  places  we  go  to  well,  and 
that  there  is  no  one  else  of  our  present  staff  who 
knows  them  so  well,  or  who  is  so  fond  of  that  sort  of 
work  as  I  am.  This  seems  to  point  out  that  I 
should  be  with  the  ship  a  good  deal,  but  I  think  that 
if  I  had  a  station  at  some  northern  island  such  as 
Florida  I  might  do  this  and  let  the  vessel  return 
without  me.  Then  with  Bice  at  Leper's  Island, 
Palmer  in  the  Banks  group,  Still  at  Bauro,  Penny  at 
Florida,  and  myself  further  north,  while  the  future 
Bishop  went  about  in  the  vessel,  we  should  do  very 
well.  Surely  there  is  some  one  more  capable  than 
any  man  we  have  yet. 

"  I  wish,  how  I  wish,  I  could  have  one  good  walk 
with  you  to  talk  it  all  over  !  And  the  first  thing  I 
would  tell  you  would  be  my  sorrow  for  opportunities 


HIS  CONSECRATION  97 

missed.  What  would  I  not  give  for  your  habits  of 
application,  and  for  the  learning  which  your  care 
provided  for  me,  but  my  thoughtlessness  threw 
aside.  I  am  always  seeking  it  now,  but  the  evil 
habit  of  desultoriness  fights  sadly  against  it,  and 
the  actual  school  and  farm  life  at  Norfolk  Island 
has  left  little  time  for  anything  else." 

The  absence  of  wife  and  children  at  this  critical 
time  is  often  referred  to  by  him,  and  the  extracts  on 
this  subject  give  some  of  the  few  glimpses  obtainable 
of  his  home  life  in  Norfolk  Island.  Writing  from 
the  Southern  Cross  off  Mota  he  says  : 

"  I  own  I  don't  like  the  thought  of  the  house 
without  the  two  little  bright  faces,  and  Pearlie 
rushing  into  my  room  to  ask  for  a  pencil  and  paper, 
and  Rebie  strutting  down  the  verandah  to  greet 
one  as  one  came  in  from  work." 

In  a  letter  from  Norfolk  Island  to  a  cousin  he 

writes  : 

"It  is  rather  lonely  here  now  with  neither  wife, 
chick,  nor  child.  It  is  not  half  so  bad  being  away 
oneself,  but  it  does  not  seem  at  all  in  the  nature  of 
things  that  one's  wife  should  be  away.  The  room 
and  house  are  full  of  shadows,  and  one  expects  to 
hear  the  little  feet  or  the  familiar  voice,  and  so  one 
gets  unked  occasionally.  .  .  . 

G 


98  BISHOP  JOHN  SELWYN 

"  Not  that  my  girls  [the  native  girls]  don't  take 
the  most  excellent  care  of  me,  and  the  house  is  in 
apple-pie  order.  I  have  told  them  off  into  different 
sets,  and  they  take  it  in  turn  to  do  different  work. 
One,  a  most  staid  old  maid,  is  housekeeper,  and  she 
looks  after  me  in  the  most  maternal  way,  mends  my 
socks,  sorts  my  clean  clothes,  &c.  The  smallest  of 
all  is  flower-gatherer,  and  she  keeps  my  rooms 
radiant.  At  the  end  of  my  little  den  I  have  three 
photographs  of  Clara,  Pearlie,  and  Rebie  in  glass, 
and  the  other  day  the  child  of  her  own  notion 
decorated  them  with  flowers,  and  never  misses  now. 
Is  it  not  a  pretty  thought  ?  " 

One  of  the  chief  sacrifices  to  a  man  of  John 
Selwyn's  bright  sociable  disposition  must  have  been 
the  isolation  and  narrowness  of  the  life  on  Norfolk 
Island,  and  the  rare  chances  of  communication  with 
the  outer  world  where  he  had  so  many  interests 
and  so  many  friends.  He  was  still  a  very  young 
married  man,  and  this  isolation  must  have  been  far 
more  keenly  felt  when  his  dear  ones  were  away  in 
England.  It  is  not  then  surprising  to  find  his 
thoughts  turning  towards  home.  It  was  pretty 
certain  that  his  consecration  would  not  be  much 
longer  delayed,  and  it  was  natural  that  there  should 
have  sprung  up  in  him  a  strong  desire  for  the  event 
to  take  place  in  England.  It  would  have  combined 
so  much ;  he  would  have  had  all  his  best  loved  with 


HIS  CONSECRATION  99 

him,  and  the  consecrating  hands  laid  upon  his  head 
would  have  been  those  of  his  father. 


To  his  MOTHER. 

"  NORFOLK  ISLAND,  March  8,  1876. 

"And  now  for  the  great  question  as  to  my  coming 
home.  I  wonder  what  you  will  say  about  it  all. 
It  seems  too  good  a  thought  ever  to  come  true, 
especially  as  I  can  carry  it  out  with  such  a  clear 
conscience  as  to  the  not  running  away  from  work. 
Fancy  walking  in  the  day  before  the  Epiphany  to 
sit  in  the  Cathedral  [Lichfield]  again  with  you  and 
Clara  and  listen  to  my  father,  and  show  the  glories 
o  f  the  windows  to  Pearlie.  L'homme  propose  and 
God  will  dispose  as  He  pleases." 

To  the  SAME. 

"  PORT  PATTESON,  May  4>}  1876. 

"  Eight  weeks  more  and  I  shall  know  my  fate. 
Am  I  to  come  home  or  not  ?  Father,  mother,  wife, 
arid  children,  to  come  home  to  all !  Surely  never 
man  had  much  greater  hope  than  that.  I  don't  like 
to  dwell  on  it  with  all  the  changes  and  chances  of  this 
mortal  life  in  between,  but  it  bubbles  up  sometimes." 

John  Selwyn  had  one  unusual  custom  in  the 
matter  of  letter- writing.  Most  people  write  to  their 


100  BISHOP  JOHN  SELWYN 

relations  and  friends  so  that  the  letter  may  arrive 
on  the  anniversary  of  a  birthday  or  other  occasion. 
Mails  were  so  exceedingly  irregular  in  Melanesia 
that  he  reversed  the  process  and  wrote  his  letter  on 
the  special  day  to  be  observed.  Thus  he  invariably 
wrote  on  his  own  and  his  mother's  birthdays  and 
on  the  anniversaries  of  the  death  of  those  whom  he 
had  loved,  &c.  Here  is  an  example  of  this  kind  of 
letter,  written  on  his  own  birthday  in  1876  when 
his  thoughts  were  full  of  his  coming  consecration  : 

To  his  MOTHER. 

"  SOUTHERN  CROSS  (at  sea),  OFF  WANO, 
"May  20,  1876. 

"  Thirty-two  years,  mother  !  I  wonder  what  you 
would  have  said  to  some  fairy  at  the  Waimate,  who 
told  you  that  in  that  time  the  child  you  kissed 
would  be  knocking  about  the  Pacific,  and  that  you 
would  be  spending  your  old  age  in  a  Bishop's  Palace 
in  England.  This  birthday  seems  a  very  solemn 
one  to  me,  though  it  is  hard  enough  to  realise  it 
when  one  is  spending  most  of  the  day  buying  combs 
for  my  boys  at  Norfolk  Island  with  bits  of  tobacco. 
And  yet  it  tells  me  that  before  I  am  thirty-three  I 
shall  probably  be  here  again  as  Bishop.  .  .  . 

"  I  am  going  to  keep  the  middle  watch  for  our 
Captain,  who  was  up  all  last  night,  so  I  must  go  to 
bed  now. 


HIS  CONSECRATION  101 

"It  is  an  overwhelming  thought  sometimes,  'How 
can  I  get  a  real  hold  on  these  people  ? '  and  some 
times  the  sight  of  the  ship  so  well  appointed,  which 
has  been  provided  by  the  liberality  of  friends  at 
home  and  which  is  here  at  one's  absolute  disposal, 
almost  makes  rne  hate  her.  I  suppose  one  ought  to 
feel  the  same  in  a  large  parish  in  England  with 
clubs  and  schools  and  influence  ready  to  one's  hand  : 
but  I  think  this  is  worse.  And  then  the  worst  of 
all  is  that  people  at  home  will  think  of  one  as  so 
good,  and  write  about  noble  work  and  self-sacrificing 
labour  and  all  that  sort  of  nonsense,  till  one  is  ready 
to  sink  with  shame.  Still  and  I  think  this  is  the 
worst  part  of  all." 

Just  at  this  time  the  question  of  his  visit  to 
England  was  settled,  and  he  had  to  make  up  his 
mind  to  a  great  disappointment.  It  was  not 
thought  wise,  for  reasons  stated  in  the  following 
letter,  that  he  should  go.  Nothing  is  more  note 
worthy  than  the  brave  and  uncomplaining  way  in 
which  he  received  the  decision ;  it  was  just  one  thing 
more  to  be  ungrudgingly  offered  : 

To  his  FATHER. 

"  S.  CROSS  (at  sea},  NEW  HEBRIDES, 
"July  10,  1876. 

"  The  Bishop  of  Christchurch  states  very  fairly 


102  BISHOP  JOHN  SELWYN 

and  kindly  all  the  objections  to  the  course  proposed, 
all  of  which  I  think  I  mentioned  in  my  letter  to 
him.  I  did  not  and  do  not  think  that  any  of  them 
are  insuperable  save  that  of  the  great  doubt  as  to 
the  interpretation  which  the  General  Synod  might 
put  on  my  going.  He  thinks  that  many  would  say 
that  I  counted  on  the  certainty  of  their  confirmation 
and  would  assert  their  independence  accordingly. 
This,  of  course,  quite  settled  the  matter,  as  nothing 
would  give  one  greater  pain  than  to  have  the 
shadow  of  a  doubt  thrown  on  one's  motives ;  albeit 
they  little  know  how  I  shrink  from  the  honour 
which  they  would  suppose  me  to  covet. 

"  And  so  my  visit  to  England  falls  to  the  ground. 
I  can't  say  I  am  not  sorry,  as  I  am  very  sorry  to 
think  that  I  shall  not  be  able  to  have  one  good  talk 
with  you  about  many  matters  which  now  press 
heavily  on  us.  But  I  am  not  disappointed  as  I 
never  built  for  one  instant  on  the  thought.  I  was 
almost  certain  that  the  Bishop  of  Christchurch 
would  say  what  he  has  said,  and  I  have  been  all 
along  prepared  to  acquiesce  in  his  saying  it 
thoroughly  and  heartily.  We  shall  not  be  the  less 
together  in  heart  and  soul  because  we  are  absent  in 
body,  and  though  I  may  not  feel  your  hands  on  my 
head  once  again  I  shall  know  that  our  prayers  are 
meeting  before  the  Throne  of  Grace." 

Meanwhile  many  doubts  as  to  his  fitness  for  the 


HIS  CONSECRATION  103 

office  of  a  Bishop  not  unnaturally  crowded  into  his 
mind.  The  chief  of  these  seems  to  have  been  the 
difficulty  of  preventing  the  secular  part  of  his  work 
from  swamping  the  more  spiritual.  To  his  mother 
he  writes  : 

"  What  tries  one  is  the  amount  of  utterly  secular 
work  which  of  its  very  nature  makes  one  secular.  I 
fight  against  it,  but  it  is  very  hard  to  look  upwards 
through  yards  of  calico  !  " 

To  his  FATHER. 

"  SOUTHERN  CROSS  (at  anchor),  MAEWO, 

June  11,1876      { 
[ 


"  It  seems  to  me  that  we  shall  have  to  have  three 
voyages  always.  Our  numbers  are  so  large  that  the 
ship  is  very  crowded  going  down,  and  three  voyages 
would  relieve  her  very  much,  and  also  I  think  allow 
of  the  work  being  better  done.  This  means  seven 
months  at  sea  for  me,  part  of  the  cost  which  has  to 
be  counted.  Perhaps  some  day  or  other  Clara  will 
be  able  to  go  with  me  a  bit,  as  mother  sometimes 
used  to  go  with  you,  but  I  don't  know  at  present. 

"  I  have  been  reading  to-night  that  sublime  ex 
hortation  to  the  priests  which  probably  you  are 
reading  at  this  very  moment.  I  think  one  wants  it 


104  BISHOP  JOHN  SELWYN 

here  more  than  in  the  midst  of  the  shoe  clubs  and 
school  accounts  of  parish  life  in  England.  Here  it 
is  so  easy  to  be  a  sailor  and  a  boatman,  and  a 
tramper  through  villages,  and  a  sleeper  on  hardish 
beds,  and  all  the  rest  of  it,  which  in  the  world's  eyes 
make  the  sort  of  martyrdom  of  missionary  life,  and 
which  in  reality  are  nothing  at  all ;  and  it  is  so 
hard  to  invest  all  these  with  the  glow  of  the  inner 
life  which  must  have  warmed  St.  Paul  in  his 
'journeyings  often,'  or  in  his  daily  handicraft. 
Language,  or  rather  the  want  of  it,  has  much  to  do 
with  this,  and  I  am  lazy  and  idle  at  that  which 
ought  to  be  the  main  object  of  my  life.  And  I  feel 
painfully  conscious  of  an  unreadiness  to  attract  the 
native  mind,  that  is  to  put  my  mind  alongside  his 
mind,  as  Dr.  Johnson  would  say.  ...  I  need  not 
tell  you  what  a  comfort  it  is  to  me  to  be  able  to 
write  to  you  as  I  feel  I  can  now,  leaning  on  your 
perfect  sympathy  and  love." 

To  his  MOTHER. 

"S.  CROSS,  OFF  MOTA,  Sept.  2,  1876. 

"  I  know  how  the  little  worries  and  manifold  cares 
of  your  daily  life  must  require  this  sense  of  nearness 
to  God  to  sweeten  and  spiritualise  them.  And  indeed 
I  can  sympathise  with  you  with  all  my  heart,  as  our 
life  is  one  of  so  much  bustle  and  hard  physical  work 
that  it  is  very,  very  difficult  to  get  up  the  spirituality 


HIS  CONSECRATION  105 

which  must  be  at  the  bottom  of  it  all.  Take  to-day, 
for  instance,  we  have  been  taking  off  the  Ara  folks 
in  a  heavy  sea,  and  they  have  brought  no  end  of 
traps  which  they  ought  not  to  bring,  and  one  had  to 
think  of  the  boat  alongside,  and  of  our  twelve 
passengers  who  had  to  be  got  safely  up  the  ladder. 
And  there  were  things  to  be  divided  on  shore,  arid 
unpleasant  stories  coming  out  at  the  last  moment. 
Altogether  it  is  very  hard  to  think  that  all  this  is 
means  to  an  end,  and  that  end  the  winning  souls  to 
the  kingdom  of  God.  I  don't  say  this  complain- 
ingly,  but  only  as  a  fact ;  and  a  fact  which  joins  me 
to  you  in  the  midst  of  your  legs  of  mutton,  and  my 
father  in  the  drudgery  of  his  letters. 

"After  the  Bishopric  question  is  settled  I  don't 
care  what  I  do,  but  we  shall  then  be  fitting  out  and 
I  shall  be  wanted  in  Auckland.  And  that  leads  me 
to  the  great  matter  that  of  course  lies  uppermost  on 
my  mind,  and  does  not  grow  lighter  as  time  goes  on. 

"  Thank  you  very  much  for  your  kind  loving  words. 
I  can  hear  you  saying  them,  and  would  that  I  could 
sit  on  your  sofa  and  say  my  say  again  about  them. 
One  can't  write  the  thoughts  that  throng  one's 
brain  and  trouble  one's  heart.  I  feel  all  that  you 
say  about  God's  calling,  and  if  He  calls  that  He  will 
give  the  grace  which  is  needful.  I  feel  all  this ; 
but  it  is  very  hard  to  get  oneself  to  believe  that  He 
does  call.  All  one's  own  imperfections  stand  out 


106  BISHOP  JOHN  SELWYN 

ten  times  more  vividly  than  before.  And  beyond 
that  all  one's  doubts  and  fears  are  shrinking  from 
the  work  itself,  and  one's  anxieties  as  to  its  future 
are  redoubled  when  one  thinks  that  its  future  move 
ment  will  have  to  come  so  largely  from  oneself ;  and 
then  there  is  no  lack  of  selfish  motives  besides, 
which  are  best  unsaid,  as  they  are  best  driven  away 
when  thought  of.  Well,  all  these  things  make  it 
very  hard  indeed  to  let  that  trust  you  speak  of  take 
full  possession  and  govern  everything  else.  I  can't 
analyse  myself,  but  you  will  understand  what  I 
mean.  I  think  I  shall  be  better  when  I  have  had  a 
good  talk  with  Clara.  There  are  cases  where 
woman's  sympathy,  and  above  all  woman's  faith  and 
love  help  men  more  than  almost  anything  else. 
And  Clara  too  will  be  fresh  from  you  so  that  I  shall 
get  herself  and  you  rolled  in  one." 

Then,  in  a  further  part  of  the  same  letter,  he 
tells  of  another  difficulty  that  beset  him  and  made 
him  inclined  to  shrink  from  any  accession  of  autho 
rity  : 

"  One  is  master  to  a  very  great  extent  now,  and 
the  very  last  thing  that  such  an  office  requires  is 
masterfulness.  There  is  a  quiet  way  of  doing  things 
which  I  see  and  envy  in  others,  and  at  very  rare 
intervals  acquire  myself,  and  then  I  am  surprised  to 
find  out  how  easily  things  go.  With  our  large 


HIS  CONSECRATION  107 

school  there  is  a  great  deal  of  real  orderliness  and 
obedience  necessary ;  and  the  difficulty  is  to  do  this 
without  upsetting  the  sense  of  friendship  which 
binds  us  together,  or  the  self-respect  which  is  not 
too  strong  in  many  of  the  boys.  Boats  are  very 
aggravating  things  in  this  way.  Sails  won't  go  up 
right,  and  fellows  will  always  mistake  one  rope  for 
another,  &c. ,  and  one  hates  oneself,  when  one  comes 
in,  for  not  taking  things  quietly.  Well,  you  can 
guess  it  all,  but  I  like  telling  you  of  it,  as  you  will 
know  one's  struggles.  .  .  .  The  latter  part  of  this 
voyage  I  have  been  rather  poorly  and  lazy.  My 
head  got  wrong  somehow,  and  worried  me  a  good 
deal,  and  I  have  had  a  touch  of  fever  hanging  about." 

As  it  was  found  impossible  for  him  to  go  to  Eng 
land  for  his  consecration  it  became  imperative  that 
Mrs.  John  Selwyn  should  return  at  once  in  order 
that  she  might  be  with  him  when  the  day  came  that 
would  be  fraught  with  so  large  a  measure  of  added 
responsibility  and  solemn  dignity.  He  went  to 
Australia  to  meet  her  and  describes  his  delight  in  a 
letter  to  a  cousin  written  from  Bishopscourt,  Dun- 
edin,  on  January  9,  1877. 

"  You  may  imagine  how  pleasant  it  is  hearing  of 
you  all  from  Clara,  and  still  more  how  pleasant  it  is 
to  have  that  dear  old  living  letter  back  again.  I  had 
to  wait  a  very  long  time  for  her,  but  it  was  worth  the 


108  BISHOP  JOHN  SELWYN 

waiting.  Just  at  the  end  I  went  down  to  Queens- 
cliffe  at  Melbourne  Heads,  and  there  used  to  get  up 
at  3.30  A.M.  lest  the  vessel  should  go  by  in  the  early 
morning.  Four  days  did  I  repeat  this  unparalleled 
devotion,  and  at  last  on  Sunday  morning,  Decem 
ber  19,  there  the  ship  was,  just  coming  in  at  the 
Heads  !  Off  I  scuttled  with  the  health  officer, 
caught  Clara  not  in  the  least  expecting  me,  and  my 
triumph  was  great !  " 

How  little  either  thought  in  the  joy  of  their 
meeting  that  one  short  year  was  all  that  was  left  to 
them  of  their  young  and  happy  life  together  on 
earth ! 

On  their  arrival  in  New  Zealand  they  enjoyed 
nearly  two  months  of  quiet,  in  which  he  might 
prepare  for  his  consecration.  This  he  had  planned 
long  beforehand,  for  in  March  1876  he  says  in  the 
course  of  a  letter  to  his  mother  : 

"  I  am  writing  to  the  Bishop  of  Christchurch 
saying  I  would  rather  not  go  '  starring,'  but,  if  he 
could  find  us  a  quiet  berth  for  a  couple  of  months  or 
so,  I  would  be  very  glad  to  fill  it,  and  thus  get  a 
little  quiet  time." 

This  period  was  of  great  value,  for  not  only 
did  his  mind  become  calm  and  restful  in  the  com 
panionship  of  his  wife  and  in  a  life  free  from  small 


HIS  CONSECRATION  109 

cares  and  worries,  but  he  then  was  able  to  seek  in 
much  prayer  and  meditation  for  that  courage  which 
it  required  to  take  up  the  high  office  of  Missionary 
Bishop.  When  his  age — not  thirty-three — is  con 
sidered,  and  the  characteristics  which  had  marked 
his  life,  it  could  not  be  but  that  now  and  then  he 
trembled  at  what  lay  before  him.  Writing  to  his 
old  friend,  Mr.  Waters,  he  says  : 

"  I  can't  tell  you  how  much  I  shrink  from  it. 
St.  George's  was  nothing  to  this.  It  seems  to 
demand  so  much,  and  I  am  conscious  not  only  of  so 
little,  but  also  of  so  many  drawbacks  in  my  temper 
and  many  other  things.  .  .  .  Those  I  have  most 
reason  to  trust  have  told  me  that  I  ought  to  allow 
my  judgment  to  bow  before  that  of  others,  so  I  am 
going  to  take  the  awful  step,  and  I  know  you  will 
not  forget  me  in  my  anxiety  when  you  approach  the 
Throne  of  Grace."  " 

At  last,  early  in  February  1877,  the  General 
Synod  confirmed  his  nomination  to  the  Bishopric, 
and  the  prospect  of  consecration  became  immediate. 

To  his  MOTHER. 

"  QUEENSTOWN,  Feb.  1,  1 877. 

"  We  got  the  telegrams,  for  they  were  many,  on 
Friday  morning  stating  that  the  General  Synod  had 


110  BISHOP  JOHN  SELWYN 

unanimously  confirmed  our  nomination.  I  was  rather 
surprised,  as  I  did  not  think  the  question  would 
come  on  quite  so  soon.  Dudley  telegraphed  that 
every  one  was  earnest  and  unanimous,  and  this  is 
a  great  comfort.  It  seems  to  make  the  duty  very 
clear,  and  it  is  a  great  thing  to  relieve  one's  mind 
when  there  have  been  so  many  misgivings  as  in  my 
case.  The  Primate  at  first  wanted  to  have  the 
consecration  on  Quinquagesima,  but  I  found  we 
could  not  get  away  in  time,  and  begged  for  the 
next  Sunday. 

"We  have  had  a  very  nice  quiet  time  up  here, 
though  the  weather  has  been  very  bad.  I  can't  say 
I  minded  much,  as,  after  being  all  about  the  colonies, 
a  snug  little  house  with  one's  wife  and  boy  is  very 
pleasant.  There  is  a  delicious  little  church  next 
door,  where  we  have  morning  prayer,  and  where 
Clara  and  I  can  go  in  the  middle  of  the  day." 

Besides  getting  some  rest  and  quiet  parish  work 
at  Queenstown  he  was  delighted  to  find  a  hospital 
hard  by,  where  he  was  able  to  indulge  his  lifelong 
fondness  for  cheering  and  helping  the  sick.  He  says 
of  this  latter  experience  that  it  was  "  very  helpy,"  a 
word  which  he  seems  to  have  coined,  and  which, 
with  another  similar  word,  "resty,"  he  frequently 
used  in  his  letters. 

Like  so  many  other  men  who  have  lived  lives  full 


HIS  CONSECRATION  111 

of  sympathy  and  love  for  others,  he  had  a  keen 
sense  of  humour,  and  delighted  in  good  stories. 
Even  in  the  course  of  a  letter  such  as  the  above,  he 
cannot  resist  telling  one.  He  had  been  on  an  excur 
sion  to  some  mines  and  was  talking  of  the  difficulties 
and  expense  of  transport ;  he  then  says  : 

"  Apropos  of  packing  goods,  Mr.  K  told  me  that 
a  man  ran  away  from  his  wife  on  one  or  two  diggings 
in  Australia  without  success,  and  finally  bolted  over 
here.  The  first  thing  he  saw  when  he  had  settled 
down  was  his  wife  on  a  pack-horse  being  '  packed ' 
up  to  him  at  Is.  per  lb.,  and  she  a  heavy  weight  /" 

His  consecration  was  finally  settled  to  take  place 
at  Nelson  on  Sunday,  February  18.  Even  so  there 
was  hardly  time  for  him  and  Mrs.  Selwyn  to  get 
down  from  Queenstown.  They  arrived  late  on  the 
16th,  and  two  days  afterwards  he  became  one 
of  the  youngest  Bishops  ever  consecrated  in  our 
Church.  Writing  to  Mr.  Charles  Bill  he  alludes 
to  this  : 

"SOUTHERN  CROSS  (at  sea),  Oct.  I,  1877. 

"  Thank  you  for  your  words,  my  dear  old  friend, 
about  my  Bishopric.  You,  who  know  me  so  well, 
will  know  that  it  is  no  seeking  of  mine  that  I  was 
enrolled  among  the  ranks  of  what  Mr.  Alderman 
Macarthur  is  pleased  to  call  *  the  boy  Bishops.' ' 


BISHOP  JOHN  SELWYN 

Subjoined  is  the  letter  which  he  wrote  to  his 
father  on  the  evening  of  the  day,  when  all  was  over, 
and  it  is  followed  by  an  extract  from  a  New  Zealand 
newspaper,  giving  a  report  of  the  touching  sermon 
preached  on  the  occasion  by  Mr.  Dudley,  now  Arch 
deacon,  at  that  time  incumbent  of  the  Church  of  the 
Holy  Sepulchre  in  Auckland. 


To  his  FATHER. 

"NELSON,  February  18,  1877. 

"  MY  DEAR  FATHER, 

"  I  don't  know  what  I  am  to  say  to  you  about 
to-day  except  that  it  is  over,  and  that  I  stand  pledged 
to  carry  on  as  head  the  work  which  you  and  Bishop 
Patteson  began.  We  have  had  a  glorious  day,  and 
bright,  hearty  services.  Owing  to  the  floods  down 
south  we  missed  the  Ringarooma,  which  would  have 
brought  us  up  on  Wednesday,  and  only  managed  by 
dint  of  very  hard  travelling  to  arrive  late  on  Friday 
night.  But  we  were  just  in  time  for  the  closing  of 
the  Synod,  and,  as  they  had  invited  me  to  take  my 
seat,  I  was  able  to  make  a  little  speech  and  thank 
them  for  the  confidence  they  had  shown  to  me. 

«••••• 

Yesterday  it  was  hard  to  be  quiet  as  people  came  to 
call,  but  we  had  a  nice  quiet  evening  together,  and 
time  to  think  and  write  a  bit  of  a  sermon  I  had  to 


HIS  CONSECRATION  113 

preach  to-day.     The  main  service  was  at  11  ;  you 
know  the  church  well,  and  can  imagine  the  surround 
ings.      Everything   was    beautifully    arranged    and 
ordered.     I  sat  just  beneath  the  pulpit,  close  to  the 
steps  of  the  chancel.     Dudley  preached  a  really  ad 
mirable  sermon,  full  of  tender    allusion  to  you  and 
Bishop  Patteson,  and  earnest  words  of  caution  and 
help   to    myself.      The   Bishops   of    Auckland    and 
Dunedin  presented  me,  and  the  Primate  was  most 
kind  and  helpful,  as  indeed  were  they  all.     I  do  not 
think  you  will  want  me  to  analyse  my  feelings,  even 
if  I  could  do  it.     There  are  things  which  one  feels 
but  cannot  describe.     Perhaps  the  greatest  and  most 
comforting  thought  I  had  was  one  of  rest.     It  was 
done.     The  long,  hard  struggle  was    ended    in  my 
accepting  the  post,  and  I  was  being  sent  forth  with 
all  the  power  and  blessing  the  Head  of  the  Church 
could  bestow.     I  had  a  quiet  time  at  the  Communion 
.   .   .  and  I  was  drawn  very  near  you  all.     Perhaps 
you  were  kneeling  then  in  the  chapel  at  Lichfield 
(though  it  would  have  been  very  late),  but  at  any 
rate  we  were  one  in  spirit.     I  like  to  think  of  your 
joy  as    I   hope  it    is,  and    to   pray  for   your   work 
as  one  who  has  just  begun  to  have  part  of  the  load 
laid  on  him  also.     I  have  no  doubt  you  have  sent 
your  blessing  to  me  ;  will  you  and  my  mother  accept 
mine  in  return,  the  blessing  of  a  son  who  is  feeling 
every  day  more  and  more  what  a  debt  he  owes  to  his 
father  and  mother,  and  who  hopes  to  be  stirred  by 

H 


114  BISHOP  JOHN  SELWYN 

their  love  to  follow  the  example  they  have  set  him  ? 
With  Clara's  fondest  love  to  you  both. 
"  Believe  me, 

"  Your  most  loving  and  dutiful  son, 
"J.  R.  SELWYN, 

"Bishop." 

From  "  THE  CHURCH  CHRONICLE  FOR  THE  DIOCESE  OF 
WELLINGTON,"  March  1,  1877. 

"  Mr.  Selwyn  showed  his  earnestness  of  purpose  and 
thorough  sincerity  in  coming  out  to  devote  himself  to  the 
service  of  his  great  Master  amongst  the  savages  of  Melanesia, 
and  it  would  have  been  impossible  to  find  for  the  office  to 
which  he  has  been  formally  appointed  a  man  whose  heart  was 
more  in  his  work,  or  who  was  in  any  way  better  fitted  for  the 
trying  and  arduous  life  he  has  selected,  than  John  Richardson 
Selwyn. 

"  Mr.  Dudley's  sermon  concluded  as  follows :  '  And  now  let 
us  apply  our  thoughts  more  closely  to  the  subject  of  the 
Melanesian  Mission  brought  under  our  special  notice  by  the 
solemn  service  in  which  we  are  engaged.  The  whole  history 
of  that  Mission  is  an  illustration  of  love  going  forth  in 
self-sacrifice  and  proving  a  marvellous  power.  Look  first  at 
its  founder,  the  first  and  only  Bishop  of  New  Zealand,  with 
us  in  spirit  as  we  all  know  this  day,  and  with  his  whole  heart 
offering  up  his  son  for  this  work. 

"  '  In  the  same  spirit  it  was,  too,  that  Bishop  Patteson  was 
enabled  to  sacrifice  so  many  of  his  natural  tastes  and  inclina 
tions,  and  to  throw  himself  and  all  his  varied  powers  and  gifts 
heartily  into  this  missionary  enterprise.  .  .  .  This  spirit  it 
was,  this,  and  not  his  linguistic  skill  and  other  talents,  which 
gave  him  his  marvellous  power. 


HIS  CONSECRATION  115 

"  '  And  this  same  spirit,  when  it  went  forth  with  power 
from  the  martyr's  grave  in  the  Southern  Seas,  drew  our  friend 
back  from  his  mother-country  to  engage  in  this  work,  and 
has  ever  since  drawn  after  him  from  all  parts  of  England  such 
abundant  freewill  offerings  that  the  Melanesian  Mission  finds 
itself  (at  least  as  compared  with  some  Missions)  opulent.  .  .  . 

" '  Brethren,  what  shall  we  say  to  him  ?  It  seems  to  me  we 
can  say  nothing  better  than  this  :  Go  forth,  brother — Father 
in  God,  as  you  will  be  ere  this  service  is  concluded — to  your 
work  of  faith  and  labour  of  love  among  those  your  father  cared 
for  and  first  sought  out,  to  whom  Bishop  Patteson  devoted 
himself,  and  by  whom  his  life  was  in  ignorance  taken.  We 
wish  you  good  luck  in  the  name  of  the  Lord.  We  trust  that 
the  life  you  this  day  surrender  to  Him  more  fully  than  ever 
may  long  be  spared  for  His  service  :  that  every  needful  gift 
may  be  bestowed  upon  you  :  and  that  in  all  your  perils,  by 
land  and  water,  in  weariness  and  painfulness,  in  the  disappoint 
ments  you  must  experience,  and  in  the  difficulties,  impossible 
to  be  foreseen,  which  must  arise,  you  may  ever  be  cheered  by 
the  sense  of  His  love,  who  never  leaves  nor  forsakes  one  faithful 
servant.  We  will  follow  you  ever,  and  those  with  you,  with 
our  thoughts  and  our  prayers  and  our  freewill  offerings.  And 
we  ask  you  ever  to  remember  that  the  work  God  is  doing 
through  you  is  not  confined  to  Melanesia,  but  that  as  the 
signs  of  an  Apostle  are  wrought  out  in  you — as  we  are 
assured  they  will  be  —  and  as  the  power  of  Christian  love 
is  more  and  more  shown  in  your  complete  self-consecration, 
that  power,  even  though  its  apparent  effects  be  but  slow 
and  tardy  in  Melanesia,  will  be  felt  here  in  New  Zea 
land  ;  it  will  be  felt  in  Australia ;  it  will  be  felt  by  England. 
Yes,  wherever  the  English  Church  has  faithful  children, 
men  will  bless  God  for  you,  and  will  be  cheered  in  their 
own  troubles,  and  will  be  stirred  to  new  devotion,  and 
will  recognise  in  the  reports  of  your  labours  one  more  token 
of  the  reality  of  Christ's  presence,  and  of  the  unfailing  fulfil- 


116  BISHOP  JOHN  SELWYN 

ment  of  His  parting  promise,  '  I  am  with  you  alway,  even 
unto  the  end  of  the  world/  " 


A  simultaneous  service  was  held  in  Lichfield  Cathe 
dral  at  11  P.M.,  so  as  to  correspond  as  nearly  as 
possible  to  11  A.M.  in  New  Zealand.  Even  at  this 
late  hour  there  met  together  a  goodly  number  who 
wished  to  join  their  prayers  with  those  being  offered 
in  the  Antipodes  for  the  new  Bishop.  At  this  ser 
vice  the  Bishop  of  Lichfield  prayed  that  his  son 
might  unite  boldness  with  caution,  and  might  not  be 
puffed  up  by  reason  of  his  high  office. 


CHAPTER   IX 

DEATH  OF  MRS.  J.  R.  SELWYN 

THE  next  two  or  three  months  were  spent  in  New 
Zealand  speaking  and  preaching  for  his  Mission  and 
renewing  many  old  friendships.  The  welcome  he  re 
ceived  as  his  father's  son  was  a  great  delight  to  him. 

To  his  FATHER. 

"AUCKLAND,  April  5,  1877. 

"  Many  are  the  inquiries  after  you,  and  the  ex 
pressions  of  rejoicing  at  having  a  Bishop  Selwyn 
amongst  them  again.  Sed  quantum  mutatus  ab  illo 
Hectare ! " 

Towards  the  end  of  April  Bishop  and  Mrs.  John 
Selwyn  with  their  eighteen  months'  old  son  arrived 
at  Norfolk  Island  to  take  up  the  work  there.  The 
two  little  girls  had  been  left  with  their  grandmother 
at  Lichfield,  and  sorely  were  they  missed  in  the  home 
life  which  was  resumed  once  more  at  St.  Barnabas' 
Mission  Station. 


118  BISHOP  JOHN  SELWYN 

To  his  FATHER  and  MOTHER. 

"NORFOLK  ISLAND,  April  27,  1877. 

"  On  the  Sunday  we  arrived  I  made  my  first  ap 
pearance  in  the  chapel  in  the  evening,  Codrington 
preaching  about  the  continuity  of  office,  and  I  saying 
a  few  words  at  the  end.  The  next  day  we  all  met 
in  the  evening  and  talked  over  matters.  This  is  a 
great  step,  as  we  have  rather  too  much  isolation.  .  .  . 
When  I  held  my  first  Confirmation  in  town  [i.e.,  the 
port  where  the  Norfolk  Islanders  lived]  there  were 
some  thirty  confirmed,  and  we  had  a  very  bright  hearty 
service.  Altogether  I  think  my  episcopate  here  has 
begun  very  brightly,  and  I  hope  we  may  keep  it  up." 

The  isolation  he  speaks  of  was  a  matter  much  in 
his  mind,  and  from  time  to  time  he  tried  various 
methods  of  drawing  the  little  Mission  society  more 
closely  together.  A  letter  to  his  mother  on  this 
subject  may  be  quoted  here,  though  it  was  riot 
written  till  some  years  afterwards  : 

"NORFOLK  ISLAND,  Septuagesirna,  1879. 

"  Do  you  remember  writing  to  me  about  our  not 
meeting  together  for  prayer  ?  Well,  ever  since  I 
have  been  Bishop  I  have  been  trying  to  rectify  this, 
but  it  has  been  uphill  work.  First,  I  tried  Bible 
reading,  and  each  of  us  to  say  something,  but  people 


DEATH  OF  MRS.  J.  R.  SELWYN  119 

held  their  tongues,  and  I  defy  any  one  to  go  on  by 
himself  addressing  all  his  intimate  friends !  .  .  . 
Now,  I  think,  we  have  solved  the  difficulty.  It  has 
always  been  the  rule  here  that  on  alternate  Sundays 
we  have  Mota  Holy  Communion,  and  on  the  Satur 
day  before,  after  church,  the  communicants  stay  and 
are  addressed  by  the  leading  man,  Bishop,  or  who 
ever  he  may  be.  I  have  taken  the  idea  from  this. 
On  the  evening  before  our  English  Holy  Communion 
we  meet  together,  one  of  us  (in  turn)  addresses  us, 
and  we  have  prayers  for  our  work.  The  addresses 
turn  on  work  as  much  as  possible,  and  on  the  Holy 
Communion,  so  with  fresh  minds  every  week  they  do 
not  get  stale.  I  hope  you  will  approve  of  this." 

In  the  autumn  of  1877  he  went  a  voyage  to  the 
islands,  and  used  some  of  his  spare  time  on  board 
ship  to  write  to  those  who  had  sent  him  congratula 
tions  on  his  consecration. 


To  MRS.  A  COURT-REPINGTON. 

<" SOUTHERN  CROSS'  (at  sea),  Oct.  31,  1877. 

"  I  often  wonder  |who  and  what  I  am  myself,  and 
at  times  fall,  oh  !  so  fall,  even  from  my  standard  of 
what  a  bishop  should  be.  I  sign  myself  as  Bishop 
Patteson  used  to,  and  as  I  have  no  definite  diocese 
I  think  it  is  the  best  way.  As  to  title  I  am  supremely 
indifferent.  On  board  my  sailors  call  me  '  Bishop ' 


120  BISHOP  JOHN  SELWYN 

generally,  though  the  captain  generally  ^begins  with 
'  My  Lord '  in  the  morning.  Personally  I  like  the 
simple  title  best." 

To  BEV.  F.  E.  WATERS. 

"' SOUTHERN  CROSS'  (at  sea),  Nov.  2,  1877. 

"  Many  thanks  for  your  kind  letters  of  congratula 
tion  and  sympathy.  I  need  the  latter  far  more  than 
the  former,  as  the  responsibility  presses  very  heavily 
on  me  at  times,  though  the  blessings  are  often  very 
great.  You  and  I  know  what  responsibility  on  very 
young  shoulders  means,  don't  we  ?  It  is  very  pleasant 
to  find  you  remembering  andf speaking  of  those  days 
as  you  do.  I  look  back  on  them  as  some  of  the 
happiest  and  certainly  some  of  the  most  instructive 
of  my  life.  And  the  lessons  of  our  short  but  very 
full  experience  often  come  in  to  cheer  and  comfort 
me  now.  Come  what  may,  things  cant  look  much 
blacker  than  they  did  in  the  January  days  when  we 
used  to  serve  out  soup  in  the  back  kitchen,  and  then 

go  out  to  meet and and  all  the  rest  of  them  ! 

I  always  think  I  learnt  the  power  of  prayer  more  in 
those  first  few  months  than  I  ever  did  before." 

"  Come  what  may  "  !  He  little  knew  the  terrible 
blow  so  soon  to  fall  upon  him.  Few  men  who  ever 
lived  have  had  a  keener  delight  in  the  quiet  joys 
and  intimacies  of  family  life  than  he  :  few  men 


DEATH  OF  MRS.  J.  R.  SELWYN 

blessed  with  wife  and  children  have  suffered  such 
limitations  of  their  happiness.  Of  the  six  years 
that  he  had  been  married  a  large  part  had  been 
spent  in  voyages  to  the  islands,  when  his  wife  had 
been  left  for  months  together  at  Norfolk  Island ; 
another  large  part  had  been  spent  by  Mrs.  Selwyn 
on  her  visit  to  England ;  leaving  a  singularly  short 
period  during  which  husband  and  wife  were 
together.  Added  to  this  was  the  absence  in 
England  of  his  two  little  girls,  an  absence  which 
he  of  all  men  felt  most  keenly.  Yet  were  these 
things  offered  gladly  :  not  one  word  of  grumbling, 
not  one  word  of  grudging,  can  be  found  in  all 
his  letters.  He  was  now  to  be  tried  still  more 
severely.  On  December  30,  1877,  Mrs.  Selwyn  died 
at  Norfolk  Island,  leaving  a  little  baby,  Clara  Violet, 
to  bear  her  name  for  a  few  short  months,  and  then 
to  rejoin  her  in  her  rest  in  Paradise. 

There  are  one  or  two  letters  giving  an  account  of 
that  sad  day,  and  it  is  impossible  not  to  be  touched 
by  the  simplicity  and  resignation,  the  certainty  that 
"  all  is  well,"  and  the  never  failing  generosity  with 
which  he  offered  even  this — his  very  heart — to  the 
Master  whom  he  served. 

To  the  REV.  F.  E.  WATERS. 

"NORFOLK  ISLAND,  Feb.  6,  1878. 
"  I  have  only  just  been  able  to  begin  my  letters 


BISHOP  JOHN  SELWYN 

again,  as  since  my  dear  wife's  death  on  December  30 
I  have  been  almost  constantly  engaged  in  nursing 
Mr.  Penny  [one  of  the  Mission  staff,  now  Rector  of 
Wolverhampton],  who  was  very  ill ;  and  then  a 
vessel  came  in  from  Auckland,  necessitating  report 
writing,  &c.  I  can  hardly  yet  realise  the  loss  of 
that  dear  bright  life  which  was  the  light  of  my 
home.  One  goes  about  and  does  one's  ordinary 
round  of  work  and  is  so  busy  that  there  is  hardly 
time  to  think,  but  it  is  very  terrible  at  times  ;  and 
yet  I  am  so  very  happy  for  her  sake  that  I  am 
wonderfully  upheld  and  comforted,  and  I  can  always 
soothe  myself  by  going  to  her  grave.  It  was  a 
sudden  and  yet  not  an  unlooked-for  blow,  as  of 
course  we  had  prepared  for  her  confinement,  and 
so,  though  the  last  few  days  were  clouded  by 
delirium,  I  was  not  unhappy,  as  the  most  childlike 
trust  and  love  shone  through  it  all,  and  one  could 
see  her  mind  was  stayed  on  God,  and  was  therefore 
in  perfect  peace." 

To  MRS.  A  COURT-REPINGTON. 

"March  11,  1878. 

"  She  fell  asleep  in  my  arms  at  twenty  minutes 
past  ten  on  Sunday  morning.  I  was  so  wonderfully 
blessed.  I  went  to  service  that  morning  and  gave 
the  blessing,  and  in  the  evening,  when  we  buried  her, 
I  followed  in  my  robes,  and  felt  so  strong  that  I 


DEATH  OF  MRS.  J.  R.  SELWYN  123 

read  the  last  part  of  the  funeral  service.  It  was  a 
sight  to  see  how  the  people  loved  her.  I  think 
nearly  every  one  in  the  Island  came  to  the  funeral, 
and  the  children  of  her  classes  sent  me  afterwards 
five  pounds  to  get  some  memorial  of  her.  My  girls 
all  take  great  interest,  and  every  Sunday  we  have  a 
fresh  wreath  of  flowers,  and  a  fresh  set  of  flowers 
for  the  cross  itself  which  lies  on  the  grave,  and  they 
stand  round  and  sing  hymns.  And  so  I  am  won 
derfully  upheld." 

What  a  beautiful  picture  this  is !  The  native 
girls,  for  whose  sake  she  had  given  up  so  much  and 
had  worked  so  hard,  who  had  been  used  to  gather 
round  her  when  the  Bishop  was  on  his  voyages 
and  sing  the  hymn  for  those  at  sea,  now  standing 
by  her  early  grave  and  comforting  the  husband  she 
had  left  by  singing  the  sacred  songs  that  she  had 
taught  them. 

Bishop  John  Selwyn  never  used  the  melancholy 
language  so  frequently  heard  about  death.  When 
speaking  of  the  cousin  to  whom  he  was  so  deeply 
attached  as  a  boy,  or  of  his  dear  friend  Stephen 
Fremantle,  or,  later  on,  of  his  father,  his  words  are 
an  example  of  the  really  Christian  manner  in  which 
death  should  be  spoken  of.  There  are  two  letters 
from  him,  both  to  Mrs.  a  Court-Eepington,  written 
nearly  twenty  years  apart,  which  bear  witness  to 
this  : 


124  BISHOP  JOHN  SELWYN 

"  ST.  GEORGE'S  VICARAGE,  WOLVERHAMPTON, 

"Aug.  M,  1872. 

"  I  only  hope  you  are  having  as  lovely  a  day  for 
the  funeral  as  we  are  here,  with  bright  sun  over 
head  and  all  nature  laughing  round.  I  never  think 
there  is  much  sorrow  in  a  funeral.  There  is  such  a 
resty  feeling  about  it  all,  such  a  sense  of  lifting 
upwards  in  the  service,  that  I  am  sure  it  is  really  less 
sad  than  any  other  part  of  the  death." 

To  MRS.  1  COTJRT-KEPINGTON. 

"  18  DE  VERE  GARDENS,  W.,  Oct.  18,  1891. 

"  In  God's  mercy  the  brightness  of  the  light  from 
the  other  world  grows,  as  the  darkness  of  the  sorrow 
ever  lessens.  The  departure  of  a  very  loved  soul 
wrings  our  hearts  for  a  while,  but  there  is  nothing, 
not  even  the  words  of  Christ  Himself — though  of 
course  it  is  by  the  power  of  those  words  that  it  acts — 
nothing  which  so  leads  one's  own  soul  to  contem 
plate  the  happiness  of  those  who  are  gone  and  makes 
us  try  to  follow  them. 

"  I  like  to  think  of  you  by  that  quiet  grave  which 
I  am  sure  now  will  be  able  to  soothe  not  sadden  you, 
and  your  own  St.  Luke  will  still  be  a  beloved  phy 
sician,  and  tell  you  of  Him  who  raised  Jairus' 
daughter,  or  better  still  that  most  wonderful  of  all 
stories  for  its  marvellous  simplicity,  of  Him  who  saw 


DEATH  OF  MRS.  J.  R.  SELWYN  125 

the  lonely  mother  and  had  compassion  on  her.  I 
wonder  whether  this  will  all  sound  commonplace  to 
you  ?  I  hope  not,  for  indeed  it  is  very  real  to  me. 
My  own  grave  at  Norfolk  Island  has  never  for  four 
teen  years  lacked  its  flowers,  and  I  lay  them  now 
very  much  as  a  thank-offering  for  all  that  grave  has 
taught  me.  May  it  be  so  with  you,  dear  friend,  and 
may  you  at  the  end  find  that  the  loss  that  seemed 
so  terrible  has  been  in  reality  a  blessing  to  you 
both.  It  must  be  so." 

On  February  18  he  consecrated  the  churchyard 
where  he  had  laid  his  wife.  The  letter  describing 
this  brings  to  mind  the  incident  related  as  happen 
ing  when  he  went  out  in  1866  to  visit  his  parents  in 
New  Zealand  and  rescued  a  little  boy  under  similar 
circumstances.  It  must  be  noted,  however,  that  the 
word  "  boy "  as  used  in  Melanesia  simply  means  a 
native,  and  does  not  refer  to  his  age. 

To  REV.  F.  E.  WATERS. 

"  NORFOLK  ISLAND  — , 

"  On  the  day  [anniversary]  of  my  consecration  we 
consecrated  the  cemetery  where  my  dear  wife  rests. 
It  was  a  very  solemn  little  service.  The  clergy 
walked  in  procession  round  the  graveyard  while  all 
our  boys  and  girls  sang  the  23rd  Psalm  and  the 
c  Nunc  Dimittis.'  Then  we  had  a  lesson,  and  finally 


126  BISHOP  JOHN  SELWYN 

a  very  pretty  hymn  written  by  Mr.  Codrington.  I 
only  just  got  back  in  time  for  it,  as  on  that  day  one 
of  our  boys  was  carried  away  in  a  small  canoe,  in 
which  he  was  fishing,  right  out  to  sea.  The  news 
came  while  we  were  at  dinner.  I  rushed  off  at  once, 
got  a  boat,  and  rushed  down  to  the  spot  where  he 
was  last  seen.  .  .  .  We  found  him  some  three  miles 
off  the  land.  He  was  sitting  on  the  canoe,  which 
was  bottom  up.  There  was  tremendous  excitement 
among  our  boys  when  he  was  brought  up  here." 

On  the  following  Easter  Day  he  wrote  to  his 
mother  from  on  board  the  Southern  Cross  at  sea  : 

"  You  can  easily  believe  what  a  different  Easter 
Day  this  has  been  to  any  that  I  have  ever  had  yet. 
'  Now  is  Christ  risen  from  the  dead,  and  become  the 
first-fruits  of  them  that  slept,'  pervades  every 
thought  and  every  service.  .  .  .  The  separation  now 
is  very  different  from  anything  one  ever  felt  before, 
and  yet  it  is  nearer.  '  Set  your  affection  on  things 
above'  seems  easier,  too,  and  surely  God  in  His 
mercy  means  it  to  be  easier  when  He  takes  away  one 
who  was  so  great  an  earthly  help.  .  .  .  We  began 
by  an  early  Communion  at  seven  o'clock,  and  I  said 
to  Penny  that  I  think  we  and  those  at  Norfolk 
Island  were  probably  the  first  who  began  to  keep 
Easter  Day  in  all  the  world,  as  there  are  hardly 
any  churches  eastward  of  us  except  those  in  New 


DEATH  OF  MRS.  J.  R.  SELWYN  127 

Zealand,  and  hardly  any  of  them  begin  before  eight 
o'clock." 

Meantime  Mr.  Still,  knowing  well  the  anxiety 
that  would  be  felt  in  England  about  the  Bishop's 
welfare,  wrote  to  Mrs.  Selwyn  (the  Bishop's  mother) 
as  follows  : 

"  NORFOLK  ISLAND,  April  9,  1 878. 

"  All  is  hurry  now  that  the  Southern  Cross  has  come  in  ; 
but  I  thought  you  would  like  just  a  line  to  say  how  our 
Bishop  is  on  leaving  for  the  Islands.  He  has  been  wonderfully 
well  all  this  time,  going  about  his  work  in  the  old  hardworking, 
cheerful  spirit.  I  fancy  it  is  even  harder  for  him  now  that 
the  first  strain  is  over,  but  he  bears  up  most  bravely.  He 
very  seldom  speaks  gloomily  of  himself,  though  he  sometimes 
says  it  seems  to  get  worse  as  time  gets  on." 

More  than  one  allusion  will  have  been  noticed  in 
the  foregoing  letters  to  the  love  of  flowers  which 
seems  to  have  characterised  the  native  girls  at  the 
school  on  Norfolk  Island,  and  must  have  had  a 
civilising  influence.  Not  only  is  the  use  of  flowers 
for  adorning  graves  repeatedly  mentioned,  but 
Bishop  John  Selwyn  speaks  of  the  brides  at  the  not 
infrequent  weddings  which  took  place  "  looking  so 
nice  in  their  print  dresses,  with  their  hair  dressed 
with  white  flowers."  In  another  letter  he  says  : 

"We  thought  much  of  dear  Bebie  on  Monday 
[her  birthday],  and  the  girls  made  such  a  pretty 


128  BISHOP  JOHN  SELWYN 

wreath  for  her  picture.  After  it  had  hung  there 
awhile  I  took  it  off  to  her  mother's  cross.  I  thought 
the  child  would  like  it  as  it  were  coming  from  her." 

This  year,  1878,  was  probably  the  saddest  in  the 
whole  of  the  Bishop's  life.  In  the  course  of  the 
spring  he  went  off  for  a  voyage  among  the  islands, 
staying  for  some  time  at  various  places.  Amongst 
these  was  Maewo,  and  here  he  was  to  receive 
another  blow.  He  had  left  his  only  son,  Stephie, 
and  little  Clara  Violet,  the  baby,  in  safe  keeping  at 
Norfolk  Island.  Of  the  latter  he  wrote  that  she 
was  "  a  very  bonny  baby "  when  he  came  away. 
He  was  now  to  learn  that  God  had  seen  fit  to 
take  His  lamb  into  His  eternal  arms.  He  thus 
describes  the  news  being  brought  to  him  : 

To  MRS.  A  COURT-REPINGTON. 

"MAEWO,  July  18,  1878. 

"  The  boy  who  came  up  to  my  little  house  at 
Maewo  shrank  from  telling  me  the  news,  and  said 
only,  ' Your  child  is  dead.'  I  gasped  out  'Which?' 
I  felt  as  if  I  could  not  spare  Stephie,  and  it  was  a 
great  joy  almost  when  I  heard  it  was  the  little  one. 
Not  that  I  did  not  want  my  little  Violet  to  keep 
alive  her  mother's  name  ;  but  I  could  spare  her,  and 
perhaps — nay,  certainly — God  is  merciful  and  has 
taken  her  from  the  evil  to  come." 


DEATH  OF  MRS.  J.  R.  SELWYN  129 

This  chapter  shall  close  with  a  beautiful  letter 
written  to  his  mother  while  on  this  voyage  : 

"  '  SOUTHERN  CROSS  '  (at  sea), 

"  SOUTH  OF  SANTA  CRUZ,  June  8,  1878. 

"  I  liked  reading  of  the  joyous  Christmas  that  the 
children  had,  though  it  was  a  strange  contrast  to 
the  sad  hard  fight  with  death  which  was  going  on 
in  our  little  room  at  Norfolk  Island.  But  they 
were  spared  that  wondering  awe  which  attends  a 
child's  first  meeting  with  illness  and  death,  and  that 
wistful  longing  which  would  have  come  over  them 
for  the  mother  who  was  gone.  It  was  well.  One 
likes  to  wonder  if  her  spirit  was  allowed  to  cross 
those  16,000  miles  of  space  and  look  down  on  the 
children  she  missed  so  much,  and  yet  gave  up  so 
freely.  It  would,  to  our  thinking,  be  a  fit  reward. 
And  yet  one  knows  nothing  of  conditions  of  life 
between  here  and  the  day  of  judgment,  and  even  if 
such  glimpses  were  allowed,  one  cannot  separate  the 
thought  of  them  from  the  longing  which  such  a 
glimpse  would  give  if  vouchsafed  to  a  soul  living 
here.  Does  death  so  change  the  conditions  of  our 
being  that  such  a  sight  would  be  pure  joy  ?  We 
cannot  tell.  And  yet  even  to  us  there  is  more  of 
joy  than  of  sorrow  in  the  thought  of  the  spirit 
mother  watching  Rebie  dancing  into  the  room  as 
the  New  Year,  or  hearing  Pearlie  singing  the 
Christmas  hymn.  It  is  very  very  wonderful. 


130  BISHOP  JOHN  SELWYN 

"  June  12. — I  meant  to  have  written  to  you  last 
night  when  you  were  all  assembled  probably  at 
Eton  for  St.  Barnabas,  but  I  went  to  sleep.  It 
was  not  for  want  of  thinking  of  you,  though,  as  I 
thought  of  little  else  all  day,  and  told  my  boys  in 
the  evening  how  year  after  year  the  Eton  party  had 
helped  our  work,  and  I  told  them  also  how  I  had 
first  heard  for  certain  that  we  were  to  go  out  at 
that  meeting,  and  how  Clara  had  determined  to 
come  as  a  '  daughter  of  consolation.'  Do  you  re 
member  that  day,  mother  ?  How  well  I  remember  it 
—the  pouring  wet,  and  the  pew-opener  who  would 
lead  us  close  to  you,  and  then  your  little  note,  and 
above  all  I  remember  my  darling's  earnest  though 
tearful  face  as  she  pressed  my  hand  and  gave  herself 
up  to  that  work  from  which  she  never  flinched — no, 
not  once.  Ajid  then  we  looked  together  and  spoke 
of  the  figure  of  our  Lord  in  glory,  who  with  open 
arms  seemed  to  call  us  on.  The  real  arms  have 
closed  round  her  now,  and  she  has  learnt,  I  earnestly 
believe,  what  peace  He  can  give." 


CHAPTER   X 

DEATH  OF  HIS  FATHER— VISIT  TO  ENGLAND 

THE  letters  written  by  Bishop  John  Selwyn  to  his 
mother  and  to  one  or  two  other  specially  favoured 
correspondents  are  wonderful  for  the  fulness  of 
detail  and  graphic  description,  which  make  his  life, 
whether  at  Norfolk  Island  or  on  voyage  among  the 
islands,  extraordinarily  vivid.  But  it  is  impossible 
not  to  be  equally  struck  with  his  reticence.  Con 
versation  with  any  of  those  who  worked  by  his 
side  reveals  how  often  and  how  seriously  he  was 
attacked  by  malaria  and  other  illnesses  due  to  the 
climate.  His  own  reference  to  such  things  is 
always  of  the  slightest,  and  frequently  coupled  with 
some  joke  or  cheery  word  which  might  do  away 
with  any  anxiety  on  his  behalf.  Thus  he  would 
say: 

"  We  have  been  back  from  the  Islands  about  a 
month,  two  weeks  of  which  I  have  spent  indoors 
under  a  dragon  of  a  doctor  who  was  very  savage 


132  BISHOP  JOHN  SELWYN 

when  I  got  ague  a  second  time  through  going  about 
too  much." 

Or, 

"  Since  I  last  wrote  I  have  had  one  attack  of 
ague,  and  hope  I  am  getting  rid  of  it.  The  result 
has  been  oceans  of  tonics  and  quinine  : — which  I 
always  forget,  and  the  doctor  looks  reproachfully  at 
my  full  bottle  !  " 

On  this  voyage  in  the  summer  1878  he  was  (to 
add  to  his  other  troubles)  by  no  means  free  from 
illness,  and  in  the  following  note  there  is  the  first 
allusion  to  anything  going  wrong  with  his  feet,  in 
which,  and  in  his  legs,  he  was  afterwards  to  suffer 
so  severely  : 

"  I  had  an  attack  of  ague  the  other  day,  but  that 
has  passed  over  and  I  am  very  well ;  only  my  foot 
hurts  me  sometimes." 

But  this  terribly  eventful  time  had  yet  another 
sorrow  in  store  for  him.  In  a  totally  unexpected 
and  accidentally  abrupt  manner  he  learnt  that  his 
father  was  dead. 

To  his  MOTHER. 

"MAEWO,  July  2,  1878. 

"  MY  DARLING  MOTHER, 

"  I  have  come  down  here  for  news,  and  news 
I  have  got.     How  can  I  pour  out  my  heart  to  you 


DEATH  OF  HIS  FATHER  133 

or  tell  you  how  you  live  in  my  heart,  and  how  I  long 
to  comfort  you  ?  I  could  do  that,  as  I  have  passed 
through  the  same  great  sorrow  myself,  and  now  I 
can  hardly  realise  that  the  end  of  that  grand  un 
selfish  life  has  come  at  last,  and  the  crown  won.  You 
have  endured  many  a  separation,  and  He  will  help 
you  to  endure  this.  But  how  I  long  to  be  with  you  ! 
Perhaps  some  telegram  may  come  to  say  that  you 
want  me,  and  then  I  shall  come  at  once.  I  am 
writing  on  board  a  labour  vessel  where  I  have  only 
heard  that  my  dear  father  is  dead.  The  agent  said 
to  me  just  as  the  man  did  about  Bishop  Patteson, 
'  By-the-by,  who  is  that  Bishop  Selwyn  who  is  dead 
in  England  ? '  And  all  I  have  seen  is  that  Maclagan 
succeeds  him.  .  .  . 

"  I  wrote  to  him  [his  father]  only  last  night,  and  I 
shall  let  the  letter  go,  as  you  will  like  to  see  it. 
May  God  pardon  me  for  the  sorrow  my  carelessness 
has  caused  him,  though  I  rejoice  to  think  that  the 
few  last  years  I  have  been  some  help  and  comfort 
to  him  if  only  by  my  absence  [i.e.,  his  taking  up  the 
work  in  Melanesia].  I  cannot  write  here,  and  must 
wait  till  I  get  home  to  my  little  house  at  Maewo, 
when  I  can  think  it  all  over,  and  weigh  what  I  ought 
to  do.  .  .  .  May  God  guide  vou  and  help  you  and 
be  with  your  children.  I  can't  bear  to  think  of  that 
dear  old  home  broken  up. 

"  '  So  grows  in  heaven  our  store.'  God  is  trying 
us  heavily  this  year  ;  I  hope  it  may  be  for  our 


134  BISHOP  JOHN  SELWYN 

eternal  good.  Now  I  must  try  and  carry  on  his 
work,  that  what  he  began  may  go  on  as  he  would 
have  made  it.  That  is  his  legacy  to  me,  and  please 
God  I  will  do  it.  Give  my  fondest  love  to  our 
chicks. 

"  Your  most  loving  and  dutiful  son, 

«J.  R.  SELWYN,  Bishop." 

At  this  point  in  his  letter  he  wrote  out  in  full 
the  Collect  for  All  Saints'  Day,  and  the  passage  in 
the  prayer  for  the  Church  Militant,  beginning  with 
"  We  give  Thee  humble  and  hearty  thanks." 

"  Distance  softens  sorrow  wonderfully.  I  feel  as 
if  he  was  nearer  to  me  now  as  I  sit  alone  in  my  little 
hut  at  Maewo  with  a  great  gale  roaring  overhead  at 
midnight,  and  all  my  love  goes  swelling  out  towards 
him,  and  the  acknowledgment  of  what  he  was  to 
me,  without  the  sense  of  blankness  which  one  feels 
when  one  is  very  near  those  who  are  taken.  That 
comes  when  I  look  at  his  letters  and  think  that  I 
shall  nevermore  see  those  beautifully  straight  lines, 
and  well  formed  letters,  and  trace  the  love  growing 
stronger  between  us  day  by  day.  I  did  hope,  too, 
that  I  might  have  been  allowed  to  officiate  with  him 
once  as  bishop.  We  must  wait  now. 

"  July  4. — I  have  been  pondering  all  day  on  what 
I  ought  to  do,  and  I  think  I  ought  to  go  home,  if 


DEATH  OF  HIS  FATHER  135 

only  I  could  get  there  now.  It  seems  it  ought  bo 
be  now  rather  than  later,  as  I  shall  be  able  to  help 
you  to  settle  your  plans,  if  only  I  could  get  home  in 
the  next  few  months. 

"  I  pray  so  earnestly,  though  not  as  earnestly  as 
I  could  wish,  for  you,  mother.  To-day  I  went  down 
to  bathe  and  prayed  by  the  side  of  the  stream  in 
the  glorious  evening  light,  and  seemed  so  near  you 
all.  This  work  seems  now  his  special  legacy  to  me 
— his  and  Bishop  Patteson's — and  yet  at  times  I  feel 
very  cold  and  dead  about  it. 

"  My  mind  is  very  full  of  you  and  plans  as  I 
trudge  along  the  narrow  paths,  and  I  hate  the 
thought  of  all  the  business  I  shall  have  to  do  if  I 
show  my  face  in  England.  That  horrid  S.P.G.  will 
send  me  to  preach  at  least  half  a  dozen  sermons,  for 
which  I  have  very  little  taste ;  I  must  try  and  write 
some  on  board." 

He  frequently  poured  out  his  thoughts,  especially 
on  matters  that  moved  him  deeply,  in  verse  ;  and, 
though  most  of  the  poems  he  composed  were, 
obviously  not  meant  for  publication,  yet  here  and 
there  some  lines  have  been  preserved  which  give  a 
clearer  insight  into  his  feelings  on  some  special 
occasion.  A  good  example  of  this  is  found  in  the 
verses  he  wrote  on  hearing  of  his  father's  death. 


136  BISHOP  JOHN  SELWYN 

"  Alone  I  stood  upon  the  shore, 
Where  oft  my  father  stood  before, 
When  first  he  came  to  plant  the  Cross, 
Disdaining  all  the  world  calls  loss, 
Contented  for  the  love  of  God 
To  follow  where  his  Master  trod, 
And  seek,  where  clustering  islands  hedge 
The  ocean  highway's  farthest  edge, 
The  souls  whom  Jesus  would  compel 
To  throng  His  marriage  festival. 

"  I  felt  alone  : — for,  though  my  boys  * 
Whispered  in  sympathy,  our  joys 
Are  deeper  far  than  they  can  know, 
And  deeper,  therefore,  is  our  woe. 
They  scarcely  feel  the  ties  of  home 
Which  bind  us  wheresoe'er  we  roam, 
Nor  that  fond  link  of  mutual  love, 
The  mystery  of  God  above, 
Since  therein  unto  us  is  given 
To  know  the  Father's  love  in  heaven : — 

"  But  loneliest  then,  when  came  the  thought 
Of  all  the  ship's  return  had  brought 
Of  tenderest  sympathy,  the  shower 
Of  love  a  wife  knows  best  to  pour. 
Ah  !  then  a  double  blankness  pressed 
With  silent  force  upon  my  breast. 


But  for  one  moment :  then  the  light 
Burst  forth  across  my  faithless  sight, 
'  Why  should  I  wish  my  darling  here 
To  share  my  sorrow  ?     Surely  there 
She  shares  his  joy.     To  her  is  given 
To  welcome  him  within  that  heaven 

*  Melanesians. 


DEATH  OF  HIS  FATHER  137 

Wherein  the  Lord's  redeemed  rest, 
With  His  eternal  presence  blest. 
The  daughter  did  but  go  before  ; 
The  father  follows  :  on  that  shore 
Our  store  increases  evermore  ! ' 

"  I  need  not  mourn  the  ship's  return  : 
Thoughts  such  as  these  more  truly  burn 
With  comfort  than  the  written  line, 
For  that  is  human,  these  divine. 
These  are  the  messengers  of  love 
Which  bind  us  to  our  home  above, 
These  the  communion  of  God's  saints 
To  cheer  us  when  our  spirit  faints, 
And  bid  us  think  that  they  and  we 
Are  one  in  Christian  unity." 

He  quickly  determined  that  it  was  necessary  that 
he  should  return  to  England.  There  was  his 
mother's  future  to  arrange  for,  and  there  was  the 
guardianship  of  some  relatives  which  now  fell  on 
him  and  required  his  attention.  On  board  the  boat 
by  which  he  sailed  to  Australia  en  route  for  England 
he  wrote  to  announce  his  arrival,  in  the  course  of 
which  letter  he  says  : 

To  his  MOTHER. 

"  SS.  '  WOTONGA  '  (at  sea),  Sep.  1,  1878. 

"  On  Sunday  evening  we  discovered  a  vessel  under 
the  land,  which  turned  out  to  be  the  Dayspring,  the 
Presbyterian  Mission  vessel,  which  was  cruising 
round.  I  went  on  board,  and  they  were  very  civil, 


138  BISHOP  JOHN  SELWYN 

and  asked  me  to  hold  service.  This  was  rather 
formidable,  as  I  had  no  idea  what  a  Presbyterian 
service  was  like.  However,  I  thought  of  my  father, 
and  used  all  the  Church  prayers  I  could  remember, 
and  read  a  chapter  of  the  Bible,  on  which  I  held 
forth.  Then  we  had  a  good  talk,  and  they  told  me 
a  little  about  my  father,  and  gave  me  a  copy  of 
Punch,  with  lines  to  his  memory.  I  then  learnt  for 
the  first  time  when  he  died." 

On  arrival  in  Australia  he  got  letters  telling  him 
much  detail  of  which  he  had  hitherto  been  ignorant. 

c5  ' 

and  learnt  of  the  project  of  "  Selwyn  College"  as  a 
memorial  to  his  father.  It  should  be  mentioned  that 
on  this  voyage  home  he  brought  his  little  son  Stephie 
wTith  him,  acting  as  his  nurse,  and  looking  after  him 
in  a  way  that  greatly  touched  his  fellow  passengers. 
Here  is  an  extract  from  a  letter  written  at  this  time: 

To  his  MOTHER. 

"BATHURST,  Sep.  30,  1878. 

"  I  like  the  idea  of  a  College  as  at  Keble,  but  it 
will  take  a  vast  deal  of  money.  However,  Bishop 
Abraham  does  not  seem  at  all  doubtful  about  it. 
You  will  like  Stephie,  and  I  hope  to  have  him 
thoroughly  in  hand  by  the  time  we  get  home.  He 
fights  me  stubbornly  (like  his  father)  in  the  most 
comical  way,  as  if  I  was  one  of  his  girl  nurses,  and 


VISIT  TO  ENGLAND 

wonders  that  I  don't  give  way.  My  love  to  my 
darlings.  I  can't  believe  that  next  month  I  may 
almost  say,  if  God  will,  I  shall  see  them.  Tell  them 
that  daddy  won't  be  long  after  this,  and  they  must 
have  their  best  kisses  ready  for  him  and  Stephie." 

At  last  the  travellers,  the  Bishop  and  his  baby 
boy,  arrived  at  Lichfield.  It  was  nearly  six  years 
since  he  had  seen  his  mother,  and  several  since  he 
had  seen  his  little  girls,  who  were  now  six  and  nearly 
four  years  old  respectively.  It  is  not  therefore  sur 
prising  that  they  had  almost  forgotten  him,  and 
relate  that  they  felt  "  dreadfully  shy  "  as  they  sat 
up  to  what  seemed  a  very  late  hour  awaiting  his 
coming.  They,  with  their  grandmother,  were  staying 
with  Bishop  Abraham  close  to  the  Cathedral  at 
Lichfield,  during  the  time  that  the  house  in  the 
Close,  in  which  Mrs.  Selwyn  now  lives,  was  being 
prepared. 

Is  it  not  possible  to  picture  the  scene  ?  The 
silent  Close  ;  the  dark  December  night ;  the  listening 
for  the  sound  of  wheels ;  the  stream  of  light  as  the 
door  is  thrown  open  ;  the  sturdy  figure  of  the  Bishop 
bearing  in  his  arms  his  little  Stephie  (wrapped  in 
shawls  against  the  cold  of  an  English  winter),  and 
hurrying  forward  with  eager  eyes  that  hungered  for 
a  sight  of  his  widowed  mother  and  his  motherless 
girls.  But  his  own  words  are  best,  written  just  a 
year  afterwards  : 


140  BISHOP  JOHN  SELWYN 

To  his  MOTHER. 

"' SOUTHERN  CROSS'  (at  sea)  DEC.  6,  1879- 

"  Look  at  that  date,  mother,  and  see  if  you 
remember  it.  I  was  just  arriving  at  Lichfield,  and 
can  see  the  picture  now  so  vividly — the  pretty 
drawing-room  looking  so  warm  and  bright — the  two 
shy  chicks  sitting  up  to  see  daddy,  and  the  dear  old 
mother  in  the  corner  with  them.  And  that  is  a 
whole  year  ago  !  It  seems  ten  and  yet  only  yester 
day.  ..?  Well,  it  was  worth  the  long  journey  and  the 
hard  racket — but  it  was  all  too  short.  And  then, 
dear  mother,  I  renewed  my  lease  of  you.  We  have 
always  been  doing  that  in  our  lives  :  in  1861,  1866, 
and  now  again  in  1878  ;  and  each  time  has  brought 
its  own  help  to  me." 

A  Lichfield  lady  used  at  that  time  to  come  in  as 
governess  to  the  two  little  girls,  and  from  her  pen 
there  is  a  further  account  of  the  impression  made  by 
Bishop  John  Selwyn.  It  is  contained  in  a  short 
sketch  of  him  written  for  his  daughters  since  his 
death.  This  lady  says  : 

"  How  well  I  remember  my  first  meeting  with  him  in  Bishop 
Abraham's  dining-room  !  He  came  in  with  you  two  girls 
clinging  one  to  each  hand  and  Stephie  on  his  shoulder,  and 
dear  grandmamma  bringing  up  the  happy  little  procession. 
I  can  recall  the  strong  active  figure,  and  the  beautiful  dancing 


VISIT  TO  ENGLAND  141 

light  in  his  eyes,  as  well  as  the  rested  happy  look  in  his 
mother's  face,  and  I  love  to  remember  that  my  first  meeting 
with  him  included  his  thanksgiving  in  the  Cathedral  for  his 
safe  arrival.  His  first  request  to  me  was,  '  Come  with  us  all 
to  give  thanks,1  and  my  last  meeting  with  him  included  that 
happy  Easter  Communion  with  you  all  in  1897  in  grand 
mamma's  little  room.  So  my  first  and  last  memories  of  him 
are  of  fc  giving  thanks,"  which  surely  was  the  very  key-note  of 
the  bright,  joyous  spirit  none  of  us  can  ever  dissociate  from 
memories  of  him." 

He  was  endowed  with  a  large  measure  of  that 
great  gift  from  God,  a  natural  love  of  children.  No 
wonder,  then,  that  his  heart  went  out  in  special 
fulness  to  these  little  maidens,  and  that  they  in 
return  were  devoted  to  him.  Long  separation  such 
as  fell  to  their  lot  could  not]  fail  to  make  some  little 
difference,  not  in  the  measure  of  their  love,  but  in 
the  complete  and  absolute  freedom  and  familiarity 
which  insensibly  grows  up  between  parents  and 
children  who  are  always  together.  He,  when  he 
was  with  them,  was  always  a  little  bit  afraid  of 
spoiling  them,  and  they  on  their  part  were  always 
a  little  bit  in  awe  of  him.  Possibly  his  impetuous 
nature,  and  the  quickness  with  which  he  would  be 
"  down  upon  "  anything  he  did  not  like,  accounted 
to  some  extent  for  this,  though  the  impression  thus 
caused  would  invariably  be  removed  at  once  by  the 
return  of  his  sweet  smile  and  the  gentle  explanation 
which  followed.  Of  his  treatment  of  his  children,  a 
capital  picture  is  drawn  by  the  same  lady  : 


BISHOP  JOHN  SELWYN 

"  The  one  thing  that  impressed  me  most  deeply  in  his  love 
for  you  all  was  his  strong  sense  of  your  need  of  discipline,  and 
the  firmness  with  which  he  always  maintained  it  in  spite  of  your 
being  so  young  and  his  having  so  short  a  time  with  you. 
I  think  he  feared  being  either  too  indulgent  or  too  severe, 
but  to  me  this  side  of  his  love  was  very  impressive.  He  once 
said  to  me  quite  sadly  :  '  I  fear  my  children  will  only  re 
member  me  as  a  big  playfellow.1*  I  don't  know  what  I  an 
swered,  I  only  know  that  to  me  his  treatment  of  you  was  a 
deep  lesson,  and  that  all  my  life  long  I  shall  feel  that  my  belief 
in  '  the  Fatherhood  of  God  '  owes  much  of  its  strength  and 
clearness  to  the  exhibition  of  his  fatherly  love  and  care  for  you. 

Two  pictures  of  his  dealing  with  his  children's  faults 

come  before  me,  both  connected  with  the  same  child.  Once, 
when  first  he  came,  we  were  all  sitting  in  the  drawing-room  at 
Bishop  Abraham's.  I  was  in  a  low  easy  chair,  with  my  feet  a 
little  stretched  out.  One  of  you  little  girls  stumbled  over 
them,  and  your  father  told  you  to  say,  '  I  beg  your  pardon.' 
These  words  were  exceedingly  repugnant  to  you,  and  you 
utterly  refused.  He  could  not  of  course  pass  it  over,  but  in 
a  room  full  of  people  it  was  not  an  easy  matter  to  insist. 
However,  insist  he  did.  He  picked  you  up  in  his  arms,  and 
standing  in  front  of  me  dictated  the  following  speech  :  '  I'm 
a  very  heavy  little  personage,  and  I  came  down  on  your  toes 
like  a  cartload  of  bricks,  and  I  humbly  beg  your  pardon.' 
This  you  had  to  repeat  bit  by  bit,  and  every  one  laughed  except 
poor  you  and  I ;  but  when  it  had  been  done  with  many  sobs 
you  were  kissed  and  comforted,  and  it  was  all  said  with  his 
arms  holding  you  tightly.  The  other  time  was  a  sterner 
rebuke.  He  overheard  a  piece  of  childish  rudeness  and  was 
really  angry,  but,  as  soon  as  you  had  apologised,  in  your  own 
words  this  time,  he  once  more  picked  you  up  and  let  you  sob 
out  your  grief  in  his  arms." 

His   love   of,    and    power   with,   children,   was    a 


LOVE  OF  CHILDREN  143 

marked  feature  of  his  whole  life.  References  have 
already  been  made  to  the  happy  way  he  had  of 
dealing  with  the  boys  and  girls  in  Norfolk  Island. 
It  will  not  be  out  of  place  to  quote  just  one  or  two 
more  here.  In  1888  there  was  a  severe  epidemic 
of  meningitis  in  the  school,  and  he  wrote  to  his 
mother  as  follows  : 

"Meanwhile  we  have  to  try  and  keep  up  the 
boys '  spirits  in  every  way,  and  if  you  had  seen  my 
small  class  this  morning  you  would  not  have 
thought  they  were  very  bad.  I  have  a  long  stick 
with  which  I  whack  them  in  fun,  and  they  all  love 
this  stick  dearly.  If  I  leave  my  class  in  another 
room  one  of  them  is  sure  to  appear  with  it,  and  if  it 
is  mislaid  another  makes  its  appearance  next  school 
unfailingly.  Then  I  have  a  two-pronged  stick  of 
portentous  length.  Some  one  proposed  breaking 
off  a  prong,  but  the  girls  rushed  at  the  proposer 
and  said,  'No,  you  mustn't  do  that :  the  Bishop  likes 
licking  us  with  two  sticks ! '  Isn't  it  jolly  having 
people  like  that  to  deal  with  ?" 

In  1881  he  was  staying  in  the  Island  of  Mota,  and 
he  draws  an  exceedingly  pretty  picture  of  the 
games  of  the  native  children  and  of  his  own  share 
in  them  : 

"  They  have  a  most  excellent  form  of  prisoners' 
base  which  big  and  little  can  play  at  together.  ...  I 


144  BISHOP  JOHN  SELWYN 

wish  you  could  see  one  or  two  of  the  lithe  little 
forms.  There  is  one  child  in  particular,  about 
Pearlie's  age  and  size,  with  a  little  short  petticoat, 
who  is  the  picture  of  grace  and  life.  It  is  quite  a 
study  to  see  her  with  her  eyes  open  wide,  and 
parted  lips,  and  body  all  poised  to  spring  back, 
advancing  to  challenge  the  other  side.  I  could 
not  resist  one  evening  as  the  old  nursery  feeling 
came  over  me,  and  out  I  rushed  to  join  them.  It 
was  such  a  pleasure  to  the  chicks.  Those  opposite 
made  a  dead  set  at  me  at  once,  while  my  side,  and 
especially  the  young  girl  aforesaid,  took  pride  in 
nursing  me  through  the  intricacies  of  the  game. 
One  little  dot  set  her  whole  heart  on  catching  the 
Bishop,  and  was  always  after  me  when  I  tried  to 
get  out.  I  tried  hard  to  humour  her,  but  could  not 
manage  it  gracefully.  The  children  are  simply 
marvellous  in  their  good  temper.  Palmer  and  I 
have  been  examining  all  the  schools.  .  .  .  The 
children,  when  they  pass  creditably,  get  a  piece  of 
print  for  a  petticoat,  and  '  it  was  pretty '  to  see 
them  sitting  about  under  the  trees  sewing  them 
(very  badly,  I  must  confess).  .  .  .  Fancy  the 
delight,  when  your  only  garment  is  a  yard  of  blue 
print,  in  winning  another  of  red  stuff,  and  then 
making  it  into  a  real  petticoat,  all  your  own  work, 
with  the  hem  outside,  which  has  to  be  done  again, 
and  then  having  the  whole  inspected  by  the  Bishop 
with  much  shyness  and  equal  pride.  .  .  .  My  heart 


LOVE  OF  CHILDREN  145 

does  go  out  to  meet  these  little  ones,  and  I  think 
they  feel  that  it  does." 

Again,  after  revisiting  England,  on  one  occasion 
he  wrote  to  his  mother  : 

"  Well,  it  is  a  very  great  blessing  to  have  been 
home  and  have  had  it  all,  as  it  is  very  humanising 
and  softening.  I  can  see  the  little  children  stop 
and  look  at  me  because  my  eyes  look  lovingly  at 
them  for  my  chickies'  sake,  and  other  children  whom 
I  play  with  make  great  friends  on  the  strength  of 
my  little  women  at  home." 

During  the  last  years  of  his  life,  when  a  con 
firmed  cripple,  children  were  a  special  delight  and 
solace.  When  in  London  he  would  have  himself 
carried  into  a  ward  of  the  Victoria  Hospital  for 
Children,  and  there  hold  a  simple  service  for  them. 
In  Cambridge  many  little  ones  still  remember  his 
delightful  stories.  He  would  gather  them  round 
him,  no  matter  how  distinguished  the  rest  of  the 
company  might  be,  and  begin  a  yarn — half  fairy 
tale,  half  fact  gathered  during  his  travels — of  which 
shipwreck  and  rescue  by  the  aid  of  wonderful  big 
white  birds  not  infrequently  formed  part.  These 
stories  were  too  often  interrupted  (as  much  to  his 
own  annoyance  as  to  that  of  the  children)  by  some 
ecclesiastical  female  who  was  "  simply  dying  to 
have  a  word  with  the  Bishop." 

K 


146  BISHOP  JOHN  SELWYN 

During  the  short  six  months  he  was  in  England 
in  1878  and  1879,  he  was  continually  in  request  for 
sermons  and  meetings,  and  spent  a  great  deal  of  the 
time,  which  he  would  have  wished  to  give  to  his 
mother  and  children,  in  pleading  for  the  Melanesian 
Mission.  This  was  a  considerable  trial,  and  people 
were  not  always  very  considerate  in  putting  forward 
claims  upon  his  time.  "  For  all  that,  "  says  one  who 
saw  much  of  him  just  then,  "  I  never  remember 
seeing  or  hearing  the  slightest  trace  of  impatience 
or  irritation  on  the  subject."  Nothing  ever  seems 
to  have  been  too  great  or  too  small  a  thing  for  him 
to  give. 

At  last  the  dreaded  moment  came  when  he  must 
leave  all  the  love  and  happiness  he  had  been  enjoy 
ing  and  start  back  for  Melanesia.  Just  at  that 
period  of  life  when  the  affections  are  perhaps  the 
strongest  —  he  was  only  thirty-five  —  he  had  to 
leave  all  whom  he  loved  behind  him,  for  little 
Stephie  was  now  to  remain  in  England  with  his 
sisters.  Out  there  in  Norfolk  Island  there  was  not 
one  of  his  own  flesh  and  blood  to  welcome  him — 
only  a  quiet  grave  with  its  cross  of  flowers.  No 
wonder  he  wrote  to  Mr.  Bill  on  the  voyage  of  the 
bitterness  of  the  parting  : 

"SS.  '  GARONNE  '  (at  sea),  June  25,  1879- 

<c  Many  thanks  for  your  letter,  which  reached  me 
just  before  I  started.  I  don't  know  how  I  got  over 


RETURN  TO  MELANESIA  147 

the  next  day,  and  especially  the  next  night.  I  felt 
as  if  my  heart  would  break  in  the  evening,  or  my 
head  go.  But,  thank  God,  I  am  all  right  again 
now." 

To  a  man  with  his  sunny  disposition  and  love  for 
his  fellow  creatures  the  feeling  of  desolation  could 
not  last  long.  Amongst  other  things  his  delight  in 
sailors  came  to  his  rescue.  Here  are  some  extracts 
from  letters  to  his  mother  written  on  board  the 
Garonne. 

"June  24,  1879- 

"  The  passengers  are  a  very  nice  pleasant  set,  and 
our  prayers  are  really  a  sight  to  behold.  To-day  I 
should  say  we  had  thirty,  or  even  more.  Sang  the 
'  Te  Deum '  very  well.  This  is  most  thankworthy. 
Also  the  sailors  let  me  go  down  to  them,  and  we 
had  some  forty  in  the  forecastle  last  Sunday  even- 
ing." 

"OFF  CAPE  BREDA,  July  31,  1879. 

"  I  was  seeing  the  sick  wife  of  one  of  our  passen 
gers  (the  same  poor  woman  who  lost  her  two  children 
the  other  day),  and  while  I  was  there  her  little  boy 
came  in,  and  with  great  triumph  produced  a  paper  of 
sugarplums  which  had  been  given  him  and  which 
was  '  for  mother.'  Then,  when  he  had  given  them 
her,  he  climbed  up  into  the  berth  and  put  his  arm 
round  her,  and  got  hers  coiled  round  him.  It  was  a 


148  BISHOP  JOHN  SELWYN 

very  pretty  picture,  but  I  could  not  help  thinking 
how  my  boy  would  never  have  that  most  blessed  of 
loves  which  exist  between  a  mother  and  her  son. 
You  see,  mother,  I  know  a  great  deal  of  that." 

The  Southern  Cross  seems  to  have  been  sent  to 
meet  him,  and  convey  him  to  the  Islands  en  route 
for  Norfolk  Island.  There  is  a  letter  to  his  mother 
in  which  the  hunger  for  a  sight  of  the  little  ones 
he  had  left  cannot  be  suppressed. 

"  '  SOUTHERN  CROSS  '  (at  sea)  Sep.  26,  1879- 

"  I  do  not  know  when  you  thought  of  moving  from 
Torquay  ;  still,  I  should  think  you  would  be  nearly 
home  by  this  time,  and  I  look  at  the  little  photograph 
of  the  ugly  house  [Mrs.  Selwyn's  residence  in  the 
Close,  Lichfield]  in  its  ugly  aspect,  and  think  how 
lovely  I  should  think  it  if  I  could  see  the  little  faces 
looking  out  of  the  night-nursery  window." 

He  was  unfortunate  enough  to  be  taken  seriously 
ill  with  ague  just  at  this  time,  a  fact  which  he 
ascribed  to  having  lost  his  acclimatisation  during  his 
visit  to  England : 

To  MRS.  A  COURT-REPINGTON. 

"' SOUTHERN  CROSS'  (at  anchor),  Oct.  18,  1879. 
"  I  have  only  just  begun  to  think  again  of  writing, 


RETURN  TO  MELANESIA  149 

as  I  had  to  put  my  letter  away  again  as  I  was  very 
poorly,  and  then  out  came  (what  I  think  had  been 
threatening  for  a  long  time,  as  I  never  felt  so 
wretched  and  listless)  a  bad  attack  of  ague.  It  was 
a  little  more  than  ague,  that  is,  I  never  was  free  from 
it  and  had  a  continual  heat  and  partial  delirium." 


CHAPTER   XI 

MELANESIA 

As  has  been  stated  in  the  Preface,  it  is  not  intended 
here  to  write  a  history  of  the  Melanesian  Mission, 
or  even  of  those  years  when  Bishop  John  Selwyn 
was  at  its  head.  That  is  left  for  another  hand  to  do. 
At  the  same  time  it  is  necessary  that  some  idea 
should  be  given  of  the  work  he  did,  and  the  sort  of 
places  he  visited,  and  people  with  whom  he  had  to 
do.  This  shall  be  divided  into  two  parts  :  the  first, 
consisting  of  a  number  of  extracts  from  letters 
written  at  various  times  and  from  various  places, 
which  may  serve  to  give  a  general  impression  of  his 
life  in  Melanesia ;  the  second,  of  an  account  of  one 
or  two  of  the  most  important  actions  and  missionary 
feats  accomplished  by  him  during  his  career. 

His  reluctance  to  speak  much  in  his  letters  about 
his  frequent  illnesses,  or  the  gradual  undermining  of 
his  constitution,  has  been  already  mentioned.  He 
was  equally  reticent  concerning  the  risks  he  ran  on 
numbers  of  occasions  when  landing  among  strange 


MELANESIA  151 

and  possibly  hostile  natives.  It  is  certain  that,  while 
making  as  light  as  possible  of  such  things,  he  often 
wrote  farewell  letters  to  those  he  loved  in  case  any 
thing  happened  to  him.  These  letters  were  seldom 
sent,  but  one  will  be  found,  as  an  example,  in  the 
account  of  his  going  ashore  at  Gaieta  (Florida)  to  try 
to  persuade  the  chief  to  deliver  up  the  murderers 
of  Lieutenant  Bower.  One  thing  is  quite  certain  : 
he  never  allowed  any  one  to  incur  any  danger  that  he 
was  not  willing  to  share,  and  when  possible  he  would 
land  first  alone,  and  take  the  whole  risk  himself. 
These  things  will  come  out  clearly  in  the  following 
extracts,  as  will  also  the  character  and  habits  of  the 
islanders  for  whose  salvation  he  was  working. 

To  his  MOTHER. 

"  MAEWO,  June  26,  1878. 

"  I  have  just  come  back  to  such  a  terrible  thing, 
that  it  makes  one's  blood  run  cold  to  think  of  it.  I 
had  been  for  a  splendid  walk  in  which  all  sense  of 
seediness  produced  by  three  wet  days  had  passed 
away,  and  had  come  back  to  find  the  people  had 
brought  me  heaps  of  water,  and  the  old  gentleman 
of  the  place  had  come  up  and  drawn  me  aside  to  show 
me  three  yams  he  had  been  digging  for  me.  My 
boys  were  boiling  the  water  for  tea,  my  school 
children  were  hanging  about  waiting  for  school — 
altogether  it  was  as  simple,  bright  a  little  scene  as 


152  BISHOP  JOHN  SELWYN 

one  wanted  to  see,  when  I  heard  that  a  woman  had 
died  at  the  next  village.  They  had  not  told  me  of 
her  illness,  and  it  was  no  good  going  down,  so  I  sat 
quietly  down  to  tea  and  entertained  an  old  fellow 
who  had  been  very  civil  to  me  yesterday.  All  of  a 
sudden  one  of  my  boys  looked  up  and  said,  '  Yes, 
poor  woman  ! '  '  Who  ? '  said  I.  '  The  mother  of 
the  woman  who  died/  said  he  quietly ;  *  they  have 
stamped  on  her  and  thrown  her  into  the  grave,  and 
she  was  not  dead'  Can  you  imagine  anything  more 
terrible  ?  All  this  had  been  going  on  not  300  yards 
from  where  I  was  sitting.  However,  it  is  not  quite 
so  bad  as  they  made  out,  although  bad  enough.  She 
had  implored  them  to  take  her  life,  as  she  did  not 
want  to  survive  her  daughter,  so  they  bound  the 
living  and  the  dead  together,  and  then  trod  the 
mother  to  death.  It  is  the  first  time  such  a  thing 
has  been  done  in  this  part  of  the  island,  though  it  is 
common  in  the  southern  part.  The  deed  was  done 
by  her  own  sons,  and  I  suppose  they  thought  they 
did  her  good  service.  One  can  imagine  it  all.  A 
woman  here  has  very  little  that  makes  life  worth 
living  at  the  best  of  times,  and  if  sorrow  is  super- 
added  she  may  well  say  'let  it  end,'  even  though 
her  creed  is  nothing  after  death. 

"  I  am  very  well,  but  nearly  eaten  by  mosquitoes, 
and  the  rats  are  something  wonderful.  They  have 
lived  on  my  biscuits,  got  a  bit  of  glass  out  of  the 


MELANESIA  153 

front  of  the  biscuit-box  where  it  was  only  slightly 
broken  and  lived  on  that;  and  now  that  I  have 
stopped  both  these  sources  of  food  I  am  mightily 
afraid  lest  they  should  live  on  me.  If  you  hear  of 
your  son  as  a  second  Bishop  Hatto,  please  do  not 
think  that  it  is  because  I  oppress  the  poor.  On  the 
contrary,  I  had  the  oldest  man  hereabouts  to  tea  to 
night,  and  fed  him  with  haricot  mutton  and  biscuit, 
and  heard  his  story  of  the  coming  of  the  first  ship, 
which  they  thought  was  a  spirit  and  brought  the 
ghosts  of  dead  black  men,  which  had  shadows  that 
you  could  see  through  ;  and  I  have  bound  up  four 
bad  legs  and  one  bad  neck ;  so  that  though  I  have 
stowed  away  the  biscuits  in  a  box  I  don't  deserve  the 
fate  of  the  Rhenish  Bishop." 

To  MRS.  A  COURT-REPINGTON. 

"  MOTA,  Oct.  18,  1880. 

"  I  spent  my  five  weeks  while  the  ship  was  at 
Norfolk  Island  on  (to  us)  new  ground  at  the  Torres 
Islands, — very  nice,  noisy,  simple-minded  folk.  They 
were  afflicted  with  a  terrible  sort  of  ulcer,  principally 
caused  by  dirt,  but  partly,  I  fancy,  by  deterioration 
of  blood.  It  was  terrible.  One  day  I  dressed  thirty- 
seven  bad  legs ;  and  there  were  others  so  bad  that 
they  would  not  let  me  touch  them,  and  prepared  to 
die  :  and,  indeed,  I  could  do  nothing  for  them.  I 
think  I  saved  a  good  many,  and  the  people  were  very 


154  BISHOP  JOHN  SELWYN 

good,  and  cleaned  up  their  houses,  washed  their 
bandages,  and  generally  kept  themselves  cleaner. 
But  I  longed  for  Sister  Dora's  skill  and  power,  and 
sometimes  for  her  appliances." 

This  reference  to  Sister  Dora  comes  naturally  from 
the  pen  of  a  Staffordshire  man,  for  though  not  by 
birth,  yet  by  all  associations,  he  was  closely  connected 
with  that  county. 

From  these  same  Torres  Islands  he  wrote  a  long 
letter  to  his  mother,  in  which  he  laments  that  he 
had  not  the  enthusiasm  of  his  father  or  of  Bishop 
Patteson,  and  thanks  God  for  the  sense  of  duty  which 
kept  him  up  to  his  work.  He  ends  up  these  thoughts 
with  the  following  rather  pathetic  words  : 

"  I  think  the  real  truth  is  that  I  dislike  being 
Bishop.  I  shrank  from  it  at  first,  and  the  liking  has 
never  come.  '  But  in  I  am  and  on  I  must,'  which 
is  what  my  father  would  say." 

His  estimate  of  himself  was  full  of  humility,  but 
lacking  in  true  appreciation.  Had  the  enthusiasm 
been  absent,  no  amount  of  mere  sense  of  duty  could 
have  carried  him  forward  to  the  great  achievements 
of  his  life.  Besides  which,  there  is  evidence  that 
when  incapacitated  for  the  work  he  realised  only  too 
well  his  devotion  to  it.  The  very  nature  too  of  his 
work  was  such  that,  unless  he  had  had  the  true  love 
and  ardour  for  it,  he  would  have  never  been  able  to 


MELANESIA  155 

sustain  its  vicissitudes.  He  once  said  in  a  letter  to 
his  mother  that  he  sometimes  compared  his  life  with 
that  of  an  ordinary  bishop,  whose  interests  are 
usually  general  rather  than  particular ;  whereas 
there,  besides  the  care  of  the  churches,  there  was 
the  care,  bodily  and  spiritually,  of  every  individual, 
and  this  was  never  absent  from  his  mind.  The 
following  description  of  a  day's  work  in  Florida  will 
illustrate  this  : 

To  MRS.  LONG  INNES. 

"  BOLI,  FLORIDA,  Nov.  16,  1881. 

"  Shall  I  tell  you  what  a  day  is  like  here  ?  To 
day,  for  instance  ?  Well,  I  got  up  at  6.30,  and 
went  to  my  tub,  which  is  behind  a  screen  outside. 
Thence  I  yelled  to  have  the  bell  rung,  and  then 
trotted  off  to  school.  .  .  .  Here  I  bothered  two 
girls  out  of  their  life  by  my  individual  attention  to 
their  reading.  Then  prayers.  Then  back  to  break 
fast.  This  is  a  great  event,  and  really  it  is  very 
nice  save  that  one  gets  awfully  tired  of  preserved 
meat.  .  .  .  Before  I  get  to  this  repast  I  am  seized 
on  by  a  woman  to  do  her  baby's  leg,  and  generally 
there  are  two  or  three  other  legs  and  an  ear  or  two. 
Then  I  eat,  and  then  I  smoke  a  cigarette,  buy  any 
thing,  settle  anything  that  has  to  be  settled  before 
I  get  to  work.  But  as  the  Bishop's  house  is  com 
fortable  and  contains  sundry  good  things,  people 


156  BISHOP  JOHN  SELWYN 

who  are  not  going  to  work  think  it  rather  a  nice 
place  to  sit,  so  in  drop  two  or  three  friends.  Now, 
they  are  all  very  well  when  I  want  to  learn  Florida, 
but  I  don't  want  them  in  the  morning,  so  I  am  in  a 
difficulty  as  I  don't  like  to  kick  them  out.  But  I 
generally  go  out  myself;  then,  when  they  have 
evaporated,  I  slip  back,  and  down  goes  a  mat  before 
my  door  and  my  '  oak  is  sported,'  and  then  to  my 
Greek  Testament.  To-day  the  mat  was  raised  and  I 
was  summoned  to  a  child  in  strong  convulsions.  I 
wish  you  had  been  by,  as  you  would  have  known 
what  to  do.  I  rushed  off  with  the  kettle  and 
mustard,  and  put  the  child  at  once  into  a  hot  bath 
in  a  bucket.  But  the  fits  have  been  going  on  all 
day,  and  I  am  afraid  it  won't  live  out  the  night. 
As  the  father  was  a  Christian  I  baptized  it.  I 
stayed  there  a  long  time  and  got  it  a  little  warmer, 
but  that  was  all.  Then  back  to  my  reading,  and  so 
till  it  was  so  hot  and  I  was  so  sleepy  I  could  read 
no  more.  Then  a  siesta.  Then  I  woke  up  and 
found  some  boys  and  went  for  a  good  walk.  Oh  ! 
so  pretty  along  the  beach  of  firm  white  sand,  with 
overhanging  trees,  and  orchids  arid  ferns  on  every 
trunk,  and  the  white  surf  breaking  on  the  reef  out 
side,  and  then  rolling  across  the  lagoon  to  break  in 
ripplets  at  your  feet.  .  .  .  Home,  to  find  thatjsome- 
body  in  his  zeal  had  rung  the  bell  on  a  half- holiday, 
so  the  school  was  all  hard  at  work.  Prayers  in  the 
open  air,  as  it  was  nearly  dark.  Then  dinner,  and 


MELANESIA  157 

then  two  new  candidates  for  baptism  to  gladden  my 
heart.  What  do  you  think  of  that  for  a  quiet  day 
in  the  dreaded  Solomons  ? " 

This  day,  as  so  many  others,  ended  by  his  writing 
several  sheets  of  letters,  and  this  addition  to  his 
work  should  always  be  borne  in  mind.  From  the 
letters  to  his  mother  written  during  this  same  expe 
dition  two  extracts  must  be  given  as  illustrating  the 
feelings  and  thoughts  of  the  natives  on  the  one  hand 
and  of  himself  on  the  other  : 

To  his  MOTHER. 

"  BOLI,  FLORIDA,  Sunday,  April  2,  1882. 

"  What  a  bore  self  is  !  I  am  always  debating  about 
things.  How  far  one  is  bound  to  consider  oneself: 
e.g.,  one  takes  one's  waterproof  sheet  and  a  plaid, 
and  hears  one  of  one's  small  boys  shivering  next 
door.  Ought  one  without  any  hesitation  to  give 
him  the  sheet  ?  I  am  on  a  matted  floor,  mind,  and 
should  not  get  damp,  but  I  may  get  skin  disease. 
One  is  always  having  St.-Martin-of-Tours  sort  of 
questions,  and  I  am  afraid  I  do  not  answer  them  in 
his  way.  In  fact,  I  think  the  tendency  of  this  life 
is  to  make  one  selfish,  as  one  has  to  be  constantly 
asserting  oneself. 

All  these  people  are  such  beggars.     They  are  to 


158  BISHOP  JOHN  SELWYN 

one  another,  and  they  carry  it  out  fully  to  strangers. 
Everybody  who  comes  to  you  is  only  thinking  what 
he  can  get.  *  Bishop,  this  is  somebody's  brother,' 
'Bishop,  this  is  the  uncle  of  a  boy  at  Norfolk 
Island,'  &c.  If  it  is  not  begging  it  is  buying,  and 
if  it  is  not  buying  it  is  coming  into  one's  den  and 
making  remarks  on  everything  one  has  got.  After 
a  time  one  can  keep  people  well  within  bounds,  but 
in  newish  places  one  has  to  live  in  a  constant  state 
of  repressing,  which  is  disagreeable.  The  chiefs  are 
worst  of  all.  I  went  at  the  man  here  the  other 
day.  '  Lifa,'  said  I,  '  you  went  up  in  my  vessel  to 
Norfolk  Island  the  other  day,  did  you  not  ?  and  you 
stayed  at  Norfolk  Island,  did  you  not  ?  and  you 
came  back  again,  and  you  had  presents  there  :  how 
much  food  had  you  to  buy  on  board?'  He  said, 
4  None.'  Then  said  I,  '  I  have  been  in  your  country 
for  a  fortnight,  and  you  have  not  sent  me  a  single 
yam,  but  have  begged  everything  you  could.  Is 
that  like  a  chief?  I  do  not  care.  I  can  buy  all  I 
want ;  but  chiefs  ought  to  behave  as  such.' ' 

To  his  MOTHER, 

/'  BOLI,  April  5,  1882. 

"I  have  been  trying  to  get  Good  Friday  and 
Easter  well  observed  here,  but  I  am  afraid  I 
cannot  do  much  except  among  the  teachers.  It  is 
too  early  yet  with  these  people  to  get  them  to  mark 


MELANESIA  159 

days  and  seasons,  when  heretofore  they  have  never 
known  what  a  season  meant  at  all,  and  one  is  afraid 
to  make  it  too  much  of  a  yoke.  I  find  also  that  it  is 
very  difficult  to  get  them  to  understand  abstract 
history,  for  such  the  history  of  our  Lord  is  to  them. 
But  all  this  will  come  as  their  minds  grow.  This 
week  I  am  trying  to  make  them  know  the  facts,  with 
but  little  theory,  of  the  death  of  Christ.  That  is 
after  all  the  real  Gospel,  as  I  have  been  reading  to 
day  in  a  capital  book  of  H.  W.  Dale's,  a  Congrega- 
tionalist,  on  the  Atonement.  I  wish  you  would  read 
it,  as  I  think  you  would  like  it.  The  style  is  very 
pleasant,  and  one  wonders  as  one  sees  how  very  near 
they  are  to  us,  or  rather  one  sees  how  broad  is  the 
basis  and  how  little  is  the  difference  between  different 
schools  as  to  the  real  bearing  of  Christianity. 

"  I  wonder  whether  I  wrote  to  ask  you  to  send 
the  pastoral  staff?  I  should  like  it  to  use  at 
functions  in  our  chapel  at  Norfolk  Island — indeed 
I  ought  to  have  had  it  for  the  consecration,  but  I 
forgot  it." 

The  above  refers  to  his  father's  pastoral  staff, 
which  was  afterwards  used  at  many  of  the  episcopal 
ceremonies  in  Melanesia  by  Bishop  John  Selwyn. 

In  1884  he  visited  Nukapu  in  order  to  set  up  the 
cross  to  mark  the  place  where  Bishop  Patteson  was 
killed.  This  could  not  have  been  a  very  easy  task, 


160  BISHOP  JOHN  SELWYN 

and  required  the  full  exercise  of  his  tact  and  daring. 
Here  is  his  brief  account : 


To  his  MOTHER. 

'" SOUTHERN  CROSS'  (at  sea),  Oct.  26,  1884. 

"  We  got  to  Nukapu  last  Saturday,  and  the  chief 
came  out  to  us  at  once,  and  we  went  in  together.  I 
took  the  engineer  in  to  help  me  to  put  up  the  cross. 
I  was  a  little  bit  afraid  that  the  people  might  be 
shy  at  the  last  moment,  but  they  all  manifested  the 
most  eager  zeal,  and  dug  holes  and  cleared  the 
ground  with  great  vigour.  We  put  it  just  in  front 
of  the  house  where  Bishop  Patteson  was  killed,  at 
their  earnest  request,  as  they  said  people  could  see 
it  from  the  sea.  I  am  afraid  they  can't  very  well, 
as  it  does  not  show  out  much,  but  it  stands  very 
well  when  you  land." 

At  this  point  it  is  necessary  to  make  a  break  in 
these  extracts  so  as  briefly  to  describe  what  took 
place  in  the  following  year — a  year  of  great  import 
ance  to  the  Bishop. 


CHAPTER  XII 

HIS  SECOND  MARRIAGE— RENEWED  WORK 
IN  MELANESIA 

IN  1885  he  paid  another  visit  to  England.  It  was 
six  years  since  he  had  seen  his  daughters,  and  six 
years  at  their  time  of  life  meant  a  great  change. 
His  eldest  child  had  been  ill,  and  on  his  return  he 
took  the  whole  party  down  to  Llanfairfechan,  where 
he  obtained  a  pony  cart  for  their  general  use,  and 
laid  himself  out  in  every  way  to  ensure  one  of  those 
happy  bits  of  family  life  which  at  long  intervals 
brightened  him  on  his  way. 

There  was  at  this  time  staying  with  a  married 
sister  in  London  a  Miss  Annie  Mort,  whose  home 
was  in  Sydney,  and  whom  the  Bishop  had  known 
in  very  early  days,  when  with  his  father  and  mother 
he  had  stayed  at  her  father's  house.  Later  on  their 
acquaintance  had  been  renewed  at  Alrewas,  where 
Miss  Mort  and  her  sister  used  to  spend  their 
holidays  at  the  vicarage  when  he  was  curate  of  that 
parish.  On  his  return  to  England  in  1885  he  went 

L 


162  BISHOP  JOHN  SELWYN 

to  see  Miss  Mort  in  London,  and  in  a  very  short 
time  they  became  engaged,  and  were  happily 
married  on  August  11  of  that  year.  It  has  been 
said  that  if  he  had  married  again  a  little  sooner  his 
life  might  have  been  prolonged,  for  he  became  rather 
reckless  about  his  health,  neglecting  to  take  off  wet 
clothes,  and  being  in  many  ways  careless  of  himself. 
It  was,  as  may  be  imagined,  a  great  joy  to  all  who 
cared  for  him  to  know  that  he  had  thus  taken  a 
fresh  lease  of  happiness  of  life,  and  that  he  would  be 
accompanied  to  his  far-off  work  by  one  who  would  be 
a  helpmeet  for  him  in  every  way.  It  was  an  added 
gratification  when  it  was  found  that  the  second  Mrs. 
John  Selwyn  was  as  ready  as  the  first  had  been  to 
devote  herself  to  the  interests  of  the  Mission. 

In  the  following  November  Bishop  and  Mrs.  John 
Selwyn  sailed  for  Melanesia,  and  very  shortly  after 
their  arrival  he  must  have  started  on  a  voyage  to 
the  islands,  as  may  be  gathered  from  the  following 
letters.  It  will  be  noticed  that  reference  is  made  in 
the  first  of  these  to  a  bad  foot — a  symptom,  doubtless, 
of  the  trouble  to  come. 

To  his  MOTHER. 

"  '  SOUTHERN  CROSS'  (at  sea),  Easter  Day,  1886. 

"  My  foot  is  nearly  well,  but  I  have  to  nurse  it  a 
bit,  which  means  sitting  down  more  than  I  care  about. 


MELANESIA  163 

"  There  are  signs  that  the  old  religion  is  breaking 
down.  C.  has  had  a  new  house  built,  and  to  do  this 
a  house  belonging  to  a  spirit  had  to  be  pulled  down. 
Nobody  liked  doing  this  very  much,  but  two  of  the 
Christian  boys  went  at  it  and  down  it  came. 

"  '  Poor  Poian  '  (the  owner),  said  old  Taki,  c  I  am 
sure  he  will  die.'  He  thought  the  outraged  spirit 
would  kill  him.  However,  he  didn't,  nor  the  boys 
who  pulled  the  house  down.  And  so  the  other  day 
they  were  sent  for,  as  being  spirit-proof,  to  remove 
another  spirit's  tree.  No  religion  can  long  stand 
this  open  defiance  of  it.  They  believe  that  any  one 
who  offends  the  spirit  will  die,  and  consequently 
they  never  have  put  his  power  to  the  proof.  But 
when  they  find  that  he  can  be  insulted  with  im 
punity  they  soon  cease  to  believe  in  him. 

"  I  don't  dare  to  begin  counting  the  weeks.  It  is 
like  thinking  about  the  end  in  a  boat-race  :  nothing 
does  you  up  so  soon  or  makes  the  end  seem  so  far. 
Well,  mother  dear,  I  have  this  advantage  over  every 
body  else  in  this  work,  that  no  one  has  such  a 
mother  or  such  a  wife  or  such  children  as  I  have  to 
give  up,  so  I  hope  I  do  not  offer  what  costs  me 
nothing. 

' '  May  8. — At  Boli  there  was  a  bad  piece  of  news. 
Old  Takua,  the  old  chief  there,  and  Dikea,  his 


164  BISHOP  JOHN  SELWYN 

brother,  had  made  a  raid  on  one  of  our  teacher's 
people  (he  was  away  at  Norfolk  Island)  and  driven 
them  away,  and  then  they  invaded  his  house,  broke 
some  of  the  school  things,  and  took  away  two 
banners.  These,  however,  they  put  back.  The 
ostensible  reason  was  that  they  wanted  topunish 
them  for  harbouring  a  young  fellow  who  had 
offended  Dikea,  but  some  of  my  best  teachers  told 
me  that  Takua  had  said,  '  Let  us  drive  away  this 
new  doctrine  ;  we  will  do  some  little  damage,  and 
then  wait  and  see  what  happens.  If  no  man-of-war 
comes  and  punishes  us,  then  we  will  attack  them 
more  determinedly.' ' 

To  his  MOTHER. 

"  YSABEL,  Sunday  Evening,  July  11,  188(). 

"  I  am  here  on  my  way  back  from  visiting  the 
great  chief  of  these  parts,  who  has  been  and  is  very 
ill,  and  to  whom  I  have  just  administered  a  strongish 
tonic  of  brandy  and  quinine,  which  I  find  to  be  a 
most  efficacious  remedy  (pace  the  teetotalers).  My 
going  was  one  of  those  little  trials  which  one  has  to 
face  here — nothing  very  great  in  themselves,  but 
with  a  possibility  of  consequences  which  have  to  be 
taken  into  consideration  and  make  one  feel  grave. 
Some  time  ago  I  went  to  see  him  and  found  him 
ill  with  influenza,  and  gave  him  some  pain-killer, 
which  generally  proves  efficacious.  Last  night 


MELANESIA  165 

when  I  came  back  from  a  long  excursion  to  see  a 
case  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Tega  I  heard  that  he 
was  very  ill,  and  had  removed  from  his  own  home 
to  an  outlying  island  (this  probably  to  get  away 
from  his  Tidalo  or  spirit),  and  that  his  people  said 
that  my  medicine  was  the  cause  of  his    sickness. 
This  was  serious  ;  so  after  church  this   morning   I 
came  away  to  visit  him.     My  boys  came  with  me 
without  hesitation,   though   I  fancy  they    thought 
there  might  be  danger.     I  wrote  to  Annie  [his  wife] 
last  night,  and  told  her  why  I  went.     That  is  the 
hard  part  of  what  we  have  to  do,  not  the  doing  it 
ourselves.     I  think  if  we  really  see  our  path  of  duty 
clear  we  can  commit  our  souls  to  God  as  unto  a 
faithful  Creator,  and  my  path  was  very   clear.     I 
had  to  think  of  my  teachers  here,  who  would  be 
very  likely  to  have  my  imaginary  sin   visited   on 
them.     But  still  it  is  very  hard  to  face  probable 
sorrow   for   those   you   love,   and    I    knew  what   a 
terrible  thing  it  would  be  to  her,  and  to  you  and  the 
chicks — though  you  all,  if  you   had  known,  would 
have  told  me  to  go  ;  so  I  had  much  prayer  and  felt 
strengthened.      When   we   were   half-way   on   our 
journey  we  picked  up  his  brother,  who  said  that  who 
ever  originated  the  report  it  did  not  come  from  Soga 
himself,  as  he  declared  that  the  Bishop's  medicine 
had  done  him  good.     So  we  found  when  we  reached 
our  destination.     He  was  touched  at  my  coming  so 
far  to  visit  him,  and  accepted  the  tonic  in  a  good 


lotf  BISHOP  JOHN  SELWYN 

spirit.  It  was  a  medieval  si^ht,  the  administering 
of  it.  I  mbred  it  with  great  gravity,  then  drank  a 

sceLl-rill  myself  to  show  that  I  near:':  no  harm, 
then  H:i£O  had  a  sip.  and  then  the  men  all  round 
Tasted  it.  and  nnally  the  chief  had  his  shell-foil 
Then  H:i£O  and  I  held  forth,  and  so  came  away 
after  a  li^ile  prayer  to  God  before  Soca  thai  He 
woold  bless  the  medicine-  And  all  this  tbr  a  man 
who  only  a  month  ago  attacked  and  massacred  a 
whole  village.  And  yet  I  am  sure  I  am  right.  A 
ehier*s  death  is  stich  a  sertocs  matter  here,  and 
please  God  if  he  ^ets  well  I  may  win  his  heart. 
Tec  mav  imagine  that  my  heart  is  light  to-night. 
There  wis  no  'ianger.  bat  there  might  have  been, 
and  I  had  to  Eiee  the  *  mi^ht/  * 


iLc-TESB. 


.JE.  HT  E.. 

DlSTiSCS 


~  There   are   nice   asscciatiocs   in   that    heading. 
mother,  which.  I  have  set  down  with  the  precision  of 
call    our  attention  to  it.  It  is    ood  tor    oor 


son  to  rfifnk  of  von.  on  vocr  seventy-seventh  birthday 
~"  i  T  _  —  .:  cin  sight  of  the  island  where  one  who  was 
I^frp-  a  sod  to  vou.  and  dear  to  VOCL  as  one,  laid  down 

m  » 

his  life  i-:c  Christ.  nk  his  death.  like  the  death 


MELANESIA  167 

of  all  those  who  are  departed  in  the  faith  of  Christ 
and  the  love  of  God,  has  helped  ine  to  realise  more 
vividly  than  before  the  Communion  of  Saints  and 
the  life  of  the  world  to  come. 

'•'•  I  always  feel  that  the  assurance  of  the  con 
tinuity  of  our  Christian  life,  that  the  life  }*ert  is  the 
life  t/oere,  is  the  greatest  possible  help  to  try  and 
make  the  life  here  a  fitting  preparation  for  that 
which  is  to  come. 

''''  Here  is  the  boat  coming  off  from  Xukapu  after 
being1  ashore  for  a  long  time.  I  did  not  go  in,  a§  I 
have  had  a  bad  cold,  and  want  to  keep  out  of  the 
SUIL  We  have  been  waiting  about  outside  just  as 
the  Scntfbern  Cross  did  in  71,  but  it  is  all  right  this 
time,  and  the  people  are  a§  friendly  as  possible/ 

In   the     autumn    of    IB 86    Mrs.    John     Selwyn 

accompanied  her  husband  on  one  of  his  cruises. 


To  MBS.  A 

a  :  SOUTHEEX  CBW*  '  «  aa  *ear),  Ori.  18,1  886. 

i;  I  fl.m  like  a  sna.il   and  earrv  mv  home  on  nnr 


back  just  now,  as,  to  my  intense  happiness,  and  I 
think  hers  also,  Annie  is  with  me.  We  have  nude 
her  very  comfortable  on  board,  and  her  only  horror 

is  the  cockroaches  ! 


168  BISHOP  JOHN  SELWYN 

To  his  MOTHER. 

"  '  SOUTHERN  CROSS'  (at  sea),  Nov.  14,  1886. 

"  I  told  Pearlie  how  we  met  the  man-of-war  at 
Port  Patteson,  and  how  we  went  to  dinner  in  state, 
Annie  much  exercised  at  only  having  a  print  frock, 
but  looking  very  nice  therein,  and  I  proudly  conscious 
of  the  fact  that  I  had  a  white  shirt  and  a  decent 
coat.  I  wonder  if  you  and  my  father  were  ever  in 
similar  straits !  But  we  had  a  very  happy  visit, 
and  then  met  again  three  days  afterwards  at  Santa 
Cruz.  The  men-of-war  people  made  themselves 
extremely  agreeable  to  the  Santa  Cruzians,  and  the 
Captain  went  ashore  with  me,  so  altogether  it  was  a 
very  happy  visit,  and  ought  to  do  good,  as  they  have 
so  often  had  unfriendly  men-of-war. 

"  Walter  Woser's  ordination  took  place  at  his  own 
church,  but,  as  all  the  people  round  came,  that  was 
far  too  small,  so  we  moved  the  altar  outside,  and  all 
the  people  sat  round.  It  was  a  very  pretty  and 
very  solemn  sight  in  the  early  dawn.  There  were 
eighty- six  communicants,  and  we  were  four  clergy. 

"After  the  service  we  had  a  bright  happy  break 
fast  party  in  the  school,  and  then  Annie  and  I 
walked  to  another  church  about  a  mile  and  a  half 
off,  where  we  had  morning  prayer,  with  seventeen 
candidates  for  baptism,  the  first-fruits  of  a  new  place. 


MELANESIA  169 

Then  home  to  rest  for  a  bit,  and  finally — no,  not 
finally,  but  last  of  the  services — the  Confirmation  of 
thirty -seven  candidates  at  Ava.  That,  again,  we  had 
out  in  the  open  air,  as  the  church  was  too  small. 

"  After  dinner  a  magic  lantern  with  sacred  pictures 
made  the  end  of  a  tolerably  hard  day." 

Meantime,  of  course,  the  work  of  the  school  in 
Norfolk  Island  went  on,  and  took  up  what  time  the 
Bishop  could  spare  from  the  other  islands.  All  his 
letters  concerning  this  side  of  his  life  are  full  of  good 
cheer  and  encouragement.  He  combined  many 
offices  in  his  own  person,  as,  for  instance,  when  he 
writes  that  he  must  close  his  letter  as  it  was  dinner 
time,  and  he  had  to  stand  punctually  before  the 
door  to  blow  up  those  who  were  late ! 

The  following  extracts  taken  at  intervals  from  his 
correspondence  give  some  idea  of  his  work  with  the 
native  boys  and  girls  at  St.  Barnabas'  Mission 
Station. 

I. 

"  I  have  just  read  an  entry  in  one  of  my  boys 
journals  :  'This  was  a  very  good  Sunday,  we  received 
the  Holy  Communion  in  the  morning/  This  is  only 
for  himself  to  see,  and  I  was  greatly  pleased  at  it. 
I  think  it  shows  a  little  that  they  really  do  feel  the 
blessings  of  that  holy  feast.  I  wish  I  could  get 
nearer  to  them  than  I  do.  I  think  they  trust  me, 


170  BISHOP  JOHN  SELWYN 

and  will  come  to  me  in  difficulties,  and  know  that  I 
will  do  anything  for  them,  but  I  can't  keep  up  a 
conversation  with  them  and  draw  them  out  as  some 
folks  can.  I  talk  to  them,  but  they  don't  talk  to 
me.  Nevertheless  I  am  very  fond  of  them,  and 
should  be  much  out  of  my  element  elsewhere." 

II. 

"  The  school  wants  pulling  up  a  bit,  so  I  am  glad 
to  be  here.  I  can  hardly  believe  that  I  am  to  be  at 
home  for  nearly  six  months.  It  is  too  delightful  to 
think  about.  And  home  is  so  pretty  and  so  nice, 
and  the  dear  wife  fills  it  all  with  her  presence  and 
her  love,  and  I  am  very  blessed — thankful,  I  trust, 
for  all  God's  mercies  to  me. 

"I  have  just  made  out  rough  statistics  of  our 
work  for  the  year  [1886],  which  show:  Schools,  69  ; 
scholars,  1967  ;  Confirmations,  36  ;  Church  Conse 
cration,  1  ;  Ordination,  1  ;  teachers,  161  ;  baptisms 
(adult),  561." 

in. 
To  his  ELDEST  DAUGHTER. 

"  I  generally  take  the  girls  to  teach  [preparation 
for  baptism]  if  I  can  get  them,  and  when  I  have 
them  I  think  of  you,  and  feel  as  if  they  were  my 
daughters  through  you  .  .  .  and  as  if  I  loved  them 
because  I  love  you  so  dearly.  They  are  so  shy  when 


MELANESIA  171 

they  come  in  to  see  me,  and  I  have  to  bend  my  head 
down  to  catch  what  they  say,  but  they  are  very 
much  in  earnest." 

IV. 

"  I  have  a  class  of  catechumens  every  day.  I 
always  begin  in  the  same  way  :  '  Do  you  really  wish 
for  baptism  ? '  '  Yes.'  '  Why  ? '  There  is  the  crux, 
and  oftentimes  I  have  to  wait  a  quarter  of  an  hour 
before  I  get  the  answer.  But  it  is  generally  the 

right  one,  and  not  a  stock  answer.     Little ,  of 

Santa  Cruz,  made  me  the  best,  I  think — very  shy 
but  very  decided — '  To  do  away  with  sin.'  One  girl 
said  '  Mabo,'  which  is  the  Florida  for  '  peace  and 
reconciliation.' " 

v. 

"  Last  night  three  of  the  boys  came  for  separate 
interviews  till  nearly  ten.  This  is  very  hard  work 
as  they  will  not  speak,  so  one  has  to  pump  up 
thoughts,  and  I  was  so  sleepy  I  could  barely  think. 
But  the  prayer  at  the  end  with  my  arm  round  the 
neck  of  each  is  very  helpful,  and  I  think  must  assure 
them  that  there  is  an  earthly  care  and  love  around 
them  as  well  as  the  care  arid  love  of  God." 

One  specially  charming  incident  must  not  be 
omitted.  The  Bishop  was  continually  trying  to 
teach  the  Christian  grace  of  unselfish  care  for  others. 


172  BISHOP  JOHN  SELWYN 

To  emphasise  this  he  determined  on  the  bold  experi 
ment  of  interesting  the  boys  at  the  school  in  those 
who  needed  help  in  far-off  lands,  just  as  children  in 
our  churches  are  taught  to  care  for  foreign  missions. 
The  particular  work  about  which  he  told  them  was 
that  carried  on  by  the  late  Bishop  Walsham  How 
in  East  London.  The  venture  succeeded  beyond  his 
furthest  hopes,  as  is  witnessed  by  the  following 
letter  : 

"NORFOLK  ISLAND, 

"  Feast  of  the  Epiphany,  1886. 

"  MY  DEAR  BISHOP  OF  BEDFORD, 

"  Before  I  go  to  bed  to-night  I  should  like  to 
write  you  a  line  about  a  matter  which  has  helped 
me  very  much,  and  will,  I  hope,  help  you. 

"  I  preached  to  our  boy  son  Advent  Sunday  about 
preparing  the  way  of  the  Lord,  with  all  its  obvious 
thoughts.  .  .  .  Lastly  I  told  them  that  we  must 
all  try  not  only  to  do  something  but  to  give  some 
thing  for  that  end.  ...  I  did  not  think  my  words 
had  gone  very  deep,  but  a  few  days  afterwards  a 
deputation  came  in  very  gravely,  and  one  of  our 
deacons  produced  a  pocket-handkerchief  full  of 
silver  which  the  boys  had  collected  among  them 
selves.  Poor  fellows  !  they  are  not  very  wealthy,  as 
you  may  imagine,  all  they  get  being  for  the  little 
things  they  do  for  us  as  gardeners,  &c.,  and  their 
friends  at  home  are  such  terrible  sharks  and  expect 


MELANESIA  173 

them  to  bring  back  stores  for  the  common  weal,  so 
that  this  represented  considerable  self-denial  on  their 
part.  This  sum  was  offered  on  Christmas  Day.  .  .  . 
Then  I  asked  them  what  they  would  do  with  it. 
First,  they  unanimously  wished  to  help  white  rather 
than  black  people,  and  when  I  told  them  of  your 
swarming  East  End  population,  their  utter  poverty, 
and  (what  would  strike  them)  the  absence  of  trees 
and  gardens  and  open  air  life,  they  determined  to 
send  it  you  to  do  what  you  liked  with.  It  is  not 
much,  but  I  believe  it  really  comes  from  the  boys' 
hearts.  If  you  have  got  anything  like  an  orphan 
age  at  which  they  could  have  a  boy,  or  anything 
about  which  somebody  could  write  them  a  line  now 
and  then,  I  think  it  would  help  them.  It  may  help 
some  London  boy  to  think  that  these  far-away 
Islanders  are  thinking  of  him.  .  .  . 
"  Believe  me  always 

"  Your  affectionate  brother  in  Christ, 

"J.  R.  SELWYN,  Bp." 

A  case  was  soon  found  for  the  use  of  this  most 
touching  gift,  and  a  little  motherless  lad  whose  father 
had  deserted  him  was  enabled  by  the  generosity  of 
his  black  brothers  to  be  taken  into  a  home  and  cared 
for  on  his  discharge  from  an  East  End  hospital.  A 
letter  descriptive  of  the  lad  and  of  the  help  they  had 
given  him  was  despatched  to  the  boys  on  Norfolk 
Island. 


174  BISHOP  JOHN  SELWYN 

These  detached  instances  of  Bishop  John  Selwyn's 
work  both  on  his  voyages  in  the  Southern  Cross  and 
in  Norfolk  Island  may  serve  to  give  some  faint  notion 
of  his  life  during  his  missionary  career,  while  it  is 
hoped  that  they  do  not  in  any  way  trespass  on  the 
ground  which  is  to  be  occupied  by  the  History  of  the 
Melanesian  Mission. 

It  may  be  possible  to  summarise  the  causes  of  his 
success  in  missionary  work.  There  was,  first,  the 
complete  and  generous  self-surrender  without  which 
the  rest  would  have  availed  little.  This  comes  out 
in  every  detail  of  his  life  from  the  day  when  he 
offered  himself  to  Melanesia  under  the  influence  of 
the  death  of  Bishop  Patteson.  Then  there  was  his 
power  of  inspiring  the  natives  with  an  absolute  trust 
in  him.  To  this  he  paid  great  attention,  taking 
infinite  care  to  carry  out  his  smallest  promise.  Thus, 
if  he  had,  when  leaving  a  place,  said  that  he  would 
call  there  on  his  way  back,  nothing  prevented  his 
doing  so.  The  winds  might  be  adverse,  and  many 
days'  delay  might  be  incurred  :  there  might  be  no 
special  reason  for  going  except  that  he  had  said  he 
would  do  so ;  but  he  considered  it  well  worth  while 
in  order  that  the  natives  might  know  that  what  he 
said,  that  he  did.  Another  element  in  his  success 
was  his  carefulness  about  details.  This  must  have 
been  particularly  difficult  to  him,  for  he  was  naturally 
careless  in  his  dress  and  untidy  in  his  habits,  but  in 
his  life  in  the  islands  and  on  board  the  Southern  Cross 


MELANESIA  175 

he  was  strictness  itself  as  to  neatness  and  order 
liness.  When  Mrs.  J.  R.  Selwyn  accompanied  him  on 
a  voyage  in  the  schooner  she  was  one  day  unable  to 
find  him  anywhere  on  board,  and  at  last  discovered 
him  in  a  far  corner  of  the  hold  teaching  some  boys 
how  to  scrub  the  floor,  because  he  had  noticed  that 
it  had  been  badly  done.  It  was  the  same  on  Norfolk 
Island.  When  he  came  back  everything  tightened 
up,  because  he  used  to  go  about  perpetually,  seeing 
that  the  whole  place  was  kept  clean  and  tidy. 
Lastly,  there  was  the  power  of  a  Christian  life  lived 
openly  in  close  contact  with  them  all,  which  could 
not  fail  to  influence  the  native  mind. 

That  he  was  a  muscular  Christian  added,  no  doubt, 
to  this  effect,  for  the  Melanesians  greatly  admired 
his  physical  strength  and  skill  as  they  saw  it 
exercised  in  navigating  or  hauling  up  a  boat,  or  in 
any  of  the  numerous  ways  in  which  he  was  able  to 
show  them  that  he  was  a  strong  man.  His  courage, 
too,  was  often  in  evidence,  and  deeply  impressed 
them  with  the  admiration  felt  by  every  human  being 
for  a  really  brave  man.  But  his  essentially  Christian 
character  bore  its  fruit,  too,  though  sometimes  it 
may  have  been  long  in  ripening.  Here  is  a  beautiful 
story  to  illustrate  this.  There  was  a  boy  at  Norfolk 
Island  who  had  been  brought  from  one  of  the  rougher 
and  wilder  islands,  and  was  consequently  rebellious 
and  difficult  to  manage.  One  day  Mr.  Selwyn  (it 
was  before  liis  consecration)  spoke  to  him  about 


176  BISHOP  JOHN  SELWYN 

something  he  had  refused  to  do,  and  the  lad,  flying 
into  a  passion,  struck  him  in  the  face.  This  was  an 
unheard-of  thing  for  a  Melanesian  to  do.  Mr. 
Selwyn,  not  trusting  himself  to  speak,  turned  on 
his  heel  and  walked  away.  The  boy  was  punished 
for  the  offence,  and,  being  still  unsatisfactory,  was 
sent  back  to  his  own  island  without  being  baptized, 
and  there  relapsed  into  heathen  ways. 

Many  years  afterwards  Mr.  Bice,  the  missionary 
who  worked  on  that  island,  was  sent  for  to  a  sick 
person  who  wanted  him.  He  found  this  very  man 
in  a  dying  state  and  begging  to  be  baptized.  He 
told  Mr.  Bice  how  often  he  thought  of  the  teaching 
on  Norfolk  Island,  and,  when  the  latter  asked  him 
by  what  name  he  should  baptize  him,  he  said,  "  Call 
me  John  Selwyn,  because  he  taught  me  what  Christ 
was  like  that  day  when  I  struck  him,  and  I  saw  the 
colour  mount  in  his  face,  but  he  never  said  a  word 
except  of  love  afterwards."  Mr.  Bice  then  baptized 
him,  and  he  died  soon  after. 


CHAPTER  XIII 

MISSIONARY  ADVENTURES 

IT  remains  to  give  one  or  two  of  the  chief  missionary 
adventures  brought  to  a  successful  issue  by  Bishop 
John  Selwyn. 

The  first  of  these  occurred  very  early  in  hi 
episcopate,  when  in  1878  he  succeeded  in  obtaining 
a  footing  on  some  of  the  small  islands  in  the  Santa 
Cruz  Archipelago.  He  was  accompanied  on  this 
occasion  by  Mr.  Still  and  Mr.  Penny,  each  of  whom 
has  written  a  graphic  account  of  his  experiences. 
Mr.  Still  says : 

"  After  Bishop  Patteson  had  been  killed  at  Nukapu,  and 
the  place  afterwards  shelled  by  a  man-of-war,  all  intercourse 
with  this  group  was  at  an  end.  The  natives  were  fiercely 
hostile  to  the  white  man,  and  it  would  have  been  useless 
to  attempt  a  landing  anywhere.  The  only  thing  to  be 
done  was  to  wait  patiently  until  in  some  way  an  opportunity 
was  afforded  of  visiting  them  in  a  friendly  way.  And  the 
opportunity  came  about  in  this  way.  In  1877  Bishop  John 
Selwyn,  on  visiting  Malanta,  found  that  two  men  from  the 
Santa  Cruz  group  had  been  cast  away  there,  and  were  being 

M 


178  BISHOP  JOHN  SELWYN 

held  as  prisoners.  With  much  difficulty  he  managed  to  buy 
one  of  them,  and  returned  him  to  his  home  in  the  Santa  Cruz 
group.  This  gave  just  the  opening  so  long  waited  for,  and 
the  following  year  the  Bishop  determined  to  visit  these  islands 
and  try  to  get  on  a  friendly  footing  with  the  natives.  On 
May  5,  1878,  the  Southern  Cross  was  running  slowly  through 
the  group  with  a  nice  breeze,  hoping  that  as  she  went  along 
some  of  the  natives  would  come  off  in  their  canoes.  The  first 
canoe,  with  two  men,  come  out  from  Panavi ;  they  were  very 
shy,  and  could  hardly  be  induced  to  come  near  the  ship,  but 
after  a  good  deal  of  coaxing  the  Bishop  managed  to  get  them 
near  enough  to  hand  them  a  few  pieces  of  hoop  iron,  and  off 
they  went.  We  then  stood  nearer  in,  and  several  canoes, 
encouraged  by  the  success  of  the  first,  came  off  to  see  us. 
One  came  alongside,  when,  owing  to  the  roll  of  the  ship  and 
a  nasty  job  on  the  sea,  it  very  nearly  filled,  so  that  two  out 
of  the  three  men  in  it  jumped  on  to  the  ship's  ladder,  and  left 
the  third  man  to  bale  out.  I  induced  the  younger  of  the  two 
to  venture  as  far  as  to  look  down  through  the  skylight,  but 
he  would  go  no  further. 

"  The  Bishop  made  them  a  present,  which  encouraged  two 
more  men  from  another  canoe  to  stand  on  the  ladder  and 
receive  presents ;  but  not  one  would  come  any  further. 

"After  this,  we  ran  along  the  coast  of  Lomlom  to 
Nufiloli,  where  two  canoes  came  out,  and  hailed  us  in  a 
friendly  manner.  As  we  stood  nearer  in  to  the  land,  we  were 
met  by  quite  a  fleet  of  canoes — twenty-three  in  all — some 
with  three  and  some  with  two  men  in  them.  Kesi,  the 
Nufiloli  chief — a  fine,  dignified  man — came  on  board  and 
seemed  to  understand  that  we  were  come  as  friends,  as  he 
knew  Tuponu,  the  man  whom  the  Bishop  had  bought  at 
Malanta.  After  the  Bishop  had  made  him  a  present  of  an 
axe,  the  chief  and  his  friends  left  us,  and  we  stood  out  to  sea 
for  the  night. 

"The   next   morning,   after   a   beat   with    a    stiff  breeze 


MISSIONARY  ADVENTURES  179 

against  a  strong  westerly  set,  we  fetched  in  to  leeward 
of  the  small  island  of  Nimanu,  where  canoes  came  off  in 
greater  numbers  than  the  day  before,  and  a  smart  trade  was 
carried  on  in  native  ornaments  and  mats.  They  were  very 
eager  traders,  hoop  iron  being  in  great  demand.  There  was 
a  nasty  sea  on,  and  several  canoes  were  swamped  alongside ; 
however,  the  men  seemed  to  care  very  little  about  that ;  they 
swam  about,  first  picking  up  their  floating  things,  and  then, 
taking  hold  of  one  end  of  the  canoe,  worked  it  quickly  back 
wards  and  forwards  until  most  of  the  water  was  out  of  it,  and 
then  got  in  and  baled  out  the  rest. 

"  After  a  short  stay  we  ran  down  to  Nufiloli,  and  hove  to 
off  the  reef.  There  was  a  nasty  sea  on,  but  several  canoes 
came  off  to  us  at  once,  and  Kesi,  the  chief,  brought  the 
Bishop  a  present  of  a  pig,  which  was  quite  acceptable. 

"  As  all  seemed  so  friendly  the  Bishop  made  up  his 
mind  to  land  and  pay  a  visit  to  the  village,  and  I  was  told 
to  get  the  boat  ready.  I  picked  out  four  of  the  most 
trustworthy  of  our  boys  for  a  crew,  and  lowered  the  boat, 
into  which  the  Bishop,  with  Kesi  and  another  man,  got,  and 
we  rowed  them  to  the  reef.  The  Bishop  and  his  two  friends 
landed  on  the  reef,  which  was  alive  with  hundreds  of  natives 
all  very  excited,  and  then  started  off  to  walk  across  the 
lagoon  to  the  island  some  three-quarters  of  a  mile  away.  We 
pulled  our  boat  off  about  thirty  yards  from  the  reef  and  lay 
on  our  oars  waiting.  We  were  soon  surrounded  by  canoes 
whose  occupants  were  eager  to  trade,  and  wanted  all  we  had 
in  the  boat — rowlocks,  rudder-lines,  or  anything  they  could  lay 
hands  on.  With  considerable  difficulty  we  persuaded  them  to 
leave  us  for  the  ship,  where  they  might  trade  to  their  hearts' 
content. 

"  For  two  long  hours  we  waited,  anxiously  straining  our 
eyes  in  the  direction  of  the  island  to  see  something  of  our 
Bishop,  and  hoping  that  all  was  going  well.  One  could  not 
help  thinking  of  Bishop  Patteson  as  we  sat  there  in  the  same 


180  BISHOP  JOHN  SELWYN 

boat  that  had  taken  him  in  on  his  last  journey,  waiting  for  our 
Bishop,  just  as  Joseph  Atkin  and  his  native  crew  had  waited 
for  theirs,  whom  they  were  not  to  see  alive  again.  However, 
we  fared  well,  for  the  natives  this  time  seemed  quite  friendly 
and  good-humoured,  and  by-and-by  we  spied  the  Bishop  re 
turning  across  the  lagoon  in  a  canoe,  as  the  tide  had  now  risen 
considerably.  One  could  see  the  anxiety  clear  away  at  once 
from  the  faces  of  the  boat's  crew  as  they  rowed  in  with  a  will 
to  bring  the  Bishop  off.  He  had  had  a  most  satisfactory  visit, 
and  had  been  well  treated  by  all.  An  immense  crowd  had 
now  collected  on  the  reef  from  Nufiloli,  Lomlom,  and  Pileni, 
all  men  ;  no  women  or  children  were  to  be  seen.  We  hoisted 
our  boat  sail,  and  went  off  to  the  ship  with  light  and  thankful 
hearts,  dragging  after  us  a  tail  of  six  canoes.  The  Bishop  now 
determined  to  land  at  Pileni  close  by,  as  so  many  of  the 
natives  of  that  island  had  come  over,  and  seemed  quite  friendly 
and  anxious  for  a  visit.  It  was  Penny's  turn  this  time  to 
take  the  Bishop  ashore,  and  a  very  lively  time  they  had  of  it." 

Mr.  Penny  now  takes  up  the  story  :  he  says  : 

"  It  was  towards  evening,  and,  as  we  coasted  along  a  huge 
fringing  reef,  looking  for  an  opening,  canoes  from  the  shore 
followed  us  ;  but  their  occupants,  though  keenly  anxious  to 
trade,  were  uncertain  of  our  intentions  and  afraid  to  trust 
themselves  on  board  the  ship.  Presently  we  rounded  a  point 
and  sighted  a  tiny  islet,  that  corresponded  to  a  minute  arc  of 
the  reef's  circumference,  and  we  made  out  an  indentation  in 
the  white  line  of  foam  where  a  flotilla  of  canoes  lay  sheltering 
from  the  swell  and  break  of  the  rollers,  and  on  the  coral  rocks 
a  crowd  of  figures  were  grouped.  The  little  island,  we  knew, 
was  called  Pileni — just  such  another  as  Nukapu  hard  by — and 
the  spot  we  had  sighted,  the  captain  thought,  was  fit  to  land 
at  from  a  boat. 

"  As  we  rowed  away  from  the  ship  the  canoes  came  out 


MISSIONARY  ADVENTURES  181 

to  meet  us,  and  turning  accompanied  us  to  the  shore.  As 
we  neared  the  landing-place  they  crowded  round  the  boat 
so  that  our  crew  could  with  difficulty  get  their  oars  into  the 
water,  some  of  the  natives  scrambling  on  board  and  talking  at 
the  top  of  their  voices.  The  din  they  set  up  was  simply 
deafening,  and  we  couldn't  make  out  a  word  of  their  language 
and  had  to  trust  to  signs.  One  man,  I  remember,  as  he  bawled 
at  the  Bishop,  kept  drawing  a  finger  from  ear  to  ear  across 
his  throat.  He  wanted  a  necklace,  we  subsequently  discovered, 
though  the  action  was  suggestive  of  another  desire.  My 
Solomon  Islanders,  who  formed  our  boat's  crew,  I  could  hear 
from  their  remarks,  didn't  like  the  situation,  and  the  Bishop 
agreed  with  me  afterwards  that  at  the  time  we  had  shared 
their  opinion.  The  natives,  we  found,  meant  only  friendship, 
and  they  were  simply  wild  with  excitement  at  seeing  us,  but 
they  were  just  children  of  nature,  liable  to  be  swayed  by  any 
passing  wave  of  feeling,  and  we  couldn't  in  the  least  tell  what 
they  were  going  to  do  next. 

"  The  Bishop  determined  to  land,  so  leaving  me  to  look 
after  the  boat  and  entertain  those  of  our  new  friends  who 
preferred  to  keep  me  company,  he  accepted  a  back  from 
a  stalwart  native  and  was  carried  through  the  surf  to  the 
shore.  I  fancy  I  see  the  scene  as  I  write — the  sandy  beach 
and  the  dense  foliage  beyond  it  glowing  with  the  golden 
light  of  the  evening  sun — the  crowd  of  natives  splashing 
through  the  shallow  water  of  the  lagoon,  and  the  Bishop's 
white  helmet  and  grey  flannel  shirt,  as  his  head  and  shoulders 
appeared  above  the  throng  that  bore  him  towards  some  houses 
among  the  trees.  I  confess  that  when  I  saw  the  Bishop  come 
out  of  those  houses  I  felt  profoundly  thankful.  The  uneasi 
ness  we  both  felt  on  this  occasion  was  rather  strange — we 
never  could  quite  explain  it ;  for  we  were  more  than  once 
together  in  a  really  tight  situation  without  such  anxiety. 
Perhaps  the  sight  of  Nukapu  in  the  offing  affected  us,  and  the 
reflection  that  the  two  sets  of  circumstances — up  to  a  certain 


182  BISHOP  JOHN  SELWYN 

point — were  curiously  alike,  Patteson  landing  just  as  I  have 
described  Selwyn's  landing,  entering  a  house  and  being  clubbed 
there,  while  a  shower  of  arrows  from  the  men  on  the  reef 
struck  down  Joe  Atkin  as  he  minded  the  boat. 

"  The  Bishop's  landing  set  the  natives  very  much  at  their 
ease,  they  were  less  rough  and  noisy,  and  our  only  difficulty  was 
to  get  them  out  of  the  boat,  for  night  was  coming  on  and  we 
could  not  take  a  party  on  board  and  return  them  to  Pileni  before 
dark.  So  we  made  signs  to  them  to  follow  us  in  their  canoes, 
which  some  did.  And  these  enterprising  ones  profited  largely 
by  their  confidence  in  us,  for  they  sold  their  possessions  and 
went  home  j  ubilant  and  loaded  with  good  things.  So  ended  our 
first  visit  to  Pileni.  The  Mission  has  a  good  school  there  now." 

Mr.  Still,  continuing  the  narrative,  says  : 

"  There  was  a  feeling  of  much  thankfulness  on  board  that 
night  that  this  first  visit  had  passed  off  so  successfully,  and 
that  the  door  had  apparently  been  once  more  opened.  The 
next  morning  we  were  close  down  upon  Nukapu  where  Bishop 
Patteson  was  killed,  and  the  question  was  whether  it  would  be 
wise  for  the  Bishop  to  attempt  a  landing,  or  be  satisfied  with 
a  visit  from  the  natives  if  they  would  come  oft'  in  their  canoes. 

"  We  sailed  round  to  leeward  of  the  reef  and  hove  to.  With 
a  glass  we  could  see  a  number  of  people  on  the  beach,  who 
were  waving  to  us  and  holding  up  green  branches.  Presently 
canoes  began  to  put  out  into  the  lagoon  and  paddle  towards 
us.  We  counted  ten  afloat ;  some  of  the  more  venturesome 
came  through  the  break  in  the  reef  and  paddled  towards  us. 
We  beckoned  them  on,  and  the  leading  canoe  with  a  pig  on 
board,  which  they  carefully  made  to  squeak  loudly  while  a  good 
way  off  to  show  that  they  were  friendly  and  only  bringing 
food,  came  close  up  alongside  the  ship.  We  bought  their  mats 
and  bags,  which  emboldened  one  of  the  men  to  come  up  the 
ladder  and  sit  on  the  rail.  Then  feeling  that  we  were  really 


MISSIONARY  ADVENTURES  183 

friendly  he  solemnly  rubbed  noses  first  with  the  Bishop,  and 
then  with  me,  and  presented  us  each  with  an  arrow.  He 
seemed  very  nervous,  and  was  evidently  much  relieved  when 
once  more  safe  in  his  canoe.  By  this  time  the  rest  of  the 
canoes  had  come  alongside,  and  a  brisk  bartering  was  going 
on.  The  chief  Moto  was  off,  and  asked  us  to  come  ashore, 
which  the  Bishop  said  he  would  do  if  two  of  their  men  stayed 
on  board  the  ship.  They  were  all  the  time  constantly  affirm 
ing  that  the  land  was  a  good  one.  '  Fenua  lavui "  was  re 
peated  over  and  over  again  as  though  they  were  conscious 
that  they  had  a  bad  name  with  us.  It  was  now  that  the 
question  of  going  ashore  had  to  be  decided.  The  Bishop  was 
anxious  to  go.  Penny  and  I  tried  to  persuade  him  not  to. 
We  strongly  recommended  him  to  be  satisfied  with  so  friendly 
a  beginning  for  the  present,  and  on  a  future  visit  to  go  ashore 
if  he  then  thought  right.  He  left  the  deck  and  went  below 
into  the  cabin,  and  presently  I  looked  down  through  the  sky 
light,  and  there  saw  the  Bishop  on  his  knees,  with  that  strong 
earnest  look  upon  his  face  which  we  all  knew  so  well,  asking 
God  to  direct  him  in  this  matter.  Whilst  he  was  thus  praying 
the  canoes  all  cleared  off  arid  went  back  to  the  island,  so  that 
when  he  came  on  deck  again  the  disappearance  of  the  canoes 
settled  the  question.  The  natives  of  this  island  were  at  that 
time  evidently  most  nervous  and  suspicious,  and  there  can  be 
no  doubt  that  it  would  have  been  unwise,  and  running  an  un 
necessary  risk,  to  have  tested  them  too  severely  on  that  first 
occasion.'" 

The  promptness  and  foresight  shown  by  the  Bishop 
in  purchasing  the  freedom  of  Tuponu  and  using  this 
man  as  an  introduction  to  hitherto  hostile  islanders 
cannot  be  too  highly  commended.  It  showed  that  he 
was  able  to  combine  diplomacy  with  boldness  and 
self-sacrifice.  The  incident  of  the  Bishop  praying  in 


184  BISHOP  JOHN  SELWYN 

his  cabin  is  just  characteristic  of  his  whole  life.  It 
will  be  remembered  that  even  as  a  child  his  "  prayer- 
fulness  "  was  noted  ;  no  wonder  that  on  expeditions 
such  as  the  above,  when  few  were  with  him  and 
many  against,  he  is  found  often  upon  his  knees. 

Two  years  later  he  was  able  to  carry  out  a  still 
greater  enterprise.  It  was  through  this  intercourse 
with  the  Reef  Islands  in  the  Santa  Cruz  Archipelago 
that  he  succeeded  in  1880  in  getting  a  footing  on  the 
dreaded  Santa  Cruz  itself. 

The  Bishop's  own  journal  shall  give  the  account  of 
this  event,  the  most  important,  perhaps,  in  the  whole 
of  his  career. 

"  We  left  Norfolk  Island  in  the  Southern  Cross 
on  June  29,  and  on  July  5  stopped  at  Neugone  to 
pick  up  the  Rev.  Mano  Wadrokal  and  his  wife,  who 
had  been  for  a  short  holiday  at  their  own  home  there. 
.  .  .  On  July  20  we  were  off  the  Reef  Islands,  and 
were  soon  boarded  by  our  friends  from  Nufiloli  and 
Pileni.  I  went  in  with  our  visitor,  Mr.  Coote,  to 
Nufiloli,  and  showed  him  what  sort  of  a  place  a  man 
can  live  in  if  he  chooses.  .  .  .  Previously  to  this  we 
had  a  long  consultation  about  going  to  Santa  Cruz 
with  the  vessel.  Would  they  take  us  over  and  intro 
duce  us  ?  They  all  jumped  at  the  idea,  and  thought 
it  was  a  most  delightful  thing  to  be  carried  over  in 
safety  in  our  big  ship.  ...  In  the  evening  I  had  to 
break  to  them  that  I  wanted  to  go  to  Santa  Cruz, 


MISSIONARY  ADVENTURES  185 

that  Wadrokal  might  be  stationed  there.  This  was, 
as  I  expected,  a  great  blow  to  them,  and  they  said  at 
first  it  could  not  be.  [This  was  because  they  did  not 
want  to  lose  the  services  of  Wadrokal,  who  had  been 
stationed  on  their  islands.]  When  I  promised  that 
the  vessel  when  it  came  to  Santa  Cruz  should  always 
come  and  see  them,  adding  (somewhat  craftily)  that 
they  could  always  ensure  this  by  letting  us  have 
some  boys  from  their  islands,  they  assented  cordially 
and  worked  most  heartily  with  us. 

"  We  found  that  the  place  they  were  going  to  take 
us  to  was  Leluovu,  about  the  middle  of  the  northern 
face  of  the  island.  It  was  well  adapted  for  our 
purpose,  as  it  is  separated  by  about  five  miles  from 
the  bay  where  Commodore  Goodenough  was  killed, 
and  about  the  same  distance  from  Graciosa  Bay, 
where  the  attack  was  made  on  Bishop  Patteson  in 
1864. 

"  We  kept  a  good  way  off  till  we  could  stand  in  at 
right  angles  to  the  shore,  avoiding  thereby  running 
along  the  coast  and  being  followed  by  a  fleet  of  canoes 
from  every  village  that  we  passed.  .  .  .  About  two 
miles  off  from  the  shore  a  whole  fleet  of  canoes  carne 
out  to  us,  but  at  first  were  very  shy  and  would  not 
come  near,  but  directly  they  saw  our  Reef  Islanders 
and  heard  their  story  the  whole  scene  changed. 
With  one  accord  they  made  a  rush  at  us,  and  climbed 
up  the  side  unarmed  in  the  most  perfect  confidence. 
.  .  .  Then  they  became  clamorous  for  us  to  go 


186  BISHOP  JOHN  SELWYN 

ashore.  Wadrokal  and  I  went  in  as  pioneers.  .  .  . 
Of  course  I  was  a  little  nervous  as  to  what  might 
happen,  as  there  had  been  so  many  mishaps  on  shore 
on  this  island,  but  everything,  thank  God,  went 
perfectly  smooth,  and  the  chiefs  showed  the  most 
entire  confidence  in  us. 

"  When  we  got  ashore  we  had  to*  go  through  the 
usual  ceremony  of  sitting  in  the  club-house  and 
having  presents,  and  we  then  talked  about  Wadro- 
kal's  staying.  They  were  all  delighted  ;  and  Meti, 
the  second  chief,  promised  him  a  new  house  at  once, 
and  forthwith  carried  him  off  to  see  it.  Mesa,  the 
head  chief,  meanwhile  carried  me  off  to  his  own 
abode,  a  little  collection  of  huts  surrounded  by  a 
stone  wall,  where  I  was  introduced  to  his  wives  and 
fed  by  them.  Then  we  went  on  board  again  to  pack 
up  Wadrokal  and  his  wife,  and  at  3  took  them  in, 
Mr.  Coote  and  Mr.  Comins  accompanying  us.  ... 
Then  we  bade  good-bye  to  Wadrokal  and  his  wife 
with  a  very  fervent  prayer  for  their  safety  and  use 
fulness.  I  was  very  proud  of  them  as  I  left  them 
standing  alone  on  the  beach  in  the  midst  of  so  many 
strangers.  .  .  .  And  so  we  went  on  board,  accom 
panied  to  the  last  by  Mesa,  the  chief,  who  came  off 
in  my  boat  totally  unarmed.  It  was  a  day  to  be 
thankful  for,  as  we  have  tried  so  long  to  get  a  footing 
there.  Bishop  Patteson  went  to  Nukapu  that  he 
might  use  it  as  a  stepping-stone,  and  was  killed 
there.  Commodore  Goodenough  also  fell  in  trying 


MISSIONARY  ADVENTURES  187 

to  open  up  the  way, — and  now  the  way  has  been 
opened  to  us,  by  the  bringing  back  the  cast-away 
islanders  to  their  home,  and  they  in  turn  have  intro 
duced  us  to  their  friends.  May  God  give  us  grace 
to  use  this  opening  to  His  honour  and  glory." 

Two  extracts  from  letters  are  given  here  ;  the  first 
giving  Bishop  Selwyn's  own  opinion  on  the  exploit, 
the  second,  that  of  his  mother  and  of  Dr.  Cod- 
rington  : 

To  MRS.  A  COUR-T-BEPINGTON. 

"'SOUTHERN  CROSS'  (at  sea),  Aug.  25,  1880. 

"  We  have  got  a  footing  on  Santa  Cruz  at  last. 
This  is  most  thankworthy,  and  I  am  greatly  pleased 
at  it.  Perhaps  there  is  a  little  spice  of  vanity  in 
my  pleasure,  as  my  friends  all  accuse  me  of  being 
hot-headed  and  impetuous,  and  I  did  work  this 
business  with  such  extreme  caution  that  I  hope  they 
will  now  acquit  me.  But  really  things  have  worked 
wonderfully  well  for  us,  under  God's  direction,  I 
trust." 

To  MRS.  A  COURT-REPIXGTON  from  MRS.  SELWYN. 

"THE  CLOSE,  LICHFIELD,  Dec.  22,  1880. 

"  You  heard  of  the  landing  at  Santa  Cruz.  It  was  a  great 
venture  of  faith.  Mr.  Codrington  says :  '  For  the  Bishop's 
courageous  and  discreet  management  of  this  great  missionary 


188  BISHOP  JOHN  SELWYN 

feat  we  cannot  be  too  thankful.  The  present  success  is,  I 
think,  the  greatest  in  that  way  that  remained  to  be  accom 
plished,  for  there  is  no  other  place  that  ever  was  anything 
like  so  difficult  of  access.  Deo  laus  sit.1  To  which  I  say, 
'  Amen,'  rejoicing  that  his  dear  fathers  son  walks  in  his 
steps." 

In  the  following  year  Bishop  John  Selwyn  under 
took,  and  brought  to  a  successful  conclusion,  another 
difficult,  dangerous,  and  delicate  business.  This  was 
nothing  less  than  landing  at  Florida  to  induce  the 
chiefs  of  the  tribes  implicated  to  give  up  the  mur 
derers  of  Lieutenant  Bower  and  his  boat's  crew. 
He  was  probably  the  only  man  who  could  have  done 
this,  and  his  action  no  doubt  saved  the  whole  of  the 
Florida  Islanders  from  war.  On  his  way  he  paid 
another  visit  to  Santa  Cruz,  accompanied  this  time 
by  Mr.  Alan  Lister  Kaye,  who  with  Mrs.  Lister 
Kaye  had  been  doing  good  work  in  the  Mission  for 
several  years. 

To  EEV.  F.  E.  WATERS. 

"  '  SOUTHERN  CROSS  '  (at  sea),  OFF  THE  SOLOMON  ISLANDS, 

"May  9,  1881. 

"  Please  observe  the  date,  and  remember  that  it 
was  at  this  time  that  you  and  I  were  in  full  swing 
at  St.  George's  ten  years  ago.  How  time  flies, 
doesn't  it  ?  I  have  good  reason  to  remember  this 
very  day,  as  it  was  the  day  when  you  may  remember 


MISSIONARY  ADVENTURES  189 

Miss  Innes  came  over  from  Alrewas,  with  Mrs. 
Walsh,  and  consented  to  be  my  wife.  Dear  old 
place,  with  all  its  ups  and  downs  one  remembers  it 
as  a  very  bright  spot  in  one's  life,  and  I  hope  you  will 
always  think  that  I  remember  you  especially  in  it. 

"  We  are  just  going  up  into  Still's  old  district,  and 
then  I  go  on  to  Florida,  where  things  are  not  in  a 
pleasant  state.  You  will  have  heard  of  the  massacre 
of  the  boat's  crew  of  a  man-of-war,  and,  perhaps, 
have  heard  that  that  took  place  at  a  district  where 
we  have  got  more  hold  than  in  any  other  part  of 
Florida.  I  hope  our  people  who  live  inland  had 
nothing  to  do  with  it,  but  the  people  on  the  coast 
undoubtedly  had,  and  a  man-of-war  has  been  down 
there  since,  so  matters  are  complicated.  However, 
I  do  not  think  that  there  is  any  danger  for  us,  as  the 
place  is  so  divided  up  into  districts,  under  separate 
chiefs,  that  we  can  live  in  one  without  being  exposed 
to  any  danger  from  any  other. 

"  We  have  just  been  to  Santa  Cruz,  and  Kaye  and 
I  slept  ashore  there.  We  found  everything  going 
on  very  smoothly.  .  .  .  You  would  have  been 
amused  to  see  a  school  of  thirty-six  drawn  up  in 
excellent  line  to  receive  us,  and  hardly  boasting  any 
clothing.  This,  however,  is  more  from  custom  and 
rule  than  anything  else,  as  a  boy  does  not  put  on 
his  clothes  till  he  attains  a  certain  age  and  kills 
a  pig." 


190  BISHOP  JOHN  SELWYN 


To  C.  BILL,  ESQ. 

"BUGOTU,    YSABEL    ISLAND,    SOLOMON    ISLANDS, 

"July  27,  1881. 

"  When  we  got  near  this  part  of  the  world,  going 
by  a  small  island  where  there  is  a  good  anchorage, 
we  were  brought  up  by  a  gun  from  a  vessel  we 
could  just  see  lying  there,  which  turned  out  to  be 
the  Cormorant  sent  down  to  punish  the  murderers 
of  Lieutenant  Bower  [of  the  Sandfly].  I  knew  the 
Captain  [Bruce],  and  so  we  consulted  together,  as 
the  island,  and  especially  the  district  where  Bower 
was  murdered,  is  one  of  our  principal  stations.  I 
offered  to  see  the  chiefs  and  get  them  to  surrender 
the  principal  men  concerned  if  they  would.  He 
came  on  after  me,  and  we  met  at  Florida.  There 
I  went  to  see  the  chief  concerned,  who,  I  was  glad 
to  find,  was  not  actually  implicated,  though  he  went 
very  near  the  wind.  The  actual  murderers  were 
only  five  !  They  saw  the  boat  land  without  any  ship 
being  near,  and  started  incontinently  to  attack  it. 
Fancy  an  armed  boat's  crew  being  done  to  death  by 
five  fellows  armed  with  tomahawks,  three  of  them 
boys.  But  they  had  left  all  their  arms  in  the  boat, 
and  were  attacked  when  bathing  and  the  Captain 
at  a  distance.  We  had  no  end  of  negotiations,  and  I 
put  great  pressure  on  the  chiefs  all  round,  as  Bruce 
said  that  he  should  hold  the  whole  group  respon- 


MISSIONARY  ADVENTURES  191 

sible  if  the  men  were  not  surrendered.  So  first  of 
all  the  leading  man  was  sent  in,  and  was  shot  on 
the  island  where  he  committed  the  murder.  Then  I 
went  over  to  Kalikona  again  and  got  him  to  sur 
render  his  son,  nearly  all  the  things  that  were  in 
the  boat,  and  poor  Bower's  skull.  .  .  .  After  this 
Bruce  went  away  for  a  bit,  and  when  he  came  back 
they  brought  another  man,  the  actual  murderer  of 
Bower,  who  was  hung  ....  It  was,  as  you  may 
imagine,  rather  horrid  work  having  to  go  in  for  all 
this  murderer  hunting,  but  I  am  quite  sure  I  was 
right  in  doing  it,  as  it  saved  the  whole  people  from 
war,  and  also  gave  them  and  all  the  islands  round  a 
very  salutary  lesson." 

It  was  on  this  occasion  that  he  wrote  one  of  the 
farewell  letters  to  which  reference  has  been  made. 
There  was,  of  course,  a  most  unsettled  feeling  among 
the  islanders,  and  it  was  extremely  doubtful,  in 
view  of  their  excitement  and  dread  of  punishment, 
how  they  would  receive  him.  Here  is  the  letter  he 
wrote  at  the  supreme  moment,  just  before  going 
ashore  . 

To  his  MOTHER. 

"OFF  GAIETA,  FLORIDA,  May  iQ,  1881. 

"  DEAREST  MOTHER, 

"  I  write  you  a  little  line  to  tell  you  of  my 
fondest  love  and  gratitude  to  you.     I  am  going  ashore 


192  BISHOP  JOHN  SELWYN 

at  Gaieta  to  see  Kalikona,  the  man  who  is  partly 
responsible  for  the  murder  of  the  man-of-war's 
boat's  crew.  I  have  been  trying  to  save  the  Florida 
people  from  being  made  jointly  responsible  for  it, 
and  now  I  am  going  to  try  and  induce  Kalikona 
to  give  up  the  actual  murderers.  I  do  not  think 
there  is  the  slightest  danger,  but  still  there  might 
be,  and  so  I  write  this  line. 

"  You  will  like  to  know  if  anything  happens  to  me 
that  I  was  trying  to  do  my  duty,  and  that  I  believe 
with  all  my  heart  in  the  love  of  God  our  Saviour, 
though  I  am  sadly  conscious  how  often  and  how 
grievously  I  have  sinned  against  that  love. 

"  Kiss  my  darlings  from  me,  and  let  them  know 
how  fondly  I  loved  them  ;  and  tell  them  that  the 
love  of  God  alone  can  make  life  bright  and  death 
easy.  You  know  what  my  love  to  you  is  :  it  grows 
greater  every  year. 

"  Your  most  loving,  grateful,  and  dutiful  son, 

«J.  R.  SELWYN, 

" Missionary  Bishop" 

Then  when  all  was  well  over,  he  adds  a  postscript : 
^ I     "  May  20. — You  may  like  this,  so  I  send  it.  " 

In  a  subsequent  letter  to  his  mother  (undated)  he 
adds  the  following  particulars  : 

"  I  sent  a  message  to  Kalikona,  the   implicated 


MISSIONARY  ADVENTURES  193 

chief,  to  say  that  I  would  meet  him  alone  if  he  would 
come  and  see  me.  Accordingly  I  went  in  to  Gaieta, 
and  we  met  on  the  beach.  It  was  like  an  old 
mediaeval  meeting,  as  he  had  his  armed  following, 
and  Sepi's  Christian  friends  were  also  armed  and 
stood  on  my  side,  while  Kalikona  and  I  met  on  the 
open  beach  midway  between  the  two.  I  gave  him 
the  Captain's  message  that  he  must  surrender  the 
men,  and  after  a  long  confab  he  agreed  to  it.  ... 
And  now  good-bye,  dearest  mother.  What  can  I 
tell  you  of  these  thirty-seven  years  that  are  gone  ? 
[This  makes  it  probable  that  the  letter  was  written 
on  his  birthday,  May  20,  1881.]  Only  that  that  is 
the  number  by  which  my  love  for  you  is  multiplied. 
My  manhood  does  not  cling  to  you  a  whit  less  than 
my  infancy  did,  and  I  lean  on  you  just  as  lovingly 
now  with  all  the  force  of  reason  and  love  as  I  did 
by  instinct  when  I  first  lay  in  your  arms  as  a  little 
child." 

This  last  extract  summarises  the  character  of 
the  man.  It  was  the  marvellous  combination  of 
courage  and  manliness  with  a  tenderness  and  love 
more  commonly  ascribed  to  the  nature  of  woman, 
which  supplied  the  power  and  attraction  of  his 
personality. 

While  engaged  on  this  exploit  at  Gaieta  he  saw 
much  of  Captain  (now  Admiral)  Bruce,  who  speaks 
of  his  conduct  of  the  business  with  the  greatest 

N 


194  BISHOP  JOHN  SELWYN 

admiration.  He  also  relates  how  when  on  board 
the  man-of-war  the  Bishop  preached  magnificently 
to  the  sailors.  He  would  stand  at  the  wheel  and 
speak  to  the  men,  and  then  would  sometimes  turn 
round  and  with  flashing1  eye  address  the  officers 
behind  him. 

Nothing  has  been  said  as  to  the  general  appear 
ance  of  Bishop  John  Selwyn  on  his  missionary  tours. 
Possibly  his  dress  might  shock  some  of  the  clergy 
who  pin  their  faith  on  a  rigidly  ecclesiastical  attire  ! 
Certain  it  is  that  he  would  wade  ashore  and  preach 
in  a  sun-helmet,  with  his  feet  bare,  and  on  one 
occasion  was  barefooted  even  on  the  platform  in  a 
church  where  he  and  Dr.  Codrington  were  taking 
service.  But  the  warm  heart  and  the  flashing  eye 
were  there,  and  the  man  was  the  man  "for  a'  that." 


CHAPTER   XIV 

LAST  YEARS  IN  MELANESIA 

DURING  the  last  few  years  of  his  work  in  Melanesia 
more  than  one  endeavour  was  made  to  tempt  him 
to  other  sees.  In  1886  he  wrote  to  his  mother  : 

"I  am  glad  the  Bishopric  of  Melbourne  is  filled 
up.  My  friends  have  been  persistently  saying  that 
it  was  offered  to  me.  I  fancy  myself  following 
Bishop  Moorhouse  !  No  :  I  can  do  the  work  here 
after  a  fashion,  et  lfy  suis  et  fy  rested  as  MacMahon 
said." 

Again  in  1889  he  wrote  : 

"  Would  you  like  me  to  be  Bishop  of  Tasmania  ? 
They  rather  fished  as  to  my  willingness  to  accept  it. 
...  It  was  tempting,  as  they  are  such  nice  hearty 
people  ;  but  poor  Melanesia  !  who  would  care  for  my 
people  there  ?  They  know  me  and  trust  me,  and  I 
will  stick  to  them  as  long  as  I  can.  Whether  my 


196  BISHOP  JOHN  SELWYN 

bronchitis  will  allow  me  is  quite  another  question, 
as  it  comes  and  goes  in  a  fitful  sort  of  way,  and  is  by 
no  means  well  yet." 

His  forecast  was  correct.  Early  in  that  year  his 
health  became  so  much  broken  that  he  and  Mrs. 
John  Selwyn  left  for  Italy  en  route  for  England. 
His  health  really  began  to  fail  in  1888.  In  the 
earlier  part  of  that  year  he  was  at  Norfolk  Island, 
where  his  house  was  some  three  minutes'  walk  from 
the  school  buildings.  He  had  to  go  across  many 
times  a  day  and  seemed  always  to  feel  fagged.  He 
would  look  across  at  the  school  and  say,  "  Crossing 
our  field  seems  like  half  a  mile,  I  am  always  so  tired 
now."  Sometimes  he  didn't  seem  up  to  it,  and  his 
class  would  come  to  him.  When  he  returned  from 
a  voyage  to  the  islands  in  December  of  that  year, 
Mrs.  Selwyn  went  with  him  to  New  Zealand  for  the 
Synod.  There  the  rest  of  the  bishops  were  so  much 
struck  by  his  worn  appearance,  that,  without  even 
speaking  to  him  about  it,  they  wrote  him  a  most 
kind  letter,  signed  by  them  all  and  headed  by  the 
Primate  (Bishop  Harper  of  Christchurch),  begging 
him  to  go  at  once  to  England  for  a  thorough  rest 
and  urging  it  on"  him  as  a  duty.  He  hesitated  a 
good  deal  because  ^he  had  returned  from  England 
so  lately,  but  in  the  end  he  was  over-persuaded, 
and  undertook  the  journey  home.  His  two 
daughters  with  their  governess  met  them  in  Italy, 


LAST  YEARS  IN  MELANESIA  197 

and  they  all  spent  some  time  together  in  Rome, 
where  he  recovered  greatly  from  his  bronchitis  and 
managed  to  do  a  great  deal  of  sight-seeing. 

To  MRS.    A    CoURT-REPINGTO!Sr. 

"  HOTEL  VICTORIA,  ROME,  May  10,  '89- 

"  You  will  be  surprised  to  hear  from  me  here, 
unless  some  one  has  told  you  that  I  was  most  un 
expectedly  sent  home  by  my  brother  Bishops.  I  am 
trying  to  get  rid  of  my  bronchitis,  which  has  been 
troublesome  for  a  year,  and  might  become  chronic." 

He  arrived  in  England  in  June,  and  made  a  stay 
of  six  months,  during  which  time  Dorothy,  the 
eldest  child  of  his  second  marriage,  was  born.  In 

O     ' 

the  following  January  he  with  Mrs.  Selwyn  and  the 
baby  started  back  again  in  the  ss.  Pekin,  spending 
some  little  time  in  Egypt  on  the  way.  It  is  to  be 
feared  that  he  had  not  completely  got  rid  of  his 
bronchitis,  and  he  was  also  suffering  from  the  result 
of  a  sharp  attack  of  influenza,  for  in  a  note  sent 
ashore  just  before  the  ship  sailed  he  says  : 

"I  am  really  much  better  :  my  bronchitis  is  hardly 
bothering  at  all." 

From  every  stopping-place  he  sent  home  most 
characteristic  letters  to  his  daughters.  Here  are 


198  BISHOP  JOHN  SELWYN 

one  or  two  extracts  which  show  him  the  same  cheery, 
child-loving  man  as  he  had  been  twenty  years 
before. 

"  Your  godchild  [the  baby]  is  in  great  form.  I 
am  head  nurse  in  the  afternoon,  and  it  is  quite 
pretty  to  see  how  she  likes  my  strong  arms,  lies 
down  in  them  quite  contentedly  when  (and  this  is 
the  point)  she  has  been  crying  with  other  folks,  and 
then  goes  off  to  sleep  to  the  tune  of  '  The  British 
Grenadiers.'  She  is  a  great  duck." 

From  Gibraltar  he  wrote  describing  with  great 
glee  an  altercation  between  a  native  cabdriver  and 
a  private  of  the  South  Staffordshire  Regiment,  the 
latter  being  the  possessor  of  a  pair  of  black  eyes, 
which  the  Bishop  did  not  consider  a  credit  to  the 
county  ! 

At  Brindisi  he  and  Mrs.  Selwyn  went  for  a  walk, 
in  the  course  of  which,  he  says  : 

"  We  were  going  over  to  the  other  side  of  the 
Harbour  by  the  ferry,  but  a  small  boy  came  along, 
and  asked  with  a  sweet  smile  whether  we  wanted  a 
boat,  so  we  took  him.  .  .  .  He  was  wonderfully 
struck  with  my  knowing  all  about  the  sail,  and  said, 
'  Why,  he  is  a  sailor  ! ' ; 

After  a  slow  progress  the  little  party  arrived  back 


LAST  YEARS  IN  MELANESIA  199 

at  Norfolk  Island,  and  the  Bishop  seemed  more  like 
his  old  self  than  he  had  done  for  some  time,  and  he 
stayed  there  quietly  until  the  following  July,  when 
he  started  on  a  voyage  to  the  islands. 

He  kept  pretty  well  till  the  middle  of  October, 
when  he  began  to  have  very  painful  boils  or  abscesses 
in  his  leg.  These  were  accompanied  by  what  he 
described  as  severe  rheumatism,  and  for  the  rest  of 
his  visit  to  the  islands  until  the  ship  picked  him  up 
in  the  Banks  Islands  on  November  15  it  was  only 
with  great  pain  and  difficulty  that  he  could  get  from 
place  to  place.  Walking  on  the  coral  reefs  seems  to 
have  distressed  him  much  and  added  to  his  suffer 
ing.  This  was  practically  the  beginning  of  the  end 
as  far  as  his  Melanesian  work  was  concerned.  The 
pain  prevented  him  from  sleeping  at  nights,  and  he 
became  really  seriously  ill.  His  journal  letter  to 
Mrs.  J.  R.  Selwyn,  elated  Maewo,  November  27,  is 
most  pathetic,  and  is  of  special  interest  as  giving  an 
account  of  the  last  days'  work  he  was  ever  to  do  in 
his  beloved  islands: 

"  I  have  had  ten  very  hard  days.  I  got  down  to 
the  boat  from  Zehartob  fairly  well,  and  so  to  Pun, 
where  O.  did  the  school  and  Harvey  Tagalad  and  I 
examined  the  Baptismal  candidates.  Then  I  bap 
tized  eight  of  them,  anel  got  back  dead  beat.  Next 
day  examined  the  schools  at  Milwoa  and  Wole,  and 
then  that  at  Totoglag,  and  so  home.  [These  are  all 


200  BISHOP  JOHN  SELWYN 

places  in  Motalava.]  Rheumatism  very  bad,  and 
very  little  sleep.  Next  day  ship  came  and  we  got 
into  Mota  at  dark.  I  could  just  crawl  up  the  hill, 
and  next  day  locomotion  was  very  bad,  but  I 
managed  all  the  near  schools.  Then  I  addressed 
the  Confirmation  candidates,  and  after  tea  confirmed 
them.  I  sat  down  all  the  time.  Next  day  crawled 
on  board,  and  oh  !  I  have  been  bad  since.  Could 
not  sleep,  and  could  only  just  crawl  on  deck.  I  am 
rather  better  now,  but  I  can't  sit  up  for  more  than 
a  quarter  of  an  hour  without  feeling  very  done, 
and  I  can't  sleep  much  yet.  I  hope  I  shan't  shock 
you  as  a  cripple  when  I  arrive.  I  simply  long  for 
home.  The  days  and  nights  seem  endless,  and 
rheumatism  makes  one  '  blue/  so  that  I  see  all  sorts 
of  difficulties  about  everything." 

The  Rev.  Leonard  P.  Robin,  who  accompanied  him 
on  this  voyage,  adds  the  following  touching  details  : 

"  The  Bishop  held  a  Confirmation  at  the  head  station  [in 
Mota].  He  got  through  with  difficulty,  and  one  could  see  the 
intense  effort  it  was.  His  exhortations,  however,  were  as 
spiritual,  as  manly,  and  as  earnest  as  any  I  ever  heard  him 
give.  He  was  terribly  fatigued  afterwards,  and  said  when  he 
sank  upon  a  stretcher  in  the  Mission-house,  '  That's  the 
hardest  bit  of  work  IVe  ever  done  in  Melanesia."  The  next 
morning  we  prepared  to  leave.  I  had  ague,  and  was  in  the 
preliminary  shivering  stage  when  we  went  down  to  the  beach. 
The  Bishop  was  in  such  pain  that  he  could  not  put  his  foot  to 
the  ground,  and  had  to  be  half  carried  down  the  steep  rough 


LAST  YEARS  IN  MELANESIA  201 

path  to  the  rocks  by  the  seashore,  where  we  waited  for  the  boat 
to  come  in  from  the  Southern  Cross  *  to  take  us  off.  They 
spread  his  small  mattress  on  the  rocks  for  him,  and  he  lay  on 
it  leaning  against  his  bundle  of  pillows  and  rugs.  Presently 
he  looked  round  and  said,  '  Where's  Robin  ?  He's  got  ague, 
poor  fellow.  Take  him  the  mattress  and  tell  him  to  lie 
on  it.  I  can  do  quite  well  with  this ' — touching  his  bundle 
of  rugs. 

"  We  soon  got  on  board,  but  he  seemed  to  grow  worse  instead 
of  better ;  so,  after  watering  the  ship  at  Maewo,  it  was  decided 
to  call  nowhere  else,  but  to  make  straight  for  Norfolk  Island. 
He  was  soon  unable  to  climb  into  his  berth,  and  had  his 
mattress  spread  on  the  cabin  deck.  One  day  I  was  lying  on 
one  of  the  long  seats  in  the  cabin :  it  was  my  ague  day,  and 
it  was  on  me  in  full  force.  I  think  I  was  only  half  awake 
or  semi-conscious,  and  no  doubt  my  breathing  was  loud  and 
rapid.  Presently  I  noticed  a  shuffling  sound,  and  looking 
round  saw  the  Bishop  clinging  to  the  table  and  making  his 
way  round  to  me.  He  came  and  put  his  hand  on  my  forehead 
and  said,  '  You've  got  a  pretty  stiff  bout  this  time,  old  boy, 
haven't  you  ?  Wait  a  bit :  I'll  get  you  something.'  I  begged 
him  to  go  and  lie  down,  but  he  would  not.  He  made  his  way 
to  the  medicine-chest  and  mixed  and  brought  me  a  dose.  I 
drank  it,  and  he  took  the  glass,  put  it  back,  and  then  sank 
down  upon  his  mattress  with  a  sigh  of  relief.  The  story  needs 
no  comment  but  this — what  wonder  that  we  loved  him  ?  " 

From  this  point  Mrs.  J.  E.  Selwyn  takes  up  the 
story  :  she  says  : 

"  After  this  he  became  too  ill  to  write  more,  and  was  finally 
brought  ashore  on  December  10,  1890,  lying  on  a  mattress  at 

:  This  is  the  last  time  he  was  ever  on  board  this  Mission  ship, 
which  had  been  built  mainly  at  the  cost  of  himself  and  Mrs. 


202  BISHOP  JOHN  SELWYN 

the  bottom  of  the  boat,  looking  a  perfect  wreck.  He  did  not 
leave  his  bed  for  eight  months.  The  intense  pain  and  sleep 
lessness  continued,  and  after  some  time  the  doctors  discovered 
a  terrible  abscess  in  his  thigh,  which  had  burrowed  in  every 
direction.  It  was  doubtless  this  which  he  had  thought  was 
rheumatism.  The  doctors  said  that  the  cause  of  it  was  hard 
living  and  exposure  when  he  was  in  a  low  state  of  health. 
For  six  months  he  suffered  the  most  terrible  agony  from 
neuritis  caused  by  the  abscess.  To  this  sleeplessness  was 
added,  and  his  only  relief  was  gained  from  morphia.  He 
could  not  move  his  position  in  the  least,  and  all  sorts  of  com 
plications  added  to  his  sufferings.  [He  had  to  endure  a 
terrible  operation  at  this  time,  pieces  of  bone  being  removed 
by  the  doctors  from  his  leg.  This  he  endured  with  his  usual 
cheerfulness  and  pluck.]  Had  it  not  been  for  the  skill  and 
devotion  of  Dr.  Metcalfe  and  Dr.  Welchman,  together  with 
his  own  wonderful  courage  and  patience  and  almost  unfailing 
good  spirits,  he  could  never  have  recovered.  Dr.  Welchman 
was  a  member  of  the  Melanesian  Mission,  and  Dr.  Metcalfe 
was  the  medical  man  in  charge  of  the  Norfolk  Islanders. 
Admiral  Lord  Charles  Scott  very  kindly  sent  down  a  man-of- 
war,  once  to  bring  air-pillows  for  my  husband,  and  twice 
more  to  see  if  he  could  be  brought  to  Sydney.  [The  first  of 
these  occasions  was  the  very  day  that  Mary,  the  second  child 
of  Mrs.  J.  R.  Selwyn,  was  born,  and  the  Bishop  and  Mrs. 
Selwyn  were  so  seriously  ill  that  the  doctors  were  in  great 
anxiety  about  both.]  During  this  time  he  managed  a  Con 
firmation  by  his  bedside,  and  before  finally  leaving  was  carried 
over  to  the  chapel  on  his  bed,  which  was  laid  on  the  altar  steps, 
and  from  thence  he  gave  his  last  address  to  his  dear  Me- 
lanesians.  At  last  H.M.S.  Rapid  came,  early  in  July,  and 
took  my  husband  and  me  and  Dr.  Welchman  to  Sydney.  He 

John  Selwyn.  At  the  present  moment  the  Melanesian  Mission 
is  seeking  funds  to  supply  the  place  of  the  Southern  Cross,  which 
is  worn  out  and  hardly  fit  for  use. 


LAST  YEARS  IN  MELANESIA  203 

had  to  be  carried  on  his  bed,  which  had  four  long  handles 
attached,  for  three  miles  across  the  island  to  the  landing- 
places,  relays  of  eight  Melanesians  bearing  him.  There  his 
bed  was  placed  in  a  whale-boat,  and  we  rowed  about  two  miles 
to  the  ship,  and  it  was  hoisted  up  by  ropes  and  swung  in 
board.  By  this  time  he  was  getting  better,  and  was  able  to 
enjoy  seeing  his  friends  in  Sydney.  Indeed,  he  actually 
addressed  a  missionary  meeting  gathered  at  our  house  from 
his  bed. 

"  I  must  not  forget  to  say  how  very  kind  every  one  was  on 
board  the  Rapid,  and  how  the  Blue-jackets,  attracted  to  him 
as  all  sailors  were,  begged  to  be  allowed  to  carry  him  on  board 
the  mail-steamer,  as  they  had  carried  him  ashore.  Dr.  Welch- 
man  came  home  with  us,  nursing  him  with  the  utmost 
devotion." 

The  boat  that  brought  him  home  to  England  from 
Sydney  was  the  Ballarat,  the  steward  on  board  (who 
has  since  died)  being  warmly  remembered  still  for 
all  the  attention  and  kindness  he  showed  on  the 
voyage. 

He  arrived  in  London  in  September  1891,  and  was 
met  at  Tilbury  by  his  daughters,  who  found  him  so 
much  better  that  he  was  able  to  sit  up  at  dinner  in 
the  saloon  for  the  first  time. 

The  Bishop  was  taken  in  an  ambulance  to  an 
hotel  in  Queen's  Gate,  from  which  he  afterwards 
removed  to  De  Yere  Gardens.  The  surgeons, 
headed  by  Dr.  Pickering  Pick,  had  a  great  con 
sultation  over  him  and  decided  that  the  risk  of 
amputation  was  too  great,  so  that  all  they  dared 
to  do  was  to  cut  the  sinews,  which  had  so  con- 


204  BISHOP  JOHN  SELWYN 

tracted  that  his  right  leg  was  eight  inches  shorter 
than  the  left. 

It  was  when  at  1 8  De  Vere  Gardens  that  Sir  James 
Paget  was  called  in  to  advise,  and  told  him  plainly 
that  he  would  never  be  able  to  climb  a  ship's  side 
again  and  must  resign  his  post. 

To  MRS.  A  COURT-REPINGTON. 

"18  DE  VERE  GARDENS,  Nov.  11,  1891. 

"  When  you  come  you  will  find  me  in  a  very  spic 
and  span  dressing-gown,  and  able  to  hop  from  my 
room  to  the  drawing-room  on  crutches.  .  .  .  But 
my  fate  is  sealed.  We  had  Sir  James  Paget 
in  to  consult  with  Pick  the  other  day,  and  he  told 
me  quite  decidedly  that  I  should  never  be  able  to 
do  the  work  in  Melanesia  again,  and  not  much  of 
anything  else.  So  a  chapter  in  my  life  closes,  to  my 
wife's  and  my  infinite  sorrow.  But  it  is  so  plainly 
my  duty  that  it  takes  away  the  misery  of  having  to 
decide." 

He  then  took  a  house  at  Shottermill,  near  Hasle- 
mere,  and  gathered  his  family  round  him.  His 
pleasure  was  in  some  measure  spoilt  by  an  attack  of 
influenza  in  January  1892  which  brought  on  a  severe 
bout  of  the  old  pains.  His  sense  of  humour  never 
deserted  him  through  it  all,  and  when  he,  who  had 
been  used  to  camp  out  by  himself  and  be  his  own 


LAST  YEARS  IN  MELANESIA  205 

cook  and  bed-maker,  found  himself  in  the  hands  of 
a  solemn  valet,  whom  he  had  engaged  to  see  after 
him,  his  amusement  and  jokes  knew  no  bounds. 
This  careful  attendant  would  come  into  the  room  at 
the  exact  moment,  and  gravely  presenting  a  salver 
would  say,  "The  pill,  my  Lord"-— a  proceeding 
altogether  too  much  for  the  Bishop's  gravity. 

To  MRS.  A  COURT-REPINGTOK 

"  SHOTTERMILL  (undated). 

"  I  am  writing  in  bed  with  the  old  weight  on  [a 
heavy  weight  was  attached  to  his  leg  to  keep  the 
sinews  from  contracting]  after  another  five  weeks  of 
it.  Influenza  brought  on  inflammation  of  all  the 
nerves  of  my  bad  leg,  and  it  was  a  case  of  '  as  you 
were/  ...  I  could  not  stand  or  sit,  and  can  only 
do  the  latter  now,  and  that  for  a  short  time. 

"  I  have  set  up  a  man  nurse,  who  valets  me  in 
the  most  lordly  way,  whereat  Annie  laughs  con- 
sumedly." 

In  April  1892  he  took  Langhurst,  near  Witley  in 
Surrey,  and  when  there  used  sometimes  to  manage 
on  his  crutches  to  take  a  service  in  the  little  school- 
church  at  Grays  wood.  In  November  of  thafc  year 
he  went  to  London  to  have  a  further  operation  to 
try  to  lengthen  his  leg,  and  when  there  his  mother 
had  a  very  terrible  illness,  which  kept  them  all  in 


206  BISHOP  JOHN  SELWYN 

London  for  most  of  the  winter,  and  was  a  cause  of 
great  anxiety  to  the  Bishop.  It  seemed  as  if  his 
cup  of  suffering  both  physical  and  mental  was  just 
then  full  to  overflowing,  and  there  did  not  appear  to 
be  anything  in  prospect  to  cheer  or  interest  his  life 
beyond  the  family  love  which  was  ever  one  of  his 
greatest  joys. 


CHAPTER   XV 

SELWYN  COLLEGE,  CAMBRIDGE 

IT  was  no  very  bright  prospect  that  lay  before 
Bishop  John  Selwyn  at  this  time.  A  hopeless 
cripple,  cut  off  from  the  one  sphere  of  labour  to 
which  he  had  given  his  life's  devotion,  there  seemed 
little  left  him  but  to  drag  out  a  few  more  years  of 
comparative  uselessness. 

But  there  was  still  a  work  for  him  to  do.  It  was 
in  the  spring  of  1893,  when  he  was  staying  at 
Worthing  with  his  second  daughter,  who  was  ill  at 
the  time,  that  the  offer  came  to  him  of  the  Master 
ship  of  Selwyn  College.  Nothing  more  unexpected, 
nothing  more  startling,  could  have  happened.  At 
the  first  moment  he  even  conceived  the  thing  to  be 
some  kind  of  huge  practical  joke.  He  took  the 
letter  up  into  his  daughter's  room,  threw  it  on  her 
bed,  and  sat  and  roared  with  laughter  at  it 
"  What  do  you  think  they  want  me  to  do  now  ?  " 
he  said.  The  idea  that  he,  "  a  rough  man  who  had 
been  out  in  the  wilds  and  was  not  fit  to  associate 


208  BISHOP  JOHN  SELWYN 

with  dons  and  such  folk,"  as  he  described  himself, 
should  be  Head  of  a  College  appeared  to  him  nothing 
short  of  preposterous. 

The  Bishop  of  Peterborough  (now  Bishop  of 
London)  was  deputed  by  the  Council  of  Selwyn 
College  to  convey  their  wishes.  Here  are  his 
letters  : 

"THE  PALACE,  PETERBOROUGH,  1 7th  March,  1893. 

"My  DEAR  BISHOP  SELWYN, 

"I  have  been  requested,  as  one  of  a  Committee 
appointed  by  the  Council  of  Selwyn  College,  to  ask  you  if  you 
would  be  willing  to  succeed  Mr.  Lyttelton  as  Master.  I  may 
add  that  if  you  were  willing  to  do  so  I  think  the  Council 
would  unanimously  elect  you. 

"  I  may  further  say  that  this  decision  was  not  arrived  at 
without  a  full  consideration  of  all  material  facts.  I  am  sorry 
to  say  that  personally  I  am  unknown  to  you  ;  but  that  was 
not  the  case  with  the  majority  of  those  present.  I  can  only 
suppose  that  I  was  deputed  to  write  to  you  that  I  might  with 
greater  frankness  assure  you  that  all  the  objections  which 
would  present  themselves  naturally  to  your  mind — want  of 
academic  experience,  and  the  rest — were  and  are  before  us. 
But  we  were  of  opinion  that  you  possess  qualities  which,  in 
the  present  condition  of  the  College  and  of  the  University, 
would  make  your  acceptance  of  the  office  of  Master  peculiarly 
useful  to  those  great  interests  which  we  all  wish  to  serve.  I 
shall  await  with  great  expectancy  your  answer,  though  of 
course  it  is  unreasonable  to  suppose  that  it  can  be  given 
without  due  consideration  and  some  days  of  reflection . 
"I  am, 

"  Yours  very  truly, 

"M.  PETERBURG." 


SELWYN  COLLEGE,  CAMBRIDGE  209 


ee  PETERBOROUGH,  March  20,  '93. 

"My  DEAR  BISHOP  SELWYN, 

"  May  I  venture  to  say  one  or  two  things,  as  one 
who  knows  Cambridge  and  the  duties  of  a  Master  of  Selwyn 
College  ? 

"(1)  The  important  point  in  a  Master  is  that  he  should  be 
known  outside  Cambridge. 

"  (2)  Equally  important  is  it  that  in  Cambridge  he  should 
distinctly  represent  some  definite  side  of  the  work  of  the 
Church.  You  would  represent  elements  of  the  greatest  im 
portance,  which  are  not  at  present  represented. 

"  (3)  There  is  no  difficulty  in  getting  teachers  for  the  Uni 
versity  Examinations.  The  work  of  the  Master  need  not  be 
more  than  seeing  that  the  requisite  teaching  is  supplied,  and  in 
supplementing  that  by  spiritual  teaching  of  his  own.  You 
would  find  a  loyal  staff'  of  teachers  :  but  you  would  be  able  to 
give  teaching  of  a  general  and  valuable  kind ;  it  might  be  as 
informal  as  you  like.  You  would  find  that  it  would  be 
welcomed  by  many  men  outside  Selwyn.  There  is  absolutely 
no  need  that  you  should  be  responsible  for  any  of  the  ordinary 
teaching. 

"  (4)  Masters  of  Colleges  may  be  of  many  kinds.  What 
Lyttelton  has  done  will  not  be  the  same  as  what  any  successor 
will  do.  The  new  Master  will  follow  his  own  lines. 

"  The  Council  was  of  opinion  that  there  was  no  one  who 
could  advance  the  interests  of  the  College  so  much  as  yourself. 

"  Yours  very  truly, 

"M.  PETERBURG." 

His  astonishment  and  amusement  at  the  position 
in  which  he  found  himself  may  be  gathered  from  the 
following  extracts  : 


210  BISHOP  JOHN  SELWYN 


To  MRS.  LONG  INNES. 

"  WORTHING,  April  3,  1893. 

"  On  Saturday  I  went  up  to  London  and  saw  the 
Council  of  Selwyn  College,  whom  I  fought  to  no 
purpose  ;  so  now,  as  you  will  see  in  the  papers,  I  am 
Master  of  that  ilk.  Don't  laugh,  but,  if  you  do,  you 
can't  laugh  as  much  as  I  do  at  the  idea  of  my  being 
a  Don  !  Every  one  told  me  it  was  my  duty,  so  I 
am  going ;  but  I  don't  in  the  least  like  it." 

To  MRS.  A  COTJRT-REPINGTON. 

"WORTHING,  April  11,  '93. 

"  What  do  you  think  of  me  as  a  Don  ?  I  think 
it  is  the  very  funniest  notion  that  I  ever  heard  of, 
and  I  can't  conceive  how  it  is  to  be  done." 

To  R  DURNFORD,  ESQ. 

"  95  MARINE  PARADE,  WORTHING, 

"April  18,  1893. 

"My  DEAR  DICK, 

"  My  feeling  when  such  an  one  as  you  writes 
to  me  anent  Selwyn  College  is  '  risum  teneatis 
amid '  (must  quote  now  I'm  a  Don).  Can  you  by 
any  stretch  of  imagination  fancy  me  in  that  position 
or  can  you  fancy  any  sane  body  of  men  forcing  me 


SELWYN  COLLEGE,  CAMBRIDGE 

to  take  it  ?  I  went  to  their  meeting,  and  spoke  to 
them  with  much  plainness  of  speech.  I  appealed  to 
my  ignorance  of  the  least  rudiments  of  the  classics, 
to  my  utter  ignorance  of  the  veriest  outline  of 
academic  work.  I  quoted  Stephie  [his  son,  who  had 
just  matriculated  at  Trinity],  whose  opinion  of  my 
attainments  was  expressed  with  the  utmost  frank 
ness  .  .  .  But  it  was  no  go,  and  so  I  am  dragged 
to  the  Groves  of  Academe  from  the  wilds  of  the 
Pacific.  I  laughed  so  consumedly  at  the  thought 
when  it  was  first  mooted  that  my  mother  was  quite 
angry.  But  it  was  all  no  good.  Every  soul  I 
consulted  said  '  Go/  and  so  I  go,  the  very  squarest 
peg  in  the  very  roundest  hole  the  world  has 
ever  seen.  Cincinnatus  (was  it  not  C.  ? )  is  not 
in  it  in  comparison.  My  wife  trembles  at  the  idea 

of and and  the  blues  of  Newnham  looking 

over  our  garden  wall  [Newnham  adjoins  Selwyn 
College]. 

"  Seriously,  I  go  because  I  am  told  to  go,  and  I 
tremble  at  the  thought.  I  only  hope  I  may  get  at 
the  men,  and  turn  them  out  as  '  men.'  I  could  do 
that  when  I  could  lead  in  Melanesia.  How  on  earth 
I  am  to  lead  in  my  study  I  know  not.  However, 
people  say  it  is  all  right,  and,  if  I  fail,  I  shall  go 
with  rapidity  !  .  .  . 

"  Best  love  to  my  godson. 

"  Yrs.  affect. 

"J.  R.  S.,BP." 


BISHOP  JOHN  SELWYN 

Amongst  the  "  plain  things "  that  he  spoke  to 
those  who  pressed  upon  him  the  Mastership  was 
the  characteristic  observation,  "  If  you  had  called 
me  to  take  command  of  a  man-of-war  I  should 
have  understood  something  about  it,  —  but  a 
College !" 

The  unanimity  with  which  his  acceptance  was  in 
sisted  upon  by  all  his  friends  counted  for  much,  but 
chiefly  he  was  influenced  by  his  mother's  strong  wish 
that  he  should  undertake  the  work.  It  may,  perhaps, 
have  been  gathered  in  the  course  of  this  book  that 
he  was  hardly  likely  to  withstand  the  desire  of  a 
mother  who  had  been  so  much  to  him  throughout 
his  life.  All  the  same,  just  at  first  he  often  regretted 
the  step  he  had  taken.  He  had  been  offered,  and  had 
refused,  a  small  living  in  Surrey,  and  used  sometimes 
to  say,  "  Why  didn't  you  let  me  go  to  Busbridge  ?  " 
Universal  satisfaction  was  expressed  when  his  de 
cision  became  known.  The  College  authorities  were 
satisfied  that  his  past  achievements  were  credentials 
enough,  and  that  the  chance  of  having  a  Selwyn  at 
the  head  of  Selwyn  College  was  not  to  be  lost.  It 
was  thought  by  all  a  graceful  act  to  offer  the  post  to 
his  father's  son  ;  and  finally  letters  came  from  many 
quarters  giving  sound  reasons  for  congratulation 
on  the  appointment.  It  may  be  sufficient  to  quote 
two — one  from  a  lay,  the  other  from  a  clerical, 
source. 


SELWYN  COLLEGE,  CAMBRIDGE 

From  THE  LATE  RT.  Hox.  GEORGE  DENMAN. 

"  8  CRANLEY  GARDENS,  S.W.,  April  3,  1893. 

"My  DEAR  BISHOP, 

"  What  glorious  news  !    Selwyn  of  Selwyn  !    Hurrah  ! 
The  Selwyn  Boat  will  be  head  of  the  River  ! 
"  New  Zealand  will  be  glad. 
"  Melanesia  will  shout  for  joy. 

"  Trinity  and  Eton  will  be  prouder  than  ever  of  their  stock. 
But  none  will  rejoice  more  heartily  than  does 
"Yours  most  sincerely, 

"G.  DENMAN." 


From  DR.  TALBOT,  Bishop  of  Rochester,  at  that  time  Vicar 

of  Leeds. 

"  THE  VICARAGE,  LEEDS,  April  6,  1 893. 
"  MY  DEAR  BISHOP, 

"  May  I  send  a  word  of  cordial  congratulation  from 
an  old  friend  at  the  appointment  which  I  see  in  the  papers  ? 
I  cannot  say  what  pleasure  it  gives  me,  for  on  the  one  hand  it 
seems  to  secure  to  the  College  (D.V.)  another  lease  of  efficiency 
and  prosperity,  and  all  the  advantage  that  comes  from  being 
efficiently  represented  in  the  University,  and,  on  the  other 
hand,  I  cannot  help  feeling  a  real  delight  that  after  all  your 
troubles  you  should  have  the  prospect  of  a  new  career  which 
cannot  fail  to  be  to  you  full  of  rich  interest  and  opportunity, 
and  in  which  you  may  do  such  first-rate  service  for  Church 
and  State.  I  feel  a  pure  pleasure  in  the  news,  and  I  should 
not  like  to  go  without  just  saying  it  and  wishing  you  God 
speed. 

"  Yours  always  sincerely, 

"E.  S.  TALBOT." 


BISHOP  JOHN  SELWYN 

This  last  letter  was  specially  valuable  as  coming 
from  one  who  had  been  for  many  years  head  of  Keble 
College,  Oxford,*  and  therefore  knew  better  than 
most  other  people  what  was  the  nature  of  the  work 
to  which  Bishop  John  Selwyn  had  been  called. 

In  June  1893  he  was  formally  installed  as  Master 
of  Selwyn,  and  it  is  noteworthy  that  the  foundation- 
stone  of  the  College  chapel  was  laid  the  previous 
day.  This  building  was  an  immense  interest  to  him, 
and  to  it,  as  will  be  seen  later  on,  he  gave  lavishly 
of  his  time  and  money.  There  is  a  remarkable 
unanimity  in  the  expression  of  the  effect  that  he 
made  on  entering  the  University  life  of  Cambridge. 
With  one  voice  he  is  said  by  all  to  have  been  like  a 
fresh  sea-breeze  blowing  through  the  place.  He  him 
self  fancied  that  at  first  he  did  not  "  hit  it  off"  with 
the  Dons,  but  this  feeling  quickly  passed  away,  and 
it  was  not  long  before  he  said,  "  I  think  Cambridge 
people  the  kindest  in  the  world."  It  can  readily  be 
understood  by  all  who  are  acquainted  with  University 
life,  even  of  the  present  day,  that  the  influence  of 
the  coming  of  such  a  man  would  be  to  blow  away,  or 
at  least  disturb,  much  of  the  dust  which  settles 
down  imperceptibly  in  such  places.  Nothing  is 
sadder  than  to  watch  the  slow  but  sure  narrowing  of 
a  man  who,  with  little  interest  outside  his  College 

*  Keble  at  Oxford  and  Selwyn  at  Cambridge  are  Colleges 
upon  strictly  Church  of  England  lines  where  a  somewhat  cheaper 
education  is  provided. 


SELWYN  COLLEGE,  CAMBRIDGE 

walls,  spends  year  after  year  in  the  same  routine  of 
duties.  And  though  their  number  is  fewer,  yet  there 
are  still  in  our  Universities  many  who  answer  to  this 
description.  There  are  many  more  who,  while  spas 
modically  interested  in  matters  concerning  the  outer 
world,  consider  the  politics  and  life  of  their  own 
University  of  paramount  importance,  and  deem  a 
man  unable  to  pronounce  the  special  academic  Shib 
boleths  a  person  of  small  account. 

To  these  came  Bishop  John  Selwyn  with  the  smell 
of  the  salt  Pacific  still  upon  him  :  with  the  uncon- 
ventionality  of  the  island  explorer  visible  in  all  his 
ways:  with  the  conviction  that  there  were  in  the 
wide  world  interests  at  least  as  great  as  those  of 
Cambridge  :  with  a  body  broken  down  by  disease, 
but  a  heart  as  strong  as  ever,  and  a  keenness  which 
many  another  man  of  fifty  might  envy  :  and,  lastly, 
with  a  resolve  to  use  his  remaining  powers  to  their 
utmost  extent  in  the  service  of  those  young  men  with 
whom  he  had  so  much  in  common. 

His  success  was  assured  from  the  first.  It  may  be 
that  he  made  mistakes  sometimes ;  possibly  his 
quick  temper  created  difficulties  now  and  again  ;  but, 
as  Professor  Stanton  said  in  his  memorial  sermon, 
he  was  "  a  winning,  noble-hearted  man,  for  whose 
presence  all  ought  to  be  the  better."  That  was  the 
secret  of  it ;  he  was  so  ?io&/e-hearted.  No  matter 
what  the  mistake,  no  matter  how  deeply  irritated  he 
had  been,  he  was  quick  to  make  amends,  never  being 


BISHOP  JOHN  SELWYN 

able  to  rest  until  he  had  expressed  his  own  sorrow 
and  sought  the  renewed  friendship  of  others. 
There  is  a  remarkable  story  illustrating  this  of  an 
incident  which  happened  during  these  last  years  of 
his  life.  He  was  passing  through  London,  and  drove 
in  a  four-wheeler  from  King's  Cross  to  catch  his 
train  at  Paddington.  The  cab  crawled  along,  and 
time  was  getting  short.  The  Bishop  called  to  the 
driver  to  quicken  up,  and  got  an  exceedingly  rude 
reply.  He  lost  his  temper  for  a  moment,  and  told 
the  man  he  was  not  going  to  a  funeral  and  must  get 
along  faster,  whereat  the  cabby  got  more  angry  still. 
At  Paddington  the  Bishop  paid  the  man  his  exact 
fare  but  nothing  more,  telling  him  it  was  because  of 
his  incivility.  Next  day  the  whole  story  was  told 
to  Mrs.  John  Selwyn,  the  Bishop  expressing  his  own 
unhappiiiess  at  having  vexed  the  man  by  his  careless 
words  and  then  not  having  tried  to  help  him  after 
wards.  A  week  later  he  had  to  go  to  London  again, 
so  started  by  a  very  early  train  to  try  and  find  the 
man.  On  inquiry  at  King's  Cross  he  learnt  that  the 
cabman's  stand  was  at  Paddington  Station,  so  he 
hurried  off  there,  and  waited  for  an  hour,  watching 
all  the  cabs  in  and  and  out,  but  in  vain.  At  last 
he  had  to  drive  off  to  Waterloo  to  catch  his  train, 
and  there,  to  his  great  joy,  saw  his  man  just  entering 
the  station.  He  had  a  long  talk  with  him,  telling 
him  how  sorry  he  was  for  what  had  occurred.  The 
man  followed  suit,  and  it  ended  by  the  Bishop  finding 


SELWYN  COLLEGE,  CAMBRIDGE  217 

out  all  about  his  home,  and  afterwards  sending  ten 
shillings  to  his  children.  This  was  a  great  comfort 
to  the  Bishop,  for  he  had  been  worrying  about  it 
all  the  previous  week. 

The  man  who  could  take  such  pains  to  make  up  a 
dispute  with  a  cabman  was  not  likely  to  have  pro 
longed  troubles  with  the  Cambridge  folk,  either  Dons 
or  undergraduates. 

His  main  work  lay,  of  course,  with  the  latter,  and 
it  was  not  long  before  he  worked  a  change  in  the 
general  tone  of  Selwyn  College.  The  discipline  was 
not  particularly  good  when  he  first  took  the  reins  of 
government.  This  was  largely  owing  to  a  curious 
experiment  which  had  been  made  by  his  predecessor, 
Mr.  Lyttelton  (now  Bishop  of  Southampton),  who 
had  tried  the  plan  of  combining  in  his  own  person 
the  offices  of  Master  and  Dean  of  the  College.  To 
most  old  University  men  it  will  be  obvious  that  the 
result  of  such  an  experiment  must  be  that  the 
College  would  either  have  a  Master  or  a  Dean,  but 
certainly  not  both,  the  two  offices  being  singularly 
incompatible.  Bishop  Selwyn  reverted  to  the  old- 
fashioned  plan,  with  excellent  results.  But  it  was 
also  his  personality  which  did  so  much  to  produce  a 
better  state  of  things.  It  is  said  that  on  the  first 
Sunday  after  the  College  service  the  following  words 
were  overheard  from  one  of  the  rowdiest  of  the  men  : 
"  I  say,  I  don't  like  the  look  of  that  chap's  eye  !  " 
And  no  doubt  that  flashing  eye  which  had  controlled 


218  BISHOP  JOHN  SELWYN 

Melanesian  savages,  and  searched  the  hearts  of 
sailors  as  he  preached  on  the  deck  of  a  man-of-war, 
was  of  no  little  effect  as  he  spoke  to  the  under 
graduates  whom  he  had  come  to  govern. 

Perhaps  his  extreme  unconventionality  added 
slightly  to  his  difficulties  in  this  direction.  It  was 
not  always  understood  by  the  men,  who  were  not 
used  to  being  shouted  at  from  the  window  of  the 
study  of  the  Master's  Lodge.  But,  if  unconventional 
himself,  he  would  stand  no  relaxation  of  discipline 
on  the  part  of  others.  Probably  the  luckless  under 
graduate,  who  came  one  day  to  see  him  in  his  study 
wearing  a  pair  of  white  boating  shoes,  still  remembers 
the  weighty  words  of  the  Master  on  that  occasion ! 
It  is  certain,  however,  that  many  Selwyn  men  recall 
with  gratitude  and  affection  those  talks  over  a  pipe 
late  at  night  (also,  perhaps,  a  little  unconventional !) 
which  ended  so  often  in  the  pouring  out  of  religious 
difficulties,  after  which  the  Bisliop  took  the  place  of 
the  Master,  and  the  undergraduate  knelt  with  him 
in  prayer  and  received  his  episcopal  blessing. 

It  was  his  tact,  too,  which  helped  him  to  keep  up 
the  discipline  of  the  place.  As  in  many  another 
College,  the  question  of  letting  off  fireworks  on  the 
night  of  the  fifth  of  November  was  a  burning  one. 
He  showed  his  full  appreciation  of  the  fact  that  it  is 
not  jireivorks  that  the  undergraduate's  soul  desires, 
but  illegal  fireworks,  and  issued  an  invitation  to  the 
College  to  come  and  let  them  off  in  his  own  grounds  ! 


SELWYN  COLLEGE,  CAMBRIDGE  219 

Nothing  could  more  gracefully  and  effectually  have 
quenched  the  whole  subject. 

He  was  much  interested  and  excited  during  the 
great  contest  in  Cambridge  about  women's  degrees, 
taking  a  strong  line  against  their  concession.  He 
wrote  several  letters  bearing  upon  this  subject,  from 
which  the  following  extracts  are  interesting  : 

To  a  COUSIN. 

"SELWYN  COLLEGE  LODGE,  Jan.  9,  1897. 

"I  attribute  to the  deep  reverence  that  I  carry 

about  with  me,  and  which  grows  deeper  as  years  go 
on,  for  womanhood  in  its  purity  and  lovableness. 
I  do  hope  the  girls  of  the  present  day  will  not  throw 
aside  much  of  that  charm  in  their  thirst  for  learning, 
which  brings  them  into  contact  with  so  much  that 
may  harden  them,  arid  so  spoil  them.  It  will  be  a 
bad  day  for  mcmkind  if  they  do." 

To  MRS.  A  COURT-REPINGTON. 

"SELWYN  COLLEGE,  May  20,  1897. 

"  We  are  all  agog  about  the  women  to-morrow. 
I  hope  the  non-placets  are  going  to  win  handsomely. 
The  excitement  is  very  great." 

On  the  evening  of  the  day  of  the  voting  (May  21) 


220  BISHOP  JOHN  SELWYN 

there  was  some  most  unchivalrous  conduct  on  the 
part  of  certain  persons  unknown  outside  Newnham 
College.  A  letter  was  written  by  some  one  who 
signed  him-  or  her- self  "Onlooker,"  which  appeared 
in  the  Spectator,  and  which  accused  members  of  a 
" neighbouring  College"  of  the  outrage.  Now,  the 
College  that  is  neighbour  to  Newnham  is  Selwyn, 
and  great  was  the  Master's  wrath  at  the  publication 
of  this  letter,  especially  when  he  had  fully  satisfied 
himself  that  the  men  of  his  College  were  none  of 
them  to  blame.  He  never  rested  till  he  got  to  the 
bottom  of  the  affair  and  had  obliged  "  Onlooker  " 
to  write  a  further  letter  to  the  Spectator  admitting 
the  inaccuracy  of  many  of  the  statements,  and  un 
reservedly  withdrawing  the  accusation  against  the 
''neighbouring  College." 

Of  course  his  share  in  University  business  was  not 
very  large,  and  his  attainments  did  not  fit  him  for 
lecturing,  but  from  the  first  he  always  gave  one 
lecture  each  week  on  Divinity  to  Selwyn  men  in 
their  first  two  years.  Uncommonly  racy  and  in 
teresting  these  addresses  were,  being  largely  taken 
up  by  narratives  of  his  own  experiences.  "  I  don't 
know  what  I  taught  them,"  he  said  of  his  first 
lecture,  "  but  I  know  I  made  them  laugh  !  " 

By  far  the  most  important  work  of  this  kind 
which  he  did  was  in  1896,  when  he  delivered  the 
course  of  pastoral  lectures  for  that  year  at  the 
request  of  the  University  Theological  Board.  Any 


SELWYN  COLLEGE,  CAMBRIDGE 

one  wishing  to  know  further  what  manner  of  man 
he  was,  and  what  manner  of  work  he  did,  cannot  do 
better  than  read  these  lectures,  which  are  published 
as  a  separate  volume  by  the  S.P.C.K. 

His  devotion  to  his  old  life  and  work  was  still 
intense,  and  his  continual  reference  to  them  in  his 
lectures  and  conversation  was  so  frequent,  that  "  My 
islanders  "  became  a  standing  joke  in  the  College. 
Naturally  enough,  one  of  the  matters  which  troubled 
him  most  was  the  question  of  his  successor  in  Mela 
nesia.  At  last  he  had  the  great  happiness  of  know 
ing  that  the  work  would  be  carried  on  in  the  true 
spirit.  His  close  friend  Canon  Jacob  (now  Bishop 
of  Newcastle)  was  consulted  by  him,  and  recom 
mended  an  old  curate,  the  Rev.  Cecil  Wilson,  to  the 
Archbishop  of  Canterbury  (Dr.  Benson),  Dr.  Codring- 
ton,  and  the  Master  of  Selywn  College,  who  had 
been  commissioned  to  make  the  appointment.  For 
Mr.  Wilson's  acceptance  he  was  most  thankful, 
though  his  regret  at  his  own  resignation  crops  up 
through  all  his  letters  on  the  subject. 

To  MRS.  A  COURT-EEPINGTON. 

"  LICHFIELD,  Jan.  8,  '94. 

"  I  must  stay  with  Cecil  Wilson,  Vicar  of 
Moordown,  whom  I  have  stolen  to  be  Bishop 
of  Melanesia  !  Alas !  I  don't  like  to  think  of 
any  one  else  bearing  that  name,  but  that  is 


222  BISHOP  JOHN  SELWYN 

only  a  passing   pang.    .  .  .  and   he  is  such  a  nice 
fellow." 

To  the  Same. 

"  SELWYN  COLLEGE  LODGE,  Feb.  20,  '94. 

"  I  have  just  been  with  Annie  and  Pearlie  to  hear 
Bishop  Tucker  [of  Mombasa].  He  came  to  call  this 
morning  and  we  had  much  talk.  Oh  !  my  heart 
burned  to  be  out  again.  The  shelf  is  not  very 
comfortable." 

To  the  Same. 

"  SELWYN  COLLEGE  LODGE,  Dec.  6,  '94. 

"  I  heard  that  Wilson  was  just  starting  for  the 
Islands,  and  is  probably  coming  back  about  this 
time.  Then  he  goes  to  New  Zealand,  and  finally 
for  a  short  tour  in  Australia  to  settle  many  things. 
I  cannot  help  seeing  the  wisdom  of  God  in  taking 
me  away  when  He  did,  as  I  had  so  broken  down 
that  I  should  never  have  been  fit  for  all  these 
things." 

The  building  of  the  College  chapel  was  an 
immense  interest  to  him.  There  were  no  funds  for 
properly  furnishing  it,  and  to  raise  these  he  devoted 
much  time  and  labour,  starting  the  subscription  list 
with  a  gift  from  himself  of  £500.  The  handsome 
and  dignified  carving  of  the  stalls  was  an  especial 


SELWYN  COLLEGE,  CAMBRIDGE 

object  to  him,  and  the  completion  of  this  part  of  the 
work  is  the  fitting  memorial  of  his  Mastership.  No 
one  who  has  seen  the  chapel  can  fail  to  appreciate 
the  loving  care  with  which  every  detail  of  a  most 
beautiful  building  has  been  carried  out.  In  the 
summer  of  1895  the  edifice  had  been  nearly  com 
pleted,  and  by  a  fortunate  chance  it  fell  to  Bishop 
John  Selwyn's  lot  to  preach  in  it  for  the  first  time. 
As  will  be  seen  by  the  subjoined  letter,  there  had 
been  no  intention  of  using  the  chapel  at  all  on  the 
occasion,  and,  when  it  was  determined  to  use  it, 
Canon  Gore  of  Westminster  was  to  have  been  the 
preacher,  so  that  it  was  by  a  kind  of  double  accident 
that  the  Bishop's  voice  was  the  first  one  heard  in 
Selwyn  College  Chapel.  The  incident  of  the  dove, 
so  curiously  symbolical  and  beautiful,  was  a  great 
delight  to  the  Bishop. 

To  MRS.  A  COURT-EEPINGTON. 

"SELWYN  COLLEGE  LODGE,  July  28,  1895. 

"  Canon  Gore  is  holding  a  retreat  here,  and 
yesterday  he  broke  down  for  a  bit  with  the  heat. 
So  I  took  the  bull  by  the  horns  and  rigged  up  the 
new  chapel,  so  that  he  could  give  most  of  his 
addresses  in  it.  He  could  not  take  the  first,  so  I 
took  it — the  first  words  ever  uttered  in  its  walls— 
and,  as  a  good  omen,  in  came  a  dove  to  listen  to  the 
1  Yen!  Creator.'  " 


BISHOP  JOHN  SELWYN 

It  is  not  surprising  to  find  that  besides  the 
religious  life  of  the  College  and  the  discipline  and 
supervision  of  the  work  of  the  undergraduates, 
Selwyn  Boat  Club  received  a  considerable  impetus 
from  the  coming  of  a  Master  who  had  himself  been  a 
noted  oar.  All  sorts  of  stories  might  be  told  of  his 
endeavours  in  this  direction.  "  If  you  can't  row,  I'll 
make  you/'  was  no  uncommon  thing  to  hear  him 
say  to  the  hesitating  freshman.  He  was  down  on 
the  towing-path  in  his  hand-tricycle  whenever  he 
was  well  enough  and  could  spare  the  time,  and  would 
shout  out  orders  to  the  Selwyn  crew  as  he  kept  pace 
with  them  in  their  practice.  On  one  occasion  he 
was  actually  helped  into  the  stern  of  a  new  Selwyn 
four,  and  coxed  it  on  its  trial  spin.  In  all  such  ways 
he  renewed  the  spirit  of  his  youth,  and  gained 
besides  a  more  intimate  knowledge  of  the  men  of  his 
College.  The  cups  which  he  had  won  in  University 
races  thirty  years  before  he  presented  to  Selwyn 
College,  where  they  will  ever  be  cherished  in  memory 
of  one  who  was  almost  as  keen  for  her  success  on  the 
river  as  in  the  schools. 

His  generosity  towards  the  chapel  has  been 
noticed,  but  this  was  but  a  small  part  of  his  lavish 
expenditure  on  the  College  generally.  At  the  risk 
of  repetition,  this  leading  feature  of  his  character 
must  again  be  insisted  upon.  He  gave  lavishly, 
ungrudgingly,  of  his  best.  He  spent  largely  on  the 
staff  of  College  tutors,  while  his  gifts  to  under- 


SELWYN  COLLEGE,  CAMBRIDGE  225 

graduates  were  so  frequent  as  to  be  sometimes 
thought  a  little  indiscriminate.  To  the  College 
servants  he  was  kindness  itself.  He  took  a  personal 
interest  in  each  one  of  them,  would  call  them  to  him 
for  a  friendly  word  or  two  as  they  passed,  and  did 
all  he  could  to  help  their  club  and  make  their  lives 
happy.  His  relations  with  them  may  be  summed 
up  in  the  words  of  one  of  them,  who,  on  being  asked 
about  the  late  Master  twelve  months  after  his  death, 
said,  "  I  only  know  I  lost  the  best  friend  ever  man 
had." 

But  his  career  at  Cambridge  was  not  memorable 
in  connection  with  Selwyn  College  alone.  He  threw 
himself  heartily  into  several  kinds  of  outside  work. 
He  preached  and  spoke  for  Melanesia,  and  took  a 
share  besides  in  many  matters  ecclesiastical.  Thus 
in  Advent  1894,  he  addressed  the  candidates  for 
ordination  at  Lichfield.  "It  is  a  day,"  said  the 
Bishop  of  the  diocese  (Dr.  Legge),  "  that  they  will 
never  forget.  The  reality  of  the  man,  the  strong 
simplicity  of  his  homethrusts,  the  enthusiasm  for  all 
that  is  good  and  true,  and  the  evident  witness  of  his 
own  body  that  he  bore  in  it  the  marks  of  the  Lord 
Jesus,  touched,  convinced,  inspired  us  all." 

Professor  Stanton  in  his  memorial  sermon  speaks 
of  another  work  to  which  the  Bishop  gave  much 
attention.  This  was  the  Barnwell  and  Chesterton 
Clergy  Fund,  the  object  of  which  was  to  aid  the 
poorer  parishes  in  Cambridge.  He  became  president 


BISHOP  JOHN  SELWYN 

of  this  association,  and  under  his  care  it  gained  a 
renewed  vitality. 

His  old  love  of  hospital  work  and  desire  to  help 
and  cheer  the  sick  and  maimed,  especially  any  who 
were  cripples  like  himself,  was  most  noticeable 
during  his  last  years.  He  visited  the  infirmary  in 
Cambridge  regularly,  and  often  took  services  there. 
Not  content  with  that,  he  undertook  a  certain 
amount  of  pastoral  work,  obtaining  the  permission 
of  the  late  Vicar  of  St.  Giles'  to  visit  sick  people  in 
that  parish,  and  welcome  was  the  sound  of  the 
Bishop's  crutches  as  he  dragged  himself  up  a  cottage 
staircase  to  bring  a  bit  of  sunshine  to  some  poor 
bedridden  sufferer. 

He  never  seemed  able  to  pass  a  fellow  cripple 
by,  and  many  amusing  stories  are  told  of  his 
persuading  lame  men  to  race  him,  and  his  delight 
when  his  crutches  proved  faster  than  those  of  his 
opponent. 

In  the  general  religious  life  of  Cambridge  he  took 
a  large  part,  but,  as  might  be  expected,  more 
especially  in  all  that  concerned  Missions.  The 
Cambridge  branch  of  the  Society  for  the  Propagation 
of  the  Gospel  in  Foreign  Parts  was  greatly  stimu 
lated  by  him,  while  at  the  same  time  he  took  a 
leading  part  in  the  Board  of  Missions  for  the  Pro 
vince  of  Canterbury.  The  Bishop  of  Newcastle 
(Dr.  Jacob)  gives  some  account  of  this  latter  work. 
He  says : 


SELWYN  COLLEGE,  CAMBRIDGE  227 

"  Bishop  John  Sehvyn  and  I  were  almost  contemporaries 
.  .  .  but  we  never  came  to  know  one  another  personally  until 
1888,  the  year  of  the  Lambeth  Conference,  when  I  was  secre 
tary  to  the  Board  of  Missions  for  the  Province  of  Canterbury. 
But  our  intimacy  and  friendship  were  of  still  later  date,  and 
extended  over  the  last  few  years  of  his  life,  when  he  had  come 
back  a  cripple.  We  became  friends  almost  instinctively,  and 
the  friendship  became  closer  and  closer.  .  .  .  Our  common 
interest  in  Missions  was  a  great  link  between  us,  and  Bishop 
Selwyn's  interest  in  what  the  Board  of  Missions  had  under 
taken  was  so  great  that  at  last,  seeing  how  burdened  I  was 
with  the  labours  of  the  report  and  all  my  other  work,  he 
most  kindly  offered  to  tabulate  all  the  replies  which  we  had 
received  from  India  to  definite  questions  which  we  had  sent 
out.  He  not  only  did  this,  but  wrote  nearly  sixteen  pages  of 
the  report,  all  bearing  on  discipline  and  order,  without  which 
I  could  never  have  got  the  report  done.  .  .  .  On  my  becoming 
Bishop  of  Newcastle  in  January  1896,  he  succeeded  me  as 
Secretary  to  the  Board  of  Missions.  He  had  thrown  himself 
so  vigorously  into  the  work,  and  had  so  well  helped  on 
the  Missionary  Conference  of  the  Anglican  Communion  in 
1894,  and  had  so  happy  a  power  of  inspiring  others,  that  he 
was  the  obvious  man  for  the  post  if  he  were  willing  to  accept 
it,  and  it  was  a  great  joy  to  me  when  I  heard  of  his  appoint 
ment.  I  cannot  say  how  much  I  loved  this  delightful  man. 
I  stayed  with  him  at  Cambridge  after  he  had  accepted  the 
Mastership  of  Selwyn  College,  and  he  honoured  me  by  taking 
part  in  my  consecration.  We  found  ourselves  in  close  accord 
on  nearly  all  the  subjects  we  discussed  together.  His  pluck 
when  suffering  from  terrible  pain  was  something  to  see.  His 
absolute  unselfishness  ;  his  power  of  throwing  himself  into  all 
the  interests  of  another  ;  his  power  of  inspiring  young  men 
and  bringing  out  all  that  was  manly  and  good  in  them  ;  his 
hatred  of  '  red-tape "  or  of  any  kind  of  sham  ;  his  intense 
longing  for  the  evangelisation  of  the  world  ;  his  love  for 


228  BISHOP  JOHN  SELWYN 

Melanesia  and  the  Mission  to  which  he  had  given  his  life — all 
this  is  now  a  memory  of  the  past,  but  a  memory  that  inspires. 
When  I  heard  of  his  death  I  thanked  God  that  I  had  known 
and  loved  him  well,  and  I  felt  the  singular  completeness  of 
that  heroic  life." 

Mission  work  in  the  poorer  parts  of  London  had  a 
great  attraction  for  him,  and  he  was,  of  course, 
specially  interested  in  the  Eton  Mission  at  Hackney 
Wick.  A  characteristic  story  is  told  of  one  of  his 
visits  there  by  one  who  was  present.  It  runs  thus  : 

"  The  Eton  Mission  Church  was  filled  one  weekday  evening 
with  a  large  congregation  of  those  poorer  members  of  society 
who  lived  (as  they  themselves  describe  it)  c  under  the  arch ' 
through  which  you  had  to  pass  into  the  Mission  district.  No 
one,  they  said,  lived  '  under  the  arch '  who  could  afford  either 
financially  or  morally  to  live  elsewhere.  But  they  had  many 
of  them  come  to  church  (an  old  iron  church)  that  night 
because  their  Missioner  (the  present  Bishop  of  Zululand)  had 
invited  them  to  hear  the  message  of  the  Bishop  of  Melanesia, 
an  old  Etonian,  whose  teaching  would  certainly  help  them. 
The  processional  hymn  was  heard,  and  the  procession  itself 
proceeded  on  its  way  round  the  church,  the  last  figure  in  it 
being  the  Bishop.  Suddenly  he  was  missed,  and  the  pro 
cession  itself  proceeded  on  its  way  unconscious  of  its  loss. 
What  had  happened  ?  Why,  just  this  :  John  Selwyn  had  dis 
covered  an  old  woman  who  could  not  find  her  place  in  her 
hymn-book,  and  all  his  episcopacy  was  set  on  meeting  the 
need,  however  humble,  of  that  one  poor  old  soul.  He  was 
a  Bishop  indeed,  but  he  was  a  man  first." 

Not  content  with  visiting  the  poor  in  London,  he 
had  many  of  them  to  visit  him  at  Cambridge. 


t 

SELWYN  COLLEGE,  CAMBRIDGE  229 

Every  Whit  Monday  about  one  hundred  men  from 
one  or  other  of  the  clubs  managed  by  the  Oxford 
House  in  Bethnal  Green  used  to  come  down  to 
Selwyn  College  for  the  day.  There  was  always 
dinner  in  hall  for  them,  at  which  the  Bishop  presided. 
After  one  of  these  Whit  Mondays,  Mr.  Ingram  (now 
Bishop  of  Stepney)  wrote  to  Miss  Selwyn  and  said, 
"  Please  thank  your  father  very  much  indeed.  The 
men  all  fell  in  love  with  him." 

But  it  was  in  the  starting  of  the  Cambridge 
House  that  Bishop  John  Selwyn  interested  himself 
most  keenly  of  all.  The  following  account,  extracted 
from  a  letter  written  by  the  Rev.  J.  O.  F.  Murray, 
of  Emmanuel  College,  makes  clear  the  Bishop's  part 
in  the  initiation  of  the  scheme. 

"  EMMANUEL  COLLEGE,  CAMBRIDGE,  June  5,  1 899- 

"  The  outline  of  events  is  simple  enough.  On  February  17, 
1896,  the  Bishop  of  Rochester  addressed  a  large  meeting  of 
members  of  the  University,  senior  and  junior,  in  the  hall  of 
S.  John's  College.  In  the  course  of  his  address  the  Bishop 
made  an  earnest  appeal  to  the  University  as  a  whole  to  sup 
port  and  supplement  the  work  of  the  various  College  Missions 
in  South  London  by  providing  '  a  Cambridge  something  '  to 
emulate,  on  such  lines  as  might  commend  themselves  to  Cam 
bridge  feeling,  the  work  done  for  the  East  End  by  the  Oxford 
House. 

"  The  way  had  been  prepared  for  this  appeal  by  a  course  of 
lectures  given  in  the  preceding  May  Term  by  the  present 
Bishop  of  Stepney,  then  head  of  Oxford  House,  on  '  Pastoral 
Work  in  Large  Towns.'  These  lectures  had  done  a  great  deal 


230  BISHOP  JOHN  SELWYN 

to  bring  the  work  of  the  'Oxford  House  before  the  minds  of 
the  younger  members  of  the  University  ;  and  at  the  close  of 
his  last  lecture  the  lecturer  had  expressly  challenged  his 
hearers  to  found  a  similar  institution  in  the  name  of  Cam 
bridge  in  South  London.  But  neither  he  nor  they  were  in  a 
position  to  make  the  challenge  effective,  and  nothing  came  of 
it. 

"  It  was,  I  believe,  entirely  due,  under  God,  to  Bishop 
Selwyn  that  the  Bishop  of  Rochester's  appeal  did  not  share  the 
same  fate. 

"  Bishop  Selwyn  had  been  speaking  the  night  before  at  the 
annual  meeting  of  the  Trinity  Mission,  making,  as  the 
Cambridge  Review  says,  '  the  speech  of  the  evening."  His 
mind  was  clearly  full  of  the  vast  need  of  South  London.  He 
had  also,  no  doubt  from  his  own  experience,  a  keener  sym 
pathy  than  the  rest  of  us  with  the  burden  laid  on  a  Bishop 
who  was  called  to  wrestle  with  so  terrible  a  problem  :  not  only 
his  chivalry,  but  his  reverence  for  the  office  of  the  speaker 
made  him  feel  that  this  appeal  had  at  least  primd  fade 
grounds  for  being  taken  as  a  direct  call  from  God.  He  there 
fore  set  to  work  at  once  to  organise  a  response  to  it. 

"  His  first  step  was  to  arrange  for  a  discussion  of  the  appeal 
by  the  members  of  a  Graduate  Church  Society,  of  which  he 
was  president.  This  meeting  was  attended  by  some  of  the 
College  Missioners  from  South  London ;  and  the  relative 

o 

advantages  of  proceeding  by  an  immediate  effort  to  procure 
the  foundation  of  fresh  College  Missions,  and  of  trying  to 
found  an  institution  which  should  bear  the  name  of  the  Uni 
versity,  were  debated  with  great  vigour.  In  the  end  a  Com 
mittee  was  appointed  to  see  whether  any  working  scheme  for 
a  '  Cambridge  House  "*  could  be  devised.  Of  this  Committee 
Bishop  Selwyn  was  chairman. 

"  The  following  paragraphs  written  by  the  Bishop,  and 
printed  in  the  Cambridge  Review  on  October  29,  give  a 
convenient  summary  of  the  work  of  the  Committee.  After 


SELWYN  COLLEGE,  CAMBRIDGE  231 

describing  the  events  which  led  to  the  appointment  of  the 
Committee,  he  proceeds  : 

" '  The  Committee  at  once  found  themselves  confronted  by 
two  facts:  (1)  That  it  was  impossible  to  call  anything 
a  Cambridge  "  something "  which  did  not  include 
Trinity  ;  and  (2)  that  Trinity  had  already  done,  as 
a  College,  what  the  Bishop  desired  the  University  to 
do  as  a  whole,  by  establishing  not  only  a  Mission 
but  a  Settlement  in  South  London. 

" '  The  field  of  inquiry  seemed,  therefore,  to  be  narrowed 
to  the  one  question :  Would  and  could  the  Trinity 
Settlement  expand  itself  into  the  larger  and  more 
comprehensive  "  something  ""  which  the  Bishop  pleads 
for? 

" '  A  meeting  was  therefore  held  in  London  with  the 
representatives  of  the  Trinity  Settlement,  and  a  very 
frank  discussion  and  interchange  of  views  took  place. 
The  representatives  of  Trinity  Court  explained  that 
they  had  found  it  practically  impossible  to  secure  the 
continuous  services  of  a  layman  as  head  of  the  Court, 
and  they  had  therefore  appointed  the  Rev.  W.  Falkner 
Baily,  on  the  following  conditions,  which  they  had 
agreed  upon  at  the  instance  of  the  Bishop  of  Durham. 

"  '  The  Committee  in  inviting  a  Clergyman  to  take  the 
Headship  of  Trinity  Court  express  their  hope  that 
he  will  find,  while  holding  the  office,  ample  scope  for 
the  fulfilment  of  his  clerical  duties. 

"  '  In  regard  to  the  religious  side  of  his  work,  they  hope 
that  he  will  gather  round  him  a  body  of  men  prepared 
to  work  on  a  religious  basis,  while  not  excluding 
those  who  cannot  take  the  full  position  of  Churchmen. 

"  '  They  look  to  him  to  direct  the  devotional  life  of  the 
Court,  and  to  give  advice  and  assistance  to  its 
members  in  any  religious  Avork  they  may  undertake, 
or  in  reading  for  Holy  Orders.  .  .  ." 


232  BISHOP  JOHN  SELWYN 

"  This  is  the  basis  on  \yhich  Trinity  Court  is  now  working ; 
and  it  explains  the  resolutions  in  which  the  Settle 
ment  Committee  most  generously  offer  that  Trinity 
Court  should  become  a  Cambridge  House.  These  are  : 

"(1)  The  Settlement  Committee  are  for  their  part  willing 
that  Trinity  Court  should  become  a  Cambridge 
House,  provided  they  can  be  assured  that  there  is 
a  real  and  substantial  demand  for  a  Cambridge 
House. 

"  (2)  They  are  unwilling  to  recommend  the  alterations  of 
the  present  constitution,  which  has  been  found  to 
work  successfully,  without  a  guarantee  that  the 
work  shall  be  continued  on  a  similar  basis. 

"The  lines  therefore  of  the  Cambridge  House  would  be 
somewhat  as  follows : 

"(1)  There  would  be  a  clerical  head,  directing  and  super 
vising  the  whole  work  of  the  house.  He  would 
hold  such  services  as  he  might  think  best  for  the 
welfare  of  those  who  might  choose  to  come  to 
them.  These  services  would  form  part  of  the 
regular  routine  of  the  house,  but  on  the  distinct 
understanding  that  attendance  at  them  should  not 
be  compulsory. 

"  (£)  To  this  house  Cambridge  men  who  accept  this  basis 
would  come.  Whether  as  laymen  or  as  intending 
hereafter  to  take  Holy  Orders,  they  would  all  find 
work  in  which  they  could  take  part.  Members  of 
colleges  having  missions  would  naturally  assist 
their  own  missions.  Candidates  for  Holy  Orders 
would  receive  from  the  clerical  head  such  assistance 
and  guidance  as  they  might  need. 

"  Such  is  the  generous  offer  made  by  the  Committee  of  the 
Trinity  Settlement  to  the  University.     Their  first  condition 


SELWYN  COLLEGE,  CAMBRIDGE  233 

has  now  to  be  fulfilled — viz.,  'that  they  should  be  assured 
that  there  is  a  real  and  substantial  demand  for  a  Cambridge 
House  on  the  part  of  the  University.''  In  order  to  ascertain 
this,  the  distinguished  Cambridge  men  who  are  named  as 
speaking  at  the  meeting  on  November  10  are  coming  to 
support  the  Bishop  of  Rochester  in  his  appeal.  It  is  no 
small  proof  of  his  belief  in  the  efficacy  of  such  a  house  to  aid 
him  in  his  arduous  work  that  he  should  have  been  at  the 
pains  to  rally  to  his  side  such  men.  Their  presence  and 
their  words  will  tell  us  that  they  at  least  think  that  the 
thing  can  and  ought  to  be  done.  It  is  for  the  University  to 
decide  whether  it  shall  be  done. 

"  On  November  10  the  Guildhall  was  filled  from  end  to 
end.  The  Bishop  of  Rochester  was  supported  by  the  Bishop 
of  Durham,  the  Right  Hon.  A.  J.  Balfour,  and  the  Hon. 
Alfred  Lyttelton,  President  of  Trinity  Court.  The  neces 
sary  resolutions  were  carried  with  enthusiasm,  and  Bishop 
Selwyn  was  appointed  Chairman  of  the  Committee  nomi 
nated  to  carry  them  into  effect.  He  remained  Chairman  of 
the  Cambridge  Committee  of  the  '  Cambridge  House '  after 
its  constitution  was  finally  settled,  but  for  the  last  six 
months  of  his  life  he  was  unfortunately  unable  to  attend 
our  meetings. 

"  Such  in  outline  was  the  history  of  the  founding  of  the 
'  Cambridge  House.'  You  will  see  from  it,  meagre  as  it  is, 
something  of  the  extent  of  our  debt  to  Bishop  Selwyn.  His 
ear  was  the  first  to  hear  the  call  to  the  work.  His  energy 
overcame  the  vis  inertice  which  is  so  very  strong  among  us, 
and  which  might  have  checked  a  less  resolute  spirit  than  his. 
His  tact  and  his  statesmanship  carried  us  safely  through  the 
initial  difficulties,  not  so  much  by  any  special  subtlety  of 
resource  as  by  the  power  of  his  personality.  We  all,  whatever 
our  own  preferences  might  be,  felt  that  we  could  trust  him, 
and  so  he  was  able  to  conciliate  conflicting  interests  and  bind 
us  into  a  real  unity.  I  trust  that  the  institution  which  is  in 


234  BISHOP  JOHN  SELWYN 

so  real  a  sense  his  creation  may  have  a  long  career  of  useful 
ness  before  it,  and  that  his  relation  to  it  may  be  one  of  its 
most  treasured  and  most  stimulating  memories. 

"  Yours  sincerely, 

"J.  O.  F.  MURRAY." 

In  the  spring  of  1897  Bishop  John  Selwyn  visited 
the  Mission,  giving  some  lantern  lectures,  mixing 
freely  with  the  working  men  and  enjoying  their  talk. 
He  managed  to  clamber,  crutches  and  all,  up  the 
movable  ladder  into  the  Mission  chapel,  and  his 
memory  will  live  long  amongst  those  to  whom  he 
spoke  his  strong,  bright,  heartening  words.  The 
delightful  way  he  had  with  working  women  as  well 
as  working  men  is  instanced  by  a  visit  he  paid  to  a 
mothers'  meeting  which  was  held  in  an  out-of-the- 
way  upstairs  Mission- room  in  Fulham  Fields.  In 
the  middle  of  the  meeting  his  cheery  voice  was  heard 
at  the  foot  of  the  stairs  telling  a  street  urchin  to 
carry  up  one  of  his  crutches,  while  he  laboriously 
toiled  up  with  the  help  of  the  other  and  the  boy's 
shoulder.  He  arrived  in  the  room  breathless  but 
beaming,  and  sitting  himself  down  began  his  talk  to 
them  with  some  little  joke  about  cutting  out  clothes, 
telling  them  how  his  father  cut  out  jackets  and 
skirts  on  the  deck  of  his  mission  ship  to  clothe  the 
first  Melanesia!!  girls  he  brought  away  to  teach. 
He  then  talked  most  enthusiastically  about  his 
Mission  life,  and  brightened  the  careworn  faces  of 
the  women  by  his  inspiriting  words  and  stories.  He 


SELWYN  COLLEGE,  CAMBRIDGE  235 

was  terribly  tired  at  the  time,  but  would  not  dis 
appoint  those  who  were  expecting  him — an  old  rule 
of  life  which  he  had  laid  on  himself  years  before  in 
Melanesia. 

A.  favourite  missionary  project  of  his  was  "  The 
Foreign  Service  Order,"  a  scheme  by  which  junior 
clergy  could  be  enrolled  as  willing  to  work  in 
distant  lands  if  called  upon  to  do  so,  with  the  con 
sent  of  their  Bishop.  He  read  a  capital  paper  on 
the  subject  at  the  Shrewsbury  Church  Congress  of 
1896,  and  in  the  following  June  the  United  Boards 
of  Missions  of  the  Provinces  of  Canterbury  and 
York  received  a  letter  from  the  Archbishop  of 
Canterbury,  forwarding  a  copy  of  resolutions  re 
specting  a  scheme  for  foreign  service,  which  had 
been  agreed  upon  by  the  Bishops  at  their  last 
episcopal  meeting.  By  this  time  the  Order  has 
been  formed,  and  a  clerical  secretary  been  appointed 
in  the  person  of  the  Vicar  of  Windsor  ;  so  that  one 
matter  which  was  very  near  Bishop  Selwyn's  heart 
in  the  last  years  of  his  life  is  already  being  satis 
factorily  carried  out. 

Among  the  many  other  good  works,  outside  the 
University  routine,  in  which  the  Bishop  interested 
himself  were  the  Girls'  Letter  League  (an  associa 
tion  for  the  promotion  of  letter  writing  between 
ladies  and  factory  girls),  of  which  he  was  president, 
and  the  National  Society  for  the  Prevention  of 
Cruelty  to  Children,  to  the  Cambridge  Committee  of 


236  BISHOP  JOHN  SELWYN 

which  he  belonged,  and  in  the  work  of  which  his 
great  love  for  children  caused  him  to  be  deeply 
interested. 

Of  his  home  life  at  this  time  it  is  more  difficult  to 
speak,  for,  though  he  never  let  it  be  felt  more  than 
he  could  possibly  help,  the  shadow  of  his  pain  and 
weakness  must  have  been  always  present.  Never 
had  he  before  had  so  long  a  spell  of  uninterrupted 
domestic  happiness,  and  this  he  enjoyed  to  the  full. 
His  tastes  were  so  childlike  and  simple  that  the 
little  incidents  of  his  home  were  a  great  delight  to 
him.  He  was  never  better  pleased  than  when 
planning  little  surprises  for  others,  and  he  preferred 
quiet  enjoyments  to  great  entertainments.  This 
simplicity  was  obvious,  too,  in  his  relation  towards 
God.  He  deprecated  much  introspection,  and  would 
often  say,"  If  we  try  to  know  God's  will  and  to  do  it, 
He  will  supply  the  rest.  We  needn't  fash  ourselves 
about  our  feelings"  And  again,  "  Look  outwards 
and  upwards,  not  inwards,  and  realise  God  as  the 
loving  Father  of  us  His  children." 

He  never  allowed  adverse  criticism  of  others  in 
his  home,  and,  if  any  talk  of  this  kind  began,  he 
used  to  say,  "  Can't  we  find  something  else  to  talk 
about  ?  "  One  who  has  read  through  a  large  part  of 
the  correspondence  of  his  life  is  able  to  bear  this 
unique  witness,  that  in  all  his  letters  not  one  word 
has  been  found  that  might  not  be  published  for  fear 
of  hurting  other  people's  feelings. 


SELWYN  COLLEGE,  CAMBRIDGE  237 

His  consideration  for  the  servants  of  his  house 
hold  was  unbounded,  as  was  their  devotion  to  him. 
He  insisted  that  each  one  should  have  an  armchair 
in  her  bedroom,  as  well  as  several  in  their  common 
sitting-room,  saying  that  they  were  the  people  who 
earned  it  best. 

He  was  naturally  impatient  in  disposition,  but 
through  his  long  sufferings  all  who  came  near  him 
were  struck  by  his  marvellous  endurance.  He  made 
so  light  of  his  illness  and  pain  that  both  the 
members  of  his  family  and  his  doctors  were  often 
deceived  by  it.  He  was  always  intensely  grateful 
for  anything  that  was  done  for  him,  and  never 
forgot  to  thank  his  nurses  for  the  least  service.  He 
never  murmured.  "  I  never  heard  him  mention  his 
privations,"  says  his  mother.  He  always  found 
something  to  be  thankful  for  or  to  make  a  joke 
about.  Even  at  that  terrible  moment  in  Norfolk 
Island,  when  the  doctors  were  taking  pieces  of 
diseased  bone  out  of  his  leg,  he  was  making  riddles 
and  epigrams  upon  them  !  Mrs.  John  Selwyn  adds 
the  following  testimony  : 

"  Not  even  to  me  did  he  ever  own,  except  three  or  four 
times  during  his  seven  years  of  lameness,  how  bitter  a  trial 
it  was  to  him,  and  then  it  was  only  to  say,  '  I  do  trust  I  am 
making  it  a  willing  offering.  I  try  to  make  it  so.1  Once  I 
remember  that  he  and  I  were  standing  in  our  garden  at  Cam 
bridge  when  Mr.  Still  and  some  other  old  College  friends,  who 
had  been  talking  with  us,  ran  down  the  slope  and  across  the 
lawn  to  go  to  some  boat-race.  He  was  standing  on  his 


238  BISHOP  JOHN  SELWYN 

crutches,  and  his  eyes  filled  with  tears  as  he  said,  'Ah  !  what 
wouldn't  I  give  to  be  able  to  do  that !  It  is  so  hard  to  be 
such  a  log,  and  walking  on  crutches  is  so  irksome.  But  I 
mustn't  grumble.  I  want  my  lameness  to  be  a  willing  offering 
to  God,  and  I  don't  think  I  really  grudge  it.  Let  us  talk  of 
something  else.'  He  often  used  to  say,  '  If  any  one  had  told 
me  in  old  days  that  I  should  be  a  cripple  and  an  invalid, 
I  should  have  said  it  was  the  one  thing  I  couldn't  bear ;  and 
yet,  by  God's  grace,  it  seems  quite  different  now.  But  it  is 
only  because  He  has  helped  me  so." 

The  society  of  his  little  children  was  a  great 
solace  to  him,  and  he  delighted  in  playing  games 
with  them,  showing  them  tricks  with  string,  &c.,  and 
in  many  little  ways  letting  them  have  their  full 
share  in  lightening  his  load.  It  was  characteristic 
of  him  that  he  got  amusement  even  out  of  his 
crutches,  and  was  especially  pleased  when  he  could 
use  them  for  any  out-of-the-way  purpose.  For 
instance,  he  was  seen  using  them  to  pull  a  footstool 
out  of  the  way  of  the  choir  in  church,  and  delighted 
to  lend  them  for  such  things  as  pushing  up  a  sash 
window,  or  indeed  for  any  purpose  apart  from  their 
proper  use. 

His  pain  and.  weakness  never  prevented  the 
exercise  of  his  humour,  and  many  things  were 
penned  by  him  in  most  happy  vein  while  Master  of 
Selwyn.  For  instance,  when  his  old  friend  Mr. 
Waters  wrote  to  ask  him  for  a  subscription  towards 
building  a  Mission  chapel  at  Hope,  he  replied  as 
follows  : 


SELWYN  COLLEGE,  CAMBRIDGE  239 

"SELWYN  COLL.  LODGE,  Dec.  18,  1894. 

"  MY  DEAR  WATERS, 

"  Do  hawks  pick  out  other  hawks'  een  ?  Am 
I  not  building  a  chapel  of  my  own  which  we  have 
waited  for  for  fourteen  years,  and  which  I  am  risk 
ing  Holloway  to  finish  ?  Am  I  not  doing  all  I  can 
for  Melanesia  ?  Where,  then,  does  Hope  come  in  ? 
I  live  on  hope.  I  tick  on  hope.  I  order  screens, 
benches,  altars,  electric  lights  on  hope.  And  now 
another  Hope  springs  up.  How  can  I  stand  another 
Hope  ?  It  is  not  hope,  it  is  madness,  it  is  despair  ! 
Nay,  it  is  a  flood  of  'waters  which  hurries  me  into  a 
gulf  of  bankruptcy.  Dun  me  not  now :  avaunt ! 
aroint  thee  !  You  ask  for  a  Mission  chapel,  forsooth. 
You  combine  them  in  one ;  /  have  a  Mission  and  a 
chapel.  What  are  thy  wants  to  mine  ?  You  have 
no  senior  tutor  who  haunts  your  room  by  day  and 
by  night,  and  tells  you  you  are  cold,  you  are  fear 
ful,  you  are  neglecting  your  duties.  You  have  no 
enthusiastic  Bishop  who  proposes  to  attack  the 
whole  of  Queensland,  to  buy  farms  for  £2000,  to 
work  them  at  a  dead  loss. 

"  Cruel  fate  !  to  be  thus  wounded  by  one  I  thought 
my  friend  !  Hope  for  £5,  but  not  yet  is  £5  for  Hope. 
If  hope  is  not  a  sorry  jade,  then  Hope  shall  have  £5, 
I  hope. 

"Yrs.  affi, 

"J.  R.  SELWYN,  Bp" 


240  BISHOP  JOHN  SELWYN 

He  was  exceedingly  fond  of  writing  epigrams  and 
short  scraps  of  verse.  Just  about  this  same  time 
his  friend  Mr.  Richard  Durnford  sent  him  some 
Latin  lines  written  by  the  Rev.  James  Lonsdale, 
when  (many  years  ago)  he  was  asked  by  Bishop 
Chapman,  then  a  Fellow  of  Eton,  to  preach  to  the 
school  in  the  chapel  on  some  Sunday  during  the 
Bishop's  residence.  The  lines  were  these  : 

"  Cur  imparem  me  cingis  honoribus, 
Me  triste  lignum,  me  vetulum  pigro 
Sermone,  fundentemque  tardo 
Ore  soporiferum  papaver  ?  " 

Bishop  John  Selwyn  sent  back  the  following  trans 
lation  : 

"  Why  do  you  crown  with  bays  I  cannot  wear 
Me,  a  '  sad  stick/  archaic,  dry,  and  drear  ? 
Who  even  when  my  lips  can  find  a  sound 
Pour  nought  but  dullest  soporifics  round  ! " 

At  the  beginning  of  the  October  Half  in  1894  the 
Eton  boys  were  prevented  from  going  back  to  school 
by  the  state  of  the  drains  in  College,  and  a  short 
time  afterwards  were  sent  home  again  because  of 
the  floods.  Hence  came  "  a  guardian's  growl  "  from 
the  Bishop's  pen. 

"  At  first  the  drains  took  time  away, 
And  now  the  floods  come  into  play  ! 
We  wish  that  Eton  would  take  pains 
To  drain  its  floods,  or  flood  its  drains  ! " 


SELWYN  COLLEGE,  CAMBRIDGE 

In  October  1896  his  leg  was  worse  again.  He 
had  had  a  great  treat  in  the  enjoyment  of  a  holiday 
spent  mainly  on  board  ship,  but  the  result  was  not 
good. 

To  MftS.  A  CoURT-fvEPINGTON. 

"SELWYN  COLL.,  Oct.  18,  1896. 

"  The  girls,  Stephie,  and  I  went  to  Norway  this 
summer  and  did  the  Fjords.  I  left  them  at  Trond- 
hjem  and  went  with  the  training  squadron  to  Shet 
land,  and  so  home.  It  was  very  jolly,  but  I  am  not 
sure  that  I  did  not  catch  a  chill  in  Shetland,  where 
the  weather  was  horrible — and  hence  my  leg." 

This  seems  the  only  account  of  any  special 
recurrence  of  pain  until  the  following  year,  when  his 
last  illness  began. 


CHAPTER  XVI 

THE  END 

DURING  the  whole  of  Michaelmas  Term  1897  Bishop 
John  Selwyn  was  exceedingly  ill.  To  add  to  his 
other  sufferings  gastric  trouble  set  in,  and  he  was 
unable  to  take  any  part  in  the  busy  College  life 
around  him.  He  went  up  to  London  to  preach  in 
St.  Paul's  Cathedral  on  October  3,  but  he  was  not 
really  fit  for  the  exertion.  October  20  was  Selwyn 
College  Commemoration  Day,  and  the  Bishop  of 
Lichfield  (Dr.  Legge)  preached  the  sermon.  He 
said  afterwards : 

"It  was  at  Cambridge  that  I  last  saw  him  [Bishop 
J.  Selwyn],  laid  low  by  that  attack  from  which  he  never 
wholly  recovered.  He  had  asked  me  to  preach  on  their  Com 
memoration  Day  in  the  beautiful  chapel  which  he  had  been 
instrumental  in  building,  a  request  which  I  could  not  dis 
regard,  a  privilege  which  I  could  not  fail  to  prize.  It  was  a 
great  disappointment  to  him  to  be  unable  to  attend  any  of  the 
services  or  that  occasion,  but  in  the  brief  interviews  I  had 
with  him,  amid  the  evident  signs  of  pain  and  discomfort  which 
clouded  a  little  the  usual  brightness  of  his  smile,  there  was 


THE  END  243 

the  same  eye  of  fire,  there  were  the  same  strong  features  telling 
of  a  high  and  noble  purpose  sustained  by  unwavering  faith  in 
God." 

From  this  time  until  the  middle  of  November  he 
gradually  became  worse,  and  the  gravest  fears  were 
entertained.  Then,  however,  his  old  rallying  powers 
seemed  to  come  to  the  rescue,  and  for  a  time  he  was 
a  little  better.  There  is  still  preserved  a  touching 
little  pencil  note  which  he  wrote  on  November  20 
to  his  aunt,  Mrs.  Thompson. 


"  MY  DEAREST  AUNTIE, 

"  I  am'trying  to  write  a  line  or  two  to  amuse 
myself  and,  I  hope,  to  gratify  my  friends.  God  has 
been  very  good  to  me,  and  I  am  a  little  better,  but 
the  gastric  trouble  has  been  awful,  and  I  am  still 
very  shaky.  I  have  lived  on  milk  for  three  weeks. 
People  here  are  so  kind. 

"  Your  loving, 

"J.  R.  S.,  Bp." 


Dr.  Bradbury,  Downing  Professor  of  Medicine, 
was  unremitting  in  his  care  of  the  Bishop,  and 
Professor  Clifford  Allbutt  was  also  called  in  in  con 
sultation.  Towards  the  end  of  the  year  great  hopes 
were  expressed  that  a  change  of  climate  to  some 
warm  dry  place  might  complete  his  recovery.  He 
himself  was  anxious  to  try  Sorrento,  but  the  journey 
was  pronounced  to  be  too  long,  and  finally  it  was 


244  BISHOP  JOHN  SELWYN 

arranged  that  he  should  be  taken  to  Pau.  He  waited 
until  after  the  first  Sunday  in  the  ensuing  term,  and 
on  January  23,  1898,  he  attended  Morning  Prayer 
in  the  College  chapel  for  the  first  time  since  the 
previous  summer,  and  for  the  last  time  in  his  life. 
He  read  the  absolution  and  gave  the  blessing — his 
last  blessing — to  the  members  of  the  College,  none 
of  whom  could  look  at  him,  and  notice  the  ravages 
wrought  by  his  long  illness,  without  a  keen  pang 
and  a  heaviness  of  heart  as  they  feared  lest  they 
might  see  his  face  no  more. 

On  January  25  he  left  Cambridge  accompanied  by 
Mrs.  J.  R.  Selwyn  and  his  eldest  daughter,  the 
little  party  arriving  at  Pau  on  February  2. 

Just  one  week  afterwards  he  had  an  exceedingly 
bad  night,  much  disturbed  by  the  gastric  trouble, 
and  a  nurse  was  then  obtained  to  undertake  the 
night  work.  On  the  following  day,  February  10, 
and  again  on  the  llth,  he  seemed  to  be  a  little 
stronger,  but  was  tired  out  from  want  of  sleep.  On 
this  latter  day  he  read  a  little,  but  very  little,  and 
towards  evening  became  slightly  breathless.  About 
one  o'clock  on  the  following  morning  (Saturday, 
February  12)  there  was  some  small  stir  in  the  house, 
and  the  voices  of  doctor  and  nurse  were  heard  in 
consultation.  Then  the  former  came  out  of  the 
Bishop's  room  and  told  Mrs.  Selwyn  that  the  end 
might  come  at  any  time,  but  that  it  was  hardly 
likely  to  be  that  night. 


THE  END  ,  245 

The  doctor  hurried  away  to  fetch  some  oxygen  to 
ease  the  breathing,  and  meantime  Mrs.  and  Miss 
Selwyn  remained  in  his  room,  finding  a  wonderful 
strength  and  help  in  being  with  him.  He  wondered 
why  they  should  stay  with  him  at  that  time  of  night, 
and  begged  them  to  go  to  bed,  but  they  told  him 
they  wanted  to  see  him  easier  before  they  left.  The 
oxygen  which  the  doctor  brought  relieved  him  con 
siderably,  and  the  watchers  were  able  to  go  and  get 
some  rest.  All  that  last  day  he  was  very  weary 
and  tired.  He  could  only  lie  on  his  left  side,  for 
lying  on  his  back  increased  the  breathlessness,  and 
his  other  side  was  painful  from  perpetual  resting 
upon  it. 

Just  before  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  Mrs.  and 
Miss  Selwyn,  who  were  with  him,  thought  him 
worse  and  called  the  nurse,  who  at  once  saw  that 
the  end  was  near.  Miss  Selwyn  read  the  Com 
mendatory  Prayer  and  some  other  prayers,  after 
which  the  Bishop  thanked  them  and  said,  "  Please 
be  quiet  now/'  Presently  he  said,  "I  think  lam 
dying,"  and  then  for  nearly  three  hours  his  mind 
seemed  wholly  given  to  prayer,  his  eyes  looking 
upwards  as  they  always  did  when  he  prayed  as  he 
lay  in  bed.  He  again  and  again  said,  "  The  grace 
of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and  the  love  of  God,  and 
the  fellowship  of  the  Holy  Ghost  be  with  us  all 
evermore  "  ;  and  even  when  his  speech  became  in 
distinct  those  who  watched  him  could  catch  the 


246  BISHOP  JOHN  SELWYN 

words  "love  of  God"  and  "with  us  all,  with  such 
emphasis  on  the  "  all"  Now  and  then  scraps  of 
Collects  and  Psalms  fell  from  his  lips,  and  then  he 
would  say,  "  Oh  !  I'm  so  tired  !  "  and  "  I'm  done, 
I'm  done."  Once  his  mind  went  back  to  old  days 
on  board  the  Southern  Cross,  andjhe^said,  "Call 
me  at  one  bell."  Up  to  the  very  end  he  looked  first 
at  one  of  those  whom  he  loved  so  ^dearly  and  then 
at  the  other  with  a  long  earnest  gaze  which  assured 
them  that  he  was  conscious  and  knew  them  to  the 
last. 

The  sun,  which  had  been  streaming  into  the  room 
all  the  afternoon,  had  set,  and  it  was  growing  dark, 
when  he  turned  a  little  more  upon  his  side,  the 
rough  breathing  ceased,  a  few  long  gentle  breaths 
came,  and  he  "  fell  asleep  "  as  softly  and  gently  as  a 
little  child.  '  God  had  called  him  just  at  "  one  bell," 
as  he  wished. 

He  was  robed  for  burial  in  full  episcopal  attire, 
with  a  little  much-prized  gold  chain  and  cross  round 
his  neck,  and  crosses  of  violets  on  his  breast  and 
feet.  Early  in  the  morning  of  February  14  he  was 
taken  to  St.  Andrew's  Church,  and  there  his  dear 
ones  found  him  lying  before  the  altar  when  they  went 
to  the  celebration  at  8.30.  The  funeral  was  that 
same  afternoon,  and  was  taken  by  Mr.  Torry — Mr. 
Acland-Troyte,  the  chaplain  at  Pau,  being  unwell. 
The  Bishop's  favourite  hymn,  "  Hark !  the  sound  of 
holy  voices,' *  was  sung  by  the  little  choir  to  the  tune 


THE  END  247 

which  was  used  at  Selwyn  College.  Many  English 
visitors  followed  the  coffin  all  the  way  to  the  ceme 
tery,  and  the  evident  sympathy  and  reverence  of  the 
crowds  of  wayfarers,  who  were  attending  a  market 
in  the  place,  helped  to  take  away  the  inevitable  sad 
ness  of  laying  a  much-loved  body  to  rest  in  a  strange 
land.  One  little  incident  was  especially  touching. 
As  the  procession  skirted  the  barrack  square  the 
soldiers,  who  were  drilling,  stood  at  attention  and 
saluted,  and  the  sentry  presented  arms  till  lie  had 
passed.  It  was  so  exactly  what  he,  with  his  love 
for  soldiers  and  sailors,  would  have  wished. 

As  may  easily  be  supposed,  the  news  of  Bishop 
John  Selwyn's  death  caused  a  very  widespread  sorrow. 
Letters  to  members  of  the  family  poured  in,  ex 
pressive  of  affection  and  admiration  for  him.  The 
steward  of  Selwyn  College  (Mr.  Dempster)  wrote  in 
the  names  of  himself  and  the  servants  at  the  College, 
saying  that  their  late  Master  had  been  dearly  loved 
by  all  of  them,  and  that  they  felt  they  had  lost  a 
friend  who  could  never  be  replaced.  The  following 
extracts  from  letters  will  give  some  idea  of  the  feeling 
that  was  aroused : 


"  To-day  Canon  Gore,  in  his  University  sermon,  spoke  of 
him  as  the  '  hero-spirit '  in  terms  which  must  have  touched 
the  hearts  of  all  that  great  congregation.  It  seems  to  me 
that  any  one  to  whom  he  ever  spoke  must  have  loved  him. 
Now  the  great  son  is  with  the  great  father — the  two  who 
both  fought  so  gallantly  against  the  kingdom  of  darkness  in 


248  BISHOP  JOHN  SELWYN 

the  remotest  corners  of  earth  and  sea !  .  .  .  The  last  time  I 
saw  him  I  sat  beside  him  in  Marlborough  College  Chapel. 
The  lesson  that  evening  was  %  Corinthians  iv.,  and  as  the 
10th  and  following  verses  *  sounded  in  my  ears  I  glanced 
at  the  crutches  that  lay  at  his  feet,  and  felt  that  every  word 
might  have  been  spoken  by  him." 

A  well-known  Cambridge  resident  also  bore  witness 
as  follows  : 

"It  is  a  great  thing  for  us  in  Cambridge  to  have  had 
among  us,  even  for  a  few  years  only,  that  noble  cheering 
presence,  which  told  one  that  it  was  possible  to  'rejoice  in 
the  Lord  always.1 " 

A  Cambridge  friend  wrote  : 

"Many  old  residents  might  envy  the  way  in  which  the 
Bishop  has  endeared  himself  here  in  these  few  years.  Cer 
tainly  he  is  one  whose  life  has  been  measured  by  love,  and  we 
would  not  be  of  the  world  which  reckons  by  years." 

A  domestic  servant,  who  had  been  at  Selwyn 
College  Lodge,  and  whose  great  sorrow  was  that  she 
could  not  serve  bim  to  the  very  end,  wrote  : 

"  I  feel  too  heart-broken  to  write  any  more.  The  whole 
College  with  us  are  mourning  a  beloved  Master's  loss." 

How  great  was  tbe  grief  which  was  felt  by  his 
islanders  in  Melanesia  can  be  imagined.  Probably 

*  "  Always  bearing  about  in  the  body  the  dying  of  the  Lord 
Jesus/'  £c. 


THE  END 

no  one  with  whom  they  had  ever  had  to  do  had 
obtained  such  a  hold  on  their  affections,  and  their 
simple  hearts  must  have  been  wrung  when  the  news 
of  his  death  was  passed  from  island  to  island. 

The  Rev.  Clement  Marau  sent  the  following  letter 
to  Mrs.  J.  R.  Selwyn,  and  from  it  can  be  gathered 
the  depth  of  feeling  stirred  in  those  distant  seas. 

Translation  of  the  REV.  CLEMENT  MARAU'S  Letter  to 
Mus.  SELWYN. 

"  MY  BELOVED  MOTHER, 

"What  shall  I  write?  Can  it  be  that  I  should 
pleasantly  give  you  news  ?  No  !  but  let  me  converse  with 
you  in  grief,  because  I  was  surprised  when  I  heard  by  a  letter 
in  which  the  Rev.  J.  Archdeacon  Palmer  told  me  that  '  our 
father  indeed,  Bishop  Selwyn,  was  dead."1  It  was  like  the 
darkness  of  night  to  me,  as  if  I  was  not  yet  willing  to  hear 
the  news  of  death,  of  him,  or  of  you,  or  of  Dr.  Codrington. 
Ah !  it  pains  me  to  hear  that  one  who  loved  us  so  much  has 
died  so  ;  our  minds  are  confused  because  our  father  is  dead. 
I  look  now  in  vain  for  love.  All  of  us  here,  his  children  at 
Ulawa,  are  thoroughly  grieved  for  him  in  sympathy  with  you. 
If  it  were  all  dry  land  for  you  and  us  we  could  meet  together 
to  weep  and  to  grieve  together.  I  have  not  yet  seen  in  any 
one  now  a  love  greater  than  that  with  which  you  and  your 
husband  have  loved  us  black  people.  Bishop  Selwyn  wholly 
gave  and  laid  down  his  life  for  us,  and  he  worked  very  hard 
for  our  benefit,  and  illness  came  upon  him  because  of  that,  and 
he  was  long  in  suffering,  and  died  because  of  that.  I  have 
always  seen  the  evidence  of  his  love  and  yours  in  this  ship  of 
ours.  I  know  how  much  money  you  two  gave  for  it  in  love 
for  us.  It  was  as  if  he  gave  his  life  for  us  ;  and  everything  of 
all  sorts  he  gave  for  us.  It  was  not  only  money  and  a  ship, 


250  BISHOP  JOHN  SELWYN 

not  only  all  sorts  of  things,  but  it  was  the  true  example  he  set 
for  us,  all  his  good  life  for  us.  And  therefore  I  suppose  it 
was  as  if  God  saw  his  love  more  than  man  sees,  and  took 
him  away  from  us ;  and  God  has  given  him  a  heavenly  life, 
greater  than  the  life  that  he  has  given  up  to  us  his  children  in 
Christ.  I  cannot  speak  to  you  with  words  of  comfort.  It  is 
for  you  to  comfort  us  the  children  of  both  of  you  in  the  Lord. 
When  we  are  in  grief  and  calamity,  or  in  any  doubt  it  is  for 
you  to  help  us  with  good  words  that  can  comfort  us.  Still 
we  wish  all  of  us  to  sympathise  with  you  in  grief  for  our  true 
father,  whom  the  Father  of  all  has  taken  from  us ;  and  we 
wish  that  you  should  see  the  proof  that  we  still  think  of  your 
husband  and  you,  and  of  that  love  that  came  forth  from  him 
to  us,  because  he  thoroughly  loved  every  one  ;  and  I  think  also 
that  it  came  forth  above  all  to  me.  The  gift  of  you  two  still 
remains  whole  with  me,  and  the  words  that  came  with  them  I 
shall  always  take  great  care  of.  And  the  last  gift  I  suppose  was 
sent  near  his  death  :  he  heard  with  compassion  that  I  was  build 
ing  this  church  here  at  Ulawa,  and  he  sent  me  several  pounds, 
more  than  any  one  could  easily  give.  I  shall  never  be  able  to 
forget  Bishop  Selwyn  and  Bishop  Patteson,  who  both  indeed 
gave  their  lives  for  me,  until  my  day  comes  when  they  lay  me  in 
the  grave.  I  know  by  eye-witness  that  they  two  were  true 
men  of  God,  who  will  change  their  lives  for  a  life  of  glory. 
We  shall  be  sorry  that  his  body  is  removed  from  us,  and  that 
our  eyes  cannot  reach  to  see  him,  the  hand  cannot  reach  to 
touch  him  ;  but  his  life  has  reached  and  taken  hold  of  the  life 
of  Christ.  I  shall  add  my  grief  to  yours,  my  mother,  for  my 
father  ;  and  I  shall  also  praise  God  for  the  high  place  that  he 
has  received  in  the  place  of  eternal  life.  I  wish  to  know  on 
what  day  of  the  month  he  died,  that  always  on  his  day  I  and  my 
people  may  pray  and  thank  God  for  him.  If  you  please  write 
and  tell  me  ;  and,  if  it  can  be,  I  wish  for  a  little  prayer  appro 
priate  for  him  which  you  will  write  and  give  me,  to  help  the 
little  prayer  which  I  have  thought  of  myself.  I  have  called 


THE  END  251 

one  boy  by  the  name  of  Selwyn  for  a  remembrance  of  him. 
Good-bye,  my  mother, 

"  I  am, 

"CLEMENT  MARAU." 

On  May  14  a  meeting  was  held  in  the  Combination- 
room  at  Trinity  College,  Cambridge,  to  promote  a 
memorial  to  the  late  Bishop.  The  Vice-Chancellor 
presided  over  an  influential  gathering,  which  decided 
that  the  memorial  should  be  twofold — viz.,  in  Cam 
bridge  and  in  Melanesia.  The  really  remarkable 
outcome  of  the  meeting  was  the  fact  that  the  com 
mittee  which  was  appointed  to  carry  out  the  various 
schemes  was  of  an  unusually  influential  character, 
consisting  as  it  did  of  the  Bishops  of  London, 
Lichfield,  Ely,  Melanesia,  with  Bishop  Abraham, 
Lord  Ashcombe,  Lord  Windsor,  Sir  John  Gorst, 
M.P.,  most  of  the  Heads  of  Houses,  and  numerous 
other  well-known  persons. 

The  fact  is  that  his  heroism  attracted  all  who  ever 
heard  his  name,  and  his  lovableness  all  who  ever 
saw  his  face. 

No  more  admirable  epitome  of  the  man  can  be 
found  than  Provost  Hornby's  inscription  on  the 
memorial  brass  placed  to  his  memory  in  Eton  College 
Chapel. 

JOHANNES  RICHARDSON  SELWYN 


GEORGII    AUGUSTI 
NOV^E    ZELANDLE    EPISCOPI    PRIMI 

FILIUS    NATU    MINOR 
OLIM    EPISCOPUS    MELANESIENSIS 


252  BISHOP  JOHN  SELWYN 

DEINDE    COLL  C    APUD    CANTABRIGIENSIS 
IN    PATRIS    MEMORIAM    CONDITO 

PR^EFECTUS 
VIR    INGENUO    VULTU    FORMA    VIRILI 

SPECTANDUS 

ANIMI    CANDORE    SANCTITATE    VIT/E 

A    PUERITIA    ^QUALIBUS    NOTUS 

RERUM    NAVITER    AGENDARUM 

AUCTOR    STRENUUS    IMPAVIDUS 

PATREM    UT    CORPORE    ITA    ANIMO    REFEREBAT 

LABORUM    APPETENS    NELIGENS    SUI 

CHRISTI    FIDELIS    MILES    ET    SERVUS 

AD    VIT.E    SU.E    FINEM 

OBIIT    PRIDIE    IDUS    FEBRUARIAS 

MDCCCXCVIII    ANNO    ^ET.    LIII 

The  following  is  Bishop  Abraham's  translation 

JOHN  RICHARDSON  SELWYN 

younger  son  of 

George  Augustus 

First  Bishop  of  New  Zealand 

was  for  some  time  Bishop  of  Melanesia 

and  then  Master  of  the  College  at  Cambridge 

founded  in  memory  of  his  Father 

He  was  a  man  remarkable  for  his 

frank  countenance  and  manly  figure 

well  known  from  boyhood  among  his  compeers 

for  singleness  of  mind  and  purity  of  life 

being  a  strenuous  fearless  Leader 

in  all  vigorous  action 
he  reminded  men  of  his  Father 

both  in  body  and  mind 

thirsting  for  hard  work  and  forgetful  of  self 
a  faithful  Soldier  and  Servant  of  Christ 

unto  his  Life's  end 

He  died  on  the   12th  of  February   1898 
at  the  age  of  53  years 


CHAPTER   XVII 

A  FEW  LETTERS  ON  SPIRITUAL  MATTERS 

IT  is  just  possible  that,  in  the  interest  aroused  by 
the  life  of  a  stirring  man  who  loved  movement  and 
adventure,  his  spirituality  may  be  to  some  extent 
passed  over.  Yet  Bishop  John  Selwyn  could  never 
have  achieved  what  he  did  had  he  not  had  a  deep 
wellspring  of  spiritual  life  within  him.  Given  to 
prayer  from  his  childhood's  days,  he  lived  as  in  the 
sight  of  God.  He  was  not  much  addicted  to  talk 
on  religious  matters,  but  his  letters  contain  more 
allusions  to  this  side  of  his  life  than  might  have 

o 

been  expected.  Some  few  are  given  here  that  those 
who  may  be  trying  to  follow  his  example  in  some 
little  way  may  better  learn  what  manner  of  man  he 
was  : 

To  one  grieving  over  a  Sons  fatal  Illness. 

"Your  letter  arrived  just  when  I  was  at  my 
worst,  and  all  I  could  do  was  to  tell  you  of  my 
loving  sympathy  and  prayers.  And  what  more  can 


254  BISHOP: JOHN  SELWYN 

we  do  than  commend  you  to  Him  who  knows  why 
He  sends  you  this  bitter  trial,  and  why  He  calls  to 
Himself  the   young   life   which    He   sent  into   the 
world    through    you  ?     This    mystery    of  pain    and 
sorrow  is  with  us  always,  and  it  would  be  unbearable 
(as  I  have  seen  it  unbearable  amongst  those  who 
have  no  hope)  had  not  our  God's  Only  Son  taken 
the  pain  and  sorrow  on  Himself,  and  thereby  taught 
us  that  it  is  no  blind  fate,    but  something   which 
hangs  on  the  very  deepest  love    of  God  Himself. 
And   so   we   turn   to  the  Man  of  Sorrows  in  our 
sorrow,    and   find   grace    to  help  in  time  of  need. 
And  you  will  find  that  grace  in  helping  to  bear  up 
your  boy's  soul  and  bring  him  nearer  to  God,  so 
that  the  dread  may  pass  away,  and  he  may  find 
peace  and  rest  in  the  arms  in  which  you  lay  him. 
Do  you  know  I  think  this  will  be   the  most  sus 
taining  thought  you  can  have,  that  you  must  get 
close  to  God  yourself  and  learn  to  trust  Him,  so  that 
your   boy   may   feel    himself    borne    by    the    very 
strength    of  your  mother-love  and  trust  into   the 
stronger  love  of  the  Father  to  whom  she  leads  him. 
This  is  what  I  have  been   praying  for  you,  very 
dimly  and  imperfectly,  but  with  a  strong  certitude 
of  the  strength  which  I  am  asking  for  you.     It  is 
that  you  may  be  the  channel  through  which,  just  as 
life  came  to  him  by  you,  so  now  the  highest  life  may 
flow.    This  thought  will  keep  your  eyes  ever  upward, 
and  looking  up  means  being  strong." 


LETTERS  ON  SPIRITUAL  MATTERS         255 

As  to  joining  the  Church  of  Rome. 

"  I  feel  all  you  say  about  the  beautiful  unity  of 
the  Roman  Catholic  Church,  but  I  think  you  will 
find  that  that  unity  is  more  apparent  than  real.  I 
cannot  conceive  that  our  Lord  gave  St.  Peter  such  a 
definite  headship  as  the  Pope  claims  on  the  most 
slender  authority.  If  He  did,  then  St.  Paul  utterly 
resisted  it,  and  he  was  right,  when  St.  Peter  was  to 
be  blamed  and  was  wrong.  And  I  cannot  believe 
that  our  Lord  delegates  His  power  of  infallibility  to 
any  mortal  man.  I  would  rather  go  on  with  our 
unhappy  divisions  than  bow  to  that  which  I  cannot 
believe.  The  declaration  of  infallibility  cuts  off  the 
Church  of  Rome  from  the  Catholic  Church,  which 
is  a  far  greater  thing.  There  is  no  such  thing  as  an 
universal  Bishop,  and  one  of  the  greatest  of  the 
Popes,  the  man  who  sent  Augustine,  expressly  dis 
claimed  it.  But  there  is  a  far  greater  division  than 
this.  The  God — not  the  doctrinal,  perhaps,  though 
I  think  I  could  quote  you  one  or  two  things  on  this 
head  which  would  stagger  you — but  the  practical 
God  of  the  Roman  popular  Church  is  the  Virgin 
Mary.  It  is  a  lovely  idea  that  the  heart  of  woman 
should  be  tenderer  than  the  heart  of  man,  and  the 
popular  mind  has  seized  on  it,  and  goes  to  the  Virgin 
to  influence  her  Son.  But  it  is  utterly  derogatory 
to  the  Incarnation.  Christ  took  on  Him  'humanity,' 
not  the  nature  of  man  or  of  woman,  but  our  common 


256  BISHOP  JOHN  SELWYN 

nature.  If  then  you  allow  the  woman  to  come 
between,  you  derogate  from  the  perfect  humanity  of 
our  great  High  Priest.  I  know  the  Church  will 
quote  you  volumes  to  the  contrary,  but  go  into  any 
country  you  like  and  see  whose  altar  is  attended 
and  to  whom  prayers  are  addressed,  and  you  will 
see  that  the  Virgin  ousts  Christ." 

On  the  Love  of  God. 

"  I  know  so  well  how  at  times  the  blackness  seems 
to  settle  down  like  a  London  fog  all  of  a  sudden, 
and  nothing  seems  to  lift  it,  until  you  look  up  into 
the  face  of  God.  God  is  Love,  and  I  for  one  can 
never  conceive  that  God  shuts  out  any  human  being 
from  that  love  either  here  or  in  the  world  to  come. 
But  I  think  that  a  man  can,  and  often  does,  as  we 
know,  so  harden  himself  in  sin  here  that  lie  shuts 
away  the  love  of  God  from  himself.  Now,  God 
never  compels,  so  that  it  is  possible  that  this  pro 
cess  may  go  on  hereafter.  I  cannot  conceive  God 
not  trying  to  reach  the  soul,  but  I  can  conceive  the 
soul  getting  so  hardened  and  devilish  that  it  may  go 
on  resisting  for  ever." 

On  Freewill — after  discussing  the  first  chapter  of 
"Pastor  Pastorum" 

"  Suppose  a  husband  and  wife  start  together  with 
wills  which,  though  they  love  one  another  very 


LETTERS  ON  SPIRITUAL  MATTERS         257 

much,  are  yet  constantly  liable  to  clash,  and  do 
clash  very  often.  But  suppose  that  as  time  goes  on 
those  wills  fall  into  a  mutual  harmony  and  become 
practically  one.  Is  the  love  and  service  which  the 
wife  renders  to  him  less  pleasing  to  the  husband 
because  now  it  is  almost  involuntary  (I  use  the  word 
advisedly),  that  is,  it  is  unconscious  ?  The  '  service' 
has  become  '  perfect  freedom,'  and,  though  it  is  the 
result  of  effort  in  the  past,  it  is  now  accomplished 
without  effort.  So  with  God.  Now  we  have  to 
strive  to  serve  Him :  then,  knowing  as  we  are  known, 
we  shall  find  it  the  most  absolute  joy  to  do  His 
will.  Surely  that  will  not  be  a  lower  service,  or  one 
less  pleasing. 

"I  don't  know  how  we  shall  be  guarded  from 
temptation  there.  What  I  think  is  that  the 
Beatific  Vision,  the  knowing  God  as  He  is,  will 
make  us  like  Him,  so  that  we  cannot  fall.  ...  I 
always  think  that  there  is  a  hint  of  what  the 
effect  of  God's  presence  must  be  on  those  who  stand 
before  it  in  the  indignant  answer  of  Gabriel  to 
Zechariah  who  doubted  his  word  :  '  I  am  Gabriel 
that  stand  in  the  presence  of  God,'  as  if  he  deemed 
it  impossible  that  any  being  who  did  this  could 
swerve  one  hair's  breadth." 

On  the  Holy  Communion. 

"  Yes,  I  know  how  time  and  space  vanish  at  the 
altar,  and  that  is  why  I  dread  the  growth  of  non- 

R 


258  BISHOP  JOHN  SELWYN 

communicating  attendance,  as  it  tends  to  separate 
the  Communion  from  the  Sacrifice,  and  I  think  Christ 
has  inseparably  joined  them  together." 

On  Work  for  Others. 

"  Did  I  tell  you  that  I  have  been  writing  to  Miss 
K.  about  her  f  Girls'  Correspondence  Guild '  ?  She 
has  got  300  ladies  to  join,  and  they  each  have  a 
factory  girl  to  whom  they  write.  I  am  President, 
and  have  to  write  an  annual  letter.  ...  I  do  think 
it  might  be  a  helpful  thing.  The  feeling  that  there 
is  a  soul  depending  on  you  as  a  friend,  even  if  it  is 
only  by  letter,  is  very  helpful. 

"  The  idea  of  '  hope  '  is  a  very  good  one.  I  think 
people  don't  say  so  much  about  it  as  they  do  about 
other  things  because,  first  of  all,  everybody  is  more 
or  less  inclined  to  hope,  and  secondly,  because  Christ 
has  given  us  so  much  hope  that  people  are  inclined 
to  take  it  unduly.  But  this  is  generally  about 
themselves,  and  it  is  in  the  case  of  other  people  that 
hope  fails.  So  take  the  lesson  and  hope  ivhen  you 
work  for  others." 

On  Enjoyment. 

"  I  think  that  spontaneous  delight  at  anything 
that  is  lovely  is  a  proof  in  itself  that  God  means  us 
to  rejoice  in  His  gifts.  All  nature  does,  as  we  see 


LETTERS  ON  SPIRITUAL  MATTERS         259 

in  the  glory  of  the  spring,  and  children  do  also. 
Baby,  if  you  ask  her  where  the  c  pretty '  is,  looks 
straight  up  at  the  swinging  lamp,  and  jumps  from 
sheer  pleasure.  And  so  I  think  the  spirit  we  ought 
to  cultivate  is  that  happy  and  hopeful  one  which 
rejoices  in  God's  gifts.  Not  one  that  is  not  content 
to  put  away  a  good  deal  of  the  enjoyment  of  them 
if  need  be,  but  one  that  joys  over  them  when  they 
are  there,  and  treasures  them  up  for  remembrance  at 
other  times." 

On  Death. 

"  It  is  a  great  thing  to  have  seen  such  patience  in 
suffering,  and  it  is  a  great  thing  also  to  have  been 
taught  that  death  is  not  a  dreadful  thing.  If  we 
think  that  it  is  only  going  to  another  room  in  our 
Father's  house,  it  is  a  lovely  thought,  for  if  we  love 
God  we  shall  like  to  be  nearer  Him." 

On  receiving  God's  Blessing.    A  Birthday  Letter. 

"  God  will  give  you  His  blessing  and  all  that  you 
need  for  the  coming  year,  if  only  you  open  your 
heart  to  receive  it.  God's  blessing  is  like  the  Nile 
here  [written  from  Cairo],  only  more  constant  even 
than  that.  For  that  sometimes  fails,  but  He  never 
does,  and,  as  it  is  always  ready  to  bless,  it  is  the 
fault  of  the  husbandman  if  he  does  not  take  advan 
tage  of  the  blessing.  For,  if  his  banks  are  out  of 
order  and  his  irrigation  channels  blocked  up,  then 


260  BISHOP  JOHN  SELWYN 

the  bounteous  stream  does  him  no  good.  So  with 
us,  if  our  channels  are  blocked  up  by  sloth  and  want 
of  care,  the  blessing  of  God  finds  no  way.  What 
we  want  is  to  strive,  as  far  as  we  can,  to  be  ready 
and  to  keep  the  channels  of  our  heart  clear  and 
pure,  and  then  God's  blessing  will  flow  down,  and 
all  the  fruits  of  the  Spirit  will  blossom  out  into  their 
fullest  growth." 

To  a  Girl  on  coming  out. 

"This  is  a  little  line  to  greet  the  day  in  which  you 
are  to  blush  into  womanhood.  And  indeed  it  is  a 
very  important  day  in  your  life,  as  it  means  that 
from  this  day  forward  you  will  have  to  stand  more 
and  more  on  your  own  feet,  and  that  you  will  be 
more  exposed  to  all  that  there  is  around  you  which 
may  hurt  you.  Don't  be  afraid.  We  can't  be  kept 
in  bandboxes  and  wrapped  in  cotton  wool  all  our 
lives,  and  God  does  not  mean  us  to  be.  When  our 
Lord  prayed  for  His  disciples  He  said,  '  I  pray  not 
that  Thou  wouldest  take  them  out  of  the  world, 
but  that  Thou  wouldest  deliver  them  from  the  evil.' 
We  have  got  to  go  into  and  to  remain  in  the  world, 
that  we  may  do  the  duty  which  God  has  sent  us  to 
do.  And  so,  when  you  get  into  it,  as  you  will  do  to 
morrow,  make  up  your  mind  that  God  shall  be  with 
you  there.  Then,  strengthened  by  Him,  and  put 
ting  Him  first,  you  will  use  the  world  as  not  abusing 
it.  For  here  is  the  danger,  lest,  little  by  little, 


LETTERS  ON  SPIRITUAL  MATTERS         261 

society,  amusements,  all  the  cares  and  occupations 
which  surround  you  may  make  you  forget  Him. 
But  if  you  remember  Him,  and  make  Him  the  key 
note  of  your  life,  then  you  may  use  innocent  amuse 
ments  and  pleasures  as  one  of  His  gifts,  and  one  of 
the  ways  in  which  you  may  glorify  Him.  And 
especially  may  this  be  the  case  in  all  your  dealing 
with  men  of  about  your  own  age.  I  know  what  I 
am  talking  of  when  I  tell  you  how  much  influence  a 
pure  bright  girl's  life  may  wield  on  them.  You  can 
raise  them  :  never  let  them  lower  you. 

"  And  so  too  with  doubts  and  difficulties,  which 
you  will  hear  of  now  when  you  go  out  into  the 
midst  of  them.  Remember  that,  though  you  perhaps 
can't  answer  all  of  them,  yet  they  are  not  for  that 
reason  unanswerable.  Your  own  life,  bright  with 
the  light  of  Him  whose  light  is  the  life  of  men, 
will  often  be  the  best  answer  to  others,  and  feeling 
His  love  will  be  the  best  answer  to  yourself.  God 
bless  you." 

On  Theatres,  Dancing,  &c. 

"As  for  theatres  and  dancing,  I  think has 

been  taught  that  they  are  wrong,  but  I  do  not  think 
so.  They  can  be,  and  often  are,  very  wrong,  but  so 
can  everything  else  in  this  world.  You  can  abuse 
anything.  But  I  do  not  think  that  if  used  with  care 
and  moderation  they  are  bad.  I  have  thought  a 
great  deal  about  it,  and  that  is  my  deliberate 


262  BISHOP  JOHN  SELWYN 

opinion.  Old  Bishop  Hackett  used  to  say,  '  Praise 
God  and  be  cheerful,'  and  I  think  that  is  a  very 
good  piece  of  advice." 

To  a  Sick  Person. 

"  I  wish  I  could  help  you  to  bear  the  trial  God  has 
sent  you,  and  perhaps  I  can  a  little  bit,  as  He  has 
sent  me  one  also,  and  out  of  it  all  I  can  tell  you  this, 
that,  if  you  will  trust  Him  and  ask  Him,  our  Father 
will  give  you  the  strength  and,  more  than  that,  the 
grace  to  bear  it  patiently.  He  has  given  you  this 
grace,  for  you  have  been  good  and  patient  and 
loving,  and  I  have  seen  how  the  trial  has  deepened 
and  strengthened  you ;  and  so  you  must  believe 
that,  though  it  seems  so  hard,  there  is  love  behind 
it,  and  He  will  make  it  accomplish  what  He  wills. 
So  look  upward  and  outward,  and  you  will  see  His 
love  shining  through  the  clouds,  and  He  will  tell 
you  that  you  are  doing  something  for  Him  even 
when  you  seem  to  be  doing  nothing." 


INDEX 


INDEX 


ABRAHAM,  Bishop,  5. 
Alrewas,  19,  21,  161. 
a  Court-Repington,  Mrs.,  23. 
Allbutt,  Professor  Clifford,  243. 
America,  trip  to,  33. 


B 

"  BALLARAT,"  ss.,  203. 

Balston,  Dr.,  11. 

Baptism  of  second  child,  65. 

Bice,  Rev.  C.,  50. 

Bill,  Charles,  Esq.,  M.P.,  11,  32, 

86,  87. 
Birth,  1. 
Bishopric  of  Melanesia  : 

suggestions  of,  58. 

recommended  for,  62. 

confirmation  of  appointment 

to,  109. 

Board  of  Missions,  226. 
Bongard,  Capt.,  85. 
Bower,  surrender  of  murderers  of 

Lieut.,  188. 
Bradbury,  Dr.,  243. 
Brass  in  Eton  College  Chapel,  251. 
Bruce,  Capt.,  190,  193. 
Burial,  the  Bishop's,  246. 


CABMAN,    the    Bishop    and    the, 

216. 
Cambridge,  the  Bishop's  effect  on, 

214. 
Cambridge  House,  229. 

visit  to,  234. 
Children,  love  of,  141. 
Churchman,  the  Bishop's  position 

as  a,  65. 

Classical  tripos,  15. 
Codrington,  Dr.,  19,  42,  62,  187. 
College  servants,  225. 
Comparison  between  the  Bishop 

and  his  father,  49. 
Consecration,  the  Bishop's,  112. 
letters,  about,  95,  96, 101, 103, 

104. 
postponement  of,  92. 


D 

DEATH,  the  Bishop's,  245. 

letters  about,  248. 
Denman,   the    late    Right    Hon. 

George,  213. 
Doctoring  a  chief,  164. 
Dresden,  14. 
Dudley,  Archdeacon,  58. 


266 


INDEX 


Dudley,   Archdeacon,  sermon  of, 

114. 
Duribar  Castle,  the  ss.,  44. 

E 

EASTER  Day  at  Sea,  126. 

Ely,  6. 

England,  his  first  arrival  in,  6. 

Epigrams,  240. 

Eton,  6,  9,  &c. 

Eton,  Provost  of,  8,  251. 

Eton  Mission,  228. 

Evans'  House,  10. 


FATHER'S  Death,  verses  on   his, 

136. 

Fireworks,  218. 
Florida,  a  day  in,  155. 
Flowers,  natives'  love  of,  127. 
Foreign  Service  Order,  the,  235. 
Fremantle,  Stephen,  11,  72. 

G 

GIRLS'  Letter  League,  the,   235, 

258. 
Gore,  Canon  Charles,  223. 

H 

HOLY  Orders,  his  decision  to  take, 

17. 
How,  Bishop  Walsham,  172. 


ILLNESS,  the  Bishop's  last,  242. 
Infant  daughter,  death  of  his,  128. 
Influences  on  his  missionary  life, 
82. 


Influence,  his  mother's,  3. 
Innes,  Miss  Clara,  22. 
Islands,  first  voyage  to  the,  29. 
last  voyage  to  the,  199. 

K 

KAYE,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Alan  Lister, 

188. 
Kinglake,  Mr.  R.  A.,  9. 


LAMBETH  Chapel,  dedicatory  ser 
vice  in,  43. 
Langhurst,  205. 
Lectures,  the  Bishop's,  220. 
Letters :  a  birthday,  259. 

on  death,  124,  259. 

on  enjoyment,  258. 

a  farewell,  191. 

on  freewill,  256. 

to  a  girl  on  coming  out,  260. 

on  the  Holy  Communion,  257. 

from  home,  80. 

a  humorous,  239. 

on  illness,  253,  262. 

on    joining    the    Church    of 
Rome,  255. 

on  the  love  of  God,  256. 

from    Melanesia,    151,    &c. ; 
162,  &c.       . 

on  Napoleon,  87. 

on  spiritual  matters,  253. 

on  theatres  and  dancing,  261 . 

on  work  for  others,  258. 
Letter  writing,  99. 
Lichfield,  Bishop  G.  A.  Selwyn's 
acceptance  of,  19. 

Bishop  of  (Dr.  Legge),  225, 
242. 

Cathedral,  13,  99,  116. 


INDEX 


267 


Linguistic  difficulties,  45,  78. 
Lyttelton,  Right  Rev.  the  Hon. 
Arthur,  217. 


M 


MARAU,  Rev.  Clement,  249. 

Marriage,    the    Bishop's    second, 
162. 

Martin,  Sir  William,  5,  49. 

Measles,  epidemic  of,  75. 

Melanesia,  the  Bishop's  first  de 
parture  for,  43. 

the  Bishop's  first  return  to, 
192. 

Melbourne,  suggestion  of  Bishop 
ric  of,  195. 

Memorial  to  the  Bishop,  251. 

Metcalfe,  Dr.,  202. 

Missionary  adventures,  177. 

Mota,  the  language,  44. 

Mothers'  meeting,  visit  to,  234. 

Murray,  Rev.  J.  0.  F.,  229. 


NATIVE  boys,  2,  77. 

girls,  74,  98, 123,  143. 
Newcastle,  Bishop  Jacob  of,  226. 
Newnham  College,  220 
New  Zealand,  visit  to,  16. 
Norfolk  Island:   first  arrival  at, 
50. 

a  day's  work  at,  56. 

first  impressions  of,  52. 

first  episcopal  work  in,  118. 

school  at,  letters  about,  169, 

&c. 

Norway,  241. 
Nurse,  the  Bishop's,  4. 


0 

ORDINATION,  his,  20. 
Oxford  House,  229. 


PAGET,  Sir  James,  204. 
Palmer,  Archdeacon  John,  50 
Pastoral  staff,  159. 
Patteson,  Bishop : 

first  influence  of,  18. 

death  of,  36. 

example  of,  83. 

setting  up  cross  to  memory 
of,  159. 

memories  of,  166. 
Pau,  244. 

Penny,  Rev.  A.,  180. 
Peterborough,  Bishop  Creighton 

of,  208. 
Pick,  Dr.  Pickering,  203. 

Q 

QUEENSTOWN,  109. 

R 

"  RAPID,"  H.M.S.,  203. 
Richardson,  Sir  John,  13. 
Richmond,  Mr.,  14. 
Robin,  Rev.  L.  P.,  200. 
Rochester,  Bishop  Talbot  of,  213. 
Rome,  visit  to,  197. 

S 

SAILORS,   the    Bishop's    fondness 

for,  35, 147. 

Santa  Cruz,  Archipelago,  footing 
obtained  in,  177. 

Island,  footing  obtained  in, 
184. 


268 


INDEX 


Scott,  Admiral  Lord  Charles,  202. 
Selwyn,  Bishop  G.  A.,  1. 
death  of,  132. 
Sir  Charles,  13. 
Selwyn,  Bishop  John : 

his  appearance  as  a  boy,  8. 
his  appearance  as  a    young 

man,  20. 
early  traits,  4. 
visits  to  England  (1878, 1885), 

139,  161. 

causes  of  his  missionary  suc 
cess,  174. 

severe  rheumatism,  46. 
he  becomes  a  cripple,  199. 
Selwyn,   Mrs.   J.  R.,  her  return, 

107. 

her  death,  121. 
Selwyn,  Rev.  William,  6. 
Selwyn  College,  Cambridge,  138. 
offer  of  mastership,  207. 
letters  about,  210. 
home  life  at,  236. 
College  Boat  Club,  224. 
College  Chapel,  222. 
College  Chapel,  first   service 

in,  223. 

Shottermill,  204. 

Stanton,  Rev.  Professor,  215,  225. 
Stephen,  birth  of  Bishop's  son,  73. 
Still,  Rev.  John,  12,  31,  127, 177, 

182. 

Stroke  of  the   Cambridge  eight, 
the  Bishop  as,  12. 


TASMANIA,  suggestion  of  Bishop 
ric,  195. 

Thompson,  Mrs.,  7. 
Trinity  College,  Cambridge,  12. 


U 

UNDERGRADUATES,    the    Bishop's 
relations  with,  218. 


VESSEL  of  his  own,  the  Bishop's 

wish  for,  89. 
Victoria    Hospital    for  Children, 

145. 
Volunteering  for  missionary  work, 

the  Bishop,  37. 

W 

WAIKATO,  expedition  to  the,  17. 

Waimate,  the,  1. 

Walsh,  Rev.  W.  H.,  20. 

Waters,  Rev.  F.  E.,  27. 

Ward  Beecher,  34. 

Welshman,  Dr.,  202. 

Wilson,  Right  Kev.  Cecil,  221. 

Wolverhampton,  St.  George's,  26, 

&c. 

Women's  degrees,  219. 
Women,  influence  of,  23. 


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Crown  8vo,  gilt  top,  6s. 

"A  strong,  stirring,  and  picturesque  story,  which  it  is  impossible  to 
read  witkout  interest  and  admiration.'"1 — SPECTATOR. 


Sketches  and   Studies  in   South  Africa* 

By  the  Rev.  Canon  W.  J.  KNOX  LITTLE,  M.A.  Dedicated 
by  Special  Permission  to  the  Right  Hon.  CECIL  J.  RHODES, 
D.C.L. 

Second  Edition,    Medium  8vo,  los,  6d. 

"  This  picturesque  account,  combined  as  it  is  with  a  useful  summary 
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The    Invisible    Playmate;    and    W.    V., 
Her  Book* 

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Crown  8vo,  gilt  top,  3s.  6d. 

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Tennyson* 

His  Art  and  Relation  to  Modern  Life.  By  STOPFORD  A. 
BROOKE,  M.  A.,  Author  of  "  Early  English  Literature,"  &c. 

Sixth  Thousand,    Demy  8vo,  75,  6d. 
French  morocco,  red'gilt  edges,  IDS.  6d,  net. 

"  It  is  not  going  too  far  to  say  that  this  book  comes  within  measurable 
distance  of  being  the  perfect  study  of  Tennyson's  work." 

ACADEMY. 

In  Garden,  Orchard,  and  Spinney* 

By  PHIL  ROBINSON,  Author  of  "In  My  Indian  Garden," 
"  Birds  of  the  Wave  and  Woodland,"  &c. 
Crown  8vo,  gilt  top,  6s. 

41  A  prose  poem  of  the  seasons,  instinct  with  grace  and  feeling." 

SATURDAY  REVIEW. 

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ISBISTER  &  Co.  LTD.,  15  &>  16  Tavistock  Street, 

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fir 


BV  3676  S4H6  1899  TRIM 
How,  Frederick  Douglas, 
Bishop  John  Selwyn   136265 


BV  3676  S4H6  1899  TRIN 
How,  Frederick  Douglas, 
Bishop  John  Selwyn   136265 


I 


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