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^                              PRINCETON,    N.  J. 

Purchased  by  the  Hammill   Missionary  Fund. 

BV    3625    .N82   M33    1864 
Goodwin,    Harvey,    1818-1891 
Memoir   of   Bishop  Mackenzie* 

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MEMOIR 


OP 


BISHOP    MACKENZIE, 


HAEVEY  '^GOODWIN,    D.D. 


DEAN    OF    ELY. 


"  I  heard  the  voice  of  the  Lord,  saying,  Whom  shall  I  send,  avd  ivho 
will  go  for  us?    Then  said  I,  Here  am  I;  send  me!" — Isaiah  vi.  8. 


CAMBEIDGE: 

DEIGHTON,    BELL,    AND    CO. 

LONDON:  BELL  AND  DALDY. 

1864. 


The  profits  of  the  sale  of  this    V/orh  are  given   to   ike  Funds  of 
the  Universities'  Mission  to  Central  Africa. 


TO  THE  EIGHT  EEYEEEND 

SAMUEL,  LOED  BISHOP  OF  OXFOKD, 

LOED  HIGH  ALMONEE  TO  HEE  MAJESTY, 

ASD 

CHANCELLOE  OF  THE  MOST  NOBLE  OEDEE  OF  THE 
GAETEE. 

My  Lord, 

"When  the  request  was  made  to  me  by 
the  family  of  the  late  Bishop  Mackenzie,  that  I 
would  imdertake  to  write  a  Memoir  of  his  Life, 
the  request  was  accompanied  by  the  expres- 
sion of  two  wishes. 

The  first  was,  that  the  profits  of  the  sale  of 
the  book  should  be  devoted  to  the  furtherance 
of  that  cause,  in  the  attempt  to  advance  which 
the  Bishop  died.  Concerning  this  1  could  have 
no  hesitation. 

The  second  was,  that  the  book  should  be 
dedicated  to  yourself  To  this  also  I  gladly 
acceded;  and  it  was  highly  gratifying  to  me, 

a 


vi  DEDICATION. 

that,  in  reply  to  my  letter  asking  permission  to 
dedicate  the  book  as  the  family  desired,  you  not 
only  gave  your  consent,  but  assured  me  that 
you  should  deem  it  an  honour  to  have  your 
name  associated  with  that  of  Bishop  Mackenzie. 

I  now  present  to  your  Lordship  the  Memoir, 
upon  which  during  the  past  year  I  have  been 
eno'aged.  The  Bishop's  family,  and  some  of 
his  friends,  have  freely  placed  in  my  hands  his 
more  private  letters,  and  other  materials  from 
which  the  story  of  his  life  could  be  gathered, 
leaving  the  use  of  the  documents  entirely  to 
my  discretion.  The  plan  which  I  have  adojDted 
has  been  to  make  the  Bishop,  as  far  as  possible, 
his  own  biographer.  I  have  printed  nearly  one 
hundred  of  his  letters  wholly  or  in  part,  and  I 
trust  that  they  will  help  to  convey  to  the  minds 
of  those  who  read  this  book  an  impression  of 
the  exceeding  gentleness,  cheerfulness,  and  sim- 
phcity,  coupled  with  manliness,  strength  of 
purpose,  and  unwavering  faith,  which  belonged 
to  our  departed  friend  and  brother. 

My  Lord,  I  once  took  occasion,  as  we  walked 
together  into  Ely  Cathedral,  to  say  to  you,  that 
although  I  had  known  Mackenzie  intimately  for 
a  long  time,  and  had  been  with  him  under  a 


DEDICATION,  Vii 

variety  of  circumstances,  I  had  never  seen  a 
cloud  on  his  brow,  and  had  never  heard  him  say 
anything  which  I  could  suppose  he  would  wish 
to  recall.  I  did  not  exaggerate  when  I  so 
spoke,  nor,  indeed,  could  I  easily  give  what 
would  seem  to  me  to  be  an  exaggerated  view  of 
the  excellence  and  sweetness  of  his  character : 
but  in  this  memoir  I  have  refrained  as  much  as 
possible  from  dwelling  on  my  own  opinion  of  his 
goodness :  I  have  endeavoured  rather  to  ex- 
hibit a  simple  picture  of  his  hfe,  and  then  have 
wished  the  reader  to  form  an  opinion  for  him- 
self. 

It  has  been  a  melancholy  pleasure  to  be  per- 
mitted to  pay  this  tribute  to  the  memory  of  our 
deceased  friend.  The  pleasure  will  be  enhanced, 
if  I  can  venture  to  think  that  through  this  me- 
moir Bishop  Mackenzie  can  yet  speak,  and  in- 
fuse into  some  of  us  that  spirit  of  faith  and  love, 
which  in  so  conspicuous  a  degree  animated  him. 
No  one  would  have  shrunk  more  than  himself 
from  the  notion  of  a  book  being  published, 
which  should  be  to  him  a  mere  laudatory  epi- 
taph ;  but  if  the  memoir  of  his  life  should  tend, 
by  God's  grace,  to  incite  Christians  to  dare  and 
to  do  for  Christ's  sake,  then  the  publication  of 


viii  DEDICATION. 

it  is  a  tribute  which  he  would  have  at  least 
excused,  because  it  would  have  been  regarded 
by  him  as  the  means  of  carrying  out  after  his 
decease  the  dearest  wish  of  his  heart. 

I  am,  my  Lord, 
Your  Lordship's  obedient  Servant, 

H.  GOODWIN. 


The  Deanery,  Ely, 

Christmas,  1863. 


ADVERTISEMENT. 

In  this  Volume  the  name  of  the  African  tribe 
with  which  Bishop  Mackenzie  was  chiefly  asso- 
ciated has  been  printed  Mang-anja,  in  order 
to  guard  against  the  pronunciation  Man-ganja  ; 
the  name  is  pronounced  as  if  the  word  hang 
were  followed  by  the  word  and. 

The  river  Shire,  which  in  some  works  is 
printed  with  an  accent  upon  the  final  e,  is  to  be 
pronounced  as  if  it  were  written  Shirry,  or 
nearly  so. 

The  views  of  Mount  Zomba,  the  Missionary 
settlement  at  Magomero,  and  Lake  Shirwa, 
are  taken  fi'om  sketches  made  by  Dr  Meller. 


DIRECTIONS  TO  BINDER. 

Portrait  to  face  the  Title-page. 

Map  of  Part  of  Diocese  of  Natal,  opposite  jiage  109. 

Mount  Zomba,  opposite  page  317. 

Map  of  Shire,  opposite  page  318. 

Magomero,  opposite  page  331. 

Lake  Sliirwa,  opposite  page  355. 

Map  of  Eastern  Coast  of  Africa  at  the  end  of  the  Volume. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  L 

PAGE 

Boyhood  Am>  School-Days 1 

CHAPTER  II. 
College  Life — Undergraduate .11 

CHAPTER  III. 
College  Life — Holy  Orders 30 

CHAPTER  lY. 
First  Thoughts  of  Mission-Work 62 

CHAPTER  Y. 

Leaves  Cambridge  for  Natal 82 

CHAPTER  YI. 
Residence  in  Natal.    Durban 109 


xii  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  yil. 

PAGE 

Residence  m  Natal.    Umhlali 154 

CHAPTER  YIII. 
Mission  to  Central  Africa 204 

CHAPTER  IX. 
Consecration  at  Cape  Town        ......  253 

CHAPTER  X. 
From  Cape  Town  to  the  Shire 281 

CHAPTER  XL 
Settlement  at  Magomero 318 

CHAPTER  XII. 
Last  Days  and  Death 368 

CHAPTER   XIII. 
Conclusion 431 


MEMOIR  OF  BISHOP  MACKENZIE. 


CHAPTER   I. 
BOYHOOD    AND    SCHOOL-DAYS. 

Charles  Frederick  Mackenzie  was  bom  at  Harcus 
Cottage,  Portmore,  Peebleshire,  on  the  10th  day  of 
April,  1825,  and  was  baptized  by  the  Right  Reverend 
Daniel  Sandford,  Bishop  of  Edinburgh.  He  was  the 
youngest  of  a  large  family,  of  whom  six  brothers  and 
five  sisters  survived  at  the  time  of  his  birth  \ 

As  a  child  he  exhibited  great  natural  power  with 
regard  to  figures,  and  thus  gave  indication  of  future 
mathematical  ability.  He  appears  to  have  possessed  nc 
other  mark  of  great  mental  superiority.  As  a  child 
also  he  is  said  to  have  exhibited  a  gentleness  of  dispo- 

^  The  eldest  was  the  late  WiUiam  Forbes  Mackenzie,  Esq.  of  Port- 
more,  who  was  secretary  to  the  Treasury  in  the  Ministry  of  Lord  Derby 
in  the  year  1852.  His  name  is  popularly  connected  with  the  law  for 
regulating  the  sale  of  spirits  in  Scotland,  commonly  known  as  the 
"  Forbes  Mackenzie  Act." 

1 


2  MEMOIR  OF  BISHOP  MACKENZIE. 

sition,  which  was  entirely  in  keeping  with  that  wonder- 
ful sweetness  and  nobility  of  character,  to  which  I  can 
testify  as  a  friend  of  his  manhood. 

I  find  it  recorded  of  him,  that,  when  a  very  little 
boy,  he  was  accustomed  to  amuse  his  elder  brothers 
with  the  exhibition  of  his  arithmetical  powers.  Charlie 
was  placed  upon  a  table,  and  examined  by  these  same 
elder  brothers ;  hard  questions  were  put  to  him,  which 
he  puzzled  out  in  his  head  by  some  method  of  his  own, 
and  answered  correctly,  though  without  being  able  to 
say  how  he  reached  his  results.  His  examiners  had 
slate  and  pencil  to  help  them,  but  he  generally  got  to 
the  end  of  the  sum  first,  without  any  such  help.  Strange 
however  to  say,  when  he  went  to  school,  and  was 
compelled  to  write  his  sums  upon  the  prosaic  slate,  his 
great  superiority  for  a  time  disappeared,  and  it  was  only 
when  he  reached  the  higher  level  of  algebra  that  his 
real  mathematical  ability  made  itself  manifest. 

He  lost  his  father  when  only  five  years  old,  and  the 
education  of  himself  and  of  several  of  the  younger  chil- 
dren devolved  to  a  considerable  extent  upon  the  eldest 
sister.  As  this  sister  is  gone  to  her  rest,  and  as  to  her 
wise  superintendence  much  of  the  subsequent  excel- 
lence of  Bishop  Mackenzie's  character  appears,  under 
God,  to  have  been  due,  it  may  be  right  in  this  place  to 
allow  him  to  express  his  own  feelings.  Writing  from 
Livei-pool,  on  the  eve  of  his  first  departure  for  Africa, 
he  says  to  this  sister :  "  I  cannot  go,  as  we  are  to  do  to- 
morrow, without  sending  you  a  line  to  say  that  my 
regard  and  affection  for  you  are  deepened,  instead  of 
being  lessened,  by  this  separation.     I  feel  so  strongly 


BOYHOOD  AND  SCHOOL-DAYS.  3 

that  my  aptitude  for  what  is  good,  has  been,  under 
God,  so  entirely  due  to  your  judicious  training  of  me, 
that   I  cannot  say  how  much  I  am  indebted  to  you. 

Dear  ■ ,"  he  proceeds,  "  let  us  hold  on  in  the  right 

way.  Let  us  press  toward  the  mark  of  our  high  calling 
in  Christ  Jesus.  In  due  season  we  shall  reap  if  we  faint 
not.  That  God  may  bless  you  and  yours  is  my  earnest 
hope,  and  I  would  fain  have  it  my  constant  prayer." 

On  the  death  of  the  father  in  1830  the  family  re- 
moved to  Edinburgh,  and  here  the  education  of  the 
boy  Charles  was  carried  on  regularly  till  1840 ;  first  in 
a  private  school,  and  then  at  the  Academy.  His  talents 
at  this  period,  as  before  intimated,  do  not  appear  to 
have  been  in  an  extraordinary  degree  conspicuous;  that 
which  chiefly  distinguished  him  was  a  singular  guile- 
lessness,  great  simplicity  of  character,  and  most  scrupu- 
lous conscientiousness.  Some  persons  might  have  said 
that  he  was  not  manly  enough,  too  girl-like,  too  soft,  too 
ready  to  allow  his  tears  to  flow  on  a  slight  provocation; 
but  there  was  nevertheless  the  real  manliness,  which  is 
ever  considerate  of  the  feelings  of  others,  and  which 
shrinks  from  everything  mean  and  unworthy.  On  one 
occasion  Charles  and  his  companions  were  competing 
for  a  prize ;  the  prize  composition  was  an  essay  on  some 
school-subject,  and  it  was  a  question  whether  books  of 
reference  might  or  might  not  be  used;  the  other  boys 
used  them  freely,  but  Charles  doubted,  and  abstained ; 
he  lost  the  prize,  but  the  gentleman  who  gave  it,  and 
who  heard  the  circumstances  under  which  Charlie's 
essay  had  been  produced,  marked  his  approbation  by 
an  extra  prize. 

1—2 


4  MEMOIR  OF  BISHOP  MACKENZIE. 

I  think  I  shall  be  pardoned  if  I  introduce  here  two 
or  three  short  extracts  from  a  journal  kept  by  the  sister 
of  whom  mention  has  been  already  made,  as  they  will 
not  only  throw  a  light  upon  the  Bishop's  boyish  days, 
but  also  shew  that  even  then  this  keensighted  sister 
saw  the  shadow  of  her  brother's  future  superiority. 

"  G (a  brother  older  than  Charles  by  six  years) 

came  with  me  to  do  some  arithmetic,  and  seems  sin- 
cerely anxious  to  improve,  but  was  obliged  to  defer  a 
satisfactory  solution  of  his  difficulties  till  Charlie  should 
come  home.  G.'s  affectionate  respect  for  Charlie's  ta- 
lents and  character  is  really  beautiful,  and  often  strikes 
me.  When  I  first  proposed  a  few  days  ago  to  call  in 
Charlie's  assistance  at  the  arithmetic,  and  gently  ex- 
pressed a  hope  that  G would  not  have  any  un- 
comfortable feehng  about  it,  he  exclaimed.  Oh  dear,  I 
would  not  scorn  to  learn  anything  of  Charlie." 

Again :  "  Charlie  is  much  occupied  about  learning 
Hebrew.  I  consulted  Bishop  Walker  on  his  behalf: 
he  has  taken  a  desire  to  learn  it  systematically,  and 
has  been  for  nine  months  devoting  a  portion  of  his 
playhours  to  it ;  he  is  anxious  to  have  a  grammar,  and 
to  do  the  thing  methodically.  His  reasons  were  very 
sensible :  '  At  present  grammars  are  no  drudgery  to 
me,  on  the  contrary  I  should  feel  it  rather  an  amuse- 
ment, and  could  easily  give  half  an  hour  in  the  even- 
ing to  it.  If  I  were  to  wait  until  I  am  obliged  to 
learn  it,  the  taste  for  grammars  may  perhaps  have 
worn  off.'" 

I  apprehend  that  in  this  boyish  desire  to  learn 
Hebrew  Ave  may  trace,  not  the  mere  love  of  language, 


BOYHOOD  AND  SCHOOL-DAYS.  S 

which  did  not  at  all  belong  to  his  mind,  but  the  consci- 
entious wish  to  fit  himself  for  the  Ministry,  to  which  he 
looked  forward  as  his  calling  from  a  very  early  period. 

Again :  "  His  selection  of  books  to  take  to  the 
Highlands  is  what  one  would  not  expect  a  boy  to 
choose  for  the  holydays :  Euclid  :  his  prize  (a  book  on 
science) :  Mental  Improvement :  Bible  :  Prayer-book : 
an  elementary  book   of  science  which  he  has  studied 

long  ago   and    wishes   to   revise He  is  most  keen 

about  Euchd,  and  it  is  a  characteristic  trait  of  him, 
that  after  returning  from  the  Exhibition  (receiving  his 
prize  and  aiding  in  applauding  others  who  received 
theirs),  he  quietly  told  his  news,  and  then  sat  down  to 
study  EucHd." 

Here  is  a  peep  at  another  side  of  his  mind. 

"He  is  rather  defective  in  imagination.  In  sce- 
nery he  requires  to  be  urged  and  reminded  to  admire 
the  beauties  of  nature,  and  from  want  of  habit  lets 
them  pass  unobserved,  f  His  turn  of  opinion  is  calcu- 
lating, and  naturally  his  observation  is  directed  only 
to  subjects  giving  food  for  such  reflections.  Fine  moun- 
tain views  he  admires  when  pointed  out,  but  they  do 
not  of  themselves  strike  him.  He  himself  told  me  in 
the  most  simple  naive  manner,  'Only  think  of  my 
stupidity ;  when  I  went  to  the  top  of  one  of  the  high 
hills  near  Inverie,  I  quite  forgot  to  look  at  the  view 
which  I  went  on  purpose  to  see ;  but  I  just  sat  dowTi 
a  little  and  ate  my  cake,  and  came  down  again.'" 

Speaking  of  his  rapid  improvement  at  school,  the 
sister  says  : 

"Certainly  his  mind  is  wonderfully  acute,  and  he 


6  MEMOIR   OF  BISHOP  MACKENZIE. 

has  the  happy  faculty  of  conveying  information  with 
the  same  clearness  as  it  has  to  his  own  mind.... His 
remarkable  modesty  of  disposition  deceives  those  who 
do  not  know  him  intimately.... His  ever  active  mind 
never  seems  to  tire,  but  even  when  his  body  is  weary, 

he  is  still  equally  keen  to  work.     When  S 1  is  not 

disposed   to  work  longer,   he  goes  to  A ,  who  is 

anxious  to  improve  in  arithmetic ;    if  she  fail  him  he 

goes  to  work  problems  on  the  globes  with  ;  yet 

there  is  a  total  absence  of  pretension  and  a  perfect 
equilibrium." 

One  more  extract  from  this  journal. 

"  Charlie's  eyes  so  bad  ;  confined  to  bed.    S sat 

with  him  in  the  forenoon,  working  problems  in  algebra, 
&c.  Charlie's  mind  fully  occupied  in  assisting  in  their 
solution,  and  not  a  murmur  because  his  blind  condition 
prevented  his  having  the  power  of  writing  them  or 
drawing  the  figures.  At  present  these  problems  are 
the  greatest  source  of  interest  that  he  has." 

These  notices  of  the  Bishop's  boyhood,  it  will  be 
observed,  are  not  ex  post  facto :  they  are  memoranda 
made  at  the  time,  and  they  agree  admirably  well  with 
the  character  developed  in  later  years,  as  known  to 
myself  and  others  :  the  same  gentleness,  the  same  sim- 
plicity, and  the  same  activity  of  mind,  shewing  its  real 
superiority,  in  boyhood  as  in  manhood,  chiefly  in  the 
direction  of  abstract  mathematical  reasoning. 

In  1840  Charles  was  sent  to  the  Grange  School  near 
Sunderland,  then  under  Dr  Cowan.     Here  his  mathe- 

*  A   sailor  brother,    seven   years   older  than   himself,   lost  at   sea 
in  1842. 


BOYHOOD  AND  SCHOOL-DAYS.  7 

matlcal  tastes  and  powers  appear  to  have  been  still 
further  developed,  and  it  became  more  evident  that 
Greek  and  Latin  were  not  the  subjects  in  which  he  was 
most  capable  of  obtaining  University  distinction.  It 
was  finally  determined  that  he  should  proceed  to  Cam- 
bridsre.  I  have  before  me  several  letters  written  home 
during  this  school  period,  but  they  contain  nothing 
sufficiently  striking  or  characteristic  to  persuade  me  to 
pause  upon  them.  Neither  have  I  been  able  to  re- 
cover many  stories  of  his  school-days  ;  but  I  have  met 
with  one  which  appears  to  me  sufficiently  characteristic 
to  be  worthy  of  a  place  in  this  memoir :  of  its  general 
truth  I  have  no  doubt,  though  I  have  endeavoured  in 
vain  to  obtain  a  version,  for  the  accuracy  of  which 
in  all  particulars  I  can  vouch.  The  story  is  as  fol- 
lows : — A  smaller  boy  having  on  one  occasion  offended 
Mackenzie,  and  committed  some  act  of  aggression  for 
which  according  to  the  usual  code  of  schoolboy  law  he 
deserved  "  a  licking,"  Mackenzie  quietly  took  the  boy 
aside  and  remonstrated  with  him,  pointed  out  to  him 
how  much  in  the  wrong  he  had  been,  and  by  his  gentle 
behaviour  at  length  moved  the  offender  to  tears. 

Dr  Dawson  Turner,  now  head-master  of  the  Royal 
Institution  School  at  Liverpool,  but  a  master  at  the 
Grange  School  in  Bishop  Mackenzie's  school-days  has 
favoured  me  with  a  letter,  from  which  I  will  give  an 
extract.  After  remarking  that  Mackenzie's  talent  was 
almost  wholly  mathematical,  and  that  he  never  could 
have  been  made  a  very  good  scholar,  Dr  Turner  adds, 
"  In  divinity,  with  me,  Mackenzie  always  did  very  well, 
and  gave  promise  of  future  ability.     I  remember  him 


8  MEMOIR  OF  BISHOP  MACKENZIE. 

most  as  a  very  pleasant,  good  tempered,  jolly  sort  of 
boy,  very  fond  of  athletic  exercises,  and  one  of  the  best 
oars  in  the  two  four-oars  I  got  up  and  taught  the 
fellows  to  row  in,  during  my  mastership  at  the  Grange. 
He  was  a  very  good  foot-ball  player  too.  As  I  did  not 
myself  reside  in  the  school-house,  I  saw  but  little  of 
him  except  in  school-hours  and  in  the  play-ground  ;  but 
this  much  I  well  remember,  that  he  was  one  of  the 
very  few,  out  of  the  very  many  with  whom  I  have 
worked  my  hardest  and  best,  that  ever  shewed  any 
gratitude  for  the  pains  taken  with  them,  and  took  the 
trouble  of  keeping  up  a  kindly  acquaintance  in  after 
years  with  their  former  schoolmaster.  Some  time  after 
I  had  left  the  Grange  School,  Mackenzie,  with  one  or 
two  other  old  pupils  of  mine  at  Cambridge,  sent  me  a 
present  of  books,  and  I  have  still  a  large  and  handsome 
knife  that  he  gave  me  on  getting  his  scholarship." 

I  conclude  this  chapter  with  a  reminiscence  which 
has  been  kindly  furnished  by  the  Rev.  J.  Erskine 
Clarke,  vicar  of  St  Michael's,  Derby,  and  a  contempo- 
rary of  Bishop  Mackenzie  at  the  Grange  School.  It 
will  be  observed  that  there  is  a  little  discrepancy  be- 
tween the  recollections  of  Dr  Turner  and  Mr  Clarke 
on  the  subject  of  athletic  exercises ;  but  I  give  them  as 
they  have  come  into  my  hands,  observing  that  the 
discrepancy  is  apparent  rather  than  real. 

"  I  remember  well  Charles  Mackenzie  at  the  Grange 
School,  Bishopwearmouth.  He  was  not  however  a  hero 
among  school-boys,  though  he  afterwards  proved  himself 
so  true  a  hero  among  men.  He  lacked  that  dash  and 
self-assertion  which  are  requisite  to  give  a  boy  a  leading 


BOYHOOD  AND  SCHOOL-DAYS.  9 

place  amongst  his  fellows.  Moreover,  Mackenzie  was  no 
cricketer ;  nor  indeed  much  given  to  athletic  exercise  at 
all. 

.  "  My  own  most  vivid  remembrance  of  him  is  that  of 
seeing  him  walking  up  and  down  by  a  hedgeside  in  a 
remote  part  of  the  playground  with  his  arm  over  the 
shoulder  of  his  cousin  John  Forbes,  and  often  with  some 
younger  lad  walking  on  the  other  side  of  him  listening 
to  their  talk. 

"At  the  same  time  when  he  did  join  in  any  games, 
he  did  so  with  a  right  goodwill.  I  can  recall  him  to 
my  mind  making  vigorous  rushes  at  foot-ball,  or  work- 
ing hard  in  the  Fives  Court,  and  he  was  always  one  of 
every  party  of  bathers. 

"At  lessons  he  was  always  studious  and  attentive, 
though  his  diffidence  and  shyness  prevented  his  doing 
himself  full  justice  in  the  class.  He  was  one  of  the 
editors  of  a  school-magazine,  but  the  two  volumes  of  it 
contain  only  a  few  lines  by  himself,  and  they  are  of  a 
mathematical  character. 

"The  example  that  he  set  during  his  stay  at  the 
Grange  was  thoroughly  good.  I  never  remember  hear- 
ing him  found  fault  with,  and  (what  could  not  be  said  of 
many  of  his  contemporaries)  I  cannot  remember  his 
doing  anything  which  if  known  would  have  deserved 
rebuke.  I  have  no  doubt  that  Mackenzie's  society  in- 
fluenced to  their  highest  good  those  boys  who  were 
much  with  him,  and  I  believe  that  even  the  most 
graceless  lads,  who  would  have  spoken  of  him  as  rather 
soft  and  very  slow,  would  have  acknowledged  and  in 
their  hearts  have  honoured  his  gentle  goodness  and  his 


lo  MEMOIR  OF  BISHOP  MACKENZIE. 

unfailing  kindliness  of  temper,  always  ready  with  a' 
smile  to  make  his  own  pleasure  give  way  to  that  of 
others; — the  germ  of  that  self-sacrificing  love  which 
afterwards  deprived  the  Church  Militant  of  one  of  the 
most  faithful  of  her  soldiers,  and  gave  to  Africa  another 
Martyr's  grave." 


CHAPTER    II. 
COLLEGE  LIFE— UNDERGRADUATE. 

In  the  year  1844  Mackenzie  removed  from  the  Grange 
School,  and  came  into  residence  as  a  Pensioner  of 
S.  John's  College,  Cambridge,  in  October.  S.  John's 
has,  as  all  Cambridge  men  know,  a  high  reputation  for 
mathematical  vigour,  and  was  selected  on  this  account 
as  Mackenzie's  College.  He  found  however,  when  he 
came  into  actual  residence  and  was  made  acquainted 
with  the  rules  of  his  College,  that  as  a  Scotchman 
he  would  labour  under  great  disadvantages,  and  would 
in  fact  be  ineligible  to  a  fellowship^ ;  he  consequently 
made  up  his  mind  to  "  migrate  "  to  Caius  College,  which 
he  did  in  the  Easter  term  of  1845. 

I  was  myself  a  fellow  of  Caius  College,  and  hold- 
ins:  office  as  Mathematical  Lecturer,  at  the  time  of 
Mackenzie's  migration.  Pumour  told  us  that  a  very 
clever  Johnian  had  come  amongst  us,  and  there  was  I 
think  a  little  jealousy  excited  by  the  news  :  the  College 

^  This  restriction  is  now  removed.  The  Cambridge  Calendar  in- 
forms us  that  "the  Fellowships  and  Scholarships  are  open  to  all  British 
subjects  without  any  restriction  or  appropriation." 


13  MEMOIR  OF  BISHOP  MACKENZIE. 

was  itself  stocked  with  very  promising  freshmen,  as  was 
demonstrated  by  the  final  result  of  the  Senate  House 
Examination  in  1848,  and  there  was  a  natural  tendency 
to  look  with  dissatisfaction  upon  the  arrival  of  a  man 
from  another  College,  whose  accession  was  understood 
to  be  due  to  the  fact  that  Scotch  blood  excluded  him 
from  the  emoluments  of  S.  John's.  This  circumstance 
would  hardly  be  worth  recording,  except  for  the  sake 
of  appending  this  remark,  that  if  any  jealousy  of  the 
new  comer  did  exist  it  rapidly  vanished  under  the 
influence  of  his  genial  presence.  Mackenzie  soon  be- 
came a  favourite  in  the  CoUege,  as  he  well  deserved 
to  be. 

In  speaking  of  my  own  personal  knowledge  of 
Mackenzie  I  may  here  state  by  the  way,  that  going 
out  of  residence  in  the  summer  of  1845  I  had  little 
opportunity  of  becoming  intimately  acquainted  with 
him  as  a  member  of  the  College.  I  examined  him 
at  the  end  of  his  first  year,  and  remember  well  the 
decided  superiority  which  he  evinced  in  his  treatment 
of  a  problem  paper,  which  it  fell  to  my  lot  to  set ;  but 
owing  to  circumstances,  which  it  is  not  necessary  here 
to  explain,  I  saw  little  or  nothing  of  him  again  until 
the  period  of  his  B.  A.  degree. 

The  story  of  Mackenzie's  undergraduate  life  cannot 
therefore  be  given  from  personal  recollection ;  but  in 
truth  the  most  important  portion  of  it  will  be  told 
by  himself;  he  was  in  the  habit  of  writing  with  great 
openness  to  his  sisters,  especially  to  the  eldest  sister, 
spoken  of  in  the  preceding  chapter,  and  from  some  of 
his  own  letters  the  reader  will  be  able  to  gather  more 


COLLEGE  LIFE- UNDERGRADUATE.  1 3 

surely  than  from  any  other  source  an  account  of  his 
inner  life  and  feelings.  The  reader  will  also  see  how 
early  and  how  earnestly  he  looked  forward  to  the  sacred 
ofl&ce  to  which  he  had  devoted  himself,  and  how  anxious 
he  was  to  lose  no  time  in  preparing  himself  for  it. 

LETTER  I. 

{To  his  Eldest  Sister.) 
My  dearest , 


Many  thanks  for  your  kind  and  most  acceptable 
letter.  After  I  bad  sent  my  letter  to  tbe  post,  I  began  to 
wonder  what  you  would  tliink  of  it,  and  half  to  wish  to 
have  it  back  again.  Soon  after  I  left  borne  to  go  to  Grange 
I  began  to  think  that  I  must  learn  to  rest  on  One  higher, 
and  more  constantly  pi-esent,  than  any  one  on  this  earth 
could  be,  for  sympathy  and  assistance  in  the  struggle  of 
life  :  and  this  led  me  to  what  I  now  think  an  error,  try- 
ing to  avoid  to  a  certain  extent  any  communication,  espe- 
cially correspondence,  on  religious  subjects.  For  I  don't 
know  whether  I  am  of  a  more  sympathetic  nature  than 
other  people,  but  I  do  think  that  as  long  as  I  am  in  the 
body  I  must  be  influenced  very  much  for  good  or  ill  by 
intercourse  with  others ;  and  why  should  I  shut  all  the 
avenues  of  the  former  only  to  give  the  full  advantage  of  the 
influence  to  the  other  1 

As  to  books,  I  have  taken  to  Leighton  again,  in  con- 
sequence of  the  high  praise  which  a  friend  gave  him  the 
other  day,  and  I  like  him  quite  as  well  as  ever.  Also  I 
have  asked  the  loan  of  Manning's  sermons. 

*  -X-  *  *  * 

My  mathematical  studies  are  getting  on  pretty  fairly 
now,  though  not  quite  perfectly.  The  fact  is,  I  sometimes 
think  I  have  lost  that  engrossing  interest  in  the  subject 
which  I  once  felt.  But  then,  again,  I  am  not  sure  that  it 
may  not  be  as  well  that  this  should  be  so :  for  other  things 


14  MEMOIR  OF  BISHOP  MACKENZIE. 

of  greater  importance  will  soon  become  my  daily  business, 
and  it  might  have  distracted  me. 

And  now  to  come  to  the  next  subject  of  your  letter. 
*  *  *  *  * 

[His  sister  had  recommended  him  to  make  application 

to  a  clergyman  to  allow  him  to  assist  in  pastoral  work :  and 

he  accordingly  made  application  to  a  Fellow  of  the  College, 

the  Rev.  W.  B.  Hopkins,  now  Vicar  of  Wisbech,  who  then 

held  a  curacy  in  Cambridge.] 

***** 

He  at  once  said,  "  Oh  you  wish  to  go  among  the  poor, 
do  youl  then  I  think  I  can  give  you  a  little  work  to  do;" 
and  he  went  on  to  describe  a  set  of  little  houses  in  the 
suburbs  \  where  a  number  of  old  women  live,  who  are  sup- 
ported by  a  benefit  society,  and  who  are  a  long  way  from 
their  parish-church;  and  when  I  afterwards  said  that  my 
idea  was  to  go  with  some  Clergyman,  he  oflfered  to  let  me 
go  with  him  some  day.  So  I  thankfully  accepted  his  offer, 
though  it  had  never  occurred  to  me  to  ask  him. 

This  morning  he  told  me  to  come  to  him  at  eleven,  and 
we  went  to  see  a  woman  who  had  a  very  bad  cough,  and 
had  been  in  bed  for  a  year.  When  we  came  out  again,  I 
had  quite  made  up  my  mind  that  it  was  not  a  mere  accident 
that  I  had  asked  his  advice  on  the  point.  He  was  so  kind 
and  shewed  me  a  book  giving  practical  directions  on  the 
subject  of  pastoral  \'isitation,  and  promised  to  give  me  a 
copy.  Altogether  I  must  bless  God,  and  thank  you  for  the 
suggestion  of  what  will  I  am  sure  by  His  aid  be  a  most  use- 
ful and  instructive  and  corrective  exercise;  and  by  Hopkins' 
account  of  the  jwor  old  women  (about  whom,  however,  he  is 
to  make  more  particular  enquiry),  if  I  go  once  or  twice  in 
a  week  and  read  to  them,  it  will  be  giving  them  what  they 

have  no  means  of  getting  at  present. 

*  *  *  *  * 

*  The  Victoria  Asylum.     The  description  of  the  Asylum,  given  in 
the  letter,  is  not  quite  accurate. 


COLLEGE  LIFE— UNDERGRADUATE.  15 

This  plan  for  the  visitation  of  the  aged  inmates  of 
the  Victoria  Asylum  was  carried  out  with  the  consent 
of  the  clergyman  of  the  parish,  and  was  a  source  of  great 
comfort  to  the  old  people  and  great  satisfaction  to  Mac- 
kenzie himself  The  following  is  his  own  modest  account 
of  his  early  labours. 

LETTER  11. 

{To  the  same.) 
My  dearest  , 


What  I  wanted  particularly  to  speak  to  you  about 
is,  the  reading  at  the  Asylum  to  the  old  people.  I  fancy 
what  you  thought  of  was,  my  going  on  a  week-day  into  a 
house,  and  being  quiet  and  simple ;  but  somehow  Hopkins 
seemed  to  think  that  going  up  on  a  Sunday  afternoon  and 
getting  them  all  together,  (there  are  twelve  sets  of  rooms,  and 
very  often  a  husband  and  wife,  at  any  rate  more  than  one 
in  a  set  of  rooms,  so  that  the  number  is  about  twenty,) 
would  be  a  good  plan,  and  at  the  time  I  left  it  quite  in  his 
hands,  and  agreed  to  whatever  he  thought  best.  The  con- 
sequence was,  that,  after  having  been  up  once  without  and 
once  with  my  Bible  in  my  pocket,  1  went  up  last  Sunday  at 
two.  But  it  was  so  new  a  position,  and  I  could  not  feel, 
(what  I  imagine  must  be  a  great  support  in  the  pulpit,)  that 
I  was  God's  appointed  servant,  only  doing  my  duty  in  being 
His  ambassador.  On  the  contrary,  it  seemed  as  if  I  had 
undertaken  it  of  myself,  and  I  could  not  fancy  that  anything 
I  could  say  would  be  of  any  use.  I  had  spent  some  hours 
in  preparation  before  going  there,  on  the  two  previous  days, 
and  on  the  Sunday  morning  itself;  but  when  I  got  there, 
though  the  number  was  small,  in  consequence  of  all  that 
could  get  out  to  church  having  gone  there  for  the  Sacra- 
ment, yet  I  got  quite  red  in  the  face,  and  after  reading  the 


l6  MEMOIR  OF  BISHOP  MACKENZIE. 

chapter  (S.  John  xiv.),  I  went  over  it  again,  throwing  in  a 
few  remarks  where  1  could.  Then  we  knelt  down,  and  read 
some  of  the  collects  and  prayers  from  the  Prayer-book. 
On  the  whole,  I  should  have  felt  perfectly  miserable,  if  I 
had  not  remembered,  that  lame  and  wretched  as  my  endea- 
vour had  been,  it  was  better  than  nothing;  for  I  had  read 
the  words  of  the  Bible  and  used  the  prayers  of  holy  men, 
and  that  if  I  had  not  gone,  no  one  else  would;  so  that  I 
was  not  stepping  in  any  one's  way.  Biit  the  woi-st  of  it  all 
is,  that  this  week  having  determined  to  go  on  Wednesday 
to  see  one  or  two  of  the  old  people  quietly,  when  the  time 
came  I  felt  disinclined,  and  went  out  for  a  walk  instead, 
though  my  conscience  told  me  that  I  was  robbing  God  of 
what  I  had  devoted  to  Him.  *  *  *  It  was  curious 
that  I  perceived,  or  fancied  T  perceived,  a  change  come  over 
me  soon  after,  and  that  night  and  the  next  morning  I  was 
quite  out  of  sorts  and  disinclined  for  duty  of  any  kind. 
*  *  *  To-day  I  cannot  have  been  altogether  alone  in  fix- 
ing my  resolution  to  go  up.  And  when  I  got  there,  I  went 
to  a  very  nice  family,  an  old  man  and  woman,  and  two 
young  women  their  daughters :  we  went  through  the  32nd 
Psalm;  and  I  came  away,  not  much  happier,  but  thankful 
that  I  had  been  spared  the  pain,  which  I  am  sure  I  should 
have  felt,  if  I  had  quenched  the  resolution  to  good  which 

was  just  formed  within  me.     My  dear  ,  pray  for  me, 

that  my  faith  may  be  strengthened  and  my  love  warmed, 
for  that  is,  I  think,  mv  great  want. 


I  will  ask  the  reader  to  note  an  expression  in  the 
foregoing  letter,  which  may  possibly  have  escaped  him, 
but  which  he  will  find  to  contain  the  motive  principle 
of  Mackenzie's  conduct  in  the  higher  path  of  duty  to 
which  he  was  afterwards  called  :  if  I  had  not  gone,  no 
one  else  would  :    there  is  not  the  hint  of  a  feeling  that 


COLLEGE  LIFE— UNDERGRADUATE.  ij 

in  ministering  to  the  poor  folks  at  the  Asylum  he  was 
doing  anything  extraordinary,  or  doing  his  work  better 
than  others  could  have  done  it :  on  the  other  hand,  he 
is  very  humble  indeed  as  to  the  work  and  the  way  in 
which  it  was  done,  and  only  takes  comfort  from  the 
thought  that  if  he  had  not  done  it,  no  one  else  would. 
It  will  be  found  hereafter  that  this  same  thought,  the 
thought  that  there  was  work  to  be  done  for  God  and 
apparently  no  one  ready  to  do  it,  impelled  him  to  leave 
all  and  follow  Clirist  into  foreign  lands. 

It  will  be  judged,  from  the  anxiety  which  Mackenzie 
felt  to  be  doing  something  in  the  way  of  humble  minis- 
tration, that  he  kept  his  eye  steadily  upon  that  work 
of  the  ministry  for  which  he  considered  himself  to  be 
in  a  state  of  preparation,  and  towards  which  he  desired 
all  his  reading  and  study  to  converge.  At  the  same 
time  he  did  not  forget  that  University  work  was  his 
principal  work  while  in  statu  pupillari,  and  he  was 
wise  enough  to  perceive  that  it  is  a  short-sighted  policy 
to  neglect  the  full  training  of  the  mental  powers 
under  the  tempting  notion  of  doing  God  service.  I 
suspect  however  that,  like  many  other  earnest  young 
men,  Mackenzie  sometimes  felt  himself  pressed  by  his 
feelings  in  this  direction :  in  one  of  his  undergraduate 
letters  he  writes  thus  : 

Mr  R.'s  letter  arrived  *  *  *  It  was  quite  general, 
rccommeuding  strict  and  full  attention  to  the  University 
course.  I  answered  it  as  well  as  I  coidd,  trying  to  throw  in 
a  spirit  of  acquiescence  in  his  principle,  that  a  young  man's 
chief  object  up  here  should  be  his  degree.  This  I  presume 
is  because  it  is  supposed  to  be  the  best  preparation  for  his 
profession;  for  I  cannot  see  how  it  is  else.     However,  prac- 

2 


l8  MEMOIR  OF  BISHOP  MACKENZIE. 

tically  I  am  convinced  it  is :  that  is,  my  theoretical  doubts, 
if  they  exist,  do  not^  I  think,  interfere  with  any  wish  and 
intention  to  work  hard,  as  in  my  case  at  least  it  is  plainly 
a  duty,  even  if  it  is  not  the  chief  one. 

Accordingly  lie  worked  hard ;  and  when  I  have 
said  this,  and  have  tempered  the  view  of  a  man  given 
chiefly  to  mathematics  by  the  qualifying  thought  of 
those  old  people  at  the  Asylum  with  their  kind  reader 
and  ministering  friend,  I  have  said  almost  all  that  is 
necessary  of  Mackenzie's  undergraduate  career.  I  will, 
however,  throw  in  a  few  extracts  from  his  letters,  which 
will,  as  I  believe,  be  not  without  interest.  "J^he  letters 
are  all  addressed  to  sisters,  and  are  written  in  the  tone 
of  confidential  intercourse.  The  portions  which  are 
here  preserved  may  be  regarded  as  straws,  shewing 
the  direction  of  the  stream  of  Mackenzie's  thoughts  at 
this  period. 

%  -X-  *  *  * 

Your  letter  has  given  me  great  pleasure  on  a  second 

perusal,  and  indeed,  dear  A ,  if  we  could  only  see  the 

things  which  are  behind  this  temporal  universe,  and  which 
will  be  made  manifest  to  us  when  it  is  dissolved,  how  trifling 
should  we  account  those  things  which  now  occupy  so  much 
of  our  attention;  and  how  vexy  different  those  tilings  look, 
when  we  try  to  look  through  them,  and  when  we  allow  the 
light  and  glory  of  those  things  which  are  naturally  unseen 
to  beam  through  them!  And  if  the  glory  of  the  unseen 
world  is  such  as  to  illuminate  earthly  beauties  with  such  a 
heavenly  radiance,  how  sui-passingly  glorious  will  be  the 
vision,  which  shall  assuredly  burst  upon  our  eyes,  when 
death  shall  have  dissolved  the  thick  film  which  now  pre- 
vents our  seeing  clearly. 


COLLEGE  LIFE— UNDERGRADUATE.  19 

There  is  little  doing  here  different  from  what  I  have 
already  described.  I  have  picked  up  the  beginning  of  an 
acqiiaintance  with  one  of  my  fellow-pupUs,  C — ,  and  expect 
to  find  in  him  a  friend.  We  agreed  one  evening  in  lament- 
ing the  fact  that  a  man  is  constantly  hoping  that  he  has 
found  pei'fection  in  an  acquaintance,  in  whom  on  after  and 
further  knowledge  he  finds  just  faults  enough  to  spoil  the 
delightful  delusion :  and  I  have  been  endeavouring  to  mode- 
rate my  hopes  of  his  own  perfection  by  this  very  maxim. 


There  is  the  chapel-bell  going ;  so  I  shall  not  attempt 
to  finish  this.  I  missed  going  to  chapel  this  morniag  for 
the  first  time  since  I  came  up.  The  fact  is  I  had  a  very 
slight  attack  of  cold.     There  is  the  chapel- bell  stopping. 

This  is  to-morrow  evening,  and  we  have  just  come  out 
of  hall;   so  I'll  go  on.     I  truly  sympathise  with  you,  my 

dear  E ,  in  your  regrets  on  the  shortlived  effects  of  God's 

dispensations  to  us,  whether  of  warning  and  pleading  as  in 
sickness,  or  of  mercy  and  love  in  I'evealing  His  mercy  to 
us.  We  might  almost  be  tempted  to  think  it  would  be 
better  if  we  were  not  such  frail  fallible  eiring  creatures  as 
we  are.  But  all  things  are  in  His  hands,  and  all  these 
things  are  working  together  for  our  ultimate  good.  And 
what,  I  tliink,  we  should  do,  is  neither  to  sit  still  and  fancy 
He  will  do  all  for  us,  (for  though  it  be  true  that  except  the 
Lord  keep  the  city  their  labour  is  but  vain  that  guard  it, 
yet  He  will  not  guard  those  who  are  careless  themselves,) 
nor  must  we  be  utterly  discouraged,  though  Satan  will  often 
whisper  that  God  has  forsaken  us.  But  let  ixs  look  to  Him 
as  a  loving  Father,  who  occasionally  allows  us  to  withdraw 
our  hand  from  His,  that  we  may  know  and  feel  how  weak 
our  tottering  steps  are,  and  how  helpless  we  are  without 
Him. 

And  now  do  not  fancy  that  I  am  preaching  to  you  in  a 
Pharisaical    spirit.     But    mv  idea  is  that  siuce  we  are  so 

2— ;i 


20  MEMOIR  OF  BISHOP  MACKENZIE. 

often  reading  things  which  draw  away  our  minds  from  God, 
and  as  our  intercourse  with  society  generally  has  this  tend- 
ency, it  is  well  occasionally  to  try  and  lielp  each  other  on 
our  heavenward  course,  instead  of  throwing  entanglements 
in  each  other's  way ;  and  (unlike  the  literal  case)  this  assist- 
ing each  other  will  give  ourselves  a  "fillip"  instead  of  de- 
taining us. 

***** 

You  know  the  prayer  for  the  Church  Militant  in  the 
Communion  Service.  We  have  it  every  Sunday  in  the  Col- 
lege Chapel,  and  on  my  more  attentive  days  I  do  enjoy  it 
.so  much.  I  know  none  which  give  such  a  delightful  view 
of  the  communion,  in  feeling  at  least,  between  the  Church 
Militant  and  the  Chiu'ch  Triumphant. 

***** 

Since  my  return  I  have  not  been  killing  myself  with 
work.  I  have  been  reading  a  little  in  the  morninor  takinaj 
good  exercise  in  the  afternoon,  when  I  could,  and  playing 
chess  all  the  evening.  The  latter  we  have  been  playing 
under  a  curious  modification :  a  four  game :  two  and  two 
l)artners,  playing  round  in  turns,  each  with  his  own  set  of 
men  on  an  enlarged  board.  If  one  man  is  checkmated,  he 
does  not  play  any  more,  and  his  pieces  stand  on  the  board 
and  cannot  be  taken,  till  his  partner  takes  the  piece  which 
checks  him,  or  forces  its  owner  to  withdraw  it,  when  the 
dead  man  is  restored  and  plays  on  again  all  right.  The 
games  are  very  long  and  sometimes  tedious,  especially  if 
you  are  mated.  We  had  not  time  to  finish  a  second  the 
other  night  between  six  and  twelve !  It  is  rather  a  waste 
of  time  perhaps,  but  then  this  is  the  vacation. 

***** 

I  am  going  to  set  to  work  for  the  evening  in  a  few  mi- 
nutes, but  I  think  a  word  or  two  to  you  first  would  be  plea- 
sant. This  has  been  the  fii-st  week  of  work  this  term,  and 
at  the  beginning  I  set  myself  a  sort  of  scheme  of  what  I  was 


COLLEGE  LIFE— UNDERGRADUATE.  2  1 

to  do  all  the  term ;  and  in  looking  back  I  find  I  have  lost 
about  three  or  four  hours  of  mathematics,  no  chapels,  no 
exercise,  and  no  sleep  :  so  you  see  that  is  pretty  well.  I  am 
not  at  all  inclined  to  work  to-night,  but  I  suppose  there  is 
no  help  for  it, 

***** 

I  need  not  say  how  fully  I  feel  for  and  with  you  in  your 
account  of  your  own  distress,  and  I  think  one  consolation 
which  you  evidently  had  in  your  mind  is,  that  this  world 
is  appointed  as  a  scene  of  warfare  and  struggle.  Though 
Keble's  lines  apply  directly  to  acting  clergy  alone,  yet  the 
argument  is  the  same  to  all : 

But  chiefly  ye  should  lift  your  gaze 
Above  the  world's  uncertain  haze, 
And  look  with  calm  unwavering  eye 
On  the  bright  fields  beyond  the  sky, 
Ye,   who  your  Lord's  commission  bear. 
His  way  of  mercy  to  prepare : 
Angels  He  calls  ye :  be  your  strife 
To  lead  on  earth  an  Angel's  life. 

Think  not  of  rest ;  though  dreams  be  sweet, 
Start  up,   and  ply  your  heavenward  feet  I 
Is  not  God's  oath  upon  your  head, 
Ne'er  to  sink  back  on  slothful  bed, 
Never  again  your  loins  untie. 
Nor  let  your  torches  waste  and  die. 
Till,  when  the  shadows  thickest  fall, 
Ye  h  ar  your  Master's  midnight  call? 

And  then  think  of  the  short,  the  very  short,  time  it  can 
last.  How  we  shall  wish  one  day  that  we  had  some  farther 
opportunity  of  working  in  this  life  for  our  Master's  glory  ! 
I  do  not  know  what  the  commentators  say,  but  it  struck  me 
the  other  day  that  this  might  be  the  meaning  when  it  is 
said  in  the  Psalms,  "  No  man  praiseth  Thee  in  the  grave, 
and  shall  the  dust  give  thanks,  or  shall  it  declare  Thy 
truth?"     For  we  shall  give  thanks  to  Him  in  the  gi-ave, 


2  2  MEMOIR  OF  BISHOP  MACKENZIE. 

but  not  declare  His  truth  to  man.     However,  this  may  be 
straining  the  text. 


I  look  forward  now  a  good  deal  to  being  at  work  in  a 
parish.  I  have  seen  a  very  little  of  the  sort  of  thing,  and 
this  my  present  wox'k  [at  the  Asylum]  is  as  good  a  prepa- 
ration as  anything  I  could  do  in  the  meantime.  But  it  will 
be  much  greater  and  much  grander  than  anything  we  can 
conceive. 


In  January  1848  Mackenzie  graduated  with  Mathe- 
matical honors ;  in  Cambridge  language  he  was  second 
Wrangler,  the  Senior  Wrangler  being  Mr  Todhunter 
of  S.  John's  College.  With  this  amount  of  success  he 
was  abundantly  satisfied,  and  it  only  remained  that  he 
should  obtain  one  of  the  two  prizes,  called  Dr  Smith's 
prizes,  which  are  given  to  two  of  the  most  distinguished 
mathematicians  of  the  year,  in  order  to  complete  his 
honours.  This  prize,  however,  he  was  not  fortunate 
enough  to  obtain.  As  it  happened  that  I  was  my- 
self one  of  the  examiners,  acting  as  deputy  for  the 
then  Lucasian  Professor,  Dr  King,  President  of  Queens' 
College,  I  may  perhaps  be  permitted  in  a  few  words  to 
explain  the  manner  of  Mackenzie's  failure.  Three 
papers  were  set,  one  by  Dr  Whewell,  Master  of  Trinity 
College,  another  by  Professor  Challis,  and  the  third  by 
myself.  No  one  of  the  examiners  had  any  doubt  as  to 
the  propriety  of  assigning  the  first  prize  to  Mr  Tod- 
hunter ;  but  with  regard  to  the  second  the  results  of 
the  papers  were  not  unanimous ;  in  one  Mackenzie  was 
admitted   to   be   first,   in   another    Mr  Barry,    fourth 


COLLEGE  LIFE— UNDERGRADUATE.  23 

Wrangler,  was  allowed  to  have  surpassed  him,  and  in 
the  third  the  examiner  was  unable  to  say  which  of  the 
two  was  the  superior ;  under  these  circumstances,  the 
examiners,  having  had  two  meetings  and  taken  time 
to  re-examine  the  papers,  considered  that  the  case  was 
one  in  which  they  were  bound  to  act  upon  a  provision 
in  Dr  Smith's  will,  by  which  in  case  of  equality  he 
desires  that  men  of  Trinity  College  shall  have  a  prefer- 
ence for  his  prizes.  The  second  prize  was  accordingly 
adjudged  to  MrBany.  Immediately  on  knowing  the 
result  Mackenzie  wrote  a  most  friendly  letter  to  his 
successful  rival,  and  remarked  to  one  of  his  sisters 
that  "  he  felt  it  was  much  better  for  him  that  it  should 
be  so :  one  was  so  apt  to  be  elated  and  hurt  by  too 
much  success." 

The  following  is  his  letter  to  Mr  Barry. 


LETTER  III. 

Haecos,  Tuesday, 
My  dear  Batiry, 

Your  kind  note  wliicli  reached  me  this  mominir 
was  the  first  intimation  I  had  of  the  resiilt,  and  I  must  con- 
fess that  at  the  moment  a  shade  came  over  my  face.  But 
when  I  came  to  consider  the  matter,  I  came  to  the  conclu- 
sion that  it  was  very  much  better  as  it  is.  For  myself  I 
am  convinced  that  what  I  had  already  gained  is  enough  for 
my  weak  head  to  stand,  though  some  people  might  fancy  it 
was  not  much  turned  by  it ;  and  this  now  sets  you  in  your 
proper  place,  and  shews  openly  what  all  in  Cambridge  would 
believe  without  it. 

Do  not  fancy  that  I  think  myself  a  disappointed  man  in 
the  smallest  degree :   the  prize  itself  is  of  course  nothing ; 


34  MEMOIR  OF  BISHOP  MACKENZIE. 

the  being  bracketed  second  is  as  good  in  reality  as  being 
second  with  a  gap  below  one;  and  I  think  my  considera- 
tion for  others,  though  it  is  not  always  so  great  as  it  should 
be,  may  well  lead  me  to  rejoice  in  sympathy  with  you. 

I  am  really  very  much  obliged  to  you  for  writing.  It 
reproves  myself;  for  I  left  many  letters  unanswered  when 
I  left  Cambridge,  on  the  plea  of  being  busy  with  examina- 
tions. And  now,  my  dear  fellow,  let  me  encourage  you  for 
the  next  examination '.  If  you  don't  think  of  the  happiness 
we  are  having,  who  have  done  with  this  kind  of  work,  you 
will  long  for  it  less,  though  certainly  I  am  transgressing  my 
own  rule  in  thus  reminding  you ;  and  finally  let  me  excuse 
myself  for  the  length  of  this  epistle,  on  the  score  of  a  natural 
clumsiness  of  expression, 

And  believe  me  to  be 

Your  sincere  friend, 

C.  F.  M. 

An  amusing  anecdote  maybe  recorded  in  connection 
■with  this  Smith's  Prize  examination.  Mackenzie  had 
gone  from  Cambridge  before  the  result  of  the  examina- 
tion  was  known,  leaving  word  with  his  friends  to  tele- 
graph the  result  to  York,  where  he  would  inquire  for  the 
message,  while  himself  en  route  to  Edinburgh.  Arriving 
at  York  he  went  to  the  Telegi'aph  Office  and  asked 
anxiously  for  the  message ;  he  was  informed  that  a  mes- 
sao;e  had  arrived,  but  was  of  so  stranoje  a  character  that 
the  clerk  had  telegraphed  for  a  repetition  of  it,  thinking 
that  there  must  be  some  error.  "  Let  me  see  it,"  said 
Mackenzie.  Whereupon  the  clerk  handed  him  the  follow- 
ing charming  piece  of  English.  "  The  Muffs  have  post- 
poned the  decision  till  to-morrow — Keep  your  tail  up." 

^  The  examination  for  the  Classical  Tripos,  in  which  Mr  Barry  scon 
after  gained  first  Class  honours. 


COLLEGE  LLFE— UNDERGRADUATE.  25 

I  am  not  sure  that  tlie  second  word  of  the  message 
was  not  spelt  in  a  somewhat  unusual  and  eccentric 
manner,  namely,  Mough.  Anyhow  the  telegraphic  offi- 
cial was  puzzled ;  but  Mackenzie  relieved  his  mind  by 
assuring  him  that  he  understood  what  was  meant,  and 
canied  away  the  facetious  but  unsatisfactory  message. 

Another  anecdote  connected  with  this  period  of 
Mackenzie's  life  will  here  find  a  fitting  place ;  and 
I  the  rather  record  it,  because  it  is  highly  illustrative 
of  his  character  and  the  principles  of  his  conduct.  It  so 
happened  that  the  year  of  Mackenzie's  Bachelor  of  Arts' 
degree  coincided  Math  the  500th  Anniversary  of  the 
foundation  of  the  College :  it  was  a  fortunate  coinci- 
dence, for  Caius  College  had  done  itself  in  that  year 
very  great  credit :  it  numbered  no  less  than  nine 
wranglers,  the  2nd,  8th,  10th,  11th,  12th,  18th,  25th, 
S4th  and  38th  out  of  a  list  of  thirty-eight,  an  achieve- 
ment I  believe  unexampled  in  the  history  of  any  of  the 
smaller  colleges.  The  500th  Anniversary  of  the  foun- 
dation of  the  College  was  the  cause  of  a  grand  dinner, 
at  which  many  pleasant  toasts  were  proposed,  as  befitted 
the  occasion.  Amongst  them  the  then  Bishop  of  Nor- 
wich (Dr  Stanley)  proposed,  in  a  very  warm-hearted 
speech,  the  health  of  Mackenzie  and  the  other  wranglers 
who  had  just  brought  so  much  glory  to  their  College. 
Whereupon  Mackenzie  was  compelled  unexpectedly  to 
make  a  speech;  and  the  speech  he  made  was  very  short 
and  very  blunt,  but  so  thoroughly  to  the  purpose,  and 
delivered  with  such  simplicity  and  such  beaming  good- 
nature, that  it  elicited  thunders  of  applause.  He  said 
that  "  the  Bishop  of  Norwich  had  spoken  of  his  fellows 


26  MEMOIR  OF  BISHOP  MACKENZIE. 

and  himself  in  terms  far  too  flattering :  that  they  did 
not  deserve  the  praise  he  had  been  kind  enough  to 
award  them :  for  they  had  only  done  ivhat  was  natural 
under  the  circumstances," — the  i-emainder  of  the  speech, 
if  remainder  there  was,  was  lost  in  a  ton"ent  of  jovial 
cheering  and  approbation,  and  Mackenzie  found  to  his 
surprise,  that  instead  of  blundering  in  his  part,  as  I 
doubt  not  he  had  expected  to  do,  he  had  made  one  of 
the  most  successful  hits  of  the  evening.  He  spoke 
however  in  jest  what  was  true,  so  far  as  he  himself  was 
concerned,  in  sober  earnest :  it  was  always  his  way  to 
do  what  was  natural  under  any  circumstances  in  which 
he  found  himself  placed :  he  never  strove  to  seem  any- 
thing that  he  was  not,  or  to  do  anything  which  it 
seemed  beside  his  duty  to  do :  he  was  always  easy, 
always  natural,  and  herein  lay  the  secret  of  that  great 
charm  of  his  character  to  which  I  am  confident  that  all 
those  who  knew  him  well  would  bear  the  most  abun- 
dant testimony. 

Mr  Barry  has  kindly  furnished  the  following  per- 
sonal recollections  of  this  period  of  Bishop  Mackenzie's 
life. 

"  I  first  became  acquainted  with  Bishop  Mackenzie 
in  October  1845,  when  we  were  undergraduates  to- 
gether at  Cambridge.  I  do  not  think  that  I  enjoyed 
in  his  case  that  special  intimacy,  which  is  given  only  to 
one  or  two  friends,  and  which,  at  that  time  of  life 
especially,  makes  those  friends  the  sharers  of  almost 
every  thought  or  feeling  in  a  man's  mind.  But,  from 
October  1845  till  January  1848  we  met  constantly  in 
Mr  Hopkins'  mathematical  class.     In  that  class  (which 


COLLEGE  LIFE— UNDERGRADUATE.  IJ 

in  our  year  included  the  first  four  Wranglers)  we  had 
daily  opportunities  of  judging  of  each  other,  not  only 
as  to  intellectual  powers,  but  also,  to  some  extent,  as 
to  temper  and  chai'acter ;  and  the  two  Long  Vacations 
which  we  spent  together  at  Cambridge  naturally  threw 
us  more  upon  one  another  for  companionship.  All  this 
gave  opportunity  of  mutual  knowledge ;  and  Mackenzie's 
character  was  one  which  made  such  knowledge  in  his 
case  both  easy  and  attractive. 

"  I  should  perhaps  leave  Mr  Hopkins  to  speak  of  his 
mathematical  powers ;  but  there  may  be  some  peculiar 
interest  in  the  opinion  formed  of  a  man  by  his  contem- 
poraries, and  of  that  I  can  certainly  bear  my  testimony. 
What  we  were  struck  with  was  the  union  in  him  of 
great  quickness  of  conception  with  an  unusual  compre- 
hensiveness and  solidity  of  understanding.  I  never  re- 
member to  have  heard  from  him  a  single  answer  which 
betrayed  ignorance  or  misconception  of  a  piinciple.  He 
had  the  true  mathematical  faculty,  the  results  of  which 
are  often  simulated  in  examinations  by  great  powers  of 
memory  and  judgment;  but  which,  unlike  its  counter- 
feit, has  real  capacity  for  origination  and  discovery.  In 
fact,  that  very  quickness  and  originality  seemed  to  us 
occasionally  to  turn  him  out  of  the  beaten  track  which 
leads  to  the  Senate-House.  It  was  not  in  his  way  to 
despise  regular  system ;  but  he  seemed  to  forget  or  to 
ignore  it,  and  would  obtain  results  without  that  regular 
evolution  of  intermediate  steps,  on  which  Cambridge 
Examinations  naturally  and  rightly  insist. 

"Except  in  relation  to  mathematics,  I  do  not  remem- 
ber to  have  been  impressed  by  his  ability.     He  was  no 


28  MEMOIR  OF  BISHOP  MACKENZIE. 

great  talker  on  general  subjects;  I  do  not  think  that 
he  ever  spoke  at  the  Union,  or  took  part  in  the  discus- 
sion of  the  great  religious  questions  which  excited  most 
of  us  so  strongly.  In  the  ways,  therefore,  which  most 
bring  out  a  man's  ability  independently  of  the  course 
of  University  study,  he  did  not  shew  much  of  what  was 
in  him.  It  was  a  subject  of  some  surprise  to  us  that 
such  was  the  case.  I  hardly  know  now  to  what  cause 
to  refer  it.  In  general  intercourse  we  were  most  struck 
with  the  remarkable  simplicity,  sincerity,  and  kindliness 
of  his  character,  the  utter  absence  in  him  of  anything 
like  conceit  or  presumption,  or  that  straining  after 
effect  which  every  University-man  knows  as  the  com- 
mon temptation  of  the  leading  men  of  a  year.  But  I 
do  not  remember  to  have  noticed  in  him  any  decided 
line  of  opinion  or  thought;  or  to  have  been  strongly 
impressed  by  evidence  of  any  mai-ked  and  predominant 
influence  of  religion  upon  his  life.  Such  influence  ma}'- 
have  existed,  and  been  kept  in  reserve;  certainly  we 
always  thought  of  him  as  a  religious  man,  and  the 
groundwork  of  a  true  Christian  character  was  to  be 
seen  in  his  almost  childlike  simplicity,  honesty,  and 
kindliness  of  heart.  But  it  did  not,  so  far  as  I  know, 
shine  out  clear  above  all  other  influences,  as  it  did 
in  after  life.  I  heard  of  his  devotion  to  the  mission- 
ary work  with  some  surprise,  surprise  (that  is)  that 
the  impulse  to  it  had  been  received,  but  not  sm^prise 
that  he  should  count  cheap  his  own  gifts  and  labours  in 
any  cause  which  he  had  once  taken  up.  I  heard  after- 
wards that  the  impulse  had  been  given  through  the 
sermons  of  one  not  unlike  himself  in  simplicity  and 


COLLEGE  LIFE— UNDERGRADUATE.  29 

practical  earnestness.  But  by  whatever  means  received, 
it,  and  the  train  of  thought  which  led  to  it,  seemed  to 
make  a  wonderful  change  in  his  whole  character." 

The  reader  who  has  perused  the  portions  of  letters 
printed  in  this  chapter  may  perhaps  regard  with  some 
astonishment  the  statements  made  in  the  preceding 
paragraph.  But  I  have  thought  it  well  to  give  the  two 
testimonies  side  by  side:  his  own  letters  shew  what  was 
going  on  within,  and  prove  that  a  strong  impulse  of  re- 
ligious activity,  which  had  in  it  the  germ  of  missionary 
enterprise,  had  already  touched  Mackenzie's  heart :  the 
reminiscences  of  his  fellow-student  shew  how  modest 
and  unobtrusive  his  religious  feeling  was.  Some  per- 
sons may  say  that  it  would  have  been  well  that  his 
light  should  have  been  made  to  shine  more  distinctly  : 
possibly  this  may  be  true ;  but  the  point  is  not  worth 
arguing,  since  my  purpose  must  be  to  represent 
Mackenzie,  not  as  he  might  have  been,  but  as  he 
was :  yet  this  ought  to  be  said,  that  the  retiring  mo- 
desty and  unobtrusiveness  of  his  religious  character 
was  probably  that  which,  more  than  anything  else, 
gave  him  an  influence  for  good  :  there  was  nothing  to 
repel :  all  was  brightness,  and  gentleness,  and  sunshine : 
and  it  was  scarcely  possible  to  be  in  his  society  with- 
out coming  to  the  conclusion,  that  he  had  found  out 
the  secret  of  life,  and  that  it  would  be  well  to  be  like 
him. 


CHAPTER   III. 
COLLEGE  LIFE— HOLY  ORDERS. 

I  HAVE  not  said  anything  hitherto  of  Bishop  Mackenzie's 
personal  appearance.  As  we  have  now  arrived  at  a 
period  of  his  Hfe,  when  his  outward  man  had  become 
very  much  what  it  continued  to  be  during  his  brief 
sojourn  upon  earth,  it  may  be  well  in  this  place  to 
devote  a  few  lines  to  the  description  of  his  person,  for 
the  benefit  of  those  amongst  my  readers,  who  will  know 
him  only  through  the  imperfect  medium  of  this  me- 
moir. 

He  was  tall,  nearly  six  feet  high,  and  very  well 
made.  He  had  great  muscular  strength,  and  remark- 
able power  of  endurance.  The  portrait  given  in  this 
volume  gives  a  fair  representation  of  his  face :  it  was 
not  in  any  critical  sense  handsome,  but  it  was  such  a 
face  as  one  loves  to  look  upon.  There  was  in  it  an 
exceeding  gentleness  of  expression ;  indeed  it  appeared 
to  be  a  face  which  could  not  frown :  it  was  withal  very 
thoughtful,  and  had  a  certain  quiet  air  of  deliberation, 
which  his  friends  will  well  remember.  His  eyes  were 
not  large,  or  rather  they  were  too  small,  but  they  were 


COLLEGE  LLFE—IIOLY  ORDERS.  31 

very  bright,  and  had  a  pleasing  expression  quite  pecu- 
liar to  themselves.  A  great  deal  of  courage  and  de- 
termination  was  expressed  by  his  mouth.  His  voice 
was  very  musical  and  pleasant,  with  a  little  of  the 
Scottish  accent,  especially  when  he  was  animated.  His 
forehead  was  fine  and  well  developed,  but  perhaps 
somewhat  exaggerated  by  his  early  baldness.  On  the 
whole  his  ovitward  appearance  suited  very  well  with 
his  inward  character;  strong,  manly,  active,  enduring, 
yet  gentle  and  preeminently  free  from  guile.  He  was 
rapid  in  his  movements,  a  very  fast  walker,  fond  of 
violent  exercise,  especially  of  boating;  calculated  by 
his  good  health,  powerful  frame,  and  excellent  spirits, 
to  enjoy  life  physically  as  completely  as  it  can  be  en- 
joyed. He  sometimes  overtasked  his  strength,  and 
appeared  for  a  while  oppressed  and  weary;  but  he  soon 
rallied,  and  never  lost  his  calm  placidity  of  temper. 
During  his  residence  in  Cambridge  I  believe  his  good 
health  never  varied,  and  his  bodily  strength  (as  will 
appear  in  the  sequel)  underwent  little  or  no  dimi- 
nution during  life.  In  his  last  sojourn  in  Africa  he 
allowed  his  beard  to  grow ;  a  very  necessary  precaution 
in  the  prospect  of  the  life  which  he  was  to  lead. 

After  taking  his  Bachelor  of  Arts'  degree,  Mackenzie 
followed  the  course  into  which  a  number  of  young  men 
are  tempted  year  by  year  in  Cambridge;  that  is  to 
say,  he  soon  became  a  fellow  of  his  College,  worked  as 
lecturer  or  assistant  tutor,  and  employed  a  certain  por- 
tion of  his  time  with  private  pupils.  Meanwhile  he 
never  allowed  himself  to  look  upon  this  kind  of  life  as 
anything  but  a  temporary  and   preparatory   arrange- 


32  MEMOIR  OF  BISHOP  MACKENZIE. 

ment;  he  ever  kept  his  eye  fixed  upon  the  Christian 
]\Iinistry  as  his  work  and  calhng,  and  endeavoured  to  fit 
himself  for  his  future  character,  both  by  study  and  by 
practical  assistance  in  such  spiritual  works  as  he  found 
lying  in  his  way.  Thus  he  undertook  the  manage- 
ment of  a  Sunday  school,  he  took  an  active  part  in  the 
working  of  a  Mendicity  Society,  served  as  secretary  to 
the  Cambridge  Board  of  Education,  and  helped  to  cany 
on  the  Cambridge  Industrial  School.  In  fact,  any  one 
who  had  a  work  of  Christian  love  and  practical  useful- 
ness in  hand  knew  always  where  to  look  for  help : 
Mackenzie  was  always  ready  to  take  a  part,  and  though 
in  some  respects  his  habits  were  not  those  of  a  man  of 
business,  being  deficient  in  orderly  arrangement  and 
economy  of  time,  still  there  was  a  heartiness  and  sim- 
plicity of  purpose,  and  an  unfailing  supply  of  good 
humour,  which  made  him  a  delightful  comrade  in  any 
work,  whether  secular  or  religious. 

When  I  speak  of  his  habits  as  being  in  some  re- 
spects not  those  of  a  man  of  business,  I  only  say  that 
to  which  he  himself  frequently  bears  testimony  in  his 
letters.  In  one  of  them  he  alludes  humorously  to  a 
saying  current  amongst  his  friends,  to  the  effect  that 
he  had  a  marvellous  facility  for  getting  into  "gigantic 
messes,"  and  an  equal  facility  for  getting  out  of  them. 
The  fact  is  that  he  was  always  ready  to  consent  to 
undertake  any  kind  of  useful  or  benevolent  work 
which  was  pressed  upon  him ;  and  not  unfrequently 
the  engagements  which  he  contracted  were  incompa- 
tible, or  so  nearly  approaching  to  incompatibility,  that 
it  would  seem   impossible  that  they  could  be  all  ful- 


COLLEGE  LIFE— HOLY  ORDERS.  33 

filled.  Yet  somehow  he  contrived  to  do  what  he  pre- 
mised, and  to  perform  works  which  men  technically 
more  business-like  would  perhaps  have  failed  to  ac- 
complish. 

Correspondence  was  not  his  strong  point ;  at  least, 
his  correspondence  was  not  regular  and  not  systema- 
tical ;  and  as  a  minor  defect  I  may  mention  that  the 
greater  number  of  his  college  letters  are  not  dated  as 
to  time,  so  that  they  cannot  be  quite  certainly  arranged. 
A  considerable  number  of  letters,  written  to  his  sisters, 
have  however  been  placed  in  my  hands,  and  I  shall 
endeavour,  as  far  as  may  be,  to  make  them  tell  the 
main  tale  of  this  portion  of  his  life.  The  tale  will  be 
very  simple  and  uneventful,  and  will  be  chiefly  inter- 
esting as  exhibiting  the  quiet  and  modest  manner,  in 
which  the  great  purpose  of  leaving  aU  and  following 
Christ  gradually  ripened  in  his  soul. 

The  following  letter  addressed  to  his  eldest  sister 
will  shew  something  of  the  inner  workings  of  his  mind 
soon  after  the  period  of  his  B.A.  degTee.  Bearing  in 
mind  the  peculiarly  close  relation  of  love  and  confi- 
dence in  which  Mackenzie  stood  to  this  sister,  as  already 
mentioned,  the  reader  will  believe  that  he  has  in  this 
letter  a  genuine  peep  into  the  writer's  heart,  and  will 
probably  be  struck  with  the  honesty  of  purpose  and 
the  humility  whicli  it  reveals.  The  letter,  though  un- 
dated, may  be  assigned  from  internal  evidence  to  April 
1848.  On  May  4  of  that  year  Mackenzie  was  apjDointed 
one  of  the  secretaries  to  the  Cambridge  Board  of  Edu- 
cation, in  the  place  of  the  E.ev.  J.  J.  Smith ;  he  held 
the  office  until  1855,  when  he  was  compelled  to  resign 

3 


34  MEMOIR  OF  BISHOP  MACKENZIE. 

by  his  departure  for  Africa.     This  is  the  appointment 
to  which  allusion  is  made  in  the  letter. 

LETTER  lY. 

Caius  College.     Friday. 

My  dear 

I  have  been  very  remiss  in  my  correspondence 
with  every  one  this  term,  and  perhaps  with  yoii  it  may 
partly  have  unconsciously  arisen  from  my  not  having  got 
quite  into  the  sort  of  reading  we  thovight  of.  This  has 
arisen  partly  from  my  wishing  to  get  on  with  my  Hebrew, 
there  being  a  class  which  I  joined  and  found  myself  of 
coiirse  quite  behind  the  rest ;  and  I  felt  it  due  to  them  to 
work  as  hard  as  I  could,  to  get  up  to  them  as  soon  as  pos- 
sible. But,  besides  this,  I  have  not  given  nearly  so  long  to 
divinity  as  we  spoke  of;  for  at  first  it  was  some  little  time 
before  I  got  into  the  way  of  my  work,  and  then  when  I  had 
got  started  fairly  boating  soon  began,  and  that  occupied  not 
only  the  middle  of  the  day  when  we  actually  rowed,  but  the 
morning  also,  for  we  breakfasted  together;  and  so  I  lost  not 
only  my  hour  of  divinity  or  Leighton  in  the  morning,  but 
I  am  sorry  to  say  sometimes  even  my  time  for  reading  and 
prayer;  and  that  very  soon  cast  a  gloom  and  deadness  on 
my  whole  life. 

Still  all  this  time  I  was  obliged  to  give  my  energies 
during  four  hours  of  the  day  to  my  pupils. 

It  was  strange  that  my  work  at  the  Asylum  never  be- 
came a  drudgery  or  a  trouble  to  me.  Indeed,  one  day  I  put 
myself  and  the  whole  crew  to  considerable  inconvenience  on 
purpose  that  I  might  go  up.  But  I  think  I  was  partly  led 
to  this  by  a  lurking  feeling  of  pride  that  I  must  not  be 
remiss  in  a  piece  of  business  which  I  had  voluntarily  under- 
taken, and  of  which  a  good  many  people  knew. 

And  now  one  consequence  of  all  this  has  been,  that  I 


COLLEGE  LIFE— HOLY  ORDERS.  ^^ 

have  got  the  vaguest  ideas  of  what  is  a  man's  duty  and  what 
is  not.  One  thing  I  clearly  see,  that  it  is  a  duty  to  study 
the  Bible;  but  I  am  losing  interest  in  it.  Then  as  to 
prayer,  I  often  don't  know  what  to  pray  for;  and  I  feel 
sometimes  as  if  I  had  no  object  in  life.  Now  this  looks, 
I  think,  very  much  like  the  state  of  a  man  who  has  not 
done  his  duty,  and  as  if  I  ought  to  look  at  the  text,  "  If  any 
man  will  do  His  will,"  A:c.  But  then  the  question  comes 
back, — what  is  His  will  1  I  am  not  breaking  any  external 
law :  I  am  going  regularly  to  Chapel :  aad  probably  no  one 
would  find  any  fault  with  me  who  looked  at  me  from  with- 
out,— unless  they  charged  me  with  a  little  indolence.  But 
it  is  in  the  heart  that  the  mischief  lies,  and  I  don't  know 
what  to  do.  I  have  not  been  thoroughly  happy  for  some 
time,  and  have  felt  lowspirited  for  a  day  or  two. 

Sometimes  I  think  that  the  preaching  I  hear  here  is  too 
much  about  the  feelings — talking  about  love  and  faith  and 

hope — without  speaking  of  duty. 

*  -»  *  *  -A 

Sometimes  I  feel  almost  inclined  to  repine  at  my  lot 
because  it  is  so  prosperous,  and  to  wish  that  I  had  some  of 
those  afflictions  which  are  so  often  spoken  of  as  necessary 
for  men :  but  then  I  doubt  whether  it  may  not  be  that  I 
should  be  unable  to  endure,  and  that  God  is  sparing  me  till 
my  strength  is  greater. 

I  do  not  think  that  the  respect  which  is  joaid  to  "  a  good 
degree"  is  good  for  me.  The  other  day,  Smith,  our  late 
tutor,  ojETered  me  an  office  which  he  had  held,  namely,  one  of 
the  Secretaryships  to  the  Cambridge  Board  of  Education. 
At  first  I  declined  it,  as  mixing  me  up  with  men  so  much 
my  seniors,  and  as  pushing  myself  forward.  But  he  over- 
ruled this  objection  by  saying,  that  my  position  in  the 
University  was  quite  sufficient  to  justify  it,  and  so  by 
Hopkins'  advice  I  accepted,  I  mention  this  to  shew  what 
I  consider  the  idolatry  of  Mathematical  and  Classical  talent 
which  exists  here. 

S— 2 


3^  MEMOIR  OF  BISHOP  MACKENZIE. 


If  my  poor  head  could  stand  it,  it  would  be  all  very 
well  as  increasing  one's  influence  over  others. 

I  mentioned  ■  the  fact  of  the  vagueness  of  my  ideas  of 

duty  and  of  the  object  of  a  man's  life  to and ,  two 

of  my  companions.  The  one  said  he  believed  it  was  com- 
mon at  our  time  of  life  to  have  doubts  and  difficulties,  and 
they  would  wear  off.  The  other  became  metaphysical,  and 
got  into  the  subject  of  the  purposes  of  temptation,  which 
he  said  was  a  mystery  too  deep  for  us  to  fathom. 

On  the  whole  I  am  inclined  to  think  that  I  have  taken 
my  religion  too  much  on  trust ;  and  I  have  trembled  to 
think  how  little  foundation  I  have  laid  to  confront  any 
doubts  of  the  inspiration  of  the  Bible,  if  such  should  arise 
in  my  mind.  I  have  often  laughed  at  the  idea  of  doubting 
it,  as  if  I  could  ever  be  such  a  fool;  and  I  am  half  in- 
clined to  go  into  the  question  now. 


Of  the  year  1848  I  have  hardly  any  other  record 
beside  the  preceding,  but  I  find  in  a  letter  to  a  sister 
the  following  pretty  passage  : 

Do  you  remember  the  story  of ,  on  seeing  the  moon 

after  his  long  journey,  saying.  Eh!  hoo  far  she's  corned/ 
That  has  sometimes  suggested  to  me  the  very  consoling 
thought,  that  not  only  the  sun  and  the  moon,  but  a  far 
greater  than  they,  is  as  much  in  one  jjlace  as  in  another; 
and  that  in  the  silent  chamber,  when  the  eyes  are  shut,  one 
may  make  a  home  of  every  place :  and  surely  that  is  the 
time  when  one  more  apparently  and  certainly  breathes  a 
true  and  real  life.  If  the  spirit  of  such  moments  were 
spread  over  our  whole  day,  we  should  make  a  home  whei'e- 
ever  we  went,  or  at  least  get  glimpses  of  a  home  that  is  as 
near  one  place  as  another. 


COLLEGE  LIIE—HOLY  ORDERS  37 

The  following  year  is  a  still  more  complete  blank 
as  regards  correspondence;  at  least,  nothing  has  come 
into  my  hands  serving  to  illustrate  the  general  fact  which 
I  know  from  other  sources,  namely,  that  Mackenzie  was 
leading  a  quiet,  amiable,  and  useful  life  in  College, 
lecturing  most  conscientiously,  working  vigorously  with 
private  pupils,  taking  his  share  in  the  work  of  the 
college-boat,  and  setting  an  admirable  example  to  the 
young  men  above  whom  he  was  just  one  step  removed 
in  University  standing.  It  is  difl&cult  to  exaggerate 
the  usefulness  of  such  a  life  in  Cambridge,  while  at 
the  same  time  there  is  very  little  to  be  said  about  it. 
And  there  was  this  special  excellence  in  the  life  and 
example  of  Mackenzie,  that  they  could  not  fail  to  make 
piety  popular ;  it  was,  I  believe,  impossible  not  to  like 
him,  and  it  was  eqiially  impossible  not  to  respect  him  ; 
and  it  may  be  said,  without  fear  of  contradiction  from 
those  who  know  the  habits  and  atmosphere  of  Cam- 
bridge, that  a  young  man  of  acknowledged  intellectual 
ability,  who  is  able  to  join  together,  without  effort  or 
ostentation,  the  reading  of  the  Scriptures  to  aged  people 
in  an  Asylum,  or  the  teaching  of  a  Sunday  school,  with 
the  exercises  of  the  river  or  the  cricket-field,  is  beyond 
all  others  likely  to  influence  for  good  the  young  mem- 
bers of  the  University. 

The  next  letter  belongs  apparently  to  the  summer 
of  1850  ;  it  refers  to  the  "late  interest  in  the  Exami- 
nations," which  must  mean  the  College  Examinations 
in  the  month  of  May,  at  the  conclusion  of  the  work  of 
the  Easter  Term ;  and  this  consideration  would  seem 
to  place  the  letter  somewhere  in  the  Long  Vacation  of 


SS  MEMOIR  OF  BISHOP  MACKENZIE. 

that  year.  But  Mackenzie's  unfortunate  carelessness  in 
dating  his  letters  makes  it  uncertain  even  to  what  year 
it  belongs  ;  the  point  is  however  of  no  great  moment ;  it 
may  suffice  to  say  that  he  seems  not  to  have  accepted 
the  offer  made  to  him,  the  records  of  the  school  shew- 
ing that  he  never  was  actually  superintendent.  Pray 
observe,  readers,  the  modesty  with  which  he  expresses 
a  doubt,  whether,  if  Mr  Titcomb  had  known  all,  he 
would  have  offered  him  the  situation.  The  letter  is 
to  his  eldest  sister. 


My  dear 


LETTER   V. 

Caius  College.     Monday. 


The  immediate  object  of  my  writing  is  to  tell  you 
of  a  proposal  which  was  made  to  me  the  other  day. 

One  of  the  suburbs  of  Cambridge,  called  Barnwell,  is 
veiy  thicldy  inhabited,  and  by  poor  people.  There  are  two 
schools  attached  to  the  pai-ish,  and  in  one  of  these  I  taught 
for  three  or  four  Sundays  this  summer,  when  most  of  the 
teachers  were  gone  away,  for  in  it  almost  all  the  teachers 
are  University  men.  This  made  my  name  known  to  the 
clergyman,  Mr  Titcomb,  and  about  a  fortnight  ago  he 
offered  me  the  superintendentship  of  the  Girls'  school.  He 
made  the  proposal  to  me  verbally  through  Hopkins,  who 
got  me  my  post  at  the  Asylum.  Hopkins  seemed  inclined 
to  dissuade  me  from  accepting,  because  I  should  then  have 
to  leave  the  other — I  mean  the  Asylum.  But  Mr  Titcomb 
wrote  me  a  very  strong  letter,  requesting  me  to  think  of  it. 
He  asked  me  to  breakfast  yesterday  morning,  and  then  we 
went  to  the  school.  The  duties  are  to  be  there  twice  on 
Sunday,  to  oversee  the  whole,  and  I  suppose  to  take  a  class 
occasionally,  and  to  conclude  with  a  short  address.     Then 


COLLEGE  LIFE— HOLY  ORDERS.  39 

during  tlie  week  there  would  always  be  some  cliildren  to  see 
after,  aud  some  houses  therefore  to  go  to,  and  tliis  would 
give  a  taste  of  parish  visiting. 

Now  I  want  your  advice.  *  *  '""  *  I  will  just  give 
you  my  own  ideas,  and  if  you  could  manage  to  write  soon, 
I  should  really  like  to  hear  what  you  think.  I  should 
not  move  from  my  present  position,  which  I  am  getting 
to  like  better,  without  some  positive  i-eason.  As  far  as  I 
am  concerned  myself,  the  Sunday  work  would  be  longer. 
*  *  *  *  -Q^^^  ^j-jgj^  there  would  be  the  additional  ad- 
vantage of  an  insight  into  the  working  of  a  Sunday  school. 
As  to  the  week-day  work,  it  would  be  about  the  same  in 
time,  perhaps  a  little  more,  but  different  in  this  respect, 
that  there  would  be  more  going  among  people  whom  I  did 
not  know,  and  who  did  not  know  me,  and  would  so  far 
be  more  like  my  final  parish-work.  At  first  I  thought  this 
an  advantage,  but  now  I  almost  think  it  better  to  practise 
with  people  whom  I  have  got  to  know  a  little,  and  not 
to  dive  at  once  into  the  full  difficulties  of  visiting.  Then 
as  to  whether  I  should  be  fitted  for  the  position  :  Mr 
Titcomb  thought  at  first  that  I  had  taught  for  a  good  while 
in  another  school,  and  perhaps  if  he  had  known,  as  he  now 
does,  that  it  was  only  for  three  or  four  days,  he  might  not 
have  made  the  offer. 

So  far  it  seems  to  me  the  question  is  pretty  nearly  ba- 
lanced ;  and  when  I  come  to  consider  the  two  claims  upon 
me  as  duties,  it  seems  still  pretty  nearly  equal.  For  I 
am  engaged  with  the  one  at  present.  Yet  Mr  Titcomb  is 
very  pressing.  He  wishes  to  have  a  Bachelor  of  Arts,  and 
not  an  Undergraduate;  and  it  is  not  very  easy  to  find 
a  resident  B.A.  who  would  be  willing  to  undertake  the 
work.  He  says,  if  I  decline,  he  has  no  other  satisfactory 
course  to  fall  back  upon  :  the  present  superintendent  has 
just  been  ordained,  and  has  got  a  curacy.  On  the  whole 
I  am  in  great  doubt.  I  had  declined,  you  see,  and  now 
it  is  brought  before  me  again.     If  an  Undergraduate  can 


40  MEMOIR  OF  BISHOP  MACKENZIE. 

be  found  to  take  my  place  at  the  Asylum,  I  almost  think 
I  shall  go  :  and  yet  I  am  getting  very  fond  of  the  old 
people,  and  I  really  think  most  of  them  like  me ;  they 
might  be  shy  with  another,  at  any  rate  at  first. 

T  am  sorry  to  say  that  the  late  interest  in  the  Exami- 
nations has  too  much  directed  my  thoughts  from  other  things. 
I  never  perceived  at  the  time  very  distinctly  that  I  had 
almost  entirely  discontinued  reading  Leighton,  or  anything 
of  that  sort.  And  then  too  they  stopped  morning  Chapels, 
and  that  made  my  attendance  then  both  less  regular  and 
less  profitable  :  for  it  is  a  very  different  thing  going  to 
Chapel  straight  from  your  bed-room  before  breakfast,  and 
coming  away  from  a  merry  meeting  of  friends  after  dinner 
for  the  same  j^urpose  :  and,  as  I  always  find,  everything  else 
went  wrong  at  the  same  tima  I  did  not  regi'et  that  I 
could  not  see  my  old  people  during  the  Examination  week  : 
but  now  that  the  stress  of  that  is  over,  I  hope  to  be  a 
little  more  regular ;  though  I  sometimes  think,  what  is  the 
use  of  a  religion  which  yields  in  time  of  difficulty,  and 
cannot  keep  straight  except  in  time  of  ease  and  peace  1 


In  the  autumn  of  1850  he  made  a  tour  in  Swit- 
zerland, his  first  and  only  tour  in  that  glorious  country. 
Notwithstanding  the  natural  deficiency  of  taste  for 
scenery,  of  which  he  seems  to  have  been  accused  in  his 
younger  days,  he  manifestly  enjoyed  this  trip  exceed- 
ingly. Several  letters  are  before  me,  written  with  all 
that  enthusiasm  which  a  first  acquaintance  with  the 
grander  features  of  nature  is  almost  sure  to  beget :  there 
is  in  them,  however,  nothing  so  characteristic  as  to  make 
me  think  it  desirable  to  transfer  their  contents  to  these 
pages  :  Mackenzie  performed  no  gigantic  and  unprece- 
dented feat  of  mountaineering,  but  enjoyed  himself  in 


COLLEGE  LIFE- HOLY  ORDERS.  4^ 

the  well- worn  path,  which  so  many  travellers  tread  year 
by  year ;  visited  Interlaken  and  the  valley  of  Lauter- 
brunnen,  passed  over  the  Wengern  Alp,  and  enjoyed 
Grind  el  wald,  intended  to  go  over  the  Strahleck  and  did 
not  do  it,  slept  on  the  summit  of  the  Faulhorn,  &c.  &c. 
I  may  observe,  however,  that  the  letters  give  the  im- 
pression, which  I  have  had  confirmed  by  actual  testi- 
mony, that  Mackenzie  was  a  first-rate  travelling  com- 
panion :  few  things  are  more  trying  to  the  temper  than 
partnership  in  travel :  very  good  friends  fall  out  under 
the  influence  of  the  small  annoyances  and  unavoidable 
differences  of  opinion  incident  to  this  kind  of  partner- 
ship ;  and  I  have  heard  of  two  persons,  who  during  a 
succession  of  summers  started  together  for  a  pleasure 
trip,  but  never  returned  in  company.  Perhaps,  there- 
fore, this  may  be  a  not  unfitting  place  for  bearing 
testimony  to  Mackenzie's  perfect  serenity  of  temper 
in  small  things.  I  have  seen  him  in  many  different 
circumstances,  sometimes  very  annoying  and  trying, 
but  I  never  upon  one  occasion  saw  his  temper  ruffled, 
or  observed  the  slightest  cloud  of  annoyance  to  settle 
upon  his  countenance.  I  may  add,  that  in  his  Swiss 
letters  one  of  the  most  prominent  points  is  his  anxiety 
about  his  travelling  companions  :  no  pleasure  which  he 
experienced  himself  seems  to  have  made  so  much  im- 
pression upon  him  as  his  regret  at  being  compelled 
to  be  behind  his  time  in  an  appointment  to  meet  a 
friend  in  Lucerne,  and  his  sorrow  that  the  same  friend 
should  have  been  compelled  through  him  to  descend 
the  Faulhorn  in  the  dusk. 

The  year  1851  was  the  important  year  of  ordination. 


42  MEMOIR  OF  BISHOP  MACKENZIE. 

I  have  observed  that  from  early  j^outh  Mackenzie  had 
looked  forward  to  holy  orders  as  his  final  destination  ; 
he  ever  kept  his  eye  steadily  upon  this  goal ;  and  he 
regarded  his  general  education  as  valuable  chiefly  in 
the  light  of  a  jDreparation  for  the  high  office  of  the 
ministry.  Consequently  I  find  in  his  letters  no  doubts 
concerning  the  choice  of  a  profession  ;  his  only  question 
was  how  he  could  best  prepare  himself  for  an  office 
for  which  he  believed  that  he  was  chosen,  but  for  the 
duties  of  which  he  felt  himself  inadequate  and  un- 
worthy. He  was  ordained  deacon  on  Trinity  Sunday, 
by  the  Bishop  of  Ely. 

The  following  is  an  extract  from  a  letter  to  one  of 
his  sisters,  shortly  before  his  ordination. 

LETTER  VI. 

As  to  myself,  I  am  afraid,  dear  ,   there  is  much 

between  what  I  am  and  what  I  was.  And  it  arises  I  sup- 
pose from  forgetting  that  "■  the  violent  take  the  kingdom  by 
force;"  for  in  a  busy  life  like  mine  one  must  insist  with 
oneself  on  having  time  for  thought,  and  in  this  I  have  fallen 
into  my  natural  defect  of  acting  on  impulse,  and  not  on 
method  and  plan.  I  know  you  have  warned  me  of  this 
often,  and  I  am  writing  now  to  make  myself  fancy  you  are 
speaking  to  me.  It  is  not  that  my  time  goes  away  utterly 
wasted,  for  it  never  does  that  here,  at  least  seldom,  but  that 
active  employment  for  the  mind  has  a  greater  charm  for  me 
than  quietness  and  meditation ;  but  I  will  try  by  God's  aid 
to  mend  this. 

I  am  in  full  swing  at  the  school,  and  as  I  have  not  been 
out  of  Cambridge  on  Sunday  since  I  came  up  in  January, 
I  have  had  little  interruption. 


COLLEGE  LIFE— HOLY  ORDERS.  43 

It  was  about  this  time  that  my  own  intimacy  with 
Mackenzie  ripened  ;  we  were  thrown  much  together  as 
fellow-workers  in  the  Cambridge  Industrial  School ; 
this  school  was  established  for  the  purpose  of  rescuing 
poor  boys  from  the  dangers  of  idleness,  and  has  proved, 
by  God's  blessing,  a  more  efficient  instrument  of  re- 
formation and  improvement  than  its  first  promoters  had 
even  ventured  to  hope.  Mackenzie  entered  into  the 
scheme  with  all  his  heart,  and  won  the  afi"ections  of 
master  and  boys  by  his  genial  kindness.  A  boy  from 
this  school  accompanied  him  on  his  first  voyage  to 
Africa ;  the  boy  had  had  only  slight  opportunities  of 
making  his  acquaintance,  but  when  asked  by  the  master 
whether  he  would  be  willing  to  go,  he  replied  at  once, 
"  O,  I  would  go  anywhere  with  Mr  Mackenzie."  But 
I  must  not  anticipate,  and  I  will  recall  nayself  to  the 
year  1851,  by  inserting  an  extract  from  the  last  letter 
which  I  can  find  written  to  his  eldest  sister  before  his 
ordination. 

LETTER  YII. 

I  am  now  looking  forward  to  an  end  of  my  labours  for 
this  term.  The  College  Examination  begins  on  Monday 
and  will  be  over  on  Friday  the  6th,  and  then  I  shall  have  a 
few  days  to  think  of  the  Examination  that  is  coming.  I 
have  to  thank  you,  dear,  for  your  sympathy  with  me  now. 
It  is  indeed  a  time  of  important  change,  like  an  outdoor 
servant  taken  to  live  in  the  house,  and  give  the  whole  atten- 
tion instead  of  only  a  part  to  the  Master's  service.  Not 
that  I  contemplate  leaving  College  yet.  I  am  convinced 
that  much  good  may  be  done  here,  if  one  can  only  consider 
it  as  one's  parish,  and  as  this  is  not  a  very  common  light  to 
regard  an  ordained  fellow  in,  I  am  the  more  inclined  to 
remain,  as  seeing  some  work  to  do. 


44  MEMOIR  OF  BISHOP  MACKENZIE. 

I  have  been  laying  myself  out  this  last  half  year  to  get 
intimate  with  the  boys,  and  have  pretty  well  succeede^l; 
principally  I  suppose  because  the  occupation  accorded  with 
my  wishes  and  gave  me  pleasure;  and  this  is,  I  think,  a 
very  great  source  of  influence.  However,  I  am  rather 
speculating  too  much,  and  after  all  I  am  daily  more  and 
more  convinced  of  the  permanent  duty  of  taking  care  of 
oneself :  I  mean,  avoiding  the  delusion  of  thinking  of  others, 
while  oneself  is  going  down  hill ;  and  to  this  I  find  myself 
prone. 


The  reader  will  observe  that  in  the  above  extract 
Mackenzie  speaks  of  "  getting  intimate  with  the  boys," 
by  which  name  he  designates  the  Undergraduates.  I 
believe  that  few  men  have  been  more  successful  in  this 
work.  He  was  amongst  them  precisely  as  an  elder 
brother,  influencing  them  for  good  without  obtruding 
advice,  and  impressing  by  his  presence  a  high  and 
pure  tone.  The  remark  was  made  to  one  of  them,  who 
loved  him  well,  on  the  occasion  of  the  news  of  his 
decease  reaching  England,  "You  must  feel  as  if  you 
had  lost  a  brother."  "  Ah,"  was  the  reply,  "  no  brother 
was  ever  to  me  what  Mackenzie  was." 

We  now  enter  upon  Mackenzie's  clerical  life.  The 
change  was  not  in  his  case,  as  indeed  it  ought  never 
to  be,  a  sudden  and  violent  one.  He  continued  his  old 
works  of  usefulness,  and  he  seems,  in  the  first  instance, 
to  have  looked  forward  to  a  lengthened  stay  in  College 
as  a  clerical  fellow.  Here  is  a  part  of  a  letter,  which, 
for  a  wonder,  is  dated,  and  which  expresses  his  views 
at  this  time. 


COLLEGE  LIFE— HOLY  ORDERS.  45 

LETTER  VIII. 

Caius  College.  July  9,  1851. 
I  am  unwilling  to  leave  College.  I  can  hardly 
conceive  a  more  useful  and  important  place  to  be  in ;  and 
though  there  are  influences  for  bad  here,  in  the  shape  of 
clergymen  who  do  not  think  it  necessary  to  act  as  parish 
working  clergy  would,  (I  am  putting  it  in  the  extenuating 
language  they  would  use,)  yet  there  are  very  many  who  are 
not  so,  and  I  don't  think  the  "  atmosphere "  so  unwholesome 

as  that  of ,  for  instance.      I  am  writing  coldly  I  know, 

but  I  do  not  think  I  am  letting  selfish  considerations  overbear 
higher  ones.  I  should  like  to  live  here  as  a  clergyman,  with 
such  of  the  Undergraduates  as  I  could  influence  as  my 
parish,  and  to  throw  up  private  teaching  altogether. 

I  have  begun  my  clerical  duties  by  reading  prayers,  but 
have  not  preached  yet.      I  intended  to   have  done  so  ou 
Sunday  next,  but  find  my  assistance  will  not  be  wanted. 
*  *  *  *  * 

He  very  soon  however  felt  a  craving  for  more  di- 
rectly ministerial  work  than  any  which  he  could  find 
in  College ;  an  offer  was  made  to  him  of  a  curacy  in 
Shropshire,  which  would  have  taken  him  altogether 
from  Cambridge,  but  this  he  declined ;  and  almost  im- 
mediately afterwards  an  opening  occurred  which  seemed 
exactly  to  meet  his  views,  namely,  a  curacy  in  the 
neio^hbourhood  of  Cambridge,  which  would  enable  him 
to  have  reg-ular  parish-work,  and  yet  not  remove  him 
from  a  sphere  in  which,  with  all  his  modesty,  he  must 
have  felt  that  he  was  making  himself  very  useful.  The 
offer  of  this  curacy  is  communicated  to  a  sister  in  the 
following  letter,  in  which  he  also  alludes  to  the  curacy 
in  Shropshire  and  to  his  having  declined  it. 


4^  MEMOIR  OF  BISHOP  MACKENZIE. 

LETTER  IX. 


Deae 


Caius  College. 
Friday,  July  26,    1851. 


Thank  you  for  writing,  and  tliank  yon  mucli  for 
writing  what  you  did.  I  have  no  hesitation  myself  what- 
ever ;  though  differing  from '  is  a  strong  step  ;  and  I 

don't  think  I  should  have  felt  so  easy  about  it,  but  that  I. 
am  sure  she  does  not  know  the  position  of  things  here,  and 
therefore  that  I  can  judge  better  than  she  can.     I  had  a 

most  kind  letter  from ,  offering,  in  a  neat  way,  if  I  took 

this  and  wished  her  to  come  to  me  there,  to  come  at  once : 
but  I  had  made  up  my  mind.  I  must  write  and  thank  her, 
however.  Luckily  for  me  the  thing  was  put  out  of  the 
question  at  once  by  my  having  agreed  to  be  one  of  the 
Examiners  in  the  University  Examination  next  January ; 
and  that  I  could  not  well  put  off.  Besides,  I  should  not  like 
to  leave  my  place  in  College  in  a  hurry,  as  they  would  need 
to  appoint  a  successor  :  but  your  notion  of  the  work  I  might 
do  here  is  quite  my  own,  and  I  believe  for  a  time  that  will 
be  best. 

I  have  been  offered  a  sub-curacy  (if  I  may  coin  the 
word)  about  five  miles  from  Cambridge.  The  curate  is 
virtually  rector,  and  I  should  be  his  curate.  The  popula- 
tion is  about  900,  I  believe,  and  in  winter  I  should  have  the 
principal  weight  of  it  on  my  shoulders ;  but  on  the  Sunday 

I  could  always  get  help. 

*  ;:-  *  *  * 

The  next  letter,  written  to  his  eldest  sister  from  a 
place  in  which  he  was  taking  temporary  duty,  again 
refers  to  the  curacy  near  Cambridge,  the  duties  of 
which  he  had  now  arranged  to  take  after  the  Long 
Vacation. 

^   His  eldest  sister. 


COLLEGE  LIFE—IIOLY  ORDERS.  47 

LETTER  X. 

Little  Waltham,  Essex. 
August  7,  1851. 

Dearest , 

I  dare  say  you  do  not  know  what  I  am  doing.  You 
know  I  have  taken  the  duty  once  or  twice  for  a  friend  in  a 
stray  way  already,  but  I  like  better  being  resident  as  I  am 
now.  A  friend,  a  man  of  my  own  year  at  Cambridge,  is  the 
curate  here ;  and  finding  his  thi'oat  inflamed,  he  asked  me 
to  relieve  him  for  a  week  or  two.  So  I  came  here  on  Mon- 
day, and  shall  do  his  duty  in  Church  and  a  little  visiting  for 
a  fortnight.  It  is  next  best  to  having  a  parish  of  my  own  ; 
and  that  I  have  arranged  to  have  in  the  neighbourhood  of 
Cambridge,  as  soon  as  I  go  back  in  October  to  College,  as 
you  have  probably  heard  from  Harcus.  *  *  *  The 
Rev.  W.  Clark  is  to  be  my  Rector,  though  he  is  only  Curate 
himself.     *         *■  ■'     As   far    as  working   the  parish  is 

concerned,  I  am  clear  it  will  not  be  so  satisfactory  as  if  I 
had  nothing  else  to  do ;  but  as  Mr  Clark  knows  my  position 
exactly,  and  can  get  no  one  better  for  his  purpose,  part  of 
the  disagreeableness  is  removed,  and  I  do  really  wish  to 
remain  in  College  for  a  time. 

I  find  it  difficult  to  write  sermons,  not  so  much  for  want 
of  something  to  say,  as  from  the  temptation  to  ramble.  I 
am  afraid  too  that  those  I  have  written  are  hardly  under- 
stood by  the  poor  people.  However,  I  suppose  if  one  tries 
always  to  get  simple,  it  will  come  in  time.  My  object 
ought  to  be,  I  suppose,  to  catch  attention,  and  then  preach 
the  simple  doctrine  of  Christ  crucified  :  at  least,  if  that  is 
not  the  principal  topic  of  the  second  half  of  my  sermon, 
ought  it  not  to  come  in  somewhere  1  At  any  rate,  when  I 
have  but  two  Sundays  to  preach  to  this  congregation,  I 
think  I  ought  to  be  very  distinct  in  this :  perhaps  in  my 
own  curacy  it  may  require  a  little  variety ;  and  there  are 
other  things  of  importance  doubtless  besides  this  one,  but  it 
is  never  difficult  to  turn  the  subject  to  this. 


48  MEMOIR   OF  BISHOP  MACKENZIE. 

I  liave  been  taking  a  good  deal  of  interest  in  Cambridge 

in  a  Mendicity  Society  there ;  but  I  think  I  must  have  told 

you  of  it. 

*♦•»*♦ 

In  the  Mendicity  Society,  mentioned  in  tlie  fore- 
going letter,  Mackenzie  was  most  active,  taking  (as 
usual  with  him)  the  most  laborious  share  of  the  work. 
The  purpose  of  the  Society  was,  and  still  is,  to  prevent 
the  encouragement  of  systematic  mendicancy,  which  in 
a  place  like  Cambridge  is  liable  to  grow  into  a  fearful 
evil.  It  has  been  said,  and  I  believe  with  truth,  that 
beggars  have  been  in  the  habit  of  coming  to  Cambridge 
in  term-time,  and  seeking  other  pastures  during  the 
vacations,  as  regularly  as  the  members  of  the  Uni- 
versity. In  order  to  stop  the  bestowal  of  alms  upon 
such  unworthy  recipients,  and  at  the  same  time  relieve 
the  truly  unfortunate,  a  house  was  opened  in  Barnwell 
into  which  poor  travellers  could  be  admitted  by  tickets 
signed  by  subscribers.  The  house  was  put  under  the 
charge  of  a  constable,  whose  wife  acted  as  matron;  all 
cases  were  examined;  and  the  genuine  poor  travellers 
were  supplied  with  a  clean  lodging  for  the  night,  with 
supper,  and  with  breakfast  before  starting  next  morn- 
ing. The  working  of  this  machinery  has  been  found 
exceedingly  satisfactory  in  Cambridge,  and  I  believe  in 
other  places  also;  but  in  order  to  give  the  right  tone  to 
the  establishment,  and  to  turn  (if  it  might  be)  the  short 
sojourn  of  the  poor  travellers  to  some  spiritual  profit,  it 
was  necessary  that  some  one  interested  in  the  work 
should  go  up  to  the  mendicity  house  in  the  evening, 
speak  a  few  kind  words  to  the  inmates,  and  conduct 
evening  prayers.    Mackenzie  was  one  of  the  volunteers 


COLLEGE  LIFE—HOL  Y  ORDERS.  49 

for  this  work.  On  one  occasion  I  accompanied  him, 
and  was  much  struck  with  the  manner  in  which  he  ac- 
comphshed  his  task.  I  was  sure  that  he  would  succeed 
in  making  his  presence  agreeable  to  the  poor  travellers, 
but  I  was  not  prepared  to  find  him  so  successful  as  he 
proved  himself  to  be  in  conducting  the  family  worship. 
He  read  a  chapter  from  the  Scriptures,  and  then  made 
a  short  comment  upon  it  with  a  simplicity  and  earnest- 
ness and  readiness,  which  made  the  lesson  as  well 
adapted  for  its  purpose,  in  my  judgment,  as  it  could 
be.  The  prayers  were  from  the  Book  of  Common 
Prayer,  which  seemed  to  him  to  be  for  all  purposes  a 
sufficient  manual  of  devotion*. 

In  the  summer  of  1851  he  conducted  a  mathematical 
examination  at  Eton.  Some  of  his  impressions  are  con- 
tained in  a  letter  to  a  sister. 

•  I  subjoin  a  characteristic  circular,  printed  by  Mackenzie,  and  given 
to  Members  of  the  University:  — 

"It  is  better  to  give  One  Shilling  to  the  Mendicity  Society,  than 
Tvpo  Sixpences  or  Twelve  Pence  in  indiscriminate  charity ;  for  by  this 
Society  relief  is  given  in  a  shape  in  v?hich  it  cannot  be  abused,  and  in 
which  it  does  not  suit  the  tastes  of  professional  beggars;  and  there  is 
an  additional  advantage  attending  this  form  of  charity,  viz.  that  one 
night  of  perfect  order  and  peace  is  secured  to  the  recipient. 

"In  order  to  divert  into  this  more  useful  channel  the  money  which 
is  constantly  given  to  beggars,  and  which  in  most  cases  does  harm 
instead  of  good,  I  shall  be  very  happy  to  receive  at  any  time,  any  sum, 
however  small,  and  shall  keep  a  special  purse  in  my  pocket  for  the 
purpose :  the  amount  so  obtained  will  be  entered  in  the  Subsci'iption 
List  of  the  Society  as  small  donations  from  Caius  College. 

"  If  any  one  wishes  to  see  the  working  of  the  Society,  and  will  call 
on  me  a  little  before  Seven  any  Evening  before  the  end  of  this  month,  I 
shall  be  most  happy  to  take  him  with  me  when  I  go  to  admit  the 
applicants. 

"C.  F.  MACKENZIE. 
Caius  College,  Nov.  15,  1851." 

4 


50  MEMOIR  OF  BISHOP  MACKENZIE. 

LETTER  XL 

*  *  *  This  is  by  way  of  explanation  of  my  silence. 
So  you  are  to  put  yourself  back  a  week,  aud  tben  read  on. 
You  have  seen  my  declining  of  the  curacy,  and  I  hope  no 
one  is  distressed  at  it.  I  have  no  doubt  myself  I  am  doing 
what  is  best  on  the  whole  ;  but  I  want  to  thank  you  for  the 
kind  way  you  proposed  to  accompany  me.  It  would,  I  fully 
believe,  have  been  very  pleasant,  and  the  people  seemed  nice 

people  ft-om  the  little  we  knew  of  them. 

***** 

My  visit  to  Eton  was  pleasant  enough.  I  think  a  Public 
School  is  the  finest  thing  I  ever  saw  :  at  least  my  ideal  of  it 
is.  I  think  they  are  tiying  at  Eton  to  work  out  the  system^ 
and  make  the  most  of  it :  I  mean,  to  keep  up  a  good  spirffc,^;  (• 
of  gentlemanly  feeling  among  the  boys,  and  I  dare  s^l^ 
C'hristian  feeling  too ;  though  I  was  there  hardly  l<rng 
enough  to  see  this  attempt  so  distinctly  as  the  othei\  What 
a  field  of  occupation  !  600  picked  boys  out  of  England  !  I 
went  to  chapel  twice,  on  Sunday  and  on  Tuesday.  They 
wei-e  very  well-behaved.  What  an  opportunity  for  any  of 
the  masters,  by  their  manner,  to  give  solemnity  to  the  place, 
and  keep  i;p  the  home-reverence,  which  is  a  little  apt  to 
be  lost,  if  chapel  is  made  frequent.  I  think, — at  least  I 
thought  while  on  the  spot, — that  no  life  could  be  so  charming 
as  that  of  a  master  there ;  I  said  so,  and  they  agreed,  but 
said  there  were  dark  pages  novv  and  then  too.  I  think  you 
will  enter  into  my  feelings  on  this  point  better  than  any 
one  else. 

In  the  October  term  (1851)  he  commenced  his  work 
at  Haslingfield,  which  he  continued  until  the  time  of 
his  first  departure  for  Africa.  It  was  very  laborious, 
and  few  men  could  have  borne  the  effort;  but  with  him 
it  was  a  labour  perpetually  lighted  up  by  sunshiDO,  and 


COLLEGE  LIFE— HOLY  ORDERS.  5 1 

the  effort  was  not  apparent.  As  a  general  rule  he  com- 
bined his  parochial  duties  at  Haslingfield  with  college- 
work,  but  in  the  vacations  he  several  times  left  his 
college-rooms,  took  lodgings  at  the  house  of  the  village 
schoolmaster,  and  gave  himself  up  unreservedly  to  the 
work  of  his  parish.  On  several  occasions  I  have  spent 
a  day  with  him  in  his  village-home :  very  pleasant  and 
bright  those  days  were:  but  days  always  were  pleasant 
and  bright  in  Mackenzie's  company. 

The  date  of  the  following  letter  is  December  1851, 
when  he  had  had  a  few  months'  experience  of  parish- 
work. 

LETTER  XII. 

{To  a  Sister-r) 

I  find  college  and  parisli-work  very  heavy  together,  but 
hope  before  the  time  of  my  present  engagement  is  out, 
namely,  next  October,  to  have  discovered  how  to  combine 
them  without  overworking  myself.  I  meant  to  have  given 
you  a  journal  of  my  work  to  shew  you  that  my  neglect 
has  not  been  intentional,  but  perhaps  you  will  beUeve  me 
v/ithout. 

I  have  never  been  able  to  get  out  to  my  parish,  Hasling- 
field as  it  is  called,  more  than  onc3  during  the  week,  and  as 
YOU  might  conceive,  have  not  been  further  than  the  visiting  of 
the  sick.  This  vacation  I  shall  be  a  good  deal  occupied  with 
preparing  for  the  Examinations  next  month  :  but  that  is  a 
kind  of  work  which  is  in  my  own  hands  more  than  lectures  : 
I  can  work  double  one  day,  and  nojie  the  next :  so  I  shall 
get  out  at  least  twice  a  week,  I  hope. 

I  have  been  reading  Evans'  Bishojyric  of  Souls.     He  has 

given  me  a  great  longing  for  a  country  parish  and  nothing 

tige  to  do  :  but  I  believe  I  am  more  iiseful  as  I  am. 
*  *  *        '  *  * 

4—2 


52  MEMOIR  OF  BISHOP  MACKENZIE. 

My  ordinary  practice  lias  been  to  walk  out  to  my  curacy 
in  time  for  the  scliool,  which  is  at  half-past  nine.  I  take  a 
class  of  a  dozen  ;  but  the  remaining  thirty  are  all  in  the 
room,  and  I  have  some  difficulty  in  hearing  or  being  heard. 
However,  I  have  the  advantage  of  letting  the  master  get 
away  for  a  quarter  of  an  hour,  to  practise  the  hymns  with  the 
girls,  who  sing  in  church.  Then  at  half-past  ten  service 
begins,  and  Mr  Clark  or  I  do  the  whole.  This  lasts  till 
about  a  quarter  to  one.  We  dine  at  the  vicarage,  which  is 
Mr  Clark's  house,  and  go  into  church  again  at  half-past 
two.  About  a  quarter  of  an  hour  after  we  have  come  out  I 
set  off  and  walk  home.  It  is  five  and  a  half  miles,  and  I 
generally  take  an  hour  and  ten  minutes,  or  an  hour  and  a 
quarter.  So  you  see  the  grass  does  not  grow  under  my  feet. 
When  I  get  home,  which  is  before  six,  I  have  tea  or  cold 
meat ;  and  at  a  quarter  jjast  seven  I  go  out  to  one  of  the 

churches, 's,    and    hear   the    sermon    only ;    the    fact 

being,   that  neither    Mr  Clark's   sermons  nor  my  own  are 
quite  to  my  taste,  and  I  like  to  hear  one  good  sermon  in  the 

day.      Then   I  come  back  and  have  tea  with ,  where  I 

usuallj'   meet  three  or  four  or  five  friends,  and  go  to  bed 
tired. 


In  tlie  January  of  1852  Mackenzie  was  for  the  first 
time  Examiner  for  Mathematical  Honours.  I  was  my- 
self Senior  Moderator  on  the  same  occasion,  and  the 
preparatory  work  for  the  Examination  was  therefore, 
according  to  custom,  chiefly  done  at  my  house.  Thus 
I  was  brought  into  a  new  relation  with  Mackenzie;  I 
found  him  as  agreeable  a  companion  in  an  examination 
as  he  had  proved  under  other  circumstances;  modest, 
cheerful,  amiable.  He  expressed  much  good-humoured 
surprise  at  the  trouble  which  the  preparation  of  ques- 
tions for  the  Examination  cost  him.    The  practice  in 


COLLEGE  LIFE— HOLY  ORDERS.  S^ 

Cambridge,  and  it  is  a  very  wholesome  one,  is  for  each 
Examiner  to  submit  to  the  whole  Board  each  question 
which  he  intends  to  propose  to  the  Candidates  for  Ma- 
thematical Honours:  and  each  member  of  the  Board, 
when  a  question  has  been  read,  makes  it  his  business 
to  criticise  it  with  the  utmost  severity.  No  ordeal  can 
very  well  be  more  searching ;  and  before  it  is  finally 
approved,  every  question  is  thoroughly  sifted  both  as  to 
its  principle,  its  difficulty,  and  the  mode  of  its  expres- 
sion. Mackenzie  had  not  prepared  his  questions  with 
the  prospect  of  so  severe  a  test ;  and  I  remember  well 
the  good-humoured  regret  with  which,  after  much  dis- 
cussion and  hearing  a  variety  of  objections,  he  finally 
abandoned  several  of  his  questions,  with  the  remark, 
"  Well,  the  fact  of  the  matter  seems  to  be,  that  it  won't 
do  any  way." 

The  examination  interfered  with  Haslingfield  mi- 
nistrations for  a  time,  but  when  it  was  over  he  returned 
to  them  with  renewed  satisfaction.  The  following  letter 
seems  to  have  been  written  in  the  beginning  of  March 
1852. 

LETTER  XIII. 

(To  a  Sister.) 

Caius  College.     Tuesday. 
Dear , 

Your  letter  threw  a  shade  over  the  day  I  got  it. 
Not  because  you  had  scolded  me,  but  I  thought  I  could 
see  you  look  cold  at  me  through  the  pen  and  ink  :  at  least 
part  of  your  letter  gave  me  that  "  feel : "  others  were  like 
your  own  good  kind  hearty  self. 

-X-  -K-  *  *  * 

It  is  indeed  as  you  supposed.     I  have  not  had  much 


54  MEMOIR  OF  BISHOP  MACKENZIE. 

work  wliich  reqiiu'ed  to  be  done  at  a  given  time,  and  so 
have  been  always  in  arrear  :  making  frantic  efforts  to  get 
up  at  five,  and  so  get  a  start  in  the  day,  which  has  probably 
ended  in  my  being  sleepy  for  an  evening  or  two  afterwards. 

I  fancy  sometimes  I  feel  the  evil  of  not  taking  exei'cise 
regularly,  as  I  did  when  an  undergraduate.  There  are  some 
of  my  duties  now  which  must  be  done  between  two  and  four 
in  the  afternoon,  which  is  the  universal  time  for  exercise 
here,  and  then  on  those  days  I  perhaps  get  none,  while  on 
another  day  I  have  a  great  deal.  On  Siinday  I  have  always 
my  eleven  miles  walk,  besides  the  duty,  which  is  fatiguing. 
To-day  I  shall  be  at  a  meeting  of  the  Mendicity  Society's 
Committee  at  two,  and  as  chaplain  at  the  Hospital  at  three : 
so  I  shall  certainly  have  no  walk. 

***** 

I  am  greatly  disappointed  with  our  boat  this  year. 
They  are  pulliug  so  badly,  and  are  losing  places  day  after 
day.  Poor  Caius  is  not  the  place  for  "  pluck,"  (do  you 
know  the  word  V)  and  yet  by  the  bye  we  have  some  good 
cricketers  now. 

***** 

You  understand  I  hope  that  I  am  penitent  about  not 
writing  to  you  and  every  one  else,  and  that  I  have  written 
this  not  under  compulsion,  but  only  because  I  did  not  dare 
delay  longer. 

C.  F.  M. 


Amongst  other  duties  Mackenzie,  as  intimated  in 
the  preceding  letter,  took  his  turn  as  chaplain  of  Ad- 
denbrooke's  Hospital.  It  was  characteristic  of  him  not 
to  be  content  with  the  ordinary  duties  of  the  office,  but 
to  be  ready  to  promote  in  every  way  the  comfort  of 
the  patients.  The  arrangements  for  the  out-door  pa- 
tients were  at  that  time  very  incomplete;  these  patients 


COLLEGE  LIFE— HOLY  ORDERS.  S5 

saw  the  physicians,  received  their  prescriptions,  and 
then  were  obhged  to  wait  until  they  could  make  their 
way  to  the  little  window  of  the  dispensary  and  receive 
their  medicines ;  not  always  a  very  easy  task,  the  wait- 
ing hall  being  quite  full.  The  effect  was  that  the 
weakest  were  attended  to  last,  and  those  who  could 
with  least  inconvenience  remain  were  first  served. 
Moreover,  the  confusion  and  discomfort  were  very  con- 
siderable. Mackenzie  took  the  matter  in  hand,  and  by 
means  of  a  system  of  tickets,  the  working  of  which  he 
personally  superintended  for  some  weeks,  he  speedily 
introduced  order,  and  banished  much  of  the  inconveni- 
ence which  had  been  previously  felt.  This  may  seem 
a  trifling  feat,  and  hardly  worthy  of  being  chronicled ; 
but,  in  truth,  it  was  this  spirit  of  active  kindness,  this 
readiness  to  help  in  little  things  when  the  comfort  of 
others  was  concerned,  which  caused  much  of  that  warmth 
of  affection  with  which  Mackenzie  was  regarded  by  his 
friends. 

The  next  letter  belongs  to  the  beginning  of  the 
Long  Vacation,  and  looks  forward  to  the  stir  created 
for  a  few  days  in  the  quiet  dulness  of  the  University 
by  the  Master  of  Arts'  Commencement.  The  descrip- 
tion is  put  out  of  date  by  recent  changes  in  the 
University;  and  the  dulness  of  the  Long  Vacation  now 
knows  no  break.  The  old  arrangement,  doubtless,  had 
inconveniences ;  but  the  meeting  of  men,  who  had  known 
each  other  as  undergraduates,  after  several  years  of 
actual  contact  with  the  world  and  its  work  and  its 
cares,  was  very  pleasant,  and  frequently  not  without 
profit. 


56  MEMOIR  OF  BISHOP  MACKENZIE. 

LETTER  XIV. 

(To  a  Sister.) 

Caius  College.     Thursday. 
Dear , 


Your  letter  on  Sunday  morning  was  a  gi-eat  de- 
light to  me.  I  feel  such  a  disinclination  to  write  after  a 
long  silence,  that  if  you  take  courage  to  break  it,  it  is  a 
great  relief  to  me. 

It  is  very  true  what  you  say  of  difficulties,  apparently 
insurmountable,  giving  way  to  the  influence  of  time  and 
circumstances.  I  always  connect  such  cases  with  that  of 
the  women  at  the  sepulchre — who  shall  roll  us  away  the 

stone  ? 

*  *  *  -ss-  * 

You  have  had  gi-eat  doings  with  your  twenty-five-per- 
sons luncheon  party.     D was  in  my  rooms  when  I  was 

reading  your  letter,  and  when  I  told  him,  he  said,  "  What  a 
happy  family  you  seem  to  be,  always  so  glad  to  see  each 
other,  and  to  be  together:"  and  so  I  think  we  are ;  at  least 
I  am  coming  to  think  that  no  one  is  so  well  treated  by  his 
own  people  as  I  am. 

You  are  quite  right,  dear ,  in  praying  that  I  may 

be  kept  humble  in  this  place  of  literary  excitement.  I  don't 
know  what  would  become  of  me,  if  I  had  not  the  parish 
to  draw  my  mind  to  better  things  :  I  am  never  happier 
than  when  out  there.  Just  now  I  am  pressed  by  making 
papers  for  the  Examination  of  a  school  in  London.  I  make 
the  papers  here  and  send  them  up,  and  they  send  me  down 
again  the  answers  of  the  boys.  And  besides  this,  men  are 
continually  coming  up  to  college  just  for  a  day,  and  they 
consider  a  settled  man  like  me  as  their  lawful  prey,  and  I  too 
am  glad  to  see  them,  but  it  takes  up  time ;  and  more  than 
that,  distracts  one,  (like  the  elephant  that  does  more  damage 
to  the  forest  by  pushing  through,  than  by  all  he  eats,  ten 
times  over). 


COLLEGE  LIFE— HOLY  ORDERS.  SI 

R was  liere  on  Monday  and  Tuesday ;  he  was  one 

of  my  two  or  three  gi-eatest  friends  before  we  took  our 
degrees ;  and  now  we  don't  meet  more  than  once  or  twice 

in  a  year.     Then  on  Tuesday  evening  E came  here  and 

went  next  morning ;  he  has  been  abroad  for  fourteen 
months,  and  of  course  had  plenty  to  say.     Then  this  morn- 

ing    D came   in  just  when   my  breakfast    was    done, 

having  arrived  by  train  :  so  I  gave  him  breakfast,  and  this 
afternoon  an  aunt  of  his  is  coming  up  for  three  or  four 
hours,  and   I  must  have   a  lunch-dinner  with  them.     This 

evening  I  have  promised  to  go  to  J 's  rooms.     H 

too  is  coming  up  to-night,  and  will  be  in  my  rooms  every 

morning,  no  doubt.     Then  on  Saturday  M and  a  heap 

of  others  will  come  up  and  stay  till  Tuesday,  taking  the 
degree  of  M.A.,  and  I  shall  give  them  a  breakfast  party  or 
two,  and  take  walks  with  them  separately,  and  so  on ;  and 
then  I  look  forward  to  a  fortnight  or  three  weeks  of  peace, 
in  which,  no  doubt,  if  I  write  to  you,  you  will  find  me 
grumbling  at  the  dulness. 

I  think  I  never  described  such  a  thing  to  you  before. 

Observe,  it  is  an  extreme  case  ;  partly  because  in  term-time 

half  of  one's  duties   are  inflexible,   such  as  lectures,  and  so 

a   little   amusement    for   the   rest    of  the   day  is   pleasant 

enough. 

***** 

In  the  course  of  the  Long  Vacation  he  got  away 
from  college,  settled  himself  down  in  his  quiet  lodgings 
at  Haslingfield,  and  from  thence  wrote  to  one  of  his 
sisters  as  follows : 


LETTER  XY. 

Haslingfield,  Cambkidgeshibe. 


Dear 


Here  you  see  I  am  arrived.     I  have  taken  a  couple 
of  rooms  in  the  schoolmaster's  house. 


50  MEMOIR  OF  BISHOP  MACKENZIE. 

*  *  *  *  -iS- 

I  got  here  at  ten  o'clock  on  Monday  night,  I  had  sent 
my  portmanteau  by  a  carrier,  and  intending  to  walk  I  was 
easily  induced  to  remain  by  little  things  that  had  to  be  done 

in  Cambridge.     H •  walked  half-way  with  me,  and  then 

I  came  on  alone  over  the  fields.  It  was  a  strange  feeling  on 
two  accounts.  Partly,  I  was  coming  to  live  in  a  strange 
place  as  a  home,  a  thing  I  have  not  done  since  I  came  to 
college,  and  since  I  went  to  school, — which  has  on  the  two 
former  occasions  brought  desolation,  but  not  on  this.  The 
other  reason  of  strangeness  was  that  now  I  was  beginning 
what  will  take  place  when  I  am  a  placed  minister,  a  thing 
which  I  think  will  be  very  delightful. 

I  have  the  schoolmistress  as  my  waiter,  assisted  by  her 
daughter,  a  child  of  eleven  or  twelve,  who  is  very  shy,  having 
never  waited  on  a  gentleman  before.  The  next  morning, 
after  coming  in  with  the  eggs,  and  asking  if  I  wanted  any- 
thing more,  (which  she  had  evidently  been  told  to  do,  but 
as  evidently  had  not  been  told  to  listen  to  my  answer,)  she 
stood  (on  one  foot,  I  suppose,  or  some  other  uncomfortable 
position,)  for  an  instant,  and  then  darted  off  through  the 
door. 

***** 

I  have  already  spoken  of  Mackenzie's  residence  at 
Haslingfield :  I  will  only  add  here  that  he  set  himself 
vigorously  to  work  to  make  personal  acquaintance  with 
his  parishioners,  and,  as  I  have  heard  incidentally,  with 
great  success.  The  memory  of  him  is  still  cherished  in 
the  parish.  It  was  quite  to  be  expected,  however, 
that  he  should  feel  disappointed  with  his  own  efforts: 
every  honest  and  earnest  man  is  doomed  to  this  feeling 
of  disapjDointment :  it  is  only  when  the  aim  of  a  Chris- 
tian minister  is  contracted  and  his  standard  of  excel- 
lence low,  that  he  can  feel  satisfied  with  what  he  has 


COLLEGE  LIFE— HOLY  ORDERS.  59 

been  able  to  do.  Hence  I  am  not  surprised  at  the 
tone  of  the  following  letter,  which  I  find  from  the  post- 
mark to  have  been  written  in  the  beginning  of  August. 

LETTER  XVI. 

{To  a  Sister.) 

Haslingfield.     Thursday. 

Dear , 

***** 

I  propose  being  ordained  priest  on  the  19  th  of  Septem- 
ber by  the  Bishop  of  Ely,  and  think  of  coming  north  at  once 

after  that. 

***** 

I  find  this  living  in  the  country  not  so  profitable  as  I 
expected — I  mean  that  I  don't  get  so  well  to  work  as  I 
hoped.  I  find  great  difficulty  in  writing  a  sermon  here  ; 
partly  I  think  from  the  want  of  books,  partly  from  the 
novelty  of  the  place.  And  I  have  not  been  so  active  in 
visiting.  There  was  something  very  definite  in  walking 
from  Cambridge  to  see  those  who  needed  to  be  called  upon ; 
but  now  that  I  am  among  them,  I  can  do  it  at  any  time. 
Then  I  never  forget  that  I  have  problems  to  make  for 
January,  and  I  cannot  do  much  of  that  wnrk  out  here. 

However,  I  have  seen  more  of  the  school  a  great  deal 
than  before.  And  even  of  the  people  I  have  seen  more  than 
I  shoidd  have  done  had  I  been  in  Cambridge. 


The  "Problems  for  January,"  spoken  of  in  the  above 
letter,  were  Senate-house  problems,  Mhich  it  devolved 
upon  Mackenzie  to  supply  as  Moderator.  He  was  Se- 
nior Moderator  in  January  1853,  and  again  in  1854. 
Those  who  did  not  know  Mackenzie  personally  might 
be  surprised,  that  having  so  ardent  a  love  of  the  work 


6o  MEMOIR  OF  BISHOP  MACKENZIE. 

of  a  country  parish-priest,  he  could  allow  himself  to 
undertake  so  many  other  occupations  and  duties.  But 
the  fact  is  he  delighted  in  work,  and  his  good  nature 
and  desire  to  be  useful  were  so  strong  that  he  found  it 
impossible  to  refuse,  when  requested  to  undertake  to 
do  anything  of  real  importance  which  required  to  be 
done. 

He  was  ordained  priest  at  the  time  proposed,  but 
I  find  no  special  reference  to  the  event  in  any  of  his 
letters. 

Mackenzie  was  not  by  natural  gift  an  orator.  He 
had  no  great  flow  of  words,  and  no  fervour  of  imagi- 
nation, such  as  enable  a  man  to  throw  an  interest  into 
a  subject  in  itself  dry  and  uninteresting.  When  it  be- 
came necessary  for  him  afterwards  frequently  to  address 
public  meetings,  and  when  he  had  an  important  theme 
upon  which  to  speak,  his  earnestness  and  simplicity 
made  all  that  he  said  very  impressive ;  and  his  active 
self-devotion  gave  more  emphasis  to  his  words  than 
any  mere  eloquence  could  have  supplied.  Here  is  an 
extract  from  a  letter,  in  which  he  speaks  with  charac- 
teristic modesty  of  his  first  attempt  to  make  a  speech. 
The  letter  belongs  to  the  latter  part  of  the  year;  the 
school  spoken  of  is  the  Cambridge  Industrial  School. 

LETTER  XVII. 
{To  a  Sister.) 

Caius  College.     Tuesday. 


Dear 


I  am  very  happy  in  having  lots  to  do,  which  is  become 
necessary  to  me  now.     I  enclose  you  a  copy  of  some  speeches 


COLLEGE  LIFE— HOLY  ORDERS.  6 1 

made  in  the  Town  Hall  last  week,  one  of  them  by  me.  It 
is  my  first  real  attempt  at  the  thing,  and  is  not  a  first-rate 
one,  but  I  have  got  over  the  nervousness  of  getting  on  my 
legs  pretty  well.  I  thought  little  of  it  before,  and  knew  not 
a  great  deal  about  the  school,  though  I  am  one  of  the  Com- 
mittee ;  it  takes  a  while  to  get  a  good  knowledge  of  a  plan 
of  the  kind.  Next  time  I  hope  I  shall  know  more  about 
what  I  am  saying,  and  make  a  better  show. 

And  this  will  be  a  proper  point  at  which  to  finish 
this  chapter,  for  the  next  year  will  open  to  us  a  new 
view  of  Mackenzie's  life.  Hitherto,  it  will  be  observed, 
college-work  and  parish-work  have  entirely  filled  his 
mind ;  in  the  next  chapter  we  shall  see  how  it  pleased 
God  to  open  his  mind  to  a  severer  view  of  his  duty, 
and  to  commence  his  education  as  a  Missionary. 


CHAPTER   IV. 
FIRST  THOUGHTS  OF  MISSION-WORK. 

The  year  1853  began,  as  we  have  seen,  with  a  Senate- 
house  Examination.  While  engaged  in  this  laborious 
and  responsible  work,  Mackenzie  very  wisely  obtained 
regular  help  for  his  parish :  in  fact,  his  friend  the  Rev. 
W.  W.  Hutt,  then  a  fellow  of  Caius  College,  undertook 
the  whole  of  the  duty,  as  he  did  previously  in  1852, 
when  Mackenzie  was  Examiner,  and  again  in  1854,  when 
he  was  Senior  Moderator.  When  Mackenzie  left  Eng- 
land, he  had  the  satisfaction  of  leaving  his  flock  in  the 
hands  of  this  faithful  friend. 

This  will  explain  Mackenzie's  long  absence  from  his 
parish,  as  mentioned  in  the  next  letter.  That  letter  is 
the  only  one  which  I  find  in  the  beginning  of  this  year, 
previous  to  the  very  important  communication  which 
follows  it,  and  upon  which  I  shall  have  a  few  words  to 
say  presently.  It  will  be  seen  that  at  the  end  of  Febru- 
ary his  heart  was  still  full  of  Cambridge;  no  thought 
of  foreign  service  had  apparently  then  crossed  his  mind ; 
he  was  evidentl}^  quite  happy  in  his  work ;  indeed  they 
who  remember  his  joyous  countenance  and  unmingled 


FIRST  THO  UGHTS  OF  MISSION-  WORK.        S^i, 

cheerfulness  and  readiness  for  work  in  those  days  can- 
not doubt  of  his  happiness.  Hence  the  letter  which  fol- 
lows will,  I  think,  appear  all  the  more  remarkable ;  and 
different  as  the  first  letter  is  from  the  second,  (the  letter 
of  Feb.  24  from  that  of  April  23,)  I  do  not  know  that  a 
more  striking  introduction  to  the  second  could  be  sup- 
plied than  that  which  is  contained  in  the  first. 

LETTER  XYIII. 

{To  a  Sister). 


Dearest 


Caius  College, 
Feb.  24,  1853. 


We  shall  really  be  ruined  if  we  go  on  writing  to 
each  other  the  moment  we  get  a  letter;  and  if  by  any  acci- 
dent an  additional  letter  were  written  there  would  imme- 
diately be  a  double  fire.  This  is  all  d  propos  of  my  having 
just  read  your  letter. 

Thanks  for  all   your  news,  and  above  all  for  your  few 

woi'ds  about .      Is'nt  it  strange  how  people  get  drawn 

together  when  they  are  all  drawn  toward  Christ  %  You 
know  it  is  their  common  attraction  to  the  sun  that  keeps 
the  planets  within  sight  of  each  other. 

I  was  at  Haslingfield  last  Sunday  for  the  first  time  since 
November.  Do  you  know  I  had  a  dislike  of  going  there 
again,  and  thought  of  giving  it  up ;  but,  as  indeed  I  knew 
it  would  be,  when  I  had  been  there  I  was  quite  happy. 


And  now  I  must  bring  before  the  reader  the  turning 
point  of  Mackenzie's  spiritual  life.  The  immediate 
cause  of  his  attention  being  called  to  Missionary-work 
was,  as  will  be  seen,  the  establishment  of  a  Mission  at 
Delhi,  by  the  Society  for  the  Propagation  of  the  Gospel 


64  MEMOIR  OF  BISHOP  MACKENZIE. 

in  Foreign  Parts.  It  would  be  out  of  place  to  say  much 
concerning  that  Mission,  but  I  may  observe  that  the 
Rev.  J.  S.  Jackson,  who  was  the  first  missionary,  was  of 
the  same  College  as  Mackenzie,  and  three  years  junior 
to  him  in  standing.  The  opening  of  this  Mission  was 
very  promising ;  but  very  soon  came  the  Indian  mutiny, 
and  the  mission  was  for  a  while  swept  away  under  most 
tragical  circumstances.  Mr  Jackson's  companion  in  la- 
bour was  murdered ;  he  himself  was  absent  from  Delhi 
at  the  time  of  the  outbreak,  and  was  thus  preserved. 
In  the  "Colonial  Church  Chronicle"  for  June  1854,  I 
find  the  following  notice :  "  The  Rev.  J.  S.  Jackson  and 
the  Rev.  A.  Hubbard  arrived  in  Delhi  on  February  11, 
after  making  a  short  stay  at  the  Colleges  at  Calcutta 
and  Benares.  They  found  the  nucleus  of  a  mission  con- 
sisting of  a  score  of  native  Christians,  who  are  assem- 
bled every  Sunday  in  the  Station  Church  by  a  teacher 
in  the  Government  College."  In  the  number  of  the 
same  periodical  for  August  1857,  there  is  a  letter  from 
Dr  Kay  of  Bishop's  College,  Calcutta,  which  contains 
the  following :  "  The  Delhi  Mission  has  been  completely 
swept  away.  Rumours  to  this  effect  were  current  from 
the  beginning  of  the  outbreak,  but  we  kept  on  hoping 
that  some  of  the  members  of  the  Mission  might  have 
escaped.  Two  native  Christians  succeeded  in  escaping 
to  Agra.  One  of  them  says  that  he  saw  Mr  Hubbard 
fall..,. And  Mr  Jackson  has  been  spared...." 

This,  in  few  words,  was  the  history  of  the  mission 
which  first  inspired  Mackenzie's  mind  with  missionary 
thoughts ;  the  Mr  Hubbard  spoken  of  as  having  lost  his 
life  in  the  outbreak,  was  the  man  whose  place  he 
was   desirous  to   have  filled.     The    manner   in  which 


FIRST  THO  UGHTS  OF  MISSION-  WORK.        6$ 

the  Delhi  Mission  was  brought  prominently  before 
him,  so  as  to  lead  him  to  wish  to  give  himself  to  the 
work,  will  be  best  told  in  his  own  words.  He  com- 
municated his  views  fully  and  honestly  to  his  eldest 
sister  in  a  letter,  which  I  am  now  about  to  lay  before 
the  reader.  This  letter  is  the  pivot,  so  to  speak,  of 
Mackenzie's  spiritual  history.  I  do  not  know  how  it  may 
strike  the  reader's  mind,  and  I  do  not  pretend  to  be  a 
quite  impartial  judge.  I  confess  to  a  degree  of  reve- 
rence and  admiration  for  the  writer,  which  may  have 
led  me  to  over-estimate  its  character ;  but  I  do  not  hesi- 
tate to  speak  of  it  as  being,  in  my  opinion,  one  of  the 
noblest  and  most  touching  compositions  that  I  have 
ever  seen. 


LETTER  XIX. 

Catus  College, 

Saturday,  April  23. 

Deaeest , 

We  have  spoken  before  now  about  the  advan- 
tages of  my  remaining  in  College,  and  whether  it  would 
not  be  better  for  me  to  find  some  more  directly  clerical 
work  elsewhere.  I  have  been  thinking  about  a  change 
lately,  and  should  like  before  definitely  making  up  my  mind 
to  have  your  opinion  on  the  matter.  This  will  probably  be 
a  longish  letter,  and  as  I  don't  know  at  what  hour  you  may 
get  it,  or  what  you  may  be  doing,  I  wish  you  would  lay 
it  aside  till  you  have  half  an  hour  quiet. 

I  don't  think  you  ever  quite  liked  my  staying  here  ;  at 
least,  if  you  did,  I  think  it  was  more  in  deference  to  my 
opinion  than  from  your  own  conviction.  What  I  have  said 
has  been  that  it  is  a  mistake  to  say  this  is  a  place  in  which 

5 


66         .  MEMOIR   OF  BISHOP  MACKENZIE. 

nothing  clerical  can  be  done,  and  I  still  think  that  a  really 
good  man,  if  he  were  liked  here,  might  do  much  good  : 
indeed  I  can  hardly  think  of  a  moi'e  important  jjlace  in 
England,  except  perhaps  the  head-mastership  of  a  school, 
and  even  that  falls  short  of  this  place  in  one  respect,  that 
without  doubt  a  considerable  number  of  the  Fellows  do  not 
consider  their  responsibilities  but  may  be  induced  to  do  so 
by  a  few  good  examples ;  and  so  a  little  leaven  leavening 
the  whole  lump,  there  would  be  a  great  inci'ease  of  good 
influence  brought  to  bear  upon  the  flower  of  England's 
upper  classes,  at  an  impressible  age,  and  one  at  which 
character  is  set  for  life. 

I  say  all  this  to  shew  that  I  still  think  I  have  been 
right  in  my  theory  that  this  is  a  place  particularly  adapted 
for  a  good  man  to  do  good  :  and  if  nothing  now  presented 
itself  except  a  curacy  in  some  part  of  England  I  should  not, 
I  think,  hesitate  to  remain  here.  But  there  is  another  field 
open,  for  which  it  is  very  difficult  to  find  labourers.  A  great 
friend  of  mine,  called  Jackson,  my  junior  by  three  years,  has 
been  induced  to  undertake  the  position  of  chief  of  a  new 
mission  at  Delhi,  and  has  been  for  some  time  anxious  to  find 
a  companion  to  go  with  him.  At  first  a  friend  of  his,  of  his 
own  standing,  agreed  to  go ;  but  he  has  since  declined,  I 
don't  know  why.  Jackson  applied  to  me  among  others  to 
try  and  find  some  one  to  go  with  him  ;  and  I  spoke  to 
one  young  man,  an  undergraduate  of  this  college,  who  had 
once  said  something  of  having  an  uncle  in  India,  who  was 
very  anxious  he  should  go  out  to  India  as  a  missionary. 
However  when  I  came  to  speak  of  Jackson's  going  out,  I 
found  he  had  no  settled  intentions  himself,  and  so  the 
matter  di'opped. 

I  remember  when used  to  speak  to  us  about  going 

out  as  Missionaries,  he  used  sometimes  to  say,  he  had  been 
asked  why  he  did  not  go  himself,  and  though  he  said  he  was 
too  old,  and  that  he  had  duties  in  England,  I  used  to  think 
his  defence  not  very  strong.     I  i-emember  too,  when  some 


FIRST  THO  UGHTS  OF  MISSION-  WORK.        67 

years  ago  the  subject  of  medical  missions  excited  interest 

saying  to  me,    "  Why  shoixld  not  you  go  ?  they  want 

men  very  much,"  and  my  answer  was,  "I  am  not  goin«y  :" 
I  would  not  admit  the  idea  into  sei-ious  contemplation. 

And  when  Jackson  came  to  Cambridge  a  month  or  two 
ago,  to  try  and  find  a  colleague,  I  thought  once  or  twice, 
why  should  not  /  go,  but  said  nothing  to  him,  as  I  thought 
that  would  be  unfair  before  I  was  more  definite  myself 
I  spoke  of  my  feelings  to  one  or  two  Cambridge  friends,  in 
a  general  way,  saying  that  I  could  not  see  any  reason  why 
one  of  us  should  not  go,  and  I  was  afraid  it  was  because  we 
could  not  make  up  our  minds  to  the  self-denial,  and  that 
there  was  no  good  reason,  but  ended  by  saying,  "  Don't 
be  alarmed,  I'm  not  going;"  and  so  it  passed  ofi*. 

But  on  Thursday  Jackson  came  again  and  we  chatted 
quietly  about  his  prospects,  and  the  opening  there  was,  and 
how  he  wished  he  could  find  some  one ;  and  after  he  left 
me  I  read  a  bit  of  Henry  Martyn's  life  before  lie  left 
England ;  and  I  determined  for  the  first  time,  and  prayed 
God  to  help  me,  to  think  what  was  best  to  be  done,  and 
to  do  it.  I  thought  chiefly  of  the  command,  "  Go  and 
baptize  all  nations,"  and  how  some  one  ought  to  go  :  and 
I  thought  how  in  another  world  one  would  look  back  and 
rejoice  at  having  seized  this  opportunity  of  taking  the  good 
news  of  the  Gospel  to  those  who  had  never  heard  it,  but 
for  whom  as  well  as  for  us  Christ  died.  I  thought  of  the 
Saviour  sitting  in  Heaven  and  looking  down  upon  this 
world,  and  seeing  lis  who  have  heard  the  news,  selfishly 
keejjing  it  to  ourselves,  and  only  one  or  two,  or  eight  or 
ten,  going  out  in  the  year  to  preach  to  His  other  sheep,  who 
must  be  brought,  that  there  may  be  "  one  fold  and  one 
shepherd:"  and  I  thought  if  other  men  would  go  abroad, 
then  I  might  stay  at  home ;  but  as  no  one,  or  so  few,  would 
go  out,  then  it  was  the  duty  of  every  one  that  could  go  to 
go.  You  see  I  thought  of  the  pleasure  and  the  duty,  and 
I  think  they  were  both   cogent  reasons.     So  I  determined 

5—2 


68  MEMOIR  OF  BISHOP  MACKENZIE. 

to  sleep  ujion  it ;  and  in  the  morning,  wlien  I  thought  about 
it,  the  more  I  thought  the  more  clear  I  got.  I  thought  of 
my  duties  here,  and  how  I  had  been  in  the  habit  of  con- 
sidering them  superior  in  importance  to  anything  else ;  but 
then  that  was  in  comparison  with  posts  for  which  there 
was  no  lack  of  persons  to  be  found  ;  whereas  this  was  a 
thing  which  it  seemed  no  one  could  be  found  to  do.  I 
thought  too  of  what  I  have  considered  the  qualifications 
for  usefulness  in  Cambridge,  namely,  my  good  degree,  and 
the  way  people  don't  dislike  me,  and  my  pretty  large  ac- 
quaintance :  but  then  I  thought,  these  things  will  not  be 
lost,  for  though  it  would  be  no  argument  if  there  were  no 
other  ai-guments,  yet  it  removes  the  objection  to  my  leaving 
Cambridge  to  say  that  the  better  I  am  known  the  more  in- 
terest will  be  raised  in  the  missionary  cause.  Then  I 
thought  too  of  Jackson,  and  how  disheartening  it  was  for 
him,  his  first  friend  leaving  him,  and  every  one  else  saying, 
"I  wish  I  could  find  some  one  to  go  with  you,"  but  no  one 
thinking  of  going  ;  and  I  thought,  what  right  have  I  to  say 
to  young  men  here,  "you  had  better  go  out  to  India,"  when 
I  am  hugging  myself  in  my  comfortable  place  at  home. 

So  I  determined  to  tell  Jackson  what  I  was  thinking  of, 
and  found  he  would  like  me  to  go  with  him,  and  his  only 
diflB.culty  was  that  he  thought  I  was  useful  here.  Now  the 
consideration  of  this  was  one  thing  which  further  induced 
me  to  go.  For  though  I  may  say  I  have  tried  sometimes  to 
be  useful,  yet  it  has  been  far  too  much  with  me  a  matter  of 
intention  and  hope ;  and  the  day  when  I  was  to  do  good  has 
always  seemed  to  retire  befox*e  me.  I  am  now  twenty-eight, 
and  it  is  high  time  I  was  doing  something.  I  have  given 
this  place  a  good  trial,  and  am  thoroughly  dissatisfied.  I 
can't  go  into  details  on  this  point. 

I  took  a  long  walk  that  day,  and  thought  it  well  over, 
and  made  up  my  mind  that  God  would  approve  of  the 
change,  that  Christ  would  approve,  and  that  the  Holy  Spirit 
would  help  me  in  it.     I  thought  ray  dear   mother  would 


FIRST  THOUGHTS  OF  MISSION-WORK.       69 

have  smiled  tlirougli  her  tears  at  the  plan  if  she  had  still 
lived,  and  that  she  would  now  rejoice  without  grief.  I 
thought  you  would  give  me  your  solid  and  sober  judgment 
upon  it,  and  I  thought  that  your  opinion  would  be  in  favour. 

I   was  not  so  sure  of  ,  but   I    thought  she  would  be 

willing  that  her  own  heart's  comfort  should  be  made  known 
to  those  who  now  have  no  means  of  hearing.     I   thought 

would  at  one  time  have  thought  of  coming  with  me, 

but  I  feared  she  was  not  strong  enough ;  but  I  was  sure  she 
would  be  glad.     I  could  not  so  well  tell  what  the  rest  would 

think.     I  thought  would  be  surprised,  and  would  soon 

forget  it.  I  thought  too  of  my  work  here  as  Lecturer,  and 
arranged  in  my  mind  who  there  was  that  would  take  my 
place.  If  there  had  been  no  one,  there  is  a  kind  of  College 
spirit  that  would  have  ui'ged  me  to  stay  here. 

I  thought  of  my  futuz-e  prospects,  and  saw  that  by 
keeping  my  Fellowship  I  should  have  nearly  £200  a  year 
besides  the  salary  of  the  Society,  which  would  be  I  suppose 
between  £100  and  £200  ;  this  would  be  more  than  enough 
for  me  there  ;  and  I  should  either  stay  there  for  the  rest  of 
my  life,  or,  if  compelled  to  return,  should  have  my  offer  of  a 
College  living  to  fall  back  upon. 

All  this  I  have  put  down  to  shew  that  though  I  have 
not  had  much  time,  yet  I  have  not  omitted  the  necessary 
considerations.  Indeed,  the  general  question  of  the  advan- 
tage the  duty  and  the  pleasure  of  going  out  I  had  considered 
before,  first  in  advising  Jackson  to  close  with  the  offer  that 
was  made  to  him,  and  again  in  looking  for  some  one  else  to 
be  his  colleague.  And  all  that  I  have  had  to  think  of  these 
last  few  days  has  been,  whether  there  was  anything  peculiar 
in  my  own  case  that  should  prevent  me  fi'om  going. 

And  I  fi-eely  confess  I  can  see  nothing  except  my  own 
unfitness.  I  am  rather  afraid  of  my  own  instability  and 
want  of  method  and  perseverance,  habits  which  have  been 
increasing  with  me  of  late.  I  am  rather  afraid  of  their  in- 
juring the  cause  I  am  going  to  undertake.     But  at  the  same 


70  MEMOIR  OF  BISHOP  MACKENZIE. 

time  I  hope  that  the  having  one  main  object  in  life  may- 
assist  in  steadying  me  :  at  present  I  have  scores  of  interests 
all  claiming  attention.  And  I  do  trust  that  if  I  go  forth 
boldly  trusting  in  God,  He  will  not  fail  to  help  me. 

I  have  not  much  time  to  write  more,  yet  I  must  tell  you 
something  about  the  work  I  am  going  to.  At  Delhi  there 
are  of  course  a  great  number  of  young  men  of  good  talents, 
and  likely  to  have  gi-eat  influence  as  they  grow  up.  There 
is  a  Government  school,  to  which  they  come  in  great  num- 
bers, but  at  which  they  receive  no  religious  instruction  :  yet 
the  general  knowledge  they  get  shakes  their  confidence  in 
their  own  system,  and  they  are  in  danger  of  becoming  infi- 
dels. That  is  the  general  state  of  the  case,  and  is  I  fancy 
common  enough  in  India,  There  is  a  considerable  spirit  of 
inquiry  among  them  ;  and  the  Chaplain  on  the  spot  has  en- 
couraged this,  and  has  already  gained  the  confidence  of  some 
of  them,  who  have  listened  to  his  message  and  have  been 
baptized.  These  are  from  among  the  higher  classes  of 
society.  There  is  no  mission  at  the  place  at  present,  and  the 
Propagation  Society  have  determined  to  establish  one,  and 
to  send  out  two  young  men  from  this  country  for  the  pur- 
pose. Jackson  and  I,  I  hope,  will  be  the  two.  He  has 
settled  with  the  Society  some  time  ago,  and  was  directed  to 
find  a  companion  if  he  could.  So  I  have  no  doubt  of  being 
appointed,  if  I  make  application.    He  is  to  sail  in  September. 

Now  dear  ,  I  have  always  looked  to  you  as  my 

mother  and  early  teacher.  To  you  I  owe  more  than  I  can 
ever  repay,  more  than  I  can  well  tell.  I  do  hope  you  will 
pray  for  me,  and  then  give  meyour  advice.  I  am  still  free, 
and  will  listen  carefully  to  what  you  say. 

My  own  main  argument  is  this, — we  may,  it  is  true,  serve 
God,  and  shew  our  love  to  Christ,  in  one  place  as  well  as  in 
another,  (and  1  am  trying  to  avoid  the  notion  that  by  going 
out  I  shall  be  free  from  weakness  and  sin,)  but  no  one  else 
will  go,  so  I  will.  There  are  plenty  in  England  :  there  is 
grievous  need  there.     Jackson  is  a  first-rate  fellow  :  I  never 


FIRST  THO  UGHTS  OF  MISSION-  WORK.        7 1 

knew  so  firm,  so  conscientious  a  man,  that  I  liked  so  well. 
*  *  *  I  confess  the  feeling  of  my  heart  that  most  dis- 
tresses me  is,  that  I  cannot  look  forward  with  composure  to 
the  risk  of  his  dying,  and  leaving  me  behind.  But  though 
in  this  I  am  "  otherwise  minded,  God  will  I'eveal  even  this 
to  me." 

Since  if  the  whole  plan  were  to  fall  through,  and  I  were 
to  remain  in  this  country,  it  would  be  unpleasant  that  the 
idea  should  have  got  abroad,  you  will  exercise  your  judgment 
and  tell  what  I  have  said  to  whom  you  please.  I  shall  write 
to  no  one  else  till  I  hear  from  you. 

Ever  your  affectionate  brother, 

C.  F.  M. 

Notice,  reader,  the  honesty  of  this  letter,  how  deter- 
mined the  writer  is  to  practise  what  he  preaches,  and 
not  to  ask  any  one  to  do  what  he  is  not  prepared  to  do 
himself:  notice  his  humility  in  being  ready  to  go  as 
second  in  command  to  a  man  three  years  his  junior : 
notice  his  modesty  in  seeing  no  objection  but  his  own 
unfitness:  and  above  all  notice  the  argument,  which 
was  the  ground  of  all  his  subsequent  course  of  action, 
"  no  one  else  will  go,  so  I  will." 

Here  is  another  letter  written  to  the  same  sister 
two  days  afterwards. 

LETTER  XX. 

Caius  College, 
Monday,  April  25,  185a. 

Deakest , 

I  wrote  hurriedly  on  Saturday  night,  and  had  not 
time  to  read  over  what  I  had  written.  I  think  there  must 
have  been  many  things  which  I  ought  to  have  said ;  so  now 
I  take  my  chance  of  remembering  them. 


73  MEMOIR  OF  BISHOP  MACKENZIE. 

First,  T  am  anxious  to  hear  from  you,  if  you  are  well 
enough  and  strong  enough  to  write,  for  I  am  defei'ring  my 
absolute  determination  till  I  hear  from  you. 

I  am  very  anxious  to  impress  upon  myself  that  this  is 
not  so  great  a  sacrifice,  as  it  once  was,  to  go  out  as  a  Mis- 
sionary. There  are  many  Europeans  at  Delhi ;  and  above 
all  other  wox'ldly  comforts,  I  go  out  with  a  friend  whom  I 
highly  esteem  and  value,  and  greatly  love. 

My  chief  feeling  about  it  all  is  that  Christ  needs  ser- 
vants in  various  places  :  some  in  this  country,  and  some 
elsewhere :  and  that  the  greatest  want  is  abroad.  It  seems 
to  me  that  England  is  bound  to  do  all  she  can  for  her 
subjects  abroad;  and  as  othei's  will  not  go,  I  will.  The 
only  thing,  I  think,  which  has  prevented  my  doing  so  once 
and  again,  has  been  a  tacit  resolution  not  to  put  the  case 
to  myself  as  possible :  for  as  soon  as  I  did  that,  the  case 
seemed  clear. 

As  to  my  qualifications  for  it:  I  must  learn  Persian 
and  Hindustani,  I  suppose,  but  I  have  hardly  found  out 
yet  what  is  to  be  done;  but  these  things  would  have  to  bo 
learned  by  any  one  going  there :  so  I  am  as  good  for  the 
purpose  as  they.  And  as  to  the  character  of  the  Mahome- 
dans  and  Hindus  one  will  have  to  deal  with,  eveiy  one 
would  have  to  learn  that  by  experience.  The  only  thing 
that  seems  deficient  is  my  own  religion,  which  I  know  is 
very  weak :  in  that  I  seriously  think  I  am  far  infei'ior  to 
many  others  who  might  go  out.  But  all  I  can  say  is,  if  no 
one  else  will  go,  I  shall  be  better  than  nothing,  and  I  do 
trust  that  as  my  day  is  so  shall  my  strength  be. 

Dear ,    you  will   think  of  me  when  I    am    gone; 

and  we  shall  meet,  I  know  we  shall,  in  the  kingdom  above. 
What  matter  where  we  spend  the  remainder  of  our  life  1 
The  time  is  short :  "it  remaineth  that  they  that  have  wives 
be  as  though  they  had  none,  &c." 

I  heard  a  sermon  last  night  on  the  text,  "  If  any  man 
will  come  after  Me,  let  him  deny  himself  and  take  up  hia 


FIRST  THOUGHTS  OF  MISSION-WORK.        73 

cross  daily  and  follow  Me."  And  I  think  this  is  my  path. 
I  never  could  swallow  the  notion  of  voluntary  self-denial, 
as  a  discipline :  but  I  think  self-denial  in  the  service  of  God 
and  for  an  object  is  what  we  ought  to  practise. 

But  I  am  gi'owing  prosy,  and  it  is  getting  late. 

Now  don't  think  I  have  taken  a  mania  on  the  subject : 
though  these  two  letters  have  been  mainly  on  this  matter, 
yet  I  was  out  at  dinner  this  evening,  and  took  as  much 
interest  in  a  discussion  about  derivations  of  words  as  any 
one  else.  They  said  "wig"  came  from  "periwig,"  and  that 
from  "  perruque,"  and  that  from  a  Gothic  Latin  word  "  pel- 
lucus,"  and  that  from  "  pilus,"  Latin,  a  hair. 

Your  very  affectionate  brother, 

C.  F.  M 

The  following,  to  the  same  sister,  was  written  about 
a  week  later. 

LETTER  XXL 

Caius  College.     Thursday  night. 
Dearest  , 


It  is  late,  but  I  write  a  line  to  thank  you  for  your 
very  kind  and  excellent  letter. 

I  shall  write,  I  dare  say,  to-morrow :  but  I  may  say  that 
on  consulting  two  of  my  best  friends  here,  I  find  they  are 
opposed  to  my  going.  Goodwin  decidedly  so:  Hopkins, 
rather  so. 

However  it  is  for  myself  to  decide. 

Your  very  affectionate  brother, 

C.  F.  iM. 

I  have  allowed  my  own  name  to  appear  in  the  pre- 
ceding letter,  and  have  not  supplied  the  place  with  a 
blank,  as  I  might  have  done,  because  the  position  which 
Mackenzie  has  here  assigned  to  me  as  one  of  his  ad- 


74  MEMOIR  OF  BISHOP  MACKENZIE. 

visers  seems  to  give  me  a  right  to  say  a  few  words  upon 
the  question  of  the  propriety  of  his  leaving  Cambridge 
as  a  Missionary.  Mackenzie  has  stated  that  I  was  deci- 
dedly opposed  to  his  going,  and  this  is  quite  true.  My 
opposition  was  in  fact  too  decided,  for  it  gave  him  the 
impression  that  I  had  not  sufficiently  considered  the 
subject ;  and  I  think  when  I  told  him  that  he  must 
not  go,  I  detected  upon  his  countenance  the  nearest 
approach  I  ever  saw  to  dissatisfaction.  But  my  oppo- 
sition was  based  upon  two  grounds.  In  the  first  place 
I  did  not  think  that  the  Delhi  mission  was  the  best 
for  him,  even  if  he  determined  to  go  out  as  a  Mission- 
ary ;  his  power  of  languages  was  not  great,  and  the 
peculiar  openness  and  simplicity  of  his  character  seemed 
to  me  not  suitable  for  dealing  with  the  accomplished 
civilized  infidehty  of  well-educated  natives.  But  this 
view  did  not  carry  to  my  mind  so  much  weight  as  the 
argument  derived  from  the  positive  advantage  of  his 
presence  in  Cambridge :  this  he  was  sure  to  under- 
estimate, but  as  a  looker-on  I  thought  it  could  hardly 
be  over-estimated :  it  was  not  the  removal  of  an  ordi- 
nary man  whose  place  could  be  easily  filled ;  but  the 
loss  of  one  who  combined  in  himself  a  number  of 
qualities,  which  made  him  to  be  of  singular  value  and 
very  hard  to  replace.  Hence  I  still  think  that  I  did 
right  in  opposing  his  departure.  By  doing  so  I  gained, 
as  will  be  seen  afterwards,  greater  influence  in  deciding 
his  departure  for  South  Africa.  On  that  occasion  I 
assented  to  his  wish  to  go  ;  but  it  was  only  because 
I  then  found  that  the  missionary  spirit  had  laid  hold 
upon  him  in  an  unmistakeable  way,  and  that  the  ques- 


FIRST  THOUGHTS  OF  MISSION-WORK.        75 

tion  really  was,  not  whether  he  should  go  at  all,  but 
whether  he  should  go  to  that  particular  mission. 

The  result  of  the  representations  made  by  his  fa- 
mily and  those  of  his  intimate  friends  whom  he  con- 
sulted, was  that  he  declined  to  offer  himself  as  a  Mis- 
sionary for  Delhi ;  but  it  will  be  seen  from  the  next 
letter  that,  although  declining  at  this  time,  he  distinctly 
reserved  to  himself  the  right  of  going  abroad  on  a 
future  occasion. 


LETTER  XXII. 

{To  a  sister.) 

Dear  , 


Saturday  Evening. 


You  took  my  plan  much  as  I  expected.  I  have 
now  to  tell  you  that  I  have  resolved  not  to  go  to  Delhi. 
Whethei"  'twas  right  to  distress  you  in  Scotland,  and  at  such 
a  distance,  before  consulting  College  friends,  I  almost  doubt ; 
but  I  half  feared  to  make  up  my  own  mind  and  then  have 
to  bear  the  brunt  of  arguments  against  the  plan,  coming 
from  home.  I  am  afraid  I  have  dishonourably  thrown  the 
pain  on  you,  but  I  know  you  will  not  be  inclined  to  blame 
me  at  present. 

The  hopes  expressed  in  your  letter,  that  the  work  to  be 
done  at  home  is  more  important  than  the  other,  and  that  it  is 
more  adapted  for  me,  were  stated  as  facts  by  men  on  whom 
I  could  rely  for  judgment  and  honesty.  And  now  the  matter 
stands  thus.  A  more  suitable  post  abroad  may  spring  up  at 
a  time  when  my  ties  of  duty  at  home  are  less :  in  which  case 
I  shall  consider  myself  at  liberty  to  go. 

I  cannot  write  more.     Shew  this  to ,  next  time  you 

meet,  though  I  have  just  written  to  her. 

Yours  truly, 

C.  F.  M. 


76  MEMOIR  OF  BISHOP  MACKENZIE. 

After  this  letter  Mackenzie  dropped  once  more 
quietly  into  his  round  of  duties.  In  a  letter  written 
probably  in  the  May  or  June  of  this  year,  he  says, 
"  I  don't  wish  that  my  projected  plan  should  be 
thought  of  any  more.  I  want  you  all  to  forget  that 
it  was  proposed."  And  then  he  goes  on  to  speak  of  his 
work  at  Haslingfield,  and  of  a  prize  which  he  is  busy 
in  adjudging  for  proficiency  in  knowledge  of  the  Church 
Catechism. 

In  the  summer  of  this  year  he  took  up  his  abode, 
as  in  the  previous  one,  at  the  schoolmaster's  house  in 
Haslingfield.  Here  is  a  letter  which  gives  some  ac- 
count of  his  proceedings.  The  reference  to  the  College 
examinations  shews  that  it  belongs  to  June. 

LETTER  XXIII. 

{To  a  sister.) 

Haslingfield,  Monday,  the  i^th. 
My  dear  , 


It's  sorry  I  am  to  have  been  so  long  in  writing. 
I  am  debating  whether  an  apology  or  a  confession  will  be 
best.  I  have  been  far  from  idle  lately.  Our  College  Exa- 
mination ended  on  Thursday  week;  the  next  day  I  came 
out  here:  and  though  under  no  actual  pressure  of  engage- 
ments, yet  there  is  always  much  to  be  done. 

One  thing  has  taken  up  a  good  deal  of  my  attention 
lately:  a  class  of  nearly  thirty  candidates  for  confirmation. 
The  confirmation  was  held  at  the  adjoining  village  on 
Friday  last :  and  I  confess  I  have  been  much  interested  in 
the  young  people.  It  is  a  very  important  age  of  course,  but 
besides  that  I  half  feel  that  the  respect  for  the  rites  of  the 
Church  in  the  Parish  depends  a  good  deal  upon  me.  I 
think   Mr   Clark   looks  at  his  parishioners  as  individuals, 


FIB  ST  THOUGHTS  OF  MISSION- WORK.        77 

eacli  of  wJiom  he  earnestly  desires  to  be  saved :  I  rather 
look  upon  this  as  part  of  the  universal  Church,  and  wish 
not  only  to  benefit  this  generation,  but  to  keep  up  the 
customs  of  the  Church  and  to  gain  for  her  the  love  of  her 
children.  As  it  has  happened  this  time,  Mr  Clark  has 
been  very  unwell  for  three  or  four  months,  and  thus  the 
responsibility  of  improving  well  the  minds  of  these  young 
people  has  fallen  on  me. 

I  have  been  trying  very  hard  to  induce  them  to  come  to 
the  Holy  Communion.  You  would  be  surprised  if  you  knew 
how  few  do  attend  here,  and  none  I  think  of  the  younger 
j)eople.  If  I  could  only  break  the  ice  this  time  with  one  or 
two,  I  should  be  abundantly  satisfied :  of  course  the  more 
out  of  the  twenty-eight  the  better,  but  I  hardly  hope  for 
more  than  two  or  three.  But  that  w^ould  be  a  beginning. 
***** 

I  have  been  delighted  beyond  measure  by  your  last  two 
letters :  and  would,  I  think,  write  twice  a-day  rather  than 
lose  your  correspondence.  So  now  you  know  how  to  get  a 
letter  out  of  me.  Seriously,  I  regret  much  being  so  irre- 
gular in  my  duties  of  affection :  and  as  I  am  in  a  course  of 
general  amendment,  I  shall  hope  to  include  this. 

***** 

I  have  arranged  my  days  very  methodically:  three  days 
a- week  on  one  scheme,  and  three  on  another.  My  occu- 
pations are — 

Sermons, 

Bible  and  concomitant  studies,  such   as  the 
study  of  the  question  of  inspiration, 

Hebrew, 

School, 

Visiting, 

Exercise. 
All  this  falls  between  breakfast  at  eight,  and  dinner  at  six. 
After  dinner  I  am  on  varieties.  Logic,  Shakspeare,  History, 
&c.,  and  I   suppose   letter- writing  must  come  in  then,  for 


78  MEMOIR  OF  BISHOP  MACKENZIE. 

there  is  no  other  time, — which  may  partly  account  for  my 
not  "writing  since  coming  here. 

One  whole  day  last  week  was  spent  in  hearing  the 
Church  Catechism  for  a  prize,  said  with  the  strictest  accu- 
racy.    I  was  so  tired  at  night. 

Your  very  loving  brother, 

C.  F.  M. 

The  following  is  to  the  same  sister. 

LETTER  XXIV. 

Cai0S  College,  July  ii,   1853. 
Deaeest , 


I  torment  myself  from  week  to  week,  because  I 

don't  write  to  you.     So  as   I    have  just  finished  a   very 

kind  sisterly  letter  from  you,  I  think  it  kindest  to  myself, 

in  the  most  selfish  point  of  view,  to  sit  down  at  once,  and 

write  to  you. 

*  *  *  *  * 

We  are  indeed  a  fi-ail  family,  and  here  am  I  as  strong 
as  a  horse,  hardly  sympathising  with  the  rest  of  you.  Cer- 
tainly sight  goes  a  long  way  towards  convincing  one  of  the 
realities  of  things :  I  mean  that  when  I  come  home  and  see 
you  all,  and  see  how  far  from  well  some  of  you  are,  I 
always  feel  more  for  you  all,  than  when  I  am  here,  with 
work  and  amusements  that  have  no  association  with  home. 
I  believe  I  feel  more  sympathy  for  a  slight  aihnent,  a  fit 
of  ague,  that  will  be  gone  in  a  week  or  a  month,  than  I  do 

for  the  continued  sickness  of  a  loved  sister  like  ;   I 

hope  you  will  not  think  me  a  brute  for  all  this;  I  believe 
it  is  natural,  but  that  I  have  it  in  excess. 

I  am  at  present  an  amphibious  animal;  partly  resident 
at  Haslingfield,  and  a  little  in  College.  The  Long  Vacation 
work  has  begun ;  that  is  to  say,  the  Students  have  begun  to 
come  into  residence  to  work,  and  the  Chapel  service  must 
be  kept  up.     The  tutor  has  a  Church  of  his  own  to  attend 


FIRST  THO  UGHTS  OF  MISSION-  WORK.       79 

to,  and  is  wisely  afraid  of  over  excitement  on  Sundays :  so 

he  takes   the   service  in   Chapel  through  the  week,  and  I 

on  Sundays.     This  brings  me  into  Cambridge  on  Saturday 

evening.     I  go  out  to  Haslingfield  for   the    services,    and 

return  to  College  again.     Yesterday  I  found  no  more  serious 

consequence  than  an  inclination  for  bed  at  about  10  o'clock, 

and  I  expect  to  be  able  to  go  on  with  this  as  long  as   is 

required. 

***** 

Also  I  must  make  a  stay  of  two  days  at  Canterbury, 
to  see  the  last  of  Jackson  before  his  going  to  India.  I 
told  you,  I  think,  of  his  having  found  a  companion  to  go 
to  India  with  him :  Hubbard  by  name. 


The  October  term  came,  and  Mackenzie  resumed 
his  College  work :  the  only  letter  that  has  come  into 
my  hands  is  one  bearing  a  post- mark  of  December  6  : 
from  this  1  give  one  short  extract. 

LETTER  XXV. 

{To  a  sister.) 
*  *  *  *  * 

I  cannot  tell  you  how  much  I  feel  the  good  of  having 
sisters  to  be  writing  to  me  and  thinking  of  me  and 
pi-aying  fen-  me  in  this  busy  place.  It  is  a  slippery  road 
we  are  upon,  and  we  might  almost  despair,  were  it  not 
for  God's  gracious  encouragements  :  it  is  our  Father's  good 
pleasure  to  give  us  the  kingdom,  and  I  do  confidently  hope 
that  we  shall  indeed  reach  that  happy  place  where  all  evil 
is  excluded. 

In  January  1854  Mackenzie  was  Moderator,  as  I 
have  already  mentioned ;  and  the  hard  work  brought 
upon  him  by  this   office,  in  addition  to  his  ordinary 


8o  MEMOIR   OF  BISHOP  MACKENZIE. 

routine  of  business,  will  probably  account  for  a  total 
dearth  of  letters  to  his  family.  Nothing  has  come  into 
my  hands  belonging  to  the  early  months  of  this  year ; 
but  the  following  letter  will  shew  that  as  soon  as  the 
Easter  vacation  allowed  him  to  absent  himself  from 
Cambridge,  he  again  betook  himself  to  his  Haslingfield 
lodgings,  and  endeavoured  to  realize  for  himself  the 
character  of  the  parochial  Clergyman.  The  letter  is 
to  his  eldest  sister. 

LETTER  XXVI. 

Haslingfield,  A^ml  12,  1854. 
***** 

Other  things  are  going  on  tolerably  smoothly.  I  am 
growing  more  methodical  in  my  habits,  and  I  am  try- 
ing hard  to  be  determined  and  fixed  in  character  :  for  I 
think  I  am  easily  led.  At  least  I  very  easily  form  my 
opinions  according  to  the  company  I  am  in  :  or  if  I  do 
not  form  my  opinions  afresh,  I  am  very  apt  to  seem  to  agree 
with  the  person  I  am  with.  (A  friend  of  mine  sometimes 
says  of  another,  who  has  this  weakness  to  a  considerable 
degree,  that  he  smells  of  the  person  lie  has  been  last  with.) 
I  have  been  trying  to  overcome  this,  and  fi.nd  it  beginning 
to  grow  easier. 

Term  ended  about  a  week  ago,  and  I  have  been  rusti- 
cating here,  enjoying  the  quiet  of  the  place  very  much. 
Though  I  spoil  it  by  often  having  to  go  into  Cambridge, 
where  the  associations  of  the  place  make  me  feel  as  if  it 
were  term-time  again. 

***** 

I  have  heard  from  Jackson  from  Delhi.  He  had  just 
arrived,  and  looked  round  him  with  very  great  interest  at 
the  scene  of  his  future  labours.     He  says  the  two  natives 


FIRST  THOUGHTS  OF  MISSION-WORK.        8 1 

of  most  note  among  those  wlio  have  been  baptized  are  very 
intelligent,  and  lie  wishes  to  gain  a  few  other  native  con- 
verts that  they  may  not  stand  alone.     He  says  how  much 

he  would  like or  myself  to  be  with  him,   but  speaks 

of  his  companion  Hubbard  as  a  great  comfort. 

I  have  seen  lately  a  journal  of  Archdeacon  Merriman, 
the  Archdeacon  at  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope ;  very  interest- 
ing reading  I  thought.  If  you  can  lay  your  hands  on  it, 
I  think  that  you  will  like  it. 


It  will  be  easily  believed  that  so  earnest  a  feeling 
concerning  the  duty  of  missionary  work  as  that  which 
was  called  forth  by  his  thoughts  on  the  Delhi  mission 
would  not  be  likely  altogether  to  slumber  in  a  heart  so 
honest  and  single  as  was  that  of  Mackenzie.  The  prin- 
ciple involved  in  those  emphatic  words  of  his,  "  No  one 
else  will  go,  so  I  will,"  coupled  with  his  very  modest 
view  of  his  own  usefulness  in  Cambridge,  could  hardly 
fail  sooner  or  later  to  come  to  the  surface,  and  impel 
him  to  missionary  enterprise.  How  he  was  led,  in  God's 
wise  providence,  to  take  the  great  step,  will  be  seen  in 
the  following  chapter. 


CHAPTER  V. 

LEAVES  CAMBRIDGE  FOR  NATAL. 


On  November  30th,  S.  Andrew's  Day,  1853,  were  con- 
secrated at  Lambeth  Parish  Church,  the  first  Bishops 
of  the  newly  formed  dioceses  of  Graham's  Town  and 
Natal,  in  South  Africa.  These  two  dioceses  had  pre- 
viously formed  a  portion  of  the  diocese  of  Cape  Town. 
The  zealous  Bishop  of  this  enormous  diocese,  having 
made  a  very  remarkable  journey  through  its  whole 
extent,  and  taken  a  measure  of  its  spiritual  necessities, 
returned  to  Ensfland  in  1852,  and  succeeded  in  makincf 
arrangements  for  the  subdivision  of  the  diocese,  and 
for  the  maintenance  of  two  new  Bishops.  Dr  Colenso, 
who  was  chosen  to  be  Bishop  of  Natal,  left  England 
soon  after  his  consecration,  in  company  with  the  Bishop 
of  Cape  Town ;  he  made  a  rapid  inspection  of  his  dio- 
cese, which  he  embodied  in  his  interesting  narrative, 
entitled  "Ten  Weeks  in  Natal,"  and  then  returned 
home,  arriving  in  England,  May  27,  1854,  for  the  pur- 
pose of  pleading  the  cause  of  his  diocese,  with  the 
advantage  of  some  personal  knowledge  of  its  wants, 
and  obtaining  assistants  in  his  work. 

Just  about  the  same  time,  arrived  another  colonial 


LEAVES  CAMBRIDGE  FOR  NATAL.  83 

Bishop  in  England.  On  tlie  same  page  in  the  "  Co- 
lonial Church  Chronicle"  which  announces  the  arrival 
of  the  Bishop  of  Natal,  I  find  also  the  following  notice. 
"The  Bishop  of  New  Zealand  has  reached  England 
after  an  absence  of  twelve  years  from  his  native  land. 
This  brief  period,  marked  by  hitherto  unexampled 
labours  to  spread  the  Gospel,  and  to  found  the  Church 
among  heathen  races,  must  at  some  future  time  be- 
come an  epoch  in  the  history  of  the  Church  of  England. 
And  the  record  will  not  be  inglorious,  at  least  if  wis- 
dom, prudence,  untiring  courage,  rare  self-devotion, — 
all  directed  with  a  single  eye  to  the  honour  and  glory 
of  our  blessed  Kedeemer, — are  worthy  of  a  remem- 
brance in  the  annals  of  mankind."  The  feelinof  excited 
in  the  minds  of  Enghsh  people  by  the  news  of  Bishop 
Selwyn's  return  was  very  striking  and  also  very  cheer- 
ing to  every  Christian  heart.  The  missionary  was  ex- 
pected with  something  like  the  feeling  which  belongs 
to  the  return  of  a  great  general  from  a  successful 
campaign;  and  the  mind  of  England  was  probably 
more  generally  turned  to  missionary  thoughts,  and  more 
open  to  impression  concerning  the  great  work  of  evan- 
gelizing the  world,  than  it  ever  had  been  at  any  pre- 
vious period.  Of  course  Bishop  Selwyn  was  seized  upon 
to  speak  and  preach  upon  all  possible  occasions,  and 
few  who  heard  him  will  ever  forget  the  simple  and 
modest  manliness  of  his  eloquence.  In  no  place  was 
he  more  heartily  welcomed  or  more  thoroughly  appre- 
ciated than  in  his  own  University,  and  in  November 
1854  he  preached  a  course  of  four  sermons  in  the  Uni- 
versity pulpit  as  select  preacher. 

6—2 


84  MEMOIR  OF  BISHOP  MACKENZIE. 

These  four  sermons  were  published  at  the  request 
of  the  Vice-Chancel  lor,  under  the  title,  The  Worh  of 
Christ  in  the  World.  I  shall  venture  to  extract  from 
them  the  concluding  passage :  it  is  striking  to  read, — 
how  much  more  striking  to  hear ! 

"And  if,"  said  the  Bishop,  "it  please  God  to  call 
you  to  a  more  peaceful  lot,  to  the  work  of  the  ministry 
in  England, — in  the  colonies, — or  in  the  mission-field, 
you  will  learn  to  think  all  things  light,  which  you  can 
do  or  suffer  for  the  cause  of  Christ,  when  you  see  what 
the  service  is  which  the  world  exacts.  And  yet  our 
work  also  has  no  narrow  compass.  I  go  from  hence, 
if  it  be  the  will  of  God,  to  the  most  distant  of  all 
countries — to  the  place,  where  God,  in  answer  to  the 
prayers  of  his  Son,  has  given  Him  the  heathen  for  His 
inheritance,  and  the  uttermost  parts  of  the  earth  for 
His  possession.  There  God  has  planted  the  standard 
of  the  cross,  as  a  signal  to  His  Church  to  fill  up  the 
intervening  spaces,  till  there  is  neither  a  spot  of  earth 
which  has  not  been  trodden  by  the  messengers  of  sal- 
vation, nor  a  single  man  to  whom  the  Gospel  has  not 
been  preached.  Fill  up  the  void.  Let  it  be  no  longer 
a  reproach  to  the  Universities  that  they  have  sent  so 
few  missionaries  to  the  heathen.  The  Spirit  of  God  is 
ready  to  be  poured  upon  all  flesh ;  and  some  of  you  are 
His  chosen  vessels.  Again,  I  say.  Offer  yourselves  to 
the  Primate  of  our  Church.  The  voice  of  the  Lord  is 
asking,  'Whom  shall  I  send,  and  who  will  go  with  us?' 
May  every  one  of  you  who  intends,  by  God's  grace,  to 
dedicate  himself  to  the  ministry,  answer  at  once :  *  Here 
am  I,  send  me.'" 


LEAVES  CAMBRIDGE  FOR  NATAL.  85 

I  now  return  to  Mackenzie.  In  the  autumn  of 
1854,  I  think  in  the  beginning  of  October,  the  Bishop 
of  Natal  proposed  to  him  that  he  should  go  out  to 
Natal  as  archdeacon.  So  far  as  I  can  remember  he 
had  not  made  known  to  his  friends  that  any  decided 
change  had  taken  place  in  his  views  with  regard  to 
home  work,  but  I  suppose  that  his  previous  conduct 
with  regard  to  Delhi  pointed  him  out  as  a  man  wlio 
might  not  improbably  accept  a  foreign  appointment  if 
offered  to  him ;  indeed  from  one  intimate  friend  he 
had  extracted  a  promise,  on  relinquishing  the  Delhi 
scheme,  that  any  fitting  opening  which  might  after- 
wards occur  should  be  mentioned  to  him.  In  the  latter 
part  of  the  summer  of  this  year  he  spent  a  few  days 
with  my  family  and  myself  at  Felixstow  in  Suffolk,  but 
I  do  not  remember  that  he  conversed  with  me  upon 
the  probability  of  his  going  out  as  a  missionary.  How- 
ever, the  proposal  came  from  the  Bishop  of  Natal,  and 
the  following  letter  shews  the  manner  in  which  he  re- 
ceived it.  The  letter  is  to  his  eldest  sister ;  it  is  un- 
dated, but  internal  evidence  refers  it  to  the  month  of 
October.  He  speaks  in  it  of  having  been  "named  for 
the  Caj)ut."  The  Caput,  or  more  fully,  the  Caput  Se- 
natus,  was  a  body  consisting  of  five  persons,  upon  whom 
devolved  the  duty  of  approving  of  Graces  before  they 
were  submitted  to  the  Senate  ;  it  was  abolished  in  1856. 
I  find  by  reference  to  the  records  of  the  University  that 
Mackenzie  was  not  only  nominated  a  member  of  the 
Caput  on  October  12,  but  was  actually  elected  at  a  Con- 
gregation holden  on  October  18.  I  cannot  tell  when  he 
resigned ;  Mr  Romilly,  the  late  Registrary  of  the  Uni- 


86  MEMOIR  OF  BISHOP  MACKENZIE. 

versity,  informs  me  that  "  tlie  jji-actice  of  the  Univer- 
sity never  was  to  make  a  second  election  in  the  year 
after  the  resignation  of  a  man  duly  elected  :  so  there  is 
no  record  of  Mackenzie's  resignation."  It  will  be  seen, 
however,  that  the  date  of  the  letter  must  be  certainly 
subsequent  to  October  12.  We  are  thus  brought  very 
near  to  the  month  of  November,  in  which  the  Bishop 
of  New  Zealand  preached  ;  of  which  more  presently, 

LETTER  XXVII. 

Caids  College,  Monday. 

Dear  , 

Read  tlie  enclosed  at  some  quiet  time  when  you 
can  command  it. 

C.  F.  M. 

A  year  and  a  half  ago  I  was  asked  to  go  to  Delhi, 
and  on  the  advice  of  most  of  my  friends,  I  declined. 

Now  I  have  another  offer.  The  Bishop  of  Natal  (one 
of  tlie  two  new  Bishopricks  at  the  Cape)  wants  me  to  go 
with  him  as  Archdeacon,  paid  to  be  second  to  him  in  the 
Diocese. 

The  Bishoj-)  was  with  "W.  B.  Hopkins  on  Friday,  and 
Hopkins  told  him  he  might  ask  me,  at  any  rate,  to  go. 
So  I  conclude  that  Hopkins  is  ftivourable.  I  shall  write, 
however,  and  ascertain  this  point. 

I  have  consulted  Goodwin,  and  he  says  that  much  as 
he  would  regret  my  going,  he  must  advise  me  to  go. 

My  own  feelings  are  very  strong  in  favour.  For  the 
last  two  or  three  months  I  have  quite  had  my  mind  made 
up,  to  go  somewhere  abroad,  as  soon  as  home  claims  left  me 
free.  When  I  left  this  place  in  August,  I  fully  intended  to 
have  spoken  to  you  on  the  subject  :  but  other  plans,  you 
knov^,  j^re vented  me ;  for  I  did  not  wish  to  complicate  the 
matter,  and  I  should  have  thought  the  scheme  we  spoke 
of,  a  tie  to  this  country  of  considerable  strength. 


LEAVES  CAMBRIDGE  FOR  NATAL.  87 

But  now  I  look  xxpou  that  as  laid  aside  for  the  present ; 
so  tliat  I  think  other  ideas  should  return  with  full  force. 
To  neglect  one  way  of  being  useful,  because  another  way 
may  become  feasible,  would  be  absurd. 

My  ijositive  reasons  are  simply  that  there  is  difficulty 
in  getting  men  to  go  out;  and  I  have  no  reason  to  give 
against  going ;  therefore  I  ought  to  go.  Like  labovirers  in 
a  field,  each  should  go  where  he  is  most  wanted. 

I  look  upon  Goodwin's  approval  as  most  important. 
He  was  so  strong  against  the  other,  that  his  sincerity  and 
disinterestedness  are  proved.  He  does  not  deny  that  the 
College  will  miss  me,  but  he  says  he  could  more  easily  find 
a  man  to  fill  my  place  here  than  one  willing  and  able  to 
do  the  work  there. 

%  *  *  *  * 

I  have  only  a  few  minutes  now  before  the  post  goes. 

I  have  so  far  made  up  my  mind  to  go,  that  I  shall 
at  once  disengage  myself  from  some  duties  which  would 
interfere  with  my  going.  I  was  named  for  the  Caput  a 
day  or  two  ago,  but  by  declining  at  once,  I  shall  give 
less  trouble  than  if  I  were  to  wait  for  a  week  or  two :  I 
shall  therefore  do  so.  Also  I  shall  at  once  find  some  one  to 
take  the  office  of  Examiner  in  the  Senate-House  next  Janu- 
ary \  I  should  have  told  you  that  the  Bishop  will  sail  in 
January  or  February,  and  would  like  me  to  go  with  him. 
*  *  *  *  -» 

I  said  I  had  almost  made  up  my  mind:  I  have  not  a 
shadow  of  doubt  of  your  approving :  indeed,  I  feel  sure  that 
this  opening  and  my  accepting  are  but  the  fulfilment  of 
your  hopes  since  I  wrote  about  Delhi.     I  am  more  anxious 

to  hear  what says :  but  I  have  just  read  over  his  letter 

to  me  about  Delhi,  and  though  the  remai-ks  apply  nearly  as 
well  to  this  as  to  that,  yet  I  cannot  say  they  change  my 
views.     Still,  if  he  has  anything  to  say,  I  shall  be  glad  to 

^  His  place  was  taken  by  Mr  Ferrers  of  Caius  College. 


88  MEMOIR  OF  BISHOP  MACKENZIE. 

liear  from  liim,  most  thankful  indeed  for  anything  that  will 
help  me  to  come  to  a  right  final  conclusion.  I  shall  write 
this  evening  more  full  particulars  of  what  I  know  already  of 
the  work. 


It  will  be  observed  that  the  above  letter   throws 
a  considerable  responsibility  upon  the   editor   of  this 
memoir.     In  explanation  of  the  advice  which  I  thought 
it  right  to  give  to  my  dear  friend,  I  have  only  to  say 
this.     It  seemed  to  me  quite  clear,  and  I  think  the 
tone   of  his  letters  will  prove,  that  Mackenzie's  mind 
was  fixed  upon  missionary  work.     The  Delhi  scheme 
had  been  abandoned  in  deference  to  the  opinion  of  his 
friends,   and  here  was    the    same  desire  breaking  out 
again.     Might  not  his  friends,  if  they  still  insisted  upon 
keeping  him,  be  fighting  against  God  ?     I  confess  that 
when  he  mentioned  the  subject  to  me  a  second  time, 
I  thought  that  I  had  no  right   to    oppose    upon  the 
general  principle,  but  only  upon  the  conviction  that 
the  particular  sphere  of  missionary  work  to  which  he 
was  looking  was  unsuited  for  him.     Now  it  seemed  to 
me,  that  if  go  he  must,  the  Natal  opening  was  a  very- 
suitable  one.     I  thought  that  his  fine  temper  and  ir- 
resistible loveableness  would  tend  to  smooth  the  diffi- 
culties, to  which  an  infant   Church  in  a  colony  must 
inevitably  be  subject ;  and  so  far  as  Heathen  work  was 
concerned,  I  knew  that   he   could  condescend  to  the 
simplest  of  his  fellow-creatures,  and  I  thought  that  he 
would  be    happier  in  planning   missions  amongst  the 
untaught  Kafirs,  than  in  dealing  with  the  objections 
of  acute  Hindus.     It  will  have  been  seen  that  in  the 
first    instance,    rightly    or   wrongly,  I  did    my  best  to 


LEAVES  CAMBRIDGE  FOR  NATAL.  89 

keep  him  for  what  seemed  to  me  to  be  peculiarly  his 
sphere  of  work;  I  did  not  dare  to  act  in  the  same 
manner  a  second  time.  How  much  it  cost  me  to  think 
of  losing  him  I  will  not  say. 

For  the  present,  however,  the  offer  of  the  Bishop 
of  Natal  was  declined,  apj)arently  in  deference  to  the 
wishes  of  his  family.  The  immediate  cause  of  the 
ultimate  determination  to  go  to  Natal  is  to  be  found 
in  the  sermons  of  the  Bishop  of  New  Zealand  al- 
ready referred  to.  At  these  sermons,  it  was  noticed 
by  Mackenzie's  friends,  that,  contrary  to  his  practice, 
he  was  regularly  present.  He  usually,  as  we  have 
seen,  spent  the  whole  Sunday  at  Haslingfield,  walking 
home  in  the  evening :  but  during  the  month  of  No- 
vember he  was  to  be  seen  each  Sunday  afternoon  in 
Great  S.  Mary's  Church,  and  his  intimate  friends,  who 
knew  all  that  had  passed,  concluded  that  his  attend- 
ance was  significant.  Certainly  to  a  mind  that  was  at 
all  leaning  towards  missionary  enterprise,  nothing  could 
be  more  likely  to  give  the  final  movement  than  the 
sermons  of  Bishop  Selwyn :  eloquent  and  forcible  in 
themselves,  they  were  a  hundred  times  more  eloquent 
and  forcible  Vv^hen  regarded  as  the  testimony  of  a  man, 
who  had  himself  done  so  much,  and  done  it  so  nobly. 
The  next  letter  will  shew  their  effect  upon  Mackenzie's 
mind.     Like  the  last,  it  is  to  his  eldest  sister. 

LETTER  XXVIIL 

Caius  College, 

Monday,  Dec.  il. 

My  dear , 

I  hope,  thongli  you  may  be  surprised,  yet  that  you 
will  not  be  seriously  sorry,  when  I  say  that  I  have  recon- 


90  MEMOIR  OF  BISHOP  MACKENZIE. 

siderecl  my  decision  about  Natal.  I  have  offered  to  go  with 
the  Bishop  iu  the  capacity  he  proposed  before,  and  I  have 
been  accepted.  So  now  the  whole  thing  is  fixed,  and  I  shall 
sail  with  him  in  February. 

Soon  after  coming  to  the  determination  of  staying  here, 
I  began  to  doubt  the  rightness  of  that  conclusion,  and  then 
Bishop  Selwyn,  of  New  Zealand,  preached  in  the  University 
pulpit  in  November,  and  he  revived  in  my  mind  the  con- 
viction, that  a  man's  going  from  home  is  like  a  branch  being 
cut  from  a  tree  to  be  planted  somewhere  else,  and  that  the 
other  branches  will  spread,  and  very  soon  no  gap  will  be 
seen.  At  this  time  the  Bishop  of  Natal  wrote  to  me  about 
another  man,  a  friend  of  mine  here,  and  asked  if  I  thought 
he  would  be  a  good  person  to  go.  I  wrote  to  say,  I  thought 
he  would  be  a  good  person,  if  he  were  free  to  go ;  •  and  it 
ended  in  this  man  and  myself  discussing  his  case,  and  our 
deliberations  ended,  rightly  I  believe,  in  his  declining.  Then 
I  wrote  to  the  Bishop,  that  if  he  was  still  free  to  offer  it  to  me, 
I  would  accept;  and  he  writes  me  that  he  most  heartily 
welcomes  me  as  his  brother  and  fellow-labourer  in  the  work. 

In  all  this  I  have  acted  on  my  own  responsibility,  hav- 
ing changed  my  mind  without  the  advice  of  any  earthly 
friend:  but  I  do  humbly  trust,  that  what  I  have  done  is 
according  to  the  will  of  my  heavenly  Master. 

So  far  I  have  spoken  of  myself,  though  I  have  been  of 
course  speaking  to  you.  Now  comes  — — 's  case.  She 
writes  me  that  — • — •  recommends  a  warmer  climate.      Natal 

is  a  beautiful  climate,  and  I  fancy would  not  wish  for 

a  better  escort  than  mine.     So  I  am  writing  by  this  same 
post  to  propose  to  her  to  come  with  me  in  February. 

I  hardly  know  what  more  to  say.  On  the  point  of  going 
or  staying,  I  consulted  no  one;  but  on  the  point  of  Natal 
or  elsewhere  I  again  consulted  Goodwin,  and  he  is  most 
clear  on  that  head.     So  I  willingly  agreed. 


LEAVES  CAMBRIDGE  FOR  NATAL.  91 

Dear ,  good  bye  for  the  present.      Commend  me  to 

• 's  kind  tlionglits.     Commend  me  to  God's  care. 

Your  very  affectionate  brother, 

C.  F.  M. 
Of  course  tliei'e  need  be  no  secret  about  my  going :    it  is 
fixed. 

The  next  letter  is  to  another  sister :  it  gives  no  ad- 
ditional information,  but  is  too  characteristic  to  be 
omitted. 

LETTEE  XXIX. 

Caius  College, 

Dec.  II,  1S54. 
Dearest  , 


It  is  long  since  I  have  written  to  you,  and  though 

I  began  a  letter  a  few  days  ago,  on  receiving  one  from , 

which  spoke  of  your  being  again  in  Edinbui-gh,  yet  I  did 
not  get  it  finished,  being  interrupted;  and  the  attempt  found 
its  way  into  the  fire. 

And  now  dear I  have  something  to  tell  you,  which 

I  fear  will  vex  you.  I  suppose  it  may  as  well  come  out  at 
once :  I  have  made  up  my  mind  to  go  abroad.  I  am  going 
to  the  colony  of  Natal,  with  the  Bishop  of  Natal,  to  be  his 
second  in  command;  to  help  him  to  put  in  order  what  needs 
arranging  there,  and  to  commence  schemes  which  may,  I 
trust  by  the  blessing  of  God,  lead  to  the  conversion  to  civi- 
lization, to  Christianity,  to  happiness  here,  and  to  the  hope 
of  glory,  many  of  the  simple  natives  of  the  place. 

I  shall  have  to  go  in  February;  but  on  that  very  account 
I  must  see  you  all  for  a  while  before  that  time.  So  I  pro- 
pose coming  to  Edinburgh  on  the  23rd. 

I  hope  you  will  be  enabled  to  look  at  this  move  of  mine 
in  the  right  view,  as  a  short  separation  that  we  may  be 
united  for  ever;  as  a  noble  work  with  which  my  Master  has 
entrusted  me,  for  the  due  performance  of  which  you  must 
help   me   with   sympathy   and   prayer.      My  dear ,  I 


92  MEMOIR  OF  BISHOP  MACKENZIE. 

used  to  form  my  judgment  a  good  deal  by  yours  :  those  days 
are  gone  by :  but  it  will  be  unspeakably  comforting  to  me, 
if  we  can  heartily  join  in  giving  up  our  own  will  to  God's, 
and  rejoice  in  that  which  may  best  tend  to  set  foi'th  His 
glory  and  to  hasten  His  kingdom. 

It  is  late,  and  I  have  other  letters  to  write. 
Good  bye,  dearest, 

Believe  me  to  be,  now  as  ever, 

Your  affectionate  brother, 

C.  F.  M. 

The  next  is  also  to  a  sister,  and  inserted  for  the 
same  reason  as  the  last. 

LETTER  XXX. 

Caius  College, 

Dec.  II,  1854. 

My  dear  , 

I  have  been  very  remiss  in  not  acknowledging 
your  letter.  I  can  speak  to  you  however  on  the  subject  to 
which  it  refers  when  we  meet,  as  I  hope  we  shall  before 
long,  for  I  am  looking  forward  to  being  in  Scotland  at 
Christmas  this  year. 

The  fact  is,  I  have  given  up  my  Examinership  this  year, 
because  I  have  been  asked  to  go  out  to  the  colony  of  Natal 
with  the  Bishop,  as  his  second  in  command,  to  help  him  to 
make  arrangements  in  his  diocese,  at  its  first  starting;  and 
I  have  accepted  the  offer.  It  is  only  proposed  that  I  should 
go  out  for  five  years,  b\it  though  of  course  I  may  come 
home  before  that  time,  or  after  it,  yet  I  have  at  present  no 
intention  of  coming  back,  except  perhaps  for  a  short  visit. 

This  will,  I  believe,  surprise  you  as  much  as  any  one; 
yet  I  feel  confident  it  will  not  distress  you.  The  Lord  hath 
need  of  him,  is  a  sufiicient  answer  to  all  questionings,  Why 
should  I  go?  My  reason  is  very  simple.  There  is  in  the 
colonies  a  lack  of  men;  there  is  none  at  home.     Therefore 


LEAVES  CAMBRIDGE  FOR  NATAL.  93 

let  all  that  are  free  go  cheerfully  to  that  other  part  of  the 
field,  where  their  labour  is  m6re  wanted  than  here. 

This  is  a  very  simple  view  of  the  case ;  one  which  I  be- 
lieve will  at  once  commend  itself  to  you,  even  though  the 
fulfilling  of  the  duty  it  brings  were  to  yon  like  the  cutting 
off  a  right  hand  or  the  plucking  out  a  right  eye. 

Please  tell  what  is  in  this  letter,  and  say  that  as 

I  hope  to  be  down  so  soon  I  may  perhaps  not  wi-ite  to  him, 
as  I  should  certainly  have  done,  had  not  you  been  in  his 
house.  I  hope  he  will  not  think  me  utterly  mad;  I  hardly 
hope  he  will  approve  of  the  step  I  have  taken :  a  step,  con- 
cerning which  I  have  no  hesitation  myself,  having  delibe- 
rately arrived  at  my  present  conclusion  after  more  or  less 
deliberation  during  two  years. 

*  *  *  *  * 

My  acquaintances  in  Cambridge,  of  whom  I  have  a 
goodly  store,  are  a  good  deal  taken  by  surprise  by  my  re- 
solution :  my  best  friends  congratulate  me.  . 

Now  dear it  is  late,  and  to-morrow  evening  I  shall 

spend  with  my  Bishop  in  London :  so  I  must  not  be  sleejjy, 
or  perhaps  he  will  say  I  may  stay  at  home. 
In  short,  good  night. 

Believe  me  to  be,  now  as  ever, 

Your  affectionate  brother, 

C.  F.  M. 

The  following  short  letter  speaks  for  itself. 


LETTER  XXXL 

(To  a  Sister.) 

Caids  College, 

Dec.  19,  1854. 

My  own  dear , 

I  cannot  tell  you  how  your  letter  affected  me.     It 
was  one  of  my  fix'st  thoughts  when  1  wrote  to  in 


94  MEMOIR  OF  BISHOP  MACKENZIE. 

October,  How  would  you  feel  it  ?  and  now  I  see  that,  bitter 
as  the  parting  may  be,  yet  yoxi  are  supported  by  Him  who 
is  a  siu'e  Refuge  in  time  of  trouble. 

Let  us  remember  that  the  time  is  short.  It  remaineth 
that  we  must  be  separated  from  every  earthly  tie,  in  order 
that  such  bonds  as  are  holy  may  be  renewed. 

I  shall  not  say  more  just  now.  I  shall  hope  to  see  you 
on  Saturday. 

Your  affectionate  brother, 

C.  F.  M. 

The  result  then  was,  that  it  was  finally  determined 
that  Mackenzie  should  go  out  with  the  Bishop  of  Natal, 
in  the  character  of  Archdeacon.  His  own  family  did 
not  offer  any  strong  opposition,  indeed  opposition  was 
manifestly  useless ;  many  of  his  Cambridge  friends 
acquiesced  in  the  scheme,  seeing  how  clearly  his  own 
mind  was  made  up;  but  some  expressed  their  opinion 
very  strongly  that  his  proper  sphere  of  action  was 
Cambridge,  and  that  he  ought  not  to  move.  In  one 
point  all  agreed,  namely,  that  his  departure  from  Cam- 
bridge was  as  simple  and  genuine  a  sacrifice  of  self 
as  it  was  possible  for  a  man  to  offer  upon  the  altar 
of  God.  Others  will  not  go,  so  I  tvill, — this  principle, 
and  no  love  of  roaming,  no  weariness  of  home  quiet, 
no  enthusiastic  belief  in  his  own  power  of  working 
missionary  miracles,  took  him  away  from  England  and 
gave  him  to  South  Africa.  Of  the  scene  of  his  future 
labours,  more  will  be  said  hereafter. 

The  Christmas  of  1854  was  spent  in  Edinburgh, 
with  his  family,  and  it  was  soon  arranged  that  the 
invalid  sister,  referred  to  in  page  90,  should  go  as  his 
companion  to  South  Africa.     He  mentioned  it  to  me, 


LEAVES  CAMBRIDGE  FOR  NATAL.  95 

if  I  remember  aright,  as  a  singular  support  to  liim,  and 
a  sign  of  the  correctness  of  his  choice,  that  after  having 
made  up  his  mind  to  go  to  Natal,  the  next  post  brought 
him  a  letter  informing  him  that  a  warmer  climate  had 
been  prescribed  for  this  invalid  sister. 

On  his  return  from  Scotland,  there  was  plenty  of 
work  to  be  done  in  the  Vv^ay  of  preparation  for  an 
early  departure.  I  have  only  one  letter  which  belongs 
to  this  period.     Here  it  is. 


LETTER  XXXI L 

{To  a  Sister.) 

Caius  College, 

Jan.  ic),  55. 
My  dear , 

Your  present  \  reachiug  me  a  few  minutes  before 
I  left ,  went  at  once  into  my  jiocket.  So  when  morn- 
ing dawned,   before  we  got  to    London,  and  I  could 

read,  each  to  himself,  for  there  were  others  in  the  carriage, 
our  morning  psalms. 

I  cannot  help  blaming  myself  for  the  weakness  of  our 
parting.  For  surely  it  is  a  glorious  prospect,  that  is  be- 
fore me,  doing  the  work  of  my  Master,  (faithfully,  I  hope,) 
here,  and  waiting  for  His  return.  The  idea  has  sometimes 
crossed  my  mind,  if  in  heaven  we  have  work  to  do  for  Him, 
(as  doubtless  we  shall  have,)  still  shall  we  not  look  back  on 
the  work  we  might  have  done  for  Him  here,  and  which  we 
have  neglected  ?  For  this  time  will  never  come  again.  We 
may  serve  Him  then  faithfully  for  the  future,  but  the  past 
— this  world  which  will  then  be  past  will  never  come 
again;  and  as  our  love  will  be  so  much  warmer,  so  our 
sorrow  for  neglected  opportunities  of  serving  Him  will  be 

^  A  small  Prayer-Book  to  carry  in  a  waistcoat  pocket. 


96  MEMOIR  OF  BISHOP  MACKENZIE. 

the  keener,  if  indeed  sorrow  can  be  tliere.  I  felt  something 
like  this  on  leaving  school  to  come  to  College :  though  a 
new  sphere  of  usefulness  was  opened  before  me,  it  never  could 
make  up  for  the  one  that  I  left;  and  now  I  feel  something 
of  the  same  kind :  great  as  are  the  means  of  serving  Him 
to  which  he  has  now  called  me,  I  have  had  great  means 
here,  and  these  opportunities  I  have  too  often  neglected. 
The  future  has  its  own  responsibilities  which  will  corre- 
spond with  its  opportunities,  the  past  is  gone.  These 
thoughts,  at  such  a  change  of  life  as  the  present,  seem  to 
me  to  be  presages  of  the  thoughts  that  will  vex  one  on  a 
deathbed,  or  perhaps  beyond  the  grave. 

I  must  stop  for  the  present.  When  I  write  again,  it  will 
be,  I  dare  say,  in  a  more  hopeful  strain. 

I  have  made  out  the  accounts  of  the  Board  of  Education, 
have  preached  my  last  sermons  at  Haslingfield,  and  am  ad- 
vertised to  preach  next  Sunday  in  one  church,  while  the 
Bishop  is  preaching  in  another. 


It  -was  eventually  determined  that  the  Bishop  of 
Natal  and  his  mission  party  should  sail  from  Liverpool 
in  the  beginning  of  March  in  the  barque,  Jane 
Morice,  which  was  prepared  specially  for  their  accom- 
modation, and  made  as  convenient  as  so  small  a  vessel 
could  be  made  for  so  large  a  party.  A  brother-in-law 
of  the  editor  of  this  memoir,  residing  at  Oxton,  near 
Birkenhead,  invited  Archdeacon  Mackenzie  and  his 
sister  to  take  up  their  abode  at  his  house  while  the 
preparations  for  the  voyage  were  in  progress  ;  this  they 
gladly  consented  to  do,  and  I  offered  to  accompany 
them.  Owing  to  this  arrangement,  I  had  the  pleasure 
and  privilege  of  seeing  the  very  last  of  my  dear  and 
honoured  friend. 


LEAVES  CAMBRIDGE  FOR  NATAL.  97 

He  was  perfectly  cheerful,  as  lie  always  was ;  and 
several  times  he  said  to  me,  as  we  were  busily  engaged 
in  Liverpool,  making  arrangements  for  the  voyage, 
"  I  cannot  help  thinking  how  different  all  this  would 
have  seemed,  if  you  had  not  come  with  me."  A  few 
days  before  the  sailing  of  the  Jane  Morice,  there  was 
a  farewell  service  in  Trinity  Church,  Birkenhead ;  and 
on  March  7  the  missionary  party  embarked. 

The  parting  scene  is  strongly  impressed  upon  my 
mind.  We  waited  upon  the  pier  at  Liverpool  for  a 
steam-tug  which  was  to  convey  the  party  to  the  vessel, 
lying  in  the  river.  The  party  was  all  assembled ;  the 
Bishop  with  his  family,  the  Archdeacon  and  his  sister, 
two  clergymen,  a  German  professor  of  languages,  several 
missionary  ladies,  two  catechists,  a  farmer  and  his  wife, 
a  few  labourers  and  mechanics,  and  several  boys,  in 
all  about  30  or  40  persons.  It  was  a  solemn  quiet 
scene.  There  was  plenty  of  time  for  last  words,  and 
the  moments  seemed  very  precious  to  us.  At  length 
the  steam-tug  came  alongside ;  the  party  was  soon 
on  board,  and  the  last  thing  which  caught  my  eye  was 
the  happy  countenance  of  the  boy  from  the  Cambridge 
Industrial  School,  who  was  eating  an  orange  with  all 
the  appearance  of  entire  absence  of  care. 

I  may  refer  the  reader  to  page  2,  for  a  short  letter 
written  by  Mackenzie  at  this  period  to  his  eldest  sister, 
in  which  he  acknowledges  gratefully  all  the  care  and 
kindness  he  had  received  at  her  hands ;  I  here  add 
•another,  written  on  the  day  before  the  sailing  of  the 
JaTie  Morice  to  another  sister  equally  dear  to  him. 


98  MEMOIR  OF  BISHOP  MACKENZIE. 

LETTER  XXXIIT. 

{To  a  Sister.) 

OxTON  Hill,  Birkenhead, 

March  6,  1855. 
Deaeest  and  sweetest , 

We  sail  to-morrow;  so  I  write  to-day  to  say  Good 
bye,  and  to  bid  you  clieer  your  lieart.  as  I  know  you  are 
doing.  We  are,  at  least  I  can  speak  for  myself,  and  I  be- 
lieve   will  say  the  same,  in  the  most  cheerful  and  happy 

frame  of  mind.     We  have  a  good  deal  to  do,  which  seems  to 
occupy  our  minds,  and  the  extreme  kindness  we  have  re- 
ceived from  our  friends  here  beggars  all  desci'iption. 
*  *  *  *  * 

So  you  are  getting  better,  dear .     If  the  accounts  of 

your  health  are  good,  it  will  be  the  hest  news,  I  speak 
advisedly,  that  I  can  hear  from  home :  I  mean  the  news 
that  will  give  me  most  selfish  pleasure  :  of  course  one 
ought  to  feel  that  the  hest  news  is,  the  success  of  the  Master's 
kingdom. 

Ever  dear , 

Your  affectionate  brother, 

C.  F.  M. 

The  voyage  of  the  Jane  Morice  was  most  pro- 
sperous, and  as  little  unpleasant  to  the  mission  party 
as  so  long  a  voyage  in  so  small  a  vessel  could  be. 
The  Archdeacon  shall  tell  his  own  tale  of  his  life  on 
board  ship  in  a  letter  written  to  the  editor  of  this 
Memoir. 

LETTER  XXXIV. 

The  Jane  Morice, 

March  15,  1855. 
Lat.  37".  Long.  13".  W. 

Dear  Harvey, 

My  first  letter  after  parting  is,  I  think,  due  to  you. 
Thanks  many  for  your  continued  kindnesses  in  Cheshire 


LEAVES  CAMBRIDGE  FOR  NATAL.  99 

not  that  your  late  tiudnesses  Lave  obliterated  former  ones 
from  my  mind^  but  our  intercourse  lately  has  been  more 
tender  and  brotherly,  I  think,  than  before. 

But  you  will  probably  care  more  for  some  account  of 
what  has  been  going  on,  than  for  any  long  accounts  of  my 
feelings. 

This  is  the  eighth  day  of  our  voyage,  and  it  has  seemed 
both  long  and  short.  I  was  frequently  sick  during  the  first 
two  days,  and  hardly  touched  a  thing :  but  I  am  thankful  to 
say  that  I  had  no  headache,  and  was  able  to  run  about  as 
much  as  ever :  this  was  lucky :  for  with  the  assistance  of  a 

lady,  Miss ,  (or  rather  she  with  my  help,)  waited  on  the 

steerage  passengers,  neai'ly  all  of  whom  were  ill,  and  all 
very  downhearted.  It  was  hard  work,  but  has  ended  in 
making  a  very  friendly  feeling  between  the  two  parts  of  the 
ship.  You  would  have  laughed  if  you  had  seen  me,  in  a 
little  cabin  with  four  berths,  quite  dai-k ;  I  making  the  bed 
for  some  person,  man  or  woman,  who  sits  upon  a  box  talking 
Suffolk :  or  standing  outside  the  ship-kitchen  begging  the 
black  cook  for  some  "  fresh  water  boil "  to  make  arrow-root, 
(I    can   make  it  famously  now) :    or  going  from  one   part 

of  the  ship  to  another,  helping  Miss  to  walk  on  the 

slippery  decks,  each  carrying  two  cups  of  arrow-root,  I  with 
a  pocket  filled  with  a  brandy-flask,  a  tumbler,  a  bottle  of 
raspberry- vinegar,  and  two  eggs.  Then  we  had  great  con- 
fusion about  the  luggage.  And  besides,  I  have  been  down 
in  the  hold  seeing  the  stores  weighed  out  to  the  steerage 
passengers;  and  in  the  morning  I  am  either  running  for  the 
breakfast  for  the  children,  or  holding  one  while  the  nurse 
dresses  another;  and  we  are  together  keeping  the  other  two 
quiet. 

I  write  these  particulars,  that  you  may  see  how  fortu- 
nate it  is  that  I  had  not  mounted  my  official  coat  before 
leaving  England.  On  the  whole  I  have  selfishly  enjoyed 
the  voyage  very  much.  There  has  been  plenty  to  do,  and 
I  have  had  strength  to  do  it. 

7—2 


lOO  MEMOIR  OF  BISHOP  MACKENZIE. 


We  have  had  short  morning  and  evening  prayers  in  the 
cabin,  and  in  the  steerage,  every  day.  On  Sunday  morning 
we  had  a  short  service. 

***** 

This  is  the  first  day  on  which  I  have  begun  any  work  for 
Natal,  namely,  the  grammar  for  an  hour  this  morning.  I  have 
told  the  lads  that  they,  and  any  others  that  like,  may  read  with 
me  for  an  hour  in  the  morning  :  we  are  to  begin  to-morrow. 
I  go  to  bed  always  at  ten,  and  lately  have  not  got  up  till 
seven;  the  fact  is,  one's  nights  wei'e  broken  at  first,  and 
even  now  I  think  the  motion  of  the  vessel  injures  one's  rest. 
We  have  had  a  capital  run  so  far.  The  wind  was  against 
us  on  the  second  day  as  we  came  down  the  Channel,  but  on 
the  Thursday  night  a  fine  breeze  sprang  up,  which  lasted 
till  about  yesterday,  and  has  brought  us  well  on  our  way. 
One  night  I  got  up  at  about  three,  and  walked  on  the  deck 
till  four,  enjoying  the  magnificence  of  the  scene :  fine  waves 
foaming  beside  us,  and  the  ship  breasting  them  famously. 

It  is  difficult  to  give  you  any  idea  of  our  jiarty  without 
being  personal. 

***** 

Our  day  now  is  as  follows.  I  get  up  between  six  and 
seven,  and  at  seven  I  have  the  four  lads  to  read  the  Bible; 
at  eight  the  steerage  passengers  breakfast,  and  the  cabin 
passengers  begin  to  emerge  from  their  cabins  at  the  smell  of 
cocoa,  which  comes  hot  and  excellent  from  the  kitchen.  Till 
breakfast,  which  is  nominally  at  nine,  but  is  ofter  nearer 
ten,  we  sit  and  read  or  wait  on  deck.  Breakfast  consists  of 
cofiee,  bread  baked  that  morning,  toasted  captain's  biscuits, 
cold  saltish  beef,  and  perhaps  a  fowl  or  a  duck  or  a  tongue. 
Immediately  after  breakfast  we  have  prayers  on  deck,  not 
the  full  morning  service,  but  parts  of  it:  I  read,  and  the 
Bishop  gives  a  ten  minutes'  lecture  on  some  part  of  the  second 
lesson.  Then  we  have  our  Zulu  class,  in  which  we  have 
read  the  fifth  chapter  of  S.  Matthew,  besides  a  good  deal  of 


LEAVES  CAMBRIDGE  FOR  NATAL.  lOl 

grammar.  Then,  we  play  for  a  time  :  (I  often  go  up  the 
shrouds,  or  arrauge  some  of  the  things  which  the  Bishop  has 
entrusted  to  me,  or  heal  up  an  incipient  quarrel  amongst 
the  steerage,  or  take  a  turn  at  the  wheel,  or  run  up  to  the 
maiu-top  yard) :  or  else  woi'k  at  the  Zulu  till  dinner-time, 
three  o'clock,  often  four.  Dinner  consists  of  soup,  pair  of  fowls 
or  ducks,  or  some  mutton,  pork,  or  corned  beef,  and  a  pudding. 
After  dinner  we  are  on  deck  again  till  tea,  about  eight; 
then  prayers  in  the  cabin  and  steerage  separately,  with  a 
hymn ;  and  then  reading,  or  writing,  (as  now,)  in  the  cabin, 
in  nearly  perfect  silence,  or  sitting  on  deck,  admiring  the 
stars:  I  never  do  this  latter.  Then  at  ten  talking  is  for- 
bidden, and  before  eleven  we  are  all  in  our  berths.  I  find 
I  lie  most  steadily  on  my  back;  I  learnt  this  from  a  tin 
case  of  arrow-root,  which  used  always  to  tumble  over  until 
laid  on  its  larger  face.  It  is  close  upon  eleven :  so  I  must 
stop.  We  ai'e  now  just  passing  S.  Antonio,  one  of  the  Cape 
Verd  Islands. 

March  28.  You  see  how  seldom  I  take  up  my  pen,  and 
for  how  short  a  time.  We  are  now  in  lat.  11":  yet  the 
day  has  been  very  cool,  except  in  the  direct  rays  of  the  sun. 
We  have  an  awning,  stretching  forward  from  the  hurricane 
cabin,  so  as  to  j)rotect  us  from  the  sun.  We  are  getting  on 
famously:  we  ran  200  miles  between  noon  on  the  26th 
and  noon  on  the  27th,  and  about  as  much  in  the  next 
twenty-four  hours. 

The  Zulu  gets  much  easier.  We  are  in  the  7th  chapter 
of  S.  Matthew  now.     The  grammar  is  very  good. 

We  are  longing  to  be  at  Natal ;  not  so  much,  I  believe 
honestly,  on  account  of  the  annoyances  of  shipboard,  as  that 
we  may  get  to  work.  I  suspect  the  affairs  of  the  mission 
are  rather  at  a  stand-still  for  want  of  us. 

April  16.  Lat.  20",  S.  Long.  29"  or  30",  W.  We  have  a 
vessel  in  sight  a-head,  and  hope  to  send  letters  by  it.  We 
are  still  progressing  in  the  most  favourable  manner,  and 
hope  to  make  the  voyage  in  about  ten  weeks. 


102         MEMOIR  OF  BISHOP  MACKENZIE. 

*  *  *  *  * 

During  this  liot  weather  we,  the  gentlemen,  have  been 
enjoying  a  new  mode  of  bath.  There  is  a  fire-engine  on 
board,  which  is  used  every  morning  for  floodiog  the  decks 
in  the  opei'ation  of  washing  them :  there  is  no  nozzle,  but 
an  oi)en  tube  an  inch  and  a  half  in  diameter :  this  is  turned 
ujDon  us,  and  the  result  may  be  conceived  better  than  de- 
scribed. Another  more  refined  enjoyment  we  have  had  in 
these  tropical  regions.  The  sunsets  have  been  most  gor- 
geous, and  the  sunrisings  even  better.  Yesterday  and  to- 
day many  of  us  were  up  at  a  little  after  five  feasting  our 
eyes  for  an  hour  or  more.  I  forgot,  strange  to  say,  to  m.en- 
tion,  that  I  am  writing  with  Mrs  Goodwin's  pen,  which  is 
excellent.  My  best  and  kindest  remembrances  to  her. 
-»  *  *  *  * 

As  for  myself,  I  have  not  a  shadow  of  regret  at  the 
change  of  occupation :  on  the  contrary,  I  am  full  of  thanks 
to  Him  who  gave  me  the  good  will,  as  I  cannot  help  regard- 
ing it,  and  gave  me  strength  to  carry  out  the  j)urpose,  and 
has  so  fully  recompensed  me  for  any  sacrifice.  I  cotdd  not 
help  thinking  last  night,  if  there  were  nothing  else  than  the 
increased  pleasure  of  singing  the  hymns  in  our  service, 
thinking  of  the  words  all  the  time,  (a  habit  which  I  began 
in  your  church,  I  think,)  I  should  have  richly  gained.  This 
last  paragraph  I  have  written,  as  jom  will  believe,  to  en- 
courage others  who  may  be  thinking  of  coming  out. 
*  *  *  *  * 

I  give  the  conclusion  of  the  voyage  from  Miss 
Mackenzie's  journal. 

May  20th.  Yesterday  morning  we  were  roused  very 
early  by  being  told  the  land  of  Natal  was  in  sight.  For 
many  days  previously  we  had  been  nearly  becalmed,  an 
unusual  occurrence  on  this  coast  so  near  the  Cape;  but  a 
strong  and  favourable  breeze  had  now  sprung  up  and  we 
had  made  more  than  200  miles  during  the  last  twenty-four 


LEAVES  CAMBRIDGE  FOB  NATAL.  103 

hours.  The  coast  was  a  very  pleasant  sight,  rising  in  hills, 
and  increasing  in  beauty  as  the  siin  rose,  and  the  lights 
became  varied.  There  were  dark  woods  running  along  the 
shore,  and  green  patches  of  underwood  on  the  rising  ground. 
There  was  a  general  feeling  of  joyous  thankfulness  among 
all,  for  our  voyage  throughout  has  been  a  most  prosperous 
and  peaceful  and  happy  one ;  no  storms  to  alarm,  no  sickness 
among  the  party,  and  all  has  been  harmony;  the  few  neces- 
sary discomforts  of  so  long  a  stay  on  shipboard  being  nearly 
all  forgotten  amidst  the  many  blessings  of  the  present, 
and  hopes  of  the  future,  when  our  duties  and  occupations 
are  begun.  I  myself  felt  a  little  regret  at  the  even  tenour 
of  our  life  being  ended,  and  the  pleasant  intercoui'se  and 
constant  accessibility  to  any  one  whom  I  wished  to  speak 
to,  being  changed  to  the  usual  restraints  of  life,  and  the 
busy  world ;  but  in  this  feeling  my  brother  was  the  only  one 
who  sympathised  with  me. 

We  made  very  slow  progress  this  day,  but  were  so  close 
to  land  that  we  did  not  feel  the  monotony  as  we  had  done 
in  the  midst  of  the  ocean ;  but  to  the  Bishop  the  delay  was 
very  trying,  as  he  hoped  to  cross  the  bar  (which  is  passable 
only  at  high  tide)  in  the  evening,  and  got  ready  to  go  to 
Durban  and  officiate  this  forenoon.  In  the  evening  a  rocket 
was  sent  up  to  announce  oiu'  arrival  and  give  wai-uing  to 
the  pilot:  but  it  was  not  seen,  and  he  did  not  arrive  till 
eleven  a.m.  I  wish  I  could  write  in  the  glowing  strain 
I  could  have  done  at  that  time  of  day;  the  land  looked  so 
beautiful,  the  rising  hills  so  refreshing  to  our  eyes,  the  sun 
was  so  bright  and  warm,  and  the  sea  so  smooth,  the  air  so 
balmy,  while  the  whole  service  for  the  day  was  so  suitable 
to  our  excited  feelings;  and  I  believe  all  joined  with  heart 
and  voice  in  the  103rd  Psalm,  ascribing  praise  and  blessing 
to  God  for  all  His  mercies,  which  the  Bishop  took  for  the 
subject-matter  of  an  excellent  short  sermon  he  gave  us. 

About  four  P.M.  we  crossed  the  bar,  where  the  waves 
roared  and  broke  with  white  foam;  but  within  Durban  bay 


104         MEMOIR  OF  BISHOP  MACKENZIE. 

it  was  like  a  lake,  tlie  water  quite  green  and  placid,  and  the 
banks  most  beautiful  and  covered  with  evergreens  and  flow- 
ering shrubs. 

The  Bishop  went  on  shore  and  is  to  return  to-morrow, 
when  he  has  made  arrangements  for  the  accommodation  of 
his  large  party ;  and  we  shall  then  take  a  final  leave  of 
the  good  Jane  Morice,  the  Captain  and  all  the  crew.  The 
recollection  of  the  time  passed  on  board  her,  and  of  this  my 
first  voyage,  will  ever  be  one  of  the  bright  points  in  my  life. 
The  quiet  to-night,  while  we  are  lying  at  anchor,  seems 
very  sti-ange,  and  the  ship  looks  unlike  herself  with  all  her 
sails  furled;  and  I  doubt  not  the  sailors  are  enjoying  the 
unwonted  luxury  of  undisturbed  sound  sleep,  which  indeed 
will  be  equally  welcomed  by  most  of  the  party.  I  feel 
confident  all  will  unite  in  private,  as  they  have  done  in 
public  prayer,  in  thanking  God  for  all  the  blessings  He  has 
vouchsafed  us,  and  for  His  i:)rotecting  care  of  us  during  the 
voyage. 

On  reaching  Natal  the  Archdeacon  committed  to 
paper  some  miscellaneous  reflections  upon  the  voyage. 
I  subjoin  a  few  extracts. 

May  20,  1855.  Sunday.  After  a  most  prosperous  voyage 
of  seventy-four  days  from  Liverpool,  we  are  now  lying  in 
the  harbour  at  Durban.  Before  writing  what  I  have  to  say 
about  the  voyage,  I  wish  to  record  my  strong  feeling  of  the 
very  great  mercies  we  have  received  during  this  time  from 
the  hand  of  our  most  gracious  Father,  both  in  outward  pro- 
tection and  comfort,  and  in  the  pleasures  of  kind  and  Chris- 
tian society. 

There  are  not  many  facts  to  be  recorded  of  the  voyage, 
that  bear  upon  the  interests  of  the  Mission.  Most  of  the 
members  of  the  Mission-party  have  devoted  a  good  deal  of 
attention  to  the  stixdy  of  the  Zulu  language:  the  eflPect  of 
which  has  been  a  certain  amount  of  acquaintance  with  the 
regular  forms  of  the  grammar,  (very  little  progress  has  been 


LEAVES  CAMBRIDGE  FOR  NATAL.         105 

made  in  tlie  knowledge  of  the  idioms,)  and  a  translation  of 
S.  Matthew,  made  by  tlie  American  missionaries,  has  been 
read  through,  and  m^ost  of  the  constructions  thoroughly  un- 
derstood. In  this  work  the  missionaries  have  been  instructed 
by  the  Bishoj),  who  has  given  up  a  good  deal  of  time  for  the 
purpose :  and  the  Bishop  has  been  assisted,  and  in  many 
instances  himself  instructed,  by  Dr  Bleek,  a  German  linguist, 
who  has  been  engaged  to  assist  in  methodising  the  language, 
and  in  further  translations,  I  have  said  that  little  progress 
has  been  made  in  the  less  usual  idioms  of  the  language :  for 
the  Bishop  and  Dr  Bleek  were  not  sufficiently  deep  in 
their  knowledge  to  enable  them  to  take  us  much  beyond  the 
simple  and  mox-e  common  forms  of  expression :  and  besides, 
the  book  which  we  were  translating  being  itself  a  trans- 
lation, and  one  made  probably  by  persons  who  had  only  an 
imperfect  knowledge  of  the  language,  we  could  not  expect  to 
find  in  it  anything  but  simple  forms  of  language,  frequently 
repeated.  However,  some  ground  has  been  gained,  and  we 
are  certainly  in  a  position  to  pick  up  the  language  from 
actual  communication  with  the  natives. 

Another  good  result  of  the  long  voyage  has  been  the 
acquaintance  we  have  thus  had  an  opportunity  of  making 
with  each  other.  For  instance,  I  have  had  many  opportu- 
nities of  conversation  with  the  Bishop,  from  which  I  have 
derived  much  advantage,  and  which  has,  I  think,  shewn  us 
that  we  are  so  nearly  alike  in  opinion  and  feeling,  that  we 
may  confidently  hope  to  work  harmoniously  together.  Then 
again,  others  of  the  party  have  had  opportunities  of  making 
friendship  together,  quite  as  well  if  not  better  than  on  land. 
This  I  think  worth  mentioning,  because  it  seemed  at  fii'st  as 
if  the  ten  weeks  of  the  voyage  would  be  thro^vn  away.  I 
looked  upon  this  as  a  necessary  and  unavoidable  loss  arising 
from  the  scene  of  our  future  labour  being  in  a  distant  land : 
I  now  look  upon  it  as  having  been  highly  useful  to  our 
work.  One  other  good  purpose  the  voyage  ought  to  have 
hadj  but  I  must  confess  that  I  did  not  turn  the  time  to 


io6         MEMOIR  OF  BISHOP  MACKENZIE. 

profit  in  tliis  respect;  I  mean  that  one  ought  to  have  used 
the  time  for  reading  and  prayer  and  meditation,  so  as  to 
gi'ow  in  grace  and  in  the  knowledge  of  our  Lord  and  Saviour 
Jesus  Christ.  If  this  should  fall  into  the  hands  of  any 
person  vi^ho  is  about  to  follow  across  the  waters  to  this  or 
any  other  mission,  I  would  suggest  the  necessity  of  distinctly 
striving  to  make  this  use  of  the  voyage.  No  doubt  there 
are  difl&culties  in  the  matter :  one  being  the  obstacles  which 
exist  on  board  ship  to  solitude. 

In  the  earlier  part  of  the  voyage  we  had  a  good  deal  of 
sickness  on  board;  not  more,  I  dare  say,  than  usual  in  such 
cases.  This,  which  might  have  apj)eared  an  unmixed  evil, 
did,  on  the  other  hand,  afford  to  those  who  were  well  an  op- 
portunity of  sympathising,  and  in  many  cases  of  alleviating 
the  distress  of  their  neighbours.  This  cannot  have  failed  to 
have  drawn  to  each  other  by  the  cords  of  love  those  who 
were  afterwards  to  woi-k  together.  Another  aspect  of  the 
voyage  I  must  mention.  "We  have  not  been,  as  some  may 
have  ex^iected,  and  as  some  may  even  think  we  ought  to 
have  been,  a  gloomy,  sombre  party.  We  have  been  as  cheer- 
ful as  possible.  To  be  sure,  we  have  had  a  good  deal  of 
young  blood  among  us,  more  than  many  missionary  parties  : 
but  I  think  even  the  elder  ones  among  us  have  felt  that 
religion  and  cheerfulness,  far  from  being  incompatible,  ai-e 
productive  the  former  of  the  latter:  the  good  gifts  of  our 
heavenly  Father  being  intended  to  be  accepted  as  from  Him, 
and  that  thankfully. 

As  to  events  during  our  passage,  which  have  not  affected 
the  interests  of  the  mission.  Our  cou.rse  was  more  to  the 
Westward  than  I  expected.  We  ran  as  far  as  30°  of  W. 
Longitude.  The  reason  of  running  to  the  West  is  that  the 
N.E.  trades  are  thereby  made  available  to  the  fullest  extent, 
while  after  running  across  the  S.E.  trades,  keeping  as  much 
to  the  South  as  possible,  the  longitude  which  has  been  lost 
may  be  gained  again  in  the  temperate  zone,  where  the  pre- 
vailins:  winds  are  from  the  West.     But  I  believe  the  main 


LEAVES  CAMBRIDGE  FOR  NATAL.  to; 

reason  is,  that  on  tlie  Western  side  of  tlae  Atlantic  tlie  belt 
near  the  Equatoi's  (between  the  N.E.  and  the  S.E.  trades), 
in  which  the  winds  are  variable  and  calms  frequent,  is  nar- 
rower than  on  the  eastern  side;  and  it  is  considered  to  be 
worth  while  to  incur  a  certain  addition  to  the  length  of 
course  to  be  run,  rather  than  risk  an  indefinite  detention  iu 
this  region  of  variable  winds.  In  our  case  the  Captain  in- 
tended to  cross  the  line  about  longitude  19°  West,  but  was 
driven  as  far  West  as  25". 

We  saw  several  kinds  of  birds.  One  of  them  was  caught, 
an  albatross,  with  a  baited  hook.  He  was  allowed  to  walk 
on  the  deck  for  some  time.  I  was  struck  by  the  want  of 
muscular  strength  in  the  wing.  He  was  a  heavy  bird,  con- 
siderably heavier  than  a  swan ;  yet  the  wing  yielded  to  one's 
hands  without  much  resistance,  when  we  bent  one  of  the 
joints  of  it.  This  may  be,  because  the  bird,  though  very 
much  on  the  wing,  does  not  require  to  give  violent  blows 
with  the  wing,  and  needs  muscles  capable  of  exertion  for 
long  periods,  rather  than  capable  of  exciting  a  powerful 
force  for  a  short  time. 

The  heat  on  crossing  the  line  was  considerable,  but  not 
so  excessive  as  I  expected.  Some  of  us  indeed  were  put  out 
of  sorts  for  a  few  days,  but  I  found  it  only  slightly  enervat- 
ing :  and  it  made  it  necessary  for  us  to  remain  a  good  deal 
under  the  awning.  (We  made  jokes  at  the  time  about  the 
connection  between  awning  and  yawning,  which  may  shew 
the  weak  state  of  mind  and  body  to  which  we  were  reduced.) 

This  day  we  crossed  the  bar,  and  are  now  lying  at  anchor 
in  the  bay.  Yesterday  morning  at  daybreak  we  saw  the 
mainland  of  Afi-ica  for  the  first  time. 

***** 

The  party  being  now  safely  arrived  at  their  desti- 
nation, this  Chapter  may  suitably  close  with  the  follow- 
ing testimonial,  taken  from  a  letter  written  by  Miss 
Mackenzie  on  the  voyage. 


io8  MEMOIR  OF  BISHOP  MACKENZIE. 

I  am  very  happy  and  all  the  passengers  are  agreeable, 
owing  (the  Bishop  told  me)  to  my  excellent  brother,  whose 
peace-making  qualities  we  know  of  old ;  he  is  also  the  life  of 
the  party,  the  sunshine  of  the  steerage,  and  the  director  of 
everything,  from  the  boxes  in  the  hold  to  the  preaching  and 
teaching  of  all  on  board. 


CHAPTER    VI. 
RESIDENCE  IN  NATAL.    DURBAN. 

An  interesting  historical  sketch  of  the  colony,  which 
is  now.  for  several  years  to  be  the  home  of  Archdeacon 
Mackenzie,  will  be  found  prefixed  to  Bishop  Colenso's 
Ten  WeeJcs  in  Ratal.  The  colony  has  been  so  much 
before  the  eyes  of  English  Christians,  as  an  interesting 
and  hopeful  scene  of  missionary  work,  during  the  last 
seven  or  eight  years,  that  it  might  perhaps  be  taken 
for  granted  that  the  readers  of  this  memoir  would  be 
already  sufficiently  acquainted  with  the  position  of 
Natal,  both  geographical  and  religious.  I  shall  think 
it  right,  however,  to  suppose  that  there  are  some  to 
whom  a  few  words  of  explanation  will  be  acceptable, 
and  for  them  the  following  paragraphs  are  intended. 

"  Natal  lies  upon  the  South-East  coast  of  Africa, 
in  latitude  29  to  31  degrees.  It  derives  its  name, 
Ter7^a  Katalis,  from  the  fact  of  its  having  been  dis- 
covered by  the  Portuguese  navigator,  Vasco  di  Gama, 
on  Christmas-day,  A.D.  1497-  Its  extent  of  surface  is 
about  18,000  square  miles,  or  just  one-third  of  England 
and  Wales.  The  country  may  be  described,  generally, 
as  rising  rapidly  from  the  coast  of  the  Indian  Ocean, 


no         MEMOIR  OF  BISHOP  MACKENZIE. 

in  four  distinct  steps  or  terraces,  each  about  twenty 
miles  in  average  width,  and  each  having  its  own  pe- 
cuHarity^of  soil  and  climate.  Along  the  coast  the  heat 
is  greatest,  and  though  scarcely,  in  the  height  of  sum- 
mer, to  be  called  'tropical,'  it  is  yet  sufficient  to  allow 
of  the  gi'owth  of  cotton,  sugar,  coffee,  pine-apples,  and 
other  productions  of  the  tropics.  There  is  a  good  deal 
of  woodland  and  park-like  scenery  in  this  region ;  but 
further  inland,  as  the  country  rises  in  elevation,  the 
temperature  is  diminished,  and  the  air  is  clear  and 
refreshing,  except  when  the  hot  wind  blows  from  the 
North-West,  from  the  sun-scorched  centre  of  Africa. 
The  second  range  of  land  is  almost  bare  of  trees,  but 
excellently  well  adapted  for  grazing  purposes,  besides 
furnishing  abundant  crops  of  hay,  oats,  mealies,  or 
Indian-corn,  and  barley.  The  port-town  of  Durban, 
with  its  population  of  1100,  lies  in  the  former  district, 
and  Maritzburg,  the  city  and  seat  of  government, 
with  a  population  of  about  1800,  including  the  mili- 
tary, in  the  latter.  Beyond  this,  the  hills  again  rise, 
and  we  come  to  a  region  in  which  is  found  plenty  of 
forest-timber  of  considerable  size,  and  of  very  superior 
quality.  And  still  more  inland,  immediately  under  the 
foot  of  the  Kahlamba,  or  Draakenberg  mountains,  the 
soil  is  well  adapted  for  growing  wheat  and  other  Euro- 
pean products  V 

Natal  was  recognised  as  a  British  colony  in  1845, 
and  became  a  separate  diocese  in  1853.  Ecclesiastically 
speaking,  it  is  of  the  nature  of  an  island,  being  sepa- 
rated from  the  diocese  of  Graham's  Town  by  Indepen- 

^  Ten  Weelcs  in  Natal. 


RESIDENCE  IN  NA  TAE-D  URBAN  1 1 1 

dent  Kaffraria,  while  to  the  North-East  it  is  bounded 
by  the  heathen  country  of  the  Zulus.  Some  years 
before  it  became  a  British  colony,  an  attempt  had  been 
made  to  evangelize  the  natives  under  the  auspices  of 
the  Church  Missionary  Society.  In  August  1837,  the 
Rev.  T.  Owen,  with  his  wife  and  sister,  landed  at  Port 
Natal,  and  shortly  after  commenced  missionary  opera- 
tions. In  the  beginning  of  the  following  year,  however, 
a  terrible  massacre  of  Dutch  boers,  who  had  settled  in 
the  country,  and  who  were  murdered  in  cold  blood 
by  order  of  Dingaan,  the  native  king,  and  the  manifest 
probability  that  Mr  Owen  and  his  family  would  sooner 
or  later  share  the  same  fate,  made  the  missionaries 
determine  to  accept  the  offer  of  escape,  which  the  king 
made  them,  and  to  leave  the  country. 

This  massacre  was  amongst  the  dark  recollections 
of  the  colony,  when  it  was  put  under  the  care  of  a 
Christian  bishop.  Bright  days  seemed  to  have  dawned  : 
the  steadiness  and  equity  of  British  rule  had  caused 
a  considerable  immigration  of  Zulus,  glad  to  escape  the 
tyranny  of  their  native  chiefs,  and  the  Bishop  reckoned 
the  native  population  at  the  time  of  his  first  visit  as 
being  from  100,000  to  120,000. 

The  Zulu  Kaffirs  are  spoken  of  as  a  noble  race  of 
people,  very  superior  to  the  Hottentots, — some  one  has 
described  them  as  "magnificent  savages";  they  are 
honest  and  independent,  capable  of  thinking  and  judg- 
ing for  themselves,  and  they  speak  a  language  of  con- 
siderable refinement,  and  almost  of  Italian  delicacy  of 
pronunciation.  Their  chief  fault  seems  to  be  that  which 
belongs   to   all  unchristianised   races,   a  want   of  ap- 


112         'MEMOIR  OF  BISHOP  MACKENZIE. 

preciation  of  the  dignity  of  women ;  polygamy  is  the 
law  of  the  country  :  and  each  new  wife  being  purchased 
with  a  certain  number  of  cows,  the  multiplicity  of  a 
man's  wives  unfortunately  becomes,  to  a  certain  extent, 
a  measure  of  his  wealth  and  his  social  importance. 

To  this  short  notice  of  Natal,  which  will  be  en- 
larged incidentally  as  we  proceed,  I  shall  only  add,  that 
the  reader  will  find  at  the  beginning  of  this  chapter 
a  map  of  a  portion  of  the  colony  ;  it  includes  all  those 
places  which  are  more  immediately  connected  with 
Archdeacon  Mackenzie's  work  and  journey ings,  and  is 
copied  from  one  which  was  made  under  his  own  direc- 
tion, for  the  information  of  his  friends  at  home. 

For  the  account  of  Archdeacon  Mackenzie's  life  in 
Natal,  I  shall  depend  to  some  extent  upon  his  own 
letters,  written  from  time  to  time,  but  in  no  great 
abundance ;  in  addition  to  these,  I  have  carefully  read 
through  a  very  large  number  of  letters,  written  to 
friends  at  home  by  the  sister  who  accompanied  him, 
and  by  another  sister,  who  (as  we  shall  see)  joined  him 
afterwards.  The  extracts  which  I  shall  think  it  right 
to  make  from  those  letters  will  give  only  a  faint  notion 
of  the  life  of  earnest  Christian  work  which  they  reveal, 
a  life  darkened  sometimes  by  troubles,  and  those  trou- 
bles not  slight,  but  lighted  up  with  the  quiet  light  of 
practical  godliness  and  charity.  Admiration  for  their 
brother's  character  is  not  the  least  conspicuous  feature 
of  this  very  interesting  collection^. 

^  I  have  sometimes  wished  that  a  series  of  letters,  taken  from  the 
collection  here  referred  to,  could  be  published.  I  think  they  would 
make  some  Cliristians  at  home  in  love  with  a  Missionary  hfe. 


RESIDENCE  IN  NATAL— DURBAN.  113 

I  now  give  two  letters  written  by  the  ArcJideacon 
some  months  after  arriving  in  the  colony,  the  first  to 
myself,  the  second  to  his  eldest  sister. 

LETTER  XXXV. 

L)URBz\.N,  July  ■2'jiJt,   1855. 
Dear  GooDWi:>f, 

•X-  *  *  -X-  * 

For  tlie  first  week  after  landiug  we  all  remained 
here,  that  is,  at  the  town  of  Durban,  about  two  miles  from 
the  mouth  of  the  bay  where  we  landed.  I  was  chiefly  em- 
ployed in  seeing  that  the  goods  came  on  shore,  and  were 
safely  stowed  in  the  warehouse;  partly  in  seeing  that  the 
rest  of  the  party  were  comfortable.  About  a  week  after 
landing  the  order  was  given  for  the  mission  party  to  pro- 
ceed to  Maritzburg,  which  is  (as  you  know)  fifty-two  miles 
from  this.  We  went  in  ten  waggons,  each  of  wliich  was 
drawn  by  twelve  or  fourteen  oxen.  The  particulars  of  the 
journey  I  shall  not  euter  into,  except  one  point.  On  the 
last  night  of  the  journey,  shortly  before  we  went  to  bed, 
we  heard  a  considerable  noise  in  a  Kafir  cabin  close  to  us. 
Several  of  us  went  to  see  what  was  the  matter,  and  found 
some  four  or  five  Kafirs  sitting  round  the  fire,  which  burned 
in  the  middle  of  the  hut,  on  the  ground  of  course,  singing. 
I  fancy  it  was  a  war-song.  Every  now  and  then,  at  the 
crisis  in  the  song,  one  of  them  struck  the  tent-pole,  which 
was  about  as  thick  as  the  calf  of  one's  leg,  heavy  blows  witli 
liis  knob-kerry,  with  a  ferocious  or  rather  malicious  expres- 
sion efface.  Then  at  other  times  they  all  joined  in  a  curious 
noise  made  by  panting  with  all  their  might,  and  at  each 
expiration  making  a  groaning  noise,  at  the  same  time  shak- 
ing the  whole  body.  This  amusement  they  continued  till 
they  were  quite  tired.  We  often  hear  a  noise  in  the  town 
of  Durban,  which  betokens  that  the  Kafir  servants  of  so;re 
two  or  three  families  have  got  together,  and  are  having  a 

8 


114         MEMOIR  OF  BISHOP  MACKENZIE. 

night  oi  it  in  this  sort  of  way.  It  is  very  horrible  to  see, 
but  I  sometimes  doubt  whether  it  is  much  more  barbarous 
than  the  noises  I  have  sometimes  enjoyed  making  at  a  boat- 
ing tea.  or  than  the  fantastic  dancing  performed  by  the  best 
society.  I  assure  you  I  think  they  are  all  very  much  on  a 
par,  and  must  all  of  them  be  accounted  for  as  the  ebullition 
of  exAubei'ant  spirits  (I  wonder  where  that  word  got  its  h 
from;  I  know  I  ought  not  to  have  put  it  in).  At  Maritz- 
burg  I  remained  three  weeks,  preaching  on  Sundays  and 
learning  Kafir  on  the  week-days. 

About  five  weeks  ago  the  Bishop  determined  to  employ 

Mr {the  Colonial  Chaplain,  who  has  been  taking  the 

duty  at  this  place  for  the  last  four  or  five  years,)  in  forming 
and  taking  care  of  scattered  congregations  on  the  coast.  I 
see  now  how  it  is  that  dissent  seems  naturally  to  take  the 
lead  in  a  new  place ;  the  ease  with  which  some  one  with  the 
gift  of  language  starts  up  in  a  little  settlement  where  there 
are  six  or  seven  families,  and  conducts  service  on  Sunday,  is 
not  comparable  with  the  difficulty  of  getting  a  man  in  Epi- 
scopal orders  to  be  minister  in  such  a  \Aa,cQ,  or  even  in  two 
or  three  tolerably  near  each  other.  As  to  the  amount  of 
good  done,  that  is  a  diflferent  thing;  but  dissent  steps  in 
very  often  among  a  set  of  people  heartily  attached  to  the 
Church,  and  by  degrees  steals  their  hearts.  I  suppose  the 
remedy  must  be  the  ordaining  men  deacons,  and  letting 
them  study  for  a  few  years  longer,  while  in  charge  of  such 
places,  before  admitting  them  to  priest's  orders. 

Well ;  the  result  of  this  appropriation  of  Mr ,  for 

which  his  acqiiaintance  with  so  many  people  in  the  colony 
admirably  fitted  him,  left  the  town  of  Durban  without  a 
pastor.  Accordingly  I  have  been  placed  here,  and  think  it 
possible  I  may  remain  here  for  a  year,  or  perhaps  two  or 
three.  It  is  not  exactly  the  work  I  came  out  to  do.  At 
the  same  time  the  2)'>'i'}"tciple  on  which  I  came  out  is  in  no 
way  broken ;  namely,  I  came  out  because  so  few  were  will- 
ing and  able  to  leave  home.     And  after  all,  I  am  perhaps 


RESIDENCE  IN  NA^AL— DURBAN.         115 

exercising  as  great  an  influence  for  tlie  good  of  the  natives, 
if  I  be  allowed  to  exert  a  good  influence  on  the  whites  here, 
who  will  again  act  on  the  natives.  Nothing  can  so  interfere 
with  missionary  operations  as  the  presence  of  a  white  popu- 
lation uninfluenced  in  heart  by  Christianity.  Then,  too,  if 
I  can  get  on  with  the  language,  there  are  as  many  coloured 
people  as  whites  in  the  town,  acting  as  house-servants.  They 
do  not  stay  for  very  long  periods  at  a  time;  two  or  three 
months  to  eight  or  nine;  never  a  year,  w^ithout  spending  a 
month  or  more  at  home,  after  which  they  very  often  do  not 
return.  However,  if  I  knew  (or  rather,  when  I  know,)  the 
language,  I  can  work  among  them  to  my  heart's  content. 
The  chiu'ch  here  is  complete  as  far  as  the  fabric  goes,  walls 
and  roof,  but  is  not  free  from  debt. 

The  people  here  are,  I  am  thankful  to  say,  well  disposed 
towards  me  so  far.  Some  little  opposition  exists  to  the 
custom  (not  an  innovation,  as  you  say,)  of  having  baptisms 
in  the  service.  I  have  to-day  filled  a  sheet  of  paper  in  an- 
swer to  a  letter  containing  arguments  in  favour  of  letting 
the  custom  remain  as  it  was  under  my  predecessor. 

I  have  just  begun  having  service  on  Saints'  days :  prayers 
in  the  morning,  prayers  and  sermon  in  the  evening,  I  have 
about  twenty  in  the  morning,  and  fifty  in  the  evening.  The 
music  in  the  church  is  very  good. 

As  I  was  coming  down  from  P.  M.  B.  (Pieter  Maritz- 
burg)  a  fortnight  ago,  when  I  had  got  about  half  way,  I 
thought  I  would  take  a  short  cut  by  a  Kafir  path.  I  had 
heard  of  the  short  cut,  and  had  observed  where  I  expected 
the  cut  to  come  into  the  road  again.  So  I  went  ofl"  the  road, 
and  trudged  away,  my  path  being  by  the  side  of  a  little 
stream,  with  hardly  a  trickle  of  water  in  it :  but  the  bed 
was  in  many  places  twelve  feet  deep  and  twenty  wide,  and 
there  were  evident  signs  of  ovei'flowinfr  the  banks  in  the  wet 

8—2 


11(5  MEMOIR  OF  BISHOP  MACKENZIE. 

season.  I  had  left  the  public-house  about  six,  with  a  cup  of 
coffee  for  breakfast;  as  I  went  on  the  path  I  began  to  think 
it  was  longer  than  I  expected,  and  at  last  I  could  not  find 
any  track  at  all ;  so  I  concluded  that  I  had  lost  my  way. 
I  climbed  to  the  highest  ground  near,  and  I  thought  I  re- 
cognized a  hill ;  but  on  going  some  miles  towards  it  I  found 
I  was  wrong.  By  this  time  I  had  lost  any  notion  of  direc- 
tion I  might  have  had.  Unfortunately  your  compass  was 
still  packed  up  in  a  zinc  box  at  Maritzburg,  (I  have  it  now,) 
and  the  sun  was  not  visible, — the  first  and  only  day  I  have 
missed  him,  I  think,  since  landing.  I  was  at  fault  about 
the  points  of  the  compass,  when  I  saw  an  atom  of  a  rain- 
bow (not  more  in  length  than  its  own  breadth)  on  the 
liorizon.  I  stopped,  marked  its  position,  and  noted  which  side 
was  red  and  which  violet;  and  taking  it  for  granted  it  was 
the  primary  bow,  I  estimated  the  position  of  the  sun,  and 
looking  at  my  watch  I  made  out  the  North.  Aha !  said  I 
to  myself,  I  wonder  how  long  it  would  have  been  before  his 

knowledge  of  Homer  and  Cicero  would  have  helped 

out  of  a  jilace  like  this.  Now,  said  I,  Durban  to  wliich  I 
am  going  lies  S.  W.  of  P.  M.  B.;  so  if  I  walk  towards  the 
S.  E.  I  shall  get  back  to  the  road  in  the  least  possible  time. 
Oflf  I  set  in  high  spirits,  and  went  on  for  half  an  hour,  when 
I  suddenly  remembered  that  Durban  is  S.E.  of  P.  M.  B.,  and 
that  I  was  walking  parallel  to  the  road  instead  of  at  right 
angles  to  it.  By  this  time  it  was  about  eleven,  and  I  was 
getting  very  hungry  and  tired,  when  I  saw  a  Kafir  kraal ; 
so  up  I  went,  and  asked  one  of  them,  "Shew  me  the  way  to 
Pine  Town."  The  man  understood  and  nodded;  when  he 
was  ready,  I  said,  "  Give  me  to  eat :"  so  he  made  me  go 
with  him  into  his  hut.  You  have  to  crawl  in  on  hands  and 
knees;  the  hut  is  about  fifteen  feet  in  diameter,  quite  cir- 
cular, and  about  six  feet  high  in  the  middle.  They  are  all 
roof,  as  one  of  our  party  described  them,  with  a  strong  post 
in  the  middle  to  support  the  centre.  They  are  made  of 
reeds  wattled.     Well,  in  I  crawled,  (as  I  had  done  a  dozen 


RESIDENCE  IN  NA  TA  L—D  URBA  N.  11/ 

times  before,  but  never  having  been  the  only  Englishman,) 
and  two  of  them  with  me.  One  called  out  loudly  to  his 
wife,  who  brought  in  a  vessel  of  sour  milk,  amaci,  thick 
stuff,  but  not  too  thick  to  drink;  so  I  put  it  to  my  lips  with 
considerable  satisfaction;  and  then  gave  my  guide  a  shilling, 
which  he  perfectly  understood.  The  other  fellow  then  gave 
him  his  purse  containing  some  five  or  six  shillings  in  silver, 
in  order,  as  I  supposed,  to  make  some  purchases,  and  finally 
took  off  his  shirt,  and  gave  it  to  my  guide,  who  had  only  an 
old  coat  on ;  this  was  taken  off,  the  shirt  struggled  into,  the 
coat  put  on  above;  with  the  exception  of  these  articles  of 
dress,  my  guide  had  only  a  Kafir  full  dress,  which  consists 
of  something  like  the  Highlander's  purse,  (without  the  kilt,\ 
and  sometimes  a  strip  of  cow's  hide  with  the  hair  on  round 
each  ankle.  Then  we  started,  after  my  guide  had  taken 
several  whiffs  of  hemp,  which  they  smoke  instead  of  tobacco, 
tobacco  being  used  solely  for  snuff.  The  pipe  was  curious. 
It  consisted  of  a  cow's  horn,  with  a  hole  on  one  side,  into 
which  the  bowl  was  inserted.  The  bowl  is  of  wood,  I  think. 
The  man  puts  his  mouth  into  the  large  end  of  the  horn, 
which  he  manages  to  till  up,  and  then  draws  in  his  breath, 
receiving  thereby  the  smoke  from  the  bowl. 

"Well,  we  set  off  at  last.  After  walking  two  or  three 
miles,  we  came  to  a  hut :  my  friend  threw  down  his  stick 
and  assegai,  and  crawled  in.  I  threw  down  my  stick  and 
followed.  The  hut  contained  a  man,  and  four  wives,  some 
with  two  or  three  children,  some  apparently  without.  I  went 
out  again  when  we  were  ready,  back  foremost ;  partly  I 
believe  from  a  courteous  dislike  of  tui*ning  my  back  upon 
them:  they  were  very  much  amused.  We  reached  Pine 
Town,  on  the  way  to  Durban,  about  2  o'clock,  instead  of  10, 
as  I  had  promised.  So  I  determined  not  to  try  a  short  cut 
again,  till  I  knew  better  how  to  prevent  it  becoming  a  long 
one. 


Il8  MEMOIR  OF  BISHOP  MACKENZIE. 

LETTER  XXXYT. 

Durban",  JaJij  30,  1S55. 
Dear  , 


I  cannot  remember  for  certain,  and  my  memory 

(that  is  A )  is  not  here  to  remind  me,  whether  I  wrote 

to  yovx  on  landing,  I  think  I  did;  and  sent  the  letter  by 
the  Mauritius,  in  which  case  you  must  have  got  it  some 
two  months  before  you  get  this :  however,  I  will  call  this 
No.  1. 

-»•  ■::-  "r  -x-  * 

"We  came  to  anchor,  Sunday,  May  20;  landed  next  day; 
started  for  Maritzburg  (written  P.  M.  B.)  Monday,  May  28 ; 
ai-rived  on  Thursday,  May  31.  *  *  ''•'  I  started  for  Dur- 
ban on  Thursday,  June  21.  The  Bishop  had  been  at 
P.  M.  B.  for  a  fortnight  or  so,  but  had  returned  to  his  fa- 
mily; they  left  Durban  for  P.  M.  B.  on  Tuesday,  June  26. 
As  to  the  time  of  the  journey,  an  old  colonist,  or  a  good 
rider,  will  go  through  in  a  day,  twelve  or  thirteen  hours : 
one  like  myself  will  go  through  in  two  days  :  a  waggon 
takes  three,  that  is,  sleeps  three  nights  on  the  road,  arriving 
about  the  same  time  of  day  as  they  started :  they  are  not 
able  to  make  the  journey  by  sleeping  two  nights,  because 
they  cannot  by  any  contrivance,  or  under  pressure,  start 
early  in  the  morning. 

I    do  not  know   whether  — 


travelling.  The  body  of  the  waggon  is  not  unlike  an  Eng- 
lish one,  only  narrower,  and  1  think  longer.  From  the 
sides  thei-e  springs  a  roof,  supported  by  semicircular  arches 
of  wood,  and  consisting  of  canvas.  The  sides  and  roof  are 
very  strong,  as  indeed  they  had  need  be.  There  is  a  pole, 
and  six  or  seven  pairs  of  oxen,  constituting  a  ^' span,"  draw 
it  by  means  of  yokes.     The  yoke  is  a  piece  of  a  pole,  about 


RESIDENCE  IN  NA  TAL-  D  URBAN.         1 1 9 

four  inclies  ia  diameter,  and  long  enougli  to  reacli  across 
tlie  necks  of  two  oxen;  then  there  are  two  jiieces  of  wood 
stuck  into  it  at  each  end,  which  pass  down  on  each  side  of 


the  neck  of  each  bullock,  so  as  to  keep  the  top-piece  in  its 
place.  These  pieces  are  about  as  broad  and  thick  as  your 
hand.  They  pass  in  front  of  the  shoulder;  and  I  thought 
at  first  the  beast  pushed  against  them  in  drawing,  just  as  a 
horse  pushes  against  the  collar  with  his  shoulder;  but  I 
soon  found  that  their  only  use  is  to  keep  the  top-piece 
from  slipping  oflf  the  neck,  and  the  draught  arises  from  the 
pressure  of  a  hump  above  the  shoulder  against  the  said  top- 
piece  or  pole.  The  Cape  oxen  have  all  of  them  this  hump, 
without  which  they  could  not  be  used  for  drawing,  at  any 
rate  not  half  so  well.  Well :  you  have  perhaps  seven  such 
yokes,  with  a  pair  of  oxen  luider  each,  (we  hear  of  oxen 
putting  the  neck  under  the  yoke,  you  would  not  so  speak  of 
a  collar),  and  a  strong  chain,  or  a  rope  made  of  thongs  of 
skin,  passes  forward  from  the  end  of  the  pole  and  is  fastened 
by  a  short  rope  to  the  middle  of  eacli  yoke :  so  when  the 
driver  says  Trekk,  (or  Trek,  it  should  be,  I  believe) — for  the 
waggon-terms  are  most  of  them  Dutch — the  oxen  go  on, 
and  the  waggon  follows.  He  is  provided  with  a  long  whip, 
which  gives  very  severe  cuts  sometimes.  They  make  no 
difficulty  about  going  over  stones  very  much  larger  than 
one's  head,  so  that  the  jolting  which  ensues  may  be  con- 
ceived to  be  considerable.  They  are  generally  provided 
with  large  clumsy  shoe  drags,  and  I  am  told  that  sometimes 
thi'ee  wheels  are  dragged  in  going  down  a  steep  hill :  they 
would  drag  all  four,  only  they  say  that  the  waggon  would 


I20         MEMOIR  OF  BISHOP  MACKENZIE. 

be  unmanageable,  and  might  twist  round  so  as  to  stand 
across  the  road,  in  which  case  it  would  upset.  The  oxen 
have  no  means  of  holding  back  in  going  down  hill,  so  the 
only  thing  to  be  done  is  to  run  to  the  bottom  as  soon  as 
possible,  and  try  to  keep  on  the  road.  We  had  one  in- 
stance on.   our  way  to  P.  M .  B,    when  both  R and  1 

thought  we  should  have  been  upset :  he  said  quite  coolly, 
"  I  think  we  shall  have  an  upset;  but  it  will  not  be  a  bad 
one !"  But  they  say  the  road  from  Durban  to  P.  M.  B.  is  a 
prodigy  for  goodness  :  I  have  not  yet  seen  any  other. 

The  main  advantage  in  using  oxen  here  is,  I  imagine, 
because  their  feeding  costs  nothing.  The  country  as  you 
go  along  is  quite  open,  and  generally  covered  with  grass ; 
and  the  oxen  are  simply  turned  loose  to  graze  in  the  morn- 
.ing  before  starting,  and  at  the  halts  which  they  make  once 
or  twice  in  the  course  of  the  day.  The  land  belongs  to 
some  person,  but  there  is  very  little  cultivation  indeed ; 
you  see  an  acre  or  two  with  forage  growing,  and  then  you 
■  go  on  for  two  miles  without  seeing  a  house,  or  a  sign  of 
life,  except  a  Kafir  kraal  or  two  on  the  side  of  the  opposite 
hill.  But  you  will  say  you  have  heard  enough  of  waggons 
and  oxen. 

My  present  work  is  the  parish  of  Dui-ban,  or  rather  the 
town,  for  at  present  the  parish  extends,  I  suppose,  twenty- 
five  miles  in  one  direction  and  fifty  in  others.  The  town  is 
said,  if  I  remember  right,  to  contain  about  1000  white 
people,  and  I  suppose  there  may  be  as  many  Kafirs  acting  as 
servants.  The  church,  the  only  one  in  the  colony  that  has 
a  roof  on,  is  not  yet  completed;  but  owing  to  arrangements 
that  have  been  made  since  the  Bishop  came  out,  it  is  now 
progressing.  It  will  hold  about  250  persons  :  it  is  built  of 
brick;  the  roof  is  open,  and  the  beams  are  shcAvn.  There 
is  no  east  window:  I  mean  the  east  end  is  built  up,  without 
a  window  in  it :  they  say  it  would  have  been  too  hot  in 
summer,  if  the  morning  sun  had  once  got  in.  The  floor  is 
of  wood,    and   the  seats  are  at   present   plain    white   deal 


RESIDENCE  IN  NATAL— DURBAN.         I2I 

benches  with  backs  and  ends.  There  is  a  very  nice  instiai- 
ment  (a  serajthime  I  tliink  it  is)  and  a  voluntary  choir,  who 
sing  very  fairly,  almost  too  well  for  the  congregation  :  one 
of  them  has  proposed  to  train  a  set  of  boys,  which  offer  I 
have  thankfully  accepted.  We  have  Jackson's  Te  Dewnx 
every  Sunday,  and  the  music  for  the  responses  at  the  Com- 
munion is  prettier  I  think  than  any  I  ever  heard.  When 
I  said  to  the  organist  that  I  had  never  heard  it  before,  and 
that  I  liked  it,  she  said,  "  Very  likely  not.  Sir ;  it  is  my 
own  composing."  The  church  is  tolerably  full  in  the  morn- 
ing, at  eleven,  and  nearly  as  full  in  the  evening,  at  half- 
past  six.  These  hours  suit  the  people  here,  who  commonly 
(universally,  I  think)  dine  in  the  middle  of  the  day.  Be- 
sides the  English  church,  there  is  a  Wesleyan  chapel,  and 
a  Congregationalist.  The  former  has  been  built  some  time; 
of  the  latter  the  foundation  was  laid  the  other  day  ;  there 
has  been  a  congregation  however  for  some  time. 

When  I  left  England,  it  was,  as  you  know,  with  the  ex- 
pectation of  being  stationed  on  the  mission  ground  :  but 
we  have  found  things  less  advanced  than  we  expected,  and 
it  seems  it  would  be  premature  to  be  building  a  house  on 
the  ground  yet.  Besides,  the  Bishop  was  anxious  for  seve- 
ral reasons  to  put  a  new  clergyman  here  at  Durban.  One 
of  them  was  the  fitness  of  the  man  who  was  here,  the 
colonial  chaplain,  for  forming  and  making  up  new  congre- 
gations of  colonists  in  the  outljdng  and  thinly-peopled  dis- 
tricts of  the  colony;  and  he  had  no  one  that  suited  his 
purpose  so  well  to  be  placed  here  as  myself;  so  he  said  to 
me  that  he  thought  of  placing  me  here  for  a  time,  and  I 
said  at  once  that  I  would  do  anything  he  liked.  It  has 
occurred  to  me  once  or  twice  that  this  was  not  what  I 
came  out  for:  but  then  I  have  remembered,  and  it  has 
perfectly  satisfied  my  mind,  so  that  I  do  not  think  the  ob- 
jection will  return, — I  came  out  here,  simply  because  there 
was  a  scarcity  of  people  that  could  and  would  come :  I  did 
not  come  because  I  thought  the  work  more  important  than 


122         MEMOIR  OF  BISHOP  MACKENZIE. 

what  I  was  leaving :  tliougli  1  did  and  do  feel  tlie  import- 
ance of  the  work  here  very  strongly;  but  I  came  because 
so  few  would.  I  left  plenty  in  England;  and  my  coming 
abroad  has  left  the  place  open  for  others.  So  I  am  quite 
satisfied,  and  am  couAinced  that  I  am  doing  best  by  being 
at  the  bidding  of  the  Bishop.  You  may  be  sui'prised  at 
my  sapng  all  this;  but  I  know  you  are  interested  in  my 
being  satisfied,  and  I  like  to  tell  you  honestly  what  I  think. 
To  return  to  the  question  of  an  abode.  It  is  very  dif- 
ficult to  get  a  house  to  suit.  There  are  plenty  of  houses 
with  three  rooms,  a  sitting-room  and  two  bed-rooms,  and 
one  or  two  little  outside  rooms,  built  in  the  verandah ;  but 
these  are  hardly  big  enough. 

w  -^  '^  -S"  ^ 

Do  you  know  I  found  myself,  the  other  day,  persuading 
a  mother  to  send  her  eldest  son,  a  gentle  boy  of  11  years 
old,  to  school  :  she  said  he  was  very  closely  bound  to  her : 
nobody's  advice  or  opinion  was  so  good  as  mamma's.  I 
told  her  I  had  a  sister,  to  whom  I  sometimes  felt  disposed 
to  write  for  advice  still,  because  I  used  to  feel  very  much 
towards  her,  as  this  boy  did  to  hei' :  and  I  said  the  wrench 
at  leaving  home  at  the  age  of  15  was  so  great,  that  I  never 
failed  to  urge  mammas  to  send  away  their  boys  earlier 
than  that,  unless  they  thought  they  could  keep  them  with 
them  altogether.  My  own  sister,  it  is  very  comforting  to 
look  forward  to  meeting  again  :  it  may  be  in  this  world, 
or  it  may  be  in  another ;  but  it  will  be  some  time. 

One  of  the  i^eculiarities  of  this  place  is  the  utter  absence 
of  old  people.  The  church-clerk,  who  is  also  sexton,  is  a 
man  of  about  55  perhaps,  and  I  suppose  there  are  one  or 
two  others  like  him;  but  the  great  number  of  people  are 
young,  and  the  number  of  children  is  wonderful.  Another 
peculiarity  is  the  smallness  of  the  incomes  :  not  above  two 
people  in  the  colony  have  above  £400  or  £500  a-year  : 
not  above  fifty,  I  dare  say,  more  than  £200.  It  is  not  easy 
to  get  money  from  people  who  have  not  much. 


RESIDENCE  IN  NATAL— DURBAN.         123 

Two  of  our  number,  Dr  Bleek  aud  Baugh,  are  at  a 
Kafir  kraal,  liviug  among  the  natives  to  learn  the  lan- 
guage. That  is  the  jjroper  way :  I  wish  I  were  with 
them. 

It  will  be  seen  from  the  preceding  letters,  that  soon 
after  arriving  in  the  colony  Archdeacon  Mackenzie  was 
settled  down  as  the  parish  priest  of  Durban ;  it  will  be 
seen  also  that  his  own  judgment  somewhat  questioned 
the  arrangement,  but  that  he  acquiesced  on  the  general 
principle  of  submission  to  superior  authority,  and  satis- 
fied himself  that  all  was  right  by  reflecting  upon  the 
reasons  which  had  induced  him  to  leave  home  and 
devote  himself  to  foreign  work.  Without  venturing  to 
ex^jress  a  positive  opinion  in  a  matter  in  which  local 
circumstances  require  to  be  thoroughly  well  known  in 
order  to  enable  any  person  to  form  a  valuable  judg- 
ment, I  may  perhaps  say  that  it  was  a  considerable 
disappointment  to  his  friends  at  home  to  hear  that 
Mackenzie  was  ajDpointed  to  the  parochial  charge  of 
Durban;  they  had  rather  looked  forward  to  the  in- 
fluence which  his  fine  character  and  Christian  spirit 
should  exercise  upon  the  whole  diocese,  and  had  re- 
garded him  as  the  companion  and  friend  of  the  Bishop, 
rather  than  as  the  clergyman  of  a  small  white  po23ula- 
tion.  Hence,  when  troubles  arose  in  Durban,  in  no 
way  connected  with  missionary  labours,  but  of  a  kind 
which  might  have  happened  in  any  parish  in  England, 
there  was  certainly  amongst  his  friends  at  home  a  dis- 
position to  grudge  him  to  such  work,  and  to  question 
more  than  ever  the  wisdom  of  his  choice  in  determin- 


124         MEMOIR  OF  BISHOP  MACKENZIE. 

incr  to  go  abroad.  These  Durban  troubles  I  would 
gladly  pass  over  altogether,  the  more  so  as  I  believe 
that  many  who  were  much  opposed  to  the  Archdeacon 
at  the  time  learned  to  see  his  worth,  and  did  not  fail 
to  testify  their  altered  feeling  towards  him  when  he 
visited  the  colony  a  second  time :  but  it  would  be  im- 
possible to  speak  of  this  portion  of  his  life,  and  to  de- 
scribe his  ministry  at  Durban,  without  alluding  to  the 
disturbances  which  arose  from  the  differences  between 
his  parishioners  and  himself.  The  fact  is,  that  at  the 
time  of  the  Ai'chdeacon's  appointment  to  Durban  the 
minds  of  many  persons  were  in  a  state  of  irritation 
concerning  Church  matters:  preaching  in  a  surplice 
appeared  to  some  to  be  only  Popery  in  disguise,  the 
Offertory  an  innovation  to  be  sturdily  resisted,  the 
public  administration  of  Baptism  a  dangerous  novelty, 
and  true  Protestantism  was  regarded  as  bound  up  with 
all  the  careless  fashions  introduced  in  careless  times. 
This  kind  of  feeling,  for  which  allowance  ought  on 
many  and  very  good  grounds  to  be  made,  was  not  con- 
fined to  England,  but  extended  to  the  colonies,  and 
Durban  was  influenced  by  it. 

It  may  be  stated  perhaps  that  with  regard  to  in- 
ternal management,  the  infant  Churches  of  the  colo- 
nies are  in  one  respect  more  favourably  situated  than 
the  Church  at  home,  and  in  another  less  so.  On  the 
one  hand,  the  congregations  in  the  colonies  are  newly 
gathered,  and  have  no  bad  habits  of  long  standing  to 
break  through;  on  the  other,  there  is  a  feeling  of  inde- 
pendence in  the  colonies,  which  is  likely  to  extend  to 
the  Church,  and  to  make  it  more  difficult  for  the  minis- 


RESIDENCE  IN  NATAL— DURBAN.         125 

ter  to  lead  his  flock,  in  matters  not  distinctly  ruled  by 
law  or  custom,  than  in  England.  It  may  be  added,  that 
there  is  a  corresponding  temptation  in  the  colonies  to 
get  rid  of  bad  habits  which  have  crept  into  many  of 
our  English  congregations,  and  a  corresponding  danger 
of  such  efforts  leading  to  misunderstandings  between 
minister  and  people.  In  the  case  of  Durban  matters 
stood  thus.  The  congregation  in  that  place  was  the 
oldest  in  the  colony,  and  differed  in  some  of  its  habits 
from  those  more  recently  established:  especially  there 
was  no  Offertory,  as  a  regular  part  of  the  Church  ser- 
vice, although  the  jiractice  was  universal  elsewhere 
throughout  tlie  diocese.  The  attempt  to  introduce 
uniformity,  an  attempt  to  which  he  was  first  led  by  his 
confidence  in  his  people  and  belief  that  they  had  con- 
fidence in  him,  and  in  which  his  feeling  of  submission 
to  his  Bishop  led  him  to  persevere  when  his  own  judg- 
ment prompted  him  to  desist,  was  the  origin  of  troubles 
which  constituted  the  most  painful  chapter  of  his  life. 
I  remember  well  the  intense  sorrow  with  which  his 
friends  at  home  regarded  the  vexations  which  he  had 
to  endure,  and  the  admiration  with  which  they  noted 
the  saintly  manner  in  which  he  bore  them ;  for  myself, 
the  subject  was  so  exceedingly  painful  that  I  could  not 
bear  to  open  the  packets  of  local  newspapers  which 
were  sent  to  me  from  the  colony,  and  which  contained 
the  history  of  vexations  and  annoyances  which  I  could 
not  alleviate.  Beyond  doubt  this  was  part  of  the  disci- 
pline and  education  by  which  God  was  fitting  His  ser- 
vant for  a  more  difficult  and  trying  post. 

Having    made    these    remarks    upon    the    Durban 


ia5         MEMOIR  OF  BISHOP  MACKENZIE. 

troubles,  I  shall  introduce  a  portion  of  a  letter  in  which 
he  unburdened  his  mind  to  the  editor  of  this  Memoir. 
It  is  the  only  sorrowful  letter  I  ever  received  from  him ; 
the  only  one  that  I  have  read  in  which  his  noble  heart 
seemed  to  be  at  all  bowed  down  by  the  weight  put 
upon  it.  The  letter,  as  will  be  seen,  was  strictly  pri- 
vate, and  in  one  paragraph  he  gave  strict  injunction 
that  nothing  taken  from  it  should  be  published:  the 
reasons  assigned  however  were  of  a  temporary  character, 
and  do  not  apply  now ;  I  trust  that  I  shall  not  have 
violated  the  spirit  of  the  injunction  by  printing  a  por- 
tion in  this  volume.  I  have  omitted  everything  which 
in  my  opinion  Mackenzie  would  have  desired  to  withhold. 

LETTER  XXXVII. 

Loose  slip :  to  be  read  first. 

You  will  soon  find  that  this  must  be  a  very  private 
letter.  I  must  have  some  one  to  uubosom  myself  to,  and 
though  I  do  so  to  a  certain  extent  to  some  here,  yet 
there  is  no  friend  to  whom  I  can  so  fully  speak  as  to  you. 

Durban,  Fch.  8,   1856. 
Dear  Goodwin, 

I  have  received  your  very  acceptable  letters.     My 

sister  has  written  home  in  some  letter  to  somebody,  that 

the  delight  of  reading  a  home  letter  is  quite  as  great  as 

it  has  been    described,    though    she   was    sceptical   on  the 

point   before   she  came  out.     I  quite  agree  with  her,  and 

I  think   it   only  right  to  ovir  friends  at   home,    that   they 

should  know   the   thrill   of  pleasure  with  which  we  hear 

that  there  is  a  vessel  outside,  (that  is,  not  yet  entered  the 

harbour,)    then   that  she  has  an   English   mail   on  board ; 

then   that   she   has    seven    or  eight  bags   of  letters  which 

have  been  landed,  and  that  letters  will  be  delivered  at  three 


RESIDENCE  IN  NATAL— DURBAN  127 

o'clock  in  the  afternoon  ;  finally,  the  discoveiy  that  the  half- 
crown  sent  by  the  Kafir  has  come  back  reduced  to  three 
threepenny  pieces,  indicating  that  we  have  seven  letters, 
of  which  jierhaps  three  are  for  the  Robertsons,  to  whom 
we  immediately  send  them,  while  we  (unless  it  be  Satur- 
day afternoon)  sit  down  to  the  full  enjoyment  of  our  own. 

I  have  dated  this  letter  "  Durban, "  as  usual,  though 
I  am  at  present  out  on  one  of  my  clerical  tours.  I  left 
home  on  Thursday  (yesterday)  morning,  at  half-past  seven 
A.M.,  having  intended  to  be  off  at  least  an  hour  earlier,  but 
having  lost  that  time  in  seeing  that  the  horse  was  fed, 
that  the  fire  was  lighted  and  the  coffee  made,  and  in  putting 
up  the  shirts  and  papers  I  should  take  with  me.  I  was 
on  my  sister's  "horse,  having  sent  my  own  the  day  before, 
by  my  own  Kafir  groom,  to  the  house  of  a  friend,  fifteen 
miles  on  the  road.  I  have  a  little  capering  about,  and 
am  nearly  on  the  neck  of  my  horse,  as  soon  as  he  discovers, 
by  the  direction  of  his  head,  and  the  saddle-bag  at  his  side, 
that  he  is  ofi"  on  a  journey.  I  come,  after  four  miles  riding 
along  a  flat  road,  to  the  river  Umgeni.  There  is  no  bridge, 
but  a  great  floating  stage,  known  as  "the  punt  at  the 
middle  drift;"  but  as  the  depth  of  the  water  is  not  suflticient 
in  all  parts  to  float  me  and  the  horse  as  well,  though  in 
general  it  carries  loaded  waggons  across,  I  take  ofi"  the 
saddle  and  lead  my  horse  behind  me,  he  having  to  swim 
in  the  deepest  part.  I  pay  9c7.  and  lose  a  quarter  of 
an  hour  in  this  operation.  I  proceed  along  a  sandy  road 
through  the  bush,  sometimes  along  glades  covered  with 
long  grass,  sometimes  along  a  road  cut  through  the  bush, 
(which  stands  here  for  jungle,  and  consists  of  trees  thirty 
feet  high,  and  bushes  matted  together  in  the  most  beautiful 
"way  with  masses  of  convolvulus  and  other  creepers,)  till 
I  come  to  the  river  TJmhlanga,  on  the  other  side  of  which 
is  the  house  of  my  friend  Adams.  In  one  place  the  road, 
which  is  a  waggon-track,  is  so  overgrown  with  grass  from 
side  to  side,  that  it  reaches  as  high  as    my  head   while  I 


128  MEMOIR   OF  BISHOP  MACKENZIE. 

sit  on  horseback.  This  part  of  the  road  has  not  been 
travelled  bv  waggons  for  a  few  months. 

It  is  now  a  quarter  past  ten.  I  stop  at  Adams',  and 
have  breakfast.  The  bread  is  made  of  mealies,  and  tastes 
to  me  much  as  oatcake  does,  I  suppose,  to  an  Englishman, 
who  has  not  the  good  sense  to  appreciate  it.  I  find  here 
my  horse,  and  send  back  my  sister's  by  the  Kafir  who 
brought  mine.  About  12  we  start.  The  sun  about  10° 
from  the  zenith.  We  follow  narrow  paths,  not  waggon- 
tracks,  across  the  river  Umhloti;  we  call  upon  the  little 
merchant  of  the  neighbourhood,  and  tell  him  that  I  have 
every  hope  of  being  able  to  keep  my  appointment  by  hold- 
ing service  in  the  house  of  one  of  his  neighbours  at  half- 
past  three  next  Sunday,  and  beg  him  to  .  let  his  friends 
know.  This  knot  of  people  is  called  Mount  Moreland. 
There  are  some  ten  or  twelve  families,  dotted  about  on 
grassy  knolls,  in  a  space  of  about  six  miles  by  three,  the 
majority  of  whom  are  members  of  the  Church  of  England, 
to  whom  a  Wesleyan  preacher  comes  from  the  adjoining 
neighbourhood  of  Yerulam  every  Sunday  morning.  This 
Wesleyan  service  is  attended  by  most  of  the  Mount  More- 
land  people.  All  that  we  are  at  present  able  to  do  is  to 
offer  them  a  service  once  in  three  weeks,  and  it  is  on  this 
duty  partly  that  I  have  come  up. 

We  arrive  at  seven  o'clock  at  the  house  of  Mr , 

the  resident  magistrate  of  this  district,  which  is  called  the 
TJmhlali,  from  a  river  which  runs  through  it,  at  a  distance 
of  about  forty-five  miles  from  Durban.  I  carry  with  me  a 
.surplice,  which  I  shall  leave  in  this  neighbourhood,  and 
three  copies  of  the  last  S.  P.  G.  E.ej)ort,  which  I  shall  also 
leave  in  various  places. 

So  far  I  have  written  in  a  common  way  of  what  might 
interest  any  common  friend.  But  I  must  in  this  letter  try  to 
give  you  an  idea  of  the  position  of  things  here,  of  which  you 
may  have  heard  something.  We  have  had  great  trouble  and 
annoyance  from  the  opposition  of  the  people  here,  some  few 


RESIDENCE  IN  NATAL— DURBAN.  129 

violent  persons  especially,  to  the  Offertory.  I  knew  on 
coming  to  Durban  that  it  was  the  Bishop's  wish  to  intro- 
duce the  Offertory,  and  I  proposed  to  him,  on  our  way  to 
church  the  first  time  I  preached  here  as  incumbent,  that  I 
shovdd  begin  at  once  with  my  surplice,  as  the  people  had 
been  very  anxious  to  have  me  here,  and  I  thought  they 
would  take  me  quietly  with  all  my  faults,  of  which  they 
would  consider  this  to  be  one.  He  advised  me  not,  but  to 
wait  till  I  had  gained  the  confidence  of  my  parishioners. 
Unfortunately  I  fancied  I  had  done  this  in  about  three 
months,  and  then  proposed  to  the  Bishop  to  introduce 
surplice  and  Offertory.  He  said,  "Well,  do  so,  if  you  think 
you  can  :  only  do  not  consider  that  I  order  it :  I  only  sanc- 
tion it."  When  I  mentioned  here  to  one  of  the  church- 
wardens what  I  was  going  to  do,  he  said,  "  You  don 't 
know  what  a  storm  you  will  raise — I,  for  my  part,  cannot 
collect  the  Offertory,  in  defiance  of  the  feelings  of  the  peoi^le." 
I  said,  "  O,  that  will  all  die  away  again  in  a  week  or  two ;  if 
you  will  only  do  your  duty  and  make  the  collection,  it  will 
be  all  right."  Unfoi'tunately  I  gave  ten  days'  notice  of 
my  intention:  they  called  a  vestry  meeting,  and  unani- 
mously requested  me,  in  the  chair,  to  waive  my  intention ; 
their  avowed  reason  being  that  the  surpKce  and  Offertory 
were  connected  with  a  party  in  England  with  which  they 
could  not  agree,  and  they  were  afraid  if  this  were  allowed  to 
pass,  something  more  would  follow.  I  refused  to  waive  my 
intention.  The  meeting  broke  up  in  great  disorder.  On 
the  Friday  the  chm-chwarden  told  me  that  they  intended  to 
organize  an  opposition,  to  leave  the  church,  and  get  a  cler- 
gyman fi"om  England,  who  would  ofiiciate  in  the  way  to 
which  they  were  accustomed.  (They  objected  to  my  bap- 
tizing during  the  service,  as  well.) 

The  reader  will  here  see  the  elements  of  a  quarrel 
and  disturbance  of  much  bitterness.  I  shall  omit  the 
greater  part  of  the  letter,  which  describes  all  the  par- 

9 


130         MEMOIR  OF  BISHOP  MACKENZIE. 

ticulars  of  the  storm,  because  it  might  give  pain  to 
some  under  whose  eyes  these  pages  may  come  ;  it  must 
suffice  to  say  that  the  breach  between  minister  and 
people  became  wider  and  wider,  until  at  length  it 
amounted  to  an  actual  separation  and  to  open  war.  I 
ought  however  to  add,  in  justice  to  the  Archdeacon, 
that  he  did  in  the  first  instance  waive  his  intention, 
and  that  it  was  only  upon  finding  that  concession  did 
not  produce  confidence  and  harmony  that  he  was  in- 
duced to  carry  out  his  original  scheme,  I  now  resume 
the  letter. 

All  this  is  very  unpleasant.  I  used  to  say,  I  did  not 
know  why  God  had  given  me  so  sunshiny  a  life.  One  or  two 
jDeople  used  to  say,  that  I  did  not  need  tribulation  :  but  this 
I  never  believed.  Others,  such  as  you  I  think,  used  to  say 
it  was  because  my  nature  was  good-tempered,  and  I  did  not 
think  things  to  be  painful  which  others  did  :  but  even  so, 
this  was  the  gift  of  God.  I  now  think  that  He  has  an- 
swered my  prayer  which  used  to  be  for  pain  and  annoyance, 
when  He  thought  it  wise :  and  I  thank  Him,  and  only  hope 
He  will  "  fit  me  for  perfect  rest  above  :"  perhaps  that  i-est 
may  be  made  more  sweet  by  annoyance  now. 

*  *  -X-  -X-  % 

My  present  position  has  driven  me  to  feel  the  necessity 
of  prayer  for  the  whole  state  of  Christ's  Church  Militant. 
In  this  respect  I  am  still  very  deficient,  but  I  trust  to  be 
improved. 

My  hope  is,  that  God  may  work  a  cure  out  of  the  very 
violence  of  the  disease ;  that  true  chiirchmen,  being  true 
Christians,  will  rally  round  the  Church  ;  and  that  the  oppo- 
sers  of  the  Bishop  being  now,  as  they  are  beginning  to  be, 
joined  by  those  who  would  claim  for  all  a  vote  in  vestry, 
and  by  those  who  would  level  the  Church  on  the  plea  of 
religious  liberty,  may  become  encumbered  by  their  friends. 


RESIDENCE  IN  NATAL— DURBAN.         13 1 

Thus  our  enemies  may  be  drowned  iu  the  act  of  pursuing  us 
into  the  sea.  I  have  much  comfort  in  reading  of  the  old 
days,  when  the  Church  was  in  worse  difficulties  than  this, 
yet  out  of  them  all  the  Lord  delivered  her. 

I  have  not  a  great  deal  of  time  for  reading,  but  as  much 
I  believe  as  I  had  in  Cambridge.  I  am  preaching  four  times 
a-week  :  three  times  in  my  own  church,  and  once  at  a 
week-day  service  for  some  people  four  miles  off.  This  makes 
me  feel  the  necessity  of  reading  more  than  I  used  to  do 
when  Haslingfield  was  my  field. 

*  *  *  -^  AJ 

It  is  now  May  3.  I  really  hope  I  may  never  keep  a 
letter  on  the  stocks  for  three  months  again.  All  I  can  do  now 
is  to  close  this  and  send  it  by  the  mail  which  goes  to-day. 

Times  are  troublous  here  still.  I  am  holding  service 
in  a  large  building  hired  and  licensed  for  the  purpose,  while 
one  of  the  churchwardens  encourages  a  service,  read,  by 
his  directions,  by  a  layman  in  S.  Paul's  church.  The  Bishop 
is  prepared  veiy  soon,  I  think,  to  go  to  law  to  prevent 
the  building  from  being  used,  when  closed  by  him.  I  do 
not  seriously  blame  myself  for  any  part  I  have  taken  in 
the  whole  matter,  though  I  think  I  might  have  acted  with 
more  judgment  once  or  twice. 

Yours  very  truly, 

C.  F.  M. 

The  next  letter  is  to  his  eldest  sister,  and  belongs 
to  nearly  the  same  date  as  the  conclusion  of  that  which 
precedes. 

LETTER  XXXVIIL 

Durban,  May  22,  1856, 
Dear  

It  is  now  more  than  a  year  since  we  landed  here. 
The  time  has  passed  very  quickly  :  so  quickly  that  if  it  keep 

9—2 


133         MEMOIR  OF  BISHOP  MACKENZIE. 

up  its  present  rate,  ■we  shall  very  soon  arrive  at  the  end  of 
this  changeful  wox'ld  of  separation,  of  care,  of  conflict,  and 
be  joined  together  in  peace  and  happiness ;  and  this  quick 
passing  of  time  will,  I  think,  continue,  so  long  as  health  and 
strength  give  leave  for  constant  employment.  I  have  some- 
times thought  of  the  peculiarity  of  God's  dealings  with  me, 
that  for  so  long  a  period  (since  I  went  to  Grange  at  least  in 
1840,  and  how  much  earlier  you  will  remember  better  than 
I  do — since  I  had  the  scarlet  fever,  I  suppose)  I  have  had 
no  illness  of  any  kind.  I  do  not  attempt  to  account  for  this, 
but  wish  to  leave  the  matter  in  His  hands  who  knows  best 

You  speak,   I  see,  in  your  letter  of  Nov.   12,    which 

A has   just  given  me,  of  the  possibility  of  my  coming 

back,  and  finding  my  place  at  Cambridge  open.  No  :  that's 
a  mistake ;  Cambridge,  above  all  places  that  I  know,  soonest 
fills  up  the  place  of  one  that  goes ;  and  those  who  go  so 
soon  lose  connection  with  so  fluctuating  a  society,  that  it 
never,  I  think,  works  well  for  a  man  to  return.  But  besides 
this,  the  principle  which  made  me  leave  College  (and  it 
required  a  clear  principle  to  make  me  break  a  resolution 
which  I  often  used  to  express,  that  I  would  not  leave  my 
then  woi'k  for  any  position  I  could  conceive,)  still  exists, 
and  is  likely  to  continue  as  long  as  I  live,  namely,  the  small 
number  of  persons  able  and  willing  to  come  out  as  clergy 
to  the  colonists,  or  missionaries  to  the  Heathen.  I  say  all 
this,  not  to  give  you  pain,  but  because  I  think  it  is  better 
not  to  encourage,  even  by  silence,  a  hope  which  I  feel  sure 
can  be  realised  only  by  my  utterly  losing  health,  and 
becoming  unfit  for  work,  (which,  by  the  way,  I  have  not 
the  smallest  intention  of  doing  at  present).  I  think  my 
friends  would  have  been  pleased,  if  they  had  seen  me  on 
Tuesday,  at  our  Sunday-School  treat,  playing  and  enjoying 
the  games  as  much  I  believe  as  any  of  the  children. 

As  to  the  work  here,  it  is,  as  you  know,  in  some  respects 
less  satisfactory  than  it  was.    My  congregation  is,  I  suppose. 


RESIDENCE  IN  NATAL— DURBAN.  133 

from  eighty  to  a  hundred,  instead  of  two  hundred,  as  I  dare 
say  it  was :  still  I  feel  that  these  are  braving  the  danger  of 
persecution,  which  was  at  first  so  real  that  I  thought  it 
quite  as  likely  as  not  that  one  or  two  of  those  who  attended 
my  oh  arch  would  be  ruined,  by  the  majority  of  the  people 
withdrawing  their  custom.  This  must  I  think  do  good  : 
to  suiTer  in  a  good  cause  is  very  strengthening  :  it  is  a  thing 
which  seldom  happens  at  home ;  and  as  I  really  hope  that 
things  are  slowly  mending,  I  am  far  from  dissatisfied  with 
my  present  work.  I  am  resolutely  refusing  to  give  up  the 
Kafir  evening  school,  ill-attended  as  it  is,  for  two  reasons  : 
one,  that  if  once  let  down,  it  will  be  so  difficult  to  get  it  up 
again.  Besides,  we  do  not  know  when  God  will  put  it  into 
the  hearts  of  these  heathen  boys  to  come  in  great  numbers. 
There  axe,  they  say,  about  1000  in  the  town  as  servants. 
But  besides  this,  I  am  anxious  to  keep  up  my  slight  know- 
ledge of  Kafir,  and  to  improve.  Now  each  night  I  read 
them  half  a  page  from  a  book  compiled  from  the  Bible,  and 
then  talk  to  them  about  it,  constantly  saying,  "  Is  it  correct 
to  say  so?"  and  this  will,  I  hope,  be  a  less  frequent  inter- 
ruption as  I  go  on.  The  Kafir  prayers  I  know  pretty  well 
now,  and  can  read  them  quite  intelligibly  and  intelligently 

too.     So,   as   I   said  to   A last  night,   when  she   was 

arguing  that  it  was  lost  labour,  I  decline  to  abandon  the 
school.  The  UmFundisi  (as  we  call  Mr  Robertson,  that  is, 
teacher,)  comes  in  every  Sunday  to  preach  to  them ;  and  I 
hope  the  week- work  may  help  his  congregations.  I  do  so  look 
forward  to  the  time  when  I  shall  be  able  to  talk  fluently. 

The  thing  I  regret  more  than  anything  else  at  present  is 
my  bad  judgment  in  the  choice  of  instruments  :  and  this 
is  a  very  serious  defect  in  my  position.  I  think  I  am  not 
bad  at  urging  others  to  work  and  finding  work  for  them, 
but  I  sometimes  get  taken  in,  and  appoint  a  man  unfit  for 
the  work.  I  say  sometimes,  but  in  fact  I  am  thinking  of  a 
particular  example. 


134         MEMOIR  OF  BISHOP  MACKENZIE. 

Archdeacon  Mackenzie's  ministry  in  Durban  con- 
tinued for  nearly  a  year  and  a  half ;  during  the  greater 
part  of  that  time  his  life  was  much  embittered  by  the 
dissensions  already  referred  to  and  the  troubles  con- 
nected with  them ;  nevertheless  he  worked  on  quietly 
and  faithfully,  believing  himself  to  be  in  the  path  of 
duty,  and  trusting  that  light  would  break  in  upon  him 
at  last.  Nothing  interfered  meanwhile  with  the  per- 
fect peace  and  happiness  of  his  home :  the  various 
little  annoyances  of  colonial  life,  I  need  hardly  say,  did 
not  trouble  him,  and  even  the  great  and  real  vexations 
which  he  endured  have  scarcely  left  a  trace  upon  the 
pleasant  picture  which  his  sister's  letters  contain.  From 
these  letters  I  shall  now  make  a  few  extracts,  for  the 
purpose  of  conveying  to  my  readers,  in  the  best 
manner  possible,  a  peep  at  Archdeacon  Mackenzie's 
life  in  Durban. 

1855.  Sept.  3.  You  would  rejoice  to  see  Charles  here, 
so  much  liked  and  respected.     He  often  looks  pale  and  woni, 

but  assures  me  that  he  has  a  brighter  look  since  I 

joined  him,  and  have  made  him  a  comfortable  home,  looking 
after  his  meals,  and  seeing  that  his  coat  is  brushed.  I  have 
improved  his  horse  also,  by  being  head-groom,  and  seeing 
that  his  and  my  own  are  properly  fed  and  cleaned.  I  am 
perfectly  happy  in  being  here  with  Charles,  but  Avas  sorry 
he  was  appointed  here.  When  I  asked  him  which  he  liked, 
he  said  he  never  asked  himself  the  question. 

Sept.  4.  We  are  in  a  confusion  and  bustle,  moving  out 
of  a  borrowed  house  we  have  occupied  during  the  fortnight 
I  have  been  here.  We  have  no  view  of  the  sea,  which  is  a 
drawback,  and  our  verandah  touches  the  street;  no  little 
garden  in  front;  and  people  take  pleasure  in  telling  us  how 
bad  the  situation  is;  but  we  could  not  get  another  to  suit  us. 


RESIDENCE  IN  NATAL— DURBAN.  135 

and  we  are  not  disposed  to  make  or  find  difficulties  in  what 
is  irremediable,  and  I  think  my  perhaps  over-punctilious 
fastidious  nature  is  done  good  to,  and  does  good  to  Charles's 
perfect  indifference  to  comfort  or  appearances.  He  looks 
paler  than  at  home,  but  is  very  active  both  in  mind  and 
body. 

Oct.  15.  You  would  all  be  pleased  above  measure  to 
see  Charles,  how  much  he  is  looked  up  to  and  respected, 
and  how  veiy  sensible  and  firm  he  is,  and  such  an  excellent 
preacher.  He  is  adored  by  all  the  sick  and  young  of  his 
flock.  I  am  convinced  he  is  doing  far  more  good  than  if 
directly  employed  in  converting  the  heathen,  for  he  is  influ- 
encing and  teaching  the  white  people,  who  by  being  the 
masters  are  the  practical  teachers  of  the  Kafirs,  and  he 
speaks  very  plainly  to  them  of  their  duties  to  the  native 
population. 

We  had  not  taken  possession  of  our  new  house  when  I 
wrote  last.  It  is  a  very  comfortable  one,  except  that  the 
white  ants  dispute  the  possession  of  it,  and  raise  mounds  on 
the  floor,  and  eat  up  our  mats,  and  would  eat  into  our 
boxes  if  we  let  them  alone.  We  poison  them  with  arsenic, 
but  nothing  efiectually  removes  them  except  digging  till 
you  come  to  the  white-ant  queen,  a  most  disgusting  animal ; 
but  our  colony  is  so  large  that  her  palace  is  at  too  great  a 
distance  to  make  it  possible. 

Mr  Robertson,  the  Kafir  missionary  here,  works  very 
hard,  reading  Greek  and  divinity  with  Charles  part  of  the 
day,  and  besides  taking  every  opportunity  in  the  course  of 
his  walks  and  rides  of  proclaiming  the  Gospel.  He  has  a  Kafir 
class  and  service  every  evening,  which  is  tolerably  well  at- 
tended ;  and  though  we  see  as  yet  little  fruit  of  his  labours, 
it  would  be  wrong  to  be  discouraged  or  to  doubt  God's 
power  of  bringing  many  to  the  knowledge  of  Himself 
There  are  a  great  many  nominal  Kafir  Christians,  but  they 
have  not  a  good  character,  and  I  am  afraid  deservedly  so, 
being  much  less  honest  than  their  heathen  bretln-en,  and 


136         MEMOIR  OF  BISHOP  MACKENZIE. 

acquiring  Christian  vices  along  with  the  outward  civiliza- 
tion of  European  dress. 

Mr  Robertson  has  only  baptized  two  converts  as  yet, 
and,  as  far  as  we  can  judge,  they  are  sincere.  One  of  them 
is  our  servant,  and  we  always  treat  him  as  a  Christian;  and 
as  he  is  not  more  free  from  faults  than  all  other  people,  and 
was  unwilling  the  other  day  to  do  as  I  desired  him  at  the 
moment,  I  reminded  him  of  the  dxities  of  servants  in  the 
Bible,  and  it  was  touching  to  see  the  humble  reverential 
way  in  which  he  bowed  his  head  as  I  did  so. 

Oct,  17.  Panda,  a  Kafir  chief,  and  brother  of  the 
monsters  Dingaan  and  Chaaka,  of  whom  you  will  read  in 
Gardiner's  account  of  Natal,  is  so  cruel ;  his  subjects  in 
great  numbers  leave  him  and  come  to  us  for  protection,  and 
he  demands  that  we  give  them  and  their  cattle  up  to  him  to 
be  put  to  death  or  enslaved ;  and  some  think  we  should 
agree,  for  fear  of  irritating  Panda.  A  bargain  has  been 
made  that  the  cattle  be  given  to  him,  and  this  has  been 
done ;  but  there  is  still  a  ferment  whether  the  poor  people 
should  receive  protection  or  not ;  so  Charles,  in  one  of  the 
best  sermons  I  have  heard  him  preach,  took  for  his  text, 
"  Except  the  Lord  build  the  house,  &c.,"  and  while  disclaim- 
ing to  give  any  j^rivate  opinion,  he  urged  the  duty  of  trust- 
ing in  the  Lord,  and  not  doing  what  was  wi'ong  to  secure 
present  safety;  and  ended  by  begging  help  for  the  Kafir 
school  lately  established,  in  money,  and  by  making  arrange- 
ments so  that  the  Kafir  servants  should  be  able  to  attend. 
Many,  I  know,  were  struck  with  his  remarks. 

Nov.  1.  Charles  is  remarkably  well,  but  overpower- 
ingly  busy.  On  Sunday  he  breakfasted  a  little  after  7; 
read  the  burial-service  at  the  cemetery,  which  is  at  the 
far  end  of  the  town  ;  then  he  read  the  full  service  to  the 

troops  for  Mr ,  who  is  ill ;  then  the  usual  service  at  11 ; 

the  Sunday-school  for  an  hour  and  a  half  at  3,  and  evening 
service  at  G.30. 

Nov.  8.     Charles   has   just  returned   from   Maritzburg. 


RESIDENCE  IN  NATAL— DURBAN.  137 

The  Bishop  sent  for  him  and  Mr  Robertson  to  meet  the  Go- 
vernor, Sir  George  Grey,  who  seems  to  have  taken  all  hearts 
by  storm.  They  rode  the  52  miles  from  hence  to  Maritz- 
burg  on  Monday,  and  30  miles  on  Tuesday  with  the  Bishop 
and  the  Governor  and  a  large  party  to  visit  ISTgoza's  kraal ; 
a  mission-station  is  to  be  founded  there.  They  rode  back 
the  52  miles  to-day  with  the  Governor. 

The  missionary  work  thrives  apace.  The  Kafir  school  is 
increasing  weekly.  Charles  and  I  are  paying  all  the  ex- 
penses of  it  at  present,  the  first  outlay  of  repairing  and 
thatching  the  building,  buying  forms  oil  and  lamps.  Mr  R. 
talks  to  every  Kafir  he  meets,  and  invites  them  to  come  to 
school :  so  one  morning  a  small  chief  with  two  attendants 
came  to  beg  him  to  visit  his  kraal,  and  preach,  and  teach 
his  people.  The  chief  was  dressed  in  a  red  blanket,  but 
took  his  hat  oflT,  and  gave  it  to  one  of  the  Kafii's  to  hold. 
He  was  very  ceremonious  all  the  time  of  the  interview,  but 
the  moment  Mr  R.  left  them,  the  chief  and  his  attendants 
jumped  like  schoolboys  over  the  fence,  and  were  gone  like  a 
shot.     Mr  R.  would  like  to  have  a  mission-station  there. 

Charles  is  very  well  and  strong;  the  exercise  he  takes  and 
the  fatigue  bodily  and  mentally  he  goes  through  are  wonderful, 
and  yet  he  cannot  overtake  half  of  what  he  has  to  do.  When- 
ever he  goes  from  home  I  occvipy  myself  in  tidying  his  room, 
arranging  his  books,  and  killing  spiders  and  fish-moths,  very 
destructive  creatures  to  muslins,  paper,,  everything. 

Nov.  9.  I  have  just  had  the  honour  of  a  visit  from  the 
Governor,  Sir  George  Grey.  He  paid  us  a  very  long  one, 
more  than  half  an  hour;  and  this  is  his  only  day  in  Durban. 
"We  had  a  good  deal  of  talk  about  missionary  work.  He  is 
very  zealous  and  enthusiastic,  and  is  sui-e  he  could  do  any- 
thing with  the  Zulus  here ;  they  are  so  superior  in  disposition 
and  circumstances  to  the  frontier  Kafirs. 

1856.  January  14.  Mr  Robertson's  work  in  the  town 
we  call  the  Scotch  mission.  In  Christmas- week  we  resolved 
to  give  them  a  feast:  so  an  ox  was  purchased  for  lOs.,  killed 


138         MEMOIR  OF  BISHOP  MACKENZIE. 

about  eight  hours  before  it  was  to  be  devoured,  cut  up  and 
boiled  in  a  large  caldron,  while  part  was  cut  into  thin  sli})s 
and  roasted  in  the  fire.  We  had  another  large  caldron,  in 
which  coffee  and  a  great  deal  of  sugar  was  boiled ;  and  we 
had  a  large  basket  full  of  loaves.  You  would  have  laughed 
at  the  helpings,  as  5  lbs.  per  head  was  the  average  eaten. 
When  the  repast  was  finished  the  Archdeacon  exhibited 
his  magnificent  magic  lantern,  with  dissolving  views,  many 
of  them  astronomical,  which  greatly  pleased  them,  especially 
eveiy  one  which  shewed  the  moon;  she  being  the  regulator 
of  their  term  of  work.  They  seldom  engage  themselves  for 
a  longer  time  than  a  moon,  and  talk  of  the  moon  being  dead 
when  the  time  of  payment  comes;  but  many  will  remain  in 
this  way  for  fourteen  or  twenty  moons  without  a  break. 
We  limited  our  feast  to  those  Kafirs  who  had  attended  the 
night-school  and  the  Sunday  services.  They  are  very  fond 
of  learning,  and  sounds  of  a,  b,  c  are  constantly  heard,  and 
I  am  constantly  caught  by  strange  Kafirs,  as  well  as  our 
own,  to  read  or  explain  a  sentence  they  cannot  make  out. 

Feb.  9.  This  morning  we  had  early  service  at  seven  a.m., 
which  Charles  means  to  continue  through  Lent,  but  the 
clerk  is  ill,  and  the  friend  who  is  doing  his  duties  forgot  to 
send  the  keys  of  the  church,  and  Mr  Robertson  mounted  my 
pony  to  get  them.  He  failed :  so  there  was  nothing  for  it, 
but  for  him  to  bi"eak  in  at  the  window  and  let  us  in,  and 
then  he  had  no  surplice;  so  he  read  prayers  without  one. 
The  windows  on  one  side  are  only  of  calico.  They  are  putting 
glass  and  pretty  carved  stonework  up,  but  the  work  gets  on 
very  slowly.  I  have  a  letter  from  Charles  this  morning,  and 
expect  him  back  to-morrow.  He  says  he  is  getting  more 
confidence  in  speaking  to  the  natives,  and  that  one  consider- 
able chief  whom  he  had  seen  begged  that  a  Missionary 
might  be  sent  to  teach  his  people  "to  walk  gently."  He 
writes  that  he  has  been  trying  to  get  refugees  to  work  on 
Mr  Robertson's  mission-station,  which  he  is  founding  ten 
miles  from  Durban. 


RESIDENCE  IN  NATAL— DURBAN.         139 

Feb.  25.  Charles  is  veiy  well  indeed,  and  as  active  in 
mind  and  body  as  he  used  to  be  at  home,  and  his  influence 
is  very  decided  for  good  on  a  wide  circle  round  and  below 
him;  his  good  judgment  temper  and  patience  never  fail 
him.  I  am  very  sorry  that  he  cannot  have  the  work  he 
came  out  for,  missionary  work,  I  mean,  among  the  Kafirs ; 
his  whole  heart  and  afi'ections  are  with  them,  and  his  pro- 
gress in  the  language,  considering  his  opportunities,  is  won- 
derful. If  more  clergymen  would  only  come  out,  he  might 
be  relieved  of  Durban,  and  have  plenty  to  do  as  Ai'chdeacon 
and  Missionary,  It  is  astonishing  what  he  gets  through, 
and  kind  friends  are  always  warning  me  that  he  will  not  be 
able  to  stand  it  long ;  but  he  is  not  the  man  to  be  persuaded 
by  a  sister  that  he  is  overworking  himself,  and  I  can  enter 
into  his  feelings,  that  a  pleasure  ride  woidd  be  no  relaxation 
to  him,  while  he  feels  that  there  are  many  of  his  congrega- 
tion he  ought  to  visit,  whom  he  has  not  time  to  call  upon. 


The  position  of  Mr  E.obertson's  mission-station 
will  be  seen  by  reference  to  the  map.  This  mission 
specially  interested  Archdeacon  Mackenzie ;  he  had 
great  confidence  in  Mr  Robertson's  powers  and  quali- 
fications as  a  missionary,  and  he  spent  many  happy 
days  at  the  Umlazi,  assisting  in  the  mission  work,  and 
at  the  same  time  studying  under  Mr  Robertson  the 
Zulu  language,  and  the  art  of  dealing  with  and  in- 
fluencing the  natives.  The  accommodation  which  Mr 
and  Mrs  Robertson  could  offer  in  their  mission  quarters 
was  doubtless  of  a  rough  and  simple  description,  but 
their  hearty  hospitality  and  their  manifest  zeal  in  their 
work  made  the  visits  paid  by  the  Archdeacon  and  his 
sister  specially  delightful,  and  the  Umlazi  a  pleasant 
place  of  retreat  from  Durban.     In  order  to  give  some 


140         MEMOIR  OF  BISHOP  MACKENZIE. 

notion  of  life  at  this  mission-station,  I  shall  introduce 
an  extract  from  a  letter  written  by  Miss  Mackenzie. 

Ekufundisweni.  June  8tli.  This  is  tlie  name  of  the 
mission-station,  established  about  three  months  ago,  about 
ten  miles  from  Durban,  of  which  Mr  Robertson  is  the  mis- 
sionaiy,  and  the  Archdeacon  the  superintendent.  The  name 
signifies  "  a  place  of  teaching,"  and  Mr  R.  as  well  as  all 
other  clergymen  is  called  UmFundisi.  The  situation  is  a 
very  good  one,  both  as  regards  beauty,  fertility  of  soil,  and 
numerous  Kafir  kraals  in  the  immediate  vicinity.  As  I  sit 
in  the  verandah  of  the  temporary  hut  in  which  the  family 
dwell,  I  look  out  on  the  winding  river  Umlazi,  an  extensive 
plain  (on  which  we  hoj)e  one  day  to  see  sugar,  arrow-root, 
and  cotton  growing),  and  very  pretty  low  hills  covered  with 
natural  wood  at  the  foot,  and  above  grass  dotted  with  pictu- 
resque clumps  of  trees;  in  the  distance  is  seen  Durban  bay, 
the  bluff  or  promontory  which  forms  it,  and  the  white  surg- 
ing waves  of  the  Bar  make  a  constant  music.  Further  to 
the  South  we  see  the  river  Umlazi  fall  into  the  sea,  and  we 
hope  to  make  an  excui'sion  one  day  to  the  shore  there,  and 
to  pick  up  shells,  which  are  much  more  perfect  than  what 
we  fiind  on  the  beach  at  Durban.  The  huts  built  for  present 
use  here  are  of  the  simplest  and  roughest  construction,  but 
Mrs  R.  has  a  magical  wand  by  Avhich  she  gives  a  ladylike 
look  of  refinement  to  all  she  puts  her  hand  upon.  The 
largest  or  family  hut  is  twenty  feet  by  fourteen,  divided  by 
screens  into  three  rooms,  bed-room,  study  or  dining-room, 
and  sitting-room.  The  mode  of  building  is  to  stick  thickish 
poles  into  the  ground  at  a  short  distance  from  each  other, 
and  to  do  the  same  for  the  verandahs  by  putting  poles  in 
front  of  the  others  all  round.  In  this  land  of  heavy  rains 
verandahs  are  almost  indispensable  to  keep  the  walls  tole- 
rably dry.  Sloping  beams  to  the  roof  are  added,  and  a  few 
horizontal  ones  to  strengthen  them.  The  thatch  composed 
of  grass  is  now  put  on,  and  the  intervals  between  the  poles 


RESIDENCE  IN  NATAL— DURBAN.         141 

are  filled  up  with  reeds,  to  complete  the  walls.  It  is  pitched 
outside  with  clay,  which  soon  dries.  The  doors  and  windows 
were  brought  from  Durban,  and  the  whole  expense  was 
under  £5.  A  kitchen  is  built  separate,  but  it  has  neither 
fire-place,  chimney,  nor  grate.  There  are  two  round  huts, 
built  for  the  Kafir  boys  and  women-servants,  and  a  very 
nice  one  for  friends,  which  I  inhabit;  also  a  large  one  for 
the  Archdeacon,  which  he  and  the  Bishop  shared  when  they 
were  here.  In  honest  truth,  these  huts  are  not  to  be  com- 
pared to  houses  at  home  for  poultry  or  pigs,  far  less  those 
for  cows  and  horses. 

I  must  give  an  outline  of  how  our  days  pass  here.  The 
sun  rises  at  seven,  but  an  hour  before  all  are  roused  by  the 
ringing  of  a  large  bell,  hung  on  a  tree.  This  is  heard  by 
families  on  the  plain  at  a  great  distance.  At  about  eight 
Mr  R.  has  Kafir  prayers  for  his  own  servants.  Then  we 
breakfast,  and  our  prayers  follow.  Before  they  are  ended 
many  Kafir  children  have  arrived  to  be  taught.  We  have 
now  eight  who  come  regularly.  We  teach  them  the  alphabet, 
as  in  Infant  Schools,  making  them  sing  and  clap  their  hands, 
march,  count,  &c.  The  children  like  coming  so  much,  that 
in  some  of  the  kraals,  where  the  parents  keep  their  children 
to  work,  to  nurse  the  infants,  or  watch  the  cows,  they  make 
them  hide  when  they  see  us  coming  to  invite  them. 

From  the  data  now  before  him,  the  reader  must 
picture  to  himself  the  Archdeacon's  life  to  the  end  of 
the  year  1856.  The  head-quarters  Durban  ;  some  time 
spent  at  the  Umlazi  mission-station ;  occasional  jour- 
neys to  Maritzburg,  and  the  more  distant  parts  of  the 
colony ;  with  a  great  deal  of  work  in  outlying  stations 
where  no  minister  was  resident.  It  was  doubtless  a 
very  laborious  and  anxious  life,  but  would  have  been 
a  very  happy  one,  and  would  have  completely  satis- 
fied  Mackenzie's   mind,    if   his   peace    had   not   been 


142         MEMOIR  OF  BISHOP  MACKENZIE. 

broken  by  the  troubles  at  Durban.  These  oppressed 
him  grievously,  as  we  have  already  seen ;  his  own  per- 
fect integrity  made  it  extremely  painful  to  him  to  be 
regarded  as  one  desirous  of  introducing  unauthorized 
innovations  into  the  service  of  the  Church,  and  his 
kindly  disposition  made  discord  and  strife  most  un- 
congenial ;  there  were  also  other  circumstances  of  a 
deeply  painful  kind  which  added  much  to  his  trouble, 
but  of  which  I  deem  it  unnecessary  to  preserve  any 
record.  Suffice  it  to  say,  that  his  residence  in  Durban 
was  by  far  the  most  trying  portion  of  his  life,  and 
that  he  could  hardly  fail  to  rejoice  when  the  time  of 
his  departure  came.  The  change  took  place  at  the 
end  of  the  year  1856.  On  being  relieved  of  his  charge, 
the  Archdeacon  went  to  Maritzburg  to  take  the  duty 
of  a  brother  clergyman,  and  in  the  following  year,  as 
we  shall  see,  he  entered  upon  a  new  and  very  inter- 
esting field.  Thither  I  shall  be  glad  to  follow  him ; 
but  before  doing  so,  I  will  insert  a  few  letters  written 
during  the  period  of  his  ministry  at  Durban.  It  will 
be  observed  that  the  first  has  been  written  at  intervals, 
and  does  in  fact  cany  us  into  the  beginning  of  the 
following  year. 

LETTER  XXXIX. 

DuKBAN,  August  1 8,  1856. 
Dear  Goodwin, 

I  made  a  tour  on  the  coast  Nortli-east  of  this  ten 
days  ago,  of  which  I  think  a  short  notice  may  be  interesting 
to  you.  It  was  to  the  same  places  to  which  I  remember 
describing  a  former  journey,  six  or  eight  months  ago ;  but 
what  gave  especial  interest  to  this  recent  visit  was  the  fact 
that  the  Holy  Communion  which  I  went  to  administer  had 


RESIDENCE  IN  NATAL— DURBAN.         143 

not  been,  so  ilir  as  I  know,  celebrated  before  by  a  minister 
of  the  Church  of  England  in  these  parts. 

On  Friday,  August  8,  I  left  Durban  at  about  three 
o'clock  P.M.,  intending  to  cross  the  Umgeni,  to  call  at  the 
house  of  a  friend,  a  good  churchman,  and  a  Scotchman, 
Adams,  about  fifteen  miles  from  this,  to  hear  some  details 
of  the  plan  he  has  been  preparing  for  a  church  at  Mount 
Moreland,  and  to  proceed  thence  by  a  hill-path  to  Verulam. 
On  reaching  the  Umgeni,  about  four  miles  from  Durban, 
I  was  overtaken  by  a  lad  named  Galloway,  who  was  looking 
for  three  oxen  that  had  strayed^  and  for  want  of  which  his 
father  was  delayed  in  starting  with  a  loaded  waggon  to 
trade  in  the  Zulu  country.  They  had  been  seen  North  of 
the  Umgeni,  and  he  had  ridden  out  to  look  for  them. 

The  Umgeni  is  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  broad ;  a 
strong  flowing  stream  ;  in  some  places  deep  enough  to  reach 
the  saddle-flaps,  in  most  places  not  higher  than  the  horse's 
knees.  There  were  still  very  distinct  traces  of  the  flood, 
which  did  so  much  damage  in  all  the  great  river-valleys  last 
March ;  withered  flags  and  floating  rubbish  of  all  kinds, 
that  had  been  caught  by  the  branches  of  trees,  shewed  that 
the  stream  had  been  some  thirty  feet  higher,  and  twice 
as  broad  as  at  present.  It  was  impassable  for  horses  for 
about  a  month,  and  for  some  time  after  this  very  dangerous 
from  the  soft  shifting  sand  at  the  bottom. 

About  ten  miles  from  the  river  my  road  to  Adams' 
house  turns  to  the  right.  Just  at  the  fork  of  the  roads 
stood  a  house  which  was  in  course  of  building  at  the  time 
of  the  former  journey  which  I  described  to  you.  Since  then 
it  has  been  burnt  down,  and  the  walls  of  wattle  and  daub 
are  black  and  mouldering,  the  floor  being  strewed  with  the 
ashes  of  the  fallen  roof.  I  happened  to  pass  it  on  the  morn- 
ing after  the  accident,  on  my  way  to  Durban,  after  riding 
up  the  coast  with  the  Bishop  last  June.  I  found  three 
little  children,  from  five  to  ten  years  old,  whom  their  father 
and  mother  had  saved  from  the  fire,  with  nothing  but  the 


144         MEMOIR  OF  BISHOP  MACKENZIE. 

slight  night-dress  in  which  they  had  been  sleeping.  I  pro- 
mised them  a  supply  of  flannel  from  Durban,  and  unbridled 
from  my  saddle  the  -warm  jacket  which  I  used  to  use  at 
home  for  railway  travelling ;  this  I  lent  them  for  protection 
on  the  following  night,  as  far  as  it  would  go.  I  knelt  down 
with  the  little  family,  and  used  a  few  of  the  prayers  in 
the  little  book  of  Common  Prayer  which  I  constantly  carry 
in  my  waistcoat  pocket,  judging  that  whatever  might  be 
their  ordinary  custom,  the  unusual  character  of  that  morn- 
ing might  very  probably  have  deprived  them  of  the  blessing 
of  family  prayer.  All  this  was  last  June.  I  was  now 
riding  past  the  blackened  ruins  at  about  five  o'clock,  a  short 
hour  before  sunset. 

April  6,  1857.  It  is  really  quite  disgraceful  that  this 
letter  should  have  remained  so  long  untouched.  I  shall 
not  now  attempt  to  go  on  with  the  account  I  was  giving 
you,  though  1  was  coming  to  the  important  fact,  that 
having  dismounted  that  evening,  and  driving  my  horse 
before  me,  because  he  was  (I  thought)  too  tired  to  carry 
me,  and  too  lazy  (as  I  found)  to  follow  without  dragging 
in  a  tiresome  way  at  his  bridle,  he  walked  away,  trotting 
when  I  quickened  my  pace,  and  led  me  many  miles  out 
of  my  way,  till  it  was  quite  dark,  when  I  caught  him  at 
a  house.  I  should  not  have  liked  to  have  lost  him  alto- 
gether, for  he  is  a  very  useful  horse ;  nor  even  for  a 
time,  for  he  had  on  him  the  saddle  which  the  Master  and 
Fellows  of  Caius  so  kindly  made  a  part  of  their  very  liberal 
present  to  me.  I  determined  not  again  to  drive  my 
horse  before  me,  even  if  it  were  troublesome  to  make  him 

follow. 

***** 

I  want  to  interest  you  particularly  in  the  XJmlazi  mis- 
sion ;  but  first  I  ought  to  say,  that  your  wish  that  I  should 
be  freed  from  Dui-ban  is  accomplished ;  and  the  other, 
that  I  should  be  employed  in  Mission- work,  will  (I  hope) 
be  accomplished  soon.     *     *     *     j  cannot  help  hoping  that 


RESIDENCE  IN  NATAL— DURBAN.  145 

some  good  may  liave  been  done  to  individuals  dm-ing  my 
seventeen  months'  ministry.  There  were  some  fifteen  persons 
confirmed  last  June,  and  I  hope  some  good  seed  may  have 
been  sown  in  this  and  similar  ways. 

*  *  *  *  * 

But  to  come  now  at  last  to  the  TJmlazi  mission.  Robert- 
son is  a  most  satisfactory  missionary  :  his  heart  is  so 
thoroughly  in  his  work.  His  Sunday  services  are  attended 
on  an  average  by  200  persons.  Many  of  them  sit  on  the 
logs  of  wood  which  serve  as  seats,  with  the  chin  resting 
on  the  hand  in  earnest  attention.  None  of  these  has  yet 
professed  a  wish  to  be  baptized ;  and  this,  I  think,  is  well. 
I  should  dislike  above  all  things  going  too  fast  :  but  I  hope 
that  when  one  has  done  so,  many  may  follow.  The  grand 
stumblingblock  is  polygamy,  which  is  woven  in  with  all  their 
customs  and  habits ;  so  much  is  this  the  case,  that  I  can  easily 
believe  they  think  it  impossible  for  a  black  man  to  live  with- 
out having,  or  hoping  to  have,  several  wives.  Well :  it  is  in 
the  hands  of  God,  but  in  part  it  depends  on  the  Govern- 
ment, who  may  (I  think)  do  something  to  restrain  polygamy 
for  the  future.  Our  school  thrives  :  there  are  now  about 
fifty  children  every  fine  day,  and  that  is  at  least  five  in 
every  six.  The  first  class  has  lately  improved  much  under 
the  regular  teaching  of  my  younger  sister,  who  is  devotiug 
herself  to  Kafir  work  most  assiduously.  They  can  read 
in  Kafir,  when  divided  into  syllables,  and  can  write  very 
fairly.  There  are  three  or  four  other  classes ;  one  taken 
by  Mrs  Robertson,  another  by  my  other  sister,  and  one  by 
"  Boy,"  as  he  is  used  to  be  called,  but  now  known  as 
"Abraham;"  a  trustworthy  Kafir,  who  with  his  wife  and 
children  has  been  baptized,  and  is  regularly  employed  as 
a  teacher  at  the  TJmlazi.  They  also  sing  :  the  Bishop  has 
at  the  end  of  the  prayer-book  which  he  has  prepared 
printed  some  Kafir  hymns,  and  has  written  music  to  suit 
them.  But  their  most  satisfactory  lesson  is  the  Old  Tes- 
tament history,  which  Robertson  has  been  teaching  them. 

10 


14^         MEMOIR   OF  BISHOP  MACKENZIE. 

They  know  and  remember  the  history  from  the  Creation 
to  the  Captivity  of  Joseph,  and  express  their  approbation 
or  the  contrary  of  the  several  acts  of  which  they  read. 

The  school  lasts  in  this  way  from  about  ten  till  one. 
The  afternoon  at  the  Umlazi  is  commonly  spent  in  visiting 
the  kraals.  Robertson  especially  visits  any  who  are  sick. 
Perhaps  you  may  have  heard  of  a  man,  who,  a  little  before 
Christmas,  being  very  ill  and  sending  specially  for  Kobert- 
son  one  morning,  asked  earnestly  if  he  might  come  to  live 
with  him  and  to  die  at  the  station.  Of  course  no  diffi- 
culties were  thrown  in  the  way,  and  he  remained  in  one 
of  the  huts  on  our  hill,  (which  the  Christian  Kafir  ser- 
vants gave  up  for  his  use),  for  two  or  three  weeks ;  and 
then,  seeming  to  have  profited  by  R.'s  teaching,  he  was  bap- 
tized, and  soon  after  died.  He  was  buried  in  the  ground 
set  apart  for  our  future  churchyard,  by  the  side  of  the 
grave  of  a  woman,  a  Kafir,  who  had  also  been  baptized 
by  E,.,  the  wife  of  a  white  man  who  was  employed  on  the 
station. 

And  this  mention  of  a  prospect  of  a  consecrated  church- 
yard leads  me  to  speak  of  our  wish  to  have  a  church  at  the 
TJmlazi.  Hitherto  the  Kafir  teaching  and  preaching  has 
been  held  either  in  a  clearing  in  the  bush  near  the  house, 
or  in  a  broad  verandah  in  front  of  it.  *  *  *  I  want  to 
have  a  special  collection  for  this  object  in  Cambridge,  for 
which  purpose  I  will  send  you,  as  soon  as  they  are  ready, 
the  plans  of  the  whole,  together  with  an  estimate  of  ex- 
pense. We  are  making  a  similar  efibrt  amongst  our  friends 
in  Scotland.  I  fancy  we  shall  want  about  £400  or  £500. 
If  we  can  build  it  for  anything  like  that  sum  it  will  be  far 
cheaper  than  any  building  of  its  size  in  the  colony. 


Deakest 


RESIDENCE  IN  NATAL-DURBAN.  147 

LETTER  XL. 

{To  a  Sister.) 

Ladismith,  Oct.  20,  1856. 


I  don't  know  how  long  it  is  since  I  wrote  to  you, 
or  any  one  at  home.  I  think  a  duty  neglected  presses  less 
heavily,  instead  of  more  heavily,  as  it  ought  to  do,  each  day 
it  is  neglected.  Certain  it  is  that  I  constantly  say  to  my- 
self, I  ought  to  write  home,  and  that  I  have  considerable 

pangs  of  conscience  on  the  subject.     A often  reminds 

me  of  it,  but  I  am  afraid  that  advice  only  hardens  me. 
Well,  here  I  have  begun :  I  will  write  this  letter,  and  try 
not  to  let  it  be  so  long  again. 

One  secret  of  my  writing  to-day  is  that  it  is  raining,  so 
that  I  am  not  able  to  prosecute  the  journey  on  which  I 
started  seven  days  ago.  What!  you  will  say,  afraid  of  the 
rain?  No:  but  afraid  of  crossing  the  rivers,  which  have 
been  swelled  by  heavy  rains  during  last  night. 

On  Tuesday  last,  the  14th,  I  left  Maritzburg  with  Mr 
Green  to  visit  this  northern  portion  of  the  diocese.  I  had 
never  been  north  of  P.  M.  B.  before.  So  when  the  Bishop 
found  that  he  could  not  come  up  this  way,  as  he  had  in- 
tended, I  very  gladly  agreed  to  go  with  Green,  and  try  to 
fill  his  place  as  well  as  I  could.  This  is  not  very  easy,  as 
one  thing  which  makes  a  Bishop's  visit  acceptable  in  this 
part  of  the  world  is  the  hope  that  he  will  do  something  in 
the  way  of  church-building,  or  placing  a  minister;  and  we 
were  not  empowered  to  act  in  this  way.  Still  we  were 
sure  the  people  would  be  glad  to  see  us,  as  there  is  no  cler- 
gyman above  P.  M.  B,  and  we  should  therefore  be  able  to 
administer  the  sacraments  after  a  vacancy  of  fully  three 
months. 

We  started  about  noon,  having  been  detained  by  busi- 
ness :  the  thermometer  at  92"  in  the  shade,  and  I  have  heard 
since  that  it  rose  to   101"  that  day.     This  is  much  higher 

10—2 


148  MEMOIR  OF  BISHOP  MACKENZIE. 

than  I  have  known  it  to  be  before.  "We  spent  an  hour  and 
a  quarter  in  climbing  the  steep  ascent  out  of  the  town; 
very  severe  work  for  the  horses.  We  tried  to  mend  a 
broken-down  tree-cart  in  the  charge  of  two  Kafirs,  but 
failed  for  want  of  a  linch-pin,  or  any  substitute  for  it. 
Came  on  to  the  Umgeni  waterfall,  said  to  be  300  feet  high. 
Slept  at  the  house  of  a  farmer :  arranged  to  hold  a  week- 
day service  in  that  neighbourhood!  on  our  return,  we  fixing 
the  day,  consulting  about  the  hour,  and  leaving  our  hosts 
to  arrange  about  the  place  of  meeting  and  to  give  notice. 
On  Thursday  (to  omit  Wednesday,  on  which  nothing  oc- 
curred, except  our  riding  along  the  road,  and  discussing 
many  points,  ecclesiastical  and  private),  after  seeing  two  farm- 
ers, one  a  well-to-do  man,  who  is  "entering  pretty  largely 
into  sheep,"  the  other  a  man  with  three  or  four  strong  sons, 
who  has  some  thirty-nine  or  forty  acres  under  the  plough, 
and  just  now  covered  with  fine  looking  bearded  wheat;  he 
has  also  a  grove  of  orange-trees,  not  large,  but  certainly  more 
numerous  than  any  I  have  seen  in  the  colony;  I  dare  say 
there  are  sixty  or  seventy  trees,  of  eight  or  nine  years  old, 
covered  with  sweet-smelling  blossoms : — after  all  this  we 
got  to  Doornkop,  the  farm  of  George  Moodie,  Green's  bro- 
ther-in-law, where  a  large  family  live.  They  gave  us  two 
or  three  strawberries,  the  only  ones  I  have  seen  in  the 
colony.  Next  day,  after  some  delay  in  consequence  of  the 
Kafir  with  our  small  luggage  not  having  arrived,  we  started 
about  noon.  We  passed  the  house  of  an  old  boer,  about 
ninety,  who  asked  us  our  names  all  round  (we  were  ac- 
companied by  one  of  the  Moodies),  and  then  began  again, 
having  forgotten  the  first  when  he  got  to  the  last.  About 
3  o'clock  we  parted,  Green  going  on  with  our  guide  to 
cross  the  Drakenberg,  and  be  at  Harrismith  on  Sunday; 
I  canter Jng  quietly  to  this  place,  w^hich  I  reached  in  about 
two  hours. 

***** 
I  spent  Saturday  in  calling  upon  most  of  the  people, 


RESIDENCE  IN  NATAI^D URBAN.  149 

and  had  satisfactory  clergyman's  convei'sations  with  one  or 
two  of  them.  I  think  it  is  easier  here  to  get  at  people's 
inner  thoughts :  either  we  are  drawn  together  by  being  so 
far  from  home;  or  the  infrequeucy  of  a  clergyman's  visit 
makes  confidence  obviously  necessary ;  or  else  perhaps  the 
fault  in  England  was  my  own,  arising  from  the  mixture  of 
my  occupations.  However,  I  have  very  much  liked  what  I 
have  seen  of  this  place :  it  is  about  a  hundred  miles  from 
P.  M.  B.,  and  about  fifty  hence  to  the  Berg,  that  is,  the  Dra- 
kenberg,  or  Dragon  Mountain,  which  is  the  boundary  be- 
tween this  and  the  sovereignty.  There  are  perhaps  sixty 
houses,  many  of  them  well  built  of  stone ;  four  or  five  shops, 
or  stores,  as  they  are  called ;  a  magistrate,  two  or  three 
persons  connected  with  Govei'nment,  such  as  clerks,  clerk 
of  the  peace,  postmaster,  gaoler,  a  physician,  five  coopers 
(there  is  a  large  manufacture  of  butter  in  this  grazing 
country :  a  man  said  to  me  to-day,  "  We  have  not  much 
money,  as  our  business  is  done  a  good  deal  by  barter  and 
on  credit,  but  if  a  church  could  be  built  of  butter,  or  for 
butter,  thei'e  would  be  no  difiiculty,")  a  smith,  a  builder, 
two  carpenters,  and  one  missionary.  We  had  a  good  attend- 
ance at  service  on  Sunday  morning,  about  sixty,  though 
only  eleven  communicants,  and  a  collection  of  £2.  10a\  id., 
which  is  very  good;  but  of  course  v/e  cannot  exj)ect  so 
much  every  time.  The  magistrate  is  gi\ang  us  all  the  help 
he  can ;  it  is  vexy  satisfactory  to  have  for  the  Church  the 
support  of  the  influential  people  in  the  colony. 

On  the  whole  there  is  much  to  cheer  in  our  work,  as 
well  as  much  to  make  us  despond ;  but  I  encourage  the  former 
feeling  and  repress  the  latter.  I  think  our  Mission-work  is 
really  good  on  the  whole  :  of  course,  connected  as  I  am  with 
the  Umlazi,  I  cannot  say  less  than  that  it  is  the  best :  but 
seriously,  I  think  there  is  religious  Christian  teaching  going 
on  there.  One  young  Kafir  will  I  hope  soon  be  baptized ; 
and   the    cliildren  that  come  to  the  daily  school  must,   I 


i50         MEMOIR  OF  BISHOP  MACKENZIE. 

tliink,  be  receiving  impressions  frona  what  they  see  of  the 
life  of  a  Christian  family,  if  from  nothing  else,  which  will 
never  be  effaced  :  and  even  if  we  are  only  preparing  the 
soil  for  future  missionaries,  it  is  very  good  to  be  allowed 
to  do  anything  for  Him  :  He  knows  best  when  the  fruit 
should  appear.  At  the  Bishop's  station,  Ekukanyeni,  the 
thirty  Kafir  boys  have  certainly  made  great  progress  in 
reading,  &c.  When  I  was  there  ten  days  ago  I  heard  the 
first  class,  consisting  of  seven,  read  the  Psalms  for  the  day 
in  Kafir,  each  taking  a  verse,  more  fluently  than  would  be 
done  in  most  village-schools  in  England.  It  is  true  that 
the  language  having  only  recently  been  made  a  written 
language  is  perfectly  phonetic,  and  therefore  it  is  easier  to 
learn  reading  Kafir  than  English :  but  it  is  a  grand  thing  to 
have  thirty  boys  sitting  as  orderly  as  in  an  English  school, 
learning  reading  and  arithmetic.  There  were  no  men  or 
women  at  the  Ekukanyeni  mission ;  nor  are  there  likely 
to  be  any  :  but  these  boys,  if  any  of  them  become  true 
Christians,  will  be  very  useful. 


LETTER  XLI. 

{Accompanying  the  preceding.) 

Ladismith,  Oct.  20,  1856. 
Dear  


I  inclose  this  in  a  more  public  letter,  because  I 
hardly  know  to  which  of  all  my  friends  to  write  first. 

I  do  often  tliink  of  you  all,  often  est  I  think  at  morning 
and  evening  time,  and  very  often  of  you  in  particular  when 
I  am  riding  :  for  on  a  long  journey,  when  I  am  alone, 
I  very  often  take  your  little  Prayer-Book  from  my  waist- 
coat pocket,  and  learn  one  of  the  Psalms  for  the  day.  I 
have  found  great  good  from  this.  Some  people  think  that 
thirty- one  is  too  old  to  be  learning  by  rote ;  but  I  like  it, 
because  I  always  find  new  beauties  in  what  I  learn  in  this 


RESIDENCE  IN  NATAL-DURBAN.         15 1 

"waj.  I  like  too  to  look  at  the  pencil-marks  at  the  side  of 
particular  verses  which  have  struck  you. 

I  very  nearly  lost  that  little  book  one  day.  It  was 
Sunday,  and  I  was  riding  from  one  place  to  another  to 
hold  afternoon  service.     We  got   a  little   off  the   path  at 

one  place,  and  met  some  Kafirs,     I  was  riding  with  S , 

the  colonial  secretary  :  a  few  miles  further  on  he  stopped  at 
a  house  to  rest  his  horse,  and  make  a  call,  saying  he  would 
join  me  in  the  evening.  At  night  he  asked  me  what  I 
had  lost :  I  said  at  once,  "  a  little  book,  which  I  value 
as  much  as  any  in  my  library  :"  so  he  gave  it  to  me,  say- 
ing that  it  had  been  picked  up  by  those  Kafirs  and  brought 
to  the  house  where  he  had  stopped. 

Dear  ,  there  are  many  things  to  dishearten  here, 

but  there  is  much  to  cheer,  and  most  perhaps  this, — that 
all  the  work  is  for  our  Master,  who  knows  all  things,  who 
suffers  with  us,  yet  is  always  victorious,  who  rules  all 
things  after  the  counsel  of  His  own  will,  and  who  will 
shortly  come  to  I'eceive  us  to  Himself :  and  then  there 
will  be  no  partings!  God  bless  you,  my  dear  sister,  and 
give  you  joy  and  peace,  ever  increasing,  in  believing. 


LETTER  XLIl. 

Ekukanieni,  Nov.  12,  1856. 

A has  just  put  a  pen  in  my  hand,  and  told  me  to 

wiite  down  the  account  I  gave  her  last  night  of  the  unto- 
ward commencement  of  my  last  journey  to  Durban  about 
ten  days  ago. 

I  left  the  mission-station  on  a  Friday,  in  the  middle  of 
the  day,  to  spend  an  hour  or  two  in  P.  M.  B.  and  then  start 
for  Durban.  I  was  very  anxious  to  be  in  Durban  early  on 
the  Saturday,  as  I  had  matters  to  arrange  before  Sunday.  I 
intended  originally  to  ride  halfway  on  the  Friday,  but  as 
time  went  on  compounded  with  myself,  and  said  I  would 


lj2         MEMOIR  OF  BISHOP  MACKENZIE. 

get  to  Camperdown,  about  15  miles,  before  dark.     Dr  S ■ 

said  to  me,  "Do  not  be  later  in  starting  than  4  o'clock:  it 
will  be  a  very  dark  night."  Well :  I  was  in  Mr  Green's 
house :  it  was  looking  dreary  and  drizzling :  I  had  to  step 
across  the  street  to  see  ,  and  I  had  to  close  my  port- 
manteau, and  then  to  talk  over  matters  with  Green.  So  I 
let  time  pass,  till  it  got  to  be  about  6  o'clock.  Then  at  last 
I  left  his  house,  and  went  for  the  horse  I  had  in  my  eye  to 
hire.  (My  own  horse  has  a  sore  back,  and  I  have  not  been 
able  to  ride  him  for  weeks.)  But  the  horsedealer  said  his 
foot  was  chafed,  and  I  could  not  have  him :  so  I  had  to  send 
elsewhere  for  one.  Time  was  lost  in  this  way,  so  that  it 
was  eight  o'clock  before  I  was  riding  on  the  top  of  my  horse, 
(as  the  Kafirs  say,)  and  fairly  leaving  the  town.  The  ani- 
mal was  evidently  not  accustomed  to  gentlemen  who  had  a 
fancy  to  wearing  very  long  plaids,  and  started  a  little  as  I 

unfolded  the  huge  one  • gave  me ;  but  he  got  used  to  it 

by  degrees.  In  a  quarter  of  an  hour  he  came  to  a  dead 
stop,  and  I  coidd  just  see  before  his  nose  the  wall  that  had 
been  put  to  stop  people  from  going  on  the  broken  bridge 
(which  fell  last  April);  so  we  turned  and  crossed  safely  the 
temporary  bridge  a  few  yards  off.  Now,  thought  I,  the 
river  is  crossed,  it's  all  right.  From  this  place  there  is  a 
tedious  hill  to  climb,  with  three  or  four  sluits,  that  is,  small 
streams,  to  cross.  My  horse  pretended  to  have  conscien- 
tious scruples  about  cantering  in  the  dark,  making  one  or 
two  stumbles  by  way  of  demonstration.  So  it  ended  in  our 
agreeing  that  if  he  would  keep  on  walking,  I  should  reserve 
a  quicker  pace  for  next  day.  After  we  had  been  out,  as  I 
thought,  about  an  hour,  I  saw  a  light  ahead  in  the  distance. 
I  first  satisfied  myself  that  it  was  not  a  firefly,  of  which  I 
had  seen  several;  and  when  a  second  appeared,  it  flashed 
upon  me  that  it  was  Maritzburg,  to  which  my  horse  was 
slowly  returning !  I  said  at  once  aloixd.  Come,  this  is  too 
bad!  and  turned  him  right  round,  falsely  concluding  that 
the  opposite  of  wrong  must  be  right.     I  could  remember, 


RESIDENCE  IN  NATAL— DURBAN.  153 

for  about  two  miles,  that  I  had  just  passed  over  this  part  of 
the  road.  Well,  on  I  went :  it  was  veiy  dreary,  and  I 
could  see  that  there  was  mist  before  me  into  which  I  was 
entering:  when  at  last  I  came  to  a  house,  apparently  new 
built.  I  addressed  the  inhabitants  both  in  English  and  in 
Kafir,  and  dismounting  found  there  was  no  one  there :  but 
thus  much  I  learned,  that  I  was  certainly  on  a  wrong  road, 
for  I  knew  there  was  no  such  house  on  the  right  one.  I 
crossed  a  little  stream  with  some  difficulty,  and  got  at  last 
to  a  Kafir  kraal.  There  was  a  salute  of  dogs  barking  to 
welcome  me,  and  on  the  owner  shewing  himself,  I  asked 
where  the  waggon-road  was,  and  who  would  go  to  shew  it  to 
me.  They  said  it  was  a  long  way  ofi",  over  there  (pointing). 
It  was  too  far  for  any  of  the  boj^s  to  go,  but  they  would 
lead  me  to  a  Dutchman's  house — what  would  I  give  ?  If  it 
had  not  been  for  my  horse,  I  would  as  soon  have  stayed 
with  them  till  morning :  but  he,  poor  fellow,  could  not  have 
crept  into  a  hut  as  I  could.  So  I  ofiered  sixpence  for  a 
guide  to  the  Dutchman's.  I  had  ofiered  sixpence,  and  then 
a  shilling,  for  a  guide  to  the  road,  but  the  man  seemed  afraid 
to  trust  his  boys  so  far  in  the  dark.  Two  little  boys  accord- 
ingly ran  befoi-e  me,  each  in  a  blanket,  and  we  knocked  up 
the  Dutchman.  He  said  the  canteen  (public-house)  was  not 
far  off,  and  one  of  his  Kafirs  led  me  thither.  I  found  it  was 
one  o'clock,  and  I  was  nine  miles  from  P.  M.  B.  I  turned 
into  bed,  being  very  wet,  desiring  to  be  called  the  first  thing 
in  the  morning:  not,  however,  without  wishing  many  happy 
and  good  returns  of  the  birthday  of  my  very  dear  sister,  of 
whose  birthday  one  hour  had  elapsed. 


CHAPTER  VII. 
RESIDENCE  IN  NATAL— UMHLALI. 

In  January,  1857,  Arclideacon  Mackenzie  with  his 
sister  returned  to  Durban.  This  was  for  a  short  time 
their  home,  although  the  Archdeacon  had  ceased  to 
be  the  minister  of  the  place ;  his  work  was  now  of  an 
unsettled  kind,  partly  along  the  coast,  partly  at  Pine 
Town  ;  it  was  still  to  be  determined  where  they  should 
permanently  fix  themselves,  and  devote  themselves,  as 
they  desired,  to  Mission- work. 

The  wandering  life  of  her  brother,  and  his  constant 
absence  from  home,  made  a  residence  in  Durban,  which 
would  otherwise  have  been  quite  delightful,  somewhat 
desolate  to  Miss  Mackenzie ;  and  towards  the  end  of 
January  she  again  went  on  a  visit  to  the  interesting 
Umlazi  mission-station,  while  her  brother  was  obliged 
to  go  to  Maritzburg. 

I  mention  this  visit  to  the  Umlazi,  because  it  was 
during  the  visit  that  the  Archdeacon's  party  was  in- 
creased by  the  arrival  of  a  second  sister,  who  proved 
a  most  valuable  addition  from  a  missionary  point  of 
view,  and  also  added  much  to  the  happiness  of  the 
family  circle.     Of  this  lady  it  would  manifestly  be  im- 


RESIDENCE  IN  NATAL— UMHLALI.         155 

proper  to  say  much  in  this  memoir ;  I  will  simply 
remark  that  she  appears  to  have  given  herself  at  once 
to  missionary  work  with  wonderful  zeal  and  consider- 
able success.  Mackenzie  was  wont  to  distinguish  her 
as  his  hlack  sister,  in  consequence  of  her  enthusiastic 
love  for  the  native  race. 

It  was  at  the  end  of  February  that  Miss  Alice 
Mackenzie  arrived.  The  Archdeacon  was  at  the  Um- 
lazi,  and  was  prepared,  on  hearing  of  the  ship,  to  go 
down  at  once  with  Miss  Mackenzie  to  welcome  the 
new  comer,  and  bring  her  up  to  the  Umlazi.  Un- 
fortunately, just  before  the  arrival  of  the  vessel,  Miss 
Mackenzie  was  taken  ill,  and  was  unable  to  perform 
the  journey,  but  the  Archdeacon,  not  being  able,  as 
his  sister  remarks  in  relating  the  incident,  to  see  diffi- 
culties, started  for  Durban  as  soon  as  the  news  of  the 
Admiral's  amval  was  made  known,  and  brought  his 
sister  up  immediately,  in  the  dark,  to  join  the  party  at 
the  Umlazi.  It  is  amusing  to  find  her  in  a  letter  to 
friends  at  home  describing  this  nocturnal  journey  with 
great  enthusiasm :  at  one  time  her  horse  lagged  be- 
hind in  the  middle  of  a  river  to  drink :  "  it  was 
wonderfully  pleasant,"  she  writes,  "  to  be  sitting  alone 
in  the  dark  in  the  middle  of  an  African  river ;  the 
reeds  higher  than  myself  on  either  side  of  the  water ; 
the  sweet  soft  air  blowing  gently  round,  full  of  the 
chirping  of  strange  frogs,  and  the  fire-flies  glancing 
round  in  all  directions."  Speaking  of  her  brother  in 
the  same  letter  she  says :  "  He  is  very  much  what 
he  was  in  face :  looks  rather  older,  but  strong  and 
well,  and  his  bright  look,  his  ready  merry  laugh,  and 


15^         ME2I0IB  OF  BISHOP  MACKENZIE. 

his  winning  ways  are  much  as  of  old.  His  kindness  to 
both  children  and  natives  is  also  pleasant  to  witness. 
His  tenderness  both  to  A and  me  indescribable." 

An  amusing  incident  was  connected  with  the  land- 
ing of  Miss  Alice  Mackenzie.  The  Archdeacon  requested 
that  a  telegraphic  signal  should  be  made  to  the  ship, 
to  the  effect  that  his  sister  should  come  on  shore  at  once. 
A  difficulty  however  suggested  itself,  namely,  how  to 
distinguish  the  lady  by  any  telegraphic  signal :  fortu- 
nately there  was  a  signal  corresponding  to  the  name 
of  a  ship,  the  Sir  Alexander  Mackenzie;  and  the 
message  was  duly  sent,  that  Sir  Alexander  Mackenzie 
was  to  come  on  shore  in  the  first  boat.  The  message 
was  understood,  and  under  the  imposing  title  of  Sir 
Alexander,  Miss  Alice  Mackenzie  landed  in  the  country 
of  her  adoption. 

Here  is  a  passage  from  a  letter  in  which  Miss 
Mackenzie  speaks  of  her  sister's  arrival,  and  which  I 
introduce  chiefly  for  the  sake  of  the  mention  of  the 
Kafir  woman's  kindly  feeling :  "  I  cannot  express  the 
grief  it  was  to  me  to  be  ill  and  unable  to  go  and 
meet  her,  and  being  very  weak  I  could  not  help  crying  ; 
for  besides  the  uncertainty  when  we  should  meet,  (I 
never  imagined  she  could  ride  ten  miles,  the  last  part 
in  the  dark,  and  a  large  river  at  the  end  of  the 
journey,)  I  was  disappointed  that  her  first  impressions 
should  not  be  in  our  own  home ;  but  it  has  all  ended 
well.  In  the  morning,  when  the  tears  were  running 
down  my  face,  Pangela,  my  dear  Kafir  woman,  came 
into  the  room,  and  kneeling  at  a  chair,  she  began 
kissing  my  hands,  and  in   her   own   language  saying. 


RESIDENCE  IN  NATAL— UMIILALI.         I57 

(it  was  so  like  poetry,)  "  Husli !  dear  Inkosazan  :  hush  ! 
your  sister  has  arrived :  hush !  hush !  dear  Inkosazan, 
hush :  she  has  passed  the  dangers  of  the  sea :  she  is 
now  on  the  land  :  hush,  dear  Inkosazan  :  it  is  good  to 
pass  from  the  sea  to  the  land  :  hush,  hush,  Inkosazan, 
hush !" 

It  would  be  deviating  from  the  chief  purpose  of 
this  memoir,  to  go  into  details  concerning  the  TJm- 
lazi  mission,  which,  though  specially  dear  to  Mackenzie, 
was  not  his  own  principal  work  :  but  I  think  I  shall 
be  justified  in  giving  the  following  picture  of  the  work 
going  on  there,  and  in  which  both  the  Archdeacon  and 
his  sisters  took  their  shares. 

"  I  have  just  returned,"  writes  Miss  Alice  Mackenzie, 
"  from  my  first  Kafir  Sunday  service,  and  my  heart  is 
full.  The  service  took  place  in  a  clearing  in  the  bush. 
Trunks  of  felled  trees  served  the  people  for  seats :  the 
men,  about  sixty  or  seventy,  on  one  side  ;  the  women, 
thirty  or  forty,  on  the  other :  the  school-children  ranged 
in  two  rows  in  front.  The  two  clergymen  in  their 
surplices  stood  on  a  rude  framework  of  rough  wood. 
I  had  a  place  close  by.  The  rest  of  the  company  were 
higher  up  the  bank,  behind  the  congregation.  The 
prayers  began  with  the  sentences  and  confession :  the 
twenty-third  Psalm  was  sung :  also  a  sweet  thing  be- 
ginning Jahulani,  'Rejoice  ye,'  and  very  rejoicing  and 
sweet  it  did  sound.  Another  hymn  was  sung  to  my 
dear  old  friend  Martyrdom:  and  the  effect  was  curi- 
ously beautiful,  the  more  so,  as  I  had  just  before  said 
to  Mrs  Robertson  that  the  scene  and  the  gathering 
might  have  represented  a  meeting  of  Covenanters  in 


158         MEMOIR  OF  BISHOP  MACKENZIE. 

the  days  of  old.  A  lesson  from  the  Bible  was  read. 
It  was  on  the  Resurrection  :  but  I  am  sorry  to  say 
I  missed  the  thread  of  it,  and  could  not  make  out  what 
it  was  at  the  time.  The  sermon  was  much  easier, 
for  each  sentence  was  repeated  again  and  again,  either 
in  the  same  words,  or  with  but  a  slight  difference,  so  that 
I  could  understand  a  good  deal  of  it.  He  said  he  was 
going  to  speak  to  them  of  the  love  of  God,  and  repeated 
again  and  again  how  men  love  their  own  children,  bad 
as  well  as  good ;  that  God  in  Heaven  is  the  Father  of 
us  all,  and  loves  us  all  so  much  that  He  sent  His 
only  Son  to  die  for  us  all.  He  repeated  to  them  again 
and  again  the  last  two  verses  of  S.  Matthew  xxviii., 
(the  Bible  lesson  he  had  read  before,)  and  then  spoke 
to  them  of  the  privileges  of  those  who  are  baptized, 
becoming  members  of  Christ,  &c.,  and  then  went  on, 
'  and  we  are  sent  to  tell  you  of  these  things ;  to  bap- 
tize you,  that  you  may  not  perish,  but  have  everlasting 
life.'  The  whole  was  interspersed  with  earnest  ex- 
hortations :  '  Listen,  my  children :  the  words  I  speak 
are  not  mine,  but  they  are  the  words  of  our  Lord 
and  Saviour  Jesus  Christ.  He  who  believeth  and  is 
baptized,  shall  be  saved.'  His  earnest  look  to  heaven 
when  he  said  this  was  most  touching.  Then  he  shewed 
how  everything  on  earth  and  of  earth  must  pass  away 
and  perish  and  retarn  to  dust ;  but  the  heart  within 
us  that  thinks  and  remembers  and  loves  will  not  pass 
away  :  the  things  of  heaven  will  never  perish.  And  then 
again,  to  the  little  school-children :  '  Listen,  listen,  my 
children:'  urging  all  to  love  God,  to  love  one  another, 
to  believe  and  be  baptized.     It  was  very  beautiful,  and 


RESIDENCE  IN  NATAL-UMHLALL         159 

all  sat  so  quiet :  only  now  and  then  a  little  restlessness 
among  some  of  the  small  children,  stilled  in  a  moment 
by  his  gentle  admonition.  The  Archdeacon  read  part 
of  the  prayers,  and  chiefly  led  the  music.  After  a  few 
more  prayers  the  elders  were  for  the  most  part  dis- 
missed :  the  children,  the  Christian  men  and  women, 
gathered  round  the  pulpit  to  be  catechized.  They  were 
asked  and  answered  at  once,  Who  made  them?  Who 
saved  them  ?  Who  sanctifies  them  ?  and  they  were 
taught  to  repeat  the  first  verse  of  the  100th  Psalm, 
then  to  sing  it ;  then  a  few  more  Collects,  winding  up 
with  '  Lighten  our  darkness,  &c.'  and  the  Lord's  Prayer ; 
and  then  the  blessing,  'The  Lord  bless  us  and  keep 
us,  &c.;'  and  I  did  feel  that  God's  blessing  must  and 
would  rest  upon  such  loving  earnest  labours." 

This  life  at  the  Umlazi  was  sufficiently  pleasant, 
but  still  was  uncertain  and  unsettled.  In  the  beginning 
of  March  I  find  Miss  Mackenzie  writing,  "  I  shall  be 
very  glad  when  we  have  a  home  of  our  own  again ; 
and  this  state  of  uncertainty  is  very  trying.  We  do 
not  in  the  least  know  whether  we  are  to  have  a  mis- 
sion-station, or  to  go  back  to  Durban,  or  what ;  and  the 
worst  of  it  is,  it  all  depends  so  much  on  circumstances, 
that  we  are  not  likely  to  be  wiser  for  a  long  time." 
However  a  plan  was  arranged  at  last:  the  Archdeacon 
went  to  Maritzburg  to  assist  at  an  ordination,  and  on 
April  1  he  returned  to  the  Umlazi  with  the  news 
that  the  Bishop  had  consented  that  he  should  take  a 
post  now  vacant  at  the  Umhlali,  about  forty  miles 
north  of  Durban.  It  was  uncertain  in  the  first  instance 
whether  this  would  be  a  permanent  an-angement;  such 


l6o  MEMOIR  OF  BISHOP  MACKENZIE. 

however  it  proved  to  be,  and  the  Umhlali  continued 
to  be  the  Archdeacon's  spiritual  cure  until  he  left  the 
colony  of  Natal. 

With  characteristic  energy  Mackenzie  undertook 
without  delay  to  reconnoitre  his  intended  abode :  he 
arrived  at  the  Umlazi  one  night  unexpectedly  from 
Maritzburg  "wet,  weary,  and  cold,"  and  after  a  day's 
rest  started  again  to  pioneer  the  way  to  the  new 
settlement.  The  reader  will  understand  its  position 
by  reference  to  the  map.  The  station  combined  several 
opportunities  for  usefulness.  In  the  first  place,  the 
district,  which  was  to  be  the  parish,  comprised  a  con- 
siderable number  of  scattered  English  congregations, 
which  could  only  receive  an  adequate  supply  of  spiri- 
tual ministrations  from  a  man  of  Mackenzie's  strength 
and  energy.  In  the  second  place,  the  station  was  in 
the  immediate  neighbourhood  of  the  camp,  and  the 
soldiers  would  fall  under  his  charge.  And  in  the  third 
place,  he  would  have  abundant  opportunities  of  carry- 
ing on  the  work  of  evangelization  amongst  the  natives. 
In  fact,  there  would  be  abundance  of  occupation  for 
himself  and  for  his  sisters,  both  hlack  and  ivhite. 

The  Archdeacon  found  that  it  was  necessary  to 
build  huts  at  the  Umhlali  for  himself  and  his  party. 
This  necessity  occasioned  some  further  delay  before  the 
migi'ation  could  take  place,  for  though  hut-building 
is  not  a  very  serious  process,  still  it  requires  some  time. 
Accordingly  May  arrived  before  all  things  were  ready. 
All  this  while  the  Archdeacon  had  been  tenant  of  his 
old  house  in  Durban ;  and  here  his  goods  and  chattels 
had  been  stowed  away,  very  much,  it  is  to  be  feared, 


I 


RESIDENCE  IN  NATAL— UMIILALI.        i6i 

to  the  benefit  of  the  white-ants  and  fish-moths.  A 
fortnight  before  coming  to  the  UmhlaH  the  sisters 
made  an  attack  upon  the  old  house,  and  had  a  grand 
turn-out,  packing,  arranging,  and  cataloguing,  pre- 
paratory to  the  migration.  Meanwhile  poor  Mackenzie 
had  literally  no  home,  but  wandered  about,  doing  his 
work  as  best  he  might,  and  living  as  best  he  could. 
Here  is  a  passage  from  a  letter  which  will  bring  the 
whole  state  of  things  before  us.  ^ — ., 

"Dear  Charles  is  leading  a  very  wearing  out  and 
rather  unsatisfactory  life  at  present,  both  to  himself 
and  his  horse  (which  is  however  in  much  the  worse 
condition  of  the  two),  but  I  hope  it  will  soon  come 
to  an  end.  We  are  preparing  to  join  him  at  the 
Umhlali,  which  is  forty  miles  from  Durban,  and  fifty 
from  the  Umlazi.  He  has  five  services  on  Sunday, 
and  one  of  them  is  eighteen  miles  from  another  ;  these 
eighteen  miles  he  has  to  ride  hurriedly  in  the  mid-day 
sun,  and  for  the  last  several  weeks  he  has  ridden  to  the 
Umhlali  on  Saturday,  and  returned  here  on  Monday : 
this  he  does  not  like,  as  it  interferes  with  his  parish- 
work  of  visiting,  but  at  present  it  is  absolutely  neces- 
sary. I  hope  at  the  Umhlali  he  will  have  more  time 
for  writing,   for  I  have    a  letter  which   he    began   to 

Mr ,  last   August,    and   he   will   not   be   able   to 

finish  it  for  this  mail.  I  must  make  you  a  plan  of 
our  house  when  we  are  settled  there ;  we  are  each  to 
sleep  in  a  round  bee-hive  Kafir  hut,  but  Charles  is  in- 
dulging me  with  a  small  window  of  four  little  panes. 
I  told  him  I  had  never  heard  of  a  kitchen,  or  any 
place  except  the  sitting-room,  where  our  dinner  could 

11 


i62         MEMOIR  OF  BISHOP  MACKENZIE. 

be  cooked :  so  he  said,  "Ola  cook -house  can  be  put 
up  in  half  a  day :  there  is  no  difficulty  in  that."    When- 
ever we   discuss  whether  it  will  be  feasible  to  stow , 
away  things,  such  as  boxes,  books,  &c.,  Charles  always  \ 
says,   '  0 !  we  can  sling  a  shelf  from  the  roof  for  them/ 
which  has  grown  into  slinging  the  articles  themselves; 
and  to-day,  when  we  were  admiring  my  beautiful  gilt  j 
vase,  Charles  suggested  that  it  should  be  made  a  sub-^' 
stitute  for  a  chandelier." 

The  first  of  June  found  the  party  at  last  more  or 
less  settled  at  the  Umhlali  station,  some  of  the  mem- 
bers of  the  family  "hutted"  for  sleeping  purposes,  and 
all  occupying  in  common  a  small  house,  which  also 
served  the  purpose  of  a  church.  The  life  was  rough 
enough,  and  besides  the  usual  inconveniences  of  white- 
ants  and  fish-moths,  and  the  depredations  of  rats,  I 
find  frequent  notices  in  the  home-letters  of  such  addi- 
tional discomforts  as  the  following :  tiger-cats  constantly 
stealing  the  poultry,  puff-adders  and  such  like  venom- 
ous beasts  finding  their  way  into  the  huts,  toads  in  the 
washing   basins,   and   huts   flooded   by  violent   rains  \ 


^  Here  are  a  few  little  passing  notices  by  way  of  illustration.  ' '  I  saw," 
says  Miss  Alice  Mackenzie  in  one  of  her  letters,  "a  small  scorpion  for 
the  first  time  on  Sunday.  I  could  not  help  laughing  when  my  sister, 
who  was  looking  at  it,  said  to  the  Archdeacon,  '  It  is  not  so  large  as 
that  which  I  found  upon  your  whiskers  !  '  "  "  It  is  a  curious  specimen 
of  our  manner  of  life  here  that  the  frequent  breaking  of  glasses  and  cups 

is  apt  to  leave  us  short.    Yesterday  Mrs.  A said  to  me  after  dinner, 

'I  have  only  two  wine-glasses:  all  the  rest  are  broken.'  To  which  I  an- 
swered, '  We  have  only  one  ;  our  last  but  one  was  broken  yesterday.' " 
"  A  tiger-cat  has  visited  us  two  nights  and  carried  off  a  hen,  the  last  of 
the  three  we  took  such  care  of  in  London,  and  another  great  pet,  a 
cock  of  the  Spanish  kind." 


RESIDENCE  IN  NATAL— UMHLALI.  163 

Moreover  the  site  of  the  house  and  church  was  not 
well  chosen,  and  the  station  had  not  the  advantage  of 
a  picturesque  view;  this  however  was  subsequently 
remedied,  though  in  a  very  unpleasant  and  expensive 
manner,  as  will  be  seen.  "But  home  is  home  though 
never  so  homely,  and  no  home  could  be  more  peace- 
able, happy,  and  even  joyous,  than  the  Archdeacon's 
home  at  the  Umhlali.  In  one  of  his  sister's  letters 
there  is  an  account  of  an  especially  disagreeable  person, 
and  the  remark  is  added,  "  I  think  Charles  as  nearly 
dislikes  her,  as  it  is  possible  for  him  to  dislike  any 
one."  With  such  a  disposition,  Avith  his  time  fully 
employed  upon  a  gi'eat  work,  and  with  a  conscious- 
ness of  doing  all  for  Christ,  how  could  Mackenzie  be 
otherwise  than  happy? 

"Here  we  are,"  writes  Miss  Mackenzie,  "settled  for 
the  present  at  our  new  quarters,  and  very  funny  ones 
they  are,  Mr  Adams,  who  has  been  our  only  visitor, 
and  who  was  helping  me  to  shut  a  drawer,  was  in  de- 
spair at  my  room,  and  said  it  was  only  fit  for  lumber. 
Alice  is  in  a  Kafir  hut,  an  oval  shaped  one,  with  a 
grey  Kafir  blanket  hung  up  at  the  doorway,  and  an 
open  space  for  a  window,  which  when  she  is  cold  she 
fills  up  with  a  plaid.  Both  door  and  window  are 
ordered  ;  but  nothing  in  this  colony  is  done  in  a  hurry. 
The  ground  of  her  hut  is  the  earth,  covered  with  mats. 
The  Ai'chdeacon's  hut  has  only  the  framework  made, 
and  I  don't  know  why  the  Kafirs  are  not  thatching  it. 
He  sleeps  for  the  present  on  the  sofa  in  the  sitting- 
room  (an  iron  bed,  with  a  chintz  covering  over  it). 
It  is  not  a  large  room ;  about  twelve  feet  square.  *  *  * 

11—2 


164         MEMOIR  OF  BISHOP  MACKENZIE. 

The  rest  of  our  house  is  a  long  room  about  twenty-eight 
feet  by  twelve.  This  is  the  church  of  the  district,  till 
another  is  built,  and  Charles  uses  the  sitting-room  as 
a  vestry,  and  enters  the  church  by  a  door  opening  from 
it.  The  congregation  have  a  door  for  themselves. 
There  are  two  verandah  rooms  Mine  is  about  five 
feet  by  ten,  and  Jessie's,  which  is  also  the  pantry,  about 
five  feet  by  twenty.  They  are  very  rough  indeed,  and 
what  is  worse,  the  roof  slopes  less  than  the  church;  so 
they  do  not  keep  out  the  rain  :  but  we  have  still  two 
months  of  dry  weather  to  reckon  upon ;  and  I  am  so 
thankful  to  have  mine,  for  it  has  an  opening  at  the 
top  of  the  wall  to  the  church,  for  the  sake  of  ventila- 
tion; but  when  I  am  ill  and  in  bed  I  can  join  in  the 
service  in  the  church." 

In  the  same  letter  there  is  the  following  notice  of 
the  Archdeacon's  work. 

"  At  present  I  fear  there  will  be  no  change.  His 
Sunday  labours  are  very  intense.  He  has  short  early 
Kafir  prayers,  then  breakfast  at  half-past  seven.  Full 
service,  at  the  camp,  for  the  soldiers  at  nine.  It  is 
about  two  miles  off.  As  soon  as  he  comes  back  the 
congregation  is  assembling  here,  and  his  horse  is  sad- 
dled for  him  to  mount  as  soon  as  the  service  is  over. 
He  has  another  service  at  Mount  Moreland,  about  six- 
teen miles  off,  at  three  p.m.  In  coming  here  he  shewed 
us  the  spot  where  his  horse  always  knows  he  may 
walk  instead  of  trotting,  to  allow  him  to  eat  his  dinner 
of  sandwiches.  This  ride  in  the  hot  sun  is  very  knock- 
ing up,  both  for  him  and  his  horse.  He  told  us  he 
was  in  similar  circumstances  to  Elijah,  as  the  brook  he 


RESIDENCE  IN  NATAL— UMHLALI.         165 

used  to  drink  from  was  now  dried  up.  His  horse  is 
again  ready  for  him  when  this  service  is  over,  and  he 
rides  to    Verulam,   either  four  or   six   miles,   I    forget 

which,  where  he  has  service  at  six  P.M.  in  Mr 's 

house.     He  goes  to  sup  with  a  kind  Dutch  lady,  and 

spends  the  night  with  Mr .     This  is  Monday,  and 

it  is  getting  dark,  and  he  has  not  returned,  and  he 
tells  us  perhaps  he  may  not  always  return  home  till 
Tuesday,  but  do  parish  visiting  work  at  that  end  of  his 
parish  while  he  is  there."  '-' 

The  work  in  which  Mackenzie  was  now  engaged 
was  undoubtedly  very  arduous,  and  seems  to  have  told 
somewhat  on  his  strength.  Some  months  later  I  find 
his  sister  writing  thus  : 

"  I  am  beginning  and  trying  not  to  think  so  much 
either  of  likes  or  dislikes,  but  how  we  may  make  the 
best  use  of  all  our  talents  under  present  circumstances ; 
but  still  nature  says,  without  my  asking  it,  that  this 
is  the  least  pleasant  part  of  Natal  that  I  have  been  in. 
By  and  bye  if  we  are  allowed  to  see  more  of  the  fruits 
of  the  Archdeacon's  work,  I  shall  be  thankful;  but 
whether  we  see  it  or  not,  God  cannot  fail  to  bless  his 
earnest  and  singleminded  labours;  here  however  as 
everywhere  the  harvest  is  so  great,  and  it  is  not  much 
that  he  can  do  with  either  the  black  or  the  white 
people.  All  last  week  he  was  at  P.  M.  B.  He  went  up 
to  the  consecration  of  the  cathedral,  but  business  of 
other  kinds  detained  him  till  Friday  at  five  P.M.  He 
rode  all  night  to  Durban,  fifty  miles,  where  he  had 
more  business,  which  detained  him  till  the  afternoon, 
and  he  did  not  reach  this  place  till  Sunday  at  two  A.M. 


1 66         MEMOIR  OF  BISHOP  MACKENZIE. 

We  had  supper  on  the  table  all  ready  for  him,  and  the 
sofa  arranged  as  his  bed.  He  was  very  tired,  but  was 
up  again  for  Kafir  prayers  before  seven.  We  had  a 
short  talk  with  him  during  breakfast,  and  he  left  us 
again  as  usual  after  church,  but  promised  not  to  be 
late  in  coming  home  to-day." 

The  complaint  concerning  the  situation  of  the 
house  at  the  Umhlali,  which  occurs  incidentally  above, 
is  repeated  not  unfrequently  in  the  home -letters. 
"  Certainly,"  writes  Miss  Mackenzie,  "  our  house  is 
placed  where  no  Kafir  would  have  planted  his  kraal; 
far  from  wood,  bush,  water,  and  hills,  in  a  bleak  bare 
plain,  and  a  cold  visible  mist  rises  from  what  is  called 
a  fley,  or  wet  valley,  near,  which  we  sometimes  see 
coming  towards  us,  and  a  cold  damp  shiver  comes 
over  me,  and  a  pain  in  my  bones  and  eyes;  and  this 
succeeds  probably  a  broiling  sun,  which  nearly  drove 
me  distracted  with  headache  a  few  days  ago."  How- 
ever, the  situation  had  the  advantage  of  being  very 
healthy,  and  the  medical  man  attached  to  the  camp 
assured  the  Mackenzie  party  that  the  daily  average  of 
sick  soldiers  was  only  -^j  of  a  man. 

Amongst  the  white  population  the  soldiers  were 
some  of  the  Archdeacon's  most  interesting  parishioners. 
His  manner  and  bearing  were  peculiarly  suited  for 
winning  the  hearts  of  soldiers,  and  there  is  reason  to 
believe  that  they  thoroughly  appreciated  his  efforts  on 
their  behalf  His  great  desire  was  to  fill  up  their 
leisure  time  and  tempt  them  away  from  the  canteen. 
For  this  purpose  he  opened  a  room  for  them  in  the 
evening,  which  he  supplied  with  such  amusing  books 


RESIDENCE  IN  NATAL— UMIILALI.         167 

and  papers  as  he  could,  and  the  evenings  were  some- 
times enlivened  by  popular  lectures. 

It  Avill  be  understood  that  the  work  of  influencincr 
the  natives  by  going  amongst  their  kraals,  and  per- 
suading them  to  send  their  children  to  be  taught,  was 
constantly  carried  on  ;  but  in  addition  to  this,  the  Arch- 
deacon and  his  sisters  opened  a  school  for  the  white 
children,  of  whom  a  considerable  number  were  within 
reach.  And  thus  the  time  of  all  three  was  thoroughly 
occupied,  and  notwithstanding  the  rough  and  laborious 
character  of  the  life  which  they  led,  time  passed  plea- 
santly enough.  "  Is  not  this  a  happy  life  ?"  writes  one 
of  the  sisters  enthusiastically,  after  describing  in  a 
letter  the  details  of  one  day's  employment. 

Towards  the  end  of  July  in  this  year  a  sad  calamity 
happened  to  the  Umhlali  Missionary  party.  The  house 
which  they  occupied  was  thatched,  and  the  thatch  was 
exposed  inside  the  house  as  well  as  outside  ;  a  careless 
person  placed  a  candle  upon  a  shelf  with  the  flame 
under  the  thatch  ;  the  result  was  immediate,  and  in  a 
few  minutes  the  house  was  on  fire.  The  materials, 
being  very  dry,  burnt  with  great  rapidity ;  and  it  re- 
quired mach  effort  to  save  any  considerable  portion 
of  the  effects.  The  kindness  of  the  Archdeacon  to  the 
soldiers  now  served  him  in  good  stead ;  some  of  them 
were  coming  to  the  reading-room  when  the  fire  broke  out ; 
the  alarm  was  given,  and  soon  fifty  soldiers  were  on  the 
ground,  working  with  all  their  might.  Much  was  saved, 
some  property  was  lost ;  but  all  was  borne  cheerfully. 
One  of  the  Kafirs  came  to  the  Archdeacon  to  know 
where  they  were  to  sleep,  as  they  feared  lest  the  sparks 


i68  MEMOIR  OF  BISHOP  MACKENZIE. 

should  set  fire  to  their  hut ;  "  There  is  my  house,"  said 
the  Archdeacon,  pointing  to  the  ruin,  "  you  may  take 
possession  of  it  if  you  like."  "O  Inkos,"  replied  the 
Kafir,  "  I  do  not  know  how  to  laugh  to-night."  The 
fire  began  about  five  P.M.,  and  within  three  hours  they 
were  all  assembled  in  a  hut  which  had  survived,  en- 
joying their  tea  and  a  cake  which  had  been  saved  from 
the  fire  :  then  they  joined  in  their  evening  service,  and 
returned  thanks  for  all  God's  mercies  to  them. 

The  fire  was  however  for  a  long  time  a  source  of 
considerable  annoyance.  In  one  respect  it  was  a  bene- 
fit :  having  to  build  a  new  house  it  was  as  convenient 
to  build  it  upon  a  good  site  as  upon  a  bad  one,  and 
the  disadvantages  of  the  old  situation,  which  have  been 
already  alluded  to,  were  remedied  by  the  purchase  of 
a  plot  of  ground  in  a  much  prettier  neighbourhood, 
nearer  the  sea,  in  the  midst  of  the  native  kraals,  and 
in  the  centre  of  the  Bush.  But  after  having  obtained 
the  ground,  it  was  not  so  easy  to  get  the  house  built. 
The  plan  was  soon  made,  and  was  sufficiently  simple  ; 
but  some  of  the  materials  had  to  be  brought  from  a 
distance,  and  it  is  very  difficult  in  such  circumstances 
as  those  in  which  the  Mackenzies  were  placed  to  get 
work  regularly  performed,  and  to  keep  contractors  to 
their  bargains.  And  so  it  came  to  pass,  that  the  house 
progressed  very  slowly,  and  it  was  not  until  the  be- 
ginning of  the  following  year,  1858,  that  the  party 
entered  upon  their  new  house,  which  was  even  then 
in  a  most  unfinished  state.  Meanwhile,  they  lived  as 
well  as  they  could  in  huts  and  tents :  the  soldiers 
were  permitted  by   the  commanding   officer   to   work 


RESIDENCE  IN  NATAL— UMHLALI.         169 

for  them,  and  the  huts  and  tents  were  made  as  com- 
fortable as  circumstances  would  j)ermit.  Neverthe- 
less, that  hut-life  possesses  some  minor  inconvenience 
may  be  judged  from  such  passing  notices  as  the  fol- 
lowing :  "  Dec.  9.  Our  candle  is  being  constantly 
put  out  by  large  moths  ;  I  have  an  enormous  locust 
wrapped  up  in  my  handkerchief;  and  the  table  is 
covered  with  beetles  ;  but  mercifully  we  have  very  few 
mosquitoes." 

The  accident  of  the  fire  did  not  prevent  the  Arch- 
deacon from  exercising  hospitality.  When  the  party 
was  reduced  to  residence  in  huts,  the  female  portion 
considered  that  all  visits  of  friends  were  out  of  the 
question,  were  altogether  beyond  argument.  Not  so 
the  Archdeacon,  who  never  saw  difficulties  in  matters 
of  this  kind,  or  in  much  gi-eater  ones.  A  young  friend 
had  been  engaged  to  come  and  see  them ;  and  by 
shifting  beds,  mealie  bags,  and  barrels,  accommodation 
was  provided,  Mackenzie  erecting  an  extemporaneous 
bed  for  the  stranger  in  his  own  tent.  Having  got  thus 
far,  it  was  considered  possible  to  lodge  their  friend 
Mr  Adams.  Next  came  the  Dean  of  Maritzburg.  And 
so  by  a  course  of  gentle  progress,  Mackenzie  prepared 
the  minds  of  his  sisters  for  a  visit  from  the  Bishop, 
which  accordingly  took  place  in  August,  after  having 
been  voted  impossible  and  absurd. 

Meanwhile  the  economic  arrangements  of  the  party 
were  somewhat  peculiar.  They  were  paying  rent  for 
two  houses,  one  at  Durban  still  on  their  hands,  and 
that  which  was  burnt,  while  they  were  themselves  in- 
habiting two  huts  and  two  tents,  and  rejoicing  in  the 


lyo         MEMOIR  OF  BISHOP  MACKENZIE. 

proprietorship  of  four  or  five  acres  of  land,  upon  which 
they  found  it  impossible  to  expedite  the  erection  of 
the  more  permanent  and  comfortable  dwelling  for  which 
the  contract  was  taken.  They  bought  the  land  more- 
over, and  contracted  for  building,  with  the  feeling  that 
in  all  probability  before  the  house  was  inhabited  they 
might  be  under  the  necessity  of  moving  elsewhere. 
However,  all  was  sunshine  with  the  Archdeacon  at  the 
head  of  affairs  :  it  was,  as  I  can  testify  from  experience, 
impossible  to  be  down-hearted  in  his  gentle  and  joyous 
company;  and  accordingl}'-,  all  the  inconveniences  and 
vexations  were  laughed  at,  and  the  real  work  of  the 
Gospel  went  on  unhindered. 

I  cannot  refrain  from  inserting  here  a  description 
of  his  character  as  it  appeared  to  one  of  his  sisters 
during  the  residence  at  the  Umhlali.  "Your  letters 
came  yesterday,  after  Charles  was  gone ;  and  he  is 
not  to  be  back  this  week,  as  he  is  going  on  a  round 
of  services  in  desert  places,  and  will  be  back  on 
Monday  night,  this  day  week.  He  sometimes  says 
he  wonders  he  is  never  ill ;  but  I  think  his  heavenly 
spirit  does  not  need  the  discipline.  It  seems  to  me, 
we  are  all  like  those  creatures  that  play  upon  or  live  in 
the  water.  Some  never  need  go  down  into  it,  but  skim 
over  the  top,  their  wings  always  free,  and  they  always 
breathing  the  upper  air.  These  are  they  whose  lives 
of  retirement,  in  a  sick  room  or  otherwise,  save  them 
from  mixing  with  the  temptations  and  trials  of  active 
life.  Others,  again,  are  by  circumstances  hustled  a  good 
deal,  and  have  to  come  up  every  now  and  then  to  the 
top   of  the   water  to   breathe.     But  he  is  like  those 


RESIDENCE  IN  NATAL— UMHLALL         171 

creatures,  which  live  in  the  water,  but  carry  their  own 
stock  of  air  down  with  them,  (water-spiders  I  think 
they  are,  which  carry  down  the  air  and  live  as  if  in 
a  divingbell).  He  mixes  with  the  world  because  he 
must,  and  he  leads  such  an  active  life  as  would  be 
distracting  to  most  people  ;  and  yet  he  carries  his  own 
heavenly  atmosphere  around  him,  and  breathes  the 
air  of  Heaven  as  freely  and  purely  as  though  he  never 
went  down  into  the  water  at  all.  And  his  influence 
is  telling  here.  One  man,  a  careless  person  enough 
himself,  said  the  other  day,  'If  the  Ai'chdeacon  does 
not  succeed  in  carrying  any  of  the  Umhlali  people  with 
him  to  heaven,  at  least  he  is  sure  of  going  there 
himself  I  liked  to  hear  it,  as  a  symptom  of  the  im- 
pression his  character  makes.  But  the  attendance  at 
church  is  so  improved,  and  it  is  encouraging  to  see  the 
increase  in  the  number  of  communicants  ;  and  then  I 
always  remember  that  influence  in  a  place  like  this 
is  like  training  a  little  twig,  which  will  one  day  grow 
into  a  strong  great  tree." 

Mackenzie  was  never  (as  has  been  remarked  before) 
a  good  correspondent;  but  this  portion  of  his  life  is 
more  than  usually  bare  of  letters.  No  doubt  the  con- 
stant moving  from  place  to  place  in  his  large  parish 
interfered  excessively  with  opportunities  of  writing. 
The  letters  written  home  from  the  Umhlali  by  his 
sisters  contain  a  gi'eat  amount  of  matter  most  inte- 
resting with  respect  to  the  general  work  and  daily 
life  at  the  station ;  but  so  far  as  Mackenzie  himself  is 
concerned,  they  are  too  frequently  filled  with  lamenta- 
tions concerning  his  absence,  and  the  intensity  of  the 


172         MEMOIR  OF  BISHOP  MACKENZIE. 

work  which  he  thought  it  right  to  undertake.  I  have, 
however,  some  letters  before  me,  which  belong  to  this 
date,  and  from  them  I  will  here  introduce  two  or  three 
which  will  be  rendered  intelligible  by  the  narrative 
which  I  have  already  given. 

Here  is  a  scrap  of  a  letter  written  from  the  Umhlali 
to  one  of  his  sisters  at  the  Umlazi. 

April  11,   1857. 

His  love,  if  we  could  enter  fiillj  into  it,  is  indeed  enough 
to  satisfy  us.  His  work  enough  to  occupy  us.  His  care 
enough  to  assure  us  of  safety  and  give  us  peace.  Would 
that  we  were  always  resting  on  Him,  and  not  letting  list- 
lessness  or  sin  of  any  kind,  or  any  earthly  love  or  allure- 
ment, come  between  us  and  our  love  !  Happy  indeed  we 
may  and  ought  all  of  us,  far  and  near,  to  be  in  Him.  And 
if  we  are  seeking  this  peace,  He  will,  whether  we  attain  to 
it  rapidly  or  not,  be  making  us  at  least  to  grow.  I  am 
thinking  of  myself  when  I  say  this. 

LETTER  XLIII. 

{To  a  Sister.) 

Durban,  Aug.  10,  1857. 
My  own  dear , 


I  hope  you  have  got  safely  my  letter,  written  at 
Ladismith,  and  I  would  now  give  something  to  be  able  to 
insert  a  letter  in  each  of  the  mails  between  this  and  you.  I 
must  try,  however,  not  to  get  again  so  neglectful  as  I  have 
been.  It  has  really  not  been  want  of  time,  (though,  to  be 
sure,  the  exact  time  in  which  it  would  be  best  to  write  a 
homedetter  never  seemed  to  come,)  so  much  as  that  objects 
close  at  hand  seemed  always  to  claim  attention. 

I   spent   three   hours  this   morning  with  our  excellent 


RESIDENCE  IN  NATAL— UMHLALL         173 

friend  Adams,  (whose  name  you  are  siu'e  to  know,)  arrang- 
ing the  details  of  our  new  house.     It  is  to  have  five  rooms  : 


each  twelve  feet  wide,  the  middle  one  sixteen  feet  long,  the 
others  ten  and  nine,  and  a  verandah  all  round.  The  walls 
are  to  be  nine  feet  high,  of  green,  that  is,  sun-dried  bricks. 
I  stipulated  this  morning  for  a  piece  of  timber  to  be  built 
into  the  wall,  all  round  each  room,  at  a  convenient  height 
for  nails;  else  we  should  have  knocked  down  our  walls  by 
driving  nails  into  them.  The  whole  is  to  cost  when  plas- 
tered, (but  not  floored,  by  the  bye;  I  have  forgotten  about 
that,)  certainly  within  £90, — the  rent  for  one  year,  I  sup- 
pose, of  many  a  house  in  Edinburgh.  And  if  you  say  that 
a  house  in  Edinburgh  is  so  high  from  its  situation,  I  will 
back  our  situation  against  any  in  the  town,  for  a  view,  and 
for  the  advantageous  \'isiting  of  our  parishioners,  black  and 
white.  We  have  the  sea  before  us,  with  swelling,  undulat- 
ing hills  for  two  miles  between  ixs  and  it,  clothed  with 
natural  wood,  and  studded  with  kraals,  while  our  white 
population  is  all  behind  us,  on  the  cleared  but  less  beautiful 
ground  on  which  we  have  ourselves  been  living  for  the  last 
few  months. 

But  neither  the  house  nor  the  view  are  worthy  of  the 
inhabitants,  (of  course  the  present  company, — I  am  alone, — 
is  excepted,)  I  mean  that  the  view  inside,  when  I  sit  with 
my  two  sisters,  far  surpasses  the  view  outside. 

■X-  *•;:-*  * 

I  expected  the  Bishop  from  P.  M.  -B.,  but  he  has  altered 
his  plans,  and  is  not  to  be  down  till  Wednesday.  We  bad  a 
laugh  on  Saturday  night  about  the  spare  bed  in  my  tent.   At 


174         MEMOIR  OF  BISHOP  MACKENZIE. 

first  after  the  fire,  A was  impressing  on  me  the  impossi- 
bility of  having  visitors.  I  was  in  one  tent,  with  many  boxes 
and  some  stores.  Another  tent  was  occupied  by  stores  ;  and 
the  two  huts  by  the  females  of  our  establishment,  then  five 
in  number.     So   I  said  little :   but  when  Frank  Galloway 

was  to  come  up  for  his  sister  Polly,  though  I  knew  A 

expected  him  to  come  and  go  the  same  day,  I  arranged  for 
him  to  sleep,  as  we  had  originally  (before  the  fire)  intended. 
I  borrowed  a  cartel  to  support  a  mattrass  for  him,  and  so 
his  bed  was  made  in  the  tent.  Then  Mr  Adams  was  coming 
to  see  us :  where  could  he  sleep  1  O,  what  did  for  Frank 
would  do  for  him.     So  it  was.    Then  we  expected  the  Dean. 

A proposed  to  take  up  her  abode  in  the  tent,  and  give  up 

the  drawing-room  with  its  two  sofas  to  him  and  me :  but  I 
would  not  hear  of  it,  a.nd  when  the  Dean  and  I  arrived  on  a 
Saturday  about  midnight,  we  stowed  ourselves  away  very 
liappily  in  the  tent ;  having  first  partaken  of  a  slight  supper, 
each  sitting  on  his  own  bed,  and  the  loaf,  beef,  bottle,  &c. 
being  on  the  box  that  served  as  a  basin-stand.  And  now 
we  expect  the  Bishop  on  his  visitation  tour :  and  I  have 
had  no  difficulty  in  persuading  them  that  he  can  surely  sleep 
where  the  Dean  did.  ■  They  used  to  speak  in  Durban  of  the 
thin  end  of  the  wedge.  I  think  Frank  Galloway  certainly 
was  that. 

I  am  so  glad  to  get  the  bill  for  £37.  6s.  That  will  go 
well  on  towards  finishing  the  chancel  of  the  Umlazi  church. 
The  Dean  and  I  spent  an  evening  in  arranging  the  dimen- 
sions and  materials  of  a  church  for  the  Umhlali.  It  is  to 
])e  57  feet  from  end  to  end,  and  to  cost  (say)  .£140,  and 
hold  over  100  people.  The  civil  population  is  now  aboiit 
fifty,  and  nearly  fifty  of  the  troops  attend  regularly.  Be- 
sides these  buildings,  the  bricks  are  on  the  ground  to  build 
a  little  church  at  Mount  Moreland,  to  cost  about  £50  or 
£60.  I  think  you  must  admit  that  the  churches  under  my 
eye  have  not  been  extravagant.  Pine  Town,  bviiltj  all 
finished,  except  the  plaster  inside;  cost  about  £210.    Clare- 


RESIDENCE  IN  NATAL— UMHLALL         175 

mont,  a  wooden-building,  witli  seats  for  about  forty,  cost 
about  ^35  :  this  has  been  in  use  for  more  than  a  yeai*.  The 
Isipingo,  in  use,  cost  £b5  :  not  quite  finished.  The  Umlazi 
church  is  to  cost  about  £90.  This  will  be  larger  than  any 
of  the  others.     We  want  it  to  contain  400  persons. 

I  hope  you  will  not  think  this  too  business-like  an 
epistle.  It  is  almost  too  near  the  time  of  the  closing  of  the 
mail  to  let  one  write  freely ;  besides,  T  have  still  about  me 
the  feeling  that  I  have  not  hitherto  written  so  often  as  I 
ought.  Still  you  will  believe  me  when  I  say  that  it  is  a 
pleasure,  a  great  pleasure,  to  write :  and  I  need  not  tell  you 
what  a  pleasure  it  is  to  hear  from  you. 

Your  ever  loving  brother, 

C.  F.  M. 

LETTER  XLIV. 

{To  the  same.) 

Umhlali,  Nov.  5,   1S57. 
Dear , 


Many  happy  returns  of  your  birthday  to  you,  my 
own  dear  sister.  We  drank  your  health  on  the  first,  and 
I  rejoiced  more  than  ever  before  at  its  coming  on  All  Saints' 
Day.  It  is  very  happy  while  we  are  Avishing  you  all  good 
gifts  in  His  good  providence,  to  be  thanking  Him  too  for 
His  saints  that  have  gone  before  :  the  great  multitude  which 
no  man  can  number,  of  all  peojjle  nations  and  languages, 

praising  God!     Dear  ,  may  we  all  be  joined  to  that 

blessed  company,  and  may  we  now  be  learning  the  language 
and  the  manners  of  the  heavenly  Jerusalem. 

I  don't  think  I  have  written  to  you  since  I  sent  from 

Durban  the  stick  which gives  to ,  along  (it  is  now 

!Nov.  9)  with  a  common  stick  of  my  own,  which  is  for  you. 
I  have  often  trudged  with  it  through  the  sands  of  Durban, 
and  was  using  it  that  very  morning,  on  which  I  despatched 

the   rhinoceros    stick   for   .      So    I  thought  it   would 

serve  the  double  purpose  of  helping  to  save  and  strengthen 


17^         MEMOIR  OF  BISHOP  MACKENZIE. 

the  precious  stick,  and  also  of  conveying  to  you  a  good  shake 
of  the  hand.  I  think  it  would  probably  have  some  sand  on 
it  when  it  arrived ;  at  least  I  know  there  was  a  good  deal 
on  it  when  I  packed  it  up;  I  rolled  it  up  just  as  it  was, 
with  the  same  feelings  as  actuated  those  who  buried  Sir 
John  Moore. 

I  have  been  carried  on  so  far  by  the  paragraph  which 
I  began  four  days  ago.  I  write  now  specially  to  catch  this 
mail,  as  being  an  opportunity  I  think  I  never  had  before,  of 
writing  to  you  when  you  had  not  written  to  me.  Your 
letters  are  such  a  treat  to  us  all,  and  you  are  so  constant 
and  regular,  that  you  will  understand  my  joke  of  catching 
so  special  an  occasion  to  write  to  you. 

Yovi  speak  of  our  being  at  the  ITmhlali  as  a  thing  in 
which  you  can  acquiesce,  in  the  conviction  that  we  shall 
soon  be  moved  from  it.  But  really  I  think  we  are  useful 
here,  and  I  am  sure  we  ought  to  be  happy.  You  know  that 
we  came  here  at  my  especial  request  to  the  Bishop,  and  with 
the  full  approval  of  the  Dean,  who  quite  confirmed  my  own 
notion  that  it  was  the  proper  place  for  me.  You  have  heard 
by  this  time  that  we  have  got  into  Kafir  woi'k  here;  though 
perhaps  the  latest  letters  may  have  given  you  the  impres- 
sion, (and  if  so,  I  must  confess  it  would  be  a  true  impres- 
sion,) that  the  Kafir  work  is  rather  going  back  at  present. 
But  we  are  looking  forward  to  increased  opportunities 
when  we  get  to  our  new  house  on  the  hill.  The  white 
work,  however,  in  this  district  is  really  important.  My 
only  regret  is,  that  I  cannot  make  more  of  my  Sunday  than 
I  do.  I  wish  I  could  say  like  Joshua,  "  Sun,  stand  thou 
still ! "  There  have  been  four  sudden  deaths  in  the  last  few 
weeks :  one  up  the  country,  and  three  on  the  coast.  One  at 
the  Umlazi;  Fea,  the  white  man  who  built  our  buildings 
there,  and  who  was  making  bricks  for  the  church :  one  in 

Durban :  and  one  in  my  own  district  or  parish,  a  Mr , 

who  met  with  an  accident  while  riding  on  a  Sunday,  and 
died  on  the  Tuesday.     He  had  not  had  an   opportunity  of 


RESIDENCE  IN  NATAL— UMHLALL         177 

goiug  to  church  nearer  than  ten  miles,  since  he  went  to  his 
farm,  more  than  a  year  ago ;  and,  I  fancy,  had  neither  been 
at  church,  nor  received  the  Holy  Communion  (though  a  com- 
municant), during  that  time.  I  am  veiy  anxious  to  establish 
a  monthly  service,  if  nothing  better,  in  his  neighbourhood. 
He,  poor  man,  (as  we  say,)  is  gone;  but  there  are  others. 
It  will  be,  however,  at  the  exj^jense  of  a  service  somewhere 
else;  I  almost  fear,  at  the  expense  of  the  Umhlali. 

I  was  stopping  for  a  few  moments  just  now,  having  been 
wi-iting  like  a  steam-engine,  when  Guafu,  who  was  laying 
the  cloth  for  dinner,  enquired  politely,  "  Do  I  stand  in  your 
light?"  I  said,  "  No."  He  is  a  fine  fellow.  I  wish  you  could 
be  present  at  our  morning  or  evening  prayers  sometimes,  to 
observe  how  well  (compared  with  the  others  at  least)  he 
remembers  what  we  have  been  reading  about  lately.  We 
are  at  Acts  xii.  just  now.  When  we  came  to  the  death  of 
James,  I  told  them  the  names  of  Simon  and  Andrew,  John 
and  James,  as  the  four  chief  AjDOstles.  He  and  Bafuti  can 
remember  the  other  three,  but  always  forget  the  name  of 
S.  Andrew.  I  think  they  are  struck  with  the  endurance 
even  unto  death  of  the  early  teachers. 

Good  bye.     God  bless  you  now  and  evermore. 
Your  affectionate  brother, 

and  fiiend  and  fellow  Christian, 

C.  F.  M. 

LETTER  XLY. 

{To  his  Eldest  Sister.) 

Umhlali,  Jan.  6,  1858. 

Dear , 

*  %  •»  *  * 

Your  letters  are  not  only  very  pleasant,  but  very  good 
for  us.  They  sometimes  keep  up  spirits  that  have  been 
flagging  (not  mine),  and  they  bind  us  very  closely  together. 
I  often  think  of  you  in  my  long  rides :  last  night,  for  in- 
stance, I  got  home  about  half-past  eleven,  having  had  Orion 

12 


178  MEMOIR  OF  BISHOP  MACKENZIE. 

and  Jupiter  as  my  companions,  as  well  as  our  glorious  Cross 
and  Centaur :  and  I  was  thinking  which  of  them  would  be 
visible  at  the  same  moment  in  England.  I  came  to  the  con- 
clusion, that  what  was  right  over  your  heads,  your  zenith, 
is  always  on  our  horizon,  and  similarly  our  zenith,  (the  star 
which  is  just  over  our  heads,)  will  at  the  same  moment  be 
on  your  horizon  in  a  direction  a  little  East  of  South,  pro- 
bably between  S.S.E.  and  S.E.  by  S.  ;  also  that  at  every 
moment  either  you  or  we  might  say.  Half  of  what  I  now  see 
of  the  sky  they  see  also,  (unless  the  sun  is  above  the  hori- 
zon). If  you  at  any  time  want  to  know  what  we  can  see, 
think  of  a  line  stretching  from  about  E.N.E.  right  over 
head  to  W.S.W.  ;  all  the  stars  that  are  S.E.  of  this  line  are 
at  the  same  moment  visible  to  us.  In  short,  if  you  had  a 
M^all  with  an  exposure  to  the  S.E.,  or  between  that  and 
South,  then  sitting  at  the  foot  of  it  looking  forward  and 
upward,  you  would  see  half  of  the  whole  sky  :  that  half  we  see 
also.  "We  see,  besides,  another  half  below  your  horizon,  but 
we  do  not  see  what  is  behind  the  wall.  If  you  want  to  see 
these  stars  in  the  sayne  position  as  we  do,  you  miist  lie  on 
your  back,  with  your  feet  to  the  wall,  which  must  be  so 
high  as  to  seem  right  over  your  head.  The  top  of  the 
wall  is  our  horizon;  and  by  looking  up  through  your  eye- 
brows you  will  see  what  is  over  our  heads ;  what  is  on  your 
right  hand  is  on  our  right  hand  also,  what  is  on  your  left  is  on 
our  left :  in  short,  you  are  just  in  the  position  in  which  we 
are  when  we  stand  looking  about  IST.lSr.E.  There's  the  re- 
sult of  my  conversation  with.  Orion  and  Jupiter  last  night. 
*  -i;-  *  vc-  -X- 

As  to  your  plan  of  my  staying  at  home  one  Sunday 
every  fortnight,  I'll  think  about  it ;  but  prejudices  are 
against  it.  Even  with  my  present  attempts  there  are  one 
or  two  places  very  much  neglected.  I  am  just  arranging  to 
give  a  Sunday  service  to  a  place  between  Yerulam  and  the 
Umgeni.  This  would  entail  my  absence  from  home  the 
whole  of  that  Sunday.     I  propose  to  do  this  about  once  in 


RESIDENCE  IN  NATAL—UMHLALL         179 

two  months.  I  have  for  the  last  three  weeks  had  a  Monday 
evening  service  at  the  Tongaat,  and  this  will  want  a  Sunday 
now  and  then  to  keep  it  alive,  and  for  the  more  solemn  ad- 
ministration of  the  Holy  Communion.  Fancy  white  people, 
who  used  to  live  in  London,  communicants,  firmly  attached 
to  the  Church  of  England,  who  have  never  received  the  Com- 
munion since  they  came  out,  five  or  six  years  ago.  I  know 
such  a  case.  Again :  a  man  had  a  fall  from  his  horse,  and 
died  in  three  or  four  days:  he  also  was  a  communicant,  but 
had  not  received  the  Communion  for  a  year  and  a  half.  I 
heard  of  his  accident,  and  was  on  my  way  to  his  house,  on 
my  return  from  a  summons  to  Durban,  but  he  had  been 
buried.  These  are  strong  cases;  and  I  feel  strongly  that 
we  shall  do  no  good  to  the  blacks  by  neglecting  the  whites. 
And  till  I  have  a  curate,  (which  God  grant  soon !)  I  don't 
think  I  can  j)ossibly  give  up  any  white  service  on  Sunday. 
I  am  really  well ;  and  though  both  Sunday  and  Monday  are 
hard  days,  I  was  out  of  bed  by  six  this  morning,  (Tuesday,) 
and  am  as  hearty  as  possible. 

And  now  my  own  dear  sister,  (dearer  though  less  written 
to  than  even  in  Cambridge  days,)  good  bye.  And  may  the 
God  of  all  peace  and  grace  give  us  every  blessing,  more  than 
we  deserve  or  desire,  through  Christ  our  Lord. 

Your  ever  loving  brother, 

C.  F.  M. 

The  next  letter  refers  to  a  Church  Conference,  con- 
cerning which  I  shall  have  more  to  say  presently.  I 
introduce  the  letter  in  order  to  shew  the  spirit  in  which 
he  engaged  in  the  work,  and  his  own  humility  con- 
cerning his  fitness  for  it.  His  opinion  of  his  own  in- 
capacity for  this  kind  of  business  was  however  founded 
in  truth  :  he  was  not  the  man  for  a  consultative  body, 
was  too  easily  led,  and  as  regards  a  Church  synod  too 
little   read   in   ecclesiastical   history  and   ecclesiastical 

12—2 


l8o         MEMOIR   OF  BISHOP  MACKENZIE. 

literature  generally,  to  be  capable  of  exercising  a  great 
amount  of  influence. 

LETTER  XLVI. 

Umhlali,  Natal,  March  17,  1858. 
Dear  Goodwin, 

*  *  *  *  46- 

We  are  to  have  a  Cliiircli  Conference  here  next  month 
as  a  preliminary  to  a  regular  synod.  It  is  to  advise  the 
Bishop  whether  to  call  a  synod;  how  to  constitute  it,  and 
whether  to  apply  to  the  legislature  for  an  act  confirming  it. 
Yesterday  was  the  day  for  electing  lay  representatives :  and 
I  don't  think  any  parochial  disti'ict,  (we  have  no  actual 
parishes,)  will  turn  out  a  better  man  than  my  people  did. 
*  *  *  For  my  own  part,  I  have  a  very  strong  feeling  of 
my  incapacity  for  such  business.  My  comfort  is,  that  I  did 
not  come  out  here  with  any  idea  that  I  was  peculiarly 
qualified  for  the  work,  but  simply  because  there  were  few 
labourers  here  in  comparison  with  home,  that  others  would 
till  ray  place  at  home,  and  I  should  be  taking  up  the  place 
of  none  out  here :  and  so,  if  one  does  bvit  do  one's  best,  He 
for  whom  we  are  working  will  excuse  the  performance.  But 
it  is  a  matter  of  considerable  responsibility,  to  be  one  of  the 
leading  members  of  the  first  Diocesan  Synod  (for  so  it  is 
virtually).  God  grant  us  wisdom.  I  wonder  now  some- 
times that  I  was  bold  enough  to  come  out.     I  don't  think 

I  should  now.     Or  if  I  did,  not  as  Archdeacon. 

***** 

Your  affectionate  friend, 

C.  F.  M. 

The  Church  Conference  took  place  at  Pietermaritz- 
burg,  on  the  twentieth  of  April,  and  following  days.  As 
I  am  writing  a  history,  not  of  the  Church  in  Natal,  but 
of  the  life  of  Archdeacon  Mackenzie,  I  shall  not  think 
it  necessary  to  give  a  full  account  of  the  proceedings. 


RESIDENCE  IN  NATAL— UMIIL ALL         iSi 

It  must  suffice  to  say  that  on  certain  important  points 
the  Archdeacon  found  himself  in  a  minority,  and  that 
upon  ascertaining  that  the  views,  which  himself  and 
those  who  voted  with  him  considered  essential,  were 
negatived  by  the  majority,  he  retired  with  the  Dean  of 
Pietermaritzburg  and  some  other  clergymen  from  the 
Conference.    The  matter  under  discussion  was  the  future 
constitution  of  a  Church  Synod,    and  the  point  upon 
which  a  strong  difference  of  opinion  was  manifested  was 
the  status  which  should  be  gi'anted  to  native  congrega- 
tions.   Should  such  congregations  be  put  on  a  footing  of 
equality  with  regard  to  representation  with  the  white 
congregations  ?  did  the  equality  in  Christ  of  members  of 
His  Church  imply  equal  rights  in  all  matters  of  church- 
membership  ?     There  was  also  the  additional  question 
of  the  proper  method  of  dealing  with  the  soldiers ;  some 
holding  that  a  camp  congregation  should  send  a  dele- 
gate to  the  synod,  others  holding  the  contrary  opinion : 
but  I  apprehend  that  the  real  point  in  the  discussion 
was  the  position  of  the  black  congregations,  and  that 
the  high  view  of  the  privileges  conferred  upon  all  men, 
whether  white  or  black,  by  vital  union  with  the  Re- 
deemer, which  the  Archdeacon  held,  made  him  regard 
his  own  presence  at  the  Conference  as  useless,  and  in- 
deed impossible,  when  that  view  appeared  to  be  nega- 
tived by  the  opinion  of  the  majority.     I  should  not  be 
honest  if  I  did  not  state  my  own  opinion  that  Mackenzie 
was  in  error.     Doubtless  the  question  of  dealing  with  a 
Church  composed  of  two   different   races  in  different 
conditions  of  civilization  must  involve  many  difficulties  ; 
and  it  seems  an  easy  mode  of  disposing  of  those  difficult 


iSa         MEMOIR  OF  BISHOP  MACKENZIE. 

ties  to  say  that  all  are  one  in  Christ ;  but  Christian 
equality  does  not  involve  equal  fitness  to  deliberate  and 
make  rules  for  the  government  of  the  Church,  any 
more  than  the  equality  of  Englishmen  in  the  eye  of  the 
law  involves  universal  suffrage ;  and  it  seems  to  me 
that  in  the  infancy  of  such  mixed  Churches,  the  more 
advanced  and  more  civilized  portion  must  assume  to 
some  extent  the  guardianship  of  the  weaker  and  less 
intelligent,  looking  forward  to  a  time  when  such 
guardianship  shall  be  no  longer  necessary,  and  can  be 
safely  abandoned.  In  fact,  the  question  appears  to  me 
to  be  one  of  expediency  and  not  one  of  j)rinciple,  and  I 
cannot  but  regret  that  my  dear  friend  was  induced  to 
take  a  course,  which,  without  leading  to  any  important 
result,  deprived  the  Conference  of  the  advantage  of  his 
presence. 

Yet  even  here,  if  he  was  in  error,  as  I  think  he 
was,  the  error  was  a  noble  one.  It  was  the  love  of  the 
weaker  race,  the  strong  feeling  of  the  dignity  of  the 
lowest  of  mankind  when  elevated  by  the  knowledge  of 
Christ,  the  fear  of  the  native  being  trampled  upon  by 
the  colonist,  that  made  him  protest  in  the  most  em- 
phatic manner  that  seemed  possible  to  him,  against 
that  which  he  deemed  to  be  unsound  in  principle. 

Whatever  may  be  the  true  view  concerning  Mac- 
kenzie's conduct,  there  can  be  no  doubt  that  this  was  a 
very  trying  time  to  him,  and  that  he  returned  with 
great  delight  to  his  pastoral  labours  at  the  Umhlali. 
He  felt  himself  out  of  his  element  in  the  conflicts  of 
opinion  stirred  up  in  a  deliberative  assembly,  and  I 
have  reason  to  believe, — the  feeling  is  in  fact  expressed. 


RESIDENCE  IN  NATAL—UMllLALL         183 

in  one  of  his  letters, — that  he  was  conscious  on  such 
occasions  of  the  need  of  a  more  definite  theological 
training  than  he  had  received,  and  of  the  evil  of  the 
practice  of  passing  so  rapidly  as  many  Cambridge  men 
do  from  mathematics  to  holy  orders ;  he  was  most  in 
his  element  when  he  was  ministering  to  the  wants  of 
others,  and  exhibiting  the  real  depth  and  value  of  his 
Christian  principles  by  going  about  like  his  Master, 
and  doing  good. 

The  Conference  was  opened,  as  we  have  seen,  on 
April  20  ;  on  April  22  the  Archdeacon  retired,  and  on 
April  23rd,  Friday,  he  seems  to  have  left  Pietermaritz- 
burg.  The  following  extract  from  a  letter  of  Miss 
Mackenzie's  will  bring  him  home,  and  give  a  picture 
of  liis  life  at  the  Umhlali  at  this  period. 

He  did  not  leave  P.  M.  B.  till  one  P.  m.  on  Friday.  He 
meant  to  Lave  started  early,  but  was  obliged  to  call  ou  tlie 
Bishop  first :  then  he  remembered  he  ought  to  call  on  Dr 

and  Mrs .    While  he  was  with  them  the  cathedral  bells 

rang,  and  he  could  not  go  before  service,  and  so  it  was  one 
o'clock,  and  the  roads  dreadfully  slippery  with  the  rain,  be- 
fore he  got  fairly  away.  I  knew  his  ways  too  well  to  expect 
he  would  do  anything  else,  and  tried  to  keep  in  patient  trust 
that  all  was  well  with  him,  but  I  could  not  help  thinking  of 

poor  Mr ,  who  was  thrown  from  his  horse  on  his  way 

to  P.  M.  B.  and  very  severely  hurt ;  but  in  spite  of  dark- 
ness, bad  and  slippery  roads,  a  tired  horse,  and  swollen 
rivers  to  cross,  he  was  preserved  in  all  dangers.  He  slept 
at  the  half-way  house,  breakfasted  next  morning  at  Pine 
Town,  did  some  business  in  Durban,  reached  Yerulam  at 
eleven  p.m.  and  went  to  bed;  but  was  up  veiy  early,  and 
was  here  a  httle  after  eight  A.  M.  on  Sunday  morning.  He 
let  his  horse,  Spring,  wander  away  by  accident  at  P.  M.  B., 


184         MEMOIR  OF  BISHOP  MACKENZIE. 

and,  trtisting  to  Lis  usual  good  luck,  did  not  take  so  mucli 
pains  to  recover  him  as  ke  would  otherwise  have  done,  and 
rode  the  ninety  miles  on  his  new  horse,  which  is  still  called 
Bob.  The  Archdeacon  had  less  than  an  hour  to  dress  and 
breakfast  before  he  was  at  the  camp,  for  service  at  nine. 
He  has  a  church-meeting  at  Mount  Moreland  and  elsewhere 
to-morrow;  so  he  does  not  return  till  the  afternoon.  I  am 
thankful  to  say  the  hour  for  his  Monday  service  at  the 
Tongaat  is  changed  from  seven  p.m.  to  four;  so  he  will  be  at 
home  in  future  in  much  better  time.  He  is  wonderfully 
strong.  It  is  vain  to  ask  him  to  do  less.  Did  I  tell  you  of 
my  once  writing  to  him  from  the  Umlazi  to  beg  he  would 
release  Mr  R.  from  a  service  at  the  Bluff]  His  answer  at 
first  overjoyed  me,  quite  agreeing  that  it  was  a  total  break- 
up of  Mr  R.'s  Sunday;  but  I  stamped  my  foot  when  I  read 
on,  and  found  that  he  meant  to  add  it  to  his  own  duties.  So 
the  thinking  what  he  coiild  leave  out  of  his  duties  here  aftei* 
reading  your  letter,  made  him  add  a  quarterly  service  at  the 
Umhlanga,  when  he  is  away  from  the  Umhlali  all  day,  and 
the  Saturday  also.  I  was  quite  thankful  to  him  yesterday 
for  giving  us  less  music  than  usual ;  it  is  a  great  fatigue 
to  his  voice.  It  is  pouring  and  blowing  hurricanes.  We 
have  still  no  windows  in.  Part  of  a  partition  wall  fell  down 
to-day  from  the  badness  of  the  bricks  it  was  built  with, 
and  I  don't  know  when  our  house  will  be  finished. 

In  the  next  letter,  one  of  the  last  written  by  him  to 
his  eldest  sister,  who  died  in  the  latter  part  of  the  year, 
he  appears  again  to  allude  to  the  approaching  Con- 
ference. 

LETTER  XLVII. 

Umhlali,  April  3,  1858. 


Dearest 


"We  are  having  divisions  and  searchings  of  heart  here 
in  church-matters.    You  know  how  unfitted  I  am  for  such 


RESIDENCE  IN  NATAL— UMHLALL         185 

tilings.  Pray  for  me,  that  I  may  be  guided  right,  and 
may  not  injure  my  own  soul,  that  I  may  be  honest  and 
true,  yet  loving  and  gentle.  There  are  such  men  :  the 
Bishop  of  Cape  Town  is  one,  I  believe.  My  comfort,  when 
I  feel  that  I  am  in  water  too  deep  for  me,  is  that  I  did 
not  come  out  because  I  thought  myself  peculiarly  fitted 
for  the  work  here,  but  simply  because  so  few  would  come. 
And  I  think  we  may  feel  the  comfort  that  a  party  would, 
chosen  by  lot  from  a  regiment,  that  they  were  of  God's 
selecting,  that  a  man's  skill  and  pride  had  not  chosen  them, 
that  they  went  forth  like  Gideon's  three  hundred  in  the 
name  of  the  Loi'd. 


About  this  time  Ai-chdeacon  Mackenzie  was  ap- 
pointed chaplain  to  the  soldiers,  who  were  encamped 
in  the  neighbourhood.  He  had  indeed  been  virtually 
chaplain  for  some  time;  but  he  was  now  regularly 
appointed  with  a  salary,  which  though  not  large  was 
important  as  enabling  him  to  obtain  assistance  in  his 
widely  extended  parish.  For  some  time  he  had  felt  the 
need  of  a  fellowlabourer.  He  was  very  anxious  that  a 
young  Cambridge  friend,  to  whom  he  was  much  attached, 
should  come  out  and  work  with  him,  and  he  sent  a  very 
pressing  invitation;  on  due  consideration  the  invita- 
tion was  declined,  and  as  I  beheve  on  good  and  soKd 
grounds.  I  here  give  the  letter  which  Mackenzie  wrote 
on  the  occasion,  and  I  would  especially  call  the  reader  s 
attention  to  the  temper  with  which  the  disappointment 
was  received,  and  the  manner  in  which  he  endeavours  to 
direct  his  friend's  mind  to  an  important  field  of  work 
nearer  home. 


l86  MEMOIR  OF  BISHOP  MACKENZIE. 


My  Dear 


LETTER  XLVIII. 

Umhlali,  June  3,  li 


Your  letter  gave  me  great  pleasure,  coming  from 
your  affectionate  heart,  and  telling  me  so  truly  what  you 
thought  about  coming  here,  and  not  coming  here.  I  am 
quite  satisfied  that  you  have  done  what  is  right  in  following 
your  own  judgment  in  the  matter,  and  not  coming  out 
simply  because  I  wished  or  advised  you  to  do  so  :  and  I 
have  no  reason  (certainly  I  have  no  right,  if  I  had  reason) 
to  blame  you  for  deciding  as  you  have.  The  way  I  look 
at  it  is  this.  There  is  a  great  deal  to  be  done  at  home, 
(and  perhaps  no  work  is  so  important,  though  few  so  diffi- 
cult, as  that  of  a  clergyman  among  and  over  the  Undei"- 
graduates) ;  there  is  a  great  deal  to  be  done  abroad,  and 
fewer  in  proportion  to  do  it.  I  take  this  last  for  granted, 
without  any  accurate  calculation,  and  I  may  be  wrong ;  but 
I  think  so.  Well  :  every  one  must  decide  for  himself  where 
he  can  best  work /or  tlie  Master's  cause,  after  clearly  making 
up  his  mind  that  that  must  come  first,  before  private  incli- 
nation, and  even  before  other  ties,  (except  so  far  as  they 
involve  duties,  and  so  are  part  of  the  Master's  cause).  If 
you  think  that  you  honestly  did  and  do  determine  to  do 
what  you  impartially  and  conscientiously  think  right,  then 
of  course  you  may  feel  quite  at  ease.  I  should  not  doubt 
this,  but  for  one  or  two  expressions  in  your  letter;  on  the 
whole  I  believe  you  did  so  determine,  and  therefore  I  am 
satisfied. 

But  if  you  in  your  own  heart  are  not  sure  that  you 
would  give  up  all  for  Him,  and  think  you  did  not  decide 
this  particular  question  (of  coming  out)  on  that  principle, 
I  wovxld  say,  take  this  instance  as  a  test  sent  by  God  to 
shew  yourself  to  you  ;  try  to  purify  your  intentions  by 
thinking  more  of  His  Infinite  Love,  and  our  relation  to 
Him  as  His  children ;  and  pray  that  you  may  come  nearer 


RESIDENCE  IN  NATAL— UMHLALI.         187 

to  tlie  blessed  state  of  the  saints  above,  who  have  no  will 
opposed  to  His.  And,  my  dear  fellow,  when  you  do  so 
jiray,  pray  for  me  too.  It  is  very  sad,  how  changeable 
we  are ;  how  easily  we  forget  the  high  office  to  which  we 
have  been  called,  and  the  purity  and  singleness  of  heart 
required  to  enable  us  in  any  degree  to  fulfil  our  mission. 

*  -::-  -X-  *  -X- 

I  am  very  anxious   about   the    college-servants.      Just 

before  I    left,  I  had  some  talk  with about  them ;    I 

mean  their  being  cared  for,  as  persons  capable  of  religion, 

by  us  their  masters,  being  clergymen.    told  me  of  the 

appointment  at  Oxford,  (in  Magdalene,  I  think),  of  one  of 
the  fellows  to  the  office  of  chaplain  to  the  college-servants. 

I  dare  say  your  arrangements  at may  be  better  than 

ours ;   but  ask when  you  see  him,   whether  anything 

has  been  done  in  Caius  about  bringing  good  influences  to 
bear  upon  the  servants.  I  was  reminded  of  it  the  other 
day  when  defending  the  practice  of  daily  service  ;  I  quoted 
the  excellence  of  the  habit  I,  with  so  many  others,  had  in 
college  of  going  regularly  in  the  morning  :  my  opponent 
said,  "Yes,  and  the  bed-makers,  what  did  they  do?"  I 
admitted  that  I  had  enjoyed  the  privilege  myself,  without 
their  joining  in  it.  I  forgot  by  the  way  to  say,  that  I 
did  try  hard  to  get  my  gyp  to  come  to  my  rooms  at  6  a.m. 
for  prayers,  promising  not  to  keep  him  above  five  minutes  : 
but  he  always  said,  they  were  so  bustled,  they  could  not 
come.  So  you  see,  I  tried  something ;  but  without  success. 
I  tliink  if  in  each  college  those  who  are  anxious  to  do  good 
would  talk  the  matter  over,  they  might  do  something. 
When  men  leave  college  they  feel  a  responsibility  to  their 
servants ;  and  why  should  not  the  same  feeling  exist  in  a 
house  established  for  religious  as  well  as  intellectual  edu- 
cation % 

*  X-  -X-  *  * 

I  think  if  I  were  back  in  College  again,  I  should  try  to 
impi'ess  upon  those  of  the  Undergraduates  who  now  neglect 


1 88         MEMOIR  OF  BISHOP  MACKENZIE. 

it,  the  need  of  studying  the  Bible,  and  other  first  books  of 
divinity,  if  they  are  thinking  of  being  ordained.  Part  of 
Sunday  might  well  be  given  to  this. 

I  have  mentioned  in  every  letter  I  am  writing  this  mail, 
that  I  have  got  a  curate.  I  am  as  pleased  as  a  father  at  the 
birth  of  his  first  child.  Nay,  but  seriously,  I  am  very  glad. 
I  shall  now  give  a  Sunday  afternoon  once  a  mouth  to  a 
Kafir  service,  and  we  shall  bring  two  more  congregations  of 
white  people,  one  at  the  little  TJmhlanga,  the  other  at  the 
Tongaat,  into  regular  Sunday  services.  I  shall  not  myself 
pass  many  Sundays  in  the  year  without  celebrating  the  Holy 
Communion :  I  have  been  administering  it  more  than  once 
a  fortnight  for  several  months.  I  believe  this  to  be  itself  a 
privilege.  At  the  Conference  at  P.  M.  B.  in  April,  we  had 
the  Holy  Commi^nion  every  morning,  and  I  don't  think  I 
could  have  got  through  the  trials  and  difiiculties  of  the  week 
without  it.     By  the  way,  that  was  another  thing  I  wanted 

to  know  from  you  and ,  whether  you  have  Communion 

oftener  than  once  a  term.  Why  not  on  the  first  Sunday  of 
every  month  1  or,  if  you  like  to  regulate  it  more  academi- 
cally, say  three  times  in  the  term?     Now  don't  say,  (you 

and ),  "  What  has  he  to  do  with  us,  giving  us  orders  in 

this  way  ?  has  he  not  enough  to  do  in  his  own  Archdea- 
conry'?"    No — I  know  you  will  not. 

And  now,  my  dear  fellow,  good  bye.  Whether  we  shall 
meet  on  earth  is  in  God's  hands,  and  will  be  as  He  wills: 
but  we  may  trust  to  a  meeting  above  in  His  time ;  how  soon 
we  know  not;  only  let  us  ever  stand  with  our  lamps  burn- 
ing in  our  hands.     God  bless  you  ! 

Your  affectionate  friend, 

c.  r.  M. 

The  new  curate  alluded  to  in  the  foregoing  letter 
was  a  great  satisfaction  to  the  Archdeacon's  mind,  not 
(as  will  be  easily  believed)  because  he  would  be  able 


RESIDENCE  IN  NATAL— UMHLALI         189 

to  relax  his  own  efforts,  but  because  the  aid  of  a 
brother  clergyman  opened  new  fields  of  activity.  The 
stipend  was  partly  supplied  by  the  Bishop,  partly  by 
local  resources,  and  it  gave  the  Archdeacon  great  delight 
to  find  that  his  people  responded  heartily  to  the  appeal 
which  he  made  to  them,  and  that  there  would  be  no 
difficulty  in  supplying  the  guaranteed  amount  of  salary. 
He  instituted  a  monthly  collection  in  his  five  churches, 
namely,  Umhlali,  Tongaat,  Verulam,  Mount  Moreland, 
and  the  little  Umhlanga,  and  found  it  answer  so  well 
that  he  determined  to  adopt  the  same  system  of  col- 
lection for  the  support  of  education  in  his  district.  I 
here  introduce  a  scrap  of  a  letter,  in  which  he  expresses 
his  satisfaction  with  the  new  arrangement. 

LETTER  XLIX. 

[To  a  Sister) 

Umhlalt,  June  30,  1858. 

*  -»  *  -X-  * 

The  new  curate  works  well.  Every  one  is  2)leased  with 
bim,  and  whereas  I  told  the  Bishop  I  thought  we  could 
raise  .£40  a-year  in  the  district  towards  his  support,  this 
month  has  just  about  produced  its  share.  We  shall  each  have 
service  three  times  every  Sunday  on  an  average,  and  there 
will  not  be  many  Sundays  in  the  year  on  which  I  shall  not 
celebrate  the  Holy  Communion.  I  do  feel  very  grateful  for 
being  allowed  thus  to  feed  His  sheep  in  the  wilderness ;  and 
I  trust  that  the  outward  forms  of  His  service  may  be  the 
means  of  grace  to  the  souls  of  His  people,  and  that  His 
glory  may  be  shewn  forth. 

*  *  %  %  * 

There  is  a  great  dearth  of  letters  in  the  latter  half 


190         MEMOIR  OF  BISHOP  MACKENZIE, 

of  this  year,  1858.  The  reader,  however,  will  be  able 
to  fancy  to  himself  the  Archdeacon's  regular  course 
of  laborious  duty,  and  his  happy  home  now  rendered 
almost  comfortable  ;  in  fact,  I  find  Miss  Mackenzie 
writing  towards  Michaelmas  in  this  fashion  :  "  We  were 
burnt  out  of  house  and  home  about  a  year  ago ;  but 
there  are  advantages  in  every  trial ;  and  whereas  we 
were  living  in  a  very  uncomfortable  ill-built  house, 
situated  in  a  bare  desolate-looking  field,  with  no  pretty 
view  from  it,  now  we  have  built  a  mansion  for  our- 
selves, with  eight  small  rooms  in  it ;  and  we  have  such 
a  glorious  view  of  the  sea,  separated  from  us  by  beauti- 
fully wooded  hills  and  valleys  ;  and  our  ground  being 
our  own,  for  we  have  bought  between  twenty  and  thirty 
acres,  it  is  both  pleasure  and  profit  to  plant  fruit-trees, 
pine-apples,  bananas,  &c. ;  and  the  rapidity  with  which 
everything  grows  is  astonishing." 

I  shall  be  pardoned  if  I  take  advantage  of  this 
absence  of  anything  of  especial  interest  connected  with 
the  Archdeacon  personally,  to  introduce  two  or  three 
notices  of  collateral  matters,  which  will  nevertheless 
tend  to  illustrate  the  story  of  his  life  in  Natal. 

In  page  177  there  is  a  specimen  of  Kafir  politeness; 
here  is  a  specimen  of  Kafir  passion.  ''I  was  in  the 
sitting  room,"  writes  Miss  Mackenzie,  "when  I  heard 
screams,  and  then  saw  Jessie  (the  maid)  running.  I 
joined  her,  and  saw  Uskendi  crouching  under  a  tree 
where  he  had  fallen,  while  Bafuti  was  close  by  with 
a  long  stick  in  his  hand,  and  Umzanga  was  trying  to 
hold  him  in.  As  soon  as  I  joined  them,  Uskendi  made 
his  escape,  and  I  took  hold  of  Bafuti's  arm,  but  he 


RESIDENCE  IN  NATAL— UMIIL ALL         191 

shook  me  off,  and  said  in  English,  almost  foaming  with 
passion,  '  You  like  that  boy  bite  me  ?  you  like  that 
boy  beat  me  ?'  I  said,  No,  it  was  very  bad,  but  he 
must  not  beat  him  when  in  a  passion.  He  roared  out 
in  Kafir,  'Leave  me,  don't  touch  me.'  So  I  said  very 
quietly,  '  Bafuti,  is  that  the  way  in  which  you  speak  to 
the  Inkosazan?'  Then  I  told  him  Uskendi  should 
certainly  be  punished,  but  that  it  was  not  good  for 
himself  to  beat  him  while  he  was  so  angry,  and  I  re- 
minded him  of  UmFundisi's  teaching.  *  *  *  Umzanra 
now  came  and  tried  to  take  the  stick  by  force  from  him, 
but  this  was  beginning  to  make  him  furious  again  ; 
so  we  told  him  to  desist,  and  I  said  that  I  would  not 
take  it  from  him,  that  I  knew  he  would  not  use  it  now, 
and  that,  if  he  promised,  we  would  trust  him  en- 
tirely. *  *  *  Poor  Bafuti !  his  whole  body  shook, 
and  I  could  see  his  heart  beating,  while  the  tears  rolled 
down  from  his  eyes;  but  with  an  effort  he  threw  away 
the  stick  of  his  own  accord,  and  walked  away;  but  he 
was  very  angry,  and  he  seated  himself  at  the  corner 
of  the  house,  as  if  to  watch  for  his  prey.  *  *  *  He 
was  very  grave  all  the  afternoon,  but  when  I  asked 
him  if  he  would  like  me  to  speak  to  him,  he  said,  '  I 
wish  it.'  Then  I  reminded  him  of  the  evil  spirit  taking 
possession  of  a  man,  and  about  Cain  and  Abel.  At 
night  at  prayers,  when  the  Archdeacon  asked  them  all 
what  were  the  sins  we  were  tempted  to  commit,  Bafuti 
answered,  '  Being  very  angiy ;'  and  he  seemed  quite 
humbled  at  the  remembrance  of  his  passion." 

I  hope  the   reader  will   see  in   the   story  which  I 
have  just  given,  evidence  not  only  of  the  strength  of 


192         MEMOIR  OF  BISHOP  MACKENZIE. 

Kafir  passion,  but  of  the  influence  of  Christian  teach- 
ing and  example.  I  hope  he  will  also  feel  that  such 
conduct  as  has  be^n  described,  if  it  betrays  something 
of  the  savage,  does  at  the  same  time  indicate  a  nature 
capable  of  being  trained  to  higher  things  ;  the  fact  is, 
that  few  races  appear  more  hopeful  than  the  Kafirs 
of  South  Africa;  the  great  obstacle  to  their  improve- 
ment is  (as  I  have  already  had  occasion  to  remark) 
polygamy,  and  the  custom  associated  with  it,  accord- 
ing to  which  a  man  has  the  absolute  power  over  his 
daughters,  and  can  sell  them  for  their  price  in  cows 
under  any  circumstances ;  hence  I  find  the  Mackenzie 
missionaries  occasionally  complaining  that  any  young 
girl  taken  by  them,  educated,  even  baptized,  is  liable 
to  be  sold  for  a  few  cows,  as  third  or  fourth  wife  to 
some  heathen  Jiusband.  The  English  government  has 
thought  fit  not  to  interfere  with  the  native  law  in  this 
respect ;  and  possibly  it  may  have  been  politic  to  take 
this  course  ;  but  certainly  to  the  missionary,  and  to 
every  wellwisher  to  the  native  race,  the  consequences 
are  very  deplorable. 

This  bargain  concerning  women  even  affects  their 
children  sometimes,  as  will  be  seen  from  the  following : 
"  Our  domestic  troubles,"  says  Miss  Alice  Mackenzie  in 
one  of  her  letters,  "  are  curiously  different  from  those 
at  home.  The  boy  Umabokwe  was  visited  the  other 
day  by  his  father,  who  was  in  a  great  excitement,  and 
spoke  to  us  so  fast  and  with  such  a  torrent  of  words, 
that  we  could  not  follow  him.  Umabokwe  was  sum- 
moned to  tell  us  what  it  was  all  about;  and  he  ex- 
plained, (in  Kafir,    only  he  spoke  gently,    so  that  we 


RESIDENCE  IN  NATAL— UMHL ALL         193 

could  understand  him).  'A  man  is  coming  to  take  me 
away.'  It  seemed  that  his  mother,  when  she  married 
his  father,  had  not  been  paid  for:  at  least  not  the 
whole  price  of  cows.  She  is  dead  since,  but  the  man 
who  owned  her  before  her  marriage  now  claims  her  son. 
The  Archdeacon  is  gone  to  the  magistrate  about  it." 

Then  there  is  superstition  standing  as  an  obstacle  to 
the  faith  and  to  the  improvement  of  the  people,  and  the 
stories  told  of  the    "witch-doctors"  are  very   strange. 
Mr  Shepstone,  whose  name  is  well-known  to  all  ac- 
quainted with  Natal,  always  spoke  of  the  knowledge  of 
these  men  as  something  which  he  could  not  explain ; 
and  that  which  was  a  mystery  to  him  may  well  be  a 
source  of  tremendous  influence  upon  the  minds  of  the 
natives.     The  magistrate  at  the  Umhlali  spoke  of  the 
witch-doctors  in  the  same  way.   He  told  the  Mackenzies 
the  following  story.     He  was  leaving  home,  and  only 
two  boys  were  left  in  his  house.     He  shewed  one  of 
them,  whose  name  was  Usfile,  a  revolver  pistol  which 
was  in  its  case,  and  desired  him  not  to  touch  it.     When 
he  came  home  it  was  broken.     Both  the  boys  denied 
any  knowledge  of  the  accident,  and  Usfile  said  he  did 
not  like  to  be  suspected,  and  wished  a  witch-doctor  to 
be  consulted.     There  was  one,  come  quite  lately  from 
the  Zulu  country,  who  knew  nothing  of  European  ways, 
or  houses.     This  man  being  applied  to  first  chewed  some 
medicine,  and  then  went  raging  about  to  get  himself  into 
the  proper  state  of  phrensy ;  then  he  threw  himself  on 
the  ground,  saying  there  was  a  snake  inside  him,  and 
groaned  horribly.     By  a  kind  of  "magical  music"  he 
discovered  what  was  wanted  from  him :  they  never  told 

13 


194  MEMOIR  OF  BISHOP  MACKENZIE. 

him  what  they  wanted  to  consult  him  about.  He  said, 
"  You  do  not  v/ant  to  know  about  cows."  The  people 
assented.  Then  he  said,  "No:  it  is  not  cows:  it  is 
something  in  the  house."  The  people  assented  again, 
more  loudly  than  before.  This  went  on  for  three  hours, 
the  witch-doctor  always  coming  nearer  to  the  truth,  till 
he  ended  by  describing  the  case  with  the  pistol  in  it,  the 
table  under  which  it  lay,  how  the  boy  had  tried  to  un- 
screw it,  and  that  there  was  another  boy  with  him,  and 
then  he  pointed  to  Usfile  as  the  culprit,  who  confessed. 

Stories,  similar  to  the  preceding,  and  of  great  in- 
terest in  themselves,  might  easily  be  multiplied ;  but  I 
must  leave  them,  in  order  to  return  to  that  which  more 
definitely  concerns  the  life  of  Archdeacon  Mackenzie. 

Throughout  the  year  1858  I  find  constant  sorrow- 
ings on  the  part  of  Miss  Mackenzie  concerning  her 
brother's  severe  work,  long  rides,  sometimes  in  a  hot 
sun,  sometimes  in  drenching  rain.  She  has  chronicled 
also  some  minor  inconveniences:  as  when  upon  one  oc- 
casion his  horse  was  troubled  with  a  sore  back,  and 
being  unable  to  ride  upon  it  with  a  saddle  the  Arch- 
deacon called  at  the  house  of  a  parishioner  to  ask  if  the 
good  woman  of  the  house  could  in  any  way  assist  him: 
she  very  benevolently  lent  him  her  ironing  flannel  to 
serve  as  a  temporary  saddle,  the  Archdeacon  promising 
to  return  it  before  the  next  ironing-day. 

Under  date  December  21,  of  this  year,  I  find  a 
notice  which  I  think  the  reader  will  pardon  me  for 
introducing  as  it  stands.  It  illustrates  at  once  the 
effect  of  Mackenzie's  character  upon  those  about  him, 
and  the    roughness  of  the  Ufe  which   he  was   accus- 


RESIDENCE  IN  NATAL— UMHLALL         195 

tomed  to  lead.  "I  do  feel,"  says  Miss  Mackenzie, 
"  the  responsibility  so  great  of  being  allowed  to  live 
with  Charles.  It  is  not  only  that  his  temper  is  so  un- 
varyingly even,  amidst  provocations  both  great  and 
small:  it  seems  as  if  he  could  not  fail  there:  but  he 
grows  in  holiness,  and  in  devotedness,  and  such  utter 
self-forgetfulness !  It  is  a  great  comfort  to  me  that  he 
takes  care  of  his  health  without  neglecting  what  he 
thinks  his  duty.  I  never  can  be  reconciled  to  his  long 
Sunday  rides  in  the  hot  wet  season;  but  he  thinks 
it  is  right,  and  that  he  is  planting  the  Church.  On 
Sunday,  after  service,  it  was  desperately  hot,  quite 
enervating,  even  to  me,  and  he  started  off  on  a  twenty- 
five  miles  ride.  He  had  the  misfortune  to  lose  his  flask 
of  wine  by  the  way ;  so  he  had  only  the  hot  water  of  the 
river  to  drink.  In  the  evening  the  heaviest  of  our  Natal 
rains  came  on,  and  next  morning  the  country  was  in  a 
flood.  He  w^as  much  wished  to  stay,  but  he  said  he 
would  try  to  return.  The  river  Ninoti  was  very  high ; 
and  it  has  a  slippery  stony  bed.  A  Kafir  was  told  to  go 
in  and  see  what  state  it  was  in,  but  he  could  not  keep 
his  footing.  A  white  man  told  him  that  a  little  higher 
up  he  might  swim  through  himself,  but  not  his  horse; 

so  he  left  him  in  the  charge  of  Mr ,  as  well  as  his 

waterproofs,  which  would  only  encumber  him  in  the 
water.  He  had  to  swim  another  river  which  is  only  a 
brook  in  ordinary  times.  The  Umvoti  was  not  higher 
than  his  knee,  but  it  was  very  wide,  and  he  said  he 
compassionated  horses  more  than  he  had  ever  known 
was  necessary;  it  was  so  fatiguing  to  walk  through  the 
water.     He  arrived  dripping  at  Dr  A — 's,  for  it  had 

13—2 


Jg6         MEMOIR  OF  BISHOP  MACKENZIE. 

been  raining  all  day.  He  found  them  at  dinner,  and 
they  gave  him  dry  clothes  and  lent  him  a  horse ;  but  he 
arrived  here  about  half-past  nine  pretty  wet,  as  the 
Umhlali  was  high :  so  he  did  not  stay  to  give  us  any 
news,  but  went  straight  to  bed,  and  he  is  quite  well  this 
morning." 

The  year  1859  opened  with  a  very  heavy  trouble, 
the  loss  of  his  eldest  sister,  who  has  been  already  de- 
scribed in  this  Memoir  as  intimately  connected  with 
Mackenzie's  early  education,  and  the'  formation  of  his 
character.  The  next  three  letters,  which  are  nearly  all 
that  have  come  to  my  hands  of  this  year's  correspond- 
ence, refer  to  this  event.  The  first  is  to  the  sister  her- 
self, the  second  to  another  sister,  his  chief  correspondent 
in  England,  and  the  third  to  his  brother-in-law.  They 
are  dated  from  Seaforth,  the  name  given  to  the  new 
house  at  the  Umhlali. 


Dear 


LETTER  L. 

Seafoeth,  Januanj,  1859. 


I  have  just  finished  copying  for  A ,  and  for 

very  shame  must  write  you  a  few  lines  myself.     My  dear 

one,  it  is  indeed,  as  A says,  the  first  real  home  anxiety 

we  have  had,  except .    Dear  one,  I  trust  you  trustfully 

in  His  hands,  who  watches  over  Israel,  and  slumbers  not 

nor  sleeps. 

*  *  *  *  * 

The  more  I  try  to  obey  the  rules  of  the  Church,  the 
more  of  beauty  and  truth  and  reality  I  see  in  them.  I 
never  used  the  Visitation  service  in  England,  and  I  do  not 
use  it  here  quite  as  it  is  directed,  but  I  have  looked  more 
to  its  prayers  than  before;   and  they  are  very  beautiful. 


RESIDENCE  IN  NATAL— UMHLALL         197 

Then  the  having  the  Communion  at  a  marriage  is  so  good, 
when  both  are  real  Christians, — a  solemn  binding  of  them 
together,  and  with  all  true  members  of  the  Lord,  present 
and  absent.  I  feel  a  far  more  geaeral  meaning  in  the  Com- 
munion than  I  used  to  do,  not  only  the  strengthening  and 
refreshing  of  our  souls,  but  the  union  with  the  Church,  His 
body,  the  blessed  company  of  all  faithful  people, — however 
men  may  differ  as  to  who  are  to  be  included  in  that  phrase. 
He  knows  His  own,  and  keepeth  them  every  instant. 

Dear ,  yovi  may  be  now  among  the  members  of  the 

Church  in  Heaven,  who  have  washed  their  robes  and  made 
them  white  in  the  blood  of  the  Lamb.  If  so,  we  shall  never 
meet  again  on  earth.  But  what  a  meeting  in  heaven !  Any 
two  of  us  to  meet  so  would  be  more  than  we  can  conceive, — 
we  made  perfect,  and  never  more  to  part :  and  then  to  think 
of  the  many !  Dear  mother,  with  so  many  of  us,  I  trust, 
and  with  her  own  brothers  and  sisters ;  and  each  to  see  in 
the  others  the  reflexion  of  their  own  joy,  and  to  feel  the  joy 
of  others  to  be  their  own  ! 

God  grant  us  grace  to  arrive  at  that  blessed  ending,  for 
Christ's  sake.    Amen, 

Your  affectionate  brother, 

C.  P.  M. 

LETTER  LL 

Seafoeth,  January  29,  1859. 
Dear , 

*  *  *  *  * 

We  are  looking  anxiously  for  the  mail  to  hear  of  our 

dear .     Well,  wherever  she  is,  her  Father  is  with  her. 

Those  who  do  not  know  Him  think  that  a  cold  thing  to  say, 
and  imagine  that  faith  makes  people  indifferent  to  the  suf- 
ferings and  misfortiines  of  others.  God  knows  it  is  not  so 
but  that  rather  we  are  bound  together  the  closer  by  His 
great  Fatherly  overshadowing  wings. 

Feb.  2.     Dear ,  the  news  came  yesterday.     I  heard 

it  on  my  road  home,  through  Miss 's  kindness,  she  hav- 


198        MEMOIR  OF  BISHOP  MACKENZIE. 

ing  heard  it  here.  Well,  dearest  one,  when  I  heard  it,  I 
said  at  once,  "I'm  very  glad."  I  could  not  help  thinking  first, 
she  is  over  the  fever :  she  is  through  the  grave  and  gate  of 

death.     Then  I  thought  of  poor .     I  do  feel  for  him. 

They  say  none  can  know  a  widower's  or  a  widow's  grief : 
perhaps  not :  but  one  can  tell  what  her  loss  to  him  would 
be.  I  remember  how  her  telling  me  she  was  to  be  married 
shot  through  me  such  a  pang  as  I  have  seldom  felt, — never, 
I  think, — far  worse  than  this  present  one :  for  now  is  she 
not  there,  whither  we  are  all  hastening?  God  grant  we  may 
all  arrive  safe  in  His  time. 


Dear 


LETTER  LII. 

Seafobth,  Umhlali,  Feb.  1,  1859. 


It  was  very  kind  of  you  to  write  to  us  yourself,  at 
a  time  when  your  heart  was  so  full.  God  has,  I  trust,  sup- 
ported you  with  His  everlasting  arm,  and  that  you  can  now 
look  forward  past  the  bounds  of  time  and  death  to  the  king- 
dom where  there  shall  be  no  partings.  May  He  of  His 
infinite  mercy  bring  us  thither,  where  we  shall  be  safe  for 
ever. 

We  have  indeed  all  of  us  owed  much  to  God  through 
her.  And  it  must  be  grateful  to  you,  though  adding  to  the 
sense  of  your  loss,  to  feel  how  much  she  was  looked  up  to 
and  respected  and  loved  by  all.  I  at  least,  for  one,  know  of 
no  one  who  did  not  so.  And  surely  we  oiight  not  to  think 
it  strange  if  the  brightest  gems  are  sometimes  removed  from 
the  workshop  to  the  immediate  presence  of  the  Great  King. 
What  a  comfort  it  is  to  feel  sui-e  that  He  is  able  of  His  in- 
finite wisdom  to  think  for  all  and  to  provide  for  all,  to 
whom  the  influence  of  a  sinjrle  event  extends.  No  doubt 
each  one  of  your  children  had  just  as  much  of  her  direct 
influence  as  was  on  the  whole  best.  There  comes  a  time 
when   the    sapling   that   has  been  supported,  trained,   and 


RESIDENCE  IN  NATAL— UMHLALL         199 

perhaps  shielded  from  the  storm,  should  stand  alone  and 
gain  strength  by  being  buffeted  by  the  winds,  learning  to 
cling  more  firmly  to  the  solid  ground,  from  which  ultimately 
all  support  must  come.  Then  too,  she  being  dead,  yet 
speaketh;  they  will  often  remember  her  words,  which  will 
sound  more  solemnly  than  ever. 

I  believe  there  has  been  a  strong  influence  for  good  on 
me  from  my  father's  character,  described  to  me  by  varioiis 
people,  by  none,  I  think,  more  vividly  or  effectively,  than 
by  you  my  dear  brother, — thank  you  for  doing  so.  And 
will  not  the  example,  which  they  have  had  before  their  eyes, 
live  in  their  memories,  and  draw  them  after  her  ? 

But,  in  the  mean  time,  it  is  sad — most  sad — to  us,  who 
are  left  behind.  Though  we  are  so  far  from  home,  we  live 
always  in  the  prospect  of  perhaps  being  allowed,  were  it  but 
for  a  time,  to  see  you  all  again.  And  now  one  bright  and 
beautiful  face  will  be  wanting ;  one  Christian  spirit  that 
would  have  welcomed  us  back,  and  bid  us  God  speed  out 
again,  has  fled.  But  O  how  blessed  the  teaching  of  the 
Spirit,  to  say,  "  His  will  be  done :  He  doeth  all  things  well." 
There  was  a  needs  be !  She  is  part  of  our  treasiu'e  laid  up 
in  heaven,  making  it  the  more  natural  and  easy  for  our 
hearts  to  be  where  our  treasure  is. 

I  have  been  led  lately  to  think,  how  His  excellence  and 
loveliness  and  beauty  are  shewn  forth  to  us — weakly  indeed, 
but  so  only  could  it  be  to  us — by  the  excellences  of  His 
creatures.  And  if  a  mortal  being,  a  creature,  confessedly 
with  imperfection,  can  so  engross  our  affections,  what  will 
be  the  bliss  of  the  open  vision  of  the  King  in  His  beauty ! 

My  dear ,  I  never,  I  think,  spoke  or  wrote  in  this 

way  to  you  before.  But  I  feel  her  presence,  above  us  all, 
such  a  bond  of  union,  that  I  have  not  been  afraid  to  speak  in 
this  way  to  you  who  are  so  much  older,  and  so  much  more 
fit  to  tell  me  these  things  than  I  you. 

God  bless  you  all. 

Your  affectionate  brother, 

C.  F.  M. 


200        MEMOIR  OF  BISHOP  MACKENZIE. 

I  have  only  one  more  letter  written  from  the  Um- 
hlali,  which  I  insert  here,  not  so  much  on  account  of 
any  special  interest  connected  with  it,  as  because  it  is 
the  last. 

LETTER  LIII. 

{To  a  Sister.) 

Seafoeth,  March  6,  1859. 


Dear 


You  called  your  letter  (of  December  and  January), 
just  received,  a  short  one.  It  was  shortish  for  you,  but  not 
for  me :  I  mean,  if  I  had  written  such  a  one,  I  should  not 
have  called  it  so  very  short. 

I  am  so  very  glad  at  all  you  say  about  the  Church  Ser- 
vice. It  is  a  bond  of  great  power  to  knit  our  hearts  all 
together,  by  knitting  them  to  Him.  I  remember  in  my 
first  term  at  Cambridge,  when  I  first  had  the  opportunity  of 
attending  daily  service,  not  making  full  use  of  it :  either 
going  as  seldom  as  I  could,  or  not  attending  much  while 

there, — I  forget  exactly.     I  remember  talking  to  dear 

about  it,  and  her  advising  me  to  try  and  get  good;  and  I 
went  on  liking  it  more  and  more  from  that  time.  In  my 
third  year  I  was  ofiered  the  chapel-clerkship,  which  required 
my  attendance  twice  a  day,  and  that  made  me  like  it  more, 
for  I  got  into  the  way  when  that  year  was  over  of  attending 
always  when  I  could.  And  I  believe  it  was  the  General 
Thanksgiving,  in  Caius  College  chapel,  which  influenced  me 
for  good  more  than  any  other  earthly  means.  I  like  to  re- 
member this,  because  it  is  another  case  (of  the  many)  in 
which  I  may  trace  mercies  received  from  Him  through  her 
who  is  gone  to  His  presence. 

***** 

To-morrow  is  the  first  day  of  Lent.  I  feel  somehow  not 
ready  for  it;  but,  in  fact,  that  tells  me  I  am  the  more  ready 
for  it  as  a  time  of  self-examination,  humiliation,  and  prayer. 


RESIDENCE  IN  NATAL— UMHLALL         20i 

I  have  come  to  think  of  it  out  here  more  as  a  time  for  in- 
ward private  work  than  I  used,  and  not  only  as  the  esta- 
blished season  for  additional  services  in  Church.  God  grant 
that  it  may  be  blessed  to  me  and  to  us  all,  though  it  will  be 

passed  before  you  get  this. 

*  *  *  *  * 

In  the  February  of  this  year,  Mackenzie  was  ill  for 
the  first  and  last  time,  so  far  as  I  know,  during  his 
residence  in.  Natal.  On  the  first  of  February  he  was 
out  on  one  of  his  long  expeditions,  and  the  day  was 
extremely  hot;  he  drank  some  cold  water,  which  quite 
deranged  him,  and  when  he  reached  a  friend's  house, 
he  found  himself  really  ill.  Cold  cloths  upon  his  head 
and  rest  however  soon  restored  him,  and  the  next  day 
he  was  able  to  come  home.  At  first  it  was  feared  that 
he  had  received  a  sun-stroke  ;  this  happily  proved  to 
be  a  mistake ;  but  for  some  time  after  he  was  more  or 
less  of  an  invalid,  and  forbidden  by  his  medical  adviser 
to  do  all  that  he  had  been  in  the  habit  of  doing  before. 
In  the  beginning  of  March  he  was  well  again,  and 
resumed  his  long  Sunday  journeys. 

In  March,  after  much  negotiation  concerning  ex- 
change of  duty,  an  arrangement  was  made,  which  en- 
abled the  Mackenzie  party  to  visit  Maritzburg.  Change 
was  becoming  necessary,  and  on  March  28,  they  started 
in  an  ox-waggon  upon  their  journey;  the  Dean  of 
Maritzburg  relieving  the  Archdeacon  from  his  work  at 
the  Umhlali.  In  the  beginning  of  April  they  were 
comfortably  settled  at  Maritzburg,  where  the  Archdeacon, 
in  addition  to  other  clerical  work,  undertook  the  ca- 
thedral school.  The  following  is  the  only  letter  which 
has  come  to  my  hands  at  this  period. 


ijoa         MEMOIR  OF  BISHOP  MACKENZIE. 

LETTER  JAY. 

{To  a  Sister.) 

P.  M.  B,  April  9,   1859. 
Dear , 

***** 

I  am  looking  forward  rather  to  the  next  few  weeks.  My 
sphere  of  duty  is  more  confined.  I  could  walk  in  half  an 
hour  from  this  house  to  any  part  of  my  parish,  and  that  is  a 
new  idea  to  me.  At  the  same  time  I  find  the  school  some- 
what fatiguing  and  harassing:  there  are  seven  classes,  all 
to  be  kept  at  work  at  once.  As  to  parish- work,  I  shall 
have  to  set  myself  to  it  more  steadily  next  week  than  I 
have  done  hitherto. 

The  cathedral  daily  service  is  a  great  help,  and  we  have 
Communion  every  Sunday.  Certainly,  while  we  live  in  the 
flesh,  outward  things  are  a  great  help  to  the  spirit. 

*****. 

During  this  stay  at  Maritzburg,  it  was  arranged 
that  the  Archdeacon  and  his  elder  sister  should  visit 
England.  I  think  I  cannot  introduce  this  new  turn  in 
their  history  more  appropriately  than  in  Miss  Mackenzie's 
own  words.  On  May  9  she  writes :  "  There  is  a  plan 
for  Charles  and  me  to  sail  for  England  by  the  next 
steamer.  My  heart  is  full  at  the  very  thought  of  it. 
*  *  *  I  cannot  tell  you  how  I  feel.  I  am  in  a 
flurry  of  joy." 

The  cause  of  this  arrangement  I  will  endeavour  to 
explain.  For  some  time  there  had  been  a  scheme  for 
sending  a  missionary  Bishop  with  some  clergy  into  the 
Zulu  country.  Who  was  to  be  the  missionary  Bishop  ? 
Mackenzie's  name  was  very  naturally  suggested,  and 


RESIDENCE  IN  NATAL— UMHLALI  203 

I  believe  it  was  all  but  determined  that  he  should  be 
the  leader.  It  was  with  reference  to  his  consecration 
as  a  missionary  Bishop  to  the  Zulu  country,  that  his 
trip  to  England  was  first  planned.  The  Bishop  of  Natal, 
however,  thought  that  it  would  be  well  that  he  him- 
self should  undertake  this  new  missionary  work,  and, 
in  order  to  undertake  it,  he  was  prepared  to  resign  his 
own  See  and  go  to  the  wilder  and  more  difficult  field. 
Eventually  it  was  proposed  that  both  the  Bishop  and 
the  Archdeacon  should  go  as  far  as  the  Cape,  and 
there  take  counsel  as  to  what  was  best  to  be  done. 
At  the  last  moment,  the  Bishop's  engagements  would 
not  allow  him  to  leave  Natal,  and  consequently  it 
seemed  almost  useless  that  either  himself  or  the  Arch- 
deacon should  go,  it  not  being  clear  that  Mackenzie 
had  any  definite  business  to  transact  when  he  arrived 
in  England.  However,  the  arrangements  had  been 
made ;  and  therefore,  somewhat  against  his  own  judg- 
ment, Mackenzie  was  persuaded  to  come  home.  Ac- 
cordingly, with  his  elder  sister,  he  left  Natal  in  June, 
and  arrived  in  England  at  the  end  of  July,  1859.  The 
reader  will  see  hereafter  why  I  lay  stress  upon  the 
circumstances  under  which  Mackenzie  returned  to  this 
country. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 
MISSION  TO   CENTRAL  AFRICA. 

On  the  12th  of  December,  1856,  Dr  Livingstone  arrived 
in  England  to  tell  his  countrymen  of  his  discoveries 
in  Africa,  and  to  stir  up  a  feeling  of  interest  on  be- 
half of  the  natives  of  that  country.  In  the  course  of 
1857  he  published  his  volume  of  Missioiiary  Travels 
in  South  Africa,  which  excited  much  attention,  and 
may  undoubtedly  be  regarded  as  amongst  the  most 
remarkable  records  of  personal  enterprise.  Looking 
upon  Dr  Livingstone's  adventures,  with  reference  to  the 
addition  which  they  have  made  to  our  geographical 
knowledge,  and  to  science  in  general,  or  with  reference 
to  the  prospect  which  they  have  opened  of  increased 
commerce  with  Africa,  it  is  impossible  not  to  assign 
them  a  very  high  value :  but  it  is  clear  that  Dr  Living- 
stone himself  regarded  his  own  labours  in  a  higher 
than  either  a  scientific  or  a  commercial  light :  he  called 
his  travels  in  South  Africa  emphatically  Missionary 
travels,  and  he  considered  all  other  views  of  his  work 
as  subordinate  to  that  of  improving  the  spiritual  con- 
dition of  those  illused  and  depressed  races  amongst 
whom  he  had  spent  a  considerable  portion  of  his  life. 


MISSION  TO  CENTRAL  AFRICA.  205 

Accordingly,  he  was  not  content  with  publishing  his 
book  of  travels,  or  with  the  ordinary  modes  of  making 
known  to  his  countrymen  his  views  concerning  Eng- 
land's duty  to  Africa.  He  determined  to  make  an 
attempt  to  stir  the  hearts  of  the  two  ancient  Univer- 
sities. The  attempt  was  very  characteristic:  it  was 
frank,  open,  and  free  from  all  narrow  jealousies.  Living- 
stone, himself  a  Scotchman,  and  a  Presbyterian,  and 
employed  as  a  missionary  by  the  London  Missionary 
Society,  having  persuaded  himself  that  there  was  an 
immense  amount  of  power  and  zeal  in  the  Church  of 
England,  which  might  be  called  forth  for  the  benefit 
of  Africa,  asked  leave  to  tell  his  tale  in  each  of  the 
great  centres  of  Church  of  England  education. 

It  will  be  sufficient  in  this  place  to  speak  of  Cam- 
bridge. On  December  4, 1857,  Dr  Livingstone  appeared 
in  the  Senate-house,  for  the  purpose  of  giving  a  lecture 
on  his  African  travels.  The  Bishop  of  Worcester,  Dr 
Philpott,  then  Master  of  S.  Catharine's  College,  and 
Vice-Chancellor,  was  in  the  chair,  and  introduced  the 
missionary  traveller :  his  reception  was  enthusiastic : 
the  undergraduates  cheered  as  only  undergraduates  can 
cheer;  and  after  a  lecture  of  great  interest \  adapted 
with  great  tact  to  the  audience.  Professor  Sedgwick,  at 
the  Vice-Chancellor's  request,  in  a  warmhearted  speech, 
expressed  the  satisfaction  which  every  one  present  felt. 
The  conclusion  of  the  lecture  was  very  emphatic,  and 

1  The  Lecttire  has  been  published,  together  with  one  delivered  on 
the  same  day  at  the  Town -hall,  with  the  title,  "  Dr  Livingstone's  Cam- 
bridge Lectures,"  by  the  Kev.  William  Monk.  Deighton,  Bell,  and  Co. 
Cambridge. 


2o6        MEMOIR  OF  BISHOP  MACKENZIE. 

could  hardly  be  forgotten  by  any  who  heard  it :  "I  go 
back,"  said  Dr  Livingstone,  "  to  Africa,  to  try  to  make 
an  open  path  for  commerce  and  Christianity.  Do  you 
carry  out  the  work  which  I  have  begun.  I  leave  IT 
WITH  YOU."  As  he  uttered  these  words,  he  looked 
up  to  the  galleries,  crowded  with  undergraduates,  and 
seemed  to  imply  that  this  moral  of  his  tale  was  intended 
especially  for  them. 

In  1858  the  Bishop  of  Cape  Town  visited  England. 
He  came  to  Cambridge,  and  there  explained  the  plans 
which  he  had  formed  for  the  further  spread  of  the  Gos- 
pel in  Africa.  He  proposed  to  send  missions,  consisting 
of  clergy,  with  a  Bishop  at  the  head,  into  some  of  those 
countries  which  bordered  upon  the  South  African  Dio- 
ceses, and  so  to  make  the  country  already  occupied  by 
Christian  Bishops  a  basis  for  further  operations  in  the 
adjoining  heathen  lands.  It  may,  I  think,  be  fairly 
argued  that  this  scheme,  as  propounded  by  the  Bishop 
of  Cape  Town,  is  the  true  method  of  spreading  the 
kingdom  of  Christ ;  and  if  so,  it  might  also  be  argued, 
that  it  is  unwise  to  desert  an  established  and  safe  base- 
line, and  to  commence  other  detached  missions  in  dis- 
tant parts.  But  the  Bishop  of  Cape  Town  found  that 
a  scheme  for  an  African  Mission,  different  from  his  own, 
and  more  immediately  connected  with  the  scene  of 
Livingstone's  travels  and  discoveries,  had  already  been 
talked  over  in  Cambridge,  and  had  assumed  something 
like  a  definite  form.  Livingstone's  last  words  had  taken 
effect,  and  it  was  thought  that  an  effort  to  plant  a 
mission  in  Central  Africa,  which  should  attempt  at  once 
to  introduce  civilization   and  Christianity,   and  check 


MISSION  TO  CENTRAL  AFRICA.  207 

the  abomination  of  slave-trade  by  facilitating  lawful 
commerce,  would  commend  itself  to  the  feelings  of  the 
University,  and  would  be  taken  up  with  enthusiasm. 
The  Bishop  of  Cape  Town  accordingly  forbore  to  press 
his  own  schemes  upon  Cambridge,  and  announced  with 
frankness,  that  in  the  event  of  the  Central  African 
scheme  being  carried  out,  he  would  give  to  it  all  his 
own  influence  and  support. 

I  think  I  cannot  chronicle  the  early  history  of  the 
mission,  with  which  Mackenzie's  name  was  afterwards 
so  closely  associated,  in  any  better  way  than  by  intro- 
ducing here  the  Report  which  was  presented  to  the  great 
meeting  held  in  the  Senate-house,  on  November  1,  1859, 
of  which  I  shall  have  something  more  to  say  presently. 
It  will  be  observed  that  the  Mission  was  planned  with- 
out any  reference  to  Mackenzie,  that  for  some  time 
after  the  scheme  had  been  set  on  foot,  and  after  the 
question  had  been  asked,  Who  shall  head  the  Mission  ? 
his  name  had  not  been  mentioned,  and  that  even  in 
the  Report  itself  no  allusion  is  made  to  him  as  the 
probable  leader  in  the  work. 

REPORT. 

In  presenting  a  Report  of  their  proceedings  np  to  the 
present  time,  the  Cambridge  Committee  of  the  Oxford  and 
Cambridge  Mission  to  Central  Africa  wish  first  to  recall 
the  special  circumstances  which  have  led  members  of  this 
and  the  sister  University  to  undertake  the  work  of  establish- 
ing a  mission  to  those  regions — a  work  well  befitting  the 
two  great  centres  of  Christian  education  in  this  country. 

The  Mission  owes  its  origin,  imder  God,  to  the  im- 
pression produced  by  the  visit  of  Dr  Livingstone  to  this 


2o8         MEMOIR  OF  BISHOP  MACKENZIE. 

University,    revived   and   strengthened   by   the  subsequent 
visit  of  the  Bishop  of  Cape  Town. 

The  feelings  awakened  by  these  visits  resulted  in  the 
formation  of  a  Committee,  pledged  to  take  steps  towards 
establishing  a  Mission  to  Central  Africa. 

The  first  step  taken  by  this  Committee  was  to  invite  the 
co-operation  of  the  University  of  Oxford.  This  was  promptly 
and  heartily  accorded. 

A  highly  influential  Committee  was  immediately  formed 
in  that  University,  and  large  subscriptions  were  promised. 
A  public  meeting  was  also  held  in  the  Sheldonian  Theatre 
on  May  17th,  at  which  the  Bishop  of  Oxford  presided,  and 
which  was  attended  by  a  deputation  from  the  Cambridge 
Committee. 

These  proceedings  were  followed  by  a  meeting  held  on 
May  26th,  at  No.  79,  Pall-mall,  at  which  a  London  Com- 
mittee was  formed,  consisting  of  members  of  both  Univer- 
sities. Thenceforth  all  measures  taken  for  effecting  the 
objects  in  view  have  resulted  from  the  correspondence  and 
concurrence  of  the  three  committees. 

In  adopting  the  name  of  "  The  Oxford  and  Cambridge 
Mission  to  Ceutral  Africa,"  the  committees  are  far  from 
intending  to  imply  that  they  do  not  seek  the  co-operation 
of  those  who  are  not  members  of  either  University — on  the 
contrary,  they  earnestly  trust  that  their  design  will  call 
forth  active  sympathy  and  aid  from  all  classes  throughout 
the  coimtry,  and  that  the  clergy  generally  will  give  their 
cordial  assistance  to  the  secretaries  in  making  arrangements 
for  sermons  and  meetings  in  behalf  of  the  Mission. 

They  also  wish  it  to  be  distinctly  understood  that  they 
disclaim  any  intention  of  founding  a  new  Missionary  Society, 
or  of  interfering  with  the  operations  of  those  already  ex- 
isting. It  is  their  hope  that  in  a  short  time  they  will  be 
able  to  hand  over  to  the  Society  for  the  Propagation  of 
the  Gospel  in  Foreign  Parts  the  management  of  the  Mis- 
sion :  but  it  is  necessary  that  its  establishment  and  main- 


MISSION  TO   CENTRAL  AFRICA.  209 

tenance,  for  the  first  few  years,  should  be  provided  for  by 
means  of  a  special  organisation. 

The  Committees  hope  to  be  able  at  an  early  period  to 
send  out  not  fewer  than  six  Missionaries  under  the  direc- 
tion, if  possible,  of  a  Bishop. 

With  reference  to  the  field  of  labour  in  which  they  shall 
be  employed,  the  Committees  have  agreed  that  it  shall  be 
selected  so  as  not  to  interfere  with  existing  Missionary 
operations.  The  Bishop  of  Capetown  has  engaged  to  open 
communications  on  this  subject  with  Dr  Livingstone,  "who 
on  his  part  has  kindly  promised  to  aid  the  undertaking. 

From  a  comparison  of  statements  furnished  by  the  So- 
ciety for  the  Propagation  of  the  Gospel  in  Foreign  Parts, 
the  Church  Missionary  Society,  and  the  London  Missionary 
Society,  of  the  expense  of  sending  out  Missionaries  to  South 
Africa,  and  of  maintaining  them  there,  it  lias  been  estimated 
that  a  sum  of  not  less  than  £1,000  will  be  requisite  for 
the  outfit  of  a  Bishop  and  six  other  Missionaries,  and  that 
the  annual  expense  of  maintaining  the  Mission  cannot  be 
less  than  £2000.  The  amount  actually  promised  up  to  the 
present  time  in  donations  is  £1,610.  7s.  4f/.,  and  in  annual 
subscriptions  for  a  term  of  years  £176.  3s.  Qtd. 

It  will  thus  be  seen  that  great  efibrts  are  necessary  to 
raise  the  requisite  funds. 

It  will  be  understood  that  the  great  object  of  the  Mis- 
sion is  to  make  known  the  Gospel  of  Christ;  but  as  the 
Committees  are  well  aware  that,  iu  Dr  Livingstone's  own 
words,  "civilisation  and  Christianity  must  go  on  together," 
they  think  it  advisable  to  state  that  it  will  be  their  aim  to 
encourage  the  advancement  of  science  and  the  useful  arts, 
and  to  direct  especial  attention  to  all  questions  connected 
with  the  slave-trade  as  carried  on  in  the  interior  of  Africa. 

In  conclusion,  the  Committees  beg  earnestly  to  commend 
this  great  woi'k  ot  evangelizing  the  heathen  in  Central 
Africa  to  the  earnest  sympathy  of  all.  They  venture  once 
more   to   repea^t   the  appeal  of  Dr  Livingstone,  that  now 

14 


2IO        MEMOIR  OF  BISHOP  MACKENZIE. 

tlie  way  is  open — but  that  it  may  be  shut  again — and  they 
pray  that  it  may  please  God  to  bless  and  prosper  their  un- 
dertaking, and  to  raise  up  men  to  go  out  as  labourers  into 
the  fields  which  "  are  white  already  to  harvest." 

Having  now  sufficiently  for  the  purposes  of  this 
Memoir  explained  the  origin  of  the  Mission  to  Central 
Africa,  we  will  return  to  Mackenzie,  whom  we  left  on 
the  point  of  leaving  Natal  for  a  visit  to  England,  having, 
as  it  seemed,  no  very  definite  purpose.  Here  is  a  letter, 
written  between  Natal  and  Cape  Town,  to  his  sister, 
whom  he  had  left  behind  in  Natal. 


Dear 


LETTER  LV. 

Waldensian,  June  17,   1859, 


We  have  got  on  very  well  so  far.  This  is  Friday, 
and  we  are  lying  at  anchor  during  a  high  head-wind,  which 
we  hope  will  moderate  soon.  We  got  over  the  bar  last 
Saturday  about  2  p.m.,  just  ploughing  the  top  of  it  for  about 
our  own  length,  and  thanked  our  captain  for  his  pluck  in 
trying  it.  It  was  a  little  unpleasant,  almost  all  a  little 
sick.  On  Sunday  we  had  service  on  deck,  I  being  afraid 
of  tying  myself  up  in  the  cabin  for  so  long  a  time.  We 
have  had  service  every  day  since,  except  Tuesday.  On 
that  day  we  came  to  an  anchor  in  Algoa  Bay  early.  We 
went  ashore  just  in  time  for  service,  (Whitsun-Tuesday). 
*  *  *  Saw  the  Grey  Institute,  also  S.  Paul's  Church, 
a  pretty,  nice  building.  We  dined,  and  returned  to  the 
vessel  at  three.  *  *  *  "We  were  in  hope  of  being  at 
Capetown  during  this  night,  and  landing  to-morrow  morn- 
ing :  but  about  midnight  the  wind  got  up  ahead,  and  we 
have  been  making  so  little  way  that  we  have  stopped  in 
a  bay  just  east  of  Cape  Agulhas.     So  here  we  are. 

Things  are  going  well.     I  have  been  so  glad  in  having 


MISSION  TO  CENTRAL  AFRICA.  21 1 

service,  and  I  have  had  opportunity  of  being  kind  to  some 
who  had  need  of  help.  I  have  not  had  so  much  reading 
as  I  should  have  liked :  it  will  probably  be  the  same  for 
the  first  week  on  board  the  English  steamer  :  after  that 
I  shall  be  more  settled.  We  are  still  in  good  hopes  of 
catching  the  Athens :  her  day  is  Monday  :  but  she  is  more 
likely  to  sail  on  Tuesday  or  Wednesday. 

-X-  -A  %  %  * 

June  20.  This  is  our  last  evening  on  land.  We  got 
here,  Capetown,  on  Trinity  Sunday  in  time  for  church. 
*  *  *  We  sail  to-morrow,  and  hope  to  reach  England 
about  the  27  th  of  next  month.  The  Bishop  of  Capetown 
will  not  leave  till  August ;  so  we  shall  see  him  for  a  week 
or  so. 

God  bless  you  in  all  your  work,  and  water  you  also 
yourself,  Avhile  you  ai'e  watering  others. 

Your  affectionate  brother, 

C.  F.  M. 

The  steamer  Waldensian,  on  board  wliicli  the  pre- 
ceding letter  was  written,  was  terribly  crowded,  and  the 
discomfort  of  the  passengers  was  increased  by  the  rough- 
ness of  the  weather.  An  American  missionary,  with 
his  wife  and  six  children,  who  were  amongst  the  pas- 
sengers, were  all  ill ;  Mackenzie  waited  upon  them,  and 
dressed  the  little  ones.  The  troubles  of  another  family, 
whom  he  treated  in  like  manner,  were  further  inten- 
sified by  the  confinement  of  the  mother :  when  the  poor 
woman  felt  that  her  hour  was  come,  she  said  no  one 
could  be  of  any  comfort  to  her  except  the  Archdeacon  : 
he  was  with  her  directly,  prayed  by  her  side,  and  then 
went  to  superintend  the  getting  of  her  boxes  out  of  the 
hold.  A  few  days  afterwards  he  baptized  the  infant  at 
the  parents' request,  giving  it  the  name  Charles  Frederick 

14—2 


312        MEMOIR  OF  BISHOP  MACKENZIE. 

Mackenzie,  himself  and  his  sister  standing  as  sponsors. 
These  are  some  of  the  "  opportunities  of  being  kind," 
to  which  a  passing  allusion  is  made  above. 

I  find  just  one  short  letter,  written  between  the 
Cape  and  England,  to  his  sister  in  Edinburgh,  which 
I  will  insert  as  a  record  of  that  voyage,  and  as  indi- 
cating the  uncertainty  of  his  future  plans,  to  which  I 
have  already  alluded. 

LETTER  LVI. 

Ship  Athens,  July  20,   1S59. 
About  43"  N.  26°  W.  1364  miles  from  Lizard  Point. 

Dearest  , 

***** 

We  sailed  from  Capetown  on  Tuesday  June  21st, 
and  had  a  good  run  as  fer  as  about  10°  N.  Shice  that  we 
have  been  delayed  by  northerly  winds.  We  are  now  look- 
ing forward  to  landing  about  Friday  week,  the  29  th.  I  am 
very  anxious  to  see  the  Bishop  of  Capetown  as  soon  as 
possible.  He  will  probably  be  leaving  England  by  the 
steamer  in  Augvist.  I  shall  have  a  good  deal  to  say  to 
him.  It  is  not  to  be  generally  spoken  of  yet,  but  the 
Bishop  of  Natal  has  written  by  this  mail  to  the  Bishop  of 
Capetown,  to  say  that  as  soon  as  he  sees  his  way  clear 
he  will  go  himself  to  the  Zulu  country,  giving  up  the 
Bishoprick  of  Natal.  I  think  it  most  likely  that  it  will 
be  a  consequence  of  this  that  I  shall  not  go  to  Zulu  land 
at  all.  But  this  last  is  in  the  doubtful  things  yet.  Pray 
for  me,  dear  one,  and  for  all  of  us,  that  we  may  judge 
rightly. 

Wednesday,  July  27th.  We  are  getting  on  well,  and 
hope-  to  be  at  Plymouth,  where  this  will  be  posted,  by 
noon   to-morrow,   and  to  land  at  Southampton  on  Friday, 


MISSION  TO   CENTRAL  AFRICA.  213 

and  be  in  London  on  that  night.     It  ^v^ll  be  most  pleasant 
to  see  you  all  again. 


The  return  of  Mackenzie  to  England  brought  joy 
to  many  hearts,  to  none  more  so  than  his  friends  in 
Cambridge.  The  visit  took  us  very  much  by  surprise : 
in  fact,  I  beheve  that  the  first  intimation  which  we 
received,  was  the  announcement  that  he  was  actually 
on  English  soil.  He  was  very  little  changed:  in  man- 
ner and  bearing  I  think  not  at  all,  and  there  was  no 
visible  diminution  of  physical  strength  caused  by  the 
laborious  life  which  he  had  been  leading:  he  was  the 
same  simple-hearted  loving  friend  that  he  had  ever 
been,  as  modest  as  ever,  and  even  his  joyousness  of 
spirit  seemed  in  no  degree  diminished. 

Soon  after  his  arrival  in  England  I  had  the  pleasure 
of  seeing  him  on  his  way  to  Scotland.  I  said  to  him, 
"  Well,  what  has  brought  you  to  England  ?"  to  which 
he  replied  with  a  laugh,  "  Upon  my  word,  I  am  unable 
to  tell  you."  He  then  explained  to  me  the  doubtful 
character  of  his  future  plans,  whether  he  should  be  re- 
quired as  the  head  of  a  Mission  into  the  Zulu  country^ 
or  whether  he  should  continue  to  work  in  Natal.  On 
the  whole,  he  seemed  to  think  it  probable  that  his  visit 
would  turn  out  to  be  merely  a  short  one,  in  which  he 
would  be  able  to  see  his  family  and  friends,  and  that 
then  he  would  go  back  to  his  parish  at  the  Umhlali. 

I  lay  stress  upon  this  indefiniteness  of  purpose  in 
his  visit,  because  his  subsequent  connection  with  the 
Mission  to  Central  Africa  could  not  fail  to  appear  to 
his  friends  and  to  himself  all  the  more  clearly  to  be 


214         MEMOIR  OF  BISHOP   MACKENZIE. 

directed  by  the  finger  of  God.  The  state  of  the  case 
was  just  this.  The  Mission  had  been  planned  without 
reference  to  any  particular  person  as  head:  an  efficient 
head  was  manifestly  essential  to  success  :  just  at  the 
moment  when  it  was  necessary  to  make  a  choice, 
Mackenzie  seemed  to  be  thrown  in  the  way,  his -con- 
nection with  Natal  partially  broken,  his  previous  life 
and  training,  and  his  own  personal  character,  suggesting 
him  at  once  to  the  Committee  of  the  Mission  as  the 
man  of  whom  they  were  in  search. 

I  here  insert  two  scraps  of  letters  which  will  illus- 
trate what  I  have  now  said,  and  will  exhibit  the  state 
of  Mackenzie's  own  mind,  previous  to  the  proposal  that 
he  should  undertake  the  Central  African  Mission.  The 
first  is  written  to  his  sister  in  Natal,  the  second,  to  his 
sister  in  Edinburgh. 

LETTER  LVII. 

August  4,   1859. 
***** 

It  is  August  4.  We  have  been  on  shore  close  upon  a 
week,  which  has  flown  like  a  bird.  You  will  hear  from  the 
Bishop  about  S.  F.  G.  They  say  if  all  other  difficulties  are 
removed  there  will  be  money  forthcoming  to  support  a  Mis- 
sionary Bishop  in  Zulu  land.  It  is  pretty  clear — quite,  in 
fact — that  I  shall  not  be  at  the  head  of  either.  So  I  don't 
see  what  I  have  to  do  in  this  country,  and  I  tlimk  two 
months,  or  three  at  the  outside,  will  be  the  extent  of  our 
stay.  All  goes  well.  We  are  happy,  and  I  trust  God  is 
guiding  us. 


MISSION  TO  CENTRAL  AFRICA.  215 


LETTER  LVIII. 


29,  King  Street, 

Aurjmt  5,   1859. 


The  Bish,opi'icks  are  virtually  settled,  and  I  am  very 
thankful  to  say  that  I  get  neither,  and  shall  return  to  my 
old  place  in  Natal.     This  is  quite  right. 

Mackenzie  had  not,  as  has  been  formerly  mentioned, 
any  special  gift  of  public  speaking;  and  the  danger  of 
unreality  in  religious  meetings,  a  danger  which  every 
one  must  have  felt,  would  make  the  work  of  a  deputa- 
tion for  a  Missionary  Society  distasteful  to  his  practical 
mind.  Nevertheless,  he  had  not  been  long  at  home 
before  he  placed  himself  at  the  disposal  of  the  Society 
for  the  Propagation  of  the  Gospel,  and  for  some  months 
laboured  vigorously  at  the  task  which  he  had  under- 
taken. His  family  urged  him  to  take  rest;  but  he 
replied,  "  Work,  not  rest,  is  the  thing  that  I  want." 

And  so  matters  went  on  until  the  time  of  the  great 
meeting  in  Cambridge,  to  which  reference  has  been 
already  made.  It  was  held  in  the  Senate-house,  and 
was  called  at  the  time,  the  "  Great  Zambesi  Meeting." 
Amongst  the  speakers  were  the  Bishop  of  Oxford,  Mr 
Gladstone,  Mr  Walpole,  and  Sir  George  Grey.  Mackenzie 
was  asked  to  preach  at  Great  S.  Mary's  on  the  day  of 
the  meeting,  but  at  the  meeting  itself  he  was  only  a 
listener  and  spectator. 

The  meeting  was  certainly  a  very  remarkable  one ; 
remarkable  on  account  of  the  place  in  which  it  was 
held,  remarkable  on  account  of  its   purpose,    and  re- 


2l5         MEMOIR  OF  BISHOP  MACKENZIE. 

markable  for  the  zeal  and  heartiness  with  which  it  was 
conducted:  perhaps  also  it  was  not  a  little  remarkable 
that  such  a  stirring  of  the  heart  of  the  University 
should  have  been  the  fruit  of  the  unambitious  lecture, 
which  Dr  Livingstone  had  delivered  in  the  same  place 
not  quite  two  years  before^:  the  Vice-Chancellor,  Dr 
Bateson,  Master  of  S.  John's  College,  in  opening  the 
proceedings,  very  properly  referred  to  Dr  Livingstone 
as  the  origin  of  the  meeting :  he  quoted  Dr  Living- 
stone's parting  words,  given  in  page  206,  and  added, 
"  Such  was  the  text,  and  this  grand  meeting  is  the 
commentary."  In  ordinary  language,  the  meeting  was 
a  great  success :  the  oratory  of  the  Bishop  of  Oxford 
and  Mr  Gladstone,  the  calm  wisdom  of  Sir  George  Grey, 
the  heartiness  of  all  left  nothing  to  be  desired. 

Mackenzie,  as  has  been  already  said,  did  not  take 
part  in  this  meeting:  he  was  however  present,  and 
•during  the  enthusiasm  of  the  proceedings  he  made  a 
remark  which  was  sufficiently  characteristic  to  be  worthy 
of  being  recorded.  He  was  in  the  gallery  of  the  Senate- 
house  in  company  with  some  friends  :  presently  he  said 
gently  to  one  of  them,  "  I  am  afraid  of  this :  most 
great  works  of  this  kind  have  been  carried  on  by  one 

^  It  is  only  right  to  say  that  the  introduction  of  Dr  Livingstone  to 
the  University,  and  the  subsequent  missionary  movement,  were  due  very 
much  to  the  efforts  of  the  Eev.  W.  Monk,  then  Assistant  Curate  of 
Christ's  Church,  Cambridge.  Professor  Sedgwick  said  at  the  Meeting-, 
"The  map  now  before  you  was  constructed  by  Mr  Monk,  a  gentleman 
with  whom  rests  the  honour  of  having  first  introduced  Dr  Livingstone  to 
to  this  University — a  gentleman,  too,  who  has  toiled  as  no  other  man 
has  toiled,  in  the  promotion  of  the  objects  of  this  meeting.  Mr  Monk's 
task  may,  in  some  respects,  have  been  a  humble  one ;  but  humble  tasks 
must  be  performed,  and  without  the  performance  of  such  tasks  even  the 
most  powerful  might  fail." 


MISSION  TO  CENTRAL  AFRICA.  217 

or  two  men  in  a  quieter  wa}^,  and  have  liaJ  a  more 
humble  beginning  ^" 

He  was  not  however  to  be  permitted  to  remain  as 
a  spectator  much  longer.  There  was  a  feeling  in  the 
minds  of  almost  all  those  who  took  an  interest  in  the 
proposed  mission,  that  Mackenzie  was  beyond  all  others 
the  right  man  to  undertake  the  work.  Those  who  are 
willing  to  see  the  hand  of  God  in  small  things  as  well 
as  great,  might  well  see  in  the  circumstance  of  his 
unexpected  return  from  Africa,  the  entire  evanescence 
of  the  purposes  which  had  brought  him  home,  the 
breaking  up  of  the  ties  which  bound  him  to  ISTatal, 
and  above  all,  the  fact  that  he  was  here  on  the  spot 
to  answer  for  himself,  an  indication  that  he  was  the 
man  whom  God  would  send  upon  this  honourable  but 
perilous  mission.  It  was  impossible  also  not  to  feel  that 
he  had,  independently  of  his  African  experience  and 
his  previous  missionary  training,  great  and  special  quali- 
fications for  this  particular  work  :  going  as  it  was  pro- 
posed that  the  missionaries  should,  into  a  nevv^  and 
barbarous  country,  with  everything  to  learn,  even  as 
to  the  mode  of  getting  the  necessary  supplies  of  food, 
it  was  essential  that  the  head  of  the  party  should  be 
a  man  possessed  at  once  of  great  personal  vigour,  and 
of  those  gentle  qualities  of  heart  which  gain  confidence 
and  submission  under  circumstances  of  trial  and  danger. 
Mackenzie  had  precisely  the  qualities  required  :  every 
one  felt  it. 

Accordingly,   at  a  Conference   of  Delegates  of  the 

^  It  was  not  a  little  striking  that  Bishop  Tozer,  in  his  visit  to  Cam- 
bridge, thought  it  right  to  warn  Cambridge  men  against  resting  too 
much  upon  the  recollection  of  this  one  great  demonstration. 


ai8         MEMOIR  OF  BISHOP  MACKENZIE. 

Oxford  and  London  Committees  with  the  Cambridge 
Committee,  held  on  the  2nd  of  November,  the  day- 
succeeding  the  Meeting  in  the  Senate-house,  at  which 
the  Bishop  of  Oxford  presided,  and  Sir  George  Grey- 
was  present,  the  following  resolutions  were  adopted  : — 

1.  That  the  plan  of  this  Association  be  the  establish- 
ment of  one  or  more  stations  in  Southern  Central  Africa, 
which  may  serve  as  centres  of  Christianity  and  civilisation, 
for  the  promotion  of  the  spread  of  tme  religion,  agriculture, 
and  lawful  commerce,  and  the  ultimate  extirpation  of  the 
slave-trade. 

2.  That  to  carry  out  this  plan  successfully,  the  Associa- 
tion desire  to  send  out  a  body  of  men,  including  the  fol- 
lowing:— 

Six  clergymen  with  a  Bishop  at  their  head,  to  be  con- 
secrated either  in  this  country,  or  by  the  three  Bishops  of 
Southern  Africa;  a  physician,  surgeon,  or  medical  practi- 
tioner, and  a  number  of  artificers,  English  and  native,  capable 
of  conducting  the  various  works  of  building,  husbandry,  and 
especially  of  the  cultivation  of  the  cotton  plant. 

3.  The  Association  contemplate  that  the  cost  of  esta- 
blishing such  a  Mission  cannot  be  estimated  at  less  than 
.£20,000,  with  £2000  a  year,  promised  as  annual  subscrip- 
tions to  support  the  Mission  for  five  years  to  come. 

4.  That  the  Secretaries  be  desired  to  open  communica- 
tions at  once  with  the  other  Universities,  with  the  clergy 
and  friends  of  missions  at  large,  and  with  the  great  centres 
of  manufacture  and  commerce,  to  invite  them  to  aid  by  their 
funds,  counsel,  and  co-operation,  in  carrying  out  this  great 
work  for  the  mutual  benefit  of  Africa  and  of  England. 

5.  That  the  Ven.  Charles  Frederick  Mackenzie,  M.A,, 
Eellow  of  Gonville  and  Caius  College,  Cambridge,  Arch- 
deacon of  Pietermaritzburgh  (Natal),  who  is  now  in  England, 
be  invited  to  head  the  intended  Mission. 


MISSION  TO  CENTRAL  AFRICA.  219 

6.     That  the  Bishop  of  Oxford  be  requested  to  convey 
this  invitation  to  Archdeacon  Mackenzie. 


The  invitation  was  given,  and  speedily  accepted. 
He  seems  to  have  considered  it  unnecessary  to  consult 
his  friends  with  regard  to  his  conduct :  concerning  the 
sacrifice  of  himself  he  never  entertained  a  doubt :  the 
only  point  which  required  consideration,  was  the  con- 
dition in  which  his  departure  to  Central  Africa  would 
leave  his  sisters,  whom  he  had  been  the  means  of 
taking  out  to  Natal :  he  felt  himself  bound  to  them  ; 
but  if  they  could  go,  he  had  no  ground  of  hesitation. 

The  deliberate  purpose  with  which  he  undertook 
the  work  may  be  judged  from  the  following  anecdote. 
He  was  staying  at  the  time,  with  his  sister,  in  the  house 
of  his  friend  Dr  Paget  in  Cambridge.  It  seemed  to 
Dr  Paget  right  that  they  should  both  estimate  at  its 
true  value  the  personal  risk  of  the  undertaking :  ac- 
cordingly he  said  to  Miss  Mackenzie,  "  Consider  what 
would  be  the  view  taken  by  a  Life  Assurance  Company. 
If  your  brother  shoiild  wish  to  insure  his  life  before 
going  on  this  enterjarise  and  were  to  apply  to  any 
Insurance  Company,  I  feel  sure  they  would  not  esti- 
mate his  chance  of  life  at  more  than  two  years."  Miss 
Mackenzie  was  much  shocked  at  first  by  this  plain 
statement;  but  just  then  Mackenzie  himself  came  into 
the  room,  and  when  his  sister  told  him  what  Dr  Paget 
had  said,  he  took  it  as  a  matter  of  course,  not  treating 
it  lightly,  but  as  a  subject  which  he  had  already  well 
considered,  and  on  which  he  had  come  to  the  same 
conclusion. 


220         MEMOIR  OF  BISHOP  MACKENZIE. 

The  following  letter  was  written  to  Ms  sister  in 
Edinburgh,  the  day  after  receiving  the  invitation  to 
lead  the  Mission. 

LETTER  LIX. 

Caius  College,  Cambridge, 
Nov.   3,   1S59. 

Dear , 

The  past  is  swallowed  up  in  the  present.  I  hope 
you  got  my  letter  from  London,  bub  now  I  must  speak  of 
the  present.  They  want  me  to  go  at  the  head  of  the  Zam- 
besi Mission.  (The  question  of  the  head  being  consecrated 
or  not  is  not  settled,  and  need  not  affect  my  decision.)    I  am 

ready  if can  go :  if  not,  I  must  think  what  to  do.    But 

I  think  and  believe  she  can,  and  ■  of  course  can,  and  I 

fully  believe  will.  So  we  shall  have  no  difficulty  in  seeing 
our  way.     I  have  not  given  an  answer  yet,  as  we  felt  we 

did  not  like  to  decide  on  such  a  step  for without  you 

all  advising.  If  you  agree,  I  would  at  once  accept.  If  not, 
we  would  come  down  to  Scotland  and  talk  it  all  over.  I  am 
much  interested  in  this  mission.  Sir  George  Grey  is  most 
hearty  in  his  promises  of  help.  God  bless  us  all  in  this  and 
every  thing. 

Good  bye. 

Your  affectionate  brother, 

C.  E.  M. 

The  next  letter,  to  his  sister  in  Natal,  was  com- 
menced several  days  before  the  great  Cambridge  meet- 
ing; but  it  will  be  seen  that  the  latter  part  of  it  was 
written  three  days  after  that  meeting,  and  that  he 
then  regarded  in  his  ov/n  mind  the  whole  matter  as 
fixed. 


Dear 


MISSION  TO  CENTRAL  AFRICA.  221 

LETTER  LX. 

London,  Oct.  31,  1859. 


We  have  determined  to  postpone  our  return  for  a  month. 
I  thought  as  my  hand  was  in,  in  the  way  of  begging  for 
S.  P.  G.,  and  as  my  personal  experience  of  colonial  work 
gave  me  an  advantage  over  a  better  speaker,  I  would  offer 
to  the  Society  to  stay  another  month  and  work  for  them. 
This  they  have  accepted,  and  have  already  spoken  of  my 
going  into  the  diocese  of  Bath  and  Wells,  from  the  10th  to 
the  22nd  of  December. 


Nov.  4.     Dear .     A has  told  you  something 

about  the  proposal  to  go  to  the  Zambesi.  The  fact  of  the 
offer  having  been  made  to  me  need  be  no  seci-et;  only  I 
should  like  it  to  be  understood  correctly  that  it  is  the  Head- 
ship of  the  Mission  which  has  been  offered  me  :  the  question 
of  BishoiiricJcs  among  the  heathen,  or  rather  outside  Her 
Majesty's  dominions,  being  in  abeyance  till  the  Committee 
of  Convocation  has  expressed  its  opinion.     But  now  as  to 

the  real  thing :  it  will  be  a  great  work,  and  if  you  and 

can  come  with  me,  I  do  not  hesitate  to  go.     ■ seems  clear 

herself,  but  as  we  have  not  heard  from  Scotland  since  the 
offer  arose,  we  do  not  consider  it  settled.  '^  *  ■"'  '"'  I 
hope  to  be  able  myself  to  take  a  real  charge  and  oversight, 
more  firmly  now  that  my  sphere  is  extended,  not  forgetting 
to  consult  the  actual  workers,  from  whom  good  suggestions 
often  come,  but  still  keeping  the  reins  in  my  own  hands. 
Dear  one,  I  need  not  say  that  I  trust  to  your  praying  for 
me  in  this  new  and  most  responsible  office.  (I  have  under- 
taken to  give  an  answer  as  soon  as  I  can :  but  in  my  mind 
I  am  thinking  of  it  as  settled.)  We  shall  now,  I  sup];)ose, 
have  to  stay  in  England  for  something  less  than  another 
year,  trying  to   raise  the  necessary  funds.     I  expect  to  le 


22%  MEMOIR  OF  BISHOP  MACKENZIE. 

able  to  come  up,  and  spend  (I  hope)  a  montli  at  Natal,  and 
shall  be  so  glad  to  see  you  all  again. 


The  Mission,  which  began  by  being  the  Oxford  and 
Cambridge  Mission,  soon  became  the  Oxford,  Cambridge, 
Dublin  and  Durham  Mission  to  Central  Africa.  It  will 
be  observed  that  in  the  fourth  of  the  resolutions,  given 
on  page  218,  the  Secretaries  were  desired  to  open  com- 
munications with  the  other  Universities ;  this  was  done, 
and  the  response  was  very  cordial.  The  arrangement 
was  that  each  university  should  have  its  own  local  com- 
mittee, that  there  should  be  in  addition  a  central 
London  committee,  and  that  the  acts  of  these  several 
committees  should  stand  to  each  other  in  certain  definite 
relations,  which  need  not  be  here  explained  or  dwelt 
upon :  though  perhaps  it  may  be  permissible  to  express 
a  doubt  in  passing,  whether  any  such  system  of  co-ordi- 
nate committees  can  be  regarded  as  more  than  a  tem- 
porary arrangement,  which  must  yield  eventually  to 
something  more  simple  and  compact. 

The  great  work  which  at  once  pressed  upon  the 
friends  of  the  Mission  was  the  raising  of  the  necessary 
funds.  A  capital  sum  of  £20,000,  and  a  guaranteed  in- 
come of  £2000  for  five  years,  could  not  possibly  be 
secured  without  a  very  considerable  effort.  Much  of  the 
effort,  it  was  clear,  must  come  from  Mackenzie  himself; 
and  he  was  willing  to  give  himself  up  to  this  prelimi- 
nary labour  on  behalf  of  his  Mission,  as  soon  as  he 
should  have  completed  his  existing  engagements  to  the 
Society  for  the  Propagation  of  the  Gospel.  His  time 
was,  in  fact,  chiefly  devoted  to  travelling  through  the 


MISSION  TO   CENTRAL  AFRICA.  223 

country,  for  the  purpose  of  making  known  the  Mission 
and  raising  funds,  until  his  final  de^^arture  in  the 
autumn  of  the  next  year.  He  was  assisted  in  this 
work  by  several  friends,  amongst  them  the  Bishop  of 
Oxford,  of  whose  kindness  Mackenzie  was  wont  to 
speak  in  warm  terms  of  gratitude  and  affection. 

The  following  letter  was  written  to  a  sister  before 
he  had  commenced  work  on  account  of  his  own  mis- 
sion. 

LETTER   LXL 

BuKT  St  Edmund's, 

Nov.  7,  1859. 
Dear  , 

I  came  here  to  the  railway,  and  find  I  am  half-an- 
hour  too  soon;  so  I  have  made  friends  with  the  cloak-room 
clerk  for  room  to  sit,  and  for  ink. 

*  -X-  *  *  * 

It  is  a  great  undertaking,  this  of  the  Zambesi,  and 
rather  unknown  country  that  one  is  going  to;  but  still  I  am 

prepared  to  undertake  it  with and . 

***** 

Where  we  should  settle  is  of  course  a  thing  to  be  de- 
cided; we  are  at  present  the  "Central  South  African  Mis- 
sion." I  suppose  it  would  be  whei-e  Livingstone  first  struck 
the  river  at  Linyanti,  but  it  might  not.  I  feucy  our  first 
object  would  be  to  find  Livingstone,  and  get  his  advice. 
But  before  even  that,  there  will  be  the  work  of  raising 
funds.  With  its  present  intentions  the  Committee  is  behind- 
hand in  funds.     But,  dear ,  think  what  a  grand  work 

may  grow  out  of  this,  if  God  prosper  it !  I  am  loth,  it  is 
true,  to  leave  my  own  parish  unprovided  for :  but  as  before, 
in  leaving  Cambridge,  I  think  my  present  work  can  be  more 
easily  provided  for,  than  the  proposed.     I  must  find  some 


224  MEMOIR  OF  BISHOP  MACKENZIE. 

one  to  take  my  place,  and  for  immediate  wants  I  think 

will  go  to  the  Umlilali,  to  be  busy  there  till  we  are  ready  to 
sail  for  the  Cape;  and  by  that  time  I  think  we  may  find 
some  one  to  relieve  him  by  taking  up  that  work  pei-ma- 
nently. 

My  dear ,  good  bye. 

Your  affectionate  brother, 

C.  F.  M. 

The  next  two  letters  are  written  to  the  same  sister 
in  pencil. 

LETTER   LXII. 

Geeat  Western  Eailway, 
Nov.  11,   1859. 
Dear , 

It  is  not  so  hard  to  write  in  a  railway. 


It  does  my  heart  and  soul  good  to  get  a  letter  from  you 
like  the  one  I  got  to-day.  It  is  indeed  a  glorious  work,  and 
my  trust  is  that  He  who  has  called  me  to  it  will  give  me 
grace  to  carry  it  out. 

Aye,  dear ,  who  can  tell  which  of  us  may  be  gone 

before  another  year  is  over  ?  How  comforting  it  is  to  think 
of being  so  comforted  and  guided  in  her  last  days. 


LETTER  LXIIL 


Dear 


L.    AND  B.    E. 

Nov.  16,   1859. 


I  am  on  my  way  from  Oxford  to  Leeds. 
***** 

I  went  to  Clerkenwell  prison,  and  talked  for  20  minutes 
to  a  Zulu,  who  has  been  spoken  of  in  the  newspapers.     He 


MISSION  TO  CENTRAL  AFRICA.  225 

was  wild  in  the  Bush  near  London,  and  was  taken  up  for 
stealing  a  sheep.  He  will  be  leniently  dealt  with,  I  believe. 
I  wish  some  one  would  engage  him  in  service.  I  have 
written  to  Mrs about  him,  hoping  that  with  her  know- 
ledge of  Zulus  she  might  be  willing  to  try  him.  Poor  fellow, 
he  has  such  a  lively  remembrance  of  the  horrors  of  sea-sick- 
ness that  he  will  not  agree  to  go  back  to  Natal. 

Thank  you,  dear  ■ ,  for  the  freedom  of  your  letter. 

I  don't  think  freedom  to  myself  ever  distresses  me :  freedom 
of  expression  about  other  people  does  sometimes,  when  I 
think  things  are  said  or  thought  which  had  better  not  be 
either  said  or  thought. 

*  -x-  *  *  * 

God  bless  us  all,  and  lead  us  into  all  truth. 


The  interest  taken  by  Mackenzie  in  tlie  Zulu  re- 
ferred to  in  the  preceding  letter  was  very  characteristic 
of  him.  A  mutual  friend  writing  to  me  says :  "  Do  you 
remember  any  particulars  about  Ned,  the  Kafir,  who 
was  prosecuted  for  sheep-stealing  at  a  police-court  in 
London?  Mackenzie  took  a  deep  interest  in  his  case, 
and  maintained  that  he  had  mistaken  a  tame  sheep  for 
a  wild  'bok:'  on  Ned's  release,  he  intended  to  take 
him  for  his  servant,  and  so  preserve  him  from  further 
difficulties  with  the  policemen  and  magistrates.  He 
was  staying  with  us  at  the  time,  and  arranged  for  the 

poor  Kafir  to  come  to  him  at ;  and  on  the  night 

on  which  he  was  to  arrive  we  all  sat  up  late  expecting 
him  by  the  last  train,  but  some  other  friend  had  adopted 
the  Kafir  and  given  him  a  lodging,  and  so  my  house 
was  denied  the  honour.  Poor  fellow!  he  was  shortly 
afterwards  kiUed  by  the  buffer  of  an  engine,  on  the  rail  • 

15 


226  MEMOIR  OF  BISHOP  MACKENZIE. 

way  near  Rugby.  You  may  imagine  witli  how  much 
interest  our  whole  party,  including  Miss  Mackenzie,  sat 
up,  expecting  Ned's  arrival.  Our  house  is  not  a  large 
one,  and  Mackenzie  with  his  sister  and  another  visitor 
occupied  all  our  spare  rooms  :  the  question  therefore 
was.  Where  was  Ned  to  sleep  ?  for  domestic  difficulties, 
like  all  other  difficulties  which  opposed  themselves  to 
what  he  considered  his  plain  duty,  never  once  entered 
his  mind  until  they  were  encountered  and  overcome. 
The  only  place  which  we  could  arrange  for  our  expected 
guest  was  the  floor  of  the  day-nursery,  which  created 
a  strange  combination  of  curiosity  and  alarm  in  the 
minds  of  our  children,  who  were  nevertheless  more  dis- 
appointed than  relieved  when  it  was  discovered  in  the 
morning  that  Ned  had  not  arrived." 

With  one  more  letter,  written  to  his  sister  in  Na- 
tal, I  bring  to  a  close  the,  to  him,  eventful  year  1859. 

LETTER  LXIV. 

Leeds,  Dec.  i,  1859. 
Dear , 


You  will  have  been  for  the  last  montli  gradually 
becoming  more  sure  that  our  work  is  to  be  in  Central 
Africa;  and  so  it  is.  We  found  that  the  people  at  home 
did  not  wish  to  throw  any  obstacles  in  the  way,  and  Sir 
George  Grey's  opinion  was  so  distinct,  that  though  it  would 

not  do  well  for (what  did  for  her  did  for  you,  so  you 

were  not  named,)  to  go  up  with  the  first  expedition,  yet  that 
she  might  certainly,  so  far  as  he  could  see,  join  the  mission 
after  it  had  settled  itself,  that  I  determined  on  the  8th  of 
November  to  accept  the  post  of  head  of  the  mission. 

I  ti'y  not  to  let  my  head  be  turned :   but  it  is  a  little 
dizzy  to  be  on  what  I  believe  is  one  of  the  highest  Church 


MISSION  TO  CENTRAL  AFRICA.  227 

pinnacles  at  this  moment  in  England.  Livingstone's  name 
adds  interest  to  the  scene.  The  two  Universities  having 
joined  to  start  the  mission  gives  great  weight  to  the  under- 
taking, and  the  warm  interest  taken  in  it  by  the  Bishop  of 
Oxford  excites  people's  enthusiasm.  I  feel  a  little  like  what 
you  felt  when  you  went  to  Ekukanyeni,  expecting  the  time 
when  people  will  find  me  out.  But  then  the  calming,  sobei*- 
ing  thought  is :  Be  more  and  more  conscious  that  the  work  is 
for  One  who  has  nothing  to  find  out,  from  whom  no  secrets 
are  hid,  and  who  has  called  me  to  this  work,  knowing  that 
I  am  frail  and  foolish,  and  who  expects,  indeed,  that  we 
shall  do  all  and  give  up  all  for  Him,  but  does  not  expect 
more. 

I  have  been  working  for  S.  P.  G.  these  last  two  months, 
and  shall  go  on  till  Christmas.  Next  year  I  shall  be  work- 
ing for  my  own  mission  :  now  I  am  fulfilling  pi'omises  made 
before  Nov.  2.  I  do  not  so  much  dislike  this  pleading  as  I 
was  sure  I  should.  It  is  a  sort  of  preaching,  and  I  think 
quite  as  much  of  the  good  of  the  i^eople  I  speak  to  as  of  the 
good  I  expect  to  get  from  them  for  those  abroad. 

***** 

Dear ,  how  wonderfully  He  has  made  our  way  plain 

before  our  face.  Not  even  the  Bishop  could  foresee  what 
would  be  the  end  of  my  coming  home. 


The  year  1860  was  pre-eminently  one  of  bustling 
and  exciting  labour.  He  now  fairly  began  to  work  on 
account  of  his  own  mission,  and  was  almost  constantly 
travelling,  preaching,  and  speaking,  until  his  depai'ture 
in  the  autumn  for  his  distant  field  of  work.  Letters, 
therefore,  except  of  a  purely  business  character,  were 
of  necessity  rare:  at  all  events  very  few  have  come 
into  my  hands. 

15—2 


228         MEMOIR  OF  BISHOP  MACKENZIE. 

One  question  of  great  and  very  general  interest  was 
raised  by  the  scheme  for  a  mission  in  Central  Africa, 
namely,  the  propriety  of  sending  out  such  missions 
under  the  direction  of  a  bishop.  The  question  was  not 
a  yery  simple  one,  and  different  opinions  were  enter- 
tained concerning  its  solution.  In  the  first  place  the 
expediency  and  propriety  of  sending  a  bishop  under 
such  circumstances  might  be  regarded  as  open  to  dis- 
cussion ;  and  supposing  this  point  resolved  in  the  affirm- 
ative, it  would  be  open  to  doubt  what  the  status  of 
such  a  missionary  bishop  should  be  with  regard  to  his 
Episcopal  brethren,  and  with  regard  to  his  canonical 
obedience  to  a  metropolitan;  while  the  peculiar  rela- 
tion of  the  Church  to  the  State  in  England  threw  in 
the  additional  question  as  to  the  power  of  the  bishops 
of  the  Church  of  England  to  consecrate  without  license 
of  the  Crown.  It  was  agreed  to  refer  the  whole  matter 
to  the  judgment  of  the  Convocation  of  the  Province  of 
Canterbury. 

At  the  session  of  January  25,  1860,  the  committee 
of  the  Lower  House  of  Convocation  presented  a  report, 
which,  having  been  adopted,  was  sent  up  as  a  repre- 
sentation from  the  Lower  to  the  Upper  House.  I  think 
I  shall  put  this  important  proceeding  in  the  clearest 
light  by  recording  what  took  place  subsequently  in  the 
Upper  House  of  Convocation,  namely,  at  their  session  of 
June  8.  The  Bishop  of  Oxford  presented  on  that  occa- 
sion the  following  report  of  the  committee  of  the  Upper 
House,  moving  at  the  same  time  that  the  report  be 
printed  and  communicated  to  the  Lower  House. 


MISSION  TO  CENTRAL  AFRICA.  229 

Report. 

The  committee  of  the  Upper  House  of  Convocation  of 
the  Province  of  Canterbury,  appointed  to  consider  the  re- 
port of  the  Lower  House  on  missionary  Bishops,  have  met 
and  considered  the  same,  and  resolved  to  repoi-t — 

1.  That  we  highly  approve  of  the  course  pursued  by 
the  committee  of  the  Lower  House  in  endeavoiiring  to  ascer- 
tain the  practice  of  the  primitive  Church,  as  it  may  be  in- 
ferred from  Holy  Scripture  and  from  early  ecclesiastical 
records. 

2.  That  we  do  not  feel  it  needful  to  make  any  special 
remarks  on  paragraphs  2  to  8. 

3.  That  in  giving  a  modified  assent  to  paragraphs  8 
and  12,  we  must  observe  that  in  many  cases  the  adjacent 
Church,  however  anxious  to  evangelise  the  native  heathen, 
will  be  unable,  in  its  own  infant  condition,  to  supply  men 
or  funds  for  the  work,  but  must  throw  the  burden  on  the 
mother  Church  at  home,  whatever  aid  may  be  rendered  to  it 
by  the  Bishops  of  the  contiguous  dioceses  or  province. 

4.  That  we  deem  it  undesirable  to  divert  from  a  yet 
unestablished  and  feeble  diocese  the  energy  and  attention 
which  are  absolutely  needful  for  its  own  development,  by 
leading  the  Bishop  of  such  a  diocese  to  undertake  arduous 
duties  and  indefinite  responsibilities  beyond  its  proper 
limits. 

5.  That  as  in  such  cases  it  may  often  be  most  conve- 
nient that  the  missionary  Bishop  should  be  sent  ovit  by  the 
Church  at  home,  it  is  expedient  to  ascertain  whether  any 
impediment  exists  to  the  power  of  the  Archbishops  and 
Bishops  at  home  to  consecrate  Bishops  for  missionary  service 
in  heathen  countries  external  to  her  Majesty's  diminions. 

6.  That  the  consecration  of  missionary  Bishops,  the 
sphere  of  whose  labour  is  virtually  the  extension  of  a  pre- 
viously established  province,  should  be  regulated  in  accord- 


330         MEMOIR  OF  BISHOP  MACKENZIE. 

ance  with  ancient  rule ;  and  that  such  missionary  Bishops 
should  owe  canonical  obedience  to  the  local  Metropolitan, 
if  any,  the  local  Metropolitan  owing  canonical  obedience  to 
the  Archbishop  of  Canterbuiy. 

7.  That  in  addition  to  the  guarantees  named  in  pa- 
ragraph 16,  every  missionary  Bishop  should  engage  to  main- 
tain the  doctrine  and  discipline  of  our  Reformed  Apostolical 
Church,  as  contained  in  her  Articles  and  Liturgy,  and  that, 
so  far  as  may  be,  the  authorised  vei'sion  of  the  Holy  Scrip- 
tures should  be  adopted  as  the  basis  of  translations  of  the 
same, 

8.  That,  looking  first  to  the  fact  that  where  dioceses 
have  been  or  may  be  constituted  in  foreign  parts  not  subject 
to  the  statute  law  of  the  United  Kingdom,  the  Bishops, 
though  they  may  be  held  to  be  bound  by  the  decrees  of  the 
mother  Church  which  were  in  force  at  the  time  of  their  con- 
secration, and  by  the  Canons  of  1603,  so  far  as  those  canons 
apply  to  the  circumstances  of  their  dioceses,  are  yet  in  no 
way  subject  to  new  decrees  and  canons  to  which  they  have 
not  assented ;  and  secondly,  looking  to  the  great  and  con- 
tinually advancing  development  of  the  Colonial  Church,  to 
the  several  peculiarities  under  which  it  is  beginning  in  many 
districts  to  assume  a  fixed  shape,  to  its  want  of  endowments, 
and  to  the  time  which  must  elapse  before  its  clergy  or  laity 
can  enjoy  the  advantages  of  the  Church  at  home  as  to  fixity 
of  institutions  or  familiarity  with  ecclesiastical  law ;  there 
seems  to  us  to  be  special  need  of  combined  counsels  to  main- 
tain in  unity  the  Chxu'ch  as  it  extends.  That  by  a  regular 
gradation  of  duly  constituted  Synods  all  questions  afiecting 
iinity  might  be  duly  settled ;  Diocesan  Synods  determining 
all  matters  not  ordered  by  the  Synod  of  the  province ;  Pro- 
vincial Synods  determining  all  matters  not  ox'dered  by  a 
National  Synod ;  a  National  Synod  ordering  all  matters  not 
determined  by  a  General  Council.  Unity  with  necessary 
variety  might  thus  be  secured  to  our  spreading  branch  of 
the  Holy  Catholic  Church. 


MISSION  TO  CENTRAL  AFRICA.  231 

"WTierenpon.  the  President  stated  that  he  had  received 
the  following  representation  of  the  Lower  House  on  the 
same  subject  : — 

Representation  of  the  Lower  House  of  Convocation  on  the 
Subject  of  Missionary  Bishops. 

1.  We  have  first  considered  what  were  the  principles 
by  which  the  j)rimitive  Church  was  guided  with  respect  to 
planting  missions,  so  far  as  they  may  be  inferred  fi-om  Holy 
Scripture  and  from  early  ecclesiastical  records,  and  we  have 
then  endeavoured  to  apply  these  principles  to  the  present 
condition  and  circumstances  of  the  Church  of  England. 

2.  We  gather  from  the  New  Testament  that  the  Apo- 
stles were  missionary  Bishops  in  the  fullest  sense  of  the 
term ;  that  they  went  about  from  place  to  place  preaching 
the  Gospel,  planting  Churches,  and  giving  directions  for 
their  government. 

3.  As  the  Church  increased,  the  Apostles  conferred 
Episcopal  authority  on  others,  whom,  under  Divine  guidance, 
they  invested  with  the  government  of  certain  Churches — as 
Timothy  at  Ephesus  and  Titus  in  Crete. 

4.  Passing  from  the  New  Testament  to  the  uninspired 
records  of  the  early  Church,  it  appears  that  the  practice  of 
primitive  Christian  antiquity  with  regard  to  the  organization 
of  missions  is  involved  in  considerable  obscurity. 

5.  The  Church  grew  and  was  extended  continually  by 
the  power  of  the  indwelling  Spirit ;  but  the  manner  of  her 
extension  does  not  appear  to  have  been  uniform  or  inva- 
riable. Ecclesiastical  history  fails  to  supply  us  with  any 
certain  or  precise  information  upon  this  point.  We  find 
that  Bishops  frequently  preached  the  Gospel  to  the  heathen, 
and  that  the  other  orders  of  the  ministry  and  even  laymen 
were  instrumental  in  sowing  the  first  seeds  of  the  Gospel  in 
countries  where  it  had  before  been  unknown.  There  is 
abundant  evidence,  however,  to  shew  that  when  Christian 
congi-egations  had  been  gathered  out  of  heathendom,  and  by 


232  MEMOIR  OF  BISHOP  MACKENZIE. 

whatever  instrumentality,  they  were  placed  as  soon  as  pos- 
sible under  the  care  of  a  Bishop. 

6.  We  proceed  to  apply  these  general  principles  to  the 
present  circumstances  of  our  Church. 

7.  In  considering  the  mode  of  the  extension  of  Christian 
missions  amongst  the  heathen  external  to  her  Majesty's 
dominions,  a  distinction  should  be  drawn  between  the  case 
of  heathen  tribes  lying  contiguous  to  a  Christian  people  and 
that  of  heathen  isolated  and  removed  from  any  Christian 
Church,  to  whom  an  opening  may  be  made  along  the  path- 
way of  science  or  of  commerce,  or  by  any  other  leading  of 
God's  providence. 

8.  We  trust  that  our  Church  will  be  always  zealous  to 
act  upon  the  ancient  practice  that  the  Bishops  should  en- 
deavour to  convert  the  heathen  adjacent  to  their  dioceses, 
and  where  these  efforts  are  blessed  with  success  and  new 
congregations  are  gathered,  or  where  the  blessing  of  the 
Gospel  is  sought  from  our  hands  in  any  considerable  num- 
bers by  the  heathen  lying  beyond  our  borders,  or  by  rulers 
desirous  of  evangelizing  their  subjects,  we  further  ti-ust  that 
the  uniform  practice  of  Christian  antiquity  will  be  followed 
in  the  providing  of  additional  chief  pastors  of  the  Church  to 
minister  among  them. 

9.  There  are  cases  in  which  it  may  be  expedient  to 
send  out  presbyters  in  the  first  instance  as  evangelists,  as  for 
example,  where  the  Church  has  to  originate  missions  to  the 
heathen  lying  in  close  contiguity  to  the  existing  diocese. 

10.  But  we  think  also  that  thei'e  are  cases  in  which  it 
may  b®  desirable  to  send  forth  a  Bishop  at  once  as  the  head 
of  a  mission  ;  as  for  example — 

I.  Where  a  large  staff  of  missionaries  is  necessary ;  or 

II.  Where  a  large  and  imposing  organisation  has  to 

be  confronted,  especially  in  regions  lying  remote 
from  any  diocese  of  our  Church. 

11.  The  expediency  or  inexpediency  of  sending  out  a 
missionary  Bishop  in  the  fir-st  instance  can,  howevei',  only  be 


MISSION  TO  CENTRAL  AFRICA.  233 

determined  by  the  particular  circumstances  of  the  case  as  it 
may  arise. 

12.  "With  regard  to  the  heathen  bordering  upon  a 
Christian  people,  we  think  that  the  converts  should,  in  the 
first  instance,  be  provisionally  under  the  care  of  the  Bishop 
of  an  adjacent  diocese ;  and  that  all  further  arrangements 
respecting  the  government  of  such  missions  should  be  deter- 
mined by  a  Synod  of  the  adjacent  province. 

13.  With  regard  to  the  more  remote  missions,  we  con- 
sider that  the  proper  authority  for  determining  when  it  is 
expedient  to  send  out  a  Bishop  would  be  that  of  an  Arch- 
bishop, or  other  Metropolitan,  with  his  Suffragans  ;  and 
that  during  the  missionary  condition  of  such  Episcopate,  the 
Bishop  sent  out  should  owe  canonical  obedience  to  the  con- 
secrating Metropolitan. 

14.  Our  instructions  not  requiring  us  to  enter  upon  the 
legal  question  whether  the  Church  of  England  has  the  power 
to  send  forth  Bishops  into  heathen  terj-itories  beyond  the 
limits  of  the  British  dominions,  we  have  framed  our  report 
upon  the  supposition  that  she  has  this  power. 

15.  In  the  entire  uncertainty  which  necessarily  exists 
as  to  the  relations  in  which  any  new  Churches  formed  in 
foreign  countries  may  stand  to  the  civil  and  temporal  rulers 
of  those  countries,  we  feel  it  impossible  to  lay  down  any 
rules  for  the  permanent  relations  of  the  mother  Church. 

16.  The  guarantees  for  the  future  orthodoxy  and  good 
discipline  of  Churches  not  yet  existing  must  be  found  chiefly, 
under  the  Divine  blessing,  in  the  prudence  and  enlightened 
wisdom  of  the  Bishop  and  presbyters  who  may  form  any 
particular  mission.  We  conceive  that,  with  regard  to  the 
admission  of  converts,  they  would  guide  themselves  by  the 
analogy  of  such  precautions  as  the  Church  has  taken  in  her 
forms  for  the  baptism  of  infants  and  adults,  and  that,  with 
regard  to  the  transmission  of  spiritual  authority,  they  would, 
in  like  manner,  adopt  the  analogy  of  similar  precautions  to 
be  found  in  the  Ordinal  of  the  Book  of  Common  Prayer. 


334         MEMOIR  OF  BISHOP  MACKENZIE. 

17.  In  conclusion,  we  earnestly  pray  that  abundant 
supplies  of  wisdom,  as  well  as  zeal,  may  be  vouchsafed  to  all 
those  who  are  endeavouring  to  extend  the  kingdom  of  our 
Lord  and  Saviour  Jesus  Christ  throughout  the  world. 

The  following  resolution  was  then  put  and  agreed 
to,  on  the  motion  of  the  Bishop  of  Oxford  : — 

That  this  house  has  read  the  representation  made  to  it 
by  the  Lower  House  :  that  in  reply  thereto  they  inform  the 
Lower  House  that  a  committee  of  the  Upper  House  have 
considered  upon  a  report  on  the  same  subject  made  to  the 
Lower  House,  and  by  it  communicated  to  this  house ;  that 
the  rejioi't  so  made  to  this  house  has  this  day  been  received 
and  adopted ;  that  this  house  having  taken  into  considera- 
tion the  representation  of  the  Lower  House,  considers  it  can 
best  reply  thereto  by  communicating  to  the  Lower  House  its 
own  report,  since  that  report  deals  with  the  subject  contain- 
ed in  the  representation. 

The  Bishop  of  Oxford  then  moved  further  : — 

That  this  house  having  heard,  with  thankfulness  to  God, 
of  the  prospect  of  a  mission  being  led  by  the  Venerable 
Archdeacon  Mackenzie  into  Southern  Central  Africa,  desire 
to  express  their  deep  interest  therein,  and  their  hope  that 
the  Bishop  of  Capetown  and  his  Comprovincials  may  be  able 
to  see  fit  to  admit  the  head  of  this  mission  into  the  Episcopal 
order  before  he  be  sent  forth  to  the  heathen. 

This  resolution  gave  rise  to  a  discussion,  but  was 
eventually  put  and  carried. 

I  have  thought  it  well  to  give  in  detail  the  history 
of  this  question  in  connection  with  Convocation,  because 
it  undoubtedly  marks  an  important  epoch  in  the  history 
of  the  Church  of  England,  and  because  the  hope  ex- 
pressed by  the  Bishops  at  home  concerning  the  conduct 


3IISSI0N  TO   CENTRAL  AFRICA.  235 

which  the  Bishops  in  South  Africa  might  see  fit  to 
adopt,  was  subsequently  realized,  and  was  the  means, 
under  God,  of  giving  to  the  Church  of  England  her 
first  Missionary  Bishop. 

The  next  three  letters  contain  not  much  important 
matter,  but  I  cannot  refrain  from  giving  them  a  place 
in  this  memoir,  as  being  almost  the  only  record  by 
Mackenzie's  own  hand  of  this  very  laborious  portion 
of  his  life. 

LETTER  LXV. 

{To  a  Sister.) 

The  Irish  Chaxnel, 

Jan.  28,   i860. 

Dear , 

Here  I  go  across  the  water  to  Dubhn.  I  left  Lon- 
don yesterday  morning,  and  got  to  Kidderminster,  where  I 
was  kindly  received  by  the  clergyman,  Mr  Claughton.  He 
had  arranged  to  have  four  services  with  sermons  on  Missions 
on  the  four  Fridays  of  the  Epiphany  season,  and  offered  me 
any  one  I  liked,  saying  that  I  should  have  a  collection  at 
mine,  and  that  there  should  be  none  at  the  others.  *  *  * 
"We  got  £38,  which  is  almost  the  best  weekday  collection  I 

have  had. 

***** 

Pear ,  I  am  sometimes  low,  and  not  without  rea- 
son, I  think,  when  I  find  myself  doing  my  work,  especially 
preaching,  badly  for  want  of  preparation,  and  still  more  for 
want  of  earnestness  and  faith  at  the  moment.  Last  Wednes- 
day I  was  very  angry  with  myself  on  that  score,  and  was 
more  disturbed  at  the  Communion  which  we  had  than  I 
think  I  ever  was  since  my  first;  but  yesterday  encouraged 
me  again. 

Here  is  Dublin.  I  have  a  difficult  work  to  do.  I  hardly 
expect  to  bring  it  to  a  successful  issue.  I  came  to  preach 
three  sermons  on  Sunday  for  S.  P.  G.,  but  I  went  also  to 


236  MEMOIR  OF  BISHOP  MACKENZIE. 

arrange  with  the  authorities  of  the  University  about  their 
co-operation  with  us.  We  want  to  get  their  warm  and 
hearty  suppox't;  we  would  have  a  separate  list  for  the  con- 
tributions of  Dublin  University,  and  they  would,  I  suppose, 
canvass  for  us  in  Ireland. 


LETTER  LXVI. 

{To  a  Sister.) 

Newark, 

Feb.  4,  1S60. 
*  *  *  -»  * 

It  is  a  grand  scheme.  I  often  quail  to  think  I  am  at 
the  head  of  it,  but  I  oftener  thank  God  that  this  work, 
which  He  determined  to  be  done,  He  has  entrusted  to  me. 
.  And  I  look  to  Him  to  give  me  grace  to  carry  ib  out.  It  is 
a  sore  blow  to  be  removed  from  all  those  friends  whom  we 
have  made  in  ISTatal.  But  then  the  scope  is  so  enormous, 
and  I  think  the  hopes  of  success  very  bright.  We  have 
Livingstone  to  help  and  advise  us.  We  have  a  very  strong 
interest  in  our  favour  throughout  the  country,  stronger  I 
believe  than  ever  a  mission  had  before :  and  I  seldom  end 
my  address  to  the  meetings  I  attend  without  solemnly  ask- 
ing them  for  their  pi-ayei's,  and  saying  that  success  is  as 
much  dependent  on  their  endeavours  in  this  way  as  on  ours 
upon  the  spot. 

Good  bye. 

Your  affectionate  bx'other, 

C.  F.  M. 
LETTER   LXYIL 
{To  a  Sister.) 

Mancheste'', 

May  23,   iS6o. 
Dear , 

The  meeting  here  has  been,  so  far  as  we  have  yet 
seen,  a  great  success ;  and  I  am  most  thankful.     The  huge 


MISSION  TO  CENTRAL  AFRICA.  237 

room  perfectly  crowded :  ladies  standing  the  whole  time : 
about  4,000  people  must  have  been  there.  For  myself,  I 
felt  not  flurried,  but  able  to  say  what  I  wanted,  though  in 
these  large  assemblages  I  seldom  feel  able  to  speak  to  peo- 
ple's religious  sentiments  as  I  can  in  a  smaller  body.  I 
mean  to  make  that  a  special  object  to-morrow.  *  *  * 
Then  came  Lord  Brougham,  for  35  minutes  or  so,  full  of 
energy.  It  was  a  lesson  in  speaking  which  was  not  thrown 
away  upon  me,  I  hope. 


The  meeting  referred  to  in  the  preceding  letter  was 
one  of  three,  namely,  at  Manchester,  Liverpool,  and 
Leeds,  which  were  attended  by  Lord  Brougham.  It 
was  certainly  not  the  least  striking  feature  of  the 
movement  connected  with  the  Central  African  Mission, 
that  it  should  induce  Lord  Brougham  to  appear  as  a 
speaker  upon  a  missionary  platform.  But,  in  truth, 
his  conduct  was  thoroughly  intelligible  and  consistent : 
he  saw  in  it  only  the  continuation  of  the  war  which 
he  had  waged  strenuously  for  many  years  against  the 
slave-trade  :  it  was  one  of  the  professed  features  of  the 
mission,  that  it  was  to  appear  in  Africa  as  the  an- 
tagonist to  and  witness  against  the  accursed  traffic, 
which  has  so  long  pressed  and  still  presses  as  a  heavy 
weight  upon  that  afflicted  country :  and  therefore  it 
was  no  eccentricity,  but  a  natural  sequel  to  much  of  his 
earlier  conduct,  that  Lord  Brougham  should  commend 
to  the  support  of  all  those  who  felt  with  him  on  the 
subject  of  the  slave-trade,  an  honest  and  brave  effort 
in  the  direction  of  African  emancipation.  The  three 
meetings,  at  Manchester,  Liverpool,  and  Leeds,  were  the 
largest  and  most  strikino:  of  those  in  which  Mackenzie 


238         MEMOIR  OF  BISHOP  MACKENZIE 

took  a  part,  and  I  think  I  shall  do  them  no  more  than 
justice  if  I  introduce  here  a  report  taken  from  a  news- 
paper, {The  Guardian)  of  the  period. 

OXFORD  AND  CAMBRIDGE  MISSION  TO 
CENTRAL  AFRICA. 

Last  week  will  ever  be  a  memorable  one  in  the  annals  of 
this  mission,  and  we  believe  of  Church  Missions  in  general. 
A  deputation,  consisting  of  the  Right  Rev.  the  Lord  Bishop 
of  Oxford,  the  Right  Hon.  Loixl  Brougham,  and  the  Yen. 
Archdeacon  Mackenzie,  visited  our  three  greatest  centres  of 
commerce  and  manufacture  on  three  successive  daN's,  the 
23rd,  24th,  and  25th  of  the  present  month.  Their  reception 
in  each  place  was  as  cordial  and  hearty  as  can  well  be  con- 
ceived. Manchester  was  first  visited,  and  there  the  deputa- 
tion, during  its  stay,  was  most  hospitably  entertained  by 
Mr  Robert  Barnes,  one  of  the  wealthiest  merchants  of  that 
city. 

The  meeting  was  held  in  the  aftex'noon,  and  never  do  we 
remember  to  have  seen  a  goodlier  sight.  The  enormous  Free 
Trade  Hall  was  literally  crammed,  and  it  is  estimated  thab 
at  least  5,000  persons  were  present.  Lord  Brougham  com- 
menced his  speech  by  saying  that  it  was  "  by  very  much  the 
largest  meeting  he  had  ever  yet  seen  assembled  within  doors ;" 
and  we  believe  it  was  the  largest  meeting  that  was  ever 
gathered  together  in  Manchester  in  the  daytime. 

This  multitude  listened  with  the  liveliest  attention  and 
apparent  interest  to  the  plain,  straightforward,  earnest  state- 
ment of  the  head  of  the  mission,  the  powerful  and  energetic 
speech  of  the  veteran  ex-Chancellor,  and  the  thrilling  elo- 
quence of  the  Bishop  of  Oxford. 

The  Hon.  Algernon  Egerton,  M.P.  for  South  Lancashire, 
presided,  and  the  Rev.  Richard  G-resswell,  of  Worcester 
College,  Oxford,  T.  Bazley,  Esq.,  M.P.,  the  Rev.  Canon 
Clifton,  and   Robert   Barnes,  Esq.,   likewise    addressed  the 


MISSION  TO  CENTRAL  AFRICA.  239 

meeting.  About  ,£150  was  collected  in  the  room,  and  four 
donations  of  £100  each  were  received.  These,  we  hope,  are 
a  mere  instalment  of  the  large  sum  which  may  reasonably  be 
expected  from  the  wealthy  and  liberal  men  of  Manchester. 

On  Thursday  the  members  of  the  deputation  went  to 
Liverpool,  and  became  the  guests  of  Mr  William  Brown ',  so 
well  known  for  his  munificent  gifts  for  the  benefit  of  the 
woi'king  classes  of  the  town. 

The  meeting  was  held  in  the  evening  in  the  Philharmo- 
nic Hall,  and  about  3,000  persons  were  present.  The  chair 
was  taken  by  the  Right  Rev.  the  Lord  Bishop  of  Chester. 
Here  the  Bishop  of  Oxford  almost  surpassed  himself,  and 
was  peculiarly  happy  in  some  of  his  remarks,  especially  in 
the  opening  part  of  his  speech.  The  following  is  the  con- 
clusion of  his  lordshii^'s  speech  : 

*'I  walked  to-day  with  my  kind  host,  your  honoured  townsman, 
Mr  Brown — I  walked  with  him  to-day  upon  your  noble  quays.  I  heard 
from  him  something  of  the  tale  of  wonder  of  this  your  wonderful  com- 
munity. He  told  me  of  the  fifty  years  which  had  elapsed  since  he  had 
first  known  the  town,  and  of  the  growth  of  its  population  from  90,000 
people  to  half  a  million.  He  told  me  of  the  yearly  addition  now  to  its 
numbers  of  some  10,000  more.  He  told  me  how  these  quays  had  grown, 
as  commerce  from  every  part  of  the  earth  had  flowed  into  them  with 
such  increasing  abundance,  so  that  now  it  would  take  a  man  a  walk 
of  fourteen  miles  to  go  along  the  whole  of  these  quays  of  yours,  upon 
which  are  now  disembarked  all  the  wealth  of  every  wealthy  part  of  the 
globe.  I  looked  around  upon  your  town,  and  saw  its  buildings  rising 
in  magnificence — saw  how  God  had  put  it  into  the  heart  of  this  man  to 
give  that  noble  library  upon  that  noble  site— aye,  and  I  felt,  and  I 
know  you  will  feel,  that  great  as  is  that  material  gift,  the  gift  of  the 
heart  that  planned  it  was  a  greater  gift  to  Livei-pool  than  the  gift  of 
the  library  it  furnished.  I  looked  and  I  saw  your  churches  rising  upon 
eveiy  side,  and  testifying  everywhere  that  you  were  caring  for  the  souls 
of  men,  and  ministering  to  them  the  unsearchable  riches  of  Christ.  I 
saw,  even  in  the  poor  parts  of  the  town,  what,  when  I  came  to  in- 
quire about  them,  I  was  told  were  the  buildings  furnished,  in  order 
that  the  most  abject  of  your  people  might  be  delivered  from  their  cel- 
lar life,  and  might  Uve  in  health  and  comfort  above  the  earth.     I  saw 

^  Now  Sir  William  Brown,  Bart. 


34°         MEMOIR  OF  BISHOP  MACKENZIE. 

this,  and  I  thanked  God  that  He  had  given  to  the  people  of  Liverpool 
not  only  great  wealth  and  great  opportunity,  but  a  wise  and  under- 
standing heart  to  appreciate  and  to  use  its  gifts.  I  saw  it,  and  as  I 
stood  upon  the  quay  that  good  man  said  to  me,  '  Look  at  that  arm  of 
the  sea  flowing  in  round  yonder  point ;  see  all  this  massing  of  wealth, 
these  forests  of  masts  filling  the  mighty  docks ;  and  there  are  no  ships 
of  war  guarding  it ;  an  enemy  might  come  in,  and  what  should  we  do 
to  resist  him  V  What  a  tale  was  it,  after  all,  of  God's  gift  of  peace 
and  security,  and  of  righteous  confidence  in  themselves,  because  they 
believed  that  their  God  would  be  with  them.  Well,  I  went  on,  and  the 
thought  rose  within  me,  Are  we  using  these  gifts  for  the  Giver;  are 
we  returning  to  Him  according  to  His  gift  to  us  ?  Now,  that  is  the 
question  I  would  ask  you  to  put  to  yourselves.  Ah !  my  friends,  it  is 
not  the  first  time,  nor  is  it  the  hundredth  time  that  these  blessings  of 
God  have  been  showered  upon  a  people,  and  because  that  people 
upon  whom  they  were  showered  used  them  selfishly  for  themselves, 
the  very  gifts  became  their  ruin,  turned  into  poison  under  them,  both 
as  to  their  bodies  and  as  to  their  souls.  You  remember  how  it  is 
written  in  His  Word,  that  the  sins  of  Sodom  grew  from  fulness  of 
bread,  and  abundance  of  idleness.  And  yet  what  can  that  'idle- 
ness' mean?  There  could  not  have  been  this  'fulness  of  bread'  if 
there  had  not  been  a  good  deal  of  activity  in  raising  the  fruits  of  the 
earth  and  storing  them.  Therefore,  in  God's  Word  idleness  cannot 
mean  sitting  with  the  hands  folded  and  doing  nothing.  There  is  an- 
other and  a  higher  meaning  in  it;  it  is  the  not  using  for  the  Giver 
the  Giver's  gifts :  that  is  the  '  idleness '  meant  in  God's  Word.  And 
so,  I  ask  you,  if  God  has  given  us  the  faith  in  its  purity,  His  Word 
in  our  owm  tongue,  aye,  and  in  the  raciest  accents  of  our  own  beloved 
fathers;  if  He  has  given  us  formularies  with  which  to  worship  Him, 
venerable  for  their  antiquity,  and  beloved  by  us  for  their  devotion ;  if 
He  has  given  to  us  His  ministry  in  the  completeness  of  its  organiza- 
tion, and  His  Church  in  the  perfect  sense  of  its  beauty,  I  ask  you 
has  He  given  us  all  this  that  we  may  rejoice  before  Him  in  spiritual 
selfishness  and  fold  our  hands  in  spiritual  idleness?  No,  but  He 
has  given  it  to  us  for  Him,  to  bless  others  in  its  use.  There  is  an 
oath  on  high,  that  he  who  doeth  not  the  will  of  his  God  shall  be  put 
down  from  the  post  to  which  he  was  lifted  up  that  he  might  perform 
it.  Ah,  and  this  very  country  of  Africa  may  give  one  fearful  lesson 
to  us  this  night.  Cast  your  eyes  one  single  moment,  in  thought,  over 
the  whole  of  the  northern  coast  of  Africa.  What  is  it  now  ?  The 
Mussulman  possesses  it.  Its  goodly  fields  are  laid  waste,  and  the 
French  wrangle  with  and  slay  the  Arab  in  cruel  fight  again  to  possess 
it :  and  the  name  of  Christ  is  hardly  heard  upon  it.     And  what  was  it  ? 


MISSION  TO   CENTRAL   AFRICA.  241 

A  Church  in  which  once  500  Bishops  met  together  in  their  solemn 
Synod:  a  land  which  fed  the  neighbouring  Italy  with  the  abundance  of 
its  harvests,  and  which,  looked  down  upon  by  a  favouring  heaven,  ren- 
dered back  again  to  it  every  fruit  that  maketh  man's  heart  glad  and 
man's  labour  productive.  And  why  has  this  change  come  upon  it  ? 
My  friends,  it  came  from  this— that  they  had,  without  imparting  any- 
thing, clutched  in  spiritual  selfishness  what  God  meant  them  to  distri- 
bute. They  allowed  the  neighbouring  people  of  Northern  Africa  to  live 
on  in  their  ignorance,  without  making  any  attempt  to  evangelize  them, 
and  so  when  the  flood  of  Mohammedan  invasion  swept  upon  them,  what 
were  they?  A  handful  upon  the  sea-border,  instead  of  being  the  evan- 
gelizers  of  the  people  reaching  on  into  the  centre  of  Africa,  who  might 
have  swept  that  invading  wave  across  the  sands  into  the  sea,  if  only 
they  had  used  their  opportunity  and  united  that  people  to  Christ.  There 
is  a  lesson,  then,  for  us,  and  God  forbid  that  we  should  not  learn  it. 
And  I  thought,  after  all,  if  that  great  arm  of  the  sea  upon  which  I 
looked  in  its  beauty  to-day,  sparkling  like  a  brilliant  under  the  sun- 
beam, as  the  western  wind  chafed  it  into  a  little  mimicry  of  motion — 
if  the  whole  of  that  space  was  crowded  with  ships  of  war,  if  it  was  com- 
manded from  every  part  by  your  Armstrong  guns,  is  it  not  written  on 
high  that  '  it  is  in  vain  to  keep  the  city  except  the  Lord  keepeth  it'  ? 
and  if  He  looked  in  anger  upon  it,  what  would  become  of  your  best 
fortifications  and  most  watchful  defences?  0,  there  are  still,  depend 
upon  it,  for  the  eye  of  faith,  angel  squadrons  encamping  round  about 
God's  people,  and  prayers,  in  mighty  phalanxes,  defending  His  Church. 
Let  England  be  true  to  England's  mission ;  let  her  understand  that  it 
is  hers  to  keep  the  faith  in  its  purity,  and  to  spread  the  faith  in  its 
truth ;  that  it  is  hers  to  teach  her  people  to  love  Christ,  not  to  wrangle 
about  Him,  and  then  leave  the  Cross  of  Christ  in  the  face  of  the  world, 
longing  in  its  dumb  agony  for  the  enfranchisement  which  that  alone 
can  give  to  it.  Let  England  in  this  way  rise  indeed  to  the  mighti- 
ness of  her  opportunity ;  and  the  God  of  wisdom  and  the  God  of  battles 
will  preserve  her  virgin  soil  from  being  tainted  with  the  foot  of  an 
enemy,  and  enable  us  to  hand  on  to  our  children's  children  what  we 
have  received  from  our  venerated  fathers — the  lower  gifts  of  prosperity 
and  power,  and  the  higher  gifts  of  the  purity  of  the  faith  and  the 
abundance  of  worship." 

Leeds  came  last  iu  order,  and  here  also  the  meeting  took 
place  in  the  evening,  and  was  held  in  that  magnificent  Town 
Hall  of  which  the  people  of  Leeds  ai'e  £0  justly  proud.  The 
large  room  was  filled  to  overflowing,  and  the  reception  given. 

IG 


242         MEMOIR  GF  BISHOP  MACKENZIE. 

to  their  former  representative,  Henry  Brougham,  and  to 
their  brother  Yorkshireman,  the  son  of  Wilberforce,  must 
have  gladdened  the  hearts  of  those  illustrious  men. 

"We  believe  that  about  £11,000  in  donations,  and  £1000 
in  annual  subscriptions,  have  been  already  gathered.  Surely 
these  three  wealthy  cities  will  speedily  set  at  rest  all  doubt 
about  the  remaining  portion  required. 

There  is  little  more  to  be  said  concerning  Bishop 
]\Iackenzie's  life  and  work  till  lie  left  England :  it  was 
a  very  busy  and  anxious  time,  but  it  must,  I  think,  on 
the  whole,  have  been  a  happy  time,  proving  to  him 
as  it  must  have  done,  how  much  the  work  to  which 
he  had  devoted  himself  was  esteemed,  and  how  much 
love  he  had  gained,  both  for  his  own  and  for  his  work's 
sake.  He  had,  as  will  be  readily  believed,  abundant 
practice,  both  in  preaching  and  speaking,  and  at  this 
period  his  preaching  vsras  usually  without  book :  he 
acquired  thus  a  readiness  of  speech,  and  his  addresses 
were  very  telling  from  their  extreme  simplicity  and 
manifest  sincerity. 

One  of  Mackenzie's  companions  in  his  journeys  on 
account  of  the  mission  was  the  Rev.  George  Williams, 
Fellow  of  King's  College,  Cambridge  ;  he  has  been  kind 
enough  to  write  the  following. 

"  You  have  asked  me  to  give  some  account  of  him, 
as  we  travelled  together  for  the  object  to  which  he 
had  deliberately  devoted  his  life.  No  one  will  under- 
stand better  than  yourself,  who  knew  him  so  well,  that 
I  can  recall  nothing  specially  worth  recording.  The 
same  lovely  simplicity  of  character,  the  same  utter 
forgetfulness  of  self,  the  same  simplicity  of  devotion, 


MISSION  TO  CENTRAL  AFRICA.  243 

of   which  he  was  himself  so  wholly  unconscious,   at- 
tended him  everywhere,  and  drew  all  hearts  to  him. 

"  It  was  impossible  to  travel  so  far  with  such  an 
object,  without  encountering  some  contretemps  and  dis- 
appointments, more  or  less  vexatious,  particularly  in 
thin  meetings  and  unsympathetic  audiences.  But  I  never 
saw  his  equanimity  disturbed  for  one  moment,  never 
heard  one  impatient  expression  pass  his  lips,  but  ever 
found  in  him  a  bright  and  beautiful  example  of  that 
charity  which  '  seeketh  not  her  own,  is  not  easily  pro- 
voked, thinketh  no  evil, . . .  beareth  all  things,  believeth 
all  things,  hopeth  all  things,  endureth  all  things.' 

"  The  memory  of  those  days  passed  in  his  society 
will  ever  be  among  the  brightest  of  my  life." 

For  some  time  before  he  left  England  it  became 
quite  an  understood  thing,  that  Mackenzie  was  to  be 
consecrated  Bishop  after  his  arrival  at  the  Cape  of  Good 
Hope.'  The  proceedings  of  the  Convocation  of  the 
Province  of  Canterbury  had  cleared  away,  as  was  be- 
lieved, every  difficulty,  and  it  was  held  to  be  beyond 
a  doubt,  that  the  Bishops  of  South  Africa  would  follow 
the  manifest  wish  of  their  brethren  in  England,  and 
consecrate  the  Missionary  Bishop.  All  arrangements  were 
therefore  made  upon  the  supposition  that  Mackenzie 
was  Bishop-designate.  It  was  thought  convenient  that 
he  should  sail  with  a  first  party  of  missionaries  to  the 
Cape  of  Good  Hope,  towards  the  end  of  the  year. 

The  last  meeting  which  he  attended  in  Enoiand, 
was  at  Brighton.  The  Bishop  of  Oxford  was  with  him 
upon  this  occasion,  and  urged  the  cause  of  the  mission 
with  his  usual  earnestness  :  they  travelled  from  Brighton 

16—2 


244         MEMOIR  OF  BISHOP  MACKENZIE. 

together,  to  attend  the  farewell  service  in  Canterbury- 
cathedral,  of  which  I  shall  have  more  to  say  presently. 
With  regard  to  the  Brighton  meeting,  I  have  nothing 
to  record  save  that  it  was  his  last. 

From  Brighton  also  Mackenzie  wrote  the  last  letter 
in  England  that  has  con^e  to  my  hands.  It  is  addressed 
to  a  young  man  in  deacon's  orders,  who  had  thought 
of  joining  the  Central  African  Mission;  the  gentleness 
of  its  tone,  and  the  period  at  which  it  was  written, 
seem  to  entitle  it  to  a  place  in  these  pages. 

LETTER  LXVIII. 

Brighton, 

Sept.  29,  i860. 
My  dear  , 

We  thought  of  you  much  during  last  week  and  on 
Sunday,  and  I  now  write  a  single  line  to  say,  God  bless  you 
in  yoxir  work. 

I  think  the  Collect  for  the  first  Sunday  after  the  Epi- 
phany expresses  what  I  would  pray  for  you  and  myself,  that 
we  may  be  taught  what  He  would  have  us  to  do,  and  that 
we  may  be  made  Avilling  in  the  day  of  His  Power. 

Be  not  discouraged  if  you  do  not  quite  fulfil  your  own 
hopes.  They  would  be  too  low  if  you  could.  Neither  ba 
elated  if  you  seem  to  succeed :  it  is  He  that  worketh  in  us : 
but  ever  strive  to  work  in  His  strength.     Good  bye. 

Yours  affectionately, 

C.  F.  M. 

We  go  on  board  at  Southampton  on  the  4th,  and  sail 
from  Plymouth  on  the  6  th,  God  willing. 

On  Tuesday,  October  2,  there  was  a  farewell  service 
at  Canterbury.  A  large  number  of  friends  of  the  Mis- 
sion and  personal  friends  of  Mackenzie  were  gathered 


MISSION  TO  CENTRAL  AFRICA.  245 

together  for  the  pui-pose  of  joining  with  him  in  solemn 
worship,  and  wishing  God-speed  to  him  and  his  work. 
The  service  commenced  at  half-past  ten:  the  spacious 
choir  of  the  cathedral  was  crowded:  the  Holy  Com- 
munion was  administered  to  several  hundreds :  the 
offertory  amounted  to  £400.  TJie  sermon  was  preached 
by  the  Bishop  of  Oxford,  from  Jeremiah  xxxix.  lo — 17, 
"  Now  the  word  of  the  Lord  came  unto  Jeremiah,  while 
he  was  shut  up  in  the  court  of  the  prison,  saying.  Go 
and  speak  to  Ebed-melech  the  Ethiopian,  saying,  Thus 
saith  the  Lord  of  hosts,  the  God  of  Israel ;  Behold,  I 
will  bring  My  words  upon  this  city  for  evil,  and  not  for 
good ;  and  they  shall  be  accomplished  in  that  day  before 
thee.  But  I  will  deliver  thee  in  that  day,  saith  the 
Lord:  and  thou  shalt  not  be  given  into  the  hand  of  the 
men  of  whom  thou  art  afraid."  I  will  produce  here  the 
concluding  passage,  not  merely  for  its  own  sake,  but  be- 
cause Mackenzie  referred  to  it  afterwards  in  conver- 
sation, as  having  really  cheered  his  heart,  and  as  having 
been  the  means  of  giving  him  a  support  which  he  felt 
at  the  time  that  he  much  required.  I  had  the  privilege 
of  being  placed  next  to  him  in  the  cathedral,  and  could 
not  but  notice  his  calm  resigned  expression  of  counte- 
nance during  the  whole  service.    Here  is  the  passage  : 

And  for  Thee,  true  yoke-fellow  and  brother  well  be- 
loved, who  leadest  forth  this  following ;  to  Thee  in  this  our 
parting  hour — whilst  yet  the  grasped  hand  tarries  in  the 
embrace  of  love — to  Thee  what  shall  we  say  1  Surely  what, 
before  he  gave  over  to  younger  hands  his  rod  and  staff,  God's 
great  prophet  said  of  old  to  his  successor, — "  Be  strong  and 
of  a  good  courage :  for  thou  must  go  with  this  people  unto 
the  land  which  the  Lord  hath  sworn  unto  their  fathers  to 


246         MEMOIR  OF  BISHOP  MACKENZIE. 

give  them;  and  Thou  shalt  cause  them  to  inherit  it.  And 
the  Lord,  He  it  is  that  doth  go  before  thee ;  He  will  be  with 
thee,  He  will  not  fail  thee,  neither  forsake  thee :  fear  not, 
neither  be  dismayed'." 

What  can  man's  voice  add  to  that  solace  ?  He  at  whose 
dear  call  thou  goest  forth,  He  shall  be  with  thee ;  thou  shalt 
know  the  secret  of  His  presence  ;  thou  shalt  see,  as  men  see 
not  here  in  their  peaceful  homes,  the  nail-pierced  hands,  and 
the  thorn-crowned  brow.  Thou  shalt  find,  as  His  great 
saints  have  found  before  thee,  when  He  has  lured  them  into 
the  desert  wilderness,  that  He  alone  is  better  than  all  beside 
Himself.  "When  thy  heart  is  weakest,  He  shall  make  it 
strong;  when  all  others  leave  thee,  He  shall  be  closest  to 
thee;  and  the  revelation  of  His  love  shall  turn  danger  into 
jDeace,  labour  into  rest,  suffering  into  ease,  anguish  into  joy, 
and  martyrdom,  if  so  He  order  it,  into  the  prophet's  fiery 
chariot,  bearing  thee  by  the  straightest  course  to  thy  most 
desired  home. 

In  the  afternoon  there  was  a  luncheon  in  the  crypt 
of  S.  Augustine's  College,  speeches  were  made  by  the 
Warden  of  S.  Augustine's,  the  Bishop  of  Oxford,  the 
Dean  of  Canterbury,  and  others.  In  the  course  of  his 
address,  the  Dean  of  Canterbury  said :  "  The  service  of 
this  day  must,  I  am  sure,  have  gone  to  all  hearts,  and 
called  forth,  I  had  almost  said,  tears  from  every  eye. 
There  is  a  Httle  circumstance  connected  with  this  day's 
gathering,  which,  though  trifling  in  itself,  may  be  not 
inappropriately  mentioned  here.  A  tree  has  recently 
been  brought  to  this  country  of  a  size  surpassing  all 
former  growths ;  and  Archdeacon  Mackenzie  has  done 
me  to-day  the  honour  of  planting  in  my  garden,  a 
specimen  of  the  Wellingtonea  Gigantea.     May  our  Mis- 

'  Deut.  xxxi.  7,  8. 


MISSION  TO  CENTRAL  AFRICA.  247 

sion  resemble  it  in  its  growth  and  in  its  greatness,  ful- 
filling the  emblem  of  Him  who  said  of  the  least  of  all 
seeds,  that  when  it  is  grown  it  is  the  greatest  among 
herbs,  and  becometh  a  tree,  and  covereth  all  the  nations 
of  the  earth  with  its  branches.  May  this  be  typical  of 
our  Mission  !"  The  Bishop  of  Oxford  made  a  happy  allu- 
sion to  the  African  blood  of  the  man  who  was  "  chosen 
by  the  providence  of  God  to  bear  up  the  hill  of  shame 
the  Cross  of  Salvation,  under  which  the  Saviour  fainted. 
They  laid  hold  of  one  Simon,  of  Cyrene;  him  they 
compelled  to  bear  His  Cross."  Mackenzie  expressed 
himself  somewhat  as  follows. 

I  would  very  gladly  on  this  day  Lave  kept  my  seat, 
and  been  content  with,  listening  to  what  others  had  to  say 
for  our  encouragement,  warning,  and  instruction.  But  I 
cannot  do  so,  because  I  represent  not  merely  myself,  but  my 
fellow-workers,  who  have  given  up  themselves  to  go  forth 
with  me  to  carry  on  the  work  of  the  Lord.  For  their  sake 
I  feel  that  I  must  not  keep  silence,  and  I  return  you  the 
best  thanks  in  my  power  for  all  that  you  have  done  for 
ns,  for  the  welcome  you  have  given  us  personally,  and  for 
your  efforts  in  favour  of  the  cause  in  which  we  are  embarked. 
I  thank  the  Warden  of  this  venerable  place,  whose  walls 
have  received  us,  only  a  young  branch  of  the  Church,  and 
inspired  us  with  greater  strength  for  the  work  that  awaits 
us  in  Africa.  To  the  other  friends,  whether  now  present 
or  not,  we  give  our  sincerest  thanks  for  the  trouble  they 
have  all  taken  to  secure  our  comfort,  and  the  kind  wel- 
come that  has  everywhere  greeted  us.  This  opportunity 
of  publicly  acknowledging  our  obligations  is  the  more  wel- 
come, by  reason  of  its  being  the  last  one  that  we  shall  have 
before  our  leaving  England.  Let  all,  then,  of  those  hearty 
friends  in  Canterbury,  or  in  the  other  parts  of  England 
which  we  have  visited,  take  this  assurance,  on  my  word — 


248         MEMOIR   OF  BISHOP  MACKENZIE. 

that  often  and  often  tlie  tliought  of  their  kindness  will  rise 
up  to  our  memory  in  days  to  come,  refreshing  lis  by  our 
knowledge  of  their  interest  in  our  well-being,  and  conscious 
that  we  have  their  prayers  for  our  success.  Yes,  and  many, 
too,  whose  names  I  could  not  now  mention,  will  be  restored 
to  our  memory  in  those  distant  parts,  and  we  shall  often 
think  with  gratitude  of  the  kind  farewell  they  gave  us  in 
England.  Before  sitting  down,  let  me  make  one  more  re- 
mai'k.  It  is  well  on  this,  as  on  all  other  occasions  like  the 
present,  to  have  some  definite  and  fixed  object,  by  which  we 
may  settle  in  our  minds  the  remembrance  of  this  day's 
gathering.  It  seems  to  me  that  the  most  practical  way  of 
doing  this  will  be  by  imitating  an  example  which  was  set  in 
another  part  of  England  some  years  ago,  and  which  met  with 
a  very  satisfactory  success.  They  formed  an  association  of 
the  friends  of  the  cause,  and  named  one  day  in  the  year  for 
a  general  meeting,  when  an  account  of  what  had  been  done 
during  the  past  twelve  months  was  produced.  Besides  this, 
they  subscribed  to  a  special  fund  for  some  particular  object 
having  to  do  with  the  cause;  and,  in  the  case  which  I  am 
mentioning,  they  raised  as  much  as  £50  a-year,  and  some- 
times £70.  It  may  be  objected  that  this  is  not  a  large 
amount.  But  the  money  is  not  the  prime  object  of  the  asso- 
ciation. It  is  rather  to  keep  alive  the  interest  in  the  cause, 
and  to  maintain  the  list  of  friends  to  it.  Now  I  think  that 
if  an  association  of  such  a  kind,  or  similar  to  it,  were  esta- 
blished here,  it  would  have  a  very  good  eflTect.  The  parti- 
culars I  presume  not  to  arrange.  The  day  of  meeting,  the 
object  for  which  a  special  fund  should  be  raised,  and  other 
details,  could  be  easily  settled  in  committee.  I  simply  throw 
out  the  hint ;  and  leave  it  to  you  to  take  it  \ip,  or  not,  as 
you  think  proper.  Once  more,  I  thank  you  heartily  for  all 
you  have  done  for  our  cause,  which  may  God  prosper ! 

In  the  evening  the  students  of  S.  Augustine's  Col- 
lesfe  were  assembled  in  the  hall  to  hear  addresses  from 


MISSION  TO  CENTRAL  AFRICA.  C49 

Archdeacon  Mackenzie  and  from  the  Bishops  of  Chi- 
chester and  Oxford.  It  was  the  last  public  occasion 
upon  which  Mackenzie  spoke  in  England;  I  have  no 
report  of  his  speech ;  but  I  remember  that  it  was  very 
practical  and  earnest,  and  seemed  to  me  to  carry  great 
weight  with  it  in  consequence  of  the  entire  self-forget- 
fulness  which  characterized  it.  In  the  Colonial  Church 
Chronicle  I  find  it  stated,  that  "Ai'chdeacon  Mackenzie 
impressed  on  his  hearers  the  absolute  necessity  of 
possessing  a  strong  and  living  faith,  upon  which,  he 
said,  the  whole  of  a  man's  usefulness  depended.  They 
must  look  entirely  to  God-given  strength,  if  they  would 
bear  up  against  the  obstacles  that  pressed  upon  them  in 
their  upward  and  onward  course." 

From  the  hall  the  whole  company  adjouiTied  to  the 
chapel,  where  the  proceedings  of  the  day  were  brought 
to  a  close  by  Evening  Prayer.  It  was  a  day  which  no 
one  can  forget ;  it  was  memorable  for  its  own  sake,  as 
exhibiting  a  great  outburst  of  Christian  life  from  the 
very  heart  of  the  Church  of  England;  it  would  have 
been  among  the  most  pleasing  of  the  reminiscences  of 
Mackenzie's  friends,  had  he  been  permitted  to  revisit 
this  country  and  to  talk  over  jDast  times;  as  it  is,  we 
may  still  venture  to  put  it  amongst  our  pleasing  though 
sad  recollections,  and  to  rejoice  that  we  were  permitted 
to  take  such  a  parting  leave  of  one  whom  in  this  world 
we  were  not  to  see  again. 

The  day  after  the  Canterbury  farewell  service  I  had 
the  pleasure  of  travelling  with  Mackenzie  to  London. 
Several  other  intimate  friends  were  of  the  party.  He 
was  happy  and  merry  as  ever ;  he  was  more  than  calm 


250         MEMOIR  OF  BISHOP  MACKENZIE. 

and  collected;  lie  gave  lookers-on  the  impression  that 
the  sacrifice  was  nothing,  and  that  there  was  nothing 
in  the  work  to  oppress  his  spirits.  It  would  have  been 
easy  to  make  the  party  gi-ave  and  serious,  but  in  his 
sunshiny  presence  it  seemed  impossible  to  be  otherwise 
than  joyous. 

In  London  we  attended  a  meeting  of  the  Committee 
at  the  house  of  the  Society  for  the  Propagation  of  the 
Gospel,  and  in  the  evening  he  started  with  his  sister 
and  a  party  of  considerable  magnitude,  consisting  chiefly 
of  members  of  the  mission,  for  Southampton.  It  was 
impossible  not  to  feel  that  in  all  probability  we  had 
seen  him  for  the  last  time  on  earth ;  happily,  it  may  be 
thought,  the  bustle  and  hurry  of  parting,  and  the  neces- 
sity for  attending  to  small  matters  of  business,  prevent 
the  mind  on  such  occasions  from  dwelling  upon  melan- 
choly forebodings.  But  what  if  we  did  not  meet  again? 
he  had  counted  the  cost :  who  could  desire  to  hold  him 
back  ? 

Mr  Hutt,  his  faithful  friend  and  secretary,  accom- 
panied him  to  Southampton.  He  has  been  kind  enough 
to  furnish  me  with  the  following  notice  of  Mackenzie's 
last  hours  in  England. 

"  I  will  try  and  sketch  as  nearly  as  I  can  the  pro- 
ceedings of  the  3rd  and  4th  of  October,  1860.  It  was 
on  the  3rd  that  we  all  dined  together  in  London.  You 
saw  me  start  with  two  cabs  heavily  laden  with  luggage. 
I  was  commissioned  to  take  tickets  for  all  the  party, 
in  order  to  have  as  little  extra  luggage  as  possible  to 
pay  for.  Mackenzie  came  as  the  train  was  starting, 
and  we  only  just  scrambled  into  the  carriages  in  time. 


MISSION  TO  CENTRAL  AFRICA.  251 

Bacon's  Railway  Hotel  was  the  place  at  which  we 
lodged  at  Southampton.  Mackenzie  and  I,  at  his  parti- 
cular request,  had  a  double-bedded  room,  as  he  thought 
I  might  help  him.  We  sat  up  till  three  in  the  morn- 
ing: during  most  of  the  time  after  midnight  he  was 
letter-writing,  or  giving  me  directions  for  the  settle- 
ment of  various  little  matters  which  he  had  not  had 
time  to  attend  to.  Three  or  four  times  he  ceased  for  a 
few  minutes  from  his  work,  and  wondered  when  he 
should  be  in  England  again ;  then,  checking  himself,  he 
would  say,  "  Well,  I  wish  to  place  myself  altogether  in 
God's  hands :  He  knows  what  is  best  for  me,  and  I  trust 
that  what  we  call  the  worst  will  be  but  a  summons  to 
our  lasting  home."  (I  would  say  that  Mackenzie  seemed 
to  have  a  kind  of  presentiment  that  he  should  never 
return  to  England.  I  remember  that  at  Brighton,  on 
October  1st,  he  came  to  my  bedside  at  about  seven 
in  the  morning,  and  asked  me  to  go  down  to  the  beach, 
and  bathe  with  him.  I  did  not  care  to  do  so :  when  he 
said  very  earnestly.  Do  come  :  I  shall  jDrobably  never 
ask  you  again,  and  you  may  feel  sorry  to  have  refused 
me  my  last  request.  He  was  so  sad  and  earnest  that  I 
could  not  refrain  from  doing  as  he  wished.)  We  were 
up  by  seven  in  the  morning,  and  went  to  the  docks  to 
see  the  vessel  and  inquire  about  two  puppies  that  had 
been  sent  from  Scotland.  Though  he  was  very  much 
pressed  for  time,  he  took  pains  to  see  that  his  dumb 
friends  were  made  as  comfortable  as  possible.  Fanc}ang 
that  they  were  hungry,  he  hunied  back  to  the  inn,  pro- 
cured a  large  basin  of  bread  and  milk,  and  carried  it  in 
his  owTi  hands  through  the   streets  of  Southampton, 


253         MEMOIR  OF  BISHOP  MACKENZIE. 

because  a  messenger  was  not  at  once  obtainable.  The 
whole  party  breakfasted  together.  From  that  time  till 
going  on  board  he  was  comforting  the  friends  of  those 
who  were  going  with  him.  He  asked  me  not  to  remain 
with  him  till  the  last,  as  he  would  like  to  have  '  quiet 
thoughts  with  his  own  heart'  when  he  was  actually 
starting.  I  was  so  busily  engaged  in  looking  after  lug- 
gage and  paying  fares  and  dock-charges,  that  I  had  not 
very  much  time  for  talking  with  dear  Mackenzie,  but 
there  seemed  to  be  an  undercurrent  of  sadness,  which 
at  times  almost  carried  him  away  from  what  he  was 
endeavouring  to  do  with  his  whole  heart." 

The  mission  party  which  sailed  with  Bishop  Mac- 
kenzie consisted  of  the  following  persons :  the  Rev. 
L.  J.  Procter ;  the  Rev.  H.  C.  Scudamore ;  IVIi-  Horace 
Waller,  the  lay  superintendent ;  S.  A.  Gamble,  a  car- 
penter ;  and  Alfred  Adams,  an  agricultural  labourer. 
The  sister,  who  accompanied  him  in  his  first  voyage  to 
Africa,  was  again  his  companion  in  this  second  and  (as 
it  proved)  final  voyage. 


CHAPTER    IX. 


CONSECRATION  AT   CAPE  TOWN. 


The  Cambrian  steamer,  which  carried  the  mission  party, 
left  Plymouth  for  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  on  the  6th 
of  October,  and  arrived  after  an  uneventful  voyage,  on 
November  12. 

There  is  little  to  be  said  concerning  the  voyage. 
Public  worship  was  celebrated  on  board  every  morning; 
and,  in  the  evening,  the  mission  party  had  family 
prayers ;  on  Sunday,  two  services  with  sermon ;  and  on 
one  Sunday  the  Holy  Communion  was  administered. 
The  Missionaries  employed  themselves  in  studying  the 
Sechuana  language,  not  because  they  had  much  hope 
that  this  dialect  would  be  intelligible  in  the  valley  c  f 
the  Shire,  but  because  it  appears  to  be  more  generally 
known  than  any  other,  and  therefore  almost  certain  to 
prove  of  utility  in  Southern  Africa,  either  directly  or 
indirectly.  It  has  been  called  the  French  of  South 
Africa.  They  did  not  however  make  much  progress  : 
their  time  was  short,  and  their  appliances  imperfect,  no 
dictionary,  and  no  complete  grammar ;  still,  with  a  Bible, 
and   Concordance,  they  managed  to  learn  something. 


254         MEMOIR  OF  BISHOP  MACKENZIE. 

Mackenzie  also  prepared  himself  for  his  future  life  by 
accustoming  himself  to  take  astronomical  observations. 

It  is  unnecessary  to  say  that  the  party  was  cordially 
received  by  the  Bishop  of  Cape  Town.  The  Bishop 
had  most  kindly  arranged  for  receiving  all,  some  at  his 
own  residence  of  Bishopscourt,  and  some  at  the  Kafir 
College.  Thus  the  Missionaries  found  one  more  quiet 
and  peaceful  resting-place,  before  their  more  active 
labours  should  commence.  It  was  necessary  to  make  a 
sojourn  of  some  length  ;  arrangements  were  to  be  made 
for  the  consecration  of  Mackenzie  as  Bishop,  and  these 
arrangements  involved  the  arrival  at  the  Cape  of  at 
least  two  out  of  the  Bishops  of  Graham's  Town,  Natal, 
and  S.  Helena ;  and  in  fact,  as  will  be  seen,  Mackenzie 
was  not  able  to  proceed  on  his  voyage  till  the  com- 
mencement of  the  following  year. 

This  delay  was  of  course  a  source  of  grief  to  the 
missionary  party ;  they  had,  however,  the  great  satis- 
faction of  finding  on  their  arrival  at  Cape  Town  that 
news  had  been  received  from  Dr  Livingstone,  who  had 
heard  of  the  mission,  and  had  undertaken  to  meet  the 
Bishop  and  his  party  at  the  Kongone  mouth  of  the 
Zambesi,  and  conduct  them  himself  to  the  scene  of 
their  future  labours.  Moreover,  the  time  spent  at  the 
Cape  was  not  lost :  they  were  able  to  consult  more 
definitely  than  hitherto  as  to  the  details  of  their  plans, 
and  to  take  advice  from  the  Bishop  of  Cape  Town,  and 
the  Governor,  Sir  George  Grey.  One  question,  which 
the  Missionaries  discussed  earnestly  at  this  time,  must 
be  recorded,  on  account  of  its  bearing  upon  some  events 
which  will  be  subsequently  related.     The  question  was 


CONSECRATION  AT  CAPE  TOIVN.  255 

asked,  what  should  the  Missionaries  do,  if  they  should 
find  that  the  people  amongst  whom  they  should  settle 
should  after  a  time  prove  unfriendly  ?  Should  they  hold 
their  position  by  force  ?  Should  they  defend  themselves 
against  attack?  It  was  ajn'eed  that  it  would  not  be 
their  duty  to  hold  forcible  possession,  that  they  were 
preachers  of  the  Gospel  of  peace,  and  that  if  they  found 
their  position  untenable,  except  by  violence,  it  would 
be  their  duty  to  abandon  it,  and  seek  another.  The 
reader  is  particularly  requested  to  observe  that  a  col- 
lision with  the  natives  was  contemplated  from  the  first 
as  a  possible  contingency,  and  that  in  case  of  such  a 
misfortune  a  pacific  retreat  was  agreed  upon  as  the 
right  course  of  conduct  to  be  pursued. 

During  the  delay  at  the  Cape,  Mackenzie  wrote  a 
few  letters,  some  of  which  I  will  here  produce.  The 
first  is  to  his  sister  in  Natal. 

LETTER  LXIX. 

BiSHOPSCOuiiT,  Cape  Town, 

Nov.   17,   1S60. 
Dear , 

I  am  very  thankful  for  the  very  prosperous  voyage 
with  which  our  good  Father  has  blessed  us,  pleasant  and 
(I  trust)  not  unprofitable.  "We  have  been  studying  Sechuana, 
without  previous  knowledge,  without  dictionary,  and  almost 
without  grammar.  The  sketch  which  Livingstone  left  be- 
hind him,  and  of  which  Murray  the  publisher  sent  me  a 
copy  as  a  present,  thovigh  it  was  not  a  published  book,  was 
not  a  gi'ammar.  Our  mainstay  was  Moffat's  Bible  and  a 
Concordance.      So  that  our  knowledge  is  as  imperfect  as 

,  and  not  nearly  so  full.     Still  we  got  through  eight  or 

ten  verses  of  II  Chronicles  and  forty-five  of  Psalm  Ixxviii., 


256         MEMOIR  OF  BISHOP  MACKENZIE. 

leaving  not  many  points  unclarified, — unbotanized, — really 
it  is  very  like  botanizing  tlie  language.  We  must  keep  thi.-, 
up,  though  the  value  of  it  will  be  only  like  that  of  knowing 
French  in  Italy.  I  believe  Sechuana  is  more  generally 
understood  by  an  individual  here  and  there  than  any  other 
dialect.  Livingstone  speaks  of  the  "  Kafir  or  Zulu  family 
extending  right  up  to  the  Zambesi.  They  are  known  there 
as  Landeens  or  Landuns."  He  means  up  to  the  river  along 
the  coast.  I  do  not  expect  however  that  they  speak  pure 
Zulu.  Livingstone's  letters  are  most  hearty.  He  says  for 
want  of  a  better  steamer  he  was  compelled  to  go  up  the 
Shire.  "  Cautious  reverence  is  required  in  ascribing  human 
movements  to  the  influences  of  Divine  Providence  :  but  hav- 
ing been  prevented  ascending  to  the  Makololo  country,  and 
led  very  much  against  our  will  into  a  region  we  never  con- 
templated exploring,  and  there  found  a  field  exactly  suited 
for  your  mission,  I  really  think  that  the  prayerful  move- 
ment of  so  many  pious  hearts  at  the  Universities  has  had 
something  to  do  with  the  direction  of  our  steps."  That  is 
good  :  is  it  not  ? 


The  next  letter  is  a  long  one,  but  I  think  of  suffi- 
cient interest  to  claim  a  place  here.  It  contains  an 
account  of  a  visit  made  by  some  of  the  mission  party 
to  a  Moravian  mission  station.  The  account  is  in- 
teresting in  itself,  and  may  also  be  interesting  to  the 
reader,  (doubtless  it  was  regarded  in  this  light  by 
Mackenzie,)  as  an  example  of  successful  work,  carried 
out  upon  the  principle  of  combining  the  higher  truths 
of  Christian  faith  and  worship  with  a  systematic  edu- 
cation of  the  African  mind  in  the  arts  of  civilized  life. 


CONSECRATION  AT  CAPE  TOWN.  257 

LETTER  LXX. 

Gnadendal,  Cape  of  Good  Hope, 

December  5,   Wednesday. 

I  write  a  few  lines  in  anticipation  of  the  mail.  This  is 
a  Moravian  mission  station,  probably  the  most  flourishing 
which  they  have  in  any  part  of  the  world. 

We  left  Cape  Town  on  Monday  morning  and  got  here 
(eighty  miles)  yesterday  afternoon.  Our  party  was  the  Dean 
of  Cape  Town,  Procter,  Scudamore,  Waller,  myself,  and  Bell, 
the  last  a  lad  of  16,  our  fellow-passenger  in  the  Canibrmn. 
For  thirty-five  miles  we  went  over  a  flat  sandy  tract,  leaving 
the  wonderful  view  of  Table  Mountain  behind  us,  and  as  we 
went  about  East  we  passed  False  Bay  on  our  right.  About 
thirty  miles  from  Cape  Town  is  Somerset,  a  village  chiefly 
Dutch,  where  we  dined.  We  were  all,  (seven,  including  the 
driver,)  in  a  covered  light  cart,  with  three  seats,  one  behind 
another,  and  all  on  two  wheels,  with  four  horses,  which  have 
come  all  the  way,  and  are  to  take  us  back.  We  outspanned 
halfway  to  Somerset,  and  then  stai*ted  again  about  four  p.m., 
first  over  a  pass  900  or  1000  feet  high,  and  then  on  rising 
and  falling  ground,  till  about  nine  at  night.  You  may 
fancy  how  we  tried  the  springs,  and  how  often  we  came 
down  bump  upon  the  axletree,  having  compressed  the  springs 
as  far  as  they  could  go.  We  started  in  first-rate  spirits,  and 
ended  cheerful,  but  subdued.  After  supper  and  prayers  we 
retired,  two  to  a  bed-room,  four  to  shake-downs  in  the  par- 
lour, but  not  all  to  rest.  I  slept  well  myself;  but  in  the 
morning  there  was  a  joke  against  those  who  had  been  half- 
devoured,  that  they  would  require  only  half  a  breakfast. 
We  started  at  7.30  :  earlier  this  time  than  the  day  before, 
when  four  of  us  had  to  come  from  Bishop's  Court,  six  miles, 
before  starting.  We  ofi'-saddled  half  way,  and  got  here  about 
three  or  four  p.  M. 

As   you  approach  you  pass  some  hundreds  of  acres  of 
oats,  &c.,  the  produce  of  the  labour  of  the  people.     Then  the 

17 


258 


MEMOIR  OF  BISHOP  MACKENZIE. 


valley  lies  before  you ;  the  hills  become  higher ;  till  at  length 
the  valley  becomes  a  hloof,  that   is,  quite  a  narrow  space 
between  high  rocks.     From  this  kloof,  aided  by  two  little 
valleys   one  on  each  side,   flows  the  stream  to  which  the 
place  owes  the  goodness  of  its  situation.     The  fresh  gi-een 
foliage  of  countless  trees  and  gi-een  crops,  which  quite  cover 
the  ground,  was  most  refreshing  after  the  two  days'  drive 
through  the  dry  burnt-up  country  we  had  passed.     As  we 
drove  up  the  right-hand  side  of  the  valley  we  continued  for 
more  than  a  mile  passing  on  our  left  the  cultivated  gardens 
of  the  people,  which  occupy  the  centre,  and  on  our  right 
houses,  which  improved  in  appearance  as  we  approached  the 
head  of  the  valley,  where  are  the  church  and  school  and  the 
dwellings  of  the  brethren.     The  doors  in  the  first  cottages 
we  saw  were  made  of  reeds,  kept  together  by  three  hori- 
zontal spars  in  front  and  as  many  behind,  fastened  at  their 
ends  to   the  hinge-posts;    these  were  replaced  half  a  mile 
further  on  by  neatly  made  doors  in  cottages  having  well- 
finished  windows  and  a  framework  stretching  some  five  feet 
from  the  eaves,  with  festoons  of  vines,  the  clusters  giving 
promise  of  good  grapes  in  two  or  three  months.      When  we 
got  to  the  head  place,  we  found  before  us  a  lofty  building, 
large  enough  for  1000  persons,  the  church. 


10 


_  -6 

'\1 


VI 


CONSECRATION  AT  CAPE  TOWN.  259 

The  sketcli  gives  the  different  buildings ;  the  arrow- 
shewing  where  we  alighted,  and  how  we  were  facing 

1.  The  church. 

2.  The  dining-room. 

3.  Room  behind  it. 

4.  The  kitchen. 

5.  A  set  of  dwellings  for  the  brethren  :  each  family  has 
two  or  three  rooms. 

6.  The  boys'  and  girls'  school. 

7.  The  carpenter's  shop. 

8.  Wheel  wi'ight. 

9.  Blacksmith. 

10.  Mill. 

1 1 .  Training-school. 

12.  Guest-house. 

This  last  consists  of  a  large  common-room,  twenty-two 
feet  square,  with  four  bed-rooms.  We  were  at  once  welcomed 
by  the  Warden,  had  coffee,  and  saw  the  workshops.  In  the 
carpenter's  shop  were  three  lads  of  18,  under  the  instruction 
of  a  paid  coloured  artizan,  the  whole  being  under  the  direc- 
tion of  one  of  the  brethren,  of  whom  there  are  nine.  In  the 
blacksmith's  shop,  a  tall  man  with  two  assistants  was  weld- 
ing the  tire  of  a  wheel.  Thence  we  went  to  the  garden, 
about  an  acre  of  ground,  in  beautifully  clean  order.  They 
commonly  grow  three  crops  of  potatoes  in  a  year  on  the 
same  ground,  sometimes  four.  In  the  middle  was  a  pear- 
tree,  under  which  we  heard  some  of  the  early  history  of  the 
mission. 

It  was  founded  by  George  Schmidt  in  1737.  For  seven 
years  he  worked,  and  then  returned  home  to  stir  up  greater 
interest  in  the  mission.  The  Dutch  Government  refused  him 
permission  to  return,  having  a  jealousy  of  missions  in 
general.  It  was  not  till  1792  that  missionaries  were 
allowed  to  come.  Schmidt  was  then  dead,  but  the  three 
brethren  who  came  found  an  old  woman,  now  blind,  who 
nevertheless  treasured  the   Dutch  New  Testament,   which 

17—2 


26o         MEMOIR  OF  BISHOP  MACKENZIE. 

Schmidt  had  given  her,  and  which  she  had  read  till  her 
sight  failed  her.  I  saw  to-day  that  New  Testament,  kept  in 
a  wooden  box,  made  of  the  wood  of  the  old  pear-tree  which 
Schmidt  planted,  and  which  lived  till  1836,  (100  years,) 
when  it  was  replaced  by  another,  under  which  we  stood. 
Thence  we  went  to  their  burial  ground, — graves  marked 
No.  2367,  and  such  numbers.  They  have  now  a  population 
of  3000  coloured  people,  chiefly  Hottentots  :  during  two 
months  lately  they  had  sixty  burials,  chiefly  children,  owing 
to  measles.  There  was  an  open  gi-ave,  and  we  learned  that 
two  childi-en  were  to  be  buried  at  sundown,  and  obtained 
permission  to  be  present.  Thence  to  the  training  school  : 
nineteen  lads,  some  from  other  mission  stations.  The  school 
was  not  at  woi-k  :  but  we  saw  the  printing  press  and  some 
of  its  later  productions  :  this  has  been  here  for  a  year  only : 
we  saw  also  the  room  in  which  the  lads  sleep,  their  dining- 
room,  sitting-room,  &c.  I  have  omitted  the  mill  and  the 
tannery.  The  former  is  used  not  only  for  the  brethren,  and 
for  the  people  of  the  valley,  who  bring  sacks  of  wheat  and 
receive  a  tally,  the  duplicate  of  which  is  put  on  the  sack, 
paying  so  much  for  the  grinding ;  but  also  some  of  the 
farmers  are  glad  to  send  several  miles  to  have  their  wheat 
ground.  In  the  tannery  is  used  the  bark  not  only  of  oak, — 
the  quality  is  not  so  good  as  in  England, — but  also  of  mi- 
mosa and  of  a  small  plant  called  protea.  They  tan  chiefly 
sheep-skins. 

About  sunset  several  of  us  went  to  the  funeral.  We 
entered  the  lofty  church  :  in  the  middle  of  one  long  side, 
between  the  windows,  is  a  kind  of  dais,  with  a  principal 
seat  in  the  middle  :  here  sits  the  brother,  who  is  to  conduct 
the  service,  a  table  in  front  of  him,  and  the  brethren  on  each 
side.  In  the  body  of  the  building  seats  for  the  people, 
occupying  the  whole  space,  except  the  bases  of  two  large 
pUlars,  which  help  to  support  the  roof  A  gallery  runs 
round  three  sides  :  an  organ  was  played  by  a  Kafir  boy. 
First  they  sang  a  hymn,  all  sitting :  it  was  in  Dutch,  so 


CONSECRATION  AT  CAPE  TOWN.  261 

I  could  not  undei'stand  it :  but  the  sight  of  sixty  or  seventy- 
natives,  joining  in  the  singing, — the  thought  that  here  in 
the  time  of  their  deep  distress  they  were  being  brought  to 
the  source  of  all  comfort,  and  that  we  (please  God)  were 
going  soon  to  preach  the  same  glad  tidings  to  the  poor 
natives  of  the  Shire  valleys, — brought  tears  to  my  eyes. 
The  addi-ess  was  on  the  21st  or  22nd  chapter  of  Revelation  : 
the  name  of  the  Lamb  coming  often  in  the  reading  of  it, 
and  the  name  of  Jesus  oftener  in  the  exposition.  It  was 
the  Warden  who  officiated, — a  simple,  earnest  man.  Then 
a  hymn  :  then  they  all  rose,  formed  a  semicircle  in  the  couit, 
with  the  minister  at  the  apex,  the  men  and  women  at  the 
two  sides,  the  two  little  coffins,  each  on  its  own  bier,  at  the 
centre,  touching  the  wall.  Again  they  sang:  this  time  only 
four  lines  :  and  then  proceeded  to  the  grave-yard.  We  went 
another  way.  They  laid  the  coffins  on  the  ground  beside 
tlie  graves,  the  minister  standing  on  the  western  side  of  the 
graveyard,  the  people  standing  upon  the  path  which  sur- 
rounded it,  the  whole  space  within  being  thickly  covered 
with  mounds.  Again  a  service,  with  responses  from  the 
congregation,  and  during  the  latter  of  two  verses  of  a  hymn 
the  coffins  were  lowered,  one  after  the  other,  by  the  lads 
from  the  training-school,  who  had  been  the  bearers.  After 
the  service  the  mothers  came  near  :  one,  taking  a  spade, 
threw  three  or  four  spadefulls  which  fell  heavily  on  the 
coffin ;  then  the  other  did  the  same.  We  came  away,  and 
I  had  hardly  firmness  to  speak  to  Scudamore,  as  we  passed 
through  the  old  churchyard,  of  the  joy  of  leading  men  and 
women  in  life  and  death  to  Him  !  We  soon  had  supper,  and 
were  glad  immediately  after  to  go  to  bed. 

It  is  their  custom  to  meet  in  their  common-room  about 
5.30,  for  short  family  prayers  and  a  cup  of  coffi^e  before 
church  at  5.45.  This  morning,  my  watch  being  a  quarter 
slower  than  their  time,  and  having  slept  soundly  till  I  was 
awakened,  I  was  too  late  for  their  family  prayers ;  but  we 
joined  them  at  church.     None  of  the  sisters  were  present, 


263         MEMOIR  OF  BISHOP  MACKENZIE. 

and  not  all  the  brethren  :  about  sixty  or  seventy  people. 
It  is  harvest  time,  and  many  are  out  at  work  for  the  far- 
mers. 

We  returned  to  the  guest-house  till  eight,  when  we  were 
to  be  summoned  to  breakfast  :  I  fell  asleep  again.  This 
principle  of  the  guest-house  pleased  me  much.  We  are  here 
not  wasting  their  time  when  they  are  busy.  They  can 
devote  as  much  time  as  they  please  to  entertaining  us,  and 
they  have  not  allowed  us  to  feel  solitary. 

After  breakfast  we  saw  the  retail  Shop,  which  sells  about 
X800  worth  of  goods  per  annum,  the  Dispensary,  and  the 
working  of  the  Training  School.  This  is  supported  by  a 
separate  foundation,  some  German  Prince  having  about 
twenty-five  years  ago  given  money  for  the  purpose,  with  the 
condition  that  they  should  always  take  at  least  five  boys 
from  other  stations  besides  their  own.  The  whole  costs  the 
Moravian  funds  nothing.  Excellent  and  wonderful  answers 
in  Scripture  and  Geography  were  given.  Some  of  them 
played  on  the  piano  well  :  on  the  violin,  not  so  well.  They 
sang  some  songs — such  as  "  Rule  Britannia,"  which  they  un- 
derstood. 

After  this  we  climbed  a  shoulder  of  the  hill  to  look  at 
the  village  from  above.  There  are  about  400  acres  culti- 
vated as  gardens,  irrigated  on  a  regular  system,  each  man 
having  the  water  for  a  certain  time  during  the  week.  The 
general  view  of  the  village  was  very  pretty :  below  us  the 
long  row  of  houses,  each  with  its  garden  beyond  it,  with 
neatly  arranged  beds  of  mealies,  beans,  wheat,  oats,  or  po- 
tatoes :  the  hedgerows  of  quince,  or  roses,  and  a  great  num- 
ber of  fruit-trees,  which  only  needed  to  be  in  bloom  to  com- 
plete the  picture  of  rich  abundance.  Descending  the  hill, 
we  went  into  one  or  two  of  the  houses :  in  one  was  a  tailor, 
busy  with  a  waistcoat  for  one  of  his  neighbours :  of  course 
he  was  paid  for  his  work,  and  the  brother  who  was  with  us 
pointed  to  his  own  waistcoat  and  lower  garments  as  speci- 
mens of  this  man's  skill.     In  another  house  we  found  three 


CONSECRATION  AT  CAPE   TOWN.  263 

women,  one  baking  in  the  huge  Dutch  oven";  the  produce  to 
be  divided  between  herself  and  the  owner  of  the  house.  In 
another  was  a  girl  of  ten  on  a  sofa,  having  an  attack  of  fever. 
The  floors  were  all  of  clay.  The  ceilings  were  of  strong 
reeds  laid  above  the  beams ;  over  these  a  layer  of  clay,  two  or 
three  inches  thick,  which  formed  the  floor  of  a  granary  and 
store-room  in  the  roof.  Each  bouse  had  two  or  three  rooms : 
the  sitting-room  about  ten  feet  square,  and  the  walls  about 
nine  feet  high. 

The  dinner,  at  12,  was  a  substantial  meal:  soup,  small 
joints  and  roulettes  of  minced  meat,  with  potatoes  and  beans, 
stewed  preserved  apples  and  peaches,  a  roly-poly  pudding, 
good  brownish  bread,  with  water  or  a  glass  or  two  of  local 
wine.  It  was  a  long  table,  for  we  were  ourselves  an  addi- 
tion of  six  pei-sons,  besides  Mr ,  the  botanical  professor 

in  Cape  Town,  to  their  regular  party  of  fourteen.  They 
usually  arrange  themselves  so  that  husband  and  wife  shall 
sit  together;  while  we  were  there,  the  chief  brethren  sat 
with  us  at  the  upper  end,  leaving  the  other  almost  exclu- 
sively for  the  ladies.  The  wives  take  it  in  turns  to  superin- 
tend the  kitchen  department. 

But  the  most  striking  part  of  the  arrangement  was  the 
grace.  As  at  the  Umlazi,  where  I  so  liked  to  join  in  the 
chanted  Kafir  grace,  so  here,  at  dinner  and  supper  they 
began  and  ended  by  singing  a  grace.  The  Warden,  who 
took  the  top  of  the  table,  and  on  whose  left  hand  I  always 
found  myself,  started  the  air,  which  was  immediately  taken 
up  by  the  women,  but  almost  overpowered  by  the  deep  bass 
notes  of  all  the  men.  I  am  sorry  I  forgot  to  ask  for  the 
words  and  meaning  of  these  acts  of  thanksgiving.  I  should 
have  liked  to  have  joined  with  them,  and  to  have  remem- 
bered them  afterwards.  After  dinner  most  of  us  returned 
to  the  guest-house,  and  I  began  this  letter  to  you.  It  re- 
ceived some  additions  this  morning  (Friday,  December  7)  at 
Somerset,  on  our  way  home,  and  is  now  being  finished  at 
Bishop's  Coui't. 


Z64         MEMOIR  OF  BISHOP' MACKENZIE. 

After  tea,  to  wMch  we  were  summoned  at  4  by  the 
bell,  we  again  strolled  out  to  see  tbe  irrigation  of  some  of 
the  gardens,  and  the  condition  of  one  or  two  of  the  best  of 
them.  I  do  not  know  whether  the  gi'ound  was  originally 
chosen  with  a  view  to  the  irrigation,  but  cei*tainly  the  water 
may  be  said  to  be  the  life  of  the  place.  I  made  further 
acquaintance  with  it  by  bathing  in  a  shaded  pool,  much  to 
my  comfort  and  refreshment,  before  Church,  for  which  the 
bell  rang  about  sundown.  There  were  about  the  same 
number  as  before  of  the  coloured  people,  with  one  or  two  of 
the  brethren,  and  our  whole  party,  but  none  of  the  sisters. 
I  was  disappointed  in  not  seeing  them  more  anxious  to  join 
in  worship.  The  service  consists  chiefly  of  singing  and  read- 
ing. This  evening  the  22nd  chapter  of  Genesis  was  the 
subject,  and  a  longish  discourse  was  founded  upon  it,  lasting 
15  or  20  minutes.  The  music  was  touching:  there  was  a 
short  prayer  before  the  dismissal. 

I  had  thought  once  or  twice,  during  our  short  stay  at 
this  Mission,  whether  it  would  be  worth  while  for  us  to  get 
one  or  two  of  their  trained  lads  to  join  our  mission  to  the 
Shire.  I  spoke  to  the  Warden,  asking  whether  if  I  wished 
it,  it  would  be  likely  to  be  possible.  He  did  not  encourage 
the  idea,  saying  he  did  not  know  whether  the  boys  would 
like  it :  some  of  them  were  being  educated  for  other  Chris- 
tian bodies,  and  in  fact  of  those  who  were  now  being  taught 
trades  none  were  eligible. 

By  this  time  it  was  time  for  supper,  8  o'clock :  after  this 
we  parted  for  the  night.  I  received,  besides  two  specimens 
of  their  printing,  a  copy  of  the  rules  of  the  institution,  a 
lithogi-aph  of  the  view  of  the  valley  from  the  hill,  and  a 
photogi-aph  of  the  19  boys  in  the  training  school:  besides 
which  I  bought  a  knife  and  fork,  the  handles  of  which  were 
made  from  the  wood  of  the  old  pear-tree.  We  were  to  start 
next  moi-ning  by  6,  and  were  ready  by  6.30.  By  this  time 
the  brethren  had  come  from  Church,  and  their  earnest  part- 
ing words  of  "  God  bless  you,  give  you  a  good  joui-ney,"  will 


CONSECRATION  AT  CAPE  TOWN.  26^ 

live  with  us,  I  trust.     I  believe  they  were  in  earnest,  when 
they  said  that  our  visit  had  been  a  pleasure  to  them. 

On  the  whole  this  has  been  a  most  eujoyable  visit,  and 
we  have  seen  and  heard  many  things  which  will  be  useful. 
I  found  myself  two  or  three  times  thinking  of  Gnadendal 
as  a  realization  of  the  Happy  Yalley :  not  that  I  forgot  that 
there  was  still  much  of  contact  with  the  outer  world,  and 
also  much  sin  and  unhappiness  in  the  midst  of  them  :  but 
when  one  compared  their  present  state  with  their  state  in 
heathenism  and  barbarism,  one  could  not  help  blessing  God, 
and  praying  that  we  might  be  allowed  to  reclaim  some  of 
the  wandering  sheep  fiu'ther  north,  and  give  them  the 
blessings  of  order  and  holiness.  Certainly  much  is  done  at 
wonderfully  Kttle  expense.  The  brethren  are  sent  out  from 
Europe,  but  receive  nothing  from  home  for  their  mainten- 
ance. Gnadendal  is  not  only  self-supporting,  but  contri- 
butes to  the  support  of  the  younger  and  less  flourishing 
missions  of  South  Africa :  so  that  as  a  body  they  are  self- 
supporting.  This  is  brought  about  by  the  profits  on  the 
workshops  and  the  retail  shop.  In  the  former,  pupils  and 
hired  men  of  colour  work  under  the  superintendence  of  the 
white  men,  thus  learning  the  trade  and  at  the  same  time 
bringing  revenue  to  the  Institution.  Then  work  is  done 
for  the  inhabitants  of  the  valley,  and  for  the  Dutch  farmers 
in  the  neighbourhood ;  and  their  work  is  so  good  that  I 
am  told  pruning-knives  have  been  made  in  Birmingham, 
with  the  Gnadendal  stamp  to  secure  them  a  better  sale 
among  the  farmers.  In  the  retail  shop  there  is  of  course  a 
profit,  which  may  come  to  something  on  sales  to  the  amount 
of  £800  a-year.  Then  there  is  the  doctor,  who  on  suitable 
occasions  charges  for  his  drugs,  and  the  fees  which  the  far- 
mers pay  for  his  visits  go  to  the  general  fund.  This  is  ex- 
actly the  scheme  I  had  in  my  mind  for  our  work :  every 
workman  a  soui'ce  of  revenue.  Again,  the  economy  is  con- 
siderable. The  expense  of  supplying  the  table  is  at  £iO 
a-year  for  each  couple,  (putting  with  each  a  proportion  of 


266         MEMOIR  OF  BISHOP  MACKENZIE. 

the  children;)  so  that,  including  everything,  even  the  £1 
a-year  which  each  couple  receives  in  cash,  the  cost  is  about 
£90,  and  this  in  a  country  in  which  a  clergyman  and  his 
wife  find  it  hard  to  get  on  with  less  than  £250.  The  differ- 
ence is  perhaps  partly  due  to  the  simplicity  of  their  man- 
ners, but  partly  to  their  living  in  common,  as  well  as  to  the 
excellent  domestic  economy  of  the  sisters.  I  hope  we  fchall 
find  an  estimate  of  £100  a-year  for  each  European  to  be 
over  the  mark.  The  main  secret  of  the  success  of  these  men, 
I  think,  is  that  they  are  well  chosen  for  their  work,  and  that 
their  heart  is  in  it.  They  have  no  visions  of  returning  home, 
no  dreams  of  rising  to  something  higher.  I  believe  it  may 
be  truly  said  that  their  aim  is  to  promote  the  glory  of  God, 
and  to  advance  the  happiness  and  good  of  their  fellowmen. 
May  we  go  and  do  likewise  ! 

I  give  one  more  letter  wiitten  at  this  period.  It 
is  to  a  very  dear  friend  in  Cambridge.  It  is  a  good 
specimen  of  the  warmth  of  Mackenzie's  feelings,  and 
at  the  same  time  shews  with  how  much  pleasure  to 
himself  he  could  have  resumed  a  life,  which  he  had 
thought  right  to  abandon  for  the  sake  of  Christ  and 
His  Gospel. 

LETTER  LXXI. 

Bishop's  Coubt,  Cape  Town, 

Dec.  12,  i85o. 
My  dear  , 

Though  we  are  so  far  pax-ted,  and  are  likely  to  be 
so  long,  this  seems  to  me  only  to  bring  you  the  closer  to  me 
in  my  heart,  and  in  my  longing  desire  for  yoiir  happiness 
and  highest  good.  And  first,  I  may  pray  for  you,  as  I  do, 
that  God  our  Father  would  keep  you  in  His  safe  protection 
and  guide  you.  But  I  am  also  anxious  you  should  get  into 
some  really  useful  and  directly  ministerial  work :  the  more 
I  think  of  it,  the  more  I  think  College  is  not  the  place  for  you, 


CONSECRATION  AT  CAPE  TOWN.  267 

and  though  the  College  and  University  have  a  claim  on  their 
sons,  yet  not  to  the  injury  or  real  loss  of  the  persons  themselves. 
*  *  *  It  is  one  of  the  hardest  places  to  be  a  clergyman 
in.  Elsewhere  people  expect  you  to  be  a  clergyman ;  the 
influence  of  the  atmosphere  around  you  helps  to  brace  you 
up.  In  Cambridge  there  are  many  clergy  who  don't  care  to 
live  as  such,  and  this  has  lowered  the  standard  of  public 

opinion. would  say,  they  ought  not  to  be  obliged  to 

take  orders.  Well,  that  is  not  the  question  now :  you  will  ask 
gently,  "but  Mackenzie,  is  that  a  reasonfor  my  running  away  1 " 
I  think  in  yotxr  case  it  is.  I  do  really  and  honestly  think  you 
want  covintry  work,  parish  work,  the  work  of  feeding  yourself 
and  the  flock  which  the  Great  Shepherd  through  the  agency 
of  His  Church  shall  commit  to  you,  with  the  food  you  will 
draw  practically  from  the  Bible.  I  know  what  it  is  to  pa^s 
from  Cambridge  to  actual  ministerial  duty,  engaging  undi- 
vided attention.  I  like  mathematics;  I  liked  teaching;  and 
yet  I  felt  the  change  like  a  breathing  of  fresh  aii-,  like  work- 
ing at  a  thing  my  heart  was  engaged  upon ;  I  am  still  fond 
of  mathematics,  (I  came  across  Childer's  Caustics  of  Reflexion 
and  Ray  Surfaces,  and  worked  out  some  of  the  propositions 
yesterday,  for  ten  minutes  before  dinner,)  but  my  real  best 
self  is  wrapped  up  in  the  hope  of  rescuing  some  of  God's 
•wandering  sheep,  with  souls  to  rejoice  in  Him  and  glorify 
Him,  from  the  darkness  and  the  sin  in  which  they  now  are. 
And  I  want  you  to  be  actively  and  simply  and  humbly 
working  in  the  same  sort  of  way,  not  only  because  it  is  so 
blessed,  but  because  I  do  really  think  it  would  be  good  for 
you,  and  wovild  be  the  way  to  make  you  see  clearly  and 
rejoice  in  the  light  of  God's  countenance.  Please  think 
carefully  of  this,  and  God  guide  you  aright. 


Did  you  ever  think  of  this  easy  problem  ?  "  Compare 
the  spaces  described  by  two  jDoints  on  the  rims  of  the  fore 
and  hind  wheels  of  a  carriage,  running  on  a  road  such  a 


2(58         MEMOIR  OF  BISHOP  MACKENZIE. 

distance  that  tlie  points  start  together  from  the  ground,  and 
arrive  together  on  the  ground."  The  spaces  are  evidently 
equal. 

"What  is  the  locus  of  the  foci  of  reflected  pencils  of 
light,  the  incident  pencils  being  small  parallel  pencils,  and 
falling  in  any  direction  on  a  reflecting  curve?"  (I  mean  all 
in  one  plane).  Answer:  A  cii'cle  touching  the  reflecting 
curve,  and  passing  through  its  principal  focus.  (How  wretch- 
edly confused  I  am  in  expressing  these  things  !) 

Again  :  "  The  shaft  by  which  rotatory  motion  is  carried 
from  an  engine  of  given  horse-power  to  the  work  to  be 
done,  must  be  made  stronger,  in  inverse  proportion  to  its 
rate  of  revolution."  Prove  this.  Answer:  The  strain  on 
such  a  shaft  depends  on  the  couple  (of  forces)  exerted  upon 
it  at  one  eild,  and  which  it  exerts  upon  the  machinery 
driven  at  its  other  end.  That  is  to  say,  supposing  it  moved 
by  a  wheel  of  given  radius,  the  strain  is  proportional  to  the 
force  exerted  tangentially  on  such  wheel.  But  horse-power 
is  proportional  to  such  force  multiplied  by  speed  of  such  cir- 
cumference :  therefore  the  strain  is  inversely  proportional  to 
the  number  of  revolutions  per  minute.  The  result  is,  that  if 
rotatory  motion  is  to  be  conveyed  from  one  place  to  another, 
the  final  wheels  revolving  more  rapidly  than  the  engine  crank, 
it  ^dll  require  a  stronger  shaft  to  convey  it,  if  the  speed  be 
obtained  by  multiplying  wheels  after  the  shaft,  than  if  it  be 
multiplied  first  and  the  transmitted  motion  be  of  great  ra- 
pidity. 

You  will  say,  how  do  your  own  affairs  prosper?     You 

must  ask ,     If  he  does  not  hear  from  me  by  this  mail, 

don't  tell  him  that  you  have — but  he  will  hear  from  others. 
Good  bye,  my  dear  fellow, 

Yours  afiectionately, 

C.  F.  M. 

One  circumstance  of  a  singularly  interesting  kind, 
and  of  great  importance  in  its  bearings  on  the  sub- 


CONSECRATION  AT  CAPE   TOWN.  269 

sequent   action   of  the   missionaries,    occurred   during 
Mackenzie's  residence  at  the  Cape.     A  coloured  con- 
gregation existed  in  Cape  Town,  under  the  charge  of 
an  EngUsh  clergyman,  Mr  Lightfoot :  the  congregation 
consisted  of  liberated   slaves,  persons   who   had   been 
captured  by  British  cruisers  from  slave  vessels,  on  the 
Eastern  coast  of  Africa,  and  set  free  at  Cape  Town. 
Many  of  these  liberated  slaves  had  been  resident  in  the 
Cape  colony  for  a  long  period,  and  had  acquired  the 
English  langTiage,  while  at  the  same  time  intercourse 
with  each  other  had  prevented  them  from  losing  their 
own.     Mackenzie  was  very  desirous  of  obtaining  the 
aid  of  some  native  converts  as  guides  and  interpreters 
to  the  mission,  and  this  coloured  congregation  at  the 
Cape  appeared  to  afford  him  the  means  of  doing  so. 
Accordingly,   he   was   invited   to   preach   one   Sunday 
evening  to  these  black  people :  he  did  so,  and  after 
explaining   his   plans,  he   asked   how  many  of  those 
present  were  willing  to  volunteer  to  accompany  him 
and  help  him  in  the  work  which  he  was  undertaking 
for  their  countrymen.     Not  less  than  twelve  stood  up ; 
and  it  was  encouraging  to  find  that  out  of  those  twelve, 
six  had   been   already  mentioned   by  Mr  Lightfoot  to 
the  Bishop  of  Cape  Town  as  amongst  the  most  suitable 
men   in   his  opinion   to  join   and    assist    the    mission. 
Several  of  these  volunteers  did  in  fact  give  themselves 
to   the   work,   and  we  shall   find  in   the  sequel,  that 
they  were  of  incalculable  service.     "  I  do  think,"  said 
Mackenzie,  in  a  speech  which  he  made  at  a  large  meet- 
ing held  at  Cape  Town,  "that  it  is  most  encouraging 
to  see  men,  natives  of  the  far  interior  of  the  continent, 


270  MEMOIR  OF  BISHOP  MACKENZIE. 

liberated  slaves,  coming  forward  as  they  have  done, 
ready  to  devote  their  energy  and  their  peculiar  qualifi- 
cations, to  the  work  we  have  in  hand." 

The  meeting,  which  has  just  been  mentioned,  de- 
mands a  little  further  notice.  Nothing  could  exceed 
the  interest  taken  in  the  Central  African  Mission  by  the 
inhabitants  of  Cape  Town.  It  was  in  truth  a  most 
interesting  occasion;  Cape  Town  was  about  to  be  the 
scene  of  the  first  consecration  of  a  strictly  missionary 
Bishop  of  the  Church  of  England ;  the  people  of  the 
Cape  perceived  that  they  had  a  special  and  honourable 
share  in  the  work  ;  and  as  occup3dng  the  chief  home  of 
Christianity  in  South  Africa,  and  being  therefore  the 
chief  witnesses  for  Christ  in  that  dark  continent,  they 
could  not  but  feel  that  the  missionaries  might  receive 
God  speed  upon  their  work  with  great  propriety  from 
themselves. 

Accordingly,  a  large  meeting  was  held,  at  which 
the  Governor,  Sir  George  Grey,  took  the  chair,  and  the 
Bishop  of  Cape  Town  was  present ;  the  room  was 
crowded  to  overflowing.  The  proceedings  were  of  a 
most  hearty  kind,  and  only  saddened  by  the  news 
which  had  just  arrived  of  the  death  of  the  missionaries 
of  the  London  Missionary  Society^.    Mackenzie's  speech 

^  Mr  R.  Moffat,  the  South  African  Missionary,  wrote  to  Sir  George 
Grey,  under  date  Kuruman,  Nov.  12:  "Three  hunters,  sons  of  an  old 
man  named  Aaron,  of  this  place,  have  arrived  with  the  melancholy 
news  that  the  members  of  the  Makololo  mission  have  nearly  all  perished. 
The  Aarons  arrived  at  the  Great  Waterfall  on  the  i8th  of  July,  and 
crossed  to  the  opposite  bank.  Here  they  ascertained  that  Mr  Helmore, 
his  devoted  ■^•ife,  their  two  children,  and  the  infant  of  the  Rev.  Roger 
Price,  had  successively  fallen  victims  to  the  fever ;   also  three  native 


CONSECRATION  AT  CAPE  TOWN.  271 

was  a  plain  and  simple  statement  of  the  history  of  the 
mission,  and  of  the  plans  of  himself  and  his  brother 
missionaries.  A  few  sentences  will  shew  what  his  views 
at  that  time  were.  He  said,  "  I  suppose  that  we  shall 
in  about  two  months  have  arrived  at  the  mouth  of  the 
Zambesi,  and  that  we  shall  there  meet  Dr  Livingstone, 
who,  according  to  accounts  dated  Aug.  8,  was  at  the 
Victoria  Falls,  but  who  promises  to  be  at  the  mouth  of 
the  Zambesi  by  the  end  of  the  year,  to  meet  the 
steamer  Pioneer,  the  use  of  which  has  been  given  him 
by  the  Government.  This  vessel,  as  he  himself  .has 
told  us,  is  entirely  at  our  service.  I  hope  we  shall  not 
trespass  too  much  on  his  kindness,  but  I  am  very 
thankful  for  the  offer,  as  it  will  convey  us  through  the 
malarious  district  at  the  mouth  of  the  river,  for  sixty 
or  seventy  miles,  to  the  valley  of  the  Shire,  whither 
we  at  present  believe  our  work  will  lead  us.  I  use  this 
vague  phrase  at  present  believe,  because  we  are  unable 
to  fix  with  exactness  the  spot  where  we  shall  com- 
mence ;  we  intend  to  leave  it  to  Dr  Livingstone's  advice. 
When  we  get  there  our  first  object  will  be  to  establish 
ourselves  in  a  proper  manner  in  the  eyes  of  the  natives, 
and  for  that  purpose  we  have  determined  carefully 
to  carry  out  our  undertaking  in  such  a  manner  as 
every  Christian  would  desire  to  see  it  carried  out,  and 
so  as  not  to  lead  the  natives  to  suppose  that  we  are 
mere  adventurers  or  mere  commercial  men,  far  less 
slave-dealers,  but  a  body  of  Christian  men,  professing 
a  religion  which  we  come  not  only  to  teach  them,  but 

servants  ;  and  that  in  the  preceding  moon  Sekeletu  had  insisted  on  Mr 
and  Mrs  Price  leaving,  or  they  too  would  go." 


27a         MEMOIR  OF  BISHOP  MACKENZIE. 

to  practise  ourselves.  With  this  view,  we  have  provided 
ourselves  with  a  large  church-tent,  well  furnished  and 
appointed,  through  the  kindness  of  friends  in  England. 
In  this  tent  we  hope,  morning  and  evening,  to  join  in 
prayer  with  the  churches  of  other  lands,  with  your 
own  cathedral  service  here,  and  thi'oughout  the  world. 
In  the  next  place,  we  shall  engage  in  such  occupations 
as  may  strike  the  natives  as  useful,  and  may  be  likely 
to  draw  them  to  join  us.  I  am  not  speaking  now  of 
the  rehgious  teaching  of  the  natives,  because  we  may 
be  told,  that  these  natives  have  a  language  which  we 
cannot  speak,  and  that  we  can  do  hardly  anything 
in  the  way  of  teaching  them  the  Christian  religion. 
We  shall  however  teach  a  gi'eat  deal  that  is  preparatory ; 
and  therefore,  in  our  garden-work,  in  our  building,  in 
our  carpentering,  in  all  our  industrial  occupations,  we 
shall  endeavour  to  instruct  some  natives  to  work  under 
us,  not  only  to  swell  our  own  number  of  hands,  but  in 
order  that  they  may  learn  how  such  things  are  done  ; 
we  shall  accustom  them  to  the  use  of  tools,  and  so 
endeavour  to  acquire  an  influence  over  them,  leading 
them  to  see  how  a  civilized  nation  like  England  pro- 
duces those  marvellous  works,  which  the  natives  look 
upon  with  so  much  surprise." 

With  regard  to  the  loss  of  the  London  Society's 
missionaries,  he  spoke  with  his  usual  simplicity,  but 
in  language  which  must  have  made  a  deep  impression 
upon  those  who  heard  it,  as  coming  from  one  who  was 
not  only  making  a  speech,  but  also  about  to  put  his 
words  of  courage  to  the  test  of  practice.  "  I  would 
next  refer,"  said  he,    "  to  something   which   has   been 


CONSECRATION  AT  CAPE  TOWN.  2^^ 

already  alluded  to-day :  I  mean  the  sad  destruction 
of  life  and  the  loss  of  Christian  energy  and  zeal  in  the 
persons  of  those,  who  have  been  lately  cut  off  in  the 
interior  of  the  country.  It  has  been  said,  that  we 
who  are  going  are  not  to  be  daunted  by  that.  No : 
rather  should  it  be  the  opposite.  Rather  should  we 
go  up  now  with  a  more  firm  determination  and  in- 
tention, God  helping  us,  of  carrying  on  the  work.  We 
did  think  that  we  w^ere  going  to  the  valley  of  the 
Zambesi,  to  carry  on  our  own  work  in  our  own  place, 
and  that  others  would  work  higher  up  the  stream,  and 
that  thus,  at  different  points,  Christ's  name  would  be 
preached.  We  hear  now  that  that  mission  has  been 
destroyed,  for  the  present  at  least.  Must  we  not  there- 
fore work  the  more  earnestly  ?  Ought  we  not  to  go 
up  more  determinedly,  humbly  but  faithfully  trusting 
in  God's  strength  to  help  us,  that  we  may  be  enabled 
to  work  in  His  Vineyard,  to  carry  His  Name  boldly 
and  faithfully  before  the  people  of  that  land,  and  to 
bring  in  some  at  least,  who,  in  the  event  of  our  de- 
struction, our  earlier  or  later  death,  may  be  ready  to 
take  our  places,  and  carry  forward  the  sound  of  the 
Gospel  into  the  regions  round  about  ?  *  *  "-  Thus 
it  may  be,  that  in  the  course  of  years  we  may  become, 
what  I  have  sometimes  thought  we  were  like,  the 
original  and  early  sprouts  that  rise  from  the  seed  in 
the  ground,  and  which  serve  but  to  give  life  and  vigour 
and  energy  to  the  shoots  which  rise  above  the  ground 
afterwards.  *  *  *  That  is  the  prospect  we  have 
before  us ;  a  prospect  which  does  not  depend  upon 
our  life  or   death,  which   does   not   depend   upon  our 

18 


374         MEMOIR  OF  BISHOP  MACKENZIE. 

successes  during  our  lifetime,  but  depends  entirely  upon 
the  grace  of  God;  a  prospect  which  will  undoubtedly 
be  realised  in  God's  good  time,  for  we  know  that  '  the 
knowledge  of  the  Lord  shall  cover  the  earth  as  the 
waters  cover  the  sea ;'  and  therefore  it  is  a  prospect  to 
which  we  may  confidently  look  forward,  trusting  and 
believing  that  God's  work  will  prosper,  and  that  His 
Name  and  saving  grace  will  be  known  among  all  na- 
tions." 

The  spirit,  which  expressed  itself  in  such  words  as 
those  just  quoted,  made  Mackenzie  impatient  of  the 
delay  caused  by  the  necessity  of  waiting  at  the  Cape 
for  consecration.  His  impatience  was  increased  by  the 
arrival  of  the  Pioneer,  which  called  at  the  Cape  on  its 
way  to  the  Zambesi  and  Dr  Livingstone.  It  seemed 
impossible  to  allow  the  opportunity  to  be  lost,  and  yet 
it  was  impossible  for  Mackenzie  himself  to  take  a  pas- 
sage in  the  Pioneer.  His  doubts  as  to  the  best  course 
of  action  are  thus  expressed  in  a  letter  to  his  sister  at 
Natal. 

LETTER  LXXIL 

BiSHOPSCOURT, 

Dec.  12,  i860. 

Deak , 

*  *  *  «  • 

The  Pioneer,  Livingstone's  river  steamer,  has  come  out, 
casting  anchor  last  week.  She  will  probably  leave  again 
this  day  week  or  so.  I  don't  know  what  I  would  not  give  to 
go  in  her,  or  rather  in  the  steamer  that  will  accompany  her; 
but  I  do  not  see  a  chance  of  this.  I  am  just  hesitating 
whether  to  send  my  tail  or  a  part  of  it,  before  I  go  myself; 
but  it  feels  so  awkward  to  back  into  a  country,  stern  fore- 
most, as  it  were;  and  I  am  not  clear  that  I  could  (ia  my 


CONSECRATION  AT  CAPE  TOWN.  275 

ignorance  of  so  much  that  is  there)  give  them  any  instruc- 
tions that  wouhl  be  satisfactory.  I  shall  probably  have 
settled  tliis  point  before  the  Waldensian  leaves  again. 


The  doubt  was  at  length  resolved  in  favour  of  send- 
ing a  portion  of  the  missionary  party  in  advance  by 
the  Pioneer,  or  rather  by  H.M.S.  Sidon,  which  accom- 
panied it.  Accordingly,  Mr  Scudamore  and  Mr  Waller 
were  thus  sent  in  advance,  the  consecration  being  still 
delayed  by  the  necessity  of  awaiting  the  arrival  of  the 
Bishops,  who  were  to  take  part  with  the  Metropolitan 
in  the  service.  At  length,  on  January  1,  18G1,  the 
Feast  of  the  Circumcision,  all  was  ready  for  the  con- 
secration. The  Bishops  of  Natal  and  S.  Helena  had 
arrived;  the  Bishop  of  Graham's  Town  unfortunately 
lost  his  passage  by  the  steamer,  and  so  was  unable  to 
be  present. 

As  the  consecration  of  the  first  Missionary  Bishop 
of  the  Church  of  England  in  modern  times  is  an  event 
of  great  historical  value,  beyond  the  interest  attaching 
to  it  as  having  taken  place  in  the  person  of  Bishop 
Mackenzie,  I  shall  give  the  account  of  the  ceremony  at 
some  length,  quoting  from  a  report  furnished  by  an 
eye-witness  ^ 

Although  the  first  two  or  three  days  of  the  new  year 
are  exclusively  devoted  to  holiday-making,  all  business  being 
suspended,  and  the  panting  inhabitants  of  Table  Valley 
being  only  too  glad  to  escape  from  the  boiling  heat  and  dust 
to  breathe  the  pure  fresh  air  of  the  country,  still  the  great 
interest  taken  in  the  forthcoming  ceremony  attracted  a  large 

1  The  account  is  taken  from  a  letter  of  the  correspondent  of  the 
Guardian  newspaper. 

18—2 


275         MEMOIR   OF  BISHOP  MACKENZIE. 

congregation  to  the  cathedral.  At  half-past  ten  the  bells  of 
the  Cathedral  chimed  out  merrily,  S.  George's  being  the  only 
church  in  the  colony  possessing  a  peal,  which,  though  imperfect, 
are  sufficient  to  remind  one  of  home.  The  regular  attendants 
at  the  cathedral  were  admitted  by  the  south  door,  and  at  a 
quarter  to  eleven  the  great  dooi-s  were  thrown  open  at  the 
western  porch,  and  the  church  was  soon  filled.  The  order 
of  ceremony  observed  followed  as  closely  as  possible  that  of 
the  use  of  Westminster  Abbey.  The  Dean,  Canons,  and 
Clergy  met  the  Metropolitan  and  his  assistants  in  the  vestry 
at  the  right  of  the  vestibule  at  the  western  entrance;  the 
choristers  and  gentlemen  of  the  choir  in  the  baptistery  on 
the  opposite  side.  The  procession  formed  in  the  following 
order,  and  proceeded  up  the  church  to  the  chancel : — ■ 

A  Verger. 

The  Choristers  in  surplices. 

Gentlemen  of  the  Choir. 

Eighteen  Parochial  Clergy  of  Cape  Town  and  neighbourhood.         . 

Canons  and  Cathedral  Clergy. 

A  Verger. 

The  Very  Rev.  the  Dean  of  Cape  Town. 

The  Registrar  of  the  Diocese. 

The  Venerable  C.  F.  Mackenzie,  Bishop-elect,  and  Chaplain. 

Bishop  of  Natal.  Bishop  of  S.  Helena. 

The  Metropolitan's  Verger,  bearing  mitre-staff. 

Rev.  Albert  Wood,  bearing  the  crozier. 

The  Right  Rev.  the  Metropolitan  Bishop. 

His  Lordship's  Chaplain,  the  Rev.  E.  Glover,  bearing  the  pastoral  staff. 

Arrived  at  the  chancel  the  procession  opened  right  and 
left.  The  Metropolitan  proceeded  to  his  throne  on  the  north 
side ;  the  Bishops  of  S.  Helena  and  Natal  to  seats  on  the  other 
side.  The  Dean,  Canons,  Precentor,  and  Bishop's  chaplain 
also  passed  into  their  respective  seats,  and  the  other  cathe- 
dral clergy  to  their  stalls ;  the  parochial  clergy  to  the  daily 
service  chapel  on  the  southside  of  the  altar  behind  the  par- 
close,  the  Bishop-elect,  vested  in  surplice,  kneeling  at  a  fald- 
stool at  the  entrance  of  the  chancel. 


CONSECRATION  AT  CAPE   TOWN.  277 

The  voluntary  being  finished,  a  hymn  was  given  out, 
during  the  singing  of  which  the  Metropolitan  moved  to  his 
place  at  the  altar,  and  the  Bishops  of  Natal  and  S.  Helena 
to  their  places,  north  and  south,  as  Epistoler  and  Gospeller. 

The  Nicene  Creed  ended,  the  Dean  was  conducted  to  the 
pulpit,  and  preached  from  Ephesians  ii.  19 — 22. 

After  the  sermon  the  Dean  returned  to  his  place ;  and 
whilst  the  hymn,  "  Christ  is  made  the  sure  Foundation," 
was  being  sung,  the  Bishop-designate  retired  to  the  vestry, 
where  he  put  on  his  rochet.  Returning  down  the  central 
passage,  he  was  met  at  the  chancel-steps  by  the  assistant 
Bishops ;  who,  taking  him  by  the  hand,  led  him  towards 
the  Metropolitan.  The  following  words  were  then  spoken  by 
the  Bishop  of  Natal : — 

Right  Reverend  Father  in  G-od,  we  present  unto  you  this  godly  and 
well-learned  man  to  be  ordained  and  consecrated  Bishop. 

The  rubric  demanding  the  Queen's  mandate,  was,  of 
course,  not  observed.  The  word  charge  was  substituted  for 
diocese.  The  oath  of  supremacy  was  administered  by  the 
Begistrai',  and  then  the  oath  following  by  the  Metropoli- 
tan : — 

The  Oath  of  Ohedknce  to  the  Metropolitan  Bishop. 

In  the  name  of  God,  Amen.  I,  Charles  Frederick  Mackenzie,  chosen 
Bishop  of  the  Mission  to  the  tribes  dwelling  in  the  neighbourhood  of 
the  Lake  Nyassa  and  River  Shire,  do  profess  and  promise  all  due  re- 
verence and  obedience  to  the  Metropolitan  Bishop  and  Metropolitical 
Church  of  Cape  Town,  and  to  their  successors.  So  help  me  God,  through 
Jesus  Christ. 

After  the  in^dtation  to  prayer,  the  Metropolitan  knelt 
down  at  his  seat,  ^vith  the  Precentor  on  his  right  hand, 
Chaplain  on  his  left,  the  Bishop-elect  and  Bishops-assistant 
a  few  seats  lower.  The  Litany  was  then  sung ;  after  which, 
the  interrogations  having  being  put,  the  Bishop-elect  was  con- 
ducted as  before  to  the  vestry,  where  he  assumed  the  custo- 
maiy  Episcopal  vestments.  During  his  absence,  the  anthem, 
"O,  jjray  for  the  peace  of  Jerusalem,"  was  sung;  and  on 


^7^         MEMOIR  OF  BISHOP  MACKENZIE. 

his  return,  -whilst  he  knelt  at  the  feet  of  the  Metropolitan, 
Palestrina's  Yeni  Creator  Spiritus.  The  imposition  of  hands 
followed,  in  which  the  three  Bishops  joined.  A  lai-ge  and 
beautifully-bound  copy  of  the  Holy  Scriptures  was  then  pre- 
sented by  the  Metropolitan,  which  the  new  Bishop  delivered 
to  the  care  of  his  chaplain  ;  he  was  then  conducted  to  his 
Beat  next  that  of  the  junior  Suffragan. 

The  Offertory  was  then  collected.  The  clergy  from  the 
stalls  and  from  the  south  chapel  came  forward  and  made 
their  offerings,  and  remained  at  the  altar-rails  till  they 
had  communicated.  The  Dean  received  the  alms,  and 
brought  the  elements  of  bread  and  wine  to  the  Metropolitan. 
The  four  Bishops  administered  the  Communion.  About  100 
of  the  laity  remained  and  communicated.  The  service  con- 
cluded, the  Dean,  preceded  by  the  vergers,  conducted  the 
Meti'opolitan,  and  the  rest,  to  the  vestry,  the  procession 
following,  in  reverse  order  to  that  in  which  it  entered  the 
church. 

Thus  concluded  one  of  the  most  memorable  services  ever 
celebrated  in  South  Afric.i.  Thus  ended  the  consecration  of 
the  first  Missionary  Bishop  of  England's  Church  since  the 
Keformation.  Let  us  hope  it  will  be  but  the  beginning  of 
great  and  glorious  things,  that  this  little  one  may  become  a 
thousand,  till,  in  the  words  of  the  Bishop  of  Natal,  a  "  chain 
of  Bishops,  missionary  and  colonial,  may  extend  from  Cape 
Point  to  the  Abyssinian  Church  in  Northern  Africa." 

On  the  day  after  his  consecration  Bishop  Mackenzie 
wrote  as  follows  to  a  brother  at  home  : 

LETTER  LXXIIL 

January  i,    Wednesday. 
My  dear  Brother , 

1  think  I  am  right  in  saying  that  on  taking  my 
degree,  or  on  getting  my  fellowship,  or  on  both  occasions, 
I  wrote  first  to  you.     Anyhow,  I  will  write  to  you  first  this 


CONSECRATION  AT  CAPE  TOWN.  279 

time,  to  tell  yovi  from  myself  tliat  yesterday  in  S.  George' .s, 
the  Cathedral  of  Cape  Town,  the  Metropolitan,  with  the 
Bishops  of  Natal  and  S.  Helena,  laid  their  hands  on  my 
head,  and  made  me  a  Bishop  of  the  Church,  to  lead  a  Mis- 
sion to  Nyassa  and  the  Shire.  I  am  very  thankful  that 
this  has  ended  as  we  all  hoped.  I  have  said  several  times, 
that  if  I  was  to  go  at  the  head  of  this  mission,  as  it  was  in 
any  case  the  work  of  a  Bishop,  I  ought  not  to  be  sent  with- 
out the  authority,  and  still  more  the  grace  of  God,  given  in 
consecration.  Besides  this,  I  feel  strongly  that  it  is  the 
right  course,  and  that,  whether  there  be  any  marked  success 
in  this  mission  or  not,  on  the  whole,  we  may  hope  for  more 
rapid,  sound,  and  united  progress. 

Some  of  my  party,  Waller,  Scudamore,  Adams,  Gamble, 
and  three  blacks,  including  Lorenzo  Johnson,  the  cook, 
started  yesterday  from  Simon's  Bay:  at  least,  our  latest 
news  was  that  the  vessel  was  getting  up  steam  at  seven  A.M., 
when  the  mail  left,  and  that  mail  brought  us  no  letter  from 
them :  so  I  conclude,  and  shall  jirobably  hear  to-day  for 
certain,  that  they  are  off.  It  is  a  pity,  after  being  delayed 
so  long  that  they  should  not  have  stayed  one  day  longer : 
they  might  then  have  been  present  at  the  consecration :  and 
I,  with  Procter  and  the  other  two  black  men,  might  have 
gone  with  them.  But  I  would  not  delay  for  an  hour,  by 
any  request  of  mine,  the  vessel  which  was  taking  up  the 
Pioneer  to  Livingstone. 


On  the  seventli  of  January  a  large  meeting  vt^as 
held  in  Cape  Town,  for  the  pui-pose  of  taking  public 
leave  of  the  missionary  party,  who  shortly  after  went 
down  to  Simon's  Bay  to  join  H.M.S.  Lyra,  which  was 
waiting  to  take  back  the  Bishop  of  Natal  to  his  diocese, 
and  to  convey  Bishop  Mackenzie,  with  the  remainder 
of  his  party,  to  the  scene  of  their  future  labours.     At 


28o         MEMOIR  OF  BISHOP  MACKENZIE. 

the  farewell  meeting  the  Bishops  of  Natal  and  of 
S.  Helena  spoke  of  the  work  which  was  being  carried  on 
in  their  respective  dioceses.  Bishop  Mackenzie  also 
spoke,  and  concluded  his  speech  as  follows :  "  And  so 
it  is  that  we  have  confidence  to  go  forth  on  this  mission, 
a  small  body  indeed  amongst  the  mass  of  heathenism, 
but  trusting  for  God's  blessing  on  what  we  do,  on  the 
work  to  be  done  in  some  measure  through  our  agency, 
and  in  a  still  greater  measure  through  the  agency  of 
native  converts ;  so  that  by  degi*ees  the  truth  may  be 
received  among  the  nations  of  the  interior,  and  may 
widely  and  more  widely  extend  hereafter.  Let  us 
pray  for  God's  blessing  on  this  and  all  such  works, 
not  for  success  for  our  own  honour  and  glory,  for  that 
is  of  no  matter,  but  for  the  honour  and  glory  of  our 
Heavenly  Father,  for  the  honour  and  glory  of  His 
Son,  who  came  into  the  world  to  redeem  the  heathen, 
to  purchase  for  Himself  an  inheritance,  and  for  the 
sake  of  those  whom  He  so  purchased,  that  they  may 
have  the  blessing  of  God  in  His  infinite  mercy  given  to 
them,  that  they  may  lead  Christian  lives,  may  die 
Christian  deaths,  and  may  so  be  ushered  into  the  pre- 
sence of  the  Eternal  King  above." 

No  words  can  better  express  the  spirit  in  which 
Bishop  Mackenzie  left  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  and 
which  indeed  breathed  throus^h  his  whole  hfe. 


CHAPTER  X. 
FROM  CAPE  TOWN  TO  THE  SHIRK 


Bishop  Mackenzie  is  now  nearing  the  scene  of  his 
labours.  He  will  have  but  one  more  halt,  namely,  at 
his  old  home.  Natal,  and  then  he  will  enter  upon  that 
field  in  which  he  was  appointed  to  labour  for  so  short 
a  time.  The  mission  party  were  on  board  H.M.S.  Lyra 
on  the  morning  of  January  8,  in  Simon's  Bay,  but  the 
ship  was  compelled  by  the  South-East  wind  to  wait 
till  January  12,  before  she  could  get  out.  The  party 
consisted  of  Bishop  Mackenzie,  the  Rev.  L.  J.  Procter, 
and  three  black  men.  Of  these,  one  will  especially  come 
before  our  notice  hereafter,  Charles  Thomas,  of  whom 
the  Bishop  says  in  one  of  his  letters,  "  Charles  Thomas 
was  one  of  the  pillars  of  Lightfoot's  native  congi'egation 
at  Cape  Town.  It  is  twenty  years  since  he  came  to 
the  Cape.  He  was  in  the  house  of  a  Captain  and 
Mrs  Thomas,  and  owes  to  his  mistress  (or  adopted 
mother,  for  he  was  quite  a  lad)  his  first  knowledge  and 
feelings  of  a  religious  kind.  He  is  an  active,  intelligent 
man,  speaking  English  well,  and  some  dialects  of 
Makoa,  his  native  tongue,  fluently."     These  black  men 


282         MEMOIR  OF  BISHOP  MACKENZIE. 

left  their  wives  at  Cape  Town,  to  follow^  them  with  the 
next  mission  party.  In  addition  to  the  missionaries 
for  the  Zambesi,  the  Lyra  also  carried  back  to  his  own 
diocese  the  Bishop  of  Natal. 

The  voyage  to  Natal  was  made  as  pleasant  as  might 
be  by  the  extreme  kindness  of  Captain  Oldfield,  who 
made  arrangements  for  receiving  into  his  own  cabin 
the  two  Bishops  and  Mr  Procter.  On  Sunday,  January 
13,  divine  service  was  performed  on  deck ;  Bishop 
Mackenzie  read  prayers,  and  the  Bishop  of  Natal 
preached ;  one  of  the  sailors  said  he  would  walk  twenty 
miles  to  hear  him  again.  With  reference  to  this 
voyage.  Bishop  Mackenzie  writes  in  one  of  his  letters 
as  follows: 

LETTER  LXXIV. 

H.  M.  S.  Lyra  S.  Lat.  if  48'. 
E.  Long.  36°  36'. 

Feb.  4,  Monday. 

Dear  , 


My  memory  will  not  serve  me  as  to  whether  I 
have  written  to  you  since  I  left  England :  but  in  any  case 
I  am  glad  to  be  obliged  to  take  up  my  pen,  and  say  a  few- 
words  to  you,  before  leaving  this  the  first  man-of-war  to 
which  I  was  ever  indebted  for  a  passage.  The  Bishop  of 
Natal,  who  came  from  Cape  Town  with  us,  agreed  with  me 
that  we  had  seen  a  specimen  of  discipline,  and  of  regular 
activity,  and  constancy  of  employment,  which  we  ought  not 
to  forget.  I  spoke  of  being  obliged  to  take  up  my  pen  to 
you,  and  part  of  the  obligation  consists  in  this,  that  I  must 
ask  you  and  any  friends  of  the  mission,  in  the  event  of  their 
having  any  opportunity  of  being  civil  to  Captain  Oldfield  of 
this  vessel,  to  do  so,  on  account  of  his  great  kindness  and 
consideration  for  us  on  board.  He  has  not  only  made  this 
by  far  the  most  comfortable  passage  across  the  seas  that  I 


FROM  CAPE  TOWN  TO   THE  SHIRE.       283 

have  made,  and  that  at  considerable  inconvenience  to  him- 
self,— taking  three  persons  into  his  own  cabin,  &c., — but  has 
also  offered  to  provide  us  with  anything  we  want,  or  to  let 
his  men  make  anything  for  us,  I  am  glad  to  say  we  are  so 
well  provided,  that  we  have  not  been  obliged  to  avail  our- 
selves of  his  offer,  to  the  extent  at  least  that  he  intended 
and  wished :  but  the  kindness  and  interest  he  has  shewn 
are  the  same. 

We  are  having  beautiful  weather,  and  have  had  ever 
since  we  left  Plymouth,  with  the  exception  of  one  night  of 
wind,  two  or  three  days  after  leaving  the  Cape.  I  am  thank- 
ful for  this,  on  account  of  others  as  much  as  or  more  than 
myself 


The  visit  to  Natal  could  scarcely  fail  to  be  one  of 
great  interest.  Natal  liad  been  certainly  the  scene  of 
the  most  painful  days  of  Mackenzie's  life,  perhaps  also 
the  scene  of  the  happiest.  Many  would  welcome  him 
there  with  great  joy,  and  even  those  who  had  for- 
merly been  regarded  as  his  adversaries  had  probably 
been  brought  by  this  time  to  appreciate  the  real  no- 
bility of  his  character,  and  to  grieve  that  they  had 
ever  been  found  to  oppose  him.  There  is  every  reason 
to  believe  that  the  visit  did  in  fact  heal  old  wounds, 
and  strengthen  the  bands  of  Christian  charity.  But, 
however  this  might  be,  the  visit  to  Natal  gave  the 
Bishop  the  opportunity  of  seeing  and  consulting  with 
the  sister,  whom  he  used  playfully  to  call  his  hlach 
sister,  from  her  love  to  the  black  people  and  success- 
ful work  amongst  them,  and  upon  whose  cooperation 
he  now  reckoned  in  his  more  distant  mission.  It  may 
be  well  to  explain  here  that  this  cooperation  was  not 


284         MEMOIR  OF  BISHOP  MACKENZIE. 

only  reckoned  upon  by  the  Bishop,  but  intended  by 
his  sister  at  this  time  ;  subsequently,  however,  her  own 
marriage  with  the  Archdeacon  of  Maritzburg  disturbed 
the  arrangements,  and  compelled  her  to  continue  her 
useful  missionary  work  amongst  the  Zulus  of  Natal. 
I  shall  give  the  reader  an  account  of  the  Bishop's  visit 
to  his  old  country,  as  I  find  it  in  a  very  interesting 
home-letter,  written  by  this  sister. 

•Jan.  23,  Wednesday.  On  Monday  morning  we  were  at 
the  Point  by  7  o'clock,  and  found  them  more  than  doubtful 
about  going  out,  at  any  rate  not  till  9.  *  *  *  At  last 
another  message  came  from  the  flags  at  the  ship  that  if  they 
would  not  go  out,  the  captain  would  come  ashore  in  his 
boat;  so  orders  were  given  to  light  the  tug-fires,  and  off  we 
set.  We  had  a  good  toss  on  the  bar,  and  then  we  neared 
the  shi^i,  and  they  sent  out  a  boat  and  took  us  all  on  board. 
There  were  the  two  Bishops,  and  I  was  so  happy.  I  hardly 
dared  to  ask  how  long  we  should  have,  for  I  feared  to  hear 
only  twenty  minutes ;  but  our  time  was  not  to  be  so  short. 
"Till  Saturday,  at  any  rate,"  said  the  cajitain,  who  has 
been  most  kind  to  the  whole  party.  He  with  some  of  his 
officers  and  Mr  Procter  have  gone  to  P.  M.  B.,  and  our 
Natal  Bishop  started  within  a  few  hours. 

The  way  in  which  he  (Bishop  Mackenzie)  has  been  re- 
ceived has  been  quite  heart-warming.  One  man,  who  was 
strong  in  opposition,  came  immediately  and  said  how  much 
he  regretted  what  had  passed,  and  how  glad  they  would  be 
now  could  they  have  him  amongst  them  once  more.  He  is  to 
open  and  consecrate  the  pretty  little  church  at  the  Point, 
and  also  to  hold  a  Confirmation  at  the  Umlazi. 

All  that  afternoon  people  came  and  went,  and  came  and 
went;  but  at  last  we  made  our  escape,  and  had  a  little  stroll 
on  the  shore,  which  was  most  pleasant. 


FROM  CAPE  TOWN  TO   THE  SHIRE.       285 

January  31,  Thursday.  It  is  already  more  tlian  a  week 
since  I  wrote,  and  here  I  am  quietly  sitting  at  home.  *  '"'  * 
I  shall  go  on  with  my  story  as  well  as  I  can.  On  Wednes- 
day I  wi'ote  with  perpetual  interruptions  and  callers :  tliis 
lasted  till  dinuer-time;  after  which  we  went  to  the  photo- 
grapher's, then  home  to  tea,  and  then  to  church,  where  he 
preached.  It  was  on  the  ten  virgins, — earnest  and  rousing, 
and  yet  so  tender  that  at  the  end  I  fairly  got  my  head  down 
and  sobbed.  *  *  *  Next  day  was  a  day,  work,  work, 
work :  packing  and  unpacking,  dividing  and  sorting,  in- 
terriipted  with  visitors.  *  *  *  Next  morning  to  work 
again,  for  we  had  to  clear  the  room  for  an  entertain- 
ment, and  at  half-past  ten  to  go  off  by  the  train  to  the 
little  Point  Church.  It  was  beautiful.  The  new  Bishop 
in  his  robes,  with  six  of  the  Natal  clergy  after  him,  came 
up  the  centre  of  the  little  church,  chanting  the  24th 
Psalm.  Then  the  prayers  for  the  Consecration,  so  exqui- 
sitely beautiful;  then  his  sermon.  He  began  with  Solo- 
mon's temple,  wherein  our  churches  differ  from  it,  resemble 
it,  and  exceed  it  in  glory;  the  duties  of  the  worship- 
pers because  of  their  privileges ;  and  then  a  most  home- 
touching  appeal  to  \is  all,  as  being  ourselves  temples  con- 
secrated to  God.  It  was  most  earnest,  and  most  profitable, 
and  most  sweet  to  listen  to.  Then  came  the  Holy  Commu- 
nion. *  *  »  Then  home  to  our  entertainment,  which 
went  off  remarkably  well.  Then  came  speeches,  and  in  the 
deep,  earnest,  loving  words  which  fell  from  one  after  another, 
I  was  not  the  only  one  who  was  overcome.  Strong  men 
fairly  cried,  then  and  afterwards,  as  they  spoke  of  the  kind 
heart  and  loving  deeds  and  earnest  Christian  life  of  him 
who  was  going  from  among  them,  and  of  the  noble  self- 
sacrificing  spirit  in  which  he  goes  foi-th.  I  cannot  tell  you 
all  that  passed:  how  he  took  blame  to  himself  for  some 
share  in  the  troubles  of  past  days,  and  begged  those  who  heard 
him  to  tell  his  former  opponents  what  he  said,  and  how  his 
friends  repudiated  the  idea  with  horror,  and  declared  that 


285         MEMOIR  OF  BISHOP  MACKENZIE. 

if  all  was  to  do  again,  they  would  again  stand  by  him 
through  thick  and  thin,  and  how  the  Bishop  of  Natal's 
health  was  proposed  by  one  who  is  deeply  indebted  to  him 
and  most  gratefully  affectionate  in  his  feelings  to  him,  and 
at  last  how  thankful  I  was  to  get  away. 

***** 

Next  morning  an-ived  the  captain  from  P.  M.  B. ,  and 
said  if  the  mail  did  not  come  before  two  he  would  wait  till 
Monday. 

***** 

On  Sunday  off  the  first  thing  to  Claremont  riding.  The 
ride  was  delightful.  The  whole  road  so  full  of  associations. 
The  river  where  I  sat  on  my  horse  alone  on  the  first  night 
after  my  arrival,  &c.  The  little  church  at  Claremont  was 
well  filled.  Seven  were  confirmed.  The  Bishop's  address 
and  sermon  seemed  to  reach  the  children's  hearts.  The 
Litany  seemed  more  full  of  meaning  than  I  had  ever  heard 
it.  Then  the  hymn,  "  Put  thou  thy  trust  in  God,"  though 
chosen  for  the  candidates,  seemed  every  word  to  suit  our- 
selves. *  *  *  After  church  we  rode  to  the  Umlazi  *  *  * 
and  so  back  to  town,  just  in  time  for  the  evening  service. 
The  Bishop  preached  again.  He  found  a  missionary  sermon 
was  expected.  The  church  was  crowded.  He  spoke  most 
openly  on  the  treatment  of  the  natives  here  as  a  shame  to 
the  white  people,  only  taking  as  much  work  out  of  them  as 
possible,  without  caring  for  their  interests  in  any  way;  no 
Church-school  for  them  in  the  town ;  no  sympathy  with 
their  home-joys  or  sorrows;  hardly  credit  given  them  for 
having  within  them  deeper  thoughts  and  feelings,  than  they 
care  to  reveal  to  those  who  seem  to  have  so  little  human 
sympathy  with  them.  He  said  while  this  was  the  state  of 
things  among  us  here,  to  raise  an  interest  in  the  tribes 
further  off  would  be  something  unreal,  and  could  lead  to  no 
good.  Even  before  we  left  the  church,  as  well  as  several 
times  afterwards,  people  came  to  me  to  speak  of  the  sermon. 


FROM  CAPE   TOWN  TO   THE  SIIIRE.       287 

and  say  how  it  had  smitten  their  consciences,  and  made 
them  desire  that  the  reproach  should  be  upon  them  no 
longer.  Indeed,  we  had  a  kind  of  meeting  in  our  room 
after  church,  and  I  have  good  hope  something  may  be  done 
in  the  way  of  evening  teaching  for  the  people. 

As  we  were  returning  we  saw  a  rocket  from  the  sea : 
a  gun  fired:  the  mail  was  in:  and  the  captain,  who  was 
with  us,  said  he  would  let  us  know  the  first  thing  in  the 
morning  what  hour  he  would  sail.  Well,  after  this  there 
was  little  peace  or  quiet.  We  were  too  tired  to  sit  up  that 
night,  and  next  morning  there  was  so  much  to  arrange,  and 
everybody  was  coming  and  going,  and  we  heard  we  were  to 
go  by  the  half-past  two  train.  A  great  many  friends  went 
with  us  ;  but  on  the  shore  we  slipped  away.  *  *  ^'  We 
went  on  board  the  tug,  and  stood  together  high  up  on  the 
captain's  place;  we  were  washed  again  and  again  by  the 
great  waves.  *  *  *  When  he  went,  and  I  had  his  last 
kiss  and  blessing,  his  own  bright  beautiful  spirit  infected 
mine,  and  I  could  return  his  parting  words  without  flinch- 
ing ;  I  saw  him  go  without  even  a  tear  dimming  my  eye, 
so  that  I  could  watch  him  to  the  last,  looking  after  our 
little  boat  again  crossing  the  bar,  till  we  could  distinguish 
each  other  no  more. 

In  speaking  one  day  of  happiness,  he  said,  "  I  have  given 
up  looking  for  that  altogether.  Now  till  death  my  post  is 
one  of  unrest  and  care.  To  be  the  sharer  of  every  one's  sor- 
rows?, the  comforter  of  every  one's  griefs,  the  strengthener 
of  every  one's  weakness — to  do  this  as  much  as  in  me  lies 
is  now  my  aim  and  object :  for  yoii  know  when  the  members 
sufier,  the  pain  must  always  fly  to  the  head."  He  said  this 
with  a  smile,  and  O  !  the  peace  in  his  face !  it  seemed 
as  if  nothing  could  shake  it. 

The  vessel  which  brought  the  mail  for  which  the 
Lyra  waited,  brought  also  another  missionary,  the 
Rev.  H.  Rowley,  who  joined  the  Bishop's  party.     The 


388         MEMOIR  OF  BISHOP  MACKENZIE. 

plan  now  was  to  meet  Dr  Livingstone  at  the  Kongone 
mouth  of  the  Zambesi,  pick  up  the  first  portion  of  the 
mission  party,  who  had  already  gone  forward  in  the 
Sidon,  and  then  immediately  proceed  up  the  Zambesi 
and  Shire  in  the  Pioneer  with  Dr  Livingstone. 

The  Lyra  arrived  off  Kongone  on  February  7,  and 
found  that  the  Sidon,  with  the  Pioneer,  had  arrived 
eight  days  previously.  The  Pioneer  had  gone  in  on 
Feb.  5,  only  two  days  before  the  Bishop's  arrival.  On 
Saturday,  February  9,  Captain  Oldfield  kindly  took 
Bishop  Mackenzie  over  the  bar,  in  order  that  he  might 
be  no  longer  prevented  from  meeting  Dr  Livingstone 
and  concerting  future  measures  with  him.  The  result 
of  the  consultation  was  rather  disappointing ;  Dr  Living- 
stone strongly  dissuaded  an  immediate  ascent  of  the 
Zambesi ;  the  season  was  not  favourable ;  there  was  no 
chief  to  whom  he  felt  that  he  could  at  this  time  con- 
fidently commend  the  mission  party,  and  he  was  very 
anxious  to  explore  what  he  believed  would  be  a  better 
route  to  the  future  scene  of  the  labours  of  the  mission- 
aries by  way  of  the  Bovuma,  a  river  which  enters  the 
sea  at  a  considerable  distance  north  of  Kongone. 
Bishop  Mackenzie's  position  was  one  of  much  difficulty : 
he  dreaded  the  thought  of  several  months'  further  delay, 
and  the  possible  forced  idleness  of  a  large  portion  of 
the  mission  party ;  on  the  other  hand,  it  seemed  im- 
possible to  insist  upon  a  step  opposed  to  the  mature 
judgment  of  Dr  Livingstone.  The  result  was,  that  he 
consented  to  Dr  Livingstone's  plan,  and  the  actual 
work  of  the  mission  was  thus  postponed.  I  will  here 
introduce  a  letter  from  the  Bishop  to  one  of  the  secre- 


FROM  CAPE   TOWN  TO    THE  SHIRE.       2<S9 

taries    of  the  mission,  in  which  the  position  of  affairs 
is  explained. 

LETTER  LXXV. 

Matotta, 
Feb.  27,    Wednesday. 

Dear  Strong, 

I  have  lately  written,  but  as  it  is  not  unlikely  that 
this  letter  may  anticipate  the  last,  I  will  tell  you  shortly 
what  has  happened  since  we  left  Natal.  We  sailed  on 
Tuesday,  July  29th,  from  Natal,  having  Rowley  ou  board. 
We  got  to  Kongone  after  a  fair  passage  of  nine  days,  and 
found  the  Sidon  at  anchor,  having  been  there  eight  days  ; 
the  Pioneer  had  crossed  the  bar  on  Feb.  5.  On  Saturday, 
Feb.  9,  the  Pioneer  not  having  come  out,  as  I  thought  she 
would,  Captain  Oldfield  most  kindly  took  me  over  the  bar, 
when  we  fell  in  with  not  only  Waller,  Scudamore,  Gamble, 
Adams,  May  and  his  party,  but  also  Livingstone,  Kirk,  and 
Charles  Livingstone.  We  had  arranged  to  return  to  the 
ship  on  the  Sunday  morning,  but  again  Captain  Oldfield 
arranged  his  movements  so  as  to  suit  me,  and  put  off  his 
return  to  his  ship  till  Monday  morning.  This  was  rendered 
necessary  by  Livingstone's  proposing  a  plan,  which  required 
some  thought  on  my  part.  He  proposed  that  instead  of 
going  up  the  Zambesi  and  Shii-e  at  once,  to  settle  in  such  a 
place  as  he  shoiild  advise,  which  was  the  plan  we  had  all 
along  considered  our  only  one,  we  should  postpone  going  up 
till  he  had  explored  the  Rovuma,  and  ascertained  whether 
or  not  it  would  give  a  better  road  to  the  district  of  the  Shire 
and  Nyassa  than  that  afforded  by  the  Zambesi.  I  objected 
to  this  proposal,  that  it  would  involve  considerable  and  in- 
definite delay  to  us,  and  would  transform  us  from  a  mission- 
ary body,  ready  to  attempt  at  once  to  overcome  the  diffi- 
culties attending  a  settlement  in  a  new  country,  into  an 
exploring  party,  that  we  should  be  not  only  losing  our  time 
but  embarrassing  him  by  our  presence,  and  that  I  did  not 

19 


296         MEMOIR  OF  BISHOP  MACKENZIE. 

see  that  our  going  up  from  Kongone  and  settling  on  the 
banks  of  the  Shire  was  in  any  way  opposed  to  his  plan  of 
exploring  the  Rovuma ;  for  if  he  found  a  good  entrance 
there,  we  could  communicate  with  him  in  the  interior.  To 
meet  my  objection  that  we  should  be  encumbering  him,  an 
objection  that  was  not  mine  alone,  he  answered  that  the 
mass  of  our  party  might  remain  at  some  such  place  as  Jo- 
hanna, one  of  the  Comoro  Islands,  which  lie  between  the 
northern  end  of  Madagascar  and  the  continent,  while  I  and 
perhaps  another  might  go  with  him.  I  at  once  objected  to 
this  that  we  had  had  separations  enough,  as  well  as  delays, 
and  I  thought  this  modification  made  the  plan  more  dis- 
tasteful to  me  than  before.  After  speaking  to  "Waller  and 
Scudamore  on  the  Sunday,  and  consulting  Captain  Oldfield, 
I  determined  to  ask  Livingstone  to  let  us  adhere  to  our 
plan,  and  to  go  with  us,  and  see  us  settled,  before  he  went 
to  the  Rovuma.  Accordingly  I  wi'ote  him  my  decision,  not 
being  able  to  see  him  before  our  early  start  to  the  ship  on 
Monday  morning  (Feb.  11). 

Next  morning  the  Pioneer  came  out,  and  Livingstone 
begged  me  to  reconsider  my  decision  :  he  put  more  strongly 
than  I  expected  the  difficulties  of  doing  as  I  proposed,  repeat- 
ing what  he  had  written  to  England  the  previous  May,  that 
he  did  not  know  a  single  chief  to  whom  he  could  commend 
us  with  confidence,  now  that  Chibisa  had  gone ;  and  besides, 
that  before  we  could  settle  on  any  healthy  spot,  we  must 
leave  our  goods  on  the  low  ground  close  to  the  Shire,  and 
that  the  one  who  remained  in  charge,  while  we  attempted 
to  remove  them  gradually  to  a  place  of  safety,  would  be  sure 
to  take  the  fever.  In  short,  he  spoke  so  strongly  that  I  felt 
I  had  no  right  to  force  him  to  take  part  in  a  plan,  of  which 
he  so  distinctly  disapproved ;  and  yet  my  own  objections  to 
his  plan  were  as  great  as  ever.  At  last  we  agreed  that  we 
would  do  as  he  advised,  with  this  proviso,  that  he  should 
not  keep  us  waiting  more  than  three  months,  but  would 


FROM  CAPE  TOWN  TO   THE  SHIRE.       291 

then,  if  not  sooner,  decide  between  our  going  up  by  Kongone 
or  by  the  Rovuma.  I  fiu'ther  followed  his  advice  by  deter- 
mining to  go  with  him.  myself  and  take  Rowley,  but  leave 
the  rest  at  Johanna.  I  found  that  they  all  agi-eed  to  this  as 
a  disagreeable  necessity,  but  in  a  way  that  left  me  no  mis- 
giving in  adopting  it.  Johanna  was  chosen  as  being  the 
head-quarters  of  the  cruising  squadron  on  this  coast.  It  is 
a  naval  coaling  station,  and  seemed  the  most  suitable  place 
both  for  present  need  and  future  contingencies. 

Accordingly  we  again  parted  company  :  the  Pioneer.,  taking 
May's  and  Livingstone's  parties,  proceeded  direct  to  the  Rovu- 
ma.  The  Sidon  taking  her  old  complement,  excepting  Waller, 
(that  is  to  say,  Scudamore,  Gamble,  Adams,  Job,  and  Apol- 
los,)  was  to  convoy  the  Pioneer  some  part  of  the  way,  and 
then  come  on  to  Johanna,  while  the  Lyra  came  away  first 
to  Johanna  (with  Rowley,  Waller,  Procter,  Charles,  Thomas, 
Roby,  and  myself)  to  coal,  and  then  to  meet  the  Pioneer  ab 
the  Rovuma  mouth,  carrying  to  her  five  tons  of  coal,  and 
handing  over  to  her  Rowley  and  myself,  having  previously 
deposited  the  rest  of  our  party  at  Johanna.  Waller  bad 
wisely  brought  out  from  Kongone  on  Tuesday  morning  all 
his  detachment,  and  Livingstone  his  whole  party;  so  that 
we  were  ready  to  be  off.  Accordingly  that  same  afternoon  we 
were  all  on  our  several  routes.  We  fell  in  with  the  Pioneer 
two  days  after  on  the  high  seas,  and  were  near  enough  to 
exchange  visits  by  means  of  boats:  also  on  the  16th,  Satur- 
day, we  sighted  them  again.  They  had  lost  sight  of  the  Sidon 
on  the  first  night,  and  were  making  their  way  alone. 

I  ought  to  have  said  above,  what  will  I  think  have  been 
taken  for  granted,  that  during  the  discussion  Livingstone 
continued  as  friendly  and  kind  as  possible,  and  was  most 
willing  to  help  in  carrying  out  the  plan  we  had  thought  of, 
if  decided  upon.  He  is  an  excellent  fellow,  and  I  have  no 
fear  of  any  difficulty  at  any  time  arising  between  us. 

We  reached  Johanna  on  the  morning  of  February  21. 

*  *  *  *  -> 

19—2 


293         MEMOIR   OF  BISHOP  MACKENZIE. 
The  following  letters  will  carry  on  the  story : 

LETTER  LXXVI. 

H.  M.  S.  Lyra,  off  the  Coast,  50  Miles  S.  of  Cape  Delgado, 

March  4,  Monday. 
Dear  Strong, 

-X-  *  *  *  * 

My  last  date  was,  I  think,  Feb.  22.  On  that  evening 
news  reached  us  confirming  the  report  of  the  Wasj)  being  on 
shore  on  the  mainland,  and  also  of  the  Enchantress  having 
struck  a  reef  off  Mayotta,  one  of  the  Comoro  Islands.  Next 
morning,  Feb.  23rd,  we  sailed  for  the  spot  and  spent  the 
next  five  days  in  saving  goods  from  the  wreck. 

***** 

On  Saturday  morning,  March  2,  we  left  Johanna,  pass- 
ing for  the  fourth  time  safely  through  the  passage  between 
reefs,  which  is  the  only  entrance  to  the  harbour.  *  *  * 
We  are  now  (about  one  p.m.,  Monday,  March  4)  in  sight 
of  the  Wasp  and  Persian^  though  not  near  enough  to  see 
what  is  being,  or  has  been,  done.  Should  the  Lyra  be 
obliged,  as  we  have  thought  most  probable,  to  remain  and 
help  here,  the  captain  most  kindly  promises  to  send  the 
2ud  litiitenant  in  the  pinnace  to  take  Rowley  and  myself 
to  the  Rovuma.  If  not,  he  will  take  us  up  in  this  ship. 
On  parting  from  the  Pioneer  we  said  tliey  might  look  for  us 
about  March  1.  We  may  now  hope  to  be  not  more  than 
five  days  behind  our  time,  notwithstanding  the  accumulation 
of  obstacles  that  we  did  not  foresee )  and  even  this  is  of  the 
less  consequence,  inasmuch  as  from  the  light  winds  we  have 
had  we  do  not  think  the  Pioneer  will  be  much,  if  at  all, 
sooner  than  ourselves  in  reaching  the  rendezvous. 

March  5,   Tuesday. 
At  Anchor,  Long.  40°  30'  E.  Lat.  ii°io'S. 

We  came  to  anchor  yesterday,  about  one.  Found  the 
Wasp  got  off,  though  it  is  still  a  question  what  state  she  is 


FROM  CAPE  TOWN  TO    THE  SHIRE.        293 

in.  As  far  as  we  are  concerned  our  connection  witli  lier 
will  cease  to-niglit.  We  start  for  the  Rovuma  to-morrow 
moraing.  We  expect  to  be  out  one  night.  (How  little  we 
think  now  of  a  voyage  to  last  two  days  !  It  seems  a  mere 
step.)  And  then  we  quite  hope  to  meet  Livingstone.  News 
of  other  kinds  I  have  none.  I  am  tired  of  saying  I  shall  be 
tjlad  to  be  at  work. 


LETTER  LXXVIL 

H.  M.  S.  Li/ra,  March  gth,   18(11, 

Mouth  of  the  Rovuma,   Lat.  10°  30'. 

Dear  Strong, 

I  wrote  to  you  by  the  Cape  a  letter  which  I  sent  on 
board  the  Persian  three  days  ago.  I  was  then  on  board  this 
vessel,  about  100  miles  further  south,  in  company  with  the 
Persian  and  the  Wasp.  We  weighed  anchor  on  the  morning 
of  the  6th,  and  rounded  Cape  Delgado  and  got  into  this  bay, 
whose  headlands  ai'e  about  ten  miles  ajiart — a  shallow  bay  into 
which  all  the  mouths  of  the  Rovuma  discharge  themselves. 
We  soon  saw  the  Pioneer  lying  near  the  shore  at  anchor, 
and,  steering  for  her,  cast  anchor  some  300  or  400  yards 
from  her.  Dr  Livingstone,  Mr  May,  R.N.,  and  Dr  Kirk, 
were  soon  aboard  of  us.  They  had  been  here  eleven  days. 
They  had  gone  up  a  narrow  outlet  to  see  to  v/hat  it  led,  and 
returned,  confirmed  in  the  idea  that  the  great  mouth,  in  the 
jaws  of  which  we  are  now  at  anchor,  is  the  one.  They  spent 
a  day  on  this  also,  and  say  that  it  is  one  mile  broad  between 
high  water-mark  on  the  two  sides,  and  that  in  sounding 
they  had  no  bottom  at  seventeen  fathoms.  There  is  no  bar, 
only  a  rippling  on  the  water  at  high  tide.  They  went  up 
about  eight  miles,  and  found  themselves  then  at  the  entrance 
upon  higher  lands,  about  300  feet  high.  This  leads  to  the 
hope  that  vessels  may  easily  anchor  here,  and  that  a  very 


294         MEMOIR  OF  BISHOP  MACKENZIE. 

short  time  will  suffice  to  carry  a  party  through  the  delta, 
which  is  always  found  to  be  the  most  feverish  place.  They 
saw  a  good  deal  of  cultivation.  Many  of  the  gardens  of  the 
natives  near  the  river  were  flooded,  the  river  being  now 
about  its  highest.  These  natives  spoke  languages  akin  to 
those  on  the  Zambesi,  and,  though  much  surprised,  were  not 
afraid.  They  had  made  up  then*  minds  to  start  up  the  river 
on  Monday  without  iis  if  we  did  not  appear,  and  had  already 
buried  a  bottle  with  this  intelligence  for  us.  They  had  sus- 
pended a  large  barrel,  painted  white,  to  a  tree  on  the  beach, 
to  direct  us  to  this  simple  poste  restante.  Now  we  pi'opose 
to  start  on  Monday  about  noon,  the  morning  of  that  day 
being  required  for  transferring  coals  and  provisions  to  the 
Pioneer.  They  have  been  quite  well,  and  were  very  glad  to 
see  us.  Livingstone  says  they  have  been  thinking  that  if 
this  river  looks  well,  they  may,  when  a  land  exploring  party 
leaves  the  ship,  send  her  for  the  rest  of  our  party  to  Johanna. 


March  12,   1861,  ahout  15  miles  up  the  Rovuma. 

It  is  more  than  I  expected,  being  able  to  write  to  you 
by  this  opportunity  from  a  point  so  far  up  the  river.  Capt. 
Oldfield  determined  to  spend  a  day  and  a  half,  which  have 
now  grown  into  two  days,  in  accompanying  us  part  of  the 
way  up  this  river,  and  we  shall  send  this  away  by  him. 
Monday  morning  (yesterday)  was  spent  by  us  in  transferring 
some  coals  and  provisions  from  the  Lyra  to  the  Pioneer,  and 
finally,  about  one  o'clock,  we  transhipped  ourselves.  I  had 
formed  some  acquaintance  with  all  on  board  the  Lyra. 
Rowley  also  knew  them  all — I  mean  sailors  as  well  as  offi- 
cers— and  the  cheer  they  gave  us  from  the  rigging,  when 
our  boat  had  pulled  off  from  the  ship's  side,  makes  my  heart 
leap  to  my  mouth  still  by  the  mere  remembrance. 

We  steamed  up  the  right  bank  of  the  river,  for  two  or 
three  hours.  The  stream  is  about  a  mile  wide,  in  many 
places  five  to  six  fathoms  deep,   in  some  one  fathom  and 


FROM  CAPE  TOWN  TO   THE  SHIRE.       295 

less;  once  we  had  to  anchor,  as  we  were  in  water  less  than 
a  fathom  deep,  and  we  draw  over  four  feet,  and  there 
did  not  seem  to  be  any  passage  above.  A  boat  went  out 
to  explore,  and  after  some  delay  we  retraced  our  course 
a  little,  and  then  got  an  opportunity  of  passing  into  ano- 
ther channel.  It  is  interesting  work  watching  this  ope- 
ration of  seeking  a  channel,  hearing  the  conversation  be- 
tween May,  Livingstone,  Charles  Livingstone,  and  Kirk,  or 
some  of  them,  or  getting  an  actual  lesson  when  Livingstone 
shows  us  the  signs  of  a  bank,  which  we  should  not  have 
seen.  Last  night  we  anchored  in  the  full  channel,  stream 
running  as  usual  two  or  three  miles  an  hour.  In  the  morn- 
ing a  boat  pulled  across  the  stream  before  the  anchor  was 
raised,  to  open  or  renew  communications  with  the  natives. 
I  say  "  renew,"  because  the  Pioneer's  boat  had  come  up 
nearly  as  high  a  week  ago,  and  had  made  friends,  and  begun 
a  system  of  barter  with  one  village.  On  landing  we  found 
it  was  not  the  same  spot;  one  or  two  dark  figui'es  wei"e  just 
disappearing  among  the  shrubs  and  trees.  Dr  Livingstone 
told  one  of  the  party  (Joseph,  who  was  engaged  at  Cape 
Town)  to  tell  them  not  to  run  away,  and  the  result  of  his 
shouting  was  that  a  man  soon  returned. 

The  language  here  is  so  much  akin  to  that  on  the  Lower 
Zambesi,  that  even  Dr  Livingstone  holds  a  (somewhat  broken) 
communication  with  them.  The  resvilt  of  the  interview  was 
the  purchase  of  some  fowls  and  vegetables  for  cloth;  a  pro- 
mise on  the  part  of  the  native  that  he  would  tell  all  his 
neighbours  that  we  are  merciful  and  good  Englishmen ;  and 
an  attempt  to  express  to  him  that  we  have  come  to  teach  the 
black  people.  We  had  not  much  time  to  spend,  but  were  well 
satisfied  with  the  resvilt  of  our  first  interview  with  natives 
of  the  country.  It  is  true  this  man  is  a  stranger;  the  ap- 
pearance of  his  garden  corroborated  his  own  accoimt  that  he 
had  not  cultivated  there  long;  still  he  will  tell  his  neigh- 
bours, and  so  the  effect  of  oiu-  visit  will  be  the  same. 

The  scenery  is  now  becoming  beautiful — hills  two  or 


296  MEMOIR  OF  BISHOP  MACKENZIE. 

three  hundred  feet  high  within  two  or  three  miles  of  us,  and 
the  river  winding  majestically  in  its  wide  bed,  sometimes 
washing  the  foot  of  the  ridge  that  bounds  the  valley,  on  one 
Bide  or  the  other;  sometimes  widening  to  a  mile  and  a  half, 
and  forming  islands,  generally  low  and  grassy,  but  occa- 
sionally of  size  and  importance  enough  to  carry  trees  with 
fresh  and  luxuriant  foliage.  The  mangroves  have  all  been 
left  behind;  now  we  have  baobabs,  flat-crowned  palms,  wild 
date,  wild  fig,  &c.  There  has  not  as  yet  been  either  any 
tributary,  or  any  stream  branching  off  to  form  another 
mouth.  It  is  clear  this  is  the  main  mouth,  though  no  doubt 
there  are  connections  with  other  mouths  near  this  one.  In 
one  or  two  places,  within  four  miles  of  the  sea,  there  were 
sluggish  channels,  fifty  or  sixty  yards  wide,  leaving  the 
stream  and  almost  immediately  escaping  sight  in  the  closer 
vegetation  of  that  part.  These  might  continue  indejiendent 
channels  to  the  sea,  or  quite  as  likely  might  fine  away 
altogether,  or  return  shortly  to  the  main  stream. 

So  far  as  we  can  see,  this  river  is  answering  the  expec- 
tations formed  of  it.  Of  course  we  cannot  tell  what  its 
upper  jmrt  may  be,  but  it  is  something  to  have  got  up  fifteen 
miles  (or  at  least  twelve)  with  such  ease.     Good  bye. 

Youi's  affectionately, 

C.  F.  M. 

LETTER  LXXYIII. 

River  Rovuma,  20  iniles  from  Sea, 

March  23,  Saturday. 
Dear  Strong, 

*  *  *  45-  * 

We  ascended  this  river  for  five  days.  At  first  we  had 
deep  water,  but  very  soon  began  to  find  it  shoal.  On  the 
first  day  we  had  to  stop  (finding  only  one  fathom),  and  cross 
to  the  other  side.  On  the  second,  the  navigation  was  in  one 
or  two  places  intricate.  On  the  third,  we  had  to  return 
tiome  distance,  finding  our  channel  fail  us :  so  that  we  began 


FROM  CAPE   TOWN  TO   THE  SHIRE.       297 

to  perceive  tliat  we  should  be  compelled  to  return  in  a  few 
days,  instead  of  spending  a  couple  of  months,  to  secure  our 
getting  out  before  the  fall  of  the  water  should  make  some  of 
our  difficulties  become  impossibilities,  and  so  cut  me  off 
from  a  return  to  my  party  at  Johanna,  and  indeed  from  any 
actual  mission  work.  *  *  *  It  was  by  this  time  clear 
that  we  could  not  hope  this  season  to  explore  far  enough  to 
give  a  favourable  account  of  this  river,  and  go  to  Johanna 
for  our  men.  We  were  not  30  miles  (probably  about  25) 
from  the  sea,  and  could  not  be  sure  that  before  we  had  gone 
20  miles  further  we  should  not  find  a  cataract  or  something 
that  would  in*emediably  impede  water-cari'iage.  The  natives 
indeed,  on  the  whole,  give  a  good  accoiint  of  it.  They  say 
that  a  canoe  can  come  out  of  Lake  Nyassa,  where  the  Mang- 
anja  live  (they  knew  both  these  names  before  we  suggested 
them),  and  reach  the  sea  by  the  Rovuma  :  but  no  one  of 
them  has  been  far  enough  to  quote  his  own  experience  on 
this  point,  nor  have  they  seen  any  one  who  has ;  so  that  the 
matter  is  still  in  doubt.  Besides,  there  is  the  important 
consideration  that  the  steamer  cannot  go  wherever  a  canoe 
can.  We  had  no  hesitation  on  this  point,  that  the  steamer 
must  lose  no  time  in  reaching  the  sea,  so  that  she  may  call 
at  Johanna,  and  proceed  up  the  Shire  this  year  to  place  us 
where  we  may  begin  our  woi'k. 


But  nonfacilis  descensics  Ovuma,  (the  natives  pronounce 
it  as  often  without  the  R  as  with  it ;)  the  current,  which 
would  be  of  the  greatest  service  if  the  channel  were  broad, 
makes  it  much  moi-e  dangerous  to  thread  the  way  down 
through  shoals,  than  to  go  up  over  the  same  ground.  We 
have  already  spent  five  days,  and  have  not  made  good  twice 
as  many  miles.  We  have  spent  two  nights  gi-ounded  on 
the  sand,  and  have  all  had  much  hard  work. 


298         MEMOIR  OF  BISHOP  MACKENZIE. 

LETTER  LXXIX. 

{To  the  same.) 

April  I,  Monday. 

Lat.  n°  S.  Long.  41°  E. 

When  I  last  wrote,  I  spoke  of  continuing  to  cut  wood 
all  tliat  Saturday  (Maj'ch  23),  and  not  lifting  our  anchor 
till  the  following  Monday.  However,  about  two  p.m.  it 
was  decided  that  we  should  call  all  on  board  and  start,  a 
boat  preceding  us  in  doubtful  places  :  partly  by  its  aid, 
though  moi'e  by  the  gain  of  a  foot  from  the  late  rains,  we 
ran  down  with  less  trouble  than  we  had  come  up.  Within 
a  couple  of  hours  we  were  in  sight  of  the  sea.  *  *  * 
Thus  ended  a  fortnight's  voyage  in  the  river. 

The  results  of  the  exploration  have  not  been  great ; 
chiefly  this,  that  the  hopes  founded  ujion  the  appearance  of 
the  mouth  have  been  to  a  considerable  extent  disappointed, 
while  there  is  room  left  for  hope  as  to  the  effect  of  trying 
a  vessel  drawing  (say)  two  feet,  and  also  the  effect  of  the 
falling  of  the  flood  in  deepening  the  channel  when  the  river 
shall  spread  less  uni'estrainedly  from  bank  to  bank. 

We  proposed  to  spend  two  or  three  days  in  cutting 
wood,  and  preparing  the  vessel  for  sea,  and  hoped  to  get  to 
Johanna  in  time  to  spend  Easter-day  (March  31)  in  reunion, 
and  with  Holy  Communion  with  our  fi^iends  there.  But 
in  this  we  have  been  disappointed.  On  the  Monday  or 
Tuesday  I  resigned  myself  into  the  doctor's  hands,  to  be 
treated  for  fever  :  it  was  a  very  mild  attack,  cei-tainly  no 
worse  than  a  slight  influenza  cold,  and  I  was  all  right  again 
in  a  day  or  two.  Unfortunately,  I  was  only  the  first  of 
several,  and  before  the  engine  was  put  into  gear,  after  some 
parts  had  been  repaired,  an  engineer  was  on  his  back ;  and 
in  all,  half  the  whites  on  board  were  attacked.  It  was 
clear  that  the  sooner  we  could  leave  the  coast  the  better. 
Accordingly,  as  soon  as  the  engine  could  be  connected, 
which  was  on  Good-Friday    morning,   we  were  rejoiced  to 


FROM  CAPE  TOWN  TO   THE  SHIRE.       299 

hear  the  order,  "All  hands,  up  anchor;"  and  we  were  soon 
out  of  sight  of  land. 


The  crew  are  beginning  to  return  to  work  one  after 
another:  we  have  taken  turns  to  sujiply  their  place  at  the 
wheel,  and  on  the  look-out.  There  has  not  been  much 
else  to  be  done. 

As  to  the  fever,  they  say  that  they  think  the  Eovuma 
worse  than  the  Zambesi.  My  experience  worxld  lead  me  to 
say  that  the  cui'e  is  worse  than  the  disease,  but  my  attack 
was  a  slight  one. 

LETTER   LXXX. 

(To  the  same.) 

April  18,   Thursday. 

Johanna. 

The  day  following  that  on  which  I  last  wrote,  we 
reached,  not  Johanna,  as  we  had  wished,  but  another 
island  of  the  group,  Mohella.  We  cast  anchor  when  the 
fuel  remaining  was  not  more  than  would  have  served  to 
keep  up  the  steam  for  one  hour  longei".  We  could  not  but 
feel  a  little  anxious  as  we  gradually  neai-ed  the  island :  for 
had  the  coal  failed  before  we  could  anchor,  we  should  have 
been  drifted  back  by  wind  and  currents.  We  were  detained 
for  six  days,  merely  getting  enough  wood  and  water  to  take 
us  across  to  Johanna,  which  was  now  in  full  sight.  At 
last,  on  April  8,  we  crossed,  and  found  that  though  our 
friends  had  had  severe  attacks  of  fever,  they  were  now  all 
well,  or  with  slight  ailments. 


Thus  ended  the  expedition  to  the  Rovuma.  As  it 
turned  out,  little  advantage,  or  none,  was  gained  for 
the  missionary  work ;  but  I  think  it  is  clear  that  Bishop 


300         MEMOIR  OF  BISHOP  MACKENZIE. 

Mackenzie  could  not  have  acted  otherwise  than  he  did, 
without  exhibiting  a  confidence  in  his  own  opinion, 
when  opposed  to  that  of  Dr  Livingstone,  which  might 
have  been  justly  described  as  not  wise  but  head- 
strong. 

It  was  in  getting  ready  for  sea,  at  the  mouth  of  the 
Rovuma,  that  Bishop  Mackenzie  had  his  first  attack  of 
African  fever ;  it  will  be  seen  from  his  mention  of  the 
attack,  in  the  preceding  page,  that  his  illness  was  but 
slight,  and  that  he  was  already  tempted  to  think  too 
little  of  the  power  of  the  disease;  the  strength  of  his 
constitution,  and  the  readiness  with  which  he  rallied, 
tended  perhaps  to  foster  the  notion  more  than  he  him- 
self suspected,  that  the  dangerous  character  of  the 
fever  had  been  exaggerated.  To  this  underrating  of 
the  fever  may  to  a  certain  extent  be  attributed  the 
conduct,  which  afterwards,  as  we  shall  see,  led  to  so 
lamentable  a  result. 

In  the  Rovuma  also.  Bishop  Mackenzie  appears  to 
have  run  a  risk  of  his  life,  to  which  I  find  no  allusion 
in  his  own  letters ;  in  a  letter  to  a  friend,  Mr  Charles 
Livingstone  writes,  "He  worked  very  hard  while  we 
were  in  the  river ;  and  once,  to  our  utter  horror,  gave 
a  Rovuma  alligator  an  opportunity  (the  like  of  which 
no  alligator  ever  had  before)  of  immortalising  himself 
by  devouring  a  live  Bishop  !  Fortunately,  the  monster 
was  not  ambitious  of  such  renown." 

The  next  letter  does  not  add  to  the  narrative,  but 
will  be  acceptable  as  a  token  of  the  gentle  affectionate 
feelings  of  the  writer.     It  is  to  a  brother  in  Scotland. 


FROM  CAPE  TOWN  TO   THE  SHIRE.        301 

LETTER   LXXXI. 

On  Board  the  Pioneer, 

Lat.  11°  S.  Long.  41°  E. 

Ajml  I,  Monday. 
Dear  

Every  happiness  and  every  blessing  to  you  in  the 
year  that  opens  upon  you  on  this  day.  I  thought  of  you 
early  this  morning,  before  in  fact  it  was  your  birthday  to 
you  at  home.  I  was  on  watch  on  deck  from  one  to  half- 
past  two  tliis  morning,  as  four  of  us  agreed  to  relieve  the 
crew  for  the  night,  many  of  them  being  down  with  fever. 
It  is  a  dull  day,  and  we  have  had  rather  a  dreary  week; 
but  things  are  looking  up,  and  we  are  now  steaming  rapidly 
(six  or  seven  knots  an  hour)  towards  Johanna,  where  we 
hope  to  find  our  party  in  health  and  strength.  It  is  this 
day  three  months  since  I  was  made  a  Bishop,  and  received 
mission  to  preach  to  the  tribes  of  Nyassa  and  Shire;  and 
since  that  time,  I  have  been  almost  without  inteiTUjDtion 
at  sea.  I  do  not  think  this  has  been  my  own  fault ;  and 
even  now  Livingstone  speaks  of  the  advantage  of  our  not 
having  gone  up  to  the  Shire  in  February,  when  we  were  at 
Kongone.  I  am  still  of  opinion  that  it  would  have  been 
better  if  we  had,  but  I  do  not  think  I  could  withstand  the 
weight  of  advice  that  was  pressed  on  me.  Now,  however, 
I  trust  that  this  month  will  not  end  before  we  are  at  the 
foot  of  the  Murchison  Cataract.  It  is  very  pleasant  being 
on  the  easy  terms  we  are  with  Livingstone ;  and  as  for  Dr 
Kirk,  we  are  the  greatest  possible  cronies.  He  encouraged 
me  to  try  my  hand  at  botanizing,  a  thing  which  has  been 
open  to  me  any  time  as  long  as  I  can  remember,  but  for 
which  I  never  thought  I  had  any  turn ;  but  now,  with  his 
help,  I  have  settled  the  order  to  which  each  of  some  ten  or 
twelve  plants  belong,  of  whose  nature  I  had  no  notion  to 
begin  with.     He  is  an  excellent  teacher. 

There  are  a  few  things,  which  I  have  in  constant  use : 
your  wrist-studs;  the  watch  you  gave  me,  which  goes  well; 


302         MEMOIR  OF  BISHOP  MACKENZIE. 

the  clock  witb  alarum,  which  is  at  present  acting  as  ship's 
clock;  the  writing-case  I  begged  from  in  the  Cam- 
brian;  the   sextant  gave   me; 's  Prayer-book; 

Mrs 's  Christian  Year :  and,  by  the  bye,  as  I  may  not 

be  writing  to  Portmore  immediately,   please  tell  the 

cheese  was  not  opened  till  we  were  in  the  B-ovuma,  and 
was  found  in  excellent  condition,  thanks  to  your  friend  the 
tinman;  indeed,  Livingstone  and  all  the  party  begged  me  to 
give  their  best  thanks  to  the  lady  donor  for  a  cheese,  which 
had  evidently  not  been  made  for  sale.  It  was  really  very 
good;  Englishmen  allowed  that  Scotland  could  match  them 
even  in  pasture  produce,  and  we  esteemed  it  so  highly,  that 
we  laid  by  half  till  our  whole  party  should  be  together :  it 
will  come  out  in  the  Zambesi. 


I  insert  the  following,  because  it  contains  one  of  the 
few  confessions  that  (I  believe)  Bishop  Mackenzie  ever 
made  of  being  overdone  and  out  of  spirits.  It  is  to  his 
sister  in  Scotland.  It  is  amusing  to  observe  the  reason 
assigned  for  this  confession  of  weakness. 

LETTER   LXXXIL 

Johanna, 
April  20,  Saturday. 

I  HAVE  been  very  well  since  I  wrote  last,  excepting 
a  fit  of  lowness  and  weakness  from  over- work  a  week  ago. 
I  had  returned  to  this  island  a  little  below  the  mark,  but 
thought  a  good  walk  would  do  me  good.  I  arranged  with 
Kirk  that  we  should  go  together:  we  started  at  7.30,  in- 
stead of  5.30  or  6,  as  we  were  advised.  The  climb,  3000 
feet,  was  very  steep.  I  felt  knocked-up,  could  hardly 
touch  breakfast,  and  almost  came  back  for  fear  I  should 
break  down.  However,  foi*tunately  an  hour's  rest  in  the 
shade  by  a  stream  did  me  good.     I  went  on,  and  got  home 


FROM  CAPE  TOWN  TO   THE  SIIIRE.       303 

tired.  Next  day  I  felt  well,  but  the  day  after  knocked-up  ; 
and  my  spirits  gave  way.  I  lay  on  the  bed,  or  in  an  arm- 
chair, as  weak  as  water  for  two  days :  but  Kirk  set  me  right, 
and  now  I  am  quite  well.  I  tell  you  all  this,  because  I 
wish  you  to  believe  me  when  I  tell  you  that  I  have  been 
quite  well. 


The  delays  which  had  been  so  wearisome  to  the  mis- 
sionary party  were  now  at  length  at  an  end.  Tlie  Rovuma 
had  been  tried,  and  for  the  present  at  all  events  had 
proved  a  failure ;  the  missionaries  were  assembled  at 
Johanna,  and  all  was  ready  for  a  start  towards  the 
Zambesi.  Speaking  of  the  residence  of  himself  and  the 
rest  of  the  party  left  at  Johanna  during  the  exploration 
of  the  EiOvuma,  Mr  Waller  says,  "  Our  stay  here  would 
have  been  one  of  the  utmost  enjoyment,  surrounded  as 
we  have  been  by  extreme  kindness  on  the  part  of  the 
inhabitants,  and  benefiting  by  the  unbounded  hospi- 
tality and  attention  of  Mr  Sunley,  the  British  Consul 
for  the  Comoro  Islands.  Unfortunately,  however,  we 
have  sujEfered  a  good  deal  from  fever,  and  I  think  but 
one  out  of  the  party  of  ten  has  escaped  it."  Speaking 
of  the  work  in  which  they  had  employed  themselves 
during  their  enforced  residence  at  Johanna,  he  adds, 
"  The  Arabs  of  the  islands  are  a  most  interesting  set. 
They  nearly  all  speak  English  a  little,  and  were  anxious 
beyond  measure  to  learn  it ;  kings,  lords,  and  commons 
were  our  pupils ;  and  right  sorry  we  were  to  leave 
them.  They  are  not  at  all  disposed  to  quarrel  on 
points  of  religion  :  on  the  contrary,  nothing  interested 
them   more   than   comparing   our   stories   of  the   Old 


304         MEMOIR  OF  BISHOP  MACKENZIE. 

Testament  with  their  Koran.  Of  course,  when  it  came 
to  the  main  points  of  our  faith,  the  same  disbelief  which 
makes  Mahometanism  so  antagonistic  to  our  religion 
was  present.  One  of  the  young  princes  has  become  a 
staunch  Christian  ;  and  report  says,  the  Sultan  himself 
is  mainly  anxious  to  know  English  thoroughly,  that 
he  may  read  the  Bible.  He  says  it  is  '  more  better' 
than  the  '  other  book,'  meaning  the  Koran.  Still  read- 
ing it  for  its  poetry  and  searching  it  for  its  faith  are 
two  different  things.  Yet  with  a  people  so  eminently 
susceptible  of  the  power  of  language,  and  really  re- 
ligiously inclined,  I  cannot  help  thinking  very  much 
might  be  done.  I  mentioned  the  subject  of  a  mission- 
aiy  to  several  of  them.  Nothing  would  delight  them 
more  than  to  have  some  one  who  would  teach  them 
English,  and  the  king  promises  a  piece  of  land  and  his 
personal  aid  to  any  one  who  would  come  out  for  this 
purpose ;  but,  as  a  good  Mahomedan,  he  cannot  ask 
point  blank  for  a  missionary.  Still,  any  energetic  man 
would  find  here  that  the  thin  end  of  the  wedge  is 
inserted,  and  he  would  stand  a  better  chance  of  causing 
a  rift  in  this  wretched  infatuation  than  others  less 
fortunate  in  finding  a  people  disposed  most  favourably 
to  ever3d:hing  English." 

On  the  last  day  of  April  the  Pioneer  was  off 
Kongone;  the  bar  was  too  rough  to  permit  the  vessel 
to  cross;  on  the  morning  of  May  1,  the  j)assage  was 
effected  without  difficulty,  and  on  that  day  the  Bishop 
reported  his  party  "  all  well ;"  though  he  adds,  that  in 
the  course  of  the  voyage  about  half  of  those  on  board 
had  been  down  with  attacks  of  fever. 


FROM  CAPE  TOWN  TO   THE  SHIRE.       305 

It  is  unnecessary  to  dwell  upon  the  arrangements 
for  ascending  the  river.  We  will  suppose  these  to  have 
been  made,  and  will  allow  Bishop  Mackenzie  to  tell 
his  own  story, 

LETTER  LXXXIII. 

{To  his  Sister  at  the  Cape.) 

May  8,    Wednesday. 
Dear , 

*  *  *  *  * 

We  are  now  steaming  up  tlirougli  the  delta,  without  a 
single  case  of  sickness  on  board. 

This  is  a  fine  river;  and  we  have  this  advantage  over 
the  E-ovuma,  that  Livingstone  knows  the  river,  and  we 
never  stick  as  we  did  there. 


The  responsibility  and  difficulty  of  the  work  seem  to  in- 
crease as  it  comes  nearer.  I  have  been  reading  Moffat's 
missionary  labours,  and  it  has  made  me  think  moi'e  of  the 
difficulties,  not  only  of  a  practical  outward  kind,  but  still 
more  of  a  spiritual  kind.  It  has  helped  me  also  to  remember 
that  in  God  is  our  help,  and  that  we  attempt  nothing  in  our 
own  name. 

Livingstone  is  most  kind  and  excellent.  He  promises  to 
make  a  tour  with  us,  as  soon  as  we  leave  the  shi^?,  to  look 
out  for  a  site.  We  hope  to  reach  the  Murchison  Cataract 
in  about  seventeen  days,  that  is,  about  Trinity  Sunday. 
Then  a  pai-ty  of  us,  perhaps  all  of  us,  with  Livingstone 
Kirk  and  others,  will  stai-t  to  look  at  the  country  between 
the  Shire  and  Shirwa :  high  table  land,  south  of  the  top  of 
Zomba,  where  Livingstone  thinks  we  shall  find  a  suitable 
spot.  After  that,  he  proposes  to  take  a  boat  up  the  side  of 
the  river,  for  thirty-three  miles,  and  putting  it  on  the  water 

20 


3o6  MEMOIR  OF  BISHOP  MACKENZIE. 

again  spend  four  or  five  months  exploring  Nyassa,  especially 
with  the  view  of  finding  how  near  the  Rovuma  comes  to 
the  lake,  or  whether  it  actually  runs  out  of  Nyassa,  which 
I  do  not  believe.  He  will  be  back  in  time  to  take  the 
Pioneei'  down  to  meet  you  on  December  15.  You  may  on 
getting  this  think  of  us  as  heard  of  as  high  as  Mazaro,  where 
it  will  leave  my  hands.     God  bless  you. 

Notice  in  the  next  two  letters  the  unfortunately- 
slight  opinion,  which  Bishop  Mackenzie  had  already 
been  led  to  form  of  the  dangerous  character  of  African 
fever. 

LETTER  LXXXIY. 

{To  a  Sister.) 

KivER  Shire, 

May  1 6,   Wednesday. 
***** 

We  are  lying  moored  to  the  bank  of  the  river,  about 

three  miles  above  its  confluence  with  the  Zambesi.     Half 

our  river  voyage  is  thus  finished.    We  are  all  in  fine  health  ; 

I  myself  in  perfect  health.     We  think  very  little  of  fever; 

but  take  fifteen  or  twenty  grains  of  the  mixture  of  calomel, 

quinine,  &c.,  which  Livingstone  has  found  eflScacious,  lie  by 

for  a  day  or  so,   and  then  get  up,  a  little  weakened.     In 

about  a  couple  of  days  we  are  entirely  set  up :   during  these 

there  is  a  gi'eat  tendency  to  lassitude,  which  hangs  about 

and  retards  recovery,  unless  an  efibrt  be  made  to  throw  it 

off. 

***** 

We  expect  to  settle  somewhere  on  the  high  plateau  be- 
tween the  Shire  and  Shirwa,  which  ends  northwards  in  the 
high  mountain  Zomba.  Our  settlement  will  very  likely  be 
about  thirty  miles  from  where  we  disembark.  Of  course, 
cceteris  'paribus,  the  nearer  the  river  we  are  the  better :  but 
we  must  choose  our  site  partly  with  a  view  to  health,  and. 


FROM  CAPE  TOWN  TO   THE  SHIRE.       307 

the  heights  are  less  feverish  than  the  low  valley  of  the  Shire, 
aud  still  more  with  a  view  to  our  work,  for  which  a  friendly 
chief  will  be  a  great  help.  However,  we  shall  see  in  the 
course  of  our  fii-st  month,  that  is,  I  hope,  before  the  end  of 
June,  where  we  can  best  locate  ourselves.  Then  getting  to 
know  the  people,  putting  up  buildings,  beginning  a  garden 
and  a  field  beyond  it,  bringing  a  stream  of  water  to  the 
house,  these  will  fully  occupy  us  till  about  Nov.  15,  when 
the  Pioneer  will  go  down  to  the  mouth  for  our  ladies.  We 
shall  all  rejoice  very  much  to  see  them  again. 


LETTER  LXXXV. 

{To  a  Sister.) 

May  25,  Tuesday. 

*  *  *  *  * 

I  amused  Livingstone  the  other  day  by  saying  I  knew 
that  his  engine  burnt  wood  in  the  river,  but  had  never 
reckoned  the  time  required  for  cutting  it.  They  cut  down 
dead  trees,  and  then  have  to  saw  them  into  lengths  of  about 
four  feet  for  the  furnaces,  and  split  the  thicker  blocks.  This 
often  takes  two  days  at  a  place,  furnishing  a  supply  for  about 
as  long.  This  time  we  also  spent  two  days  and  nights  a- 
ground.  This  was  a  serious  matter,  as  the  water  was  not 
rising,  but  gradually  falling.  With  some  difliculty  we  got 
off:  it  was  not  exactly  mission- woi'k,  but  was  a  necessary 
antecedent  to  it. 

I  have  had  another  specimen  of  the  fever  since  we 
anchored  here,  but  it  seems  slighter  and  slighter  every  time  : 
it  came  on  Saturday  morning  without  interfering  with  my 
breakfast,  except  by  making  it  lighter  than  usual,  and  on 
the  next  day  I  was  able  to  take  part  in  the  service.  It 
would  be  worth  some  people's  while  to  come  out  here,  to  get 
so  easily  through  a  fever. 

*  *  *  *  * 

20—2 


308         MEMOIR  OF  BISHOP  MACKENZIE. 

The  reader  will  conclude  from  these  letters  that  the 
ascent  of  the  Shire  in  the  Pioneer  was  a  very  wearisome 
and  laborious  matter ;  in  addition  to  the  difficulties 
arising  from  the  necessity  of  cutting  wood  for  fuel, 
there  were  others  arising  from  the  numerous  sand- 
banks, and  the  imperfect  knowledge  of  the  river  pos- 
sessed by  those  who  were  navigating  it.  One  source 
of  trouble  was  inherent  in  the  Pioneer  herself;  she 
drew  too  much  water ;  and  occasionally  a  slight  devi- 
ation from  the  channel  would  throw  her  upon  a  bank, 
upon  which  she  would  remain  fixed  for  hours  or  even 
days.  These  difficulties  brought  out  the  finest  parts 
of  the  Bishop's  character ;  he  was  ready  for  all 
emergencies,  and  would  help  to  cut  wood,  or  assist  in 
pushing  off  the  boat,  with  as  much  vigour  and  earnest- 
ness as  he  could  possibly  exhibit  in  his  own  more 
peculiar  duties.  I  do  not  wonder  that  he  should  have 
made  a  deep  impression  upon  Dr  Livingstone,  who,  in 
several  of  his  letters,  speaks  in  the  highest  terms  of  his 
character  and  his  fitness  for  the  work. 

In  a  letter  which  I  shall  give  presently.  Bishop 
Mackenzie  writes  under  date  June  1,  "  We  are  not  more 
than  twenty  miles  from  the  end  of  our  river  voyage :" 
but  in  the  letter  which  will  next  come  before  the 
reader,  under  date  June  16,  the  party  are  still  in  the 
river  Shire.  This  will  give  some  notion  of  the  ex- 
tremely tedious  character  of  the  voyage.  I  do  not  wish 
that  it  should  be  equally  tedious  to  the  reader,  but  I 
cannot  refrain  from  inserting  the  following  letter,  which 
is  addressed  to  the  Cambridge  friend  to  whom  was 
written  Letter  XL VIII. ;  the  letter,  to  a  certain  extent, 


FROM  CAPE  TOWN  TO   THE  SIIIRE.       309 

repeats  what  the  reader  abeady  knows,  but  it  contains 
also  some  expressions  of  Avarm  brotherly  feeling,  which, 
under  the  circumstances  of  his  own  labours  and  anx- 
ieties, are  very  noticeable,  and  which  I  think  the 
reader  would  be  sorry  to  lose. 


LETTER  LXXXVL 

(To  a  Friend  in  Cambridge.) 

BivER  Shire, 

Sunday,  June  16,   t86i. 
My  dear  , 

You  will  hear  probably  from  others  what  tedious 
delays  have  arisen  in  our  going  up  to  the  place  of  our  work. 

On  Feb.  7  we  anchored  off  the  mouth  of  this  river,  and 
there  met  Livingstone,  who  persuaded  us  to  delay  our  going 
up,  till  he  had  tried  to  ascei'tain  the  feasibility  of  a  road  by 
the  Rovuma. 

March  1  found  us  at  Johanna,  one  of  the  Comoro  Islands, 
delayed  in  reaching  the  Rovuma  by  disasters  which  befell 
two  of  H.  M.  ships. 

April  1  found  us  returning  from  the  Roviima,  which 
had  eneoxiraged  iis  at  first  to  believe  that  it  might  he.  an 
open  way  to  the  inland  country,  but  from  which  we  were 
glad  to  escape  before  the  falling  of  the  water  should  make 
this  impossible.  On  April  2  we  were  near  the  Comoro 
Islands  again,  where  we  had  to  pick  up  those  of  our  party 
whom  we  had  left  there,  not  to  encumber  the  vessel  in  the 
exploration  of  the  Rovuma. 

May  1  found  us  crossing  the  bar  of  the  Zambesi,  and  the 
month  and  a  half  since  have  been  spent  in  labouring  up  the 
Zambesi  and  Shire.  We  are  now  constantly  going  aground 
from  the  narrow  and  winding  channel,  which  alone  is  deep 
enovTgh  to  float  us ;  and  a  stick  generally  costs  us  three  days' 
hard  work,  to  be  followed  probably  by  a  few  hours'  motion, 


3IO         MEMOIR  OF  BISHOP  MACKENZIE. 

in  wMcli  we  proceed  a  few  miles.  This  is  the  more  distress- 
ing, as  I  have  written  to  Cape  Town  for  our  party  left 
there  to  come  to  the  Kongone  and  meet  Livingstone  and 
myself  on  December  15  j  and  we  have  much  to  do,  before 
we  can  call  ourselves  ready  for  them. 

On  the  other  hand,  there  is  the  all-comforting  assurance 
that  tlie  work  is  not  our  own,  but  God's :  that  we  did  not 
seek  it  for  ourselves,  but  were  sent:  that  we  have  the 
prayers  of  those  at  home,  and  those  in  South  Africa,  for  our 
preservation  :  and  that  if  only  we  love  God,  all  things  will  tvirn 
out  for  our  good.  I  cannot  but  be  most  thankful  for  the  spirit 
which  God  has  given  to  all  my  fellow-workers,  lay  as  well 
as  clei  ical,  of  patient  waiting  on  God  :  "  Blessed  is  the  man 
that  trusteth  in  the  Lord,  and  whose  hope  the  Lord  is :  for 
he  shall  be  as  a  tree  planted  by  the  waters,  and  that  spread- 
eth  out  her  roots  by  the  river,  and  shall  not  see  when  heat 
cometh,  but  her  leaf  shall  be  green ;  and  shall  not  be  careful 
in  the  year  of  drought,  neither  shall  cease  from  yielding 
fruit."    Jer.  xvii.  7,  8. 

And  all  this  time  we  have  no  news  from  home.  The 
last  letters  we  got  were  those  that  left  England  by  last  De- 
cember mail :  we  cannot  expect  to  get  others  till  August 
or  September  next,  or  perhaps  the  end  of  the  year.  I  am 
anxious  to  hear  news  that  may  affect  the  Mission,  whether 
all  those  who  purposed  to  come  are  still  in  the  same  mind, 
and  other  such  like  things.  Perhaps  I  shall  hear  fi'om  you. 
You  remember  how  I  urged  you  to  get  into  practical  paro- 
chial work :  I  still  think  this  more  wholesome  for  you  than 
College  life.  It  will  bring  you  into  contact  with  those  who 
feel  the  need  of  religion,  and  when  the  great  fundamental 
truths  are  not  merely  propositions  to  which  you  assent,  nor 
only  the  foundations  of  your  own  life  and  hope,  but  when 
you  have  fed  others  too,  encouraged  the  timid,  warned  the 
over-confident,  instructed  the  young,  you  will  find  other 
points  take  their  subordinate  place  firmly  and  distinctly. 
You  have  qualities  of  intelligence  and  gentleness,   which 


FROM  CAPE   TOWN  TO   THE  SHIRE.       31 1 

would  enable  you  for  this  ■work.     God  bless  you,  my  dear 
fellow.     Write  to  me. 

Yours  affectionately, 

C.  F.  M. 

One  more  letter  will  carry  us  to  the  end  of  this 
tiresome  river  expedition.  It  is  written  to  a  sister  in 
Scotland. 

LETTER  LXXXVII. 


Dear 


Shire, 
June  1,   i86x. 


We  are  now  not  more  than  twenty  miles  from  the  end 
of  our  river  voyage  at  Chibisa's.  It  is  just  a  month  since 
we  crossed  the  bar.  We  have  come  up  much  more  slowly 
than  we  expected.  This  has  been  a  week  of  misfortunes. 
We  have  not  made  more  than  ten  miles  since  Sunday,  and 
this  is  Saturday  noon.  The  fact  is,  we  have  been  aground 
about  as  many  hours  as  we  have  been  afloat,  and  the  last 
stick  has  been  one  of  the  most  troublesome  we  have  had 
since  I  first  came  on  board.  She  was  aground  midships, 
both  bow  and  stern  being  almost  or  quite  afloat.  Accord- 
ingly, when  we  laid  out  an  anchor  from  her  bow  she  swung 
round  that  way,  and  when  we  laid  out  an  anchor  from  the 
stern  she  just  swung  back,  turning  on  her  middle  as  on  a 
pivot,  but  not  coming  off.  It  has  been  hard  work.  My 
hands  are  sore  and  ci'amped  with  hauling  cables  and  hand- 
ling chains  and  anchors.  They  say  this  vessel  must  never 
come  up  this  river  again,  and  they  will  be  thankful  if  she 
ever  gets  down. 

***** 

We  are  proposing  now,  that  as  soon  as  may  be  after 
reaching  Chibisa's  we  should  all  (except  Rowley  and  Gamble) 


313  MEMOIR    OF  BISHOP  MACKENZIE. 

go  witli  Livingstone  to  clioose  a  site,  and  that  "Waller  alone 
should  return  to  the  ship  and  make  successive  journeys  to 
bring  up  goods,  while  we  remain  on  the  spot,  and  begin  our 
work.  Rowley  and  Gamble  will  stay  to  get  up  a  shed  on 
the  bank  of  the  river  for  the  reception  of  goods. 

June  13.  Well  here  we  are,  not  having  made  more 
than  6  or  7  miles  in  the  last  three  weeks.  We  have  had 
serious  fears  that  this  vessel  might  be  unable  to  reach 
Chibisa's.  But  yesterday  we  got  out  of  a  difficulty  we  had 
been  in  for  two  nights,  and  we  are  to-day  steaming  up  with 
more  hope. 


You  know  I  am  of  a  sanguine  temperament,  and  always 
believe  that  things  will  go  well.  Some  of  our  party  are  not 
quite  so  much  so :  and  even  I  foresee  the  probability  of  our 
being  in  some  difficulties  often.  I  was  glad  therefore  to 
read  the  other  day  S.  Paul's  words,  "perplexed  but  not  in 
despair,"  and  I  mean  to  steep  my  mind  in  them  in  pi'epara- 
tion.  Besides,  our  Lord's  promise  is  for  us  too,  "It  shall 
be  given  you  in  that  same  hour  what  ye  shall  say  and  do  ;" 
and  those  other  words  we  may  claim,  I  think,  even  more 
than  clergymen  at  home,  "Lo,  I  am  with  you  always,  even 
to  the  end  of  the  world." 

July  6.  Since  I  last  wrote,  we  have  passed  the  great 
chief  of  the  district,  Rondo,  and  have  got  his  consent  to  our 
going  up  and  settling  in  the  hills ;  which  is  well,  though  his 
consent  is  obtained  more  as  a  matter  of  form  than  anything 
else :  he  has  little  real  power  with  the  subordinate  chiefs. 

We  are  now  within  half  a  mile  of  Chibisa's,  the  place 
where  the  steamer  anchored  last  year  (but  one),  and  where 
the  vessel  will  lie  this  year. 

At  length  then  the  Pioneer  has  arrived  at  her 
anchorage,  and  the  missionaries  at  the  end  of  their 
wanderings  upon  the  water.     The  reader  will  observe 


FROM  CAPE   TOWN  TO   THE  SIIIRE.       313 

that  I  have  told  the  story  of  the  voyage  from  the  Cape 
of  Good  Hope  very  briefly,  or  rather  have  allowed 
Bishop  Mackenzie  himself  to  do  so ;  the  materials  are 
in  my  hands  from  which  the  account  might  have  been 
made  much  more  full,  and  perhaps  in  one  sense  more 
intei"esting ;  but  I  have  endeavoured  to  bear  in  mind 
that  my  business  is  not  to  write  a  history  of  the  Uni- 
versities' Mission  to  Central  Africa,  but  a  memoir  of 
Bishop  Mackenzie,  and  that  this  will  be  done  most 
effectively  by  confining  myself  to  a  narrative  of  which 
his  thoughts  and  doings  shall  be  the  principal  or  almost 
sole  constituent.  Moreover,  much  might  have  been  said 
concerning  the  incidents  of  adventure  on  the  way,  con- 
cerning the  inconveniences  and  hardships  suffered,  and 
concerning  many  other  matters  ;  but  I  think  that  a 
narrative,  which  passes  by  all  these  things,  does  in  re- 
ality give  the  truest  and  most  faithful  picture  of  Bishop 
Mackenzie.  I  notice  in  all  his  communications  a  desire 
to  be  at  his  work,  a  tendency  to  pass  by  all  other 
considerations  as  of  little  value  compared  with  the 
great  end  of  settling  his  party  and  commencing  mis- 
sionary operations  :  and  so  I  think  that  the  view  of 
the  voyage  from  the  Cape  to  Chibisa's,  which  the  reader 
will  have  gathered  from  this  chapter,  will  be  a  faithful 
view  of  that  voyage  as  it  presented  itself  to  Bishop 
Mackenzie's  own  mind. 

It  may  however  be  interesting  to  remark,  that  even 
in  this  voyage  his  old  love  for  mathematical  investiga- 
tion did  not  desert  him.  I  have  before  me  a  memoir 
of  considerable  ingenuity  on  the  Method  of  Least 
Squares;  it  is  dated  March  7,  1861;  probably  it  was 


314         MEMOIR  OF  BISHOP  MACKENZIE. 

the  last  mathematical  paper  he  ever  wi'ote,  and  doubt- 
less it  served  as  an  amusement  in  some  weary  hour. 
The  mathematical  reader  will  appreciate  the  taste  and 
ability  which  could  find  pastime  in  so  difficult  a  field 
of  investigation ;  the  ordinary  reader  may  be  satisfied 
with  being  informed,  that  the  subject  of  the  memoir  in 
question  belongs  to  the  highest  and  most  refined  region 
of  mathematical  science.  Mr  Scudamore  was  also  a 
mathematician,  though  his  place  in  the  Cambridge 
Tripos  was  not  so  distinguished  as  that  gained  by  the 
Bishop,  and  frequently  a  mathematical  discussion  (so 
delightful  to  the  initiated,  though  so  dry  and  unin- 
telligible to  the  rest  of  the  world)  formed  a  pleasant 
recreation  for  both. 

Perhaps  also  I  ought  to  observe,  before  concluding 
my  account  of  the  long  voyage  from  the  Cape,  that  the 
pressing  anxiety  of  his  own  work  did  not  prevent  Bishop 
Mackenzie  from  taking  a  lively  interest  in  the  welfare 
of  those  with  whom  he  was  brought  in  contact.  From 
Mohella,  he  wrote  a  long  letter  concerning  the  in- 
habitants of  the  Comoro  Islands,  especially  those  of 
Mohella^.  It  seems  that  the  people  of  this  island  have 
a  great  dread  of  French  influence,  and  a  gi'eat  desire 
to  receive  an  English  consul ;  they  opened  their  hearts 
to  the  Bishop  and  Dr  Livingstone,  who  spoke  many 
kind  words  to  them,  but  were  able  to  do  little  more. 
"If  I  had  not  other  work  on  hand,"  wrote  Bishop 
Mackenzie,  "  I  could  find  in  my  heart  to  settle  here." 

^  The  letter  was  published  at  length  in  the   Guardian  newspaper 
of  Nov.  20,   1S61, 


FROM  CAPE  TOWN  TO   THE  SHIRE.       315 

The  letter  from  Mohella,  to  which  I  have  just  re- 
ferred, was  accompanied  by  the  following.  It  was 
written  to  one,  for  whom  he  had  a  very  great  regard, 
and  exhibits  that  earnestness  of  devotion  to  his  work, 
coupled  with  a  playfulness  of  expression,  and  at  the 
same  time  a  depth  of  tender  and  affectionate  feeling, 
which  were  increasingly  characteristic  of  Mackenzie  as 
his  life  advanced. 

LETTER  LXXXVIII. 

Pioneer,  April  5,   i86r. 
Mohella,  one  of  the  Comoro  Islands. 
*  *  *  *  * 

It  is  one  of  the  pains  attending  this  kind  of  work  that 
our  efforts  seem  to  be  partly  wasted.  We  are  gathering  out 
the  stones,  while  others  are  ploughing;  but  this  preliminaiy 
state  must  be  gone  through.  It  is  just  six  months  since  I 
left  England,  and  I  have  not  yet  seen  my  work,  nor  do  I  ex- 
pect to  be  on  the  ground  for  another  month.  Well,  it  is 
not  wasted  :  it  is  the  road  to  our  work. 

I  am  glad  to  say  that  the  prospect  of  our  expenses  is  not 
great.  There  seems  every  prospect  of  our  being  able  to  gi-ow 
our  own  wheat;  vegetables  are  common;  and  there  is  no 
reason  why  we  should  not  have  flocks  and  herds.  This  will 
take  a  year  or  two,  or  more  likely  tliree :  but  at  the  end  of 
three  years  I  hope  to  be,  to  a  considerable  extent,  independ- 
ent of  such  supplies.  Materials  for  clothing  will  always 
come  from  England.  The  shoes  and  boots  we  brought  are 
first-rate :  the  trousers  have  not  stood  the  work  (in  my  case 
it  has  been,  and  always  will  be,  heavy)  so  well  as  I  hoped. 
Our  ordinary  costume  is  simply  flannel-shirt,  trousers,  shoes 
and  socks:  so  there  is  no  complication  when  things  go  to 
the  wash.  We  have  few  wants,  and  no  cares,  except  when 
we  thought  it  possible  that  this  vessel  might  not  get  out  of 


3^6         MEMOIR   OF  BISHOP  MACKENZIE. 

tlie  Eovuma,  in  whicli  case  "we  should  not  have  got  up  the 
Shire  for  many  months,  or  that  we  miglit  be  out  at  sea 
without  water  or  fuel  in  this  vessel,  which  does  not  sail 
well,  having  no  keel.  AYith  these  (little^)  exceptions, — I 
wrote  the  word  little  in  joke,  and  strike  it  out  in  earnest, — 
which  made  us  pray  at  the  time  and  be  thankful  afterwards, 
we  have  had  no  cares.  And  if  we  shall  not  soon,  perhaps 
in  some  cases  never,  meet  our  old  friends  on  earth,  we  have 
a  sure  and  cei-tain  hope  of  a  better  meeting.  It  is  pleasant 
to  look  forward  to  the  one :  it  is  Life  and  Joy  to  be  sure  of 
the  other. 

God  bless  you  all. 

Your  affectionate  brother  in  Christ, 

C.  F.  M. 

We  must  now  return  to  the  Shire.  We  left  the 
Pioneer  at  her  anchorage.  The  missionaries,  it  will 
not  be  doubted,  lost  as  little  time  as  possible  in  making 
preparations  for  their  journey  in  search  of  a  settlement. 
We  will  suppose  these  preparations  to  have  been 
made,  and  the  missionary  party  landed  on  the  left 
bank  of  the  Shire.  The  commencement  of  the  jour- 
ney shall  be  given  in  the  words  of  Letter  LXXXVIL, 
which  continues  as  follows. 

LETTER  LXXXVIL     {continuation). 

Chibaba's  Village, 

July  20,   i86r. 

I  am  now  writing  on  a  Saturday  morning.  Last  Mon- 
day we  left  the  vessel,  and  took  to  our  feet.  It  is  a  beau- 
tiful country  this,  as  fine  as  Natal. 

You  would  like  to  see  our  picturesque  appearance  on 
march.  From  50  to  100  we  have  been  at  diffei-ent  times 
this  week.     Livingstone  in  his  jacket  and  trousers  of  blue 

1  In  the  original  the  pen  has  been  drawn  through  the  word. 


FROM  CAPE  TOWN  TO   THE  SHIRE.       317 

serge  and  Lis  blue  cloth  cap.  His  brother,  a  taller  man,  in 
something  of  the  same  dress.  I  with  trousers  of  Oxford 
gi-ey  and  a  coat  like  a  shooting-coat,  a  broad-brimmed  wide- 
awake with  white  cover,  which  Livingstone  laughs  at,  but 
which,  all  the  same,  keeps  the  sun  off.  He  is  a  Salamander. 
Then  some  thirty  natives  canying  bundles.  My  large  red 
carpet-bag,  loosely  packed,  contains  my  kit,  including  two 
blankets  and  a  rug  for  bedding :  (I  sleep  on  a  cork  bed, 
weighing  7  lbs.,  an  excellent  invention).  A  sack  contains 
the  pots  and  pans,  betrayed  by  a  handle  sticking  out  through 
some  hole.  Livingstone's  black  people,  many  of  them  with 
guns;  Mobita,  who  acts  as  lieutenant,  and  Charlie,  who  is 
interpreter.  All  these  winding  along  the  narrow  path,  some- 
times admiring  the  glorious  hills,  Chiradzula  which  we  left 
behind  yesterday,  Zomba  with  its  flat  top,  or  the  distant 
peaks  and  precipices  of  the  Milanje  mountains  on  our  right, 
beyond  Shirwa.  We  have  not  seen  its  blue  waters  yet : 
we  are  about  1000  feet  above  it,  on  a  plateau,  but  there 
must  be  many  rising  grounds  on  this  plateau  from  which 

the  lake  will  be  visible. 

-::-  *  *  *  .Si- 

We  are  later  this  morning  than  usual  in  making  a  start. 
We  generally  get  two  or  three  hours'  walk  before  breakfast; 
but  yesterday  on  getting  here  it  was  discovered  that  one 
basket  was  missing.  One  of  Livingstone's  people  went  back 
alone,  without  giving  notice,  to  look  for  it,  and  has  not  yet 
returned,  and,  in  the  present  state  of  the  country,  Living- 
stone is  anxious  about  him.  I  hear  this  moment  that  the 
man  has  returned,  but  four  others  who  went  to  look  for 
him  are  still  out.  I  suppose  .we  shall  be  off  immediately. 
Good  bye,  then,  for  the  present. 

The  missionary  party  are  now  finally  on  African 
soil,  and  on  their  way  to  choose  a  settlement.  The 
important  events  connected  with  this  choice  shall  be 
reserved  for  another  chapter. 


CHAPTER  XI. 
SETTLEMENT  AT  MAGOMERO. 

"We  now  come  to  the  most  eventful  portion  of  Bishop 
Mackenzie's  life. 

The  Pioneer  cast  anchor  at  a  point  of  the  river 
Shire,  marked  in  the  map  as  Chibisas,  on  July  8.  It  is 
the  spot  at  which  Dr  Livingstone  left  the  Ma  Rohei^t 
on  his  former  trips  to  Shirwa  and  Nyassa.  Bishop 
Mackenzie  says  of  it,  "it  is  a  beautiful  place,  on  the 
right  bank  of  the  river :  from  the  ship  you  can  see  the 
smoke  and  tops  of  the  huts  of  the  village,  still  called 
Chibisa's,  though  that  chief  has  returned  to  his  former 
place  near  Tette." 

Some  time  was  taken  up  in  landing  baggage  and 
stowing  it  in  a  tent,  which  was  erected  for  the  purpose 
on  an  island  between  the  ship  and  the  eastern  or  left 
bank  of  the  river ;  and  when  all  necessary  arrangements 
had  been  made,  the  party  started  on  a  land  expedition, 
with  Dr  Livingstone  at  their  head,  and  a  train  of 
bearers,  as  we  have  seen  in  the  preceding  chapter.  The 
design  was  to  find  some  healthy  situation  on  the  high 
ground,  where  the  party  might  form  a  settlement,  under 
the  protection  and  patronage  of  some  friendly  chief. 
The  people  inhabiting  the   district  in  Avhich  the  mis- 


SETTLEMENT  AT  MAGOMERO.  319 

sionaries  now  found  themselves  are  known  as  Mang-anja; 
they  appear  to  be  not  a  very  powerful  race,  at  all  events 
they  are  inferior  in  strength  and  courage  to  another 
tribe,  or  set  of  tribes,  who  occupy  the  neighbouring 
country,  and  who  are  known  as  the  Ajawa.  It  is  a  slave- 
hunting,  slave-dealing  district,  and  is  full  of  the  evils 
which  belong  to  that  vile  traffic.  The  Mang-anja,  as 
the  weaker  folk,  are  the  greater  sufferers ;  they  are 
not  themselves  by  any  means  guiltless,  and  though 
they  feel  the  inconvenience  of  living  near  to  a  people 
fiercer  and  stronger  than  themselves,  they  are  full  of 
the  brutality  of  savage  life,  and  have  undoubtedly  been 
engaged  in  the  traffic  from  which  they  themselves  suffer 
so  severely.  It  was  amongst  these  Mang-anja,  that  the 
missionary  party  intended,  by  Dr  Livingstone's  advice, 
to  settle  themselves,  and  that  they  did  actually  settle. 

Just  before  starting  on  their  expedition,  a  little 
circumstance  brought  before  tlie  eyes  of  the  mis- 
sionaries the  first  view  of  difficulties  in  which  they 
might  possibly  be  involved.  Four  men  came  down  to 
Chibisa's  to  represent  that  the  Ajawa  were  making 
war  upon  the  Mang-anja  people,  and  to  seek  assist- 
ance. This  brought  the  question  of  the  attitude 
which  the  missionaries  should  assume  with  regard 
to  the  slave-trade  very  close  home.  "The  question," 
says  Bishop  Mackenzie  in  a  letter  to  the  Bishop 
of  Oxford,  "had  been  raised  before,  whether  it  would 
be  right  to  use  guns  in  self-defense,  if  by  any  possi- 
bility our  own  people  should  attack  us.  And  we  were 
nearly  unanimous  in  thinking  that  we  had  better  let 
matters  go  to  any  extremities,  even  to  the  loss  of  our 


320         MEMOIR  OF  BISHOP  MACKENZIE. 

own  lives,  than  take  the  life  of  one  of  those  for  whose 
conversion  we  had  come.  We  agreed  that  anything 
short  of  taking  life  was  allowable  in  self-defense."  The  ■ 
question,  which  was  raised  by  the  request  for  assistance 
against  the  oj)pression  of  the  Ajawa,  was  however  mani- 
festly different  from  that  which  the  missionaries  had 
discussed.  They  had  agreed  that  they  would  not  hold 
by  force  their  position  amongst  the  tribes  whom  they 
came  to  teach  and  evangelize ;  but  what  should  they 
do  in  case  of  being  asked  to  assist  tribes  who  received 
them  gladly,  supposing  there  should  be  such,  in  repell- 
ing aggression  from  neighbouring  hostile  tribes?  It 
would  not  follow  that  because  they  ought  not  to  defend 
themselves  in  a  warlike  manner  against  their  own  flock, 
therefore  they  ought  not  to  help  the  weak  against 
the  strong,  and  prevent  their  mission  work  amongst 
friendly  people  from  being  stopped  by  the  interference 
of  mischievous  and  depraved  neighbours.  Bishop 
Mackenzie  at  once  saw  that  questions  might  possibly 
arise,  which  would  require  his  most  anxious  and  prayer- 
ful consideration.  For  the  present,  he  was  content  to 
leave  such  questions  unanswered.  He  says  in  the 
letter  just  above  referred  to,  "I  thought  I  should  be 
guided  to  a  right  course,  if  the  emergency  should  occur, 
which  did  not  seem  very  likely ;  and  praying  for  such 
guidance,  I  went  on  without  coming  to  a  decision  on  the 
point." 

I  have  given  this  account  of  what  passed  through 
Bishop  Mackenzie's  mind,  when  the  first  appearance  of 
the  possibility  of  a  conflict  with  the  Ajawa  tribes  pre- 
sented  itself,  in  order  that  we  may  fully  understand 


SETTLEMENT  AT  MAGOMERO.  321 

that  the  policy  of  the  missionary  party  was  essentially 
pacific,  and  that  we  may  be  prepared  to  believe  that 
nothing  but  overwhelming  necessity  (in  the  Bishop's 
judgment)  could  have  induced  him  to  adopt  a  policy  of 
an  opposite  kind. 

The  foundation  of  this  pacific  policy  was  destroyed, 
(as  we  shall  see),  before  the  entire  responsibility  of 
the  conduct  of  the  party  devolved  upon  the  Bishop. 
It  may  perhaps  be  questioned,  whether,  under  any 
circumstances,  a  thoroughly  pacific  course  would  have 
been  understood  and  appreciated  by  men  situated  as 
the  Mang-anja  people  were  ;  I  mean,  whether  they 
would  have  been  able  to  comprehend  the  conduct  of 
men  who  professed  their  desire  to  teach  a  more  ex- 
cellent way  than  the  slave  traffic,  and  yet  sat  with 
their  guns  by  their  sides  while  the  Ajawa  were  hunting 
them  do^vn  and  selling  them  for  slaves  ;  but  anyhow, 
such  a  course  of  conduct  to  be  effective  and  impressive 
must  be  severely  consistent ;  it  must  begin  with  non- 
intervention, and  end  with  non-intervention ;  as  soon 
as  the  first  blow  has  been  struck  for  the  purpose  of 
regenerating  the  country  by  physical  force,  the  pacific 
policy  can  hardly  fail  to  be  mistaken  for  indifference  or 
cov/ardice. 

In  saying  this,  I  intend  to  cast  no  blame  upon  the 
conduct  of  Dr  Livingstone,  which  will  be  related  pre- 
sently ;  that  he  acted  with  the  best  intention  no  one 
will  doubt,  and  I  think  that  it  would  be  a  bold  thing 
to  say  that  his  conduct  was  not  wise  and  justifiable ;  I 
only  desire  that  it  should  be  thoroughly  understood  to 
what  extent  that  conduct  committed  the  Bishop  and 

21 


332  MEMOIR  OF  BISHOP  MACKENZIE. 

his  party,  and  that  in  any  judgment  which  may  be 
formed  of  his  subsequent  deahngs  with  the  natives  due 
weight  may  be  given  to  the  first  step,  for  which  he 
was  in  fact  not  responsible. 

Of  course  it  may  be  said,  that  in  a  country  in  which 
the  slave-trade  is  rampant,  and  the  more  powerful  are 
preying  ujDon  the  weaker  and  hunting  them  down  for 
slaves,  there  is  no  proper  missionary  field  :  it  may  be 
said  that  the  true  Christian  policy,  however  difficult 
it  may  be  to  practise,  is  to  wait  patiently  until  either 
the  progress  of  civilization  and  the  entrance  of  lawful 
commerce,  or  the  undisputed  possession  of  the  more 
powerful  tribes,  have  taken  away  from  the  list  of  mis- 
sionary difficulties  those  which  arise  from  the  minds  of 
the  people  being  disturbed  by  the  constant  presence  of 
war :  and  a  very  good  argument  may  be  based  upon 
these  premisses  against  interfering  in  any  manner  with 
the  intestine  troubles  of  savage  tribes.  But  the  reader 
ought  to  bear  in  mind  that  however  good  such  a  line 
of  argument  may  be,  it  was  not  open  to  Bishop 
Mackenzie.  It  was  not  open  to  him  to  consider  whether 
the  tribes  on  the  banks  of  the  Shire  were  in  a  fit  state 
for  missions :  he  was  sent  as  a  missionary  to  them 
after  the  circumstances  of  the  case  had  been  weighed, 
and  an  opinion  in  favour  of  a  mission  had  been  formed  : 
he  could  not  retreat  without  changing  the  character  of 
the  mission  or  giving  it  up  altogether ;  and  therefore 
he  had  to  determine  what  course  of  conduct  he  should 
pursue,  when  he  found  himself  in  friendly  communica- 
tion with  tribes,  whom  the  neighbouring  Ajawa  were 
willing  to  oppress,  and  persecute,  and  sell  into  slavery. 


SETTLEMENT  AT  MAGOMERO.  323 

Having  made  these  preliminary  observations,  I  will 
now  continue  the  narrative ;  and  I  cannot  do  so  in  any- 
better  way  than  by  quoting  the  Bishop's  own  account, 
as  contained  in  the  letter  to  the  Bishop  of  Oxford,  from 
which  I  have  already  made  an  extract. 

LETTER   LXXXIX. 

***** 
It  was  on  Monday  last,  July  15,  that  we  left  the  ship. 
We  had  been  in  some  anxiety  how  we  should  get  our  things 
carried  up.  You  know  that  there  is  no  four-footed  beast 
here  larger  than  a  goat ;  so  luggage  must  be  carried  by  men. 
We  were  thankful  to  find  on  the  Monday  morning  that  we 
had  fifteen  bearers,  in  addition  to  the  six  coloured  men  from 
the  ship,  whom  Livingstone  had  most  kindly  assigned  to  us. 
We  were  prepared  to  start  if  we  could  get  ten  men  to  carry. 
How  rich  we  were  now  with  twice  as  many !  and  before  the 
end  of  the  day  we  had  twenty-seven. 

We  were  a  strange  jjai'ty.  Livingstone  tramping  along 
with  a  steady  heavy  tread,  which  kept  one  in  mind  that  he 
had  walked  across  Africa.  *  *  *  We  were  all  loaded. 
I  had  myself  in  my  left-hand  a  loaded  gun,  in  my  right  the 
orozier  which  they  gave  me  at  Cape  Town,  in  front  a  can  of 
oil,  and  behind  a  bag  of  seeds,  (together  weighing  about 
twenty-five  pounds,)  which  I  carried  the  greater  part  of  the 
day.  I  thought  of  the  contrast  between  my  weapon  and  my 
staff,  the  one  like  Jacob,  the  other  like  Abraham,  who  armed 
his  trained  servants  to  rescue  Lot.  I  thought  also  of  the 
seed  which  we  must  sow  in  the  hearts  of  the  people,  and  of 
the  oil  of  the  Spix-it  that  must  strengthen  us  in  all  we  do. 

We  got  to  that  day's  end  most  of  us  stifi"  and  tired,  and 
found  that  the  last  three  miles  had  not  only  been  more  than 
was  intended,  but  being  off  the  road  had  not  shortened  our 
march.  The  people  of  the  village  refused  to  sell  anything. 
For  ourselves  we  had  biscuit  and  salt  beef  to  eat  with  our 
tea  and  coffee,  but  the  people  that  wex'e  with  us  had  eatea 

21—2 


324  MEMOIR  OF  BISHOP  MACKENZIE. 

nothing  since  morning,  and  many  of  our  bearers  had  pro- 
bably fasted  all  day.  We  followed  Livingstone's  example, 
giving  the  party  a  piece  of  cloth,  that  they  might  try  their 
success  in  bartering,  and  that  if  they  failed  they  might  at 
least  not  blame  us,  and  might  console  themselves  by  a  divi- 
sion of  the  stuff.  It  was  but  two  yards  of  calico  among 
twenty-one  persons. 

In  the  morning  on  calling  our  bearers  it  seemed  that  five 
had  gone  off  to  try  and  buy  meal  at  a  neighbouring  village. 
We  took  a  cup  of  coffee,  but  were  to  breakfast  at  the  next 
village.  The  sun  was  up,  and  Livingstone  was  anxious  not 
%o  detain  the  whole  party  (in  all  forty-seven);  so  Procter 
remained  with  me  to  bring  up  the  rear.  We  sat  on  one  of 
the  packages  in  the  middle  of  that  heathen  village,  and  read 
the  Psalms  for  the  day,  chanting  the  doxologies  ;  partly  be- 
cause we  are  both  fond  of  music,  partly  that  the  people 
might  become  aware  of  our  occupation,  as  they  doubtless 
would  from  one  of  our  Christian  blacks  who  stayed  with  us. 
At  last  the  men  appeared,  and  we  started.  We  knew  the 
general  direction,  and  at  every  place  where  the  path  branch- 
ed one  of  the  leadei's  of  the  party  made  a  scrape  with  his 
shoe  across  the  path  which  we  were  to  avoid,  or  laid  a  fresh 
twig  across  to  mark  it.  We  got  to  the  village  of  Mambame 
about  an  hour  after  the  others,  and  learned  that  by  going 
out  of  the  way  the  previous  day,  we  had  this  morning  I'eached 
this  village  by  a  much  easier  path  than  that  which  Living- 
stone already  knew,  a  discovery  of  far  more  importance  for 
the  future  than  simply  for  the  ease  of  that  mox-ning's  walk. 
With  what  appetites  we  sat  down  to  breakfast  about  eleven, 
you  may  imagine. 

But  now  comes  the  important  part  of  my  story.  Living- 
stone being  not  quite  well,  and  this  village  being  large,  and 
the  head  man,  Mambame,  friendly,  it  was  decided  to  stay  for 
the  day.  I  went  down  to  the  stream  with  Procter  and 
Scudamore  to  bathe.  We  heard  a  sound  of  penny  trumpets, 
and  thought  Livingstone  had  been  giving  away  presents: 


SETTLEMENT  AT  MAGOMERO.  325 

•when  sliortly  Dr  Kirk  came  and  told  us  that  a  party  of  six 
men  with  muskets  had  come  flourishing  into  the  village, 
with  a  train  of  eighty-four  slaves;  that  the  men  had  run 
away  and  the  slaves  were  free ;  that  our  guns  had  all  been 
out,  though  the  conscience-stricken  wretches  had  needed  no 
firing  to  hasten  their  flight.  There  had  been  five  or  ten 
minutes'  notice  of  their  approach,  so  that  Livingstone  had 
time  delibex-ately  to  take  his  course, — a  course  which  no  one 
can  blame;  but  surely  all  will  join  in  blessing  God  that  we 
have  such  a  fellow-countryman. 

When  I  came  up  from  the  stream  I  found  the  whole 
party  that  had  been  freed  sitting  in  groups  round  fires,  which 
they  had  lighted  and  were  feeding  with  the  sticks  which  had 
been  fastened  round  the  necks  of  some  to  reduce  them  to 
obedience.  There  was  a  preponderance  of  children  ;  not 
many  men.  In  answer  to  Livingstone's  inquiries,  they  said 
they  had  been  brought  from  Zomba,  that  is,  near  the  place 
where  we  thought  of  settling  ourselves.  One  little  boy 
looked  up  at  Livingstone  and  said,  "  They  starved  us :  and 
you  tell  us  to  cook  food  for  ourselves :  where  do  you  come 
from?" 

It  seems  that  Mambame  gave  Livingstone  notice  that 
a  large  slave-party  was  coming,  and  would  reach  his  village 
that  day.  *  *  *  The  party  arrived.  Livingstone  at 
once  recognized  amongst  the  drivers  a  slaver  whom  he  had 
known  at  Tette,  He  took  him  by  the  wrist  and  said, 
"  What  are  you  doing  here,  killing  people  ?  I  shall  kill  you 
to-day."  The  man  (Keturah)  answered,  "I  do  not  kill;  I 
am  not  making  war ;  I  bought  these  people."  Livingstone 
then  inquired  of  the  slaves.  Two  men  said,  "  We  were 
bought :"  six  said,  "  We  were  captured  :"  and  several  of  the 
women  said,  "  Our  husbands  and  relatives  were  killed,  and 
here  we  are."  By  this  time  some  of  Livingstone's  people, 
(Makololo  and  others,)  had  begun  to  plunder  the  party  and 
tear  the  clothing  from  the  backs  of  the  drivers.  Keturah 
said,    "May   I   have  my   gun   again?"     Livingstone  said, 


3^6         MEMOIR  OF  BISHOP  MACKENZIE. 

"  Yes,  if  I  am  satisfied  about  you  :"  he  then  added,  "  We 
will  free  these  people,"  and  began  himself  to  cut  their  bonds 
and  loose  them.  They  were  tied  together  as  usual  in  gangs 
of  two  or  three  or  five  or  six,  by  strong  cords  fastened  to  a 
cord  round  the  neck,  so  that  they  can  walk  in  Indian  file 
along  the  path.  Livingstone  then  explained  to  the  late 
captives  that  they  were  free,  that  those  who  liked  might  go 
on  to  Tette,  and  those  who  liked  might  return  home,  or  stay 
for  the  present  under  the  protection  of  the  English.  Of 
course  all  stayed.  All  this  time  they  were  expressing  grati- 
tude and  respect  in  the  native  fashion,  by  a  slow  clapping  of 
the  hands.  Livingstone  told  them  to  cook  and  eat,  but 
they  said,  "  These  things  have  taken  us  by  surprise  ;  we  will 
eat  jiresently."  Some  of  the  captives  told  us,  that  two 
women  who  had  been  trying  to  escape  had  been  shot  as  an 
example,  and  that  an  infant  who  was  too  heavy  to  be  carried 
by  its  mother-,  along  with  the  burden  assigned  to  her,  had 
its  brains  dashed  out  before  her  eyes  to  solve  the  difiiculty. 
There  is  something  awful  in  being  brought  so  near  to  the 
cruelties  of  which  we  have  heard  so  much. 

The  following  day  we  proceeded  and  kept  a  look  out  as 
we  walked,  having  heard  that  another  party  of  slaves  was 
a-head  on  its  way  to  the  Shire  (that  is,  coming  to  meet  us). 
About  an  hour  after  we  started  we  found  six  captives,  three 
women  and  three  boys.  The  captors  ran  away  and  left  them 
in  our  hands. 

*  *  *  *  * 

Yesterday  we  had  a  long  march.  We  split  our  body  in 
order  to  follow  two  paths,  and  on  arriving  at  night  at  Man- 
gazi,  we  found  that  Waller  and  Charles  Livingstone  had 
surprised  two  Tette  men,  with  four  guns  and  six  captives. 
The  captives  were  free,  the  captors  were  bound.  This  made 
our  number  ninety-eight.  The  villains  made  their  escape 
during  the  night,  though  guarded  by  five  trusty  men. 

To-day  we  came  on  to  this  place,  known  as  Chibaba's, 
though  Chibaba  has  died  since  Livingstone  was  here  two 


SETTLEMENT  AT  MAGOMERO.  327 

jears  ago.  We  learn  here  that  the  Ajawa  are  near  us,  per- 
haps five  or  ten.  miles  from  this,  in  what  the  people  here  call 
considerable  force,  that  yesterday  they  attacked  and  burned 
a  village  near  this,  and  made  captives,  and  that  yesterday 
calico  went  up  to  them  from  men  of  Tette  in  our  rear  to 
buy  captives. 

The  Ajawa  live  on  the  south-west  of  Shirwa,  about  100 
miles  from  this,  but  Livingstone  heard  when  he  was  here 
before  that  they  come  over  here  to  fight,  and  it  seems  that 
a  few  of  them  have  settled  in  villages  on  this  side  of  Shirwa. 
*  *  *  *  I  ought  to  have  said,  that  whereas  our  plan 
was  to  come  up  here  to  Chibaba's,  where  we  are,  and  to 
Chinsunzi,  who  is  the  next  chief  in  the  neighbourhood,  and 
with  Livingstone's  advice  select  a  site  near  to  some  largish 
village,  it  was  suggested  when  these  eighty-four  captives 
were  rescued  that  we  should  plant  oui'selves  in  some  con- 
venient place  with  these  people  to  begin  with.  Accordingly 
it  is  now  under  consideration  where  we  shall  settle.  In  the 
meantime  we  have  left  our  ninety  freed  people  at  Soche's, 
under  the  care  of  Procter  and  Scudamore. 

July  20.  This  morning  some  light  was  thrown  upon  the 
question  of  our  future  settlement,  by  the  chief  of  this  village 
(Chigunda)  asking  how  long  Livingstone  would  stay  in  this 
country.  He  answered  that  he  himself  would  go  this  month, 
but  that  some  would  stay  altogether  v  ith  our  fi'eed  people. 
Chigunda  said,  "  Will  they  not  stay  here  1  All  the  chiefs 
around  have  fled  before  the  Ajawa;  Chinsunzi  has  hid  him- 
self for  fear.  I  only  remain ;  and  I  will  not  run  away,  if  the 
English  will  stay  with  me."  Livingstone  said,  "  But  there 
are  so  many  people,  and  there  may  be  more :  and  they  will 
want  gardens."  Chigunda  said,  "  There  is  plenty  of  room  for 
them  here."  It  was  only  last  night  that  I  determined  to 
ask  this  man  if  he  would  like  us  to  be  near  him  with  our 
freed  people,  and  to  be  guided  partly  by  his  answer.  The 
objections  to  this  place  are,  that  it  is  nearly  twice  as  far 
fi-om  the  ship  as  the  plain  we  selected  on  oui*  way  up,  and 


328         MEMOIR  OF  BISHOP  MACKENZIE. 

does  not  seem  so  fertile  and  beantiful,  or  to  have  sucli  facili- 
ties for  water-power :  but  we  have  not  seen  enough  of  either 
to  make  a  fair  comparison. 

I  ought  to  say  a  word  about  the  principle  of  using  force, 
and  even  firing,  if  necessary,  upon  the  captors  of  these  poor 
creatures,  in  order  to  free  them.  The  objection  lay  chiefly 
in  this,  that  having  been  sent  out  to  this  country  to  bring 
blessing  and  peace  to  the  people,  I  could  not  reconcile  it  to 
myself  to  kill  them  even  in  self-defense:  and  I  still  think 
that  if  by  any  possibility  the  people  of  this  land  should 
attack  us,  to  drive  us  away  or  to  rob  us,  we  ought  not  to 
kill  our  own  sheep.  But  this  is  a  different  case.  These  are 
strangers  from  Tette  and  beyond  Shirwa,  coming  to  make 
war  on  our  people  and  carry  them  off  as  slaves.  This  we 
must  help  them  to  resist  by  every  means.  Livingstone  is 
right  to  go  with  loaded  gun  and  free  the  poor  slaves ;  and 
there  being  so  few  English  here,  we  are  right,  though  clei'gy- 
men  and  preachers  of  the  Gospel  to  go  with  him,  and  by 
our  presence,  and  the  sight  of  our  guns,  and  their  use,  if 
necessary  (which  may  God  avert),  to  strengthen  his  hands 
in  procuring  the  libei'ation  of  these  people.  When  Kii'k 
went  down  last  Thursday  to  the  ship,  where  Rowley  is,  I 
wrote  to  Rowley  to  say,  "  Do  as  you  think  right  your- 
self; but  my  advice  is,  that  you  volunteer  to  help  Kirk  by 
going  armed  in  the  boat  or  by  staying  armed  on  board,  and 
use  your  gun,  if  necessary :  but  if  you  ai'e  not  required,  be 
glad  that  you  are  sj)ared  so  painful  a  position.  I  intend  to 
act  on  that  principle  here."  I  believe  some  will  blame 
Livingstone,  and  more  will  blame  me  :  but  I  can  only  act  as 
I  think  right,  after  often  using  the  Collect  for  the  first 
Sunday  after  Epiphany  and  similar  prayers. 

***** 

July  22.  I  take  out  my  letter,  not  to  detail  the  events 
of  this  day,  for  that  would  weary  you ;  but  I  will  only  say 
that  being  on  our  way  towards  the  Ajawa,  and  meeting 
many  persons  running  away  from  the  war,  we  learned  at  one 


SETTLEMENT  AT  MAGOMERO.  329 

village  that  some  Tette  pecr^ile  wlio  had  come  up  to  buy 
captives  yesterday,  were  on  their  return,  with  a  great  many 
slaves,  and  were  close  at  hand :  having  got  one  or  two 
natives  to  shew  us  where  they  were,  we  turned  aside,  and 
after  two  miles'  march  came  upon  them,  freed  more  than  forty 
captives,  and  took  three  Tette  slavers  prisoners.  One  of  these 
says  that  he  was  sent  by  his  master,  and  that  the  Govern- 
ment of  Tette  knew  of  his  going. 

***** 

I  am  now  writing  with  two  groups  of  these  freed  people 
before  me,  dressed  (elaborately,  almost  extravagantly,  ac- 
cording to  native  ideas,  having  from  one  to  two  yards  of 
white  calico  wrapped  rovmd  them)  with  the  stuff  intended 
by  their  captors  to  increase  the  nximber  of  miserables.  In 
the  middle  of  each  group  is  a  fire,  with  two  or  three  black 
earthenware  native  pots,  cooking  porridge  of  fine  white  na- 
tive meal,  almost  as  fine  and  white  as  flour,  or  pieces  of 
goat-meat.  This  food  was  captured  with  them.  On  my 
right-hand  are  the  three  prisoners,  their  own  necks  now  con- 
fined in  the  forked  sticks  we  took  from  the  captured  men,  of 


which  I  have  made  a  rough  sketch :  a  stick  as  thick  as  one's 
thigh,  six  or  eight  feet  long,  with  a  natural  fork,  and  with 
an  iron  pin  passing  thi'ough  in  front  of  the  neck.  A  man 
with  such  a  thing  on  is  very  helpless. 


It  will  be  seen  from  this  narrative,  that  even  before 
a  settlement  had  been  fixed  upon,  a  character  had  been 
impressed  upon  the  Mission  party,  which  they  had  not 


S3<^         MEMOIR  OF  BISHOP  MACKENZIE. 

contemplated  at  first.  Thej  had  come  to  preach  the 
Gospel,  and  to  instruct  and  civilize  the  natives,  and  by 
indirect  moral  means  to  raise  a  protest  against  slave- 
taking  and  slave-selling :  but  now  they  stood  before 
the  country  as  slave-liberators,  and  it  is  manifest  that 
this  character  would  be  in  the  eyes  of  the  natives  a 
very  different  one  from  that  of  mere  preachers  and 
teachers.  I  am  not  at  all  condemning  the  conduct  of 
the  party,  nor  do  I  see  how  Englishmen,  situated  as 
Dr  Livingstone  and  the  Bishop  were,  could  very  well 
have  acted  in  a  different  way :  but  certainly  it  was  a 
way  which  led  the  Mission  party  out  of  the  intended 
track,  and  which  if  it  promised  greater  usefulness,  at 
the  same  time  entailed  greater  responsibility. 

Moreover,  the  liberation  of  the  slaves  had  an  im- 
portant influence  upon  determining  the  settlement  of 
the  Missionaries.  They  had  now  a  tribe,  as  it  were, 
of  their  own ;  the  Bishop  had  become  an  African 
Chief,  and  he  could  settle  down  not  as  a  visitor  in  a 
native  village,  but  as  the  head  of  his  own  population, 
the  father  of  his  own  family.  This  is  the  character  in 
which  we  must  henceforth  view  him ;  and  the  mission- 
ary problem  which  was  given  him  to  solve  was  this, 
whether  with  a  number  of  natives  attached  to  him 
by  the  bonds  of  gratitude  and  affection,  he  could  hold 
his  position  in  the  country,  civilize  and  convert  those 
brought  into  immediate  contact  with  him  and  his  party, 
and  make  the  settlement  a  centre  of  light  and  freedom 
to  the  country  round. 

Towards  the  end  of  July  the  missionaries  settled 
themselves  down  at  a  spot  called  Magomero.   The  reader 


SETTLEMENT  AT  MAGOMERO.  331 

will  see  its  position  upon  the  map.  The  chief  advantage 
of  its  situation  seems  to  have  been,  that  it  is  included 
by  the  bend  of  a  river  in  such  manner  that  by  running  a 
stockade  across  from  bank  to  bank  over  the  promontory, 
the  settlement  would  become  safe  from  any  hostile 
attack.  On  the  other  hand,  the  sanitary  circumstances 
of  the  place  were  not  good  ;  it  was  low  and  covered  with 
trees,  so  that  the  party  found  by  sad  experience  that 
it  did  not  secure  for  them  that  immunity  from  fever 
which  they  had  been  led  to  expect  in  the  high  land. 
It  was  also  inconveniently  distant  from  the  river  sta- 
tion, Chibisa's, — about  60  miles;  this  length  of  journey, 
up  hill,  with  a  bad  road  and  no  beasts  of  burden,  was 
certainly  a  great  drawback,  and  might  have  seemed 
to  those,  who  did  not  know  all  the  circumstances  of  the 
case,  an  objection  which  should  have  been  fatal.  How- 
ever, Magomero  was  chosen  as  the  Mission  Station,  and 
there  Dr  Livingstone  and  his  party  left  the  missionaries 
while  he  pursued  his  own  journey  of  exploration. 

The  first  consideration  was  the  erection  of  huts  for 
residences.  The  reader  will  see  in  the  drawing  opposite 
to  this  page  the  appearance  of  the  settlement  in  its 
complete  state.  It  was  a  matter  of  much  labour,  how- 
ever, for  some  months  to  bring  things  to  a  condition  of 
such  apparent  comfort ;  all  laboured  vigorously,  none 
more  so  than  the  Bishop  himself ;  and,  indeed,  it  seems 
wonderful  how  the  missionary  village  could  have  been 
built  so  well  and  so  speedily. 

But  the  erection  of  the  village  was  not  the  only 
labour.  A  population  of  more  than  100  had  been 
thrown   upon   the   hands  of  the   missionaries  by  the 


33^         MEMOIR  OF  BISHOP  MACKENZIE. 

emancipation  of  the  slaves.  These  had  to  be  provided 
for;  many  of  them  were  women  and  children.  The 
children  must  be  educated ;  and  it  was  thought  that  in 
the  absence  of  j^erfect  communication  with  them  by 
language,  it  would  be  well  to  attempt  the  foundation  of 
their  education  by  bodily  discipline.  Accordingly,  under 
the  direction  of  Mr  Scudamore,  they  were  drilled  and 
taught  the  first  lessons  of  order  and  submission  to  au- 
thority. One  portion  of  the  drill  was  amusing :  the 
small  regiment  of  boys  were  drawn  up  in  line  by  the 
side  of  the  river  ;  then  at  the  word  of  command  given, 
the  whole  body  plunged  into  the  water,  no  doubt  with 
the  best  results.  The  women  it  was  more  difficult  to 
deal  with.  The  Bishop  often  sighed  for  the  female 
part  of  the  mission  party,  feeling  that  the  presence 
amongst  themselves  of  some  Christian  women  was,  un- 
der God,  the  only  means  of  purifying  the  minds  of  the 
female  portion  of  the  Magomero  heathen  settlers.  He 
sincerely  hoped  that  this  defect  in  the  missionary  staff 
would  be  corrected  towards  the  end  of  the  year,  when 
Dr  Livingstone  had  arranged,  having  returned  from  his 
own  journey  of  discovery,  to  descend  the  river  in  the 
Pioneer,  and  bring  up  the  first  party  of  ladies  who  were 
to  meet  him  by  appointment  at  Kongone. 

I  shall  presently  give  a  more  full  account  of  the 
peaceful  and  happy  occupations  of  Magomero,  as  de- 
scribed by  the  Bishop  himself  Indeed,  I  may  say  here, 
that  the  life  of  the  missionaries  appears  to  have  been 
most  peaceful  and  most  happy :  in  one  of  his  letters 
the  Bishop  declares  with  most  affectionate  earnestness, 
that  he  believes  there  never  was  a  man  so  fortunate 


SETTLEMENT  AT  MAGOMERO.  ZZ?* 

in  his  fellow-workers  as  himself,  and  they  on  their 
part  appear  to  have  felt  to  the  full  extent  that  personal 
influence  of  Mackenzie's  character,  and  that  warm  love 
towards  himself,  of  which  I  have  had  occasion  to  speak 
in  a  former  part  of  this  memoir,  I  would  willingly 
dwell  only  on  this  portion  of  the  mission  work,  but 
unfortunately  it  is  necessary  at  once  to  describe  events 
which  were  of  a  different  kind, — events  which  I  will 
endeavour  to  describe  simply  and  fairly,  and  then  leave 
the  reader  to  form  his  own  candid  judgment  concerning 
them. 

The  reader  has  seen  that  the  principles,  upon  which 
the  missionaries  took  up  their  position  at  Magomero, 
were  of  necessity  affected  by  the  liberation  of  the 
captives  on  their  way  thither.  The  emancij)ation  not 
only  surrounded  them  with  a  native  population  attached 
to  them  by  a  strong  bond  of  interest,  and  threw  an  un- 
expected responsibility  upon  the  Mission,  but  (as  I 
have  already  observed,)  it  published  the  advent  of 
the  missionaries,  to  the  apprehension  of  the  natives, 
as  an  engagement  to  protect  the  weak  against  the 
strong,  and  to  defend  the  friendly  tribes  against  their 
slave-hunting  neighbours.  I  do  not  intend  to  assert 
that  Dr  Livingstone,  in  liberating  the  captives,  or 
the  missionaries  in  co-operating  with  him,  at  all  de- 
sired to  pledge  themselves  to  a  war  against  slave- 
hunters;  it  would  clearly  have  been  most  impolitic 
and  unwise  and  unsuitable  to  do  this  ;  but  I  think  it 
cannot  admit  of  a  doubt,  that  the  interpretation  which 
would  be  put  by  the  natives  upon  the  first  acts  of 
emancipation  would  be  something  of  this  kind — "  here 


334         MEMOIR  OF  BISHOP  MACKENZIE. 

are  men  who  will  not  permit  slave-dealing  to  be  carried 
on :  they  have  power  and  will  on  their  side  :  hence- 
forth, if  we  want  help,  we  shall  know  where  to  seek  it." 

Dr  Livingstone  evidently  perceived  that  such  an 
interpretation  was  possible,  and  of  course  he  equally 
perceived  that  it  was  an  interpretation,  the  fallacy  of 
which  could  not  be  demonstrated  too  soon.  Accord- 
ingly, when  he  took  his  leave  of  the  missionary  party  at 
Magomero,  at  the  end  of  July,  he  warned  them  against 
taking  any  part  in  defending  the  Mang-anja  tribes 
against  the  Ajawa  :  he  said,  they  must  expect  to  have 
constant  applications  for  help,  but  they  must  not 
yield  to  them.  Applications,  as  he  had  predicted,  soon 
arrived  from  various  quarters,  all  in  most  urgent  terms 
stating  that  the  enemy  was  close  at  hand,  and  that  they 
expec1:ed  to  be  destroyed  in  a  day  or  two.  These  stories 
the  Bishop  and  his  party  did  not  wholly  believe ;  in- 
deed, there  were  inconsistencies  in  the  accounts  which 
made  it  impossible  to  give  credence  to  them  all.  Never- 
theless, they  found  it  painful  to  be  compelled  to  turn  a 
deaf  ear  daily  to  men,  who  told  them  that  their  wives 
and  children  were  sleeping  in  the  bush,  and  that  no  one 
dared  to  cultivate  the  ground  for  fear  of  being  seized 
and  sold  into  slavery. 

At  length  a  more  formal  application  was  made.  On 
August  7  ambassadors  came  from  Ghinsunzi  and  Kan- 
komba,  the  two  greatest  chiefs  in  the  country,  to  inquire 
whether  they  might  themselves  come  and  state  their 
case  and  ask  for  help.  To  this  application  the  Bishop 
did  not  think  it  right  to  say  no  ;  and  accordingly,  on 
August  9  the  two  chiefs  arrived,  with  about  one  hundred 


SETTLEMENT  AT  MAGOMERO.  335 

attendants.  The  mission  party  was  strengthened  by 
two  ojfficers  of  the  Pioneer,  and  altogether  mustered 
ten  white  and  three  black. 

Before  admitting  the  chiefs  to  a  conference,  the 
Bishop  debated  with  his  friends  the  general  question, 
Could  they,  under  any  circumstances,  entertain  the  pe- 
tition ?  or  must  they  at  once  give  a  refusal,  as  they  had 
hitherto  done? 

The  answer  to  these  questions  was  based  upon  two 
principles.  In  the  first  place,  the  missionaries  con- 
sidered that  had  they  been  an  ordinary  body  of  English 
Christians  settling  amongst  the  Mang-anja  as  friends 
and  neighbours,  and  had  these  friends  and  neighbours 
been  in  danger  from  a  fierce  enemy,  who  would  destroy 
the  strong  men  and  sell  the  rest  into  slavery,  they,  the 
English  Christians,  would  be  justified  in  putting  them- 
selves at  the  head  of  the  Mang-anja,  and  so  giving 
them  their  support  against  an.  enemy,  otherwise  in- 
vincible. But,  secondly,  they  concluded,  and  that  with- 
out a  dissentient  voice,  that  if  the  circumstances  were 
such  as  to  make  it  their  duty,  regarded  simply  as 
English  Christians,  to  head  their  Mang  anja  friends, 
there  was  nothing  in  the  fact  of  the  clerical  character 
of  the  party  to  annul  the  duty.  No  doubt,  they  argued, 
such  work  is  best  left  to  lay  hands,  as  it  would  be  in 
a  civilized  country ;  but  so  also  in  a  civilized  country 
a  clergyman  would  not  build  his  own  parsonage,  nor 
perform  a  number  of  duties  which  must  fall  upon 
missionaries  in  a  wild  country  like  central  Africa :  and 
if  it  should  be  said,  that  no  clergyman  should  be  en- 
gaged in  shedding  human  blood,  it  might  be  replied  that 


33^         MEMOIR  OF  BISHOP  MACKENZIE. 

neither  should  any  Christian  be  so  engaged ;  but  as 
there  are  conditions  which  render  scenes  of  bloodshed 
the  right  scenes  for  Christian  duty,  so  there  may  be 
conditions  which  render  such  scenes  not  unsuitable 
even  for  a  Bishop  and  his  clergy. 

These  considerations  led  the  missionaries  to  agree 
not  to  give  a  decided  negative  to  the  application  from 
the  Mang-anja.  It  may  be  open  to  doubt  whether  the 
conclusion  to  which  they  came  was  the  wisest  and  best : 
of  course  the  natural  tendency  of  the  minds  of  Chris- 
tians at  home,  removed  from  the  actual  scene  of  opera- 
tions, and  enabled  to  contemplate  it  upon  abstract 
principles,  is  to  condemn  the  conclusion  as  unsound ; 
and  it  may  be  added,  on  this  side  of  the  argument,  that 
Dr  Livingstone  had  himself  warned  the  missionaries 
that  they  would  receive  applications,  and  that  they 
must  not  attend  to  them.  But,  on  the  other  hand, 
I  think  that  we  are  bound  to  regard  with  great  re- 
spect a  conclusion  arrived  at  on  the  spot,  by  men  whose 
every  feeling  would  draw  them  away  from  the  con- 
clusion to  which  their  judgment  brought  them,  and  in 
the  soundness  of  which  (as  will  be  seen  hereafter) 
Dr  Livingstone  ultimately  expressed  his  belief.  I  am 
certain  that  no  person  who  was  acquainted  with  Bishop 
Mackenzie  would  believe,  that  anything  less  than  a 
very  strong  conviction  of  the  duty  and  necessity  of 
assisting  their  friends  would  have  induced  him  to  adopt 
a  course  of  conduct,  from  which  his  gentle  heart  would 
shrink  ;  and  I  shall  be  much  disappointed  if  those  who 
know  him  only  through  the  medium  of  this  memoir, 
have  not  gained  suflEicient  confidence  in  him  to  adopt 


SETTLEMENT  AT  MAGOMERO.  337 

the  same  view.  We  have  seen  ah'eady,  that  in  the  first 
colHsion  with  slave-takers  he  anticipated  much  blame 
for  his  conduct  from  friends  at  home,  but  he  counted 
the  cost,  and  believed  that  he  was "  doing  right ;  and 
in  the  present  instance,  he  must  still  more  surely  have 
seen  that  his  conduct  would  be  severely  criticized ;  the 
ground  was  less  clear,  the  responsibility  was  greater  ; 
yet,  with  all  this  before  him,  he  considered  that  it 
would  be  unworthy  of  the  place  which  they  had  as- 
sumed amongst  the  friendly  tribes,  if  they  should  stand 
by  as  idle  spectators  of  the  destruction  of  their  friends. 
He  again  counted  the  cost,  and  did  what  he  believed 
to  be  his  duty ;  I  would  ask,  therefore,  at  the  hands 
of  the  reader,  for  one  so  good  and  gentle,  placed  in 
such  strange  and  painful  circumstances,  a  kindly  and 
considerate  judgment. 

There  was  one  point  which  does  not  seem  to  have 
entered  into  the  calculations  of  the  Bishop  and  his 
friends,  but  which  was  certainly  worthy  of  consider- 
ation, as  the  event  proved  : — I  mean  the  real  relations 
in  which  the  Mang-anja  tribes  stood  to  the  Ajawa. 
The  missionaries  seem  to  have  assumed  that  the  dis- 
trict in  which  they  were  settled  Avas  Mang-anja  ground, 
that  the  Ajawa  ground  was  at  a  distance  from  them, 
and  that  the  incursion  of  the  Ajawa,  which  was  now 
causing  so  much  terror,  wa§  (as  it  were)  an  accidental 
raid,  which  might  be  checked  by  showing  a  firm  front, 
and  would  then  subside  and  leave  the  Mang-anja  in 
peace.  It  was  clearly  impossible  that  they  could  be 
for  ever  fighting  native  battles ;  and  if  the  ground 
upon    which  they  had  fixed   themselves  were  such  as 

22 


S3^         MEMOIR  OF  BISHOP  MACKENZIE. 

could  be  held  only  by  such  a  course,  then  it  would 
be  obvious  that  the  ground  was  unfit  for  missionary 
work.  Now  the  truth  appeared  to  be,  though  the 
missionaries  were  not  aware  of  it  at  the  time,  that 
they  had  made  their  settlement  at  Magomero  just  at 
the  time  of  the  approach  of  a  more  powerful  tribe : 
the  Ajawa  attack  was  not  a  casual  outbreak  of  a 
stationary  people,  but  the  indication  of  an  aggressive 
policy  on  the  part  of  a  race  who  felt  themselves  to  be 
stronger  than  the  present  occupiers  of  the  country. 
This  process  of  conquest,  of  the  possession  of  weaker 
tribes  by  more  powerful,  has,  as  we  well  know,  been 
going  on  from  the  beginning ;  it  is,  as  it  were,  a  law 
of  the  world's  progress,  and  though  the  process  may 
be  productive  of  much  misery,  and  may  be  a  very 
painful  spectacle  for  Christian  eyes,  and  may  bring  to 
mind  the  thought  that  the  whole  creation  groaneth  and 
travaileth  in  pain,  still  it  is  one  against  which  it  is 
useless  to  contend ;  and  it  is  after  the  healing  of  the 
wounds  caused  by  this  terrible  natural  surgery,  that 
the  missionary  work  of  the  Gospel  of  peace  has  its  proper 
point  of  commencement.  It  was  after  the  Saxons  had  con- 
quered their  position  in  Britain,  and  become  undisputed 
lords  of  the  soil,  that  they  were  converted  to  the  faith 
by  Christian  missionaries.  Had  Bishop  Mackenzie  and 
his  party  known  at  the  time  as  much  as  they  knew 
afterwards,  they  might  possibly  have  come  to  the 
conclusion  that  Magomero  was  the  wrong  spot  for  their 
settlement,  and  they  might  have  effected  at  once  that 
migration  which  was  carried  out  afterwards ;  but  if 
they  were  to  hold  their  position  in  the  neighbourhood  of 


SETTLEMENT  AT  MAGOMERO.  339 

the  Ajawa  tribes,  I  think  that  nothing  would  have 
persuaded  them  that  any  line  of  policy  was  feasible 
other  than  that  which  they  adopted. 

But  to  return  to  our  story.  Having  come  to  the 
conclusion  which  has  been  above  explained,  the  mis- 
sionaries went  and  received  the  petition  of  the  chiefs. 
They  declined  to  give  them  an  immediate  answer ;  but 
explained  that  some  of  their  party  had  just  come  from 
the  vessel  at  Chibisa's,  and  were  weary  with  their 
journey,  so  that  it  would  be  necessary  to  defer  their 
final  answer  till  Monday.  Meanwhile,  however,  they 
wished  to  ask  the  chiefs  a  few  questions.  Would  the 
Mang-anja  people  join  together,  if  the  missionaries 
headed  them  ?  Yes.  Who  would  join  ?  Chinsunzi, 
Kankomba,  and  some  ten  or  twelve  subordinate  persons, 
in  lively  speeches,  expressed  their  willingness.  How 
many  followers  could  they  bring?  Many  more  than 
were  there  present.  Had  they  any  guns  ?  Yes,  they 
had  some. 

On  Saturday  night,  the  missionaries  discussed  the 
answer  which  they  should  finally  give ;  and  they  de- 
termined to  go.  But  in  coming  to  this  determination, 
it  was  necessary  to  have  some  settlement  of  the  terms 
on  which  they  should  assist  the  Mang-anja  ;  they  were 
to  help  these  men  against  those  who  would  take  them 
and  sell  them  as  slaves ;  but  how  if  the  Mang-anja 
should  indulge  in  slave-dealing  themselves,  as  doubt- 
less they  had  done  in  former  times?  There  was  no 
native  law  against  it,  and  custom  was  in  its  favour : 
would  it  not  be  a  grand  step  in  the  missionary  work, 
if  the  assistance  given  to  the  Mang-anja  against  their 

22—2 


34°         MEMOIR  OF  BISHOP  MACKENZIE. 

euemies  could  be  made  the  occasion  for  enacting  a  law 
against  slave-taking  amongst  themselves  ?  This  seemed 
to  be  the  right  basis  for  the  defensive  alliance ;  ac- 
cordingly, on  Monday,  when  the  chiefs  came  for  their 
final  answer,  the  Bishop  said  to  them,  "We  will  head 
you  against  the  Ajawa  on  certain  terms  : 

I.  The  captives  in  the  hands  of  the  Ajawa  are  to 
be  set  free.  No  one  shall  claim  them  as  his.  They 
shall  go  where  they  please. 

II.  You  will  all  promise  not  to  buy  or  sell  men 
any  more. 

III.  You  will  all  promise  to  join  in  punishing  any 
chief  who  sells  men. 

IV.  If  any  persons  come  to  buy  men,  you  will  not 
let  them  stay,  but  will  drive  them  away,  and  tell  us." 

To  these  conditions  the  chiefs  agreed ;  to  the  second 
they  replied  that  they  never  did  such  a  thing,  but  the 
Bishop  told  them  not  to  deny  it,  but  to  promise  for  the 
future  ;  to  the  third  Kankomba  declared  that  if  he  ever 
found  any  one  selling  men,  he  would  bind  him.  The 
chiefs  having  agreed,  the  Bishop  invited  all  those  who 
would  promise  to  stand  up  :  they  all  stood  up :  and  so 
the  alliance  was  made.  The  natives  applauded  the 
result  with  three  slow  united  deep-sounding  claps  of 
the  hands. 

On  August  13,  the  Bishop  and  his  party  arrived 
at  Chinsunzi's,  but  not  sufficiently  early  to  see  where 
the  hostile  Ajawa  were  situated.  Soon  after  six  o'clock 
the  next  morning  they  started,  followed  by  a  large 
body  of  natives,  probably  nearly  a  thousand.  In  about 
two  hours  they  came  in  sight  of  the  Ajawa  villages. 


SETTLEMENT  AT  MAGOMERO.  34 ^ 

It  was  determined  that  before  anything  else  was  done, 
a  parley  should  be  attempted  by  two  of  the  English 
going  unarmed  towards  the  Ajawa  camp,  and  requesting 
an  interview  with  the  chiefs,  also  unarmed.  The  Bishop 
himself,  with  Mr  Waller,  undertook  this  task  ;  they 
were  accompanied  by  Charles  Thomas,  one  of  the  Cape- 
town men,  and  by  one  of  the  Mang-anja :  this  arrange- 
ment was  necessary,  inasmuch  as  the  Bishop  was  com- 
pelled to  speak  in  English,  which  was  translated  into 
Makao,  his  own  language,  by  Charles,  and  so  made  in- 
telligible to  the  Mang-anja  man,  who  finally  acted  as 
interpreter  to  the  Ajawa. 

The  terms  proposed  to  the  Ajawa  were  as  follows  : 

I.  They  must  liberate  all  their  captives. 

II.  They  must  give  up  all  Tette  men  and  others, 
who  might  be  with  them  to  buy  slaves. 

III.  They  must  give  up  all  their  guns,  and  go  right 
away  out  of  the  country. 

It  was  hardly  expected  that  these  terms  would  be 
accepted,  but  it  was  thought  right  to  offer  them.  The 
parley  turned  out  to  be  a  more  dangerous  affair  than 
was  anticipated :  the  Bishop  and  his  small  unarmed  party 
went  somewhat  rashly  (as  it  would  seem)  out  of  sight 
of  their  friends,  and  had  an  interview  with  half  a  dozen 
of  the  Ajawa,  who  were  armed  with  bows  and  arrows, 
and  one  with  a  gun  :  indeed,  as  Charles  Thomas  after- 
wards informed  the  Bishop,  they  only  escaped  with 
their  lives  by  the  fact  of  the  parleying  party  disobeying 
orders,  which  were  shouted  to  them  from  head-quarters, 
to  fire  upon  them  at  once.  The  result  was  nothing  : 
when  the  Ajawa  heard  that  the  Bishop  and  his  friends 


342        MEMOIR  OF  BISHOP  MACKENZIE. 

were  English,  tliey  said,  "We  do  not  want  to  have 
anything  to  do  with  the  EngHsh  ;  they  help  the  Mang- 
anja  against  us." 

Having  performed  their  perilous  task,  the  parleying 
party  retired,  first  walking,  and  then  at  length,  when 
the  thought  of  a  musket-ball  in  their  rear  had  had  time 
(as  the  Bishop  expresses  it)  to  produce  in  their  legs  a 
sufficient  amount  of  nervous  irritation,  running. 

It  was  now  clear  that  the  hostile  measures  must  pro- 
ceed. Before  the  parley  above  described,  the  Bishop 
with  his  friends  and  Mang-anja  allies  had  gained  a  com- 
manding situation,  overlooking  the  Ajawa  encampment ; 
soon  after  ten  they  were  marching  down  the  hill  under 
the  direction  of  Mr  Waller,  to  whom  the  Bishop  had 
wisely  given  the  chief  command.  The  result  of  the 
conflict  appears  never  to  have  been  doubtful  ;  the  few 
English  were  as  a  host  on  the  side  of  the  Mang-anja, 
who,  though  inferior  to  the  Ajawa  when  left  to  them- 
selves, fought  with  sufficient  courage  under  English 
auspices.  In  one  hour  the  victory  was  gained  ;  but 
it  was  more  than  three  before  the  affau-  was  entirely 
over,  and  the  victorious  party  brought  back  from  the 
pursuit. 

It  must  have  been  a  very  painful  day  for  Bishop 
Mackenzie.  War,  in  its  most  civilized  form,  is  suffi- 
ciently revolting  to  gentle  minds ;  but  the  war  of  bar- 
barous people  is  utterly  horrible,  and  the  Bishop  found 
that  he  had  the  double  work  of  assisting  the  oppressed 
against  the  oppressors,  and  then  of  restraining  the 
savage  zeal  of  the  oppressed  in  their  flush  of  victory. 

When  the  victory  was  complete,  and  the  Mang-anja 


SETTLEMENT  AT  MAGOMERO.  343 

restrained  from  pursuit,  other  cares  opened  upon  the 
missionaries.  It  was  necessary  to  see  that  the  regula- 
tions were  enforced  respecting  the  captives  :  the  Bishop 
had  given  assistance  on  certain  terms  ;  he  was  bound  to 
see  that  those  terms  were  fulfilled.  A  number  of 
captives  who  were  in  the  hands  of  the  Ajawa  were 
taken  in  charge  by  the  Bishop,  while  others  of  the 
party  led  back  the  body  of  natives  who  had  gone  to 
the  war. 

It  was  a  weary  march  home  ;  many  were  foot-sore, 
many  leg-sore.  On  the  way  a  touching  incident  took 
place.  Passing  through  a  deserted  village,  the  Bishop 
observed  a  httle  boy,  looking  very  ill,  sitting  in  the 
door  of  a  hut.  He  desired  a  man  to  take  the  child  up, 
and  bring  him  along  with  the  party :  the  man  objected, 
saying  that  the  child  was  sickly,  and  that  it  was  of  no 
use  to  take  him.  The  Bishop,  however,  insisted,  and 
the  child  was  carried  as  he  had  desired.  When  they 
got  to  Chinsunzi's,  the  village  in  which  they  were  to  halt 
for  the  night,  the  child  was  deadly  cold :  the  Bishop 
took  him  into  his  own  hut,  wrapped  him  in  a  blan- 
ket, and  tried,  though  in  vain,  to  administer  some 
brandy :  he  lay  by  the  Bishop's  side  all  night :  in  the 
course  of  it  brandy  was  tried  again,  but  with  no  better 
success.  In  the  morning  the  child  died :  the  Bishop 
had  baptized  him  the  evening  before,  giving  him  the 
name  of  Charles  Henry :  he  was  buried  in  a  place 
assigned  by  the  chief,  the  English  funeral  service  being 
read  over  his  remains. 

On  the  evening  of  the  engagement  they  counted 
eighty  women  and  children  of  rescued  captives.     Next 


344         MEMOIR  OF  BISHOP  MACKENZIE. 

day,  the  chiefs  of  the  allied  army  met,  and  the  Bishop 
reminded  them  of  the  conditions  of  the  alliance,  namely, 
that  all  rescued  captives  should  be  allowed  to  go  where 
they  pleased.  These  were  separated  from  the  captured 
Ajawa,  and  each  woman  was  allowed  to  name  some 
Mang-anja  man  with  whom  she  wished  to  go,  he 
promising  to  be  kind  to  her,  and  not  to  sell  her.  All 
were  disposed  of  on  these  terms,  which  seemed  to  give 
general  satisfaction ;  the  missionaries  alone  felt  a  little 
disappointed,  that  after  the  part  they  had  taken  in 
the  rescue,  none  cared  to  come  with  them  and  settle 
at  Magomero.  The  Ajawa  women  and  children  had  not 
been  included  in  the  treaty ;  but  these  the  mission- 
aries took  under  their  own  charge,  rightly  considering 
that  it  would  be  impossible  to  entrust  them  to  the 
tender  mercies  of  the  Mang-anja,  even  with  a  promise 
of  good  behaviour  towards  them.  They  also  took  the 
Mang-anja  orphan  children  who  were  too  young  to 
choose  for  themselves.  They  then  told  the  Mang-anja 
people,  that  the  Ajawa  having  been  driven  away,  it 
behoved  them  to  work  diligently  in  their  fields,  lest  a 
famine  should  come  upon  the  land. 

The  adjudication  lasted  four  hours,  and  was  veiy 
laborious.  Then  came  the  burial  of  the  little  boy  al- 
ready mentioned,  and  then  the  march  home.  They 
started  at  about  tAvo  P.M.  The  march  was  very  weari- 
some, and  was  still  further  complicated  by  rain.  The 
Bishop  would  not  leave  his  charge,  and  many  of  them 
were  not  more  than  ten  years  old.  It  seemed  likely  that 
they  would  have  to  spend  another  night  upon  the  road, 
and  there  was  no  village  in  which  to  shelter ;  happily. 


SETTLEMENT  AT  MAGOMERO.  345 

some  of  the  Mang-anja  came  up,  and,  at  the  Bishop's 
instigation,  consented  to  carry  some  of  the  Httle  ones. 
He  himself  set  the  example,  and  walked  into  Magomero 
at  eight  o'clock  in  the  evening,  with  a  little  girl  on  his 
back,  amid  three  cheers  from  those  of  the  party  who 
had  already  returned.  Charles  Thomas  remained  to 
bring  up  the  rear,  and  did  not  reach  home  till  half- 
past  nine.  This  man  had  been  out  for  fifteen  hours, 
without  sitting  down  and  without  eating,  yet  never 
grumbling  or  complaining  of  his  position,  but  rejoicing 
in  the  opportunity  of  doing  something  for  people,  with 
whom,  as  a  rescued  slave  himself,  he  knew  so  well  how 
to  sympathise.  As  they  walked  home  together,  the 
Bishop  said  to  him,  "  Charles,  it  is  wonderful  those 
men  did  not  fire  on  us  this  morning,  when  we  asked 
them  to  send  the  chief  to  a  parley."  He  said,  "  Yes, 
sir,  I  have  been  thinking  that  it  was  God  that  pro- 
tected us." 

This  expedition  added  about  forty  to  the  population 
at  Magomero,  dependent  upon  the  missionaries ;  it 
having  been  no  less  than  111  previously.  Here  was  a 
serious  increase  of  responsibility ;  but  th^  Bishop  looked 
upon  it  with  his  usual  cheerful  hopefulness.  Speaking 
of  the  general  results  of  the  expedition,  he  says,  "  The 
results  are,  that  we  have  freed  at  least  forty  (probably 
three  or  four  times  as  many)  captives  who  were  in  the 
Ajawa  camp,  ready  to  be  sold  into  slavery  to  men 
from  Tette,  who  were  in  the  camp  at  the  very  time  : 
and,  on  the  other  hand,  we  have  captured  about  forty 
(perhaps  many  more)  of  the  Ajawa,  but  have  brought 
them  not  into  slavery,  but  into  more  perfect  freedom, 


34^  MEMOIR  OF  BISHOP  MACKENZIE. 

and  besides,  brought  them  within  hearing  of  the  Gos- 
pel, which  we  hope  soon  to  be  able  to  preach  to  them. 
Then  we  have  given  peace  and  security,  which  I  trust 
will  be  lasting,  to  a  large  tract  of  country,  which  was 
gradually  melting  away  into  a  desert,  as  the  flames 
of  Ajawa  war  spread  across  it ;  and  we  have  given,  I 
trust,  a  decisive  second  blow  to  the  slave-trade  in  these 
parts, — Livingstone  having  given  the  first.  We  have 
also  got  the  chiefs  (at  least  the  most  influential  in 
these  parts)  to  agree  to  abstain  from  and  abolish  the 
buying  and  selling  of  people,  and  have  made  it  legiti- 
mate for  those  who  hate  such  traffic  to  use  force  to 
prevent  it ;  and  I  believe  that  these  results,  combined 
with  the  steady  influence  of  Christian  teaching  and 
example,  and  the  introduction  of  legitimate  trade,  will 
soon  make  slavery  unknown  here,  at  one  of  its  freely 
flowing  sources." 

"  But  if,"  he  continues,  "  the  stream  is  to  be  dried  up, 
it  is  not  enough  to  dry  up  one  of  its  springs.  We  cannot 
at  present  exercise  an  influence  to  much  effect  beyond 
thirty  or  forty  miles  on  every  side.  There  is  an  opening 
for  other  efforts  of  the  same  kind  as  ours.  In  a  year 
or  two  I  shall  hope  to  have  split  up  all  the  men  I 
have,  or  expect,  so  as  to  cover  a  wider  extent  of  country 
than  I  have  just  named,  and  then  I  shall  be  com- 
pelled to  call  on  you  at  home  to  make  another  great 
effort,  and  send  us  out  further  reinforcements.  I  speak 
of  this  at  once,  that  you  may  be  prepared  for  the 
appeal  when  it  comes.  In  the  mean  time,  may  God 
bless  our  efforts  here,  and  give  us  peace,  that  we  may 
learn  the  language  and  the  habits  of  this  people,  and 


SETTLEMENT  AT  MAGOMERO.  347 

may  proceed  with  the  moral  and  religious  training  of 
those  whom  God  may  put  within  our  reach." 

Having  done  what  they  deemed  right  for  the  pro- 
tection of  their  friendly  neighbours,  and  for  the  re- 
pression of  slave-hunting,  the  missionaries  now  hoped 
to  be  able  to  give  their  undivided  attention  to  home 
work  at  Magomero.  I  will  here  introduce  a  description 
of  their  daily  life,  as  given  by  the  Bishop,  in  a  letter  to 
his  sister  in  Scotland :  the  letter  is  the  continuation  of 
that  which  was  partly  given  in  the  preceding  chapter  :  it 
was  the  Bishop's  habit  to  commence  letters  to  his  friends, 
and  then  add  to  them  from  time  to  time,  after  the 
manner  of  a  journal :  hence  it  is,  that  in  the  present 
instance  the  date  of  the  latter  part  is  considerably  later 
than  the  period  at  which  we  have  now  arrived :  but 
as  the  subject  is  one,  I  have  thought  it  well  to  intro- 
duce the  whole  in  this  place. 


LETTER  LXXXYIL 

{Continuation. ) 

Aug.  29.  I  have  not  said  mucli  to  others  of  our  do- 
mestic life.  At  6  A.M.  we  are  all  called  by  the  cook.  The 
summons  arouses  us  to  vai'ied  scenes.  I  wake  to  the  con- 
sciousness of  lying  in  a  round  hut,  9  feet  in  diameter  and 
10  feet  high  in  the  middle,  with  the  cheerful  light  of  the 
breaking  day  twinkling  through  innumerable  openings  in 
its  straw  roof  and  walls.  I  am  full  length  on  a  cork  bed, 
which  avoids  all  fear  of  damp,  and  weighs  only  seven  pounds, 
with  (don't  be  shocked)  my  clothes  on,  and  a  blanket  oyer 
my   legs,   another   round   my   shoulders   and   head.      The 


34^         MEMOIR  OF  BISHOP  MACKENZIE. 

upper  end  of  my  bed  resting  on  my  carpet-bag  makes  my 
pillow. 

On  the  other  side  of  the  but  is  "Waller,  nearly  a  fac- 
simile of  myself  in  bis  circumstances.  Tbe  floor  is  strewn 
Tvitb  dry  grass  (grass  bere  is  about  five  feet  long),  and  in  tbe 
strip  between  our  beds  is  a  stick,  about  two  feet  bigb,  on 
tbe  top  of  wbicb  is  tbe  oil-lamp  whicb  bas  been  in  use  tbe 
night  before.  Between  me  and  tbe  round  side  of  tbe  but  is 
a  deal-box,  containing  a  few  rockets  and  spare  ammunition  j 
above  my  head  my  double-barrelled  gun  loaded ;  a  revolver 
also  loaded.  Above  all,  a  shelf,  made  by  thrusting  the  ends 
of  bamboos  through  the  roof  at  both  ends,  on  which  are  my 
Bible,  Christian  Tear,  Thomas  a  Kempis,  Wordsworth's 
New  Testament,  Trench,  and  one  or  two  others. 

After  taking  advantage  of  the  quiet  for  my  prayer,  I  get 
up,  put  on  my  shoes  and  cap,  fold  up  my  blankets,  roll  up 
my  bed,  take  my  towel,  and  go  to  bathe  and  wash  in  the  river. 
By  the  time  I  come  back,  Charles  has  tidied  the  hut,  and  is 
probably  sweeping  the  carpet,  that  is,  stroking  the  grass 
smooth  with  a  stick,  I  have  now  about  twenty  minutes  or 
half-an-hour  to  read  quietly  before  our  morning  prayers,  the 
full  Church  service,  at  seven :  every  one  attends  once  a 
day :  most  of  us  twice.  Then  there  is  a  quarter  of  an 
hour  before  breakfast :  perhaps  I  look  up  some  one  of  our 
party  who  is  ill :  for  it  is  unusual  for  all  our  thirteen  to  be 
well  at  once,  so  far  as  our  present  experience  goes.  Break- 
fast consists  of  meat,  (fowls  or  goat),  vegetables,  (yam  or 
sweet  potatoes,  beans  or  peas,)  and  porridge  of  groiind  Indian 
corn.  Once  or  twice  a  week  we  have  a  loaf.  We  drink 
cofiee  or  tea,  and  have  one  goat  in  milk.  Our  plates  and 
cups  belong  to  a  canteen  for  six  persons,  bought  in  London. 
They  are  iron,  enamelled  inside,  and  don't  break.  During 
our  breakfast  Charles  has  been  gathering  the  men  and  boys 
together.  The  list  is  called  over  as  they  stand  in  a  ring, 
and  answer  to  their  names  "Kuno,"  [here).  Then  I  tell 
them  what  work  they  have  to   do,  and  make  any  address 


SETTLEMENT  AT  MAGOMERO.  349 

tliroiigli  William  whicli  may  be  required.  By  tliis  time  the 
men  have  finished  breakfast,  and  we  get  to  work  about  9.30. 
I  have  75  men  and  boys  on  my  list,  of  whom  about  30  or 
35  may  be  employed,  the  rest  being  too  small,  or  there  being 
no  tools  for  them.  These  latter  then  have  their  breakfast. 
Two  w-omen  have  been  appointed  to  receive  every  night  the 
next  day's  food  for  two  lots  of  little  ones,  and  to  give  them 
their  breakfast  about  10,  and  tbeir  supper  about  5.  It  con- 
sists of  porridge,  and  sometimes  a  few  beans  to  give  it  a 
taste.  We  have  no  plates  or  spoons  for  them;  we  shall 
acquire  that  luxury,  I  hope,  soon.  They  sit  down  in  a  row, 
and  a  fat  motherly  woman,  with  an  infant  on  her  back  (which 
she  adopted,  because  it  had  no  mother),  gives  to  each 
a  handful.  They  sit  and  eat  well  pleased,  and  when  each 
has  had  some,  she  gives  the  remainder  among  them  as  extra 
mouthfuls.  This  is  more  orderly  than  at  first,  when  there 
was  always  a  scramble  for  every  meal,  like  one  for  nuts  at 
a  school-feast. 

Then  the  work  of  the  day  proceeds  till  one.  One  doctors 
the  sick  and  sore.  One  buys  the  food  which  comes  in 
daily,  baskets  of  meal,  or  bunches  of  corn-cobs,  or  nuts, 
or  beans,  or  huge  yam-roots,  some  weighing  fifty  pounds : 
or  goats  are  led  in,  or  fowls  hung  upon  sticks  or  in  the 
hand;  and  for  these  we  usually  give  white  calico,  some- 
times coloured,  or  beads.  One  drills  the  boys;  part  of  their 
drilling  consisting  in  being  marched  into  the  river.  The 
order,  "Off  clouts,"  being  by  most  obeyed  in  laughter, 
by  one  or  two  with  slow  hand  and  mournful  face.  Some 
work  at  our  new  house,  which  is  within  ten  days  of  com- 
pletion. 

We  dine  at  1,  and  amuse  ourselves  till  3.  Dinner  is  a 
facsimile  of  breakfast,  only  that  out  of  the  same  cups  we 
drink  native  beer,  here  called  '■  moa,"  instead  of  tea  or  coffee. 
From  3  to  5  we  go  to  work  again.  The  sun  sets  near  6,  jiist 
now :  in  the  longest  days  it  will  never  be  quite  so  late  as 
half-past  six.     We  have  tea  with  porridge,  and  nuts  or  eggs; 


35^  MEMOIR  OF  BISHOP  MACKENZIE. 

and  at  about  half-past  seven  prayers.     Soon  after  tlaat  we 
part  for  the  night. 

Saturdays  and  Saints'  days  are  half-holidays. 


One  of  the  curious  customs  of  this  country  is  their  way 
of  giving  presents.  They  always  expect  to  receive  a  present 
of  at  least  equal  value  in  return.  One  morning  a  woman 
brought  us  three  large  baskets  of  beer,  each  as  heavy  as  a 
person  could  carry :  we  did  not  want  so  much :  it  would 
spoil  before  we  could  drink  it :  but  we  did  not  like  to  refuse 
it,  lest  she  should  be  offended.  So  we  sent  her  just  what 
we  thought  its  value.  She  considered  our  present  too  small, 
and  took  away  the  largest  basket,  saying  we  had  not  given 
enough. 

Oct.  22.  I  take  up  my  pen,  that  there  may  not  be  too 
long  intervals  between  my  paragraphs. 

***** 

Dr  Mellor,  the  medical  man  of  the  Pioneer,  is  here  on 
a  visit,  having  leave  of  absence  with  two  of  the  men,  to  re- 
cruit their  health  by  change  of  air. 

I  am  so  longing  for  our  ladies  to  come  up.  It  is  not 
a  week  since  we  got  an  increase  of  fifty  people,  only  ten 
boys  and  no  men.  Here  is  more  work  for  them.  It  is  im- 
possible for  us  men  to  do  what  I  trust  God  wUl  do  by  them. 
The  women  are  some  of  them  wild  and  rude,  and  some  of 
them  worse,  but  I  hope  the  influence  of  our  ladies  will  tell 
upon  them. 

There  is  one  girl  in  whom  I  feel  great  interest.  She  is 
deaf  and  dumb.  The  rest  treat  her  kindly,  but  her  poor 
mind  must  be  sadly  wearied  by  the  want  of  communication 
with  others.  She  is  ten  years  old,  good-tempered,  and  obe- 
dient whenever  she  knows  what  you  want  her  to  do.  When 
she  sees  me  passing  she  claps  her  hands  together.  One  day 
I  wanted  to  fold  up  a  gi'eat  sheet,  and  made  her  take  one 
end,  just  as  a  table-cloth  is  folded :  she  watched  what  I  did. 


SETTLEMENT  AT  MA GOMERO.  y^ I 

and  did  the  same,  as  neatly  as  slie  conld,  with  the  greatest 
gravity.     Four  or  five  times  I  have  brought  her  into  my 
hut,  and  made  her  sit  at  the  door  while  I  shewed  her  a 
picture.     I  took  one  of  the  large  coloured  Scripture-prints, 
the  raising  of  the  Shunammite's  son :  she  pointed  to  some 
limb,  and  then  pointed  to  the  same  part  of  herself.     I  have 
followed  this   hint,  and  each  time  we  have  gone   through 
every  part.     We  are  keeping  patiently  to  the  one  picture. 
There  are  four  figures,  which  is  variety  enough.     From  the 
earnestness  with  which  she  does  this  I  am  sure  it  is  a  plea- 
sure to  her,  as  indeed  it  must  be,  breaking  in  on  the  vacuity 
of  her  mind.     I  do  not  know  any  one  of  my  charge  with  so 
gentle,  manageable  and  amiable  disposition;  and  that  is  bet- 
ter than  all  brightness  of  intellect,  or  keenness  of  perception. 
I  do  not  know  that  she  ever  had  a  name;   but  the  one  by 
which  she  commonly  goes  is  Kana  nena,  "she  cannot  speak." 
Our  people  are  singing  and  dancing  outside  the  hut ;  not 
the  fierce  dances  of  the  Zulus,  nor  with  their  deep,  panting 
noises.     I  do  not  know  that  the  Mang-anja  have  any  war- 
dance;  it  is  more  like  the  dance  "all  round  the  hawthorn- 
bush,"  or  such  simple  games  as  they  have  at  school-feasts. 
The  music  consists  of  three  or  four  drums,  played  with  great 
vigour-  and  perfect  time,  while   the  dancers   move   slowly 
round  in  a  ring.     Sometimes  there  is  a  rapid  movement  of 
the  feet,  like  that  in  a  hornpipe,  only  each  step  is  not  more 
than  an  inch  or  two,  while  the  body  is  nearly  still,  remind- 
ing one  of  the  graceful  motion  of  a  good  skater.     Sometimes 
one  or  more  make  a  diversion  into  the  space  within,  turning 
once  I'ound  rapidly  and  moving  the  arms  over  the  head,  and 
all  this  time  they  sing  a  strain  consisting  of  but  few  notes, 
with  clapping  of  hands  in  time,  and  the  sound  of  cymbals, 
which  are  fastened,  I  think,  to  the  ankles  of  one  of  the 
circle. 

October  28.  We  have  jokes  among  us,  notwithstanding 
the  seriousness  of  our  profession.  Last  Saturday  night  there 
was  very  little  to  eat  at  tea.     There  was  no  porridge,  because 


35^        MEMOIR  OF  BISHOP  MACKENZIE. 

the  people  had  not  brought  any  meal  for  sale  all  day.  So 
I  went  out,  got  some  heads  of  chimanga  (mealies,  under 
another  name),  had  them  shelled,  ground  them  myself  in 
the  mill,  ordered  some  water  to  be  boiled,  made  some 
porridge,  and  reappeared  in  twenty  minutes  with  the  dish. 
They  did  not  know  what  I  had  gone  for,  and  my  dish  was 
highly  praised :  it  was  not  quite  enough  boiled;  but  by  com- 
mon consent  we  use  now  meal  from  our  own  mill,  instead 
of  the  ufa  or  meal,  which  the  people  bring. 


The  quiet  of  tlie  missionary  station  was  not  secured 
by  the  successful  expedition  against  the  Ajawa,  which 
has  been  described  in  this  chapter.  Reports  soon  be- 
gan to  circulate  of  Ajawa  incursions,  and  of  the  terror 
caused  to  the  minds  of  the  Mang-anja  in  the  neigh- 
bourhood. These  reports  the  Bishop  did  not  feel  inclined 
wholly  to  believe  ;  he  knew  the  unfortunate  readiness 
of  the  natives  to  lie  if  it  suited  their  purpose,  and  he 
found  so  much  inconsistency  in  the  tales  told  concerning 
Ajawa  atrocities,  that  he  perceived  it  was  impossible 
to  believe  everything,  and  therefore  doubted  how  much 
was  true,  or  whether  there  was  any  truth  in  the  tales 
at  alL  Accordingly,  he  determined  to  go  and  see  for 
himself,  and  started  on  September  9,  with  Mr  Scuda- 
more,  three  Makololo,  William,  (the  Cape  Town  man,) 
as  interpreter,  and  some  guides,  to  reconnoitre.  The 
application  for  help  in  this  case  had  come  from  a  certain 
chief,  named  Bawi,  who  represented  that  the  Ajawa 
were  burning  his  villages,  murdering  his  men,  and 
taking  the  women  and  children  into  captivity.  They 
very  soon  found  that  the  doings  of  the  Ajawa  had 
been   much    exaggerated ;    and   they   quarrelled    with 


SETTLEMENT  AT  MAGOMERO.  ^j^ 

their  frieud  Bawi,  who  turned  sulky  because  the  Bishop 
refused  to  go  with  him  and  his  followers,  and  forthwith 
give  battle  to  the  enemy.  The  reconnoitring  expedition 
was  continued  several  days,  during  which,  notwith- 
standing the  exaggerations  referred  to,  they  saw  abun- 
dant evidence  that  an  enemy  was  in  the  neighbourhood, 
\dllages  burnt,  others  deserted,  and  the  inhabitants  of 
those  not  deserted  manifestly  living  in  daily  terror  of 
an  attack  from  an  enemy  whom  they  dared  not  face. 
On  one  occasion,  they  fell  in  with  some  of  the  Ajawa 
foe,  and  endeavoured  to  catch  one  or  two  of  them,  in 
order  that  they  might  send  a  message  to  the  rest,  and 
warn  them  to  mend  their  manners  or  depart ;  but  the 
Ajawa  were  too  fleet  for  them.  William,  the  inter- 
preter, who  suggested  this  scheme,  described  the  effect 
which  he  hoped  to  produce  in  a  very  amusing  manner. 
"One  will  say,  I  saw  him  myself!  another,  I  was  in  his 
hands  !  they  will  say,  there  were  a  great  many  of  them, 
and  all  had  guns :  the  news  will  spread,  just  like  a 
newspaper."  However,  William's  plan  could  not  be 
carried  out,  and  the  Bishop  had  to  return  home  with 
the  general  result  of  knowing  that  the  Ajawa  were 
near,  but  not  knowing  their  numbers  or  exact  situation, 
and  of  being  pestered  with  applications  to  go  once 
more  at  the  head  of  the  friendly  tribes,  and  endeavour 
to  clear  the  country  finally  of  the  lawless  and  cruel 
Ajawa. 

Soon  after  the  return  to  Magomero,  a  messenger 
came  to  say  that  two  days  after  the  Bishop  and  his 
party  had  been  at  the  village  of  the  chief  Nampeko, 
the  Ajawa  had  come  down  and  burnt  it.     A  discussion 

23 


354         MEMOIR  OF  BISHOP  MACKENZIE. 

was  held  as  to  what  should  be  done,  and  it  was  deter- 
mined to  go  and  drive  the  marauders  away.  The 
chiefs  in  the  neighbourhood  were  called  together,  and 
the  injured  man  himself  confirmed  the  account  of  the 
destruction  of  his  village.  Conditions  were  made  con- 
cerning the  freeing  of  captives,  and  putting  a  stop  to 
the  slave-trade,  as  on  the  former  occasion,  and  the  ar- 
rangements were  nearly  complete,  when  something  was 
said  about  meeting  at  the  chief's  village.  What  village  ? 
"  The  village  in  which  you  slept,"  was  the  reply.  The 
Bishop  asked,  "  Is  it  not  burned  then  ?"  "  No."  "  Did 
you  lie  then,  when  you  said  it  was  burned  ?"  To 
wliich  the  chief  replied,  with  a  smile  upon  his  face,  "  I 
lied."  "I  am  not,"  writes  the  Bishop,  "naturally  ex- 
citable, but  I  have  once  or  twice  since  I  came  here 
thought  it  necessary  to  make  a  demonstration.  I 
shook  my  fist  in  his  face,  and  said,  'If  a  dog  could 
do  as  you  have  done,  I  should  kick  it.  I  cannot  speak 
to  you  any  more  to-day.'  Very  soon,  after  a  few  mo- 
ments' consultation,  I  said  I  could  not  go  to  fight  at 
all ;  that  I  wanted  them  to  feel  how  bad  a  thing  it 
is  to  lie." 

However,  after  a  fortnight,  the  chiefs  began  to  come 
asrain.  He  who  had  told  the  lie  about  his  village 
expressed  his  sorrow  ;  he  promised  to  tell  truth  for  the 
future,  and  began  by  confessing  that  they  had  seen 
nothing  of  the  Ajawa  since  the  Bishop's  visit :  still  he 
represented  that  they  were  in  constant  fear.  The  Bishop 
thought  that  the  purpose  of  keeping  the  Ajawa  at 
peace  might  be  effected  by  sending  them  a  message, 
to  say  that  if  they  attacked  the  Mang-anja,  they  would 


r  LAKE  Sill  iw,.  mrn  Mr.  CmiiAi.<  fn  m 


SETTLEMENT  AT  MAGOMERO.  355 

certainly  be  punished:  none  of  the  Mang-anja  folks 
however  could  be  found  courageous  enough  to  carry 
the  message ;  in  fact,  the  vices  of  cowardice  and  lying 
seemed  in  their  case,  as  in  many  others,  to  go  closely 
coupled  together. 

What  was  to  be  done  ?  The  Bishop  was  extremely 
anxious  to  avoid  further  warlike  proceedings  ;  but  soon 
after,  he  received  reliable  information  of  villages  burned 
in  the  neighbourhood ;  he  felt  that  such  marauding 
habits  must  be  stopped,  and  therefore  he  again  headed 
a  party  against  the  Ajawa  trespassers.  I  shall  not  give 
this  expedition  in  so  much  detail  as  the  former ;  in  fact, 
there  was  little  or  no  actual  fighting ;  the  Ajawa  re- 
treated at  once  at  the  approach  of  the  Mang-anja 
with  their  English  allies.  Here  is  the  Bishop's  own 
account. 

"  October  17.  Noon.  We  got  away  at  six  :  which  was 
a  wonderful  thing,  as  loading  more  than  thirty  Mang- 
anja  guns  took  an  hour,  I  suppose.  We  walked  slowly 
for  nearly  four  hours,  with  a  large  body  of  Mang-anja, 
and  a  weak  force  of  English.  Dr  Mellor  was  what 
would  be  called  in  England  quite  unfit  for  anything. 
Two  others  of  our  party  were  far  from  well.  So  that 
it  seemed  almost  rashness  to  go  to  war  in  such  a  state ; 
but  it  would  not  have  been  easy  to  put  off  the  fight, 
and  I  trusted  partly  to  the  influence  of  our  presence, 
but  I  trusted  more  in  the  verse  which  I  repeated  to 
myself  several  times,  'The  battle  is  the  Lord's,  and  He 
is  the  governor  among  the  people.' 

"  October  18.  Friday  evening.  (On  the  banks  of 
Shirwa.)     As  on  former  occasions,  we  the   Christians 

23—2 


35^         MEMOIR  OF  BISHOP  MACKENZIE. 

stood  together  to  ask  Him  to  direct  all  things  accord- 
ing to  His  will.  It  was  near  ten  when  we  found  we 
were  getting  near.  The  Mang-anja  kept  running  on 
before,  and  on  the  smallest  alarm  falling  back.  One 
time,  when  we  came  to  the  edge  of  the  river,  close  to 
the  Ajawa,  they  all  stopped  and  allowed  Adams,  who 
was  the  foremost  Christian,  to  go  on  twenty  or  thirty 
yards  alone,  and  only  followed  him  when  we  came  up. 
I  asked  two  or  three  times  for  Nampeko,  and  was  told 
that  he  was  behind  ;  so  he  was,  for  I  never  saw  him 
all  day.  It  is  unsatisfactory,  acting  in  alliance  with 
such  people,  on  whom  you  can  rely  only  for  cowardice 
and  falsehood.  Adams,  in  the  act  of  crossing  the  water, 
fired  two  shots  at  Ajawa,  two  of  whom  had  guns.  They 
immediately  ran  away,  and  this  was  all  the  opposition 
we  met  with :  when  we  arrived,  we  found  the  huts 
empty,  which  we  burned." 

The  arrangements  concerning  the  captives  were 
carried  out  as  on  the  former  occasion ;  the  result  was 
a  still  further  addition  to  the  population  of  Magomero. 
"  This  addition,"  says  the  Bishop,  at  the  close  of  the 
letter  in  which  he  describes  the  expedition,  "makes 
our  number  exceed  two  hundred.  We  might  be  tempted 
to  fear  about  the  supply  of  food :  but  we  cannot  re- 
fuse to  take  care  of  people  who  thus  throw  themselves 
upon  us;  and  we  trust  that  He,  who  has  given  us  the 
charge  of  them,  will  give  us  the  means." 

The  reader  has  now  before  him  the  history  of  what 
may  be  called  the  Ajawa  wars,  in  which  Bishop  Mac- 
kenzie and  his  party  were  engaged.  His  conduct  has 
been    severely    criticized,  as  himself  anticipated ;   and 


SETTLEMENT  AT  MAGOMERO.  ^^i^l 

of  course,  if  we  adopt  the  principle  that  under  no  con- 
ceivable circumstances  can  a  minister  of  the  Gospel  be 
justified  in  taking  up  arms,  his  conduct  must  be  con- 
demned. But  I  think  it  is  very  difficult  to  establish 
any  such  general  principle  ;  and  unless  it  be  established 
beyond  the  possibility  of  a  doubt,  it  is  an  ungracious 
thing  for  us  in  England  to  sit  in  judgment  upon  the 
conduct  of  men  placed  in  such  peculiar  circumstances 
as  were  the  missionaries  of  Magomero.  Certainly  it  is 
a  point  to  which  great  importance  should  be  assigned, 
that  these  good  and  holy  men,  having  weighed  upon  the 
spot  all  the  responsibility  of  the  course  to  which  they 
were  committing  themselves,  should  have  adopted  the 
course  unanimously.  It  is  irrelevant  to  say  that  the 
measures  adopted  did  not  eventually  succeed  ;  success 
was  in  God's  hands  ;  and  I  have  said  before  that  there 
was  an  element  in  the  case,  of  which  the  missionaries 
took  no  account,  and  which  tended  to  make  their  policy 
a  failure;  I  refer  to  the  fact,  that  the  Ajawa  tribes  were 
spreading  over  the  country  as  a  more  powerful  race, 
and  that  they  were  not  merely  mischievous  neighbours 
who  could  be  kept  within  their  o^vn  bounds  by  a  little 
boldness.  It  is  clear  that  Bishop  Mackenzie's  conduct 
can  be  condemned,  only  upon  the  general  principle  of 
the  impropriety  of  war  on  the  part  of  the  missionaries 
under  all  circumstances  ;  and  supposing  this  principle 
not  conceded,  it  may  well  be  asked  whether  the  concep- 
tion of  the  missionary  settlement  as  the  head-quarters 
of  a  tribe  of  emancipated  persons  was  not  a  very  noble 
one,  and  whether  the  existence  of  such  a  settlement 
might  not  be  the  most  effective  means  of  preaching  the 


35^         MEMOIR   OF  BISHOP  MACKENZIE. 

kingdom  of  heaven.  It  would  be  very  difficult,  as 
missionaries  always  find  it  to  be,  to  reach  the  intellect 
of  the  poor  savages  ;  it  would  be  very  difficult  even 
with  all  the  facilities  afforded  by  a  thorough  knowledge 
of  their  language,  the  vehicle  of  their  thoughts ;  it  would 
be  infinitely  more  difficult  for  preachers,  whose  powers  of 
oral  communication  were  so  small  as  those  of  Bishop 
Mackenzie  and  his  party  must  have  long  continued  to 
be  ;  but  suppose  that  the  natives  found  amongst  them 
a  settlement  of  men  emancipated  by  the  missionaries, 
and  knew  that  in  this  settlement  truth  was  cultivated 
and  brutality  of  all  kinds  discouraged,  that  in  this  settle- 
ment there  was  constant  worship  of  God,  and  that  the 
white  men  would  not  allow  the  black  population  under 
their  government  to  be  molested  and  alarmed,  would 
not  this  be  a  practical  preaching  of  the  kingdom  of  God 
and  of  Christ,  which  the  native  mind  could  understand, 
and  which  would  attract  and  move  towards  itself  the 
native  heart  ?  This  seems  to  have  been  Bishop  Mac- 
kenzie's conception  :  who  will  say  that  it  was  not  a 
noble  one  ? 

I  have  said  more  than  once,  that  if  the  missionaries 
had  realized  in  the  first  instance  the  true  relations  of 
the  Ajawa  to  the  Mang-anja,  they  might  possibly  have 
come  to  a  different  conclusion  with  regard  to  the  course 
to  be  pursued,  when  they  were  requested  to  defend  one 
against  the  other.  This  statement  seems  to  be  justified 
by  such  a  passage  as  the  following,  which  I  extract 
from  a  letter  written  to  the  Bishop  of  Cape  Town  in 
May,  1862,  The  letter  was  written  in  explanation  of 
the  reasons   which  induced  the   mission  party  subse- 


SETTLEMENT  AT  MAGOMERO.  359 

([uently  to  leave  Magomero,  and  settle  themselves  at 
Chibisa's  ;  besides  elucidating  the  point  for  which  it  is 
adduced,  it  will  also  confirm  the  statements  made  in 
this  volume  as  to  the  unhealthy  character  of  Magomero. 
"  We  had  intended,"  writes  Mr  Procter,  "  to  leave 
Magomero,  and  seek  a  new  site  somewhat  nearer  the 
Shire,  among  the  hills,  ever  since  our  sad  experience 
of  the  last  rainy  season,  in  which  so  many  of  our  people 
died,  and  we  suffered  ourselves  so  much  from  sickness. 
The  place  lying  low",  and  surrounded  with  thick  vegeta- 
tion, had  been  j^ronounced  decidedly  unfit  for  our  fur- 
ther habitation  by  Dickinson;  and  as  soon  as  the 
Pioneer  arrived  with  a  fresh  supply  of  cloth,  to  enable 
us  to  pay  bearers,  we  had  decided  to  make  a  removal. 
In  the  meantime,  however,  we  heard  that  the  Ajawa 
were  again  busy  ravaging  the  country,  in  various  par- 
ties, to  the  North-West  of  us;  and  applications  for  help 
against  them  kept  coming  in  from  several  Mang-anja 
chiefs,  who  declared  themselves  to  be  sufferers  from 
their  incursions.  I  have  not  time  to  go  into  the  many 
reasons  for  our  constant  refusals  to  li.sten  to  these 
requests ;  but  chiefl.y  because  we  saw  from  our  expe- 
rience of  last  year,  that  we  had  made  a  mistake  in 
becominfj  the  warriors  instead  of  the  teachers  of  the 
Mang-anja,  who,  weak  and  cowardly,  were  learning  to 
value  us  only  because  we  could  defend  them,  and 
because  we  were  making  enemies  of  a  powerful  tribe, 
or  rather  nation,  who  clearly  must  in  time  become  mas- 
ters of  all  the  JS^orth-West  corner  of  the  Mang-anja 
territory  between  Mount  Zomba  and  the  Shire.  At  last 
we  determined  to  go  and  fight  for  the  Mang-anja  no 


360         MEMOIR  OF  BISHOP  MACKENZIE. 

more."  This  shews  the  views  of  the  missionaries  founded 
upon  their  experience  ;  at  the  same  time  it  is  right  to 
add,  that  some  persons  well  acquainted  with  the  country 
have  held,  and  still  hold,  that  if  Bishop  Mackenzie's 
policy  had  been  consistently  carried  out,  the  terrible 
devastation  of  the  country,  which  afterwards  took  place, 
might  very  possibly  have  been  prevented.  This  is  a 
point,  however,  upon  which  it  is  unnecessary,  perhaps 
it  would  be  presumptuous,  to  express  an  opinion. 

There  is  one  other  point  which  I  would  ask  the  reader 
to  bear  in  mind,  in  order  that  he  may  estimate  fairly 
the  conduct  of  the  missionaries  with  regard  to  these  Ajawa 
troubles.  He  must  bear  in  mind,  that  although  in  the 
history  they  seem  to  occupy  so  large  a  space,  yet  in 
reality  they  occupied  a  very  small  portion  of  the  time 
spent  by  Bishop  Mackenzie  at  Magomero.  One  or  two 
stirring  days  of  warlike  expedition  make  a  great  figure 
in  a  narrative,  whereas  ten  times  the  number  of  days 
spent  in  the  works  of  peace  make  little  show.  The 
reader  therefore  must  not  give  too  much  weight  to  the 
Ajawa  wars,  as  though  the  missionaries  were  always 
fighting,  but  rather  regard  the  missionaries  as  given 
up  to  the  peaceful  and  holy  labours  of  Magomero, 
with  the  exception  of  some  few  days,  in  which, 
under  an  imperious  and  painful  sense  of  duty,  they 
assisted  their  Mang-anja  friends  against  their  Ajawa 
oppressors. 

I  have  said  that  the  conception  of  the  kingdom  of 
God,  come  among  the  poor  natives  of  central  Africa,  in 
the  form  of  a  colony  of  emancipated  blacks  under  the 
government  of  a  white  Christian  Bishop  and  his  clergy. 


SETTLEMENT  AT  MJG03I^R0.  361 

was  a  very  noble  one ;  the  drawback  was  the  difficulty 
which  the  Bishop  felt,  but  which  his  strong  faith  in  God 
enabled  him  to  tolerate,  of  finding  food  for  the  people. 
Moreover,  even  if  food  should  be  forthcoming,  the  police 
regulations  (if  I  may  so  call  them)  necessary  to  make 
the  condition  of  Magomero  healthful,  would  be  difficult 
of  execution. 

This  difficulty  of  knowing  how  to  deal  with  their 
friends  was  (as  I  apprehend)  quite  as  formidable  as  that 
of  dealing  with  their  enemies  :  in  fact,  the  colony  grew 
too  rapidly,  and  it  seems  inconceivable  that  a  popu- 
lation such  as  that  of  the  blacks  at  Magomero  could 
be  supported  permanently,  and  that  Magomero  with 
such  a  population  could  be  a  suitable  residence  for 
white  men. 

This  is  a  question,  however,  which  need  not  be  fur- 
ther discussed  now ;  my  purpose  in  the  remarks  which 
I  have  made  is  rather  to  restrain  the  reader  from  hasty 
condemnation  of  Bishop  Mackenzie,  and  to  suggest  that 
the  policy  adopted  by  him  was  not  wrong  and  bad  in 
itself,  might  have  been  necessary,  and  may  even  now 
be  blessed  by  God  to  the  benefit  of  the  oppressed 
Africans.  If  any  corroboration  of  this  view  be  required, 
it  will  be  found  in  the  following  testimony  from  Dr 
Livingstone.  The  letter  which  I  here  produce,  and 
which  has  been  published  before,  was  addressed  to  the 
late  Sir  Culling  Eardley.  It  was  written,  as  will  be 
seen,  long  after  the  Ajawa  troubles,  and  when  the 
country  had  been  reduced  to  famine  and  misery  by 
those  internal  wars,  which  Bishop  Mackenzie  endea- 
voured to  bring  to  an  end.     With  this  testimony  from 


3^^         MEMOIR   OF  BISHOP  MACKENZIE. 

one  so  competent  to  form  a  judgment,  I  shall  leave  the 
case  in  the  reader's  hands. 

River  Shiee,  Jan.  23,  1863. 

I  have  just  been  visiting  Bishop  Mackenzie's  grave.  At 
first  I  tlioiiglit  him  wrong  in  fighting,  but  don't  think  so 
now.  He  defended  liis  140  orphan  children  when  there  was 
no  human  arm  besides  to  invoke.  To  fight  even  in  self- 
defense  must  always  be  but  a  sad  necessity ;  but  to  sit  still, 
and  let  bloodthirsty  slave-hunters  tear  away  those  orphans 
who  cleave  to  us  for  protection,  must  be  sufiei'ing  martyr- 
dom for  our  own  folly.  In  coming  up  the  Shire  we  have 
met  fifteen  dead  bodies  fioating  down.  The  whole  country 
on  the  east  of  the  river  is  devastated  by  a  half-caste  Portu- 
guese, called  Marianno,  with  about  1000  armed  slaves. 
You  would  not  credit  the  enormities  of  which  this  fellow 
has  been  guilty;  the  poor  people  have  fled  to  the  reedy 
banks  of  the  river,  and  having  left  all  their  grain  behind, 
famine  and  death  (of  which  we  are  every  now  and  then 
compelled  to  see  sickening  evidence)  have  followed  as  a  mat- 
ter of  course.  The  same  evils  have  been  produced  higher 
up  the  river  by  the  people  of  Tette,  of  whom  the  governor  is 
the  leader  ;  and  besides  those  carried  into  slavery,  an  untold 
number  perish  of  hunger.  The  Tette  people  put  arms  into 
the  hands  of  the  Ajawa,  to  be  wielded  against  a  tribe  named 
Mang-anja.  The  passions  of  one  body  of  blacks  are  em- 
ployed against  another.  Both  suffer  grievously.  We  have 
tried,  and  still  try,  to  stop  the  evil  at  its  origin  in  the  Por- 
tuguese slave-hunter.  The  gi'eatest  evil  of  all  is,  that  this 
legalized  system  of  slave-hunting  has  prevented  the  influences 
of  Her  Majesty's  squadron  being  felt  inland  through  mis- 
sionaries. On  the  west  coast  compai'ative  quiet  has  been 
produced  by  the  presence  of  men-of-war.  About  twenty 
missions  have  been  established ;  the  means  have  been 
brought  into  play  which  the  government  hoped  for,  while 


SETTLEMENT  AT  MAGOMERO.  363 

here  tlie  only  mission  that  has  been  tried  is  in  danger  of 
being  worried  out  by  slave-hnnting.  On  the  side  of  the  op- 
pressor there  is  power.  Let  us  hope  that  ye,  who  have 
power  with  the  Almighty,  will  let  your  prayers  prevail  on 
behalf  of  this  wretched  trodden-down  country. 

With  Christian  salutations,  I  am,  &C. 

David  Livixgstoxe. 

That  the  Bishop's  mind  was  not  wholly  absorbed 
in  warlike  matters  during  his  residence  at  Magomero, 
will  be  seen  from  the  following  letter  written  to  a  very 
dear  friend,  whose  name  has  already  appeared  several 
times  in  the  course  of  this  memoir, 

LETTER  XC. 

Magomero,  Nor.  3,   i86r. 

E.  Long.  35"  35',  S.  Lat.  15"  35'. 
Dear  Hopkins, 

I  have  been  writing  a  good  many  letters  through 
the  week  about  what  has  been  passing  here,  and  what  state 
we  are  in,  till  I  am  sick  of  it ;  and  this  is  Sunday — so  I 
shall  leave  you  to  get  your  information  about  the  mission 
from  other  sources,  and  return  to  the  old  days  when  we 
could  chat  in  that  inner  room  of  yours  at  Catharine  Hall. 
-;:-  -;:-  *  *  * 

On  the  whole  my  life  here  is  most  happy.  There  is 
everything  to  make  it  so,  and  you  know  I  am  not  much 
given  to  moping:  but  just  occasionally  for  an  hour  or  so 
I  get  low,  and  can  always  trace  it  to  my  own  fault,  letting 
this  lower  world  send  up  a  mist  to  obscure  the  bright  clear 
sunshine  of  God's  loving  presence,  in  which  we  might  always 
live.  It  was  in  such  a  mood,  a  little,  that  I  sat  down  to 
chat  with  you  just  now  :  but  it  has  gone.  I  was  thinking  of 
you  this  morning.  You  will  have  forgotten  a  walk  I  had 
with  you  on  the  Ely  road  before  my  degree,  when  I  said 


3^4         MEMOIR  OF  BISHOP  MACKENZIE. 

T  thought  sorrow  and  mourning  need  never  be  in  this  world : 
and  you  said  you  thought  there  was  good  cause  for  them.  I 
was  reading  Archer  Butler's  Sermon  on  the  daily  imitation 
of  Christ,  in  taking  up  our  cross  daily.  How  beautiful  his 
sermons  are  ! 

I  thought  I  had  such  a  deal  to  say;  but  I  am  afraid 
I  have  got  out  of  the  habit  of  thinking  lately :  though  by 
the  bye  it  is  a  severe  restriction  which  I  laid  on  myself,  not 
to  allude  to  anything  that  is  going  on  among  us  here.  I 
wish  we  could  meet,  (or  rather  how  nice  it  would  be,  for 
I  do  not  wish  it  really,)  and  have  a  chat  about  everything. 
When  I  come  back,  shall  I  find  you  in  Wisbeach  still  1  I 
think  I  shall,  and  I  hope  I  shall.  There  is  always  to  me  a 
great  charm  in  the  idea  of  an  aged  clergyman,  in  a  parish  in 
which  he  has  been  for  thirty  years,  half  of  his  people  having 
known  no  other  pastor,  and  loving  and  respecting  him  as  he 
deserves,  and  better.  To  be  sure  my  vision  of  such  an  old 
age  was  laid  in  a  country  parish,  not  too  large  to  be  worked 
with  something  like  satisfaction,  but  the  principle  would  be 
the  same.     Stop  :  I  shall  be  late  for  evening  prayers. 

Nov.  4.  We  are  looking  now  for  the  return  of  Dr 
Livingstone  from  Nyassa.  He  has  been  gone  more  than 
three  months  :  he  was  to  be  back  about  the  middle  of  this 
month.  So  he  may  turn  up  any  day.  Yoii  will  hear  by 
this  same  mail  the  news  of  this  exploration  of  his,  which 
we  have  not  yet  got.  It  will  be  interesting  to  you,  but 
doubly  so  to  us,  as  influencing  ou.r  movements  and  plans. 
I  know  now  where  I  should  like  to  plant  our  first  branch- 
mission,  supposing  his  discoveries  do  not  aflfect  the  qiiestion, 
namely,  at  Nampeka's :  but  it  is  quite  possible  that  what 
we  may  leai-n,  as  to  our  future  route  of  communication  with 
the  sea,  may  affect  the  planting  of  the  first  branch.  We  have 
plenty  of  room  here  for  setting  down  six  or  eight  missions : 
in  one  or  two  places  we  know  that  the  chief  would  welcome 
us  :  in  others,  I  have  no  doubt  he  would ;  but  we  have  avoided 
asking  too  definitely,  for  fear  of  raising  false  hopes.  I  shall 


SETTLEMENT  AT  MAGOMERO.  ^6^ 

be  able  ia  a  week  or  two,  I  hope,  to  mature  my  ideas  about 
the  future,  when  I  have  seen  Livingstone,  and  to  write 
accordingly  to  the  Committee. 

We  have  j  ust  got  up  the  last  part  of  our  baggage  from 
the  landing-place.  Charles,  one  of  our  Cape  men,  went 
away  last  Monday  morning  taking  some  twenty  men  from 
hence :  he  returned  this  morning,  having  these  and  about 
sixty-three  more,  each  >vith  a  load  of  from  forty  to  fifty 
pounds.  Each  is  to  be  paid  by  a  scarf  about  five  feet  by 
three,  worth  one  shilling  in  England.  So  you  see  we  get  our 
things  by  luggage-train.  This  was  rapid  work :  we  took  five 
days  to  come  up ;  and  they  have  gone  and  come  in  six  days. 

I  told  you  I  should  not  write  you  a  missionary  letter, 
and  neither  have  I.     So  good  bye. 

Youi's  afi'ectionately, 

C.  F.  M. 

It  will  be  seen,  that  at  the  period  of  writing  the 
preceding  letter,  Bishop  Mackenzie's  mind  was  full  of 
hope  with  regard  to  his  work.  The  position  of  the  mis- 
sion appeared  to  be  pretty  well  established  ;  his  policy, 
in  shewing  himself  the  active  enemy  of  the  slave  trade 
and  the  energetic  protector  of  those  who  trusted  them- 
selves to  his  guardianship,  appeared  crowned  with  suc- 
cess ;  and  he  looked  forward  to  a  system  of  missionary 
colonization,  which  should  bring  the  whole  neighbouring 
district  under  Christian  influences.  Meanwhile  the 
work  of  Magomero  went  quietly  on,  and  the  chief  draw- 
back was  the  growing  sense  of  the  unhealthiness  of  the 
place  ;  it  was  too  low,  too  much  surrounded  by  thick 
vegetation,  and  the  uncleanly  habits  of  the  native  popu- 
lation which  the  missionaries  had  gathered  round  them 
tended  to  make  the  habitation  pestilential.    I  may  state 


^66         MEMOIR  OF  BISHOP  MACKENZIE. 

by  way  of  confinnation,  though  the  circumstance  lies 
beyond  the  limit  of  Bishop  Mackenzie's  life,  that  about 
six  months  afterwards  the  missionaries  found  them- 
selves compelled  to  leave  Magomero,  and  to  seek  another 
settlement. 

Nothing  more,  I  think,  need  be  said  concerning  this 
portion  of  Bishop  Mackenzie's  life.  It  is  the  portion 
which  will  be  most  canvassed ;  by  some,  perhaps,  it  will 
be  condemned.  I  have  no  right  to  dictate  a  verdict  to 
the  kindly  hearted  Christian  reader,  and  I  have  already 
said  all  that  I  deem  necessary  in  the  way  of  defense. 
I  shall  conclude  this  chapter  with  some  very  energetic 
words  written  by  Mr  Waller,  for  which  I  would  bespeak 
the  attention  which  they  deserve.  "  I  do  so  hope  and 
trust,"  says  Mr  Waller,  "  that  the  news  of  our  doings 
with  the  Ajawas  may  get  the  shrewd  and  candid  in- 
vestigation they  require.  To  us  it  is  palpable  that  it 
was  perfectly  right  and  necessary :  whilst  the  end  has 
been  so  blessed  to  us,  in  the  love  and  respect  gained 
from  the  fatherless,  the  child,  and  the  widow, — ^the 
rescued  human  merchandise,  for  which  we  risked  so 
much.  The  means  were,  and  are,  in  our  estimation, 
quite  justifiable, — the  helping  those  who  had  no  friends, 
the  trusting  in  God's  strength  to  stay  the  most  ac- 
cursed state  of  things  I  ever  came  across.  Our  ene- 
mies have  found  the  nerve  gone  from  their  arm,  and  the 
blow  cannot  be  struck  at  those,  Avho  they  see  come  to 
do  good.  'You  came  and  helped  us,'  say  chiefs  from 
afar,  reinstated  in  their  villages,  'and  we  thank  you.'  'We 
want  to  come  and  to  live  with  you,'  say  the  Ajawas. 
Who  shall  say  we  did  wrong  ?      But  we  care  not :  some 


SETTLEMENT  AT  MAGOMERO.  Z^l 

must  cavil :  we  will  forgive  them.  Six  thousand  miles 
requires  a  long  and  clear  sight  to  scan  facts  and  cir- 
cumstances. Far  from  the  spot,  far  from  the  land  that 
fills  the  slave  ships,  theirs  may  well  be  a  cramped  and 
one-sided  view.  Do  not  let  us  be  run  over  roughshod. 
I  know  that  there  are  heads  and  hearts  in  plenty  to  do 
battle  for  us." 


CHAPTER  XII. 

LAST   DAYS   AND  DEATH. 

On  the  sixth  of  April,  1860,  the  second  detachment 
of  the  mission  party  sailed  from  Plymouth.  It  con- 
sisted of  the  Eev.  H.  De  Wint  Burrup  and  his  wife, 
Mr  John  Dickinson,  M.B.,  the  medical  officer  of  the 
mission,  John  Andrew  Blair,  a  printer,  and  Thomas 
Clarke,  a  tanner.  They  reached  Cape  Town  on  May  14, 
and  were  received  by  the  Bishop  and  Mrs  Gray  with 
their  accustomed  kindness.  The  Admiral  of  the  station, 
Sir  Baldwin  Walker,  offered  to  send  them  to  their 
destination  in  H.M.S.  Gorgon  and  Penguin,  in  the 
latter  of  which  Mr  Dickinson  proceeded  at  the  end  of 
May  ;  Mr  Burrup,  with  the  two  mechanics,  followed  in 
the  Gorgon  on  June  14 ;  and  Mrs  Burrup  remained 
at  the  Cape,  to  follow  with  Miss  Mackenzie,  when  the 
mission  arrangements  should  be  reported  as  suitable  for 
the  arrival  of  ladies. 

Mr  Burrup  fell  in  with  Mr  Dickinson  at  Johanna, 
on  August  3,  and  sailed  with  him  for  Mozambique, 
where  they  landed  on  August  9  ;  Blair  unfortunately 
was  compelled  to  return  to  the  Cape  for  the  recovery 
of  his  health.      At  Mozambique   they   were   detained 


LAST  DAYS  AND  DEATH.  369 

for  a  fortnight,  and  in  the  middle  of  September  ar- 
rived safely  at  Quilimane.  The  expedition  from  Quili- 
mane  to  Magomero  deserves  to  be  recorded  in  Mr 
Burrup's  own  words  ;  it  was  an  expedition  which  was 
most  successful,  inasmuch  as  the  party  arrived  safely 
at  their  journey's  end,  but  unfortunate  inasmuch  as 
it  tended  to  do  away  with  the  force  of  the  lessons 
of  caution,  which  Dr  Livingstone  and  those  who  had 
had  experience  of  African  climate  had  endeavoured 
to  impress  upon  the  missionaries.  "  My  cautions  to 
the  Bishoj),"  wrote  Dr  Livingstone  afterwards,  "were 
unfortunately  all  nullified  by  Mr  Burrup's  wonderful 
feat."     Here  is  his  own  account. 

We  started  from  Quilimane  on  the  12th  Oct.  Mr  Dick- 
inson had  just  been  ill  of  fever,  but  was  able  to  start.  I 
had  also  felt  an  attack,  but  had  taken  medicine  and  would 
not  lie  by,  and  so,  although  weak,  was  able  to  look  to  things. 
We  had  two  large  river-boats  and  six  canoes  :  one,  Major 
Tito  had  to  himself;  and  I,  Dickinson,  Clarke,  and  young 
Tito,  were  in  the  other.  I  should  tell  you  that  what  is 
called  the  Quilimane  river,  named  likewise  the  Mutu,  is  a 
large  branch  of  the  Zambesi,  the  bed  of  which  is  diy  to  the 
extent  of  about  twelve  miles  in  the  dry  season.  It  is  a  very 
fine  river  in  itself,  even  when  cut  oflf  from  the  Zambesi,  be- 
caixse  it  has  many  fine  streams  which  support  it.  We  started 
laj)  the  Mutu,  and  used  to  land,  sleep,  breakfast,  and  dine  at 
villages  or  huts.  In  one  or  two  instances  there  are  regular 
places  for  accommodation.  Instead  of  going  to  the  extreme 
point  of  the  Mutu,  we  turned  up  one  of  its  tributaries  called 
the  "Quar-quar."  We  landed  from  this  river  on  Friday,  the 
19th,'and  had  our  baggage  carried  twelve  miles  to  the  Zam- 
besi by  fifty-two  bearers.  This  was  our  first  African  walk 
across  country,  and  I  assure  you  it  was  piping  hot.     Thanks 

24 


370         MEMOIR  OF  BISHOP  MACKENZIE. 

to  our  kind  friend  Tito,  we  found  a  capital  house  ready  for 
us  close  to  the  left  bank  of  the  glorious  Zambesi.  It  cer- 
tainly had  many  inhabitants  in  the  shape  of  a  determined 
colony  of  cobras,  one  of  which  emerged  from  Dickinson's 
bedding  one  night  just  as  he  was  unfolding  it.  We  had  an 
offer  here  from  the  Governor  of  Quilimane  to  escort  us  up 
to  Livingstone,  as  he  was  going  with  his  Portuguese  and 
native  soldiers  after  a  man  who  does  not  choose  to  own 
the  Portuguese  authority.  This  we  gladly  accepted,  and 
made  an  appointment  to  meet  him  up  the  river ;  in  con- 
sequence, neither  Major  Tito  nor  his  son  went  with  us,  as 
the  latter  was  going  to  Tette,  on  the  Zambesi.  We  started 
on  Tuesday,  22nd  Oct.  We  also  lost  Major  Tito's  piivate 
slaves,  a  crew,  &c.,  by  this  change,  which  was  a  great  loss. 
We  had  two  canoes — one  a  large  one,  about  two  and  a  half 
feet  broad — two-thirds  covered  by  straw  to  secure  our  lug- 
gage, most  of  which  was  in  this  boat ;  the  rest  was  in  an- 
other small  canoe,  about  a  foot  and  a  half  broad.  In  one 
were  ten  natives,  whom  we  had  never  seen  before,  for  crew, 
and  in  the  small  one,  four  natives.  We  had  not  gone  far 
before  the  men  in  the  big  canoe  refused  to  go  any  further, 
as  it  was  sunset.  They  had  not  gone  three  mdes;  they 
were  close  to  home;  and  to-morrow  there  would  be  all  the 
trouble  of  getting  them  off  again.  I  insisted  on  their  not 
stopping.  They  got  out  of  the  boat.  I  gesticulated,  vo- 
ciferated, declaimed  in  broken  jargon  of  Portuguese,  <fec. 
At  last  I  got  them  in,  and  off  again.  They  were  continually, 
however,  turning  the  head  of  the  boat  round,  and  letting 
her  drift  back.  Fortunately,  as  the  sun  set  I  had  noticed 
the  course,  and  with  a  punt-pole  at  the  bow,  and  the  assist- 
ance of  Dickinson  and  Clarke  at  the  stern,  we  managed  to 
keep  the  boat  right.  I  so  far  conquered  them,  that,  with 
the  fear  of  crocodiles,  they  pulled  the  boat  up  to  their 
middles  in  water  for  an  hour  or  two  that  night.  Mean- 
while, we  had  missed  the  small  canoe ;  biit  at  length,  much 
to  our  delight,  we  rejoined  her,  and  I  allowed  my  unruly 


LAST  DAYS  AND  DEATH.  37 1 

crew  to  land  and  sleep,  about  niidniglit,  at  Mazaro,  at  Mr 
Vienna's,  which  we  took  by  storm.  The  first  trial  ovei', 
I  remained  master  of  the  position  to  the  end  of  the  jour- 
ney. We  were  four  days  in  the  Zambesi,  and  then  came 
to  its  confluence  with  the  Shire,  where  was  a  Portuguese 
fort,  and  at  which  the  Isle  of  Monoconga  was  the  rendezvous 
appointed  by  our  friend  the  Governor,  four  days  from  start- 
ing. We  met  him  with  eight  boats  full  of  men  coming 
down  the  river,  on  the  third  day.  He  said  he  was  going  to 
Quilimane.  I  said  I  was  going  up  the  Shire.  We  rather 
coolly  shook  hands,  and  went  our  diflerent  ways.  The  Com- 
mandant here  was  very  civil j  he  wanted  us  to  stay;  tried 
to  frighten  us  with  lions,  tigers,  <fec.,  up  the  Shire.  He  did 
us  one  good  turn.  He  threw  into  the  canoes,  just  as  we 
were  off,  two  strong  ropes,  which  did  us  a  good  turn  after- 
wards. We  slept  under  shelter  in  a  house  twice  out  of 
the  four  nights  on  the  Zambesi,  otherwise  in  the  open  air. 
Our  routine  was  to  rise  at  daybreak,  get  a  cup  of  coffee, 
and  be  I'eady  to  start  by  broad  daylight;  about  10  o'clock 
we  used  to  land  in  the  open  air,  make  fire  and  have  break- 
fast; about  12.30  or  1  o'clock  start  again,  and  go  on  until 
sunset.  We  slept,  as  you  may  suppose,  in  some  very  rough 
places,  but  during  the  whole  time  were  never  once  attacked 
by  man  or  beast. 

On  the  26th  we  entered  the  Shire;  it  is  a  fine  broad, 
deep,  and,  in  some  places,  rapid  river.  The  range  of  the 
Morambala  skirt  the  whole  left  bank  up  to  the  Elephant 
Marsh.  We  went  on  without  any  mishap  up  to  this  time, 
when  a  change  took  place.  You  must  know  that  our  first 
point  was  to  get  to  Livingstone,  who  was  at  anchor  in  the 
Pioneer,  at  a  place  called  Chibisa's ;  our  party  was  we  knew 
not  where.  Livingstone,  therefoi*e,  became  our  rendezvous; 
but  not  Tito,  nor  anybody  at  Quilimane,  nor  Poi-ti;guese 
on  the  river,  could  give  us  any  but  the  vaguest  idea  about 
the  locality.  Worse  still,  when  we  got  on  the  Shire, 
where  we  hoped,  as  we  got  further,  to  get  a  little  more 

24—2 


373         MEMOIR  OF  BISHOP  MACKENZIE. 

certain  information,  we  found  tliat  the  natives  all  knew 
too  well  tlie  great  "  Puff,  puff,"  wliich  had  so  startled  them 
when  first  it  went  up,  but  they  gave  the  most  inconsistent 
and  vague  accounts  of  the  distance  and  position.  The  con- 
sequence of  this  was,  that  our  crew  were  in  danger  of  being 
disaffected,  and  leaving  us  in  the  lurch.  They  had  already 
asked  for  the  full  payment  they  were  to  receive  at  the  end 
of  the  journey,  and  I  had  given  it  them,  and  had  engaged 
them  on  ;  but  there  was  no  knowing  when  they  might  take 
it  into  their  heads  to  say  their  engagement  was  at  an  end. 
Dickinson  and  Clarke  thought  that  if  we  could  only  com- 
municate some  certain  information  of  our  being  on  the  river, 
it  would  be  very  well.  I  therefore  started  ofi"  ahead  in  the 
small  and  light  canoe,  with  a  crew  of  four  black  men,  to  get, 
if  possible,  quickly  up  to  Livingstone,  tell  him  we  were  on 
the  river,  and  then  retiu-n.  This  was  Tuesday,  November 
5th.  We  went  on  capitally,  soon  lost  sight  of  the  big  canoe, 
but  at  night  we  stopped  at  a  large  village  to  get  rice.  The 
object  of  the  crew  evidently  was  to  delay  and  sleep  there. 
I  was  determined  not  to  do  so  if  possible,  and  pushed  off 
two  or  three  times,  but  could  not  get  them  all  into  the  boat 
at  once.  It  was  now  become  quite  dark,  and  I  was  afraid 
of  the  inhabitants  of  the  villages  sympathising  with  them  if 
I  went  too  far  ;  so  I  was  forced  to  yield ;  but  T  sulkily  made 
myself  a  bed  on  the  luggage  in  the  boat,  with  my  revolver 
at  hand. 

The  men  made  a  fire  close  by  the  boat,  and  were  visited 
repeatedly  during  the  night  by  villagers  :  one,  a  kind  of 
jester  or  singer  of  the  village,  remained  the  whole  night, 
singing  to  the  accompaniment  of  a  very  extraordinary  in- 
strument, which  he  played  with  his  mouth  and  hands,  being 
some  rude  combination  between  a  fiddle  and  bagpipes.  My 
attempts  to  get  him  to  leave  off  were  of  no  use.  This  is  the 
only  incident  of  this  part  of  the  journey  (not  a  good  begin- 
ning), and  I  soon  got  them  to  shake  down  into  implicit  obe- 
dience.    They  often  tried  to  entice  me  to  stay  at  a  village 


LAST  DAYS  AND  DEATH.  373 

when  tliey  heard  '  Tom-toms '  and  drums  sounding — signs  of 
a  night  dance,  and  where  they  knew  they  would  get  '  Pombi,' 
the  native  beer;  but  they  never  again  succeeded,  and  we 
reached  the  ship  safely  on  Wednesday,  November  13th. 

The  last  day  was  very  wet ;  it  rained  the  whole  day  ;  and 
was  the  first  day  of  the  rains,  which  we  had  feared,  as  swell- 
ing and  making  the  river  too  rapid  for  the  large  canoe  to 
stem  it,  besides  being  an  additional  risk  of  disafiecting  its 
crew.  I  can  tell  you,  when  we  hailed  the  Pioneer,  and  saw 
English  faces  looking  over  the  side  at  iis,  wondering  who 
we  were,  and  then  among  those  on  deck  recognised  the 
hard- worn  face  of  Livingstone,  I  felt  a  considerable  thrill  of 
pleasure  and  satisfaction  pass  through  me.  They  were  very 
kind  and  hospitable.  In  my  hurry  to  get  away  I  had  for- 
gotten to  put  Dr  Livingstone's  letter-bag  into  my  canoe  j 
this  certainly  disappointed  them  much.  I  slept  on  board, 
in  the  next  berth  to  Livingstone.  On  Thursday  morning, 
to  my  very  great  satisfaction,  who  should  appear  but  Bishop 
Mackenzie  himself,  from  Magomero,  our  home.  He  greeted 
me  most  warmly;  was,  of  course,  most  surprised,  as  he  had 
never  expected  us.  He  had  come  to  see  Livingstone,  before 
he  left  Chibisa's  to  go  down  the  river  to  meet  a  vessel  at  the 
mouth  on  the  1st  of  January.  As  Livingstone  was  going 
down  the  river,  I  was  released  from  the  obligation  of  going 
back  myself,  and  so  I  remained.  On  Friday  morning  the 
Pioneer  weighed  anchor,  and  was  soon  out  of  sight  going 
down  the  river.  Directly  afterwards  the  Bishop  and  I  started 
with  a  train  of  bearers  overland  for  Magomei-o  ;  it  is  a  hilly 
rough  road  the  first  part  of  the  journey,  and  the  hills  were 
covered  with  mist.  We  slept  at  a  village,  having  walked 
about  twenty  miles.  We  ought  to  have  reached  Magomero 
in  about  thi'ee  days  or  less ;  but  I  was  not  quite  up  to  walk- 
ing, in  consequence  of  not  having  walked  much  lately,  and 
also  as  the  river,  cold  at  night,  &e.,  had  chilled  my  stomach. 
We  therefore  delayed  on  my  account  a  good  deal,  and  did 
not  reach  Magomero  until  November  19th. 


374         MEMOIR  OF  BISHOP  MACKENZIE. 

Having  welcomed  Mr  Burrup  at  Magomero,  after 
this  truly  wonderful  expedition,  we  must  now  pass  to 
events  which  led  directly  or  indirectly  to  the  pre- 
mature termination  of  Bishop  Mackenzie's  labours. 
It  will  be  remembered  that  Miss  Mackenzie  remained 
at  the  Cape,  intending  to  follow  her  brother  as  soon  as 
news  should  be  received  that  the  settlement  was  suit- 
able for  the  accommodation  of  ladies.  Mrs  Burrup 
also  was  left  by  her  husband  at  the  Cape,  to  follow  on 
the  same  conditions.  The  Bishop  had  written  to  say 
that  the  ladies  might  come,  and  it  was  arranged  that 
Dr  Livingstone  should  meet  them  at  the  mouth  of  the 
Zambesi,  in  the  Pioneer,  and  bring  them  up  to  Chibisa's. 
The  Pioneer  left  her  moorings  at  Chibisa's  on  Nov.  15. 

It  could  not  but  be  doubtful  whether  the  arrange- 
ments would  all  fit  in  with  each  other, — whether  the 
ladies  would  have  received  the  Bishop's  letters,  and 
whether  they  would  have  been  able  to  obtain  a  passage 
from  the  Cape  to  Kongone.  However,  so  far  as  this  was 
concerned,  all  was  well.  Mrs  Burrup  and  Miss  Mackenzie, 
together  with  the  Rev.  E.  Hawkins,  and  Mrs  Living- 
stone, took  their  passage  in  December,  by  a  small  vessel 
called  the  Hetty  Ellen:  it  was  a  very  rough  and  un- 
comfortable passage,  but  on  January  8  they  reached 
Kongone,  where  they  threw  up  rockets  and  made 
signals,  hoping  that  the  Pioneer  would  shew  herself. 
There  was  no  sign  of  life,  and  the  vessel  again  put 
out  to  sea,  intending  to  make  for  Mozambique.  The 
weather  became  very  bad,  and  the  voyage  miserable ; 
they  reached  Mozambique  however  on  January  21, 
where  they  happily  fell  in  with  H.M.S.  Gorgon.     Cap- 


LAST  DAYS  AND  DEATH.  S75 

tain  Wilson,  of  the  Gorgon,  kindly  took  Miss  Mackenzie 
and  Mrs  Burrup  on  board,  and  taking  the  Hetty  Ellen 
in  tow,  they  sailed  on  the  afternoon  of  January  22, 
in  greater  comfort  and  with  better  prospects  than  they 
had  had  hitherto.  On  the  27th  the  ship  anchored  about 
three  miles  from  the  bar  of  Quilimane,  where  at  present 
I  must  leave  the  party,  in  order  to  relate  the  doings  of 
Bishop  Mackenzie. 

It  has  been  already  stated,  that  the  Pioneer  left 
her  moorings  at  Chibisa's  on  Nov.  15;  the  arrangement 
was,  that  Dr  Livingstone  should  bring  up  the  ladies, 
who  it  was  thought  might  arrive  at  Kongone  in  the 
beginning  of  January,  and  that  the  Bishop  and  Mr 
Burrup  should  meet  them  at  the  confluence  of  the 
Shire  and  the  Ruo.  The  map  will  at  once  shew  the 
reader,  that  there  ought  to  be  some  more  direct  road 
from  Magomero  to  this  point  of  confluence  than  by 
way  of  Chibisa's  and  the  river.  Accordingly,  on  De- 
cember 2,  Mr  Procter  and  Mr  Scudamore  started  to 
explore  a  road.  What  happened  to  them  can  be  best 
described  by  the  following  letter  from  the  Bishop. 

LETTER  XCI. 

Magomero,  Dec.  7,  1861. 
Dear  Strong, 

This  is  a  day  we  shall  not  easily  forget;  and,  as 
our  friends  at  home  cannot  fail  to  be  interested  in  the  events 
of  the  last  week,  I  shall  write  to-night  while  some  of  them 
are  fresh  in  my  mind,  and  enclose  a  fuller  account  of  those 
which  did  not  pass  under  my  own  eye. 

When  Livingstone  left  his  anchorage  on  November  15, 
he  arranged  with  me  that  I  should  be  ready  to  meet  him  on 
January  1  at  the  mouth  of  the  RuOj  about  half-way  between 


S7^         MEMOIR  OF  BISHOP  MACKENZIE. 

the  ancliorage  and  the  confluence  of  the  Shire  and  Zambesi. 
He  would  there  hand  me  over  the  party.  We  expect  to 
meet  him  at  the  bar,  and  we  should  proceed  to  this  place  by 
land.  Of  course  it  was  necessary  to  ascertain  that  there  was 
a  practicable  road  this  way ;  and  I  proposed  to  explore  the 
way  first,  and  then  start  from  this  with  a  sufficient  party  in 
time  to  keep  the  appointment.  He  said  he  thought  it  would 
be  better  to  make  one  trip  of  it,  starting  in  sufficient  time 
to  allow  for  unforeseen  delays;  and  he  also  advised  me  to 
try  a  line  more  to  the  west  than  that  which  I  had  thought 
of. 

On  returning  home,  I  considered  the  whole  matter,  and, 
after  consulting  the  others,  I  determined  to  abide  by  my 
own  opinion,  have  an  exploring  party  first,  and  try  the  line 
of  country  stretching  from  this  to  the  southern  end  of 
Shirwa,  and  thence  to  the  Euo  mouth — probably  down  the 
valley  of  that  stream  itself.  My  reason  for  preferring  this 
line  was,  that  it  would  set  at  rest  the  question  of  having  a 
main  line  of  communication  from  north  to  south  on  Shirwa. 

I  intended  to  have  gone  on  the  exploring  party  myself, 

but  there  were  one  or  two  things  to  be  done  at  home  which 

I  could  not  well  commit  to  any  one  else,  and  I  had  gone  on 

almost  every  trip ;  so  I  arranged  with  Procter  and  Scuda- 

more,    to  their  complete  satisfaction,   that  they  should  go 

with  Charles  to  find  the  road,  and  retui-n  before  Christmas, 

or,  failing  that,  "  let  me  hear  from  them."     We  only  waited 

for  the  arrival  of  the  mail  with  Dickinson  and  Clarke.    They 

got  here  all  right  on  Friday,  November  29;  and  last  Monday 

(December  2)  Procter  and  Scudamore  set  off,  having  some 

hastily-wi-itten  letters  to  be  given  to  Livingstone  in  the  event 

of  their  seeing  him. 

***** 

This  afternoon  I  was  sitting  out,  trying  to  improve  in 
knowledge  of  the  language  by  talking  to  one  of  the  natives, 
and  was  in  the  act  of  endeavouring  to  get  the  word  for 
"  hope,"  by  saying  that  I  thought  Procter  and  Scudamore 


LAST  DAYS  AND  DEATH.  377 

would  soon  be  back,  aud  that  I  should  be  glad  when  they 
came  home  safe,  when  I  saw  a  strange  figure  coming  in  at 
the  gate;  it  was  some  time  before  I  recognised  that  it  was 
Charles — haggard,  in  rags,  foot- sore,  and  looking  wretched 
to  the  last  degree.  He  was  soon  sm-ronnded,  and  said 
faintly,  "  I  am  the  only  one  that  has  escaped — I  and  one  of 
the  bearers.  The  Mang-anja  attacked  ns."  Finding  he  had 
had  nothing  to  eat  for  eight-and-forty  hours,  some  soup  was 
made  ready  for  him  at  once.     He  then  told  ns  his  story. 

They  had  got  on  well  for  three  days ;  on  the  third  the 
chief  whom  they  passed  at  midday  went  with  them  to  their 
resting-place,  Manga.  On  Thursday  they  started  with  two 
additional  guides,  intending  to  sleep  at  Tombondira's,  whom 
Chigunda  had  named  as  a  great  chief  of  those  parts.  At  a 
fork  of  the  path  their  old  guide  pointed  to  the  right,  which 
was  the  direction  they  would  have  preferred  from  the  com- 
pass ;  but  the  two  guides  maintained  that  the  left-hand  path 
was  the  better  one,  and  their  local  knowledge  gave  weight 
to  their  counsel,  which  was  accordingly  followed.  By  mid- 
day they  reached  a  large  village,  strongly  defended,  as  some 
villages  in  this  country  are,  with  hedges  and  thorns.  On 
entering  they  were  almost  at  once  asked  if  they  wanted  to 
buy  slaves — a  pretty  clear  indication  of  the  kind  of  white 
people  they  were  accustomed  to  see.  Of  course  they  said 
they  did  not  come  to  buy  slaves,  that  the  English  set  their 
faces  against  such  trade,  and  that  they  were  English.  "  Well, 
then,  what  will  you  buy]"  Answer — "We  are  only  pass- 
ing through  to  look  at  the  path,  and  are  anxious  to  lose  no 
time  that  we  may  meet  our  friends  at  the  mouth  of  this  river 
(the  Ruo).  Where  is  the  chief?"  "He  is  coming;  you 
must  wait  for  him."  "  Yery  well ;  only  we  want  to  get  on  to 
Tombondira's  to-night."  After  a  delay  of  an  hour  or  two,  no 
chief  appearing,  they  determined  to  go  on;  so  they  packed 
up,  and  set  ofi".  They  were  followed  out  of  the  village  by  a 
number'  of  men  with  bows  and  arrows,  who  became  loud 
in  their  calls  and  threats  if  they  did  not  return.    When  they 


3/8  MEMOIR  OF  BISHOP  MACKENZIE. 

liad  got  about  two  miles  from  the  village,  tlie  violence  and 
ill-feeling  was  such  that  they  stopped  to  consider  whether 
they  were  not  needlessly  making  enemies  of  these  people, 
and  whether  it  might  not  be  best  to  see  the  chief,  instead  of 
breaking  the  etiquette  of  the  country  by  running  through  his 
village.  They  asked  if  the  chief  were  returned,  and,  being 
assured  he  was  in  the  village,  agreed  to  retui"n  and  cook 
food,  and  then  to  set  off,  as  they  were  really  in  haste. 

When  they  got  back  they  found  the  chief,  who  treated 
them  civilly,  giving  them  beer  and  wishing  to  trade.  Tliey 
bought  what  they  wanted,  which  seemed,  however,  very 
small  to  the  people,  who  unfortunately  saw  their  cash  for 
three  weeks'  absence  (consisting  of  about  140  yards  of  calico), 
and  evidently  thought  themselves  ill-treated  in  not  getting 
a  good  share  of  it.  Stragglers  were  dropping  into  the  village, 
and  things  were  not  looking  quite  pleasant.  Their  host  was 
not  surprised  at  several  European  articles  they  produced, 
saying  he  had  been  at  Quilimane  and  Senna.  Still  he  was 
civil,  and  pressed  them  to  remain  all  night.  They  went 
down  to  bathe,  and  on  their  return  Charles  told  them  that 
their  bearers  had  overheard  plans  for  burning  their  hut  in 
the  night,  killing  them,  and  taking  their  goods.  This  deter- 
mined them  to  be  off.  They  called  the  chief,  and  while  they 
occupied  him  by  giving  him  a  fine  bright-coloured  scarf, 
Charles  was  instructed  to  get  the  beavers  into  motion,  and 
Procter  and  Scudamore  would  follow  them  out  of  the  gate. 
The  chief  seemed  taken  by  svxrprise,  on  hearing  they  were 
going  to  start  at  once,  but  the  scarf  occupied  his  attention 
in  some  degree.  The  men  in  the  open  space  of  the  village, 
on  seeing  the  movement,  cried  out,  Atawa!  ("they  are 
running  away"),  and  some  of  them  tried  to  block  up  the 
gate ;  but  Charles  dashed  forward,  and  made  them  fall  back, 
and  the  flight  became  general.  Charles  escaped  into  the 
bush;  he  heard  two  shots  fired,  which  must  have  been  by 
our  friends, — our  dear  brothers,  as  we  felt  more  than  ever 
they  were ;  but  what  had  become  of  them  he  did  not  know. 


LAST  DAYS  AND  DEATH.  379 

He  had  been  almost  caught  once  or  twice,  had  heard  the  pur- 
suers say,  "  Here  he  is  !  here  he  is ! "  but,  thank  God,  he  had 
been  hid  in  the  darkness.  They  had  left  the  village  just  at 
sunset,  and  night  had  set  in  very  soon.  He  avoided  all 
paths,  but  was  stopped  by  a  large  river,  which  they  had 
crossed  that  morning  at  a  village ;  so  that  he  was  forced  to 
seek  a  new  place  for  crossing.  He  sat  down  on  the  bank 
till  morning.  He  was  then  obliged  to  ask  where  he  could 
cross,  and  with  difficulty  persuaded  the  people  to  guide  him. 
That  day  he  avoided  tillages  still,  and  got  here  on  the  fol- 
lowing day,  as  I  have  described,  hungry  and  weary. 

You  may  perhaps  imagine  our  state  of  mind.  We 
anxiously  made  inquiry,  from  which  to  form  conjectures 
where  our  two  friends  might  be ;  but  first  we  gave  Charles 
some  soup,  and  then  we  joined  together  in  our  temporary 
church  in  prayer  for  them,  whether  in  suffering  or  fear,  or 
wherever  they  might  be,  that  God  would  be  their  support 
and  strength ;  and  for  ourselves,  that  we  might  have  wisdom 
to  act  with  thought  and  charity  towards  the  persecutors,  and 
yet  for  the  safety  of  oiu'  brethren.  Then  we  consulted  what 
was  to  be  done.  Rowley  was  on  his  bed,  unable  to  move 
from  the  place ;  some  of  the  rest  were  a  little  out  of  sorts ; 
but,  besides,  we  had  sufficient  accounts  of  Ajawa  fighting  on 
our  west,  within  twenty  miles,  to  make  us  feel  the  necessity 
of  leaving  an  adequate  strength  here,  while  we  went  towards 
the  south-east.  On  the  other  hand,  to  go  to  a  strong  village, 
in  the  centre  perhaps  of  a  populous  district,  only  four  or 
five  of  us,  seemed  likely  to  increase  the  mischief;  yet 
we  could  not  depend  on  the  Mang-anja  going  with  us  in  a 
case  in  which  they  were  not  concerned,  still  less  on  their 
standing  by  us  in  case  of  need.  Our  only  course  was  to  get 
the  help  of  the  Makololo,  who  would  not  be  disposed  to  take 
the  part  of  any  of  the  natives  against  us,  and  would  be 
glad  to  go  w^ith  us  anywhere  if  there  was  any  chance  of 
plunder.  They  were  most  of  them  at  the  anchorage  of  the 
Pioneer  (Chibisa's),  and  Job  must  be  sent  for  them.     This 


380  MEMOIR   OF  BISHOP  MACKENZIE. 

settled,  the  sorrow,  and  tlie  tiyiug  to  be  simply  trusting  in 
our  Father,  returned  as  before.  We  thought  how  sad  it  was 
to  have  to  wait  some  days  before  setting  off  to  look  for  them. 
I  could  not  drive  from  my  imagination  the  picture  of  what 
I  saw  in  August — a  man  in  the  act  of  being  stabbed  to 
death.  Just  then  one  of  our  women  came  running  to  say, 
that  the  English  were  returning :  and  so  indeed  they  were. 
They  looked  in  better  heart  than  Charles,  for  whom  they 
asked  immediately,  not  knowing  whether  he  was  safe. 
They,  too,  were  hungry,  having  lived  on  a  single  fowl  each 
for  eight-and-forty  hours,  in  which  time  they  had  walked 
about  eighty-five  miles.  They  were  supplied  with  soup,  and 
then  we  again  assembled  with  very  different  feelings  in 
oiu-  place  of  worship,  to  thank  Him  who  had  been  guiding 
them  while  we  in  our  anxiety  were  praying  for  them,  and  to 
pray  that  we  might  be  bound  together  now  in  still  closer 
bonds  in  carrying  out  our  great  common  end. 

By  degrees  we  heard  their  account.  They  had  passed 
through  the  gate  close  after  Charles.  Some  of  the  bearers 
had  their  loads  taken  from  them,  others  threw  theirs  down. 
They  were  followed,  and  crowded  on  each  side,  by  a  mass  of 
men  armed  with  bows  and  poisoned  arrows.  They  shouted 
for  Charles,  but  got  no  answer.  Two  or  three  of  the  natives 
got  hold  of  Procter's  gun  and  tried  to  wrest  it  from  him ; 
afterwards  they  got  him  down,  and  he  had  to  defend  himself 
with  his  heels  as  he  lay  on  his  back.  Scudamore,  who  was 
a  few  steps  in  advance,  came  to  the  rescue,  and  fired  on  the 
man  who  was  most  busy.  On  this  they  ran  away.  At  one 
time  an  arrow  was  discharged  at  Procter,  which  must  have 
passed  through  his  thigh,  and,  laming  him,  most  probably 
have  cost  them  both  their  lives,  had  it  not  viost  providentially 
been  received  by  the  stock  of  his  gun.  He  broke  it  off  after- 
wards, but  the  point  is  still  deeply  bedded  in  the  wood. 
Procter  also  fired  both  barrels;  and  this  and  Scudamore's 
shot  having  cleared  a  space  behind  and  round  them,  they 
struck  off  into  the  trackless  bush  on  the  left  of  the  path.    In 


LAST  DAYS  AND  DEATH.  381 

a  minute  or  two  tliey  stopped,  deliberated,  and  prayed  for 
guidance,  and  then  set  off  homewards. 

It  was  slow  work,  treading  over  the  burnt  grass,  the 
stalks  of  which  stood  np  crisp  and  black,  about  a  foot  high ; 
but  it  was  better  than  long  grass  higher  than  their  heads,  or 
thick  underwood,  while  the  darknes  ssufficiently  concealed 
them  :  thus  "  all  things  worked  together  for  good  for  them." 
About  twenty  miles  they  went  that  night,  guided  by  a  fire 
on  the  Milanje  mountains  on  their  right.  But  for  this  fire 
they  must  in  all  probability  have  wandered,  and  perhaps  fallen 
back  into  the  village  they  had  left.  Their  next  difficulty 
was  the  river.  Three  times  Scudamore  (who  is  a  good  swim- 
mer) stripped  to  find  a  crossing :  twice  he  was  carried  down 
by  the  stream,  and  obliged  to  land  on  the  same  side.  At 
the  third  place  he  got  across,  and  then  they  carried  their 
clothes  above  their  heads  to  keep  them  dry.  For  half  an 
hour  about  sunrise  they  rested,  half-dozing,  on  the  top  of  an 
ant-hill,  concealed  by  the  bushes  which  grew  upon  it,  and 
discussed  the  plan  of  hiding  there  till  night.  It  was  well, 
however,  that  they  went  on.  That  day,  Friday,  they  got 
over  forty  miles,  finding  it  safe  now  to  keep  the  path,  but 
avoiding  a  village  here  and  there.  They  asked  a  man  who 
was  hoeing  in  his  garden  to  shew  them  the  path  to  a  hill 
which  they  had  passed,  and  which  they  named,  telling  him 
they  had  no  cloth  to  pay  him.  The  man  put  his  hoe  on  his 
shoulder,  and  went  with  them  some  miles.  Afterwards  they 
thought  of  their  pocket-handkerchiefs.  One  was  torn  up  and 
used  as  cash;  a  quarter  of  it  remained  on  their  return.  On 
the  Saturday  they  walked  about  twenty-five  miles,  making 
the  whole  distance  eighty-five,  which  tallies  with  other  esti- 
mates. They  were  both  looking  much  fagged;  Procter  has 
a  scratch  on  his  face,  made  by  an  arrow  in  the  tussle. 
Now,  after  four  nights  have  passed,  they  are  more  like 
themselves. 

In  looking  back  on  all  this,  some  people  will  blame  me 
for  not  exactly  following  Livingstone's  advice.      He  said : 


382         MEMOIR  OF  BISHOP  MACKENZIE. 

"  Send  no  separate  exploring  party,  but  start  in  sufficiently- 
good  time  to  explore  and  ariive  on  tlie  1st  of  January  at  the 
Rug  mouth.  Take  the  old  road  as  far  as  Soche,  and  then 
keep  the  mountain  Choro  on  your  right."  Livingstone  had 
never  been  on  the  road,  but  thought  that  the  best  way.  He 
also  advised  me  not  to  weaken  our  home  party  too  much,  for 
fear  of  attack  from  the  Ajawa  on  our  west.  My  reasons  for 
not  acting  on  this  advice  were,  that  by  the  route  actually 
taken  we  could  get  guides  on  whom  we  could  depend  from 
Chigunda,  who  spoke  at  one  time  of  going  himself;  whereas 
guides  from  Soche  might,  I  thought,  be  as  likely  to  mislead 
us  as  to  guide  us  rightly.  Besides,  I  thought  it  a  good 
opportunity  to  explore  a  new  route,  and  one  which,  if  suc- 
cessful, would  probably  be  better  than  the  one  named  by 
Livingstone;  and  I  thought  he  had  given  the  advice  he  did, 
because  he  wished  us  to  keep  the  old  safe  road,  so  far  as  it 
would  serve.  How  far  I  am  condemned  by  the  result  will 
not  be  clear  till  we  have  tried  his  path,  which  I  now  propose 
to  do. 

Dec.  13.— There  have  now  returned  six  of  the  men  who 
went  with  Procter  and  Scudamore,  leaving  two,  together 
with  Nkuto,  one  of  our  boys  who  went  with  them.  The 
sixth  came  here  this  morning,  and  made  a  formal  report  to 
Chigunda  and  us.  He  was  caxight  on  that  Thursday  night, 
on  the  path,  some  men  having  gone  on  before  to  secure  all 
who  tried  to  escape.  Our  friends  and  the  others  struck  off 
the  path,  anticipating  the  danger.  They  bound  all  the  foiir, 
and  kept  himself  and  our  boy  Nkuto  in  the  great  village,  the 
other  two  in  a  neighbouring  village.  Our  goods  were  all  put 
into  the  large  hut  in  which  "  the  English  "  had  been,  and  to 
which  the  two  false  guides  had  access.  In  the  morning, 
these  two,  the  sons  (as  it  appears)  of  Chipoka,  the  chief  from 
whose  village  they  had  started  on  the  "Wednesday  morning, 
claimed  the  freedom  of  this  man,  and  he  was  at  once  given 
up  to  them.  With  them  he  returned  to  Chipoka's  village. 
Manga.     In  answer  to  the  question  whether  these  two  had 


LAST  DAYS  AND  DEATH.  383 

any  shai-e  of  the  plunder,  he  said  that  he  could  not  see  what 
was  inside  their  bags,  nor  hear  what  was  said  behind  his 
back.  Chipoka  escorted  him  to  the  village  of  Saopa,  and 
Saopa  to  a  village  near  this.  Chipoka  sends  an  arrow  to 
Chigunda,  our  chief,  and  says:  "I  am  not  in  blame  for  this 
war;  Mauasomba  has  tried  to  kill  the  English,  has  stolen 
their  baggage  and  their  boy,  and  has  kept  two  of  your  men. 
He  says,  If  the  English  want  the  men,  let  them  come  and 
buy  them  out,  or  else  fight  for  them."  We  asked  why  he 
supposed  they  had  thought  evil  against  us  ;  he  said,  "  Because 
you  went  about  with  much  cloth,  and  refused  to  buy  slaves, 
and  would  not  buy  much  of  anything  else ;  so  they  thought  it 
better  to  take  it  from  you."  We  asked  some  questions  about 
the  nation  of  Manasomba,  and  the  extent  of  his  territory. 
It  seems  probable,  though  not  certain,  that  he  is  not  a  Mang- 
anja;  some  say  Auguru,  some  Amlache.  If  they  had  kept 
the  right  road  they  would  not  have  come  near  him,  and 
would  have  been  well  received  by  Tombondira,  who  is 
supreme  over  Saopa  and  Chipoka,  and  whose  influence  is 
said  to  extend  to  the  Shire. 

This  treaclierous  attempt  to  murder  the  two  mis- 
sionaries, besides  being  extremely  painful  in  itself, 
was  also  a  source  of  anxiety  to  Bishop  Mackenzie 
in  another  way.  Could  such  an  outrage  be  passed 
over  without  notice  ?  especially  as  some  of  the  party 
were  still  missing,  and  might  possibly  have  been 
murdered  ?  And  if  any  notice  should  be  taken,  when 
and  by  whom?  The  Bishop  would  gladly,  as  he 
states  in  one  of  his  letters,  have  left  to  Dr  Living- 
stone the  responsibility  of  calling  the  offenders  to  ac- 
count in  the  Queen's  name ;  but  would  it  be  likely 
that  Dr  Livingstone  would  be  able  to  find  time  to  take 
the  matter  in  hand?  and  if  it  should  prove  that  the 


3^4         MEMOIR  OF  BISHOP  MACKENZIE. 

work  must  fall  upon  the  Bishop  himself,  would  it  not 
be  much  better  to  see  to  it  at  once  and  not  defer  the 
matter  till  his  return  from  the  rendezvous  with  Dr 
Livingstone,  when  he  would  probably  have  a  party  of 
ladies,  and  a  large  supply  of  goods,  on  his  hands  ?  But 
if  so,  there  was  no  time  to  be  lost ;  it  would  be  ne- 
cessary to  go  to  Manasomba's,  then  perhaps  return  to 
Magomero,  and  then  hasten  with  all  speed  to  keep  the 
appointment  at  the  mouth  of  the  Ruo,  by  way  of 
Chibisa's  and  the  Shire.  This  general  explanation  will 
be  sufficient  to  introduce  the  following  letter  to  his 
sister  in  Scotland ;  it  carries  the  story  of  the  Bishop's 
life  very  nearly  to  its  conclusion,  and  is  the  last  letter 
written  home  by  him.  Possibly,  had  it  not  been  the 
last,  I  might  have  been  tempted  to  abridge  it. 

LETTER  XCIL 


:Magomero,  Bee.  22,  iSfio. 

Fourth  Sunday  in  Advent. 


Dear 


I  must  write  a  few  lines  by  this  mail,  thougli  it 
may  not  be  much.  First,  I  asked  you,  in  a  letter  despatched 
Dec.  2, 1861,  which  is  probably  lost,  to  send  me  three  Bibles, 
like  the  one  I  have  myself,  in  strong  binduig.  I  want  also 
a  copy  of  Boone's  Sermons,  late  Incumbent  of  S.  John's,  Pad- 
dington.  You  may  read  them,  if  you  like,  first :  let  them  be 
bound.      Also  please  buy  for  yourself  from  me  a  copy  of 

Archer  Butler's  Sermons,  and  for ,  from  me,  a  copy  of 

The  Faith  Duty  and  Practice  of  a  Christian  Missionary 
(Rivingtons') ;  also,  for  me,  Thriipp  On  the  Psalms  (Mac- 
millan). 

Pear ,  I  have  much  at  times  to  depress  me  ;   more 

than  ever  I  had.     But  I  expected  it,  and  must  not  complaiu. 


LAST  DAYS  AND  DEATH.  ^^S 

Tlie  Dean  of  Cape  Town,  in  liis  sermon  at  my  consecration,  told 
me  I  should.  But  the  work  is  God's.  I  should  not  mind  dis- 
couragement among  the  heathen  ;  but  it  is  among  our  Cape 
Town  men.  God  help  us  all  to  grow  in  grace,  and  them  especi- 
ally in  the  grace  of  purity.    Dear and ,  pray  for  them. 

They  need  also  humility,  and especially  needs  command 

of  temper.  I  feel  these  sins  in  themselves  as  wounds  to 
our  Saviour  and  breaches  in  the  walls  of  our  Zion,  and 
as  positive  hindrances,  so  far  as  they  go,  to  our  work,  by 
lowei-ina  us  among  the  heathen.     But  in  all  this  I  comfort 

o  o 

myself  that  the  work  will  live,  and  leaven  the  masses  of 
this  people  by  the  power  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  dwelling  in  and 
vivifying  His  Church. 

Dec.  24.  To  come  to  events.  This  is  the  second  day  of 
our  journey  to  the  Ruo  mouth  to  meet  the  Pioneer  on  Jan.  1. 
How  strange  that  you  probably  know  already  whether  I  shall 
find  our  sisters  in  the  Pioneer  or  not.  There  is  a  good  deal  to 
say  on  both  sides  from  our  point  of  view.  The  Bishop  of 
Cape  Town  would  know  of  the  appointment  as  soon  as  the 
Admiral;  and  whether  the  Admiral  sent  a  vessel  from  Cape 
Town,  or  sent  word  to  one  on  the  station,  that  is,  near  Jo- 
hanna, to  go  to  Kongone  to  meet  Livingstone,  in  either 
case  our  party  would  have  an  opportunity  of  leaving  Cape 
Town.  But  then  it  is  urged  here,  that  as  I  wrote  for  them 
from  the  Zambesi  only,  and  have  not  had  an  opportunity  of 
writing  for  them  from  Magomero  in  time  for  them  to  come 
this  time,  the  Bishop  of  Cape  Town  and  all  prudent  people 
would  advise  their  staying  at  Cape  Town  till  accounts  of  us 
are  received  from  some  fixed  resting-place.     This  is  quite 

natural ;  biit  I  hope  as  against  this  that would  be  strong 

enough  to  say,  "We  yielded  to  his  own  (that  is,  my)  decision, 
that  the  ladies  could  not  go  up  at  first  :  surely  we  ought  not 
to  be  kept  from  going  up,  when  Livingstone  and  he  agree 
in  saying,  Come."  Again,  I  say,  if  there  was  any  difficulty 
about  a  man-of-war  from  Cape  Town  for  them,  still  they 
would  have  to  send  us  stores ;  at  least  I  trust  they  know 

25 


385         MEMOIR  OF  BISHOP  MACKENZIE. 

that  we  are  depending  on  a  fresh  snpply  now,  having  bronght 
from  Johanna  as  little  as  we  could  possibly  do  with.  If  they 
do  not  send  us  stores,  we  shall  have  to  hope  that  we  may  get 
some  cloth  throiigh  the  Doctor  from  Senna,  at  three  times  the 
English  price,  and  live  on  native  produce  till  we  can  get 
more  stores ;  and  on  this  we  shall  probably  be  half  of  us  ill 
all  the  time,  on  an  average.  But  I  am  not  afraid  of  this. 
The  above  discussion  of  probabilities  may  amuse  you. 

"We  meant  originally  to  have  left  home  on  Thursday*. 
Then,  to  please  Chigunda  and  accommodate  ourselves  to  the 
assembling  of  the  few  hundred  men  he  was  gathering  to  go 
with  us,  we  delayed  till  Friday.  From  Friday  we  delayed 
till  Satvirday  from  the  impossibility  of  getting  bearers  ;  and 
the  Makololo,  whom  we  had  asked  to  come  with  us,  only 
arrived  on  Saturday,  and  there  was  not  time  to  make  a  start 
after  talking  over  the  affair  with  them.  So  it  was  Monday, 
leaving  eight  week-days  in  this  year,  one  of  which  is  Christ- 
mas. Of  these  I  expect  six  will  be  spent  in  walking,  and 
there  will  be  left  two  for  the  visit  we  intend  to  pay  to  Mana- 
somba.  You  know  already  what  is  the  cause  ;  it  is  clear  we 
can  not  do  anything  like  making  a  demand  to  be  backed  by 
force  when  we  have  ladies  on  our  hands,  and  it  is  likely  that 
it  will  not  suit  Livingstone  to  keep  our  ladies  till  we  can  do 
this;  though  if  I  thought  he  could  do  this,  I  would  much 
rather  have  his  name  and  authority  joined  with  my  own  in 
the  matter. 

I  was  not  well  in  the  morning,  and  the  doctor  gave  me  a 
little  chalk  and  opium ;  I  hoped  the  walk  would  quite  set  me 
up.  It  was  a  good  day  for  walking ;  and  we  did  a  short 
journey,  about  fourteen  miles.  I  bathed  afterwards,  which 
was  perhaps  unwise,  and  found  at  night  that  I  was  no 
better;  bxit  Waller  has  just  (11  a.m.)  given  me  some  more 
medicine,  and  I  shall  enjoy  my  breakfast  when  it  is  ready. 
There  is  the  chief  of  this  village,  and  I  must  speak  to  him. 

I  have  had  my  talk  with  him,  and  have  had  breakfast ; 
^  December  19, 


LAST  DAYS  AND  DEATH.  387 

and  now  lie  is  looking  on  in  wonder  while  I  write.  He 
gave  us  a  kid,  and  a  basket  of  corn,  and  I  have  given  him 
two  yards  of  velvet,  bright  blue,  with  which  he  looks  much 
pleased.  His  name  is  Kwanji,  and  also  Sata-Massira,  the 
latter  of  which  means  plenty  of  corn ;  a  very  appropriate 
name,  for  it  is  almost  the  only  village  I  have  seen  for  some 
time,  in  which  the  people  have  not  been  starving.  We  are 
going  nearly  due  South,  and  are  getting  near  to  the  grand 
range  of  the  Milanje,  nearer  than  Livingstone  has  been.  To- 
night we  sleep  at  Saopa's,  and  to-morrow  go  on  to  Chipoka's. 
We  cannot  afford,  after  so  much  loss  of  time,  to  sit  still  on 
Christmas  Day,  but  we  shall  have  our  service  of  worship  and 
communion  with  the  whole  Church,  of  which  Christ  is  Head, 
notwithstanding.  Now  they  are  ready  to  start :  it  is  about 
12  or  1,  I  suppose. 

Dec.  25.  Christmas  Day.  You  will  be  sorry  to  hear 
that  we  are  walking  to-day  as  usual.  I  was  very  anxious  to 
get  here  (Saopa's  village)  last  night,  that  our  journey  to- 
day might  have  been  a  short  one,  from  this  to  Chipoka's. 
And  then  we  should  have  had  a  communion  service  in  the 
quiet  part  of  the  day,  which  would  have  been  the  morning. 
But  some  of  the  party  were  too  tired  to  come  on  last  night. 
So  we  have  had  more  than  three  hours'  walking  this  morning, 
and  have  about  six  before  us. 

Since  I  wrote  the  above  we  have  had  breakfast,  and 
have  had  a  long  talk  with  the  two  chiefs,  Chigunda,  who 
came  with  us,  and  Saopa  of  this  village.  They  say  that 
Chipoka  was  here  not  long  ago,  to  ask  if  we  were  coming. 
(Saopa  also  was  at  Kwanji's,  and  returned  the  day  before 
yesterday.)  Chipoka  left  directions  that  when  we  came  he 
should  be  summoned,  that  we  might  talk  over  the  whole 
matter  quietly.  This  he  thought  better,  because  in  his  vil- 
lage are  so  many  that  have  relations  with  Manasomba,  who 
would  be  apt  to  call  out  Nkondo  (war),  on  our  appearing, 
and  give  notice  at  once  to  Manasomba,  while  here  at  Saopa's 
we  may  stay  without  his  hearing  of  us.     As  it  was  by  the 

25—2 


388  MEMOIR  OF  BISHOP  MACKENZIE. 

two  giiides  from  Chipoka's  that  our  party  was  led  to  Mana- 
somba's,  we  ask  whether  he  is  to  be  trusted ;  they  say,  "  Yes : 
he  and  Chigunda  and  Satawa  and  Saopa  and  Tombondira 
are  brothers;  they  all  look  up  to  Chinsunzi  and  Kankomba, 
and  they  will  all  send  some  men  with  the  English  against 
Manasomba."  It  will  be  best,  they  think,  to  call  Chipoka, 
as  he  wished.  The  messenger  will  go,  so  as  to  get  to  Chi- 
poka's at  night.  The  chief  will  come  away  in  the  darkness, 
and  no  one  in  his  village  will  know  where  he  is  gone.  I 
asked  these  two  chiefs  what  they  thought  would  be  the 
resulting  advice  to-morrow :  Chigunda  answered,  more  by 
signs  than  by  words,  that  we  should  go  to  ChijDoka's  from 
this  perhaps  to-morrow  afternoon,  as  quietly  as  possible, 
trusty  men  guiding  by  a  zigzag  path,  to  avoid  the  main  road ; 
that  early  next  morning  we  should  go  in  silence  (his  lips  all 
grasped  in  his  hand  to  indicate  silence)  to  Manasomba's, 
(his  forefingers  stepping  stealthily  along  the  mat  on  which 
we  sat,  till  on  getting  to  Manasomba's  he  made  a  spring 
forward  with  both  hands  so  as  to  seize  all  that  was  there), 
and  then  retui-n  quietly  to  Chipoka's,  (where  his  look  of  per- 
fect innocence,  and  ignorance  of  having  done  anything  re- 
markable, after  the  animated  features  of  the  march  and 
attack,  was  inimitable).  I  asked  how  it  would  do  to  send 
a  message  to  Manasomba  that  we  were  coming  against  him, 
and  that  his  only  way  of  averting  an  attack  would  be  by 
meeting  us  on  the  path  and  bringing  the  stolen  men  and 
property,  with  a  goat  for  each  man  wrongfully  detained  ;  if  he 
did  this,  we  should  not  tovich  him ;  if  he  did  not,  we  should 
burn  his  village  ?  They  said,  "  O,  he  will  take  the  people  and 
the  things,  and  will  run  away,  and  we  shall  never  see  them." 
I  said,  "  Suppose  then  we  go  quietly  as  you  propose,  and  on 
getting  near  the  village  tell  the  first  men  we  see  to  tell  the 
chief  the  same  thing."     They  thought  this  might  be  done. 

Dec.  26.  I  laid  down  my  pen  at  this  point  yesterday, 
a  fit  of  drowsiness  having  come  over  me.  In  a  few  minutes 
we  had  our  evening  prayers,  followed  by  Communion.     I 


LAST  DAYS  AND  DEATH.  389 

thought  there  were  innumerable  Christian  congi-egations 
joining  in  Communion,  but  probably  none  so  far  from  the 
centre  of  earthly  communion,  I  mean  none  in  so  out-of-the- 
way  a  place.  How  wondrous  the  feeling  of  actual  instan- 
taneous communion  with  all  you  dear  ones,  though  the  dis- 
tance and  the  means  of  earthly  communication  are  so  great 
and  so  difficult  !  How  great  this  boon  which  He  instituted 
and  in  His  Holy  Gospel  commanded  us  to  continue,  as  a 
perpetual  memory  of  Him  until  His  coming  again  ! 

The  chief  of  this  village  is  Saopa,  an  old,  thin,  tallish 
man,  with  a  pleasant  face,  with  whom  I  think  I  get  on 
better  in  trying  to  speak,  than  with  any  previous  stranger. 
He  sent  for  his  neighbour  Satawa  (meaning,  not  runaway ; 
tawa  is  to  run  away),  to  whom  we  gave  two  yards  of  blue 
velvet,  as  we  had  given  Saopa  the  same  quantity  of  scarlet. 
They  were  beautiful  colours,  though  the  stuff  is  narrow,  and 
the  fabric  slight:  it  calls  forth  great  admiration  always. 
The  site  of  this  village  is  very  good :  on  the  east  is  the 
towering  range  of  the  Milanje,  hiding  the  sun^  it  is  tiiie,  till 
two  or  nearly  three  hours  after  he  has  begun  his  course  to 
the  zenith.  These  hills,  whose  summits  are  estimated  by 
Livingstone  as  being  about  8000  feet  above  the  sea,  (and  we 
are  here  about  2000,)  remind  me  of  the  Wetterhorn  near 
the  river  Aar  in  Switzerland;  so  towering,  such  inacces- 
sible precipices.  There  the  avalanches  are  roaring  down 
every  hour;  here  the  torrents  pour  down,  tracing  vertical 
lines  on  the  rock,  which  remain  when  the  supply  of  water 
fails,  and  give  the  precipice  a  curious  striated  look,  which 
we  can  see  from  Magomero,  forty  or  fifty  miles  off.  In 
some  parts  the  precipice  gives  place  to  a  steep  slope  covered 
with  the  trees  and  other  luxuriant  vegetation,  below  which 
is  precipice  again  ;  the  streams  from  the  top  giving  an  almost 
daily  supply  of  moisture  to  the  slope,  from  which  it  drains 
again  to  supply  the  lower  ground ;  and  all  along  the  foot  of 
the  precipice  is  the  rapid  descent  to  the  level  of  the  plain, 
formed  by  the  debris  of  the  clifis  above.     On  this  descent 


390         MEMOIR  OF  BISHOP  MACKENZIE. 

are  many  villages,   and  well  cultivated  gardens,  the  early 
produce  of  which  heljDed  our  simple  meal  yesterday ;  for  we 
had  new  heads  of  Chimanga  (the  mealies,  you  remember,  of 
Natal),  Indian  corn,  a  fortnight  or  three  weeks  earlier  than 
I  remember  them  in  Natal.     The  village  itself  lies  in  the 
shade  of  its  own  large  trees,  Indian  fig  and  others,  the  cen- 
tral  space  being  vacant,  and   serving  for  the  reception  of 
visitors,  and  large  bodies  of  men,  and  for  the  transaction  of 
business.     It  is  in  this  place  that  we  have  taken  all  our 
meals,  and  that  I  am  now  sitting  on  one  of  our  boxes  writ- 
ing to  you.     I  have  said  there  is  abundance  of  rain  here, 
caused,  I  suppose,  by  the  nearness  of  these  lofty,  precipitous 
hills :  and  this  with  the  heat  produces  the  luxuriant  vege- 
tation; but  on  the  other  hand  the  place  is  damp;  all  round 
the  village  the  grass,  as  high  as  one's  middle,  is  soaking ;  and 
under  these  trees  the  mossy  mould  of  damp  soil  is  spread, 
while  the  tops  of  the  hills  are  shrouded  in  the  level  lying 
clouds,  like  the  table-cloth  on  Table  Mountain  at  the  Cape. 
We  have  not  seen  the  sun  during  the  four-and-twenty  hours 
we  have  been  here.     Even  here  the  people  are  complaining 
of  hunger ;  and  one  would  have  accused  them  of  inconceiv- 
able idleness  for  being  without  food  in  such  a  land  of  plenty, 
but  that  we  hear  in  this  quarter  also  of  inroads  by  other 
oppressors,  like  our  friends  the  Ajawa  on  the  other  side. 
The  poor  Mang-anja  seem  hunted  and  oppi-essed  on  all  sides. 
Perhaps  these  afiiictions  have  been  appointed  as  a  means  of 
their  receiving  the  Gospel.     Tontorua  seems  to  have  been  a 
destroyer  now   for  a  long  time.     William,    who  has  been 
twenty-one  years  at   the    Cape,    remembers    his  name  be- 
fore he  left  his  own  country,  though  that  may  have  been 
a  former  holder  of  the  title.     We  are  told  that  the  present 
Ajawa  chief,  Kainka,  is  the  son  and  successor  of  another  of 
the  same  name. 

Dec.  27,  S.  John's  day.  Dear ,  it  is  sti-ange  pass- 
ing these  Holy  days  in  this  secular  way.  It  makes  me  often 
review  my  position  and  say,  "If  it  feels  strange  to  be  on  such 


LAST  DAYS  AND  DEATH.  39 1 

an  expedition  on  a  Saint's  day,  is  it  right  to  go  on  it  at  all  ]" 
and  the  result  is  that  I  always  feel  that  it  is.  Yesterday 
we  stayed  at  Saopa's  village  till  12,  and  then  sent  word  to 
the  chiefs  that  as  the  messenger  had  not  yet  come  back  from 
Chipoka's,  we  should  go  immediately,  and  meet  him  on  the 
road.  At  the  same  time  we  ordered  a  fire  to  be  lighted, 
water  to  be  boiled,  and  chocolate  made,  that  we  might  have 
something  to  start  upon,  as  it  wovild  probably  be  dark  before 
we  began  to  think  of  another  meal.  By  one,  we  were  ready 
to  start :  but  they  said  our  bearers  had  gone  out  to  buy  food, 
and  the  only  guide  who  knew  the  way  to  Chipoka's  was  gone 
with  them.  I  said  to  my  party,  "If  you  will  go  on,  mai'king 
the  road  well  (that  is,  making  a  line  with  a  stick,  or  shoe, 
across  every  path  that  you  do  not  take,  to  bar  it),  I  will 
follow  with  the  luggage  as  soon  as  I  can.  I  can  walk 
quicker,  and  do  not  mind  being  late  out."  This  plan  was  not 
a  good  one,  and  met  with  no  favour  from  my  companions; 
but  it  seemed  to  me  to  be  the  only  way  to  save,  if  possible, 
the  day  which  was  just  slipping  through  our  fingers.  So 
I  stuck  to  it.  The  baggage  was  made  up.  The  bearers 
turned  up,  and  some  of  the  Makololo  also  who  were  out; 
the  chiefs  Chigunda  and  Saopa  were  induced  to  get  off  the 
ground,  and  the  latter  himself  became  our  guide.  We  got 
ofi"  by  two;  a  perfect  triumph  of  determination  over  obsti- 
nacy and  indolence. 

We  got  here  (Koronko,  I  think,  is  the  chiefs  name)  about 
seven,  having  crossed  some  troublesome  streams,  swollen  by 
the  heavy  rain,  which  was  dashing  down  the  precipices  on  our 
left  in  beautiful  cascades.  The  first  of  these  we  crossed  by 
tucking  up  our  trousers,  and  half  wading,  half  springing  from 
stone  to  stone:  the  second  we  were  carried  over;  the  rest  we 
waded  simply,  being  already  drenched  with  rain;  and  at  the 
last,  which  was  the  worst,  we  were  obliged  some  of  us  to  stand 
in  the  water  holding  each  other  up,  and  pass  over  baggage, 
and  help  some  of  the  rest.  Some  of  our  bearers  from  Ma- 
gomero  were  the  worst;  the  old  cMef  Saopa,  a  man  of  sixty 


392         MEMOIR  OF  BISHOP  MACKENZIE. 

})erhaps,  was  very  plncky :  Chigimda  came  out  in  a  "way  that 
surprised  us  all,  and  his  nephew  and  heir-apparent,  Zachura- 
kamo,  was  the  boldest  and  best. 

The  chief,  Chipoka,  has  come  here,  and  is  in  confabu- 
lation with  Chigunda  and  Saopa.  I  let  them  alone  for  a 
little,  on  the  principle  that  disturbing  them  would  only  be 
wasting  time,  as  they  would  have  their  talk  out  before  I 
heard  anything.  But  after  a  little  I  sent  William  to  say, 
that  I  should  be  glad  to  see  Chipoka.  He  has  been  gone 
about  a  quarter  of  an  hour,  and  I  suppose  is  learning  all  the 
news. 

This  morning  we  heard  the  following  account.  A  man 
of  this  village  told  Chigunda  last  night  that  he  had  been 
lately  in  Manasomba's  village,  and  learned  that  three  of 
Manasomba's  men  had  been  as  spies  at  or  near  Magomero ; 
he  having  ascertained  that  we  were  coming  against  him, 
had  called  his  brother  from  the  banks  of  the  Shii-e  to  help 


soniha 


Tonibondira 
Ruo 
^j/jRendezvous 
tuith  Livinyslone 


him,  and  had  strengthened  himself  in  a  camp  on  the  east 
(the  left)  bank  of  the  Ricania,  at  the  only  ford  where  we 
could  cross  to  get  to  Manasomba's.     In  the  annexed  sketch 


LAST  DAYS  AND  DEATH.  393 

tbe  line  in  the  writing^  may  represent  the  outline  of  the 
Milanje  mountains.  The  lines  in  the  map  are  meant  for  the 
river  Shire,  its  branch  the  Ruo,  and  its  branch  the  Ricania. 
Tombondira's  village  is  on  the  west  side  of  the  Ruo,  as  I  have 
put  it,  and  probably  below  the  confluence  of  the  Ricania.  I 
do  not  believe  the  whole  of  this  story :  I  do  not  believe  that 
the  spies  ascertained,  at  or  near  Magomero,  what  our  move- 
ments were.  It  was  only  tlii'ee  days  before  we  left  home 
that  I  told  Chigunda  what  we  were  going  to  do.  Men 
might  guess  before  that,  as  I  sent  about  a  week  earlier  for 
the  Makololo  to  come  up ;  but  I  don't  believe  our  intentions 
were  at  all  generally  known  till  this  day  last  week.  The 
other  part  of  the  story  is  possible  enough  :  we  have  two 
other  and  independent  sources  of  the  information  that  Mana- 
somba  has  relations  on  the  Shire,  or  Ruo,  or  at  the  conflu- 
ence. A  further  account  says,  that  the  camp  is  on  this  side 
of  the  Ricania,  which  is  better  for  us,  as  we  should  have 
an  opportunity  of  routing  them  before  trying  to  cross  the 
river  in  the  face  of  them.  This  latter  is,  I  think,  a  possible 
though  certainly  a  difficult  operation,  as  we  may  probably 
have  to  swim,  and  it  will  be  difiicult  to  obey  Cromwell's 
injunction,  to  keep  our  powder  dry, 

1.30  P.M.  We  are  just  going  to  sit  down  to  breakfast, 
(having,  however,  broken  our  fast  on  two  cups  of  cofiee  and 
a  biscuit  at  7).  We  have  had  a  long  talk  with  Chipoka,  and 
the  rest.  He  said  he  was  very  sorry  for  what  had  happened, 
but  Manasomba  had  done  it  himself.  He  (Chipoka)  had  sent 
our  party  there  in  good  faith.  We  asked  what  character 
Manasomba  had,  and  he  said,  that  "though  he  had  often  ill- 
treated  strangers,  he  had  never  done  any  harm  to  any  one 
conducted  by  his  messengers.  It  was  their  ordinary  way  of 
going  back  and  forwards  between  Chipoka  and  Tombondira." 
"What  did  Tombondira  think  of  it  all  ?"    Ans.  "  O,  we  are 

^  The  Bishop  has  written  over  the  upper  part  of  his  sketch;  this 
cannot  be  reproduced  in  print,  but  the  reader  will  find  the  map  per- 
fectly intelligible. 


394         MEMOIR  OF  BISHOP  MACKENZIE. 

one  :  wliat  is  done  to  one  is  done  to  both."  I  said,  "I  tliink 
it  riglit  to  punish  such  a  man  ;  so  we  will  go  togethei* ;  but 
do  not  suppose  that  I  am  always  going  about  with  my  gun 
to  kill  men,  ("  hear  !  hear  ! "  from  Chigunda ;)  my  children 
came  down  peaceably  to  this  place,  but  were  detained  and 
attacked  by  Manasomba.  I  live  quietly  at  Magomero.  Our 
wish  is  to  do  you  good  by  exchanging  cloth,  beads,  and  other 
English  goods  for  your  goats  and  com,  ivory  and  cotton: 
and  what  is  more  than  all,  we  come  to  you  from  God,  of 
whom  we  have  a  better  knowledge  than  you,  whose  laws  we 
know,  and  we  want  to  teach  you  these  things.  (All  the 
chiefs  said  to  this,  "that  is  good.")  So  do  not  think  I  like 
bloodshed ;  but  this  man  must  be  punished,  and  we  must  get 
back  the  three  that  are  in  his  hands." 

As  to  the  time,  we  arranged  that  we  should  come  to  his 
village  and  sleep  there ;  that  he  should  go  at  once  to  call  toge- 
ther his  own  and  Tombondira's  men,  and  that  we  should  all 
be  off  early  in  the  morning.  He  proposes  that  we  should 
return  to  his  village  at  night.  Whether  we  do  that,  or  go 
on  to  Tombondii-a's,  will  depend  on  circumstances.  Kow  we 
must  be  off,  3.30  p.m. 

Dec.  30,  10  A.M.  Chipoka's  village,  called  Manga.  We 
got  here  on  Friday  sooner  than  I  expected,  soon  enough  to 
have  a  bath  before  dark  in  the  sparkling  rocky  stream  that 
we  crossed  just  before  we  entered  the  village.  This  is  a  won- 
derfully beautiful  situation.  Under  the  overhanging  pre- 
cipices of  the  Milanje  on  the  north,  rising  in  two  huge  domes 
of  the  shape  of  a  lemon  standing  erect  on  a  plate,  when  the 
smaller  half  has  been  removed;  the  sides  of  the  granite 
furrowed  and  gnarled  by  the  torrents,  that  pom*  down  when 
there  is  tropical  rain.  These  domes  guard  the  entrance  of  a 
steep-sided  horse-shoe  valley  or  scoop  in  the  range,  the  back 
of  which  is  thickly  covered  with  trees  on  its  inaccessible 
surface.  From  the  foot  of  one  of  these  domes  the  ground 
slopes  pretty  rapidly  to  the  level  of  the  southern  plain ;  and  it 
is  on  a  part  of  this  slope,  just  above  the  bank  of  the  stream, 


LAST  DAYS  AND  DEATH.  395 

the  Malodza,  (Marossa,  as  Procter  and  Sciidamore  have 
written  it,  and  it  is  not  much  different,  as  I  and  r  seem  in- 
terchangeable in  this  hxngnage,)  that  the  village  of  Manga  is 
biiilt.  There  are  fine  trees,  among  which  the  huts  nestle  in 
groups  of  four  or  five,  so  that  it  is  difficult  to  know  their 
number,  but  I  suppose  there  are  fifty ;  the  one  we  are  sleep- 
ing in  is  one  of  the  largest :  it  is  about  sixteen  feet  in  dia- 
meter, inside,  the  roof  extending  to  a  diameter  of  about 
twenty-four.  There  are  numbers  of  beautiful  banana  trees, 
but  there  is  little  ripe  fruit  this  year,  the  people  having 
eaten  a  great  deal  unripe  during  the  late  scarcity.  The  view 
towards  the  south  is  extensive,  seeming  to  reach  for  fifty 
miles  or  more,  a  wide  rich  plain,  intersected  by  the  E,uo  and 
its  tributaries,  dotted  with  hills  of  six  or  eight  hundred  feet, 
and  bounded,  I  believe,  by  the  hills  beyond  the  Shire,  with 
perhaps  a  dip  down  on  this  side  of  it,  like  a  sunk  fence,  con- 
cealed from  this. 

That  night  we  had  a  talk  with  the  chief,  and  finally 
arranged  that  we  should  start  very  early,  so  as  to  get  to 
Manasomba's  before  people  were  awake.  But  when  they  came 
to  wake  us  it  was  half-past  twelve,  and  so  dark  a  night,  that 
no  one  would  go  down  the  bank  of  the  stream  to  get  us  some 
water  for  coffee,  till  Scudamore  went  with  them.  We  agreed 
that  it  was  wild  to  start  so  early,  and  that  they  might  come 
for  us  towards  daybreak;  and  we  lay  down  again  to  sleep. 
In  the  moi'ning  we  started  on  a  cup  of  coffee,  carrying  with 
us  cold  kid  and  a  bottle  of  wine.    Our  only  cup  was  the  one 

gave  me.     The  first  stream  we  came  to  was  so  deep, 

that,  though  I  was  mounted  high  on  the  back  of  a  man 
as  tall  as  myself,  I  got  wet  up  to  the  knee.  The  largest 
river  we  had  to  cross  was  the  Ricania.  It  was  this  water 
that  Scudamore  had  tried  three  times  to  ford  before  he  suc- 
ceeded that  night  in  the  dark.  To  our  sui-prise  we  found  a 
good  bridge,  consisting  of  a  large  tree  thrown  across.  On 
the  other  side  we  halted  for  a  quarter  of  an  hour  to  refresh 
ourselves.     We  were  in  all  about  fifty,  fifteen  of  whom  were 


39^         MEMOIR  OF  BISHOP  MACKENZIE. 

English,  and  Makololo,  with  guns,  the  rest  Mang-anja  from 
Chipoka  and  Saopa,  with  one  or  two  guns  among  them :  so 
that  both  in  number  of  our  own  party  and  in  smallness  of 
our  allies,  we  were  more  like  the  party  of  July  under  Li- 
vingstone than  either  of  our  own  later  bodies  of  August  or 
October.  About  a  quarter  of  an  hour  after  this  we  stopped 
to  pray  for  God's  blessing,  professing  that  we  were  not  going 
in  private  revenge,  but  to  free  the  captives,  and  to  punish 
the  robber  and  would-be  murderer,  in  God's  name,  (having 
the  good  word,  as  you  see,  of  the  chiefs  around,  and  their  ap- 
proval of  our  going,)  and  then  I  told  them  all  that  I  wanted 
was  to  get  my  children  back,  and  the  stolen  property,  (more 
than  100  yards  of  cloth,  besides  change  of  clothing,  food, 
pots  and  pans,  &c. ;)  that  I  did  not  wish  to  kill  any  one, 
only  to  get  these  things,  and  to  burn  the  village,  that  Mana- 
somba  might  learn  not  to  do  so  again,  and  others  might  fear; 
that  if  they  defended  their  village  we  would  drive  them  out, 
but  on  no  account  take  women  or  children,  or  hurt  them ; 
that  I  wanted  none  of  the  plunder  we  might  get,  but  they 
must  bring  it  all  together,  and  I  would  give  shares  of  it. 

After  this  we  proceeded,  expecting  to  reach  the  village 
in  about  an  hour.  Within  ten  minutes  of  our  halt,  (during 
the  prayer  all  had  been  bowed  to  the  ground  except  myself, 
standing  up,  with  my  eyes  shut,)  we  saw  a  body  of  men 
nearly  as  lai"ge  as  our  own  coming  to  meet  us.  I  called  out, 
"Walk  on,  do  not  stop."  I  wished  to  know  at  once  for 
myself  what  they  said.  As  we  afterwards  learned,  Chipoka, 
the  chief  of  this  village,  had  last  Wednesday,  (before  he  knew 
of  our  approach,)  held  a  meeting  with  Manasomba,  and  ar- 
ranged to  have  a  Minandu,  a  discussion  of  their  quarrel,  on 
that  very  Saturday,  that  this  was  actually  Manasomba  and 
a  few  men  coming  to  the  Minandu,  and  not  seeing  at  first 
that  there  were  English  or  so  many  guns  in  our  party, 
called  out,  "  Stand  still,  do  not  come  on :"  but  on  our  con- 
tinuing to  advance  they  left  the  path,  and  he  stood  on  a 
huge  ant-hill  on  our  right.     I  found  they  were  saying  some- 


LAST  DAYS  AND  DEATH.  397 

thing  about  a  talk;  so  I  told  "William  to  call  out,  that  if 
they  wished  to  speak,  five  of  them  might  come  out  and  meet 
us.  I  did  not  know  Manasomba  was  among  them  ;  but 
they  ran  away,  and  on  asking  where  they  had  gone,  I  got 
answer  that  probably  they  had  gone  to  his  village.  So  we 
resumed  our  march,  expecting  to  find  the  village  defended : 
but  when  we  got  there,  we  found  the  entrance  where  the 
bearers  some  weeks  ago  had  thrown  down  their  burdens,  and 
where  Scudamore  and  Procter  had  had  such  a  tussle,  un- 
guarded; and  on  passing  through  we  found  ourselves  in  a 
fine,  but  deserted  village.  I  stayed  at  the  centre,  telling  the 
rest  to  search  the  huts  and  bring  everything  to  the  centre. 
There  were  some  fine  Muscovy  ducks,  about  half  a  dozen 
sheep  and  goats,  and  a  little  corn;  of  our  own  goods  we 
recovered  our  valise,  a  pair  of  shoes,  two  or  three  pots,  two 
tins  of  preserved  meat,  and  a  piece  of  soap.  Then  we  set 
the  huts  on  fire,  most  of  the  jDarty  carrying  out  the  plunder. 
I  had  left  Burrup  with  Charlie  (Makololo),  Zachurakamo, 
and  one  or  two  others  at  the  gate,  to  prevent  our  being  sur- 
prised. We  left  the  village  in  about  half  an  hour;  the  sheep 
and  goats  were  divided,  three  to  the  Makololo,  two  to 
Zachurakamo,  (the  nephew  and  heir  of  Chigunda,)  two  to 
Chipoka's  people.  Everything  else  I  left  as  it  had  arranged 
itself,  and  we  began  our  return.  The  live  stock  were  much 
in  our  way;  and  Waller  begged  me  to  cut  them  adrift j  and 
this  had  to  be  done  at  last.  About  an  hour  on  our  way 
home,  as  Scudamore  and  Burrup,  who  were  in  front,  were  in 
a  narrow  muddy  place  between  masses  of  reeds,  a  shot  was 
fired  on  them  from  the  front.  I  heard  the  shot,  where  I 
was,  behind,  and  hurried  forward.  I  sent  a  party  to  go 
through,  saying  we  from  behind  could  now  command  the 
ground  from  which  the  shot  had  come.  They  went  through 
this  time  without  molestation.  We  found  one  man  had  been 
shot  in  the  stomach  by  an  arrow,  which  had  to  be  cut  out, 
as  the  first  barb  was  buried,  and  another  had  flesh-wounds 
as  from  shot,  or  small  stones.     After  this  we  tried  to  keep 


39^         MEMOIR  OF  BISHOP  MACKENZIE. 

our  party  a  little  more  in  hand ;  but  this  was  not  easy,  for 
after  I  had  cut  the  sheep  and  goats  adrift,  the  men  would 
delay  to  kill  and  carry  them :  a  time  of  no  small  anxiety,  as 
the  head  of  the  column  had  got  out  of  sight ;  I  was  in  the 
middle  waiting  for  Mobita  to  come  up.  However,  at  last 
we  got  into  order,  and  went  on  slowly.  The  wounded  man 
could  not  walk  fast,  and  at  last  had  to  be  carried.  We  were 
thankful  to  find  the  tree-bridge  across  the  Ricania  free,  and 
got  home  rather  tired  about  five.  The  day  had  been  got 
through,  to  which  we  had  looked  forward  with  much  doubt 
as  to  how  we  were  to  act.  We  had,  indeed,  failed  to  get 
back  our  people,  (I  forgot  to  say  that  we  called  out  to  Mana- 
somba,  that  we  wanted  our  people,  when  we  met  that  party 
on  the  path,)  but  we  had  punished  the  robber,  and  had  re- 
tui-ned  safe.  We  had  vindicated  the  English  name,  and  had 
shewn  in  this  neighbourhood  that  it  is  not  safe  to  attack  an 
Englishman ;  and  I  hope  the  lesson  may  not  be  thrown 
away  on  these  people. 

Yesterday,  being  Sunday,  we  were  a  little  disturbed  by 
reports,  which  we  did  not  believe,  that  Manasomba  had 
come  across  the  Ricania,  and  at  one  time  that  he  was 
already  at  the  foot  of  this  village.  I  sent  some  of  the 
Makololo  to  ascertain  the  truth,  and  in  the  mean  time  we 
had  prayers.  The  chief  Chipoka  was  attracted  by  the  sound 
of  the  responses,  and  came  to  the  door  of  the  hut,  where  he 
stayed  quietly,  standing  and  sitting  as  he  saw  they  did  in- 
side, all  through  the  Morning  Prayer  and  Litany:  we  re- 
served the  Communion-service  till  the  Makololo  should 
report,  and  when  they  did  it  was  late.  Theii-  report  was, 
that  Manasomba  had  never  crossed  the  Ricania,  but  they 
saw  a  messenger  professing  to  come  from  him,  asking  Chi- 
poka to  come  next  day  to  a  Minandu.  Chipoka  sent  back 
answer  (on  their  return)  to  the  messenger,  who  was  to  wait 
where  they  found  him,  that  he  would  not  cross  the  Ricania, 
that  Manasomba  must  come  to  meet  him  at  Coswe's,  (a  vil- 
lage we  saw  on  Saturday ;)  he  would  meet  him  there. 


LAST  DA  YS  AND  DBA  Til.  399 

Last  night  and  this  morning  we  have  had  much  discus- 
sion what  to  do.  The  proposed  plans  were,  to  go  across 
country  to  Soche,  where  (with  your  accurate  geographical 
knowledge,  you  will  know)  we  fall  into  our  old  route  to  the 
ship's  anchorage,  take  that  route,  and  go  down  the  Shire  by 
canoe,  or  go  to  Tombondira's  from  this,  and  so  down  the 
Kuo,  or,  as  we  have  seen  some  reason  to  fear  the  chiefs  on 
the  Kuo,  to  keep  a  little  more  to  the  right,  (the  West,)  say 
twenty  or  fifteen  miles,  and  try  to  strike  the  confluence  as 
nearly  as  jjossible,  or  to  stay  where  we  are  and  hear  the  end 
of  the  Minandu,  sending  Zachurakamo  to  it,  to  represent 
us,  and  in  our  name  and  Chigunda's  demand  the  captives. 
Of  these  four  plans  Waller  and  Scudamore  leaned  to  the 
first  or  last,  the  second  was  mine,  the  third  Burrup's.  I 
objected  to  the  first,  that  we  should  be  about  a  week  too  late 
in  keeping  our  appointment.  To  the  fourth,  that  I  did  not 
see  that  we  should  do  any  good  to  Chipoka  by  staying  a  day 
or  two  here  :  he  must  depend  on  himself  at  last,  when  we 
went;  and  as  to  demanding  the  captives,  saying  that  was 
the  condition  of  peace  with  us,  it  seemed  neither  true  nor 
expedient  to  do  so,  unless  we  were  prepared  to  do  something 
to  enforce  the  demand  in  case  (as  seemed  very  likely)  it  were 
refused;  and  we  were  all  agreed  that  we  could  not  and 
would  not  do  more.  Finally,  we  took  this  last  course,  with 
the  modification  of  not  making  any  threat :  we  told  Chipoka 
we  would  wait  till  he  came  back  from  the  Minandu,  and  we 
sent  Zachurakamo,  simply  to  demand  the  captives.  That 
was,  I  suppose,  about  nine  o'clock.  It  is  now  a  quarter  to 
two.  The  wounded  man  has  died,  and  his  companions  have 
taken  the  body,  in  a  piece  of  cloth  which  we  gave,  to  bury 
him.  Scudamore  is  very  far  from  well,  feverish  all  over. 
I  think  we  shall  not  get  away  from  this  to-day.  I  imagine 
we  shall  be  three  days  in  getting  to  the  Shire :  if  we  start 
to-morrow  we  shall  be  there  on  the  second  instead  of  the 
first. 

I  have  had  a  chat  this  morning  with  the  old  mother  of 


400         MEMOIR  OF  BISHOP  MACKENZIE. 

Chipoka:  wlien  she  came  yesterday  I  gave  her  a  piece  of 
cloth,  and  to-day  she  brought  her  acknowledgments  in  the 
shape  of  a  fowl  and  three  eggs. 

Jan.  3,  1862.     Dear .     This  is  the  first  time  I  have 

wi-itten  the  name  of  this  year :  may  it  be  to  us  and  to  you  a 
year  of  greater  grace  and  blessing  than  the  last,  and  so  may 
we  abound  more  and  more  until  the  coming  of  our  Lord  and 
Saviour.  How  curious  saying  this  to  you,  and  probably  the 
year  will  be  far  gone  before  you  read  it !  But  you  are  saying 
the  same  things,  and  God  hears  the  prayers  of  both,  and  will 
shower  down  on  each  the  showers  of  His  blessing  in  answer 
to  the  distant  prayer,  just  as  the  rain  rises  from  the  distant 
ocean,  and  falls  on  the  thirsty  ground,  where  He  has  ap- 
pointed it.  I  am  sitting  in  a  hut  on  my  way  from  Ma- 
gomero  to  the  Pioneer's  anchorage  :  it  is  about  six  o'clock, 
and  the  light  will  soon  fail  me,  and  the  fowl  we  have  just 
bought  will  soon  be  ready  :  so  I  rc\ust  make  the  best  of  my 
time  to  bring  you  up  to  date. 

We  meant  to  leave  Chipoka's  on  Tuesday,  and  make  our 
way  with  all  speed  to  the  Euo  mouth.  Scudamore  was  look- 
ing so  much  unwell,  that  I  determined  he  must  go  home,  and 
Waller  go  to  take  care  of  him,  while  Burrup  and  I  went  on ; 
but  in  the  morning,  when  we  asked  for  guides  and  bearers, 
Chipoka  refused.  He  said,  "All  that  country  is  occupied  by 
Manasomba's  friends  :  you  will  be  killed  if  you  go,  and  then 
the  English  who  are  behind  (at  Magomero)  will  come  and 
blame  me  and  burn  my  village.  If  you  want  to  go  back,  I 
will  give  you  guides  and  bearers;  but  forwards,  I  will  not." 
It  was  vain  to  argue.  He  had  made  up  his  mind ;  and 
much  against  our  will  we  turned  homewards  about  eleven 
o'clock.  Waller  and  Sciidamore  both  said  strongly,  it  was 
much  better.  Scudamore  said  it  was  natural  he  should  wish 
to  keep  us  behind  him,  while  he  was  still  treating  with  Mana- 
somba.  Waller  said  we  had  had  enough  of  fighting  :  and 
that  going  down  that  way  was  only  provoking  more,  and 
would  make  it  more  difficult  for  us  to  assert  our  character 


LAST  DAYS  AND  DEATH.  401 

as  ministers  of  the  Gospel  of  peace.  I  said  I  did  not  expect 
any  more  fighting  :  my  party  would  be  too  strong  to  allow 
them  to  think  of  touching  us.  Accordingly,  I  tried  on  the 
road  to  arrange  that  Waller  and  Scudamore  should  go  on. 
with  the  guides  and^  *  *  * 

Jan.  8.  I  forget  where  I  was,  and  what  place  I  was 
at.  O,  I  see ;  I  was  an  hour  or  two  from  Magomero,  and 
was  describing  our  return  from  Chipoka's.  I  am  now  at 
Chibisa's,  the  anchorage  of  the  Pioneer,  and  hope  to  get 
down  the  day  after  to-morrow,  and  to  find  that  the  Pioneer 
has  not  been  staying  long  waiting.  To  make  short  work 
with  the  old  story,  I  tried  time  after  time  to  get  down  across 
country  to  the  Ruo  mouth,  but  always  failed  :  generally  there 
were  at  least  thi'ee  obstacles,  and  so  it  ended  in  my  going 
on  homewards  day  by  day ;  actually  turning  my  back  on 
the  spot  I  was  making  for,  on  the  day  I  had  aj^pointed  to 
meet  Livingstone.  I  found,  you  see,  that  it  was  impossible 
to  get  down  straight,  and  was  obliged  therefore  to  take  a 
longer  way  round  as  the  shortest  in  the  end,  and  by  coming 
down  from  home  to  Chibisa's  here,  to  go  down  the  river 
fx'om  this.  I  gave  up  the  plan  of  going  across  from  Soche, 
as  being  a  tempting  of  hostilities  lower  down  the  river, 
which  was  undesirable  on  every  ground.  Well,  on  Thursday, 
January  2,  I  got  to  Magomero.  Scudamore  was  very  unwell 
from  fatigue  and  exposure.  We  found  them  a  sick  house : 
Procter  only  on  the  turn  to  amend,  after  fever :  Rowley  very 
low :  Dickinson  a  good  deal  pulled  down  with  work.  Burrup 
and  Waller  were  both  worse  than  myself;  and  I  had  beeu 
sufiering  from  diarrhoea  for  three  or  four  weeks.  I  had 
hoped  to  get  a  fresh  companion  out  of  the  home  stock. 
But  this  was  impossible :  and  I  think  in  any  case  Burrup 
would  have  objected  to  staying  at  home.  So  off  we  started 
next  day. 

We  have  established  the  custom  of  having  a  few  prayers 

^  The  letter  here  breaks  off  abruptly,  as  though  the  Bishop  had  been 
called  away  by  sudden  interruption. 

2a 


402         MEMOIR  OF  BISHOP  MACKENZIE. 

at  our  Church  before  starting,  and  after  return  of  any  of 
our  party  on  a  journey :  so  we  had  prayers  for  those  that 
remained  and  for  those  who  were  going,  and  we  set  off.  It 
rained  heavily,  and  we  had  hard  work  to  get  the  Makololo  into 
motion.  But  it  is  a  good  thing  to  get  away,  though  we  only 
made  five  or  six  miles  that  day.  From  that  till  this  morn- 
ing we  have  had  almost  incessant  rain,  and  have  slept  five 
nights  on  the  road,  which  I  ran  through  in  seventeen  hours 
last  time.  Once  we  were  detained  two  or  three  hours  by  a 
river,  in  a  place  where  I  think  I  have  always  stepped  across. 
In  two  others  some  of  us  stood  in  the  middle  and  on  the 
banks  to  help  others  across.  It  was  a  great  relief  on  Monday 
night  to  find  ourselves  more  than  half-way,  at  Soche :  the 
chief  was  veiy  civil,  and  gave  us  some  ufa  (native  meal),  for 
which  we  were  very  thankful.  Yesterday  we  got  on  better, 
and  this  morning  we  got  here  :  but  so  ill  had  we  calculated 
the  distance,  that  we  took  a  couple  of  hard  eggs  with  us, 
starting  without  even  coffee,  meaning  to  breakfast  here,  and 
it  was  two  P.M.  before  we  began  that  said  early  meal.  But 
we  are  repaid  for  all  our  trouble  by  finding  that  it  will  not 
be  diflScult  to  get  boats  a  little  lower  down,  the  chief  here 
undertaking  to  send  us  there,  which  augurs  well.  Accord- 
ingly we  are  in  better  sj^irits,  and  are  to  start  with  volun- 
teers from  among  the  Makololo.  This  is  good.  Then  we 
have  seen  the  sun  to-day ;  and  this  is  a  very  beautiful  place : 
a  village  perched  on  the  top  of  a  cliff  of  i-ed  clay  over-hanging 
the  stream,  which  is  now  swollen  much,  and  commanding  a 
view  of  the  valley  of  the  Shire,  or  at  least  of  its  lowest  level, 
extending  four  or  five  miles  to  the  eastern  hills.  The  valley 
itself,  in  a  freer  sense,  stretches  many  a  mile  behind  us  to 
the  west, — fine  fertile  land,  studded  with  shi-ubs  and  trees, 
and  apparently  fit  for  any  cultivation.  I  suppose,  however, 
it  is  not  so  healthy  as  the  higher  lands. 

The  men  of  this  village  are  old  friends,  most  of  them : 
and  all  looks  bright.  I  have  been  having  many  a  laugh  with 
them  already.     Thus  it  is  that  God  gives  us  bright  spots  in 


LAST  DAYS  AND  DEATH.  403 

our  life  at  the  darkest, — and  how  often  bright  tracts  stretch- 
ing over  much  of  it ! 

I  am  all  this  time  stopping  to  shew  my  watch  to  some 
of  them,  and  to  explain  to  another  that  if  we  do  not  agree 
on  the  price  of  his  meal  we  need  not  quarrel ;  on  which  he 
comes  back  to  take  what  I  offered,  and  I  give  him  a  little 
more.     But  I  must  stop  now.     Thank  God  for  this  day. 

Jan.  9.  It  is  half-past  8.  We  have  had  breakfast;  at 
least  we  are  waiting  for  the  tea.  Burrup  has  taken  but 
little.  I  hope  he  will  be  up  to  his  work  to-day.  He  will  in 
spirit,  I  am  sure.  You  may  think  we  are  in  tolerable  time  j 
but  that  only  shews  your  ignorance.  We  ought  to  have  been 
off  before  this.  However,  it  is  no  use  hoping  to  go  at  rail- 
way speed  here,  or  with  railway  punctuality.  The  delay 
now  is  on  account  of  Mobita,  whose  mansion  is  at  some 
distance,  perhaps  a  mile,  and  who  has  not  yet  turned  up. 
I  read  Burrup  this  morning  the  Keble  for  xxvfch  Sunday  after 
Trinity.     I  do  so  admire  the  last  verses. 

Monday,  Jan.  13.  Our  suspense  is  at  an  end.  We  got 
here,  the  Euo  mouth,  on  Saturday,  to  learn  that  Livingstone, 
by  most  trying  delays,  as  they  must  have  been  to  him,  had 
passed  downwards  not  many  days  before ;  so  that,  if  we 
had  kept  our  appointment,  and  been  here  by  the  first  of 
January,  we  should  have  been  in  time  to  see  him  going 
down.  This,  though  sadly  trying  to  him,  and  running  some 
risk  of  his  losing  the  meeting  at  the  bar,  and  also  involving 
our  staying  here  a  good  while,  two  or  three  weeks  px'obably, 
seemed,  and  seems  still,  good  news  to  me,  inasmuch  as  we 
have  not  detained  him  by  arriving  ten  days  after  time. 

We  had,  on  the  whole,  a  prosperous  journey  down.  The 
chief  at  Chibisa's,  you  know,  undertook  to  send  us  down  to 
a  chief  an  hour  or  two  down  the  stream,  Turuma,  where  we 
should  be  likely  to  get  a  larger  boat.  His  own  he  could  not 
spare,  as  it  is  constantly  wanted  to  cross  the  river,  and  for 
communication  between  the  village  and  the  island,  on  which 
are  some  of  their  gardens.     Accordingly,  on  Thursday  we 

2e— 2 


404         MEMOIR  OF  BISHOP  MACKENZIE. 

set  off  at  3,  and  got  to  Tuiiima's  in  lialf  an  hour.  It  was 
deliciovis,  the  floating  down  that  broad,  green-banked  river. 
The  uncertainty  as  to  the  length  of  the  voyage  gave  it  a 
dreaminess,  like  some  parts  of  Southey's  Thalaha.  But  like 
Thalaba  our  difficulties  were  not  at  an  end.  Turuma  re- 
fused to  see  us,  returned  our  present,  and  declined  to  hire 
his  boat  to  us,  not,  as  I  believe,  from  ill  will,  but,  as  he  said 
himself,  for  fear  of  Mankokwe,  whom  (you  remember)  we 
saw  on  July  1  with  Livingstone  \  What  was  to  be  done  ? 
We  thought  of  trying  to  persuade  our  boatmen  to  take  us  to 
another  village,  where  we  might  have  better  luck;  but  be- 
fore doing  so,  I  thought  it  might  be  possible  to  borrow  the 
boat  we  were  in,  (the  men  having  positively  refused  to  go  so 
far  as  the  Ruo,)  by  arranging  to  borrow  Turuma's  boat  for 
them.  They  agreed  to  this,  and  so  did  he,  a  good  deal  to 
my  surprise.  The  next  question  was  about  men.  Chibisa's 
would  not  go  on,  Turuma  was  afraid  to  send  his.  Just  then 
two  of  the  Makololo,  Zomba  and  Siseho,  joined  us,  having 
walked  down  the  bank.  Mobita  had  in  the  raorning  re- 
fused to  come,  and  I  gave  them  all  up  except  Charlie,  who 
never  hesitated.  These  three  undertook  to  go  down  with  us. 
So  off  we  started,  wondering  at  the  way  God  was  leading  us. 
In  an  hoiir  or  two  we  landed  at  Magunda's,  where  they 
received  us  well.  The  chief,  not  well  enough  to  see  us,  sent 
us  a  goat,  before  we  had  sent  him  anything,  which  was 
unusually  civil.  Next  morning  we  were  off  early.  Burrup 
was  far  from  well.  About  midday  we  stopped  to  cook; 
found  a  village  a  little  back  from  the  stream,  where  we 
stayed  three  hours :  we  carried  our  cooked  food,  as  we  were 
entering  the  Elephant  Marsh,  and  should  not  come  to  an- 
other village  before  dark.  At  night  we  drew  to  the  shore, 
made  fast  the  boat  to  the  grass  on  the  bank,  ate  some  cold 
goat,  and  prepared  for  bed.  By  this  time  the  mosquitoes 
were  very  troublesome.  I  lent  two  pairs  of  trousers,  and 
a  blue  coatie  to  the  three  men,  wrapped  my  own  head  and 
^  The  Bishop  refers  to  a  letter  not  printed  in  this  volume. 


LAST  DAYS  AND  DEATH.  4^5 

shoulders  in  my  mosquito  curtains,  and  should  soon  have 
been  asleep,  when  one  of  the  men  said,  "  We  are  going  on." 
It  was  better,  they  thought,  to  work  on  in  moonlight,  rather 
than  be  eaten  up  by  the  insects.  In  less  than  a  minute  we 
were  off.  Sometimes  I  sat  up,  watching  the  guiding  of  the 
boat  in  the  narrow  winding  channel,  for  before  dark  we  had 
left  the  midstream  on  the  chance  of  finding  a  village  on  the 
margin  of  the  marsh.  After  half-an-hour  or  so  we  found 
ovirselves  stranded  on  the  flooded  bank,  having  been  sucked 
out  of  the  stream  by  the  overflowing  water.  As  we  had 
taken  a  little  water,  and  might  have  been  upset,  two  of  the 
men  were  for  stopping  here.  I,  who  had  been  delighting  in 
this  way  of  turning  mosquitoes  to  good  account  (by  getting 
three  or  four  hours  at  five  or  six  miles  an  hour,  a  problem 
this  which  has,  I  believe,  baffled  all  foi'mer  travellers  in 
mosquito  countries,) — I  was  for  going  on,  saying,  "Let  us  see 
a  second  time,"  but  gave  in  to  the  majority  of  the  men. 

In  a  few  minutes  Zomba,  the  bowman,  gave  his  orders  for 
a  start,  and  off  we  were  again  in  silence.  This  time  we  were 
sooner  in  coming  to  grief  A  sudden  turn,  which  our  bow- 
man did  not  see  in  time,  landed  us  again  on  a  point  where 
the  stream  parted  into  two;  the  two  men  in  the  stern 
jumped  out,  up  to  their  middles.  I  followed  immediately; 
Burrup  after  me.  But  in  vain ;  the  canoe  continued  to  fill, 
and  we  began  to  pull  out  our  things.  Unfortunately  one 
piece  of  baggage,  containing  all  Burrup's  things,  was  washed 
out  of  the  stern :  all  that  was  saved  had  to  be  laid  on  the 
bank,  which  consisted  of  long  grass,  two  or  three  feet  deep 
in  water,  till  we  could  get  the  canoe  raised  and  baled  out. 
Then  the  things  were  put  in  again,  all  soaking;  guns, 
powder-flasks,  bags  of  sugar  and  coffee,  books,  mail-bag, 
watch,  (fee;  all  from  below  the  surface;  and  we  wet  up  to 
our  middles.  We  had  to  get  into  the  boat,  wringing  the 
water  from  ovir  trowser-legs,  and  then  to  lie  down  again, 
worse  attacked  by  mosquitoes  than  at  first.  It  was  about 
ten,  as  my  watch  informed  me  in  the  morning,  not  having 


406         MEMOIR  OF  BISHOP  MACKENZIE. 

gone  after  this.  I  slept  the  best,  I  suspect.  Burrup  said 
he  did  not  mind  mosquitoes,  and  certainly  never  uttered  a 
word.  I  took  Charlie  under  the  corner  of  my  curtain.  The 
rest  switched  themselves  from  time  to  time.  No  one  pro- 
posed going  on  again :  indeed,  we  were  thankful  our  losses 
had  been  no  worse,  though  it  was  not  till  next  day  we 
remembered  that  all  our  medicine  was  gone,  and  our  spare 
powder ;  and  all  my  powder  was  wet.  Before  the  sun  was 
up  we  were  off.  Fortunately  the  night  was  far  from  cold, 
or  we  must  have  taken  harm :  as  it  is,  Burrup  is  none  the 
better  for  it.     I  think  I  have  escaped  any  ill  consequences. 

In  the  morning  (Saturday,  Jan.  11),  about  9,  I  was 
wakened  by  being  told  we  were  at  the  Ruo  mouth.  We 
landed  on  an  island  where  we  saw  a  village,  learned  that 
the  Pioneer  had  lately  passed,  (though  it  is  evidently  not  a 
week  ago,  it  is  hopeless  to  make  out  the  exact  day),  and  I 
cannot  learn  that  Livingstone  has  left  any  letter  for  me. 
I  must  get  a  canoe  as  soon  as  I  can,  and  go  and  look  for  it 
among  the  neighbouring  villages.  In  the  meantime  we  have 
been  led  to  a  very  nice  village.  A  benign,  oldish  chief, 
Chikanzi,  with  a  lai'ge  population,  occupying,  I  think,  about 
a  hundred  hixts,  willing  that  we  should  remain  here,  warn- 
ing us  that  the  chiefs  a  little  way  up  the  Buo  would  cut  our 
throats  if  we  tried  to  pay  them  a  visit,  which,  whether  trvie 
or  not,  at  least  removes  all  fear  of  his  joining  them,  and 
betraying  us.  I  have  my  hopes,  ia  my  own  mind,  that  our 
being  here  in  this  way  may  be  intended  to  prepare  this  vil- 
lage for  being  one  of  the  stations  to  be  worked  by  owy  Mis- 
sion steamer  (the  University  Boat),  for  which  I  hope  to  write 
by  this  mail. 

So  matters  stand  at  present.  Burrup  is  very  low,  and 
we  have  no  medicine.  Quinine,  which  we  ought  to  be 
taking  every  day,  there  is  none.  But  He  who  brought  us 
here  can  take  cai'e  of  us  without  human  means.  If  we 
should  be  down  at  once,  Charlie  will  take  care  of  v^.  The 
texts  in  Greek  which  we  have  learned  day  by  day  lately 


LAST  DAYS  AND  DEATH.  407 

have  been  Rom,  ii.  "  For  he  is  not  a  Jew,  whicli  is  one  out- 
wardly; neither  is  that  circumcision,  which  is  outward  in 
the  flesh :  but  he  is  a  Jew,  which  is  one  inwardly ;  and  cir- 
cumcision is  that  of  the  heart,  in  the  spirit,  and  not  in  the 
letter;  whose  praise  is  not  of  men,  but  of  God."  iii.  "But 
now  the  righteousness  ot  God  without  the  law  is  manifested, 
being  witnessed  by  the  law  and  the  prophets ;  even  the 
righteousness  of  God  which  is  by  faith  of  Jesus  Christ  unto 
all  and  upon  all  them  that  believe  :  for  there  is  no  differ- 
ence :  for  all  have  sinned,  and  come  short  of  the  kingdom 
of  God."  vi.  "For  the  wages  of  sin  is  death  ;  but  the  gift 
of  God  is  eternal  life  through  Jesus  Christ  our  Lord."  vii. 
"  O  wretched  man  that  I  am !  who  shall  deliver  me  from 
the  body  of  this  death  ]  I  thank  God  through  Jesus  Christ 
our  Lord.  So  then  with  the  mind  I  myself  serve  the  law 
of  God ;  but  with  the  flesh  the  law  of  sin."  viii.  "  I  am 
persuaded,  that  neither  death,  nor  life,  nor  angels,  nor  prin- 
cipalities, nor  powers,  nor  things  present,  nor  things  to 
come,  nor  height,  nor  depth,  nor  any  other  creature,  shall 
be  able  to  separate  us  from  the  love  of  God,  which  is  in 
Christ  Jesus  our  Lord."  x.  "  Whosoever  shall  call  upon 
the  name  of  the  Lord  shall  be  saved.  How  then  shall  they 
call  on  Him  in  whom  they  have  not  believed?  and  how  shall 
they  believe  in  Him  of  whom  they  have  not  heard  %  and 
how  shall  they  hear  without  a  preacher?  and  how  shall 
they  preach,  except  they  be  sent  ?  as  it  is  written.  How 
beautiful  are  the  feet  of  them  that  preach  the  gospel  of 
peace,  and  bring  glad  tidings  of  good  things."  Good  bye 
for  the  present. 

Here  the  letter  terminates  abruptly,  for  reasons 
which  the  reader  will  guess  only  too  truly.  I  may  add, 
the  letter  bears  marks  of  having  been  immersed  in 
water ;  some  small  portions  of  it  have  been  rendered 
nearly  illegible.  It  is  a  very  precious  document ;  and 
the  concluding  words,  Good  bye  for  the  present,  form  as 


4o8         MEMOIR  OF  BISHOP  MACKENZIE. 

suitable  a  parting  from  liis  earthly  friends  as  he  him- 
self could  have  desired. 

The  loss  of  medicines  by  the  upsetting  of  the  canoe 
was  a  matter  of  far  more  serious  moment  than  the 
Bishop  has  represented  it.  Looking  upon  the  matter 
coolly,  one  would  feel  disposed  to  say,  that  there  were 
three  courses  which  might  have  been  adopted,  and  that 
the  one  actually  taken  was  the  only  thoroughly  bad 
one.  The  Bishop  and  Mr  Burrup  might  either  have 
gone  back  to  Chibisa's  and  Magomero,  and  returned 
with  a  new  supply  of  quinine,  in  which  case  active 
exercise  might  probably  have  preserved  their  health ; 
and  even  then,  judging  from  the  former  experience  of 
the  Pioneer,  they  could  have  been  again  at  the  ren- 
dezvous, before  Dr  Livingstone  was  likely  to  have 
returned:  or  they  might  have  made  a  push  to  over- 
take the  Pioneer,  which  had  only  recently  passed,  and 
which  might  in  all  probability  have  been  overtaken : 
or  lastly,  they  might  remain  where  they  were,  in  jDcr- 
fect  bodily  inaction  after  long  severe  bodily  exercise, 
with  no  exciting  mental  occupation,  and  with  no 
medicine,  and  consequently  under  the  most  favourable 
conditions  for  the  action  of  African  fever.  But,  un- 
fortunately, the  Bishop  had  hitherto  seemed  almost 
fever  proof,  and  Mr  Burrup  had  already  been  able  to 
set  all  rules  of  African  travel  at  defiance ;  as  Dr  Living- 
stone said,  Mr  Burrup's  wonderful  feat,  which  has  been 
already  recorded,  had  destroyed  the  effect  of  all  his 
cautions  ;  and  so,  in  defiance  of  the  apparent  dictates  of 
ordinary  prudence,  they  determined  to  remain  where 
they  were. 

No  doubt  one  stronsf  argument  for  remainins:  was 


LAST  DAYS  AND  DEATH.  4^9 

that  the  Bishop  thought  he  could  turn  his  time  to 
good  account.  He  could  make  friends  with  the  chief 
of  the  island  and  his  people,  and  so  lay  the  founda- 
tion for  future  missionary  work;  and  with  this  prospect 
before  him,  the  rashness  of  the  attempt  would  become 
invisible.  The  result,  however,  adds  another  to  the 
list  of  melancholy  proofs  which  have  been  furnished,  of 
the  need  of  not  completely  forgetting  the  necessities 
and  the  weaknesses  of  flesh  and  blood :  let  a  man, 
placed  in  a  responsible  position,  whether  as  a  mission- 
ary or  otherwise,  first  do  all  that  human  wisdom  and 
prudence  can  suggest,  and  then  humbly  and  devoutly 
leave  the  result  in  God's  hands ;  but  it  is  impossible  to 
applaud  the  wisdom,  though  we  may  marvel  at  the 
exalted  piety,  of  trusting  for  preservation  to  God's  pro- 
vidence, under  circumstances  in  which  the  laws  of  the 
natural  world  prove  by  experience  that  safety  is  not 
to  be  expected. 

However,  the  Bishop  determined  to  remain  on  the 
island.  On  January  16,  he  wi'ote  as  follows  in  a  letter 
to  Mr  Strong :  the  date,  it  will  be  observed,  brings  it 
into  immediate  connection  with  the  letter  to  his  sister 
given  above. 

LETTER  XCIII. 

Jan.  16,  1862.  I  have  wi-itten  to  my  sister  a  full  ac- 
count, which  you  will  see,  of  my  journey  with  Scudamore, 
BuiTup  and  Waller,  to  Manga  and  back,  and  subsequently 
with  Burrup  to  this  place,  an  island  at  the  confluence  of  the 
Ruo  with  the  Shire,  where  we  are  awaiting  the  return  of 
Livingstone,  in  the  Pioneer,  from  the  sea.  We  left  home  on 
December  23.  Spent  Christmas  at  Saopa's  village,  under  the 
precipices  of  the  Milanje  mountains.     Found  that  Chipoka, 


4IO         MEMOIR  OF  BISHOP  MACKENZIE. 

whose  guides  led  Procter  and  Sciidamore  to  the  village  of  Ma- 
nasomba,  disclaimed  all  complicity  in  the  outrage.  Accord- 
ingly, with  a  few  of  his  men,  who,  together  with  our  own, 
amounted  to  about  fifty,  we  went  on  January  4,  and  finding 
the  village  of  Manasomba  deserted,  burnt  it,  and  returned  to 
Chipoka's.  "We  went  with  the  avowed  object  of  recovering 
the  two  remaining  captives,  one  of  whom  was  one  of  our 
own  freed-people  at  Magomero,  and  punishing  the  perpe- 
trators of  so  treacherous  an  act  as  that  described  above,  in 
order  that  he  might  desist  from  such  courses,  especially  in 
the  case  of  Englishmen,  and  that  others  might  fear.  In  this 
I  feel  that  we  did  right.  It  is  true  our  Lord  said  to  His 
disciples,  "  They  knew  not  what  spirit  they  were  of."  But 
in  this  case  we  were  not  revenging  ourselves.  There  was  no 
ruler  ordained  of  God  (Rom.  xiv.)  to  whom  we  could  refer 
the  matter,  else  we  should  have  been  only  too  glad  to  do  so ; 
but  we  believed  that,  being  the  only  power  in  the  place  that 
could  do  it,  we  were  ourselves  God's  ministers  for  the  pur- 
pose. 

I  would  gladly  have  left  it  for  Livingstone  to  do  in  the 
Queen's  name,  but  feared  he  would  say  his  other  duties  were 
too  pressing,  and  that  he  had  no  time.  I  should  have  pre- 
ferred waiting  for  his  approval  of  my  doing  it,  which  I  am 
sure  he  would  give;  but  by  that  time,  with  ten  tons  of 
goods,  and  probably  a  party  of  ladies,  on  my  hands,  it  would 
have  been  impossible.  As  speedy  a  retribution  as  possible 
seemed  the  best ;  and  in  that  belief,  and  with  the  approval 
of  my  associates,  I  acted.  We  marched  peaceably  among 
fields  and  villages  belonging  to  Manasomba's  people,  and 
spared  a  village  near  his  own,  said  to  be  the  residence  of  his 
wife  (equivalent  to  a  second  village  belonging  to  himself), 
and  were  glad  to  find  on  our  return  that  this  moderation 
was  appreciated,  and  was  attributed  to  a  desire  not  to  shut 
out  the  possibility  of  a  reconciliation  with  the  ofiender.  To 
this  object  Chipoka  now  devoted  his  energies,  and,  to  avoid 
risk  of  failure,  refused  to  help  me  in  any  way  to  make  my 


LAST  DAYS  AND  DEATH.  411 

way  to  the  Ruo  mouth  in  a  straight  line,  as  I  believe  I 
might  easily  have  done  in  two  days.  Chipoka  said  we 
should  pass  through  country  occupied  by  Manasomba's 
friends,  and  that  our  doing  so  would  frustrate  his  attempts 
to  heal  the  breach.  Besides,  if  we  were  killed,  the  English 
from  behind  (at  Magomero)  would  come  and  blame  him  for 
guiding  us  into  danger.  With  the  greatest  reluctance  I 
yielded  to  necessity,  and  got  here  in  eleven  or  twelve  days, 
instead  of  two,  going  over  about  230  miles  instead  of  about 
fifty,  and  being  ten  days  after  our  appointment  with  Living- 
stone. I  ought  to  have  said  that  in  the  attempt  to  recover 
the  captives  we  utterly  failed,  but  left  that  as  an  outstand- 
ing demand  which  Chipoka  promised  to  make  in  my  name. 

The  most  painful  jjart  of  the  whole  was  the  death  of 
one  of  our  bearers,  who  was  wounded  by  an  arrow  on 
our  way  back,  and  the  illness  which  repeated  exposure 
brought  back  with  increased  force  upon  Scudamore.  I  left 
him,  I  am  soriy  to  say,  on  January  3rd,  in  a  high  fever. 
There  was  not  one  of  the  party  that  I  left  really  well  (except 
perhaps  Adams),  though  none  of  the  rest  were  very  seriously 
ill.  Burrup  and  1  had  a  very  wet  walk  to  the  anchorage  of 
the  Pioneer,  sleeping  five  nights  on  the  way,  and  came  down 
here  in  a  canoe  with  no  other  mishap  than  being  once  upset 
and  losing  one  of  our  bundles;  it  contained  our  spare  powder, 
(so  that  we  have  only  three  or  four  chai'ges  dry,)  all  our  me- 
dicines, which  we  miss  as  we  are  both  in  want  of  them,  and 
all  Burrup's  bedding,  change  of  clothes,  and  other  private 
property.  We  had  an  uncomfortable  night  (it  happened  at 
10  P.M.  by  moonlight),  as  we  were  soaked  up  to  the  waist 
(nothing  whatever  indeed  was  dry  but  the  shirts  we  had  on), 
and  we  were  nearly  at  the  mercy  of  an  unusiial  number  of 
mosquitoes.  Burrup  has  not  been  well  since.  I  am  myself, 
thank  God,  in  almost  perfect  health,  and  only  regret,  on  my 
own  account,  the  loss  of  the  little  packet  of  dnigs,  inasmuch 
as  I  shall  probably  have  a  touch  of  fever  soon  for  want  of 
quinine.     We  learned  that  Livingstone  had  gone  down  only 


412         MEMOIR  OF  BISHOP  MACKENZIE. 

a  few  days  before  we  reached  the  rendezvous  :  his  delays  from 
sandbanks  must  have  been  as  trying  as  on  our  way  up.  We 
do  not  expect  him  back  for  at  least  a  fortnight  (our  cloth 
for  purchasing  will  last  perhaps  three  weeks). 

At  first  sight  it  might  seem  that  it  would  have  been 
much  better,  could  we  have  been  here  in  time  to  see  him 
before  he  went  down.  We  could,  it  is  true,  have  sent  letters 
later  by  six  or  seven  weeks,  as  an  addition  to  our  mail  of 
November  15  ;  and  we  should  probably  have  gone  to  the 
sea  with  him,  and  so  received  our  ladies.  We  tivo  might 
also  have  answered  the  letters  we  hope  to  receive  soon.  On 
the  other  hand,  by  our  stay  here,  we  are  making  intimate 
friends  of  the  inhabitants  of  this  large  village.  There  are, 
I  believe,  more  than  100  huts,  giving,  I  suppose,  about  500 
people.  I  do  not  know  any  Mang-anja  village  so  large,  and 
the  importance  of  this  friendship  may  be  great,  for  I  expect 
to  add  to  this  letter  a  request  for  a  steamer  to  ply  on  this 
lower  Shire,  to  constitute  our  connection  with  the  civilised 
world.  Livingstone  warns  me  not  to  depend  on  the  Pioneer 
to  bring  up  stores,  or  occasional  additions  to  our  body;  for 
it  will  not  always  be  possible  for  him  to  do  us  this  service  at 
the  time  we  require  it,  as  he  would  be  only  too  glad  to  do. 
There  must,  then,  be  a  steamer  on  which  we  can  depend  for 
supplies  and  communication.  I  think  I  told  you  how  I. 
shrank  from  the  responsibility  of  having  such  a  vessel,  which 
would  have  to  lie  idle  for  months  together,  periods  injurious 
alike  to  body  and  soul.  I  thought  of  fevers  on  board,  and, 
far  worse,  of  quarrelling  among  its  crew,  and  of  conduct 
unbecoming  our  Christian  name,  and  dishonouring  to  God, 
and  undei'mining  our  mission  work  among  the  natives.  But 
why  should  it  be  idle  ]  Why  not  have  mission  work  on  this 
river,  under  the  management  of  a  priest,  and  perhaps  a 
deacon,  always  on  board?  Why  should  not  there  be  several, 
aye,  from  five  to  ten  villages,  on  the  banks,  visited  regu- 
larly, in  which  preaching,  schooling,  marketing,  and  gene- 
ral civilising  influences  might  go  on]    The  trij)  to  the  sea, 


LAST  DAYS  AND  DEATH.  413 

once  or  twice  in  a  year,  would  make  little  interruption  in 
this,  wbicli  would  be  the  main  work  of  the  vessel;  and  if 
there  were  this  constant  passing  up  and  down,  at  regular  or 
irregular  intervals,  only  not  too  long,  there  would  be  much 
greater  difficulty  than  at  present  in  transmitting  slaves  from 
the  east  to  the  west  bank.  In  this  way  of  looking  at  the 
matter,  which  has  arisen  in  conversation  at  Magomero,  all 
my  objections  vanish.  There  would  be  healthful  occupation 
for  the  crew,  and  such  employment  for  their  minds  as  would, 
I  hope,  give  the  ship  rather  a  good  than  a  bad  influence  on 
their  characters,  while  the  whole  would  be  under  the  com- 
mand of  a  clergyman,  who  would  consider  that  his  parish 
included  his  fellow-voyagers,  as  well  as  the  natives  on  the 
banks.  And,  in  this  view,  may  not  our  stopping  here  and 
making  friends  with  this  island  chief  be  of  importance, 
greater  than  all  that  we  might  have  done  if  we  had  been 
here  a  week  earlier? 

Soon  after  writing  the  above  the  fever  seized  upon 
the  Bishop,  and  made  rapid  progress.  He  became 
aware  of  his  approaching  end,  and  told  his  Makololo 
attendants  that  Jesus  was  coming  to  fetch  him  away. 
About  the  20th  or  21st  of  January,  his  intellectual  facul- 
ties gave  way,  and  he  lay  in  his  hut  in  a  state  of  utter 
prostration,  almost  without  uttering  a  word,  or  if  he  did 
speak,  speaking  incoherently.  Sometimes,  in  going  out 
of  his  hut,  he  would  fall  forward  on  his  face,  and  lie  on 
the  ground  without  being  able  to  move.  On  the  24!th 
he  appears  to  have  ruptured  a  blood-vessel,  and  was 
henceforth  weaker  than  before.  Mr  Burrup  was  almost 
as  debilitated  as  himself,  and  was  of  course  unable  to 
render  much  assistance.  The  three  Makololo,  however, 
were  faithful  and  attentive,  and  did  all  they  could.     So 


414         MEMOIR  OF  BISHOP  MACKENZIE. 

matters  went  on  till  January  31,  when  the  Bishop 
died. 

On  the  morning  of  that  day,  the  chief,  under  the 
pretence  that  the  hut  was  needed  for  some  other  pur- 
pose, insisted  upon  the  Bishop  being  moved  ;  Mr  Burrup 
represented  the  impossibility  of  moving  a  man  in  such 
a  condition ;  but  in  vain.  The  fact  probably  was,  that 
the  chief  was  afraid  that  the  death  would  take  place 
in  his  hut,  and  that  afterwards,  according  to  the  native 
superstition,  the  presence  of  the  departed  spirit  would 
render  it  uninhabitable.  Fearing  lest  the  chief  should 
banish  them  from  the  island  altogether,  Mr  Burrup  at 
length  consented,  and  the  dying  Bishop  was  removed 
to  another  hut.  The  change  probably  hastened  the 
end,  for  in  about  an  hour  and  a  half  after  arriving  in 
the  new  hut,  the  Bishop  breathed  his  last. 

It  is  needless  to  say  that  the  position  of  Mr  Burrup 
was  a  very  painful  one.  Himself  in  a  state  of  great 
exhaustion,  he  was  compelled  at  once  to  take  steps 
for  removing  the  body  from  the  island  :  the  chief  would 
not  permit  it  to  remain  even  till  the  following  day : 
and  accordingly,  on  the  same  evening,  assisted  by  the 
three  faithful  Makololo,  Mr  Burrup  conveyed  the  re- 
mains of  Bishop  Mackenzie  to  the  main-land  in  the 
canoe,  chose  a  secluded  spot  under  a  large  tree,  dug 
a  grave,  and  after  reading  as  much  of  the  burial  ser- 
vice as  he  was  able  in  the  dim  evening  light,  left  the 
dear  remains  in  sure  and  certain  hope  of  the  resurrec- 
tion of  the  just. 

The  reader  will  wish  to  know  what  became  of  Mr 
Burrup.     The  day  after  the  Bishop's  death,  he  made 


LAST  DAYS  AND  DEATH.  4^5 

preparations  for  returning  to  Magomcro ;  and  leaving 
a  letter  with  the  chief  to  be  given  to  Dr  Livingstone, 
when  he  should  return  in  the  Pioneer,  he  started  on 
his  homeward  journey  on  Sunday,  February  2.  The 
Makololo  wished  to  leave  the  canoe  and  go  to  Chibisa's 
by  land ;  but  as  the  canoe  had  been  lent  by  the  people 
of  that  place,  Mr  Burrup  would  not  consent.  Accord- 
ingly, the  party  started  in  the  canoe,  but  at  the  end 
of  three  days,  when  they  had  got  through  the  Elephant 
Marsh,  the  navigation  became  so  difficult,  that  the 
Makololo  positively  refused  to  continue  with  the  boat, 
and  landed ;  Mr  Burrup  was  compelled  to  follow.  On 
February  8,  they  arrived  at  Chibisa's  :  Mr  Burrup's 
walking  powers  were  by  this  time  all  expended,  and 
from  Chibisa's  to  Magomero  he  was  carried. 

It  was  on  February  14  that  the  missionary  party, 
who  had  begun  to  grow  uneasy  concerning  the  Bishop 
and  Mr  Burrup,  were  discussing  the  propriety  of  sending 
down  to  Chibisa's  and  making  inquiries,  when  one  of 
the  Makololo  suddenly  appeared :  his  sad  looks  at  once 
told  them  that  something  was  wrong.  They  asked 
whether  the  Bishop  was  coming ;  he  shook  his  head, 
looked  on  the  ground,  and  answered  in  Mang-anja, 
"Bishop  wa  fra," — the  Bishop  is  dead.  The  truth 
could  not  be  doubted :  he  himself  had  assisted  at  the 
burial. 

Soon  after  Mr  Burrup  arrived.  The  first  few  days 
it  was  hoped  that  he  would  recover  his  strength,  and 
in  all  probabihty  this  hope  would  have  been  reaUsed 
had  European  comforts  been  at  hand ;  his  appetite  was 
good,  and  he  was  able  to  walk ;  unfortunately,  neither 


4t6        memoir  of  bishop  MACKENZIE. 

brandy,  nor  wine,  nor  wheaten  bread  were  to  be  bad, 
and  on  February  22  he  rapidly  sank,  and  died  in  the 
evening.  On  Sunday,  February  23,  he  was  buried  in 
a  quiet  retired  spot  near  Magomero. 

The  story  of  the  Bishop's  decease  would  hardly  be 
complete,  if  I  did  not  add  some  account  of  the  party 
of  ladies,  to  meet  whom  the  disastrous  journey  down 
the  Shire  had  been  undertaken.  The  reader  will  re- 
member that  we  left  Miss  Mackenzie  and  Mrs  Burrup 
in  charge  of  Captain  Wilson  of  H.M.S.  Gorgon,  at 
Quilimane.  They  soon  fell  in  with  Dr  Livingstone  and 
the  Pioneer,  and  arrangements  were  quickly  commenced 
for  taking  the  whole  party  up  the  country.  There  was 
a  good  deal  of  work  to  be  done  before  the  expedition 
could  start ;  Dr  Livingstone's  new  steamer,  the  Lady 
Nyassa,  which  was  on  board  the  Hetty  Ellen,  had  to  be 
transshipped  to  the  Pioneer,  besides  smaller  arrange- 
ments. However,  on  February  10  they  entered  the 
narrow  channel  which  joins  the  Kongone  mouth  with 
the  great  Zambesi,  and  the  difficulties  of  navigation 
soon  began.  On  that  very  afternoon,  they  grounded  on 
a  sand-bank ;  two  days  afterwards,  something  went 
wrong  with  the  machinery ;  and  the  next  day  all  the 
coals  were  exhausted,  and  they  were  compelled  to  send 
out  parties  to  cut  wood.  At  length.  Captain  Wilson 
kindly  proposed  to  take  Miss  Mackenzie  and  Mrs 
Burrup  forward  in  his  gig,  and  on  Monday,  Feb.  17, 
they  started  tipon  their  journey.  It  would  be  beyond 
the  scope  of  this  memoir  to  attempt  to  narrate  the 
details  of  this  remarkable  expedition,  and  I  am  unable 
to  describe,  in  adequate  terms,  the  chivalrous  courtesy 


LAST  DAYS  AND  DEATH.  417 

which  the  two  lone  hidies  received  from  Captain  Wilson, 
Dr  Ramsay,  and  the  crew.  Suffice  it  to  say,  that  the 
party  reached  in  due  time  the  place  of  rendezvous,  at 
the  junction  of  the  Ruo  and  Shire,  Miss  Mackenzie  at 
the  time  lying  in  a  state  of  unconsciousness  from  fever ; 
here  the}^  made  inquiry  concerning  the  Bishop,  but  the 
natives  denied  that  they  had  seen  or  heard  anything  of 
him,  the  reason  for  their  lie  no  doubt  being  this,  that 
they  feared  lest  they  should  be  called  to  account  for 
the  Bishop's  death.  On  March  4,  they  reached  Chi- 
bisa's,  where  they  heard  of  the  sad  calamity.  From, 
hence  Captain  Wilson,  with  Dr  Kirk,  made  an  expedition 
to  Magomero,  to  hear  all  particulars ;  on  arriving  there, 
it  was  found  that  not  only  the  Bishop,  but  Mr  Burrup 
also,  as  the  reader  already  knows,  had  been  taken  away. 
There  was  nothing  to  be  done  but  to  return  to  Chibisa's 
with  the  melancholy  intelligence,  and  offer  to  the  two 
sad-hearted  women  the  means  of  leaving  a  country  in 
which  it  was  now  impossible  for  them  to  remain. 

They  started  on  the  return  voyage  at  live  A.M.  on 
March  12,  and  at  four  P.M.  reached  the  island  where 
the  Bishop  died.  Inquiry  was  made  for  the  letter  which 
had  been  left ;  the  natives  looked  one  at  another,  and 
saying,  "  It  is  all  known,"  produced  the  letter.  It  ran 
thus : 

Mouth  of  Euo,  Island  and  Village  Malo, 
Saturday,  Feb.   i,  1S62. 

My  dear  Doctor, 

I  deplore  to  tell  you  that  our  good  Bishop  died  on 
this  island  yesterday  about  5  o'clock.  We  anived  here  on 
Saturday,  January  12.  We  had  been  upset  in  our  canoe 
the  night  before,  and  the  valise  in  which  the  medicines  were 

27 


41 8         MEMOIR  OF  BISHOP  MACKENZIE. 

with  the  quinine  was  lost.  We  had,  therefore,  none,  with 
the  exception  of  some  made  from  your  prescription,  which 
had  likewise  suffered  from  the  wet.  He  had  been  suffering 
from  diarrhoea  for  some  weeks  before,  but  had  got  rid  of  it. 
He  took  the  pills  twice,  once  before  he  came  here.  He  was 
quite  well  and  strong  notwithstanding,  and  shewed  no  signs 
of  failing  strength  for  ten  days  after  our  arrival,  but  from 
that  time  he  shewed  symptoms  of  wandering  in  the  head, 
and  at  length  mental  and  physical  prostration,  which  con- 
tinued up  to  the  last.  The  Chief  objected  to  his  being  buried 
on  the  island.  We  therefore,  although  sunset,  went  over 
and  buried  him  as  decently  as  the  haste  thought  necessary 
made  possible.  The  spot  is  under  a  large  tree,  which  the 
natives  will  shew  you.  In  consequence  of  my  arrangements 
I  shall  not  be  able  to  do  anything  to  the  grave. 

Captain  Wilson  had  great  dijBEiculty  in  procuring 
a  guide  to  shew  him  the  grave;  at  last  an  old  man 
consented  to  go,  but  on  condition  that  he  should  go  in 
his  own  canoe,  not  in  the  captain's  gig.  Captain  Wilson 
and  Dr  Kirk  found  the  spot,  which  had  evidently  not 
been  disturbed ;  they  made  a  cross  of  reeds,  and  placed 
it  over  the  grave.  This  act  of  piety  performed,  the  boat 
continued  her  sad  voyage  that  same  evening. 

On  April  2  the  ladies  were  again  on  board  the 
Gorgon;  on  April  26  they  were  safely  landed  at  the 
Cape,  and  were  once  more  hospitably  received  by  the 
good  Bishop  of  Cape  Town. 

Reference  has  already  been  made  to  the  plan  of 
having  a  steamer  in  the  service  of  the  mission.  The 
Bishop  conceived  the  notion  of  making  an  appeal  for 
such  a  steamer  to  the  members  of  the  boat-clubs  in 
Oxford  and  Cambridsre.     I  now  sive  the  letter  in  which 


LAST  DAYS  AND  DEATH.  419 

the  appeal  was  contained.  It  is  only  a  fragment,  and 
is  a  rough  draft  written  in  pencil ;  but  it  will,  if  I  mis- 
take not,  be  read  with  gi'eat  interest,  partly  as  being 
one  of  the  last  productions  of  the  Bishop's  mind,  partly 
because  it  will  shew  how  nobly  desirous  he  was,  even 
to  the  last,  of  turning  every  advantage  which  his  posi- 
tion gave  him  to  the  account  of  the  great  work  which 
he  had  in  hand. 

LETTER  XCIY. 

KivER  Shire  (a  "Dranch  of  the  Zambesi), 

January,   1S62. 

Sir, 

I  write  to  you  as  a  member  of  the  University  Boat- 
Club,  of  which  I  am  myself  a  member,  to  ask  you  to  give 
attention  to  the  matter  which  I  now  lay  before  you.  Those 
were  noble  contests  in  which  some  of  us  took  part,  and  all 
took  interest,  on  the  Isis  or  the  Cam ;  but  we  are  older  men 
now,  and  may  well  turn  to  higher  and  nobler  aims.  There 
is  on  the  river  Shire  a  contest  to  be  maintained  with  evil, 
both  with  sin,  as  the  root,  and  with  oppression,  cruelty,  and 
every  other  form  of  the  fruits  of  sin.  In  order  to  engage  in 
this  contest,  and  to  continue  the  mission  already  established 
on  the  high  table-land  fifty  miles  from  its  banks,  we  must 
have  a  steamer  to  ply  on  the  stream,  to  connect  and  bring 
under  our  superintendence  the  several  points  along  its  course, 
where  Christian  and  civilising  influences  may  advantageously 
be  applied;  and  also  to  keep  up  our  communication  with 
the  sea,  from  which  we  must  receive  our  letters  and  supplies 
for  barter,  and  other  necessaries.  The  Bishop  of  Cape  Town 
first  spoke  of  the  need  of  such  a  vessel,  and  I  am  fully  con- 
vinced it  is  absolutely  required;  I  have  delayed  writing  for 
one,  only  till  we  could  see  our  way  through  one  or  two  ob- 
jections to  the  idea  as  it  at  first  presented  itself  to  me. 

The  following  is  a  sketch  of  what  I  think  would  do  the 

27—2 


420         MEMOIR  OF  BISHOP  MACKENZIE. 

work,  and  witliout  which  it  could  not  be  done.  A  steamer 
80  feet  long,  16  feet  wide,  drawing  two  and  a  half  feet  of 
water,  when  carrying  her  own  spare  gear,  without  crew  or 
stores,  and  making  easily  (with  wood  in  her  furnaces)  a  speed 
of  eight  miles  an  hour  when  loaded  so  as  to  draw  four  feet 
of  water.  A  master  of  the  grade  of  the  master  of  a  mer- 
chantman, with  boatswain  and  three  seamen,  an  engineer 
with  assistant,  one  stoker,  and  a  doctor ;  the  whole  to  be 
under  the  direction  of  one  of  the  clergy  of  the  mission. 
I  would  make  it  the  duty  of  this  vessel  to  take  a  trip  down 
the  river  and  back  again,  once  in  (say)  two  months  (its  head- 
quarters being  at  Chibisa's,  the  anchorage  of  the  Pioneer), 
and  stay  two  or  three  days  at  each  of  the  five  or  six  villages 
on  the  bank,  which  might  by  degrees  be  chosen  as  central 
points  for  their  respective  neighboui'hoods.  In  the  course 
of  these  two  or  three  days,  preaching,  schooling,  and  general 
teaching  would  be  the  main  objects,  while  the  inhabitants 
of  the  vicinity  might  be  tempted  to  swell  the  numbers  in 
the  villages  by  the  opportunity  they  would  have  of  getting 
cloth  by  bartering  their  goods.  The  vessel  would  in  this 
way  have  a  supply  of  fresh  goods,  and  the  first  attempt 
would  be  made  to  establish  a  trade  in  cotton  and  other 
articles  of  export.  To  keep  up  foreign  communication,  the 
steamer  would  make  a  trip  once  a  year  or  oftener  to  the 
bar,  meeting  some  sea-going  vessel  by  appointment.  She 
would  then  discharge  any  cotton,  ivory,  tkc,  which  she 
might  have  received  in  barter,  at  the  same  time  that  she 
i-eceived  the  year's  supplies  for  the  missions  on  the  river 
and  on  the  highlands.  In  case  of  necessity  this  vessel  would, 
I  conceive,  be  able  to  make  a  run  to  Johanna  or  Natal; 
l)ut  I  would  not  contemplate  this  as  any  part  of  her  duty. 
One  future  good  result  of  the  plying  of  such  a  vessel  on  this 
river,  would  be  that,  in  concert  with  Livingstone's  opera- 
tions on  the  upper  Shire  and  Lake  Nyassa,  the  transfer  of 
gangs  of  slaves  from  the  east  to  the  west  side  of  this  line 
would  be  very  much  impeded — probably  entirely  prevented 


LAST  DAYS  AND  DEATH.  42 1 

— and  thus  a  slave  path,  apparently  quite  recently  opened, 
would  be  closed.  The  cost  of  such  a  vessel  would  probably 
be  £5,000,  and  the  annual  outlay  not  less  than  £1,700. 
Might  not  these  sums  be  raised  by  the  members  of  the  Uni- 
versity Boat-Clubs,  and  the  boat  be  called  the  "University 
Boat  T  Will  you  give  a  liberal  share,  and  do  what  you  can 
to  urge  others  to  do  the  same  ? 


The  appeal  contained  in  the  Bishop's  letter  lias  not 
met  with  a  response  so  warm  as  might  perhaps  have 
been  anticipated.  Nevertheless,  something  has  been 
done  towards  carrying  out  the  scheme,  though  in  a 
modified  form.  Further  consideration,  and  the  results 
of  Dr  Livingstone's  experience,  led  those  best  fitted  to 
judge  into  the  opinion  that  a  boat,  manned  by  a  native 
crew,  would  be  far  more  practicable  and  more  effective 
than  a  steamer ;  in  fact,  that  a  steamer  could  not  be 
permanently  worked,  and  that  a  boat,  rowed  by  natives, 
possibly  might.  Accordingly,  an  attempt  has  been  made 
to  raise  the  funds  for  such  a  boat  service ;  it  is  mani- 
fest, that  if  the  mission  is  to  hold  its  ground  in  the 
country,  something  of  the  kind  must  be  done. 

And  now  I  come  to  the  last  document,  left  behind 
him  by  Bishop  Mackenzie,  which  I  shall  think  it 
necessary  to  preserve  in  these  pages.  It  is  Bishop 
Mackenzie's  will ;  it  has  already  been  printed  in  a 
paper  put  forth  by  the  Committee  of  the  Mission,  but 
deserves  a  place  in  this  Memoir  of  his  life,  because  it 
is  so  thoroughly  like  himself, — so  manly,  so  considerate, 
so  kind,  so  Christian.  Before  leaving  Magomero  on 
December  23,  the  Bishop  put  a  paper  into  Mr  Procter's 
bands,  directing  that  it  should  be  looked  at  in  tho 


422  MEMOIR  OF  BISHOP  MACKENZIE. 

event  of  his  death.  When  that  sad  event  did  take 
place,  the  paper  was  examined,  and  contained  the 
following. 

Magomero,  December  23,  1861. 

At  my  death  I  commend  my  soul  to  God,  as  unto  a 
merciful  Creator,  Saviour,  and  Sanctifier,  until  that  day. 

As  to  the  affairs  of  this  world,  I  should  wish  the 
members  of  this  Mission  to  act  under  the  temporary 
headship  of  the  Senior  Priest,  acting  with  the  advice 
of  the  other  Priests,  or  if  there  be  no  Priests,  the 
Senior  Deacon,  or  if  there  be  no  Deacon,  the  Senior 
Layman,  acting  with  the  advice  of  the  others  of  their 
own  degree  respectively,  reckoning  seniority  in  the 
following  order: — Procter,  Scudamore,  Burrup,  Rowle^^, 
Waller,  Dickinson,  Gamble,  Adams,  Clarke,  Charles, 
Johnson,  Williams,  Job.  This  temporary  arrangement 
to  hold  until  the  arrival  of  my  successor,  or  of  instruc- 
tions from  the  Metropolitan. 

My  personal  property,  such  as  has  not  been  bought 
at  the  expense  of  the  Mission,  I  leave  to  the  Mission, 
with  the  exception  of  a  few  books,  to  be  given  to  my 
family  as  reminiscences,  such  as  my  Consecration  Bible, 
my  Bible  and  Prayer  Book,  my  Prayer  Book,  Greek 
Testament,  Christian  Year,  Bishop  Andrews'  Devotions, 
Hickes'  Devotions. 

After  payment  of  all  dues,  I  give  the  remainder  of 
my  property  to  the  Additional  Bishopric's  Fund,  re- 
mitting the  loan  I  made  to  the  Cathedral  at  Maritz- 
burg,  in  Natal,  and  acting  with  consideration  for  all  my 
debtors. 

This  memorandum  to  be  read  here,  and  then  sent 


LAST  DAYS  AND  DEATH.  423 

to  my  brother,  John  Mackenzie,  Esq.,  11  Abercromby 

Place,  Edinburgh. 

C.  F.  Mackenzie. 

„,.,  (H.  C.  Scudamore, 

Witnesses  \^  „^  „ 

[H.  Waller. 


It  is  perhaps  a  little  remarkable  that  the  execution 
of  this  will  did  in  reality  precede  by  little  more  than 
a  month  the  event,  in  anticipation  of  which  it  w^as 
prepared.  To  a  looker-on  the  Bishop's  life  would  have 
appeared  to  be  in  no  greater  peril  at  the  time  of  start- 
ing for  Manasomba's,  than  on  several  previous  occasions ; 
and  there  is,  I  think,  no  trace  to  be  found  in  any  of 
his  letters  of  his  having  taken  a  less  cheerful  prospect 
of  the  future  than  formerly.  The  reader  may  possibly 
be  disposed  to  think  that  the  faithful  servant  had  re- 
ceived some  slight  shadowy  hint,  which  he  could  hardly 
explain  or  express,  that  the  time  of  his  departure  was 
at  hand.  Anyhow,  it  is  beautiful  to  see  how,  in  the 
prospect  of  an  event,  which  was  always  more  or  less 
probable,  the  good  Bishop  thought  chiefly  of  his  flock, 
and  took  care  that,  so  far  as  he  could  ensure  the  result, 
the  peace  and  harmony  which  had  reigned  in  Magomero 
during  his  own  lifetime  should  not  be  endangered  by 
his  departure. 

What  the  feeling  of  loss  and  desolation  would  be 
at  Magomero,  when  the  news  of  the  Bishop's  death 
became  known,  possibly  the  reader  may  imagine ;  any 
one  who  knew  Mackenzie  as  I  knew  him,  will  quite 
understand  that  the  party  would  grieve  over  something 
more  acutely  painful  even  than  the  loss  of  their  head  ; 


424         MEMOIR  OF  BISHOP  MACKENZIE. 

every  one  would  feel  tlia,t  he  had  lost  a  brother.  I  have 
avoided  as  much  as  possible  in  this  Memoir  mere  com- 
mendation of  him  who  is  the  subject  of  it,  but  I  think 
that  I  may,  without  any  breach  of  good  taste,  introduce 
in  this  place  a  passage  from  a  letter  written  by  Mr 
Procter  to  Miss  Mackenzie,  in  which  he  speaks  of  his 
own  feeling  concerning  the  loss,  and  of  the  impression 
made  upon  his  mind  by  Bishop  Mackenzie's  character. 

Speaking  of  the  troublous  state  of  the  country, 
subsequent  to  the  Bishop's  death,  and  the  need  of  trust 
in  God's  protection,  Mr  Procter  says,  "Such  thoughts 
as  these  never  fail  to  remind  me  of  him  whom  you  and 
we  have  lost,  our  friend  and  Bishop,  who  was  of  all  I 
have  ever  known  the  most  calm  and  gentle,  and  whoso 
spirit  failed  not  to  make  itself  felt  on  all  around  him. 
0 !  Miss  Mackenzie,  great  as  is  the  brother  that  you 
have  lost,  the  father  and  friend  that  we  have  lost,  and 
the  careful  shepherd  that  the  poor  wandering  heathen 
have  lost,  I  can  never  think  of  that  calm  quiet  man 
in  every  sense  of  the  word,  that  kindly  heart  which  was 
ever  ready  with  its  sympathy  and  love,  that  lofty  mind 
that  soared  so  far  from  earth,  and  yet  seemed  not  to 
soar  at  all,  without  feeling  that  the  Christian  world 
has  lost  more  than  all, — a  benefactor  whose  influence 
extended  far  wherever  he  went,  and  with  whom  no 
one  could  converse  even  for  a  little  time  without  feel- 
ing himself  a  better,  and  very  often  a  mser  man.  I 
cannot  look  upon  him  as  a  hero,  as  one  standing  out 
from  and  above  all  others,  but  as  one  moving  amongst 
them,  assuming  nothing  high  or  original,  but  a  true 
and  genial  friend  of  the  world, — in  the  sense  of  all  men 


LAST  DAYS  AND  DEATH.  4^5 

living  in  one  common  brotherhood.  He  has  left  us 
too  soon  as  we  may  be  inclined  to  feel,  but  not  before 
his  Father  saw  fit  to  summon  him  to  the  house  of 
the  angels  and  the  blessed,  whom  he  loved  so  well. 
And  it  seems  as  if  a  goodly  string  had  been  struck 
while  he  lived  and  spoke  amongst  us,  and  that, 
though  broken  and  silent  now,  a  sweet  echo  still  comes 
as  from  the  everlasting  hills,  '  Glory  to  God  in  the 
highest,  and  on  earth  peace,  good  will  towards  men !' 
I,  as  one  only,  loved  your  brother,  and  knew  not  how 
I  loved  him  until  he  was  gone." 

Nor  can  I  resist  the  temptation  of  adding  here  a 
few  lines  from  one  who  had  every  opportvmity  of  form- 
ing a  judgment  concerning  Bishop  Mackenzie — I  mean 
Dr  Livingstone.  The  Bishop's  admiration  for  Dr  Living- 
stone has  been  seen  several  times  in  this  volume ;  it  is 
a  pleasure  to  be  able  to  record  that  the  admiration  was 
mutual.  The  paragraph  which  follows  is  taken  from  a 
private  letter  written  to  General  Hay. 

"I  regret  exceedingly,"  writes  Dr  Livingstone,  "having 
to  report  the  death  of  your  kinsman.  Bishop  Mackenzie, 
on  the  31st  of  January  last.  He  came  down  to  meet  his 
sister  in  a  small  canoe,  which  was  unfortunately  upset 
in  the  Shire,  and  bedding,  clothing,  and  medicines  lost. 
He  arrived  at  the  place  of  meeting  twelve  days  after  the 
date  of  the  appointment,  took  fever,  and  without  medi- 
cine or  any  proper  treatment  succumbed  on  the  31st, 
the  very  day  that  H.  M.  S.  Gorgon  appeared  off  the  mouth 
of  the  Zambesi,  with  his  sister  on  board.  We  had  agreed 
to  meet  on  New  Year's  Day,  at  the  mouth  of  a  feeder 
of  the  Shire,  called  the  Ruo,  but   were   ourselves  so 


426         MEMOIR  OF  BISHOP  MACKENZIE. 

detained  by  a  sudden  fall  of  the  river  above  that  point, 
that  we  passed  it  on  that  same  day  on  our  way  down. 
He  came,  as  I  have  said,  twelve  days  afterwards,  and, 
unlike  himself,  remained  there,  instead  of  pushing  on 
after  us.  It  is  a  sad  blow  to  us  here,  and  his  loss  will 
be  deeply  deplored  by  all  who  knew  him.  He  was 
utterly  regardless  of  comfort  in  his  work  ;  he  never 
spared  himself;  and  we  now  grieve  that  he  did  not 
husband  his  strength,  and  avoid  exposure.  The  low- 
lands are  deadly,  but  he  was  so  strong  that  he  could  not 
believe  it.  He  used  jokingly  to  say  that  our  pills  were 
worse  than  the  fever.  Mr  Burrup,  the  next  in  strength, 
perished  also  about  a  fortnight  after  the  Bishop ;  he 
left  the  Euo  ill  of  dysentery,  aad  a  few  days  after 
reaching  the  mission  in  the  highlands  died." 

The  fact  to  which  reference  is  made  in  the  preceding 
letter,  namely  that  the  strongest  man  in  the  mission 
died  first,  and  the  next  in  strength  (in  Dr  Livingstone's 
judgment)  second,  is  worthy  of  notice.  It  seems  to  give 
a  warning  to  those  who  undertake  missionary  work, 
as  to  the  absolute  necessity,  for  the  sake  of  those  great 
interests  which  they  have  most  at  heart,  of  taking  care 
of  their  own  lives  and  of  running  no  unnecessary  risks. 
It  is  curious,  but  I  believe  cannot  be  accounted  for  by 
reference  to  any  imprudence  of  conduct,  that  the  next 
loss  which  the  missionary  party  sustained  was  that  of 
Mr  Scudamore,  who  appears  to  have  been  pre-eminent 
in  strength  and  activity.  It  would  carry  me  out  of  my 
proper  province  if  I  should  undertake  to  give  an  ac- 
count of  this  devoted  and  good  man :  he  was  admirably 
fitted  for  his  work,  cheerful,  unselfish,  well-judging,  and 


LAST  DAYS  AND  DEATH.  4^7 

appears  to  have  been  specially  dear  to  Bishop  Mackenzie, 
and  in  many  respects  not  unlike  him.  I  could  not 
mention  Mr  Scudamore's  name  in  this  place,  without 
alluding  to  the  fact  of  his  subsequent  death,  and  paying 
a  slight  passing  tribute  to  his  memory ;  but  my  chief 
reason  for  referring:  to  him  is  that  I  wish  to  introduce 
a  portion  of  a  letter  written  by  him  som.e  months  after 
Bishop  Mackenzie's  death,  in  which  he  describes  in  a 
very  interesting  manner  a  visit  made  by  himself  to  the 
Bishop's  grave. 

"After  passing  through  the  Elephant  Marsh,"  so 
runs  the  letter,  "  two  days  in  length,  the  Ruo  enters 
the  Shire,  running  from  its  source  in  the  Milanje.  As 
it  enters  the  Shire  it  breaks  into  two  streams,  which 
form  with  the  Shire  what  is  called  here  a  Malo.  The 
island  or  Malo^  is  where  the  Bishop  died.  We  did  not 
stop  in  going  down,  but  on  our  way  back  we  spent  a 
Sunday  on  the  bank,  opposite  the  island,  and  deter- 
mined, if  possible,  to  see  the  Bishop's  grave.  This  was 
not  easy ;  for  the  people  are  very  superstitious,  and 
always  denied  knowing  anything  about  it.  After  try- 
ing several  chance  persons  in  a  quiet  way,  we  deter- 
mined to  go  and  see  the  chief,  and  ask  him  at  once. 
It  seemed  almost  hopeless,  but  at  last  by  bribing  and 
talking  we  managed  it.  The  chief  said  all  the  men 
who  knew  where  he  was,  who  had  buried  him,  had  gone 
over  the  mountain.  Then  I  asked  him  if  he  knew  ;  he 
said  he  did,  and  I  got  him  to  point  in  the  direction.  At 
length  he  said  it  was  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  river. 

^  I  am  informed  that  this  is  a  mistake,  and  that  Malo  is  the  name  of 
that  particular  island:  but  I  do  not  wish  to  alter  Mr  Scudamore's  letter. 


428  MEMOIR  OF  BISHOP  MACKENZIE. 

Then  a  man  undertook  to  shew  me  from  the  water's 
edge  the  place  on  the  opposite  bank  ;  and  finally,  by 
the  promise  of  a  fathom  and  a  half  of  cloth,  to  take  us 
there.  We  took  him  into  the  canoe,  but  he  was  in  a 
great  state  of  excitement,  and  worked  away  to  get  the 
job  over  as  quickly  as  possible.  Presently  he  began  to 
lap  the  water  with  his  hand  in  a  very  hurried  manner, 
which  made  Mr  Stewart,  who  was  with  me,  think  that 
he  would  break  down.  We  kept  talking  and  laughing 
with  him,  in  order  to  draw  off  his  attention  till  we  came 
to  the  place.  It  was  very  wild,  desolate-looking,  but 
quiet,  and  at  a  little  distance  seemed  better  fitted  for 
his  grave  than  any  we  could  choose.  There  were  several 
crocodiles  lying  under  the  bank,  quite  out  of  the  water, 
and  fast  asleep. 

"When  we  landed  the  guide  took  a  paddle,  and 
told  us  to  take  our  guns  because  of  wild  beasts.  We 
made  our  way  to  the  grave,  not  more  than  fifty  yards 
off.  The  grass  and  reeds  were  so  tall  and  so  dry,  that 
they  drooped  and  met  over  our  heads,  and  sometimes 
we  had  to  stop  and  crawl  through  the  tangle  which  we 
could  not  pass  in  any  other  way.  Every  now  and  then 
we  came  to  a  dry  gully,  where  the  guide  would  rattle 
about  with  the  paddle  to  frighten  away  the  alligators. 
At  the  end  of  one  of  these  tunnels  of  reeds  the  guide 
stepped  on  one  side  and  said,  '  There  is  the  grave.'  We 
could  perceive  nothing ;  but  going  a  little  further  I  saw 
something  like  a  pole  hidden  in  the  grass ;  pushing  the 
tangle  aside  I  discovered  it  to  be  the  cross  put  up  by 
the  sailors  of  the  Gorgon. 

"  When  we  came  away,  and  had  emerged  from  the 


LAST  DAYS  AND  DEATH.  429 

long  grass,  Mr  Stewart  took  a  sketcli  of  the  place.  The 
bank  rises  high  from  the  river  ;  two  trees  stand  some 
little  distance  apart  about  two  thirds  of  the  way  up, 
one  I  think  an  acacia,  the  other  I  don't  know ;  the 
ground  seems  rather  level  at  their  feet.  There  is  the 
grave.  It  will  never  be  disturbed  by  the  natives  ;  they 
are  too  much  afraid  of  the  place  ;  it  is  quite  out  of 
their  haunts,  and  is  never  visited  but  by  lions  and 
wolves." 

The  Bishop's  resting-place  has  since  been  visited  by 
Dr  Livingstone,  as  stated  in  the  letter  printed  on  page 
362.  On  this  occasion  Dr  Livingstone  erected  a  more 
permanent  cross  over  the  grave,  and  a  sketch  was  made 
by  one  of  the  party,  from  which  has  been  copied  the 
engraving,  which  will  form  the  conclusion — I  think,  a 
very  appropriate  conclusion — of  this  volume.  Is  it  too 
much  to  hope  that  a  church  may  one  day  be  built  upon 
the  spot,  and  that  the  inhabitants  of  this  region  of 
Africa  may  point  to  it  as  the  place  in  which  the  Cross  of 
Christ  was  first  effectually  planted  in  their  dark  land  ? 

I  must  not  speculate  upon  the  future  of  the  Mission 
in  founding  wdiich  Bishop  Mackenzie  sacrificed  his  life\ 
Troubles  came  thickly  upon  it  after  his  departure  ;  war 
and  famine  desolated  the  country,  sickness  afflicted  their 
own  party,  while  the  difficulty  of  obtaining  supplies  was 
a  constant  source  of  anxiety.     The  Mission  Station  was 

^  I  may  however  mention  that  on  the  news  of  Bishop  Mackenzie's 
death  reaching  the  Cape,  Bishop  Grey  at  once  started  for  England,  and 
that  before  he  left  this  country  a  successor  was  found  for  the  deceased 
Bishop  in  the  Rev.  W.  G.  Tozer.  While  these  sheets  are  passing  through 
the  press,  letters  are  anxiously  expected  from  Bishop  Tozer,  which  may 
explain  his  views  concerning  the  future  prospects  of  the  Mission. 


430         MEMOIR  OF  BISHOP  MACKENZIE. 

moved,  as  already  mentioned  incidentally,  to  Chibisa's  ; 
and  there  we  must  leave  it,  holding  its  ground  nobly 
against  unforeseen  difficulties,  and  waiting  for  the  ar- 
rival of  the  new  Bishop  from  England.  Whatever  the 
future  of  the  Mission  may  be,  certainly  it  will  have  the 
advantage  of  having  been  led  to  the  scene  of  its  work, 
and  watched  over  during  its  infancy,  by  one  of  the  most 
noble  and  simple-hearted  servants  of  Christ,  who  ever 
gave  up  his  home,  and  his  comforts,  and  his  life,  for  the 
sake  of  that  which  was  to  him  infinitely  more  precious 
than  all. 

Nor  is  it  possible  to  believe  that  in  any  case  can  the 
life  and  death  of  Bishop  Mackenzie  have  been  in  vain. 
It  is  not  Central  Africa  only,  but  the  whole  world,  that 
has  an  interest  in  such  men.  The  immediate  work  to 
which  they  gave  themselves  may  or  may  not  appear  to 
flourish  ;  but  the  fruit  of  their  example  is  certain.  God 
will  not  permit  it  to  perish.  And  so  whatever  may  be 
the -results  of  his  labours  to  that  afflicted  country,  for 
the  evangelization  of  which  he  gave  himself  up  so 
freely  and  so  completely,  I  am  convinced  that  hereafter 
Bishop  Mackenzie  will  be  to  many, — more  than  he 
himself  in  his  humility  could  have  believed, — a  witness 
for  Christ  and  for  Christian  truth.  Many  who  feel  no 
call  to  the  missionary  life  themselves  will  yet  see  in  the 
missionary  life  of  Bishop  Mackenzie  a  pattern  of  that 
self-sacrifice  and  love  to  which  all  Christians  are  called, 
and  perhaps  some  may  be  tempted  to  follow  him  even 
as  he  followed  Christ. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 
CONCLUSION. 

Upon  a  review  of  what  has  been  laid  before  the  reader 
in  the  preceding  pages,  I  have  felt  in  doubt  whether  I 
should  here  close  the  memoir  of  Bishop  Mackenzie's 
life,  or  whether  I  should  add  another  chapter  in  which 
an  attempt  might  be  made  to  give  a  condensed  and 
comprehensive  view  of  that  which  has  already  been 
exhibited  in  detail,  and  to  form  something  hke  an 
estimate  of  the  Bishop's  mind  and  character. 

On  the  whole  I  have  determined  to  add  the  chapter. 
It  shall  be  very  short,  and  I  shall  endeavour,  as  in  the 
former  part  of  the  volume,  so  in  this  its  conclusion,  to 
abstain  from  the  flattery  of  friendship,  and  from  those 
exaggerations  into  which  the  biographers  of  good  men 
are  tempted  to  fall. 

Be  it  observed  in  the  first  place,  that  the  intellectual 
side  of  Bishop  Mackenzie's  character  can,  by  the  neces- 
sity of  the  case,  be  exhibited  very  imperfectly,  and  that 
it  is  in  fact  exhibited  very  unfairly  and  inadequately, 
in  this  volume.  His  intellectvial  superiority  was  chiefly 
confined  to  the  domain  of  mathematical  reasoning,  and 
in  this  department  he  was  undoubtedly  very  powerful ; 


432  MEMOIR  OF  BISHOP  MACKENZIE. 

but  a  missionary  to  the  Kafirs  of  Natal,  or  to  the  Mang- 
anja  of  the  river  Shire,  has  small  opportunity  for  ex- 
hibiting this  mathematical  pre-eminence ;  and  therefore 
the  distinguishing  power  of  Bishop  Mackenzie's  mind 
never  found  any  sufficient  field  of  operation.  The 
reader  should  bear  this  in  mind  while  he  peruses  the 
memoir  of  the  Bishop's  life  ;  and  he  should  also  bear  in 
mind  that  the  opportunity  of  indulging  his  mathe- 
matical taste,  of  indulging,  in  fact,  the  strongest  in- 
tellectual passion  that  he  possessed,  was  deliberately 
and  knowingly  sacrificed  for  the  sake  of  Clirist.  If  in 
this  volume  Bishop  Mackenzie  does  not  appear  in  all 
the  strength  of  intellect  that  belonged  to  him,  it  is  be- 
cause he  consented  to  put  aside  his  strength  and  to 
l^ecome  weak  for  the  sake  of  his  weak  brethren. 

But  it  was  never  as  a  man  of  high  intellect  that 
Mackenzie  was  specially  valued  by  his  friends.  "We  all 
knew  his  powers,  and  appreciated  them.  His  intellect 
was  in  his  own  peculiar  sphere  comprehensive,  pene- 
trating, manly.  This  last  epithet  expresses  correctly, 
in  my  judgment,  though  some  persons  may  think  it 
strangely  applied,  the  intellectual  character  of  his  mind. 
Mathematicians  have  their  styles,  and  one  differs  much 
from  another.  When  I  examined  Mackenzie  for  the 
Smith's  Prize,  as  related  in  this  volume,  the  thing  which 
struck  me  was  the  straightforward  manner  in  which  he 
grappled  with  the  problems  he  endeavoured  to  solve: 
his  manner  was  not  neat,  and  did  his  matter  injustice  : 
in  one  or  two  cases  I  was  disposed  to  imagine  at  first 
sight  that  he  had  quite  mistaken  the  problem,  but  I 
always   found  that  however  he  might  have  failed   to 


CONCLUSION.  433 

arrive  at  the  result,  he  had  always  seized  the  principle, 
and  with  a  consciousness  of  right  on  his  side  had  worked 
vigourously  and  manfully,  though  perhaps  not  always 
successfully.  But,  as  I  have  said,  it  was  not  emphati- 
cally as  a  clever  man,  or  a  man  of  intellect,  that  Mac- 
kenzie was  chiefly  estimated  by  his  friends ;  if  his 
powers  had  been  tenfold  what  they  were,  they  would 
never  have  given  him  that  peculiar  hold  upon  the  hearts 
of  those  who  knew  him,  which  as  a  matter  of  fact  he 
possessed.  His  special  and  peculiar  attribute  was  that 
of  loveableness.  Those,  who  knew  him,  more  than 
liked  him:  they  felt  themselves  drawn  towards  him  by 
strong  bonds  of  affectionate  and  brotherly  feeling.  In 
saying  this  I  am  not  speaking  from  a  limited  experi- 
ence :  I  am  convinced  that  my  judgment  would  be  sup- 
ported by  all  his  contemporaries. 

If  it  be  asked  upon  what  features  of  his  character 
was  based  this  facility  of  being  loved,  I  may  refer  to 
the  pages  of  this  volume,  and  say  that  they  tell  their 
tale  but  badly  if  they  do  not  supply  an  answer  to  the 
question.  But  more  particularly  I  may  remark,  that 
utter  unselfishness  and  thoughtful  kindness  in  small 
things  and  imperturbable  good  temper  were  perhaps 
the  features  of  character  which  chiefly  made  it  difficult 
or  impossible  to  know  Mackenzie  without  loving  him. 

Then,  too,  he  was  thoroughly  humble ;  he  never  put 
himself  forward,  and  even  in  giving  up  his  home  for 
foreign  service,  apologized  as  it  were  for  his  presump- 
tion by  saying,  that  nobody  else  would  go  and  there- 
fore he  would. 

This  humility  was  associated  with,  or  rather  was 

28 


434        MEMOIR  OF  BISHOP  MACKENZIE. 

identical  with,  a  simplicity  of  demeanour,  which  was 
more  remarkable  in  Mackenzie  than  in  any  man  I  ever 
knew.  On  one  occasion,  before  his  last  voyage  to 
Africa,  he  was  receiving  some  hints  from  an  old  African 
traveller,  I  think  Mr  Galton.  Speaking  of  some  astro- 
nomical observations,  Mr  Galton  said,  "  They  will  only 
require  a  little  Algebra  and  Trigonometry ;  and  I 
suppose  you  can  manage  that  ?"  *'  0  yes,"  repUed 
Mackenzie,  "  I  dare  say  I  can,"  but  with  such  perfect 
simplicity,  that  it  would  have  been  impossible  for  Mr 
Galton  to  detect  the  fact  that  he  was  talking  to  an 
accomplished  mathematician.  If  the  reader  should  say 
— which  after  perusing  this  memoir  I  am  sure  he  will 
not — that  this  was  pride  aping  humility,  I  can  only 
record  my  conviction,  founded  on  an  intimate  know- 
ledge of  Mackenzie's  character,  that  it  was  nothing  of 
the  kind. 

Being  humble  in  his  disposition  it  would  be  expect- 
ed that  Mackenzie  would  take  patiently  any  reproof  or 
advice  given  to  him ;  but  I  think  it  right  to  add,  that 
his  humility  did  not  prevent  him  from  gently  reproving 
others,  when  he  thought  himself  called  upon  as  a  true 
friend  to  do  so.  Nothing  is  more  difficult  than  to  tell 
a  friend  of  a  fault,  and  this  Mackenzie  could  do,  so 
simply,  so  good-naturedly,  so  unaffectedly,  as  to  ensure 
the  rebuke  being  taken  in  good  part,  and  to  give  it  a 
chance  of  being  useful. 

From  the  very  first  Mackenzie  regarded  himself, 
as  we  have  seen,  in  the  light  of  a  candidate  for  the 
sacred  office  of  the  ministry.  To  this  he  made  all 
other  purposes  subservient,  and  if  he  did  not  receive 


CONCLUSION.  435 

so  definite  a  training  as  might  have  been  wished,  it 
was  the  current  in  which  he  found  himself  that  car- 
ried him  away,  and  he  himself  expressed  his  regret 
that  his  clerical  education  had  not  been  more  com- 
plete. As  a  parish  priest  in  England,  however,  I 
should  doubt  whether  he  left  much  to  be  desired  in 
his  qualifications  for  the  office :  nothing  could  exceed 
the  love  and  reverence  felt  for  him  by  the  people  of 
Haslingfield,  and  had  his  lot  been  cast  permanently 
in  an  English  parish,  I  think  that  he  would  have  been 
a  country  jJarson  after  George  Herbert's  own  heart. 

At  the  same  time  I  think  that  a  country  parish, 
during  his  younger  days  at  least,  was  not  the  most 
useful  sphere  for  his  exertions.  He  would  have  made 
a  good  parish  priest,  but  a  college  priest  better  still. 
He  was  singularly  fitted  to  influence  young  men  of 
ability,  and  notwithstanding  his  own  feeling  of  dis- 
appointment, I  am  sure  that  his  actual  influence  in 
Cambridge  was  most  strong  and  valuable. 

But  it  pleased  God  that  neither  English  parish 
nor  English  college  should  have  the  principal  portion 
of  Mackenzie's  life  and  labour.  He  gave  himself  up 
to  foreign  work,  and  the  point  to  which  I  would  wish 
to  direct  the  mind  of  the  reader  of  this  Memoir,  is 
not  so  much  the  sacrifice  which  Mackenzie  made,  as 
the  spirit  in  which  he  made  it.  "  Others  will  not  go, 
so  I  will."  "Christ's  servants  should  consider  them- 
selves as  labourers  in  the  same  field,  and  be  ready  to 
go  to  any  part  where  there  is  work  to  be  done."  These 
were  the  principles  upon  which  he  went  out,  and  if, 
like  Henry  Martyn,    he  was  not  pennitted   to   labour 


43^  MEMOIR  OF  BISHOP  MACKENZIE. 

long  or  with  any  very  conspicuous  results,  still,  like 
Henry  Martyn,  he  has  set  an  example  of  missionary 
spirit  which  cannot  very  easily,  and  by  God's  grace 
will  not,  be  barren  of  fruit.  If  Mackenzie  had  left 
nothing  behind  him,  except  the  letter  numbered  XIX., 
and  printed  at  page  65  of  this  volume,  I  should  hold 
that  he  had  bequeathed  a  most  precious  legacy  to  the 
Church. 

With  regard  to  Mackenzie's  conduct  as  a  missionary, 
and  specially  as  a  missionary  Bishop,  in  which  capa- 
city he  was  for  the  first  time  his  own  master,  I  think 
that  we  are  not  yet  in  a  condition  to  form  a  thoroughly 
satisfactory  judgment.  So  far  as  regards  inspiring  love 
and  confidence  into  the  hearts  of  his  associates,  and 
governing  as  an  elder  brother  should  govern,  it  is  clear 
that  he  was  thoroughly  successful ;  so  far  as  his  general 
principles  of  establishing  the  Mission  are  concerned, 
we  shall  perhaps  be  able  to  form  a  better  estimate 
at  a  later  period  of  the  history  of  the  Mission.  I 
shall  be  very  glad  if  the  reader  of  this  Memoir  should 
come  to  the  conclusion,  that  Bishop  Mackenzie  at- 
tempted to  carry  out  the  great  purposes  committed 
to  him  in  the  wisest  and  best  and  most  manly  and 
practical  way  possible  under  the  circumstances  in  which 
he  was  placed.  But  even  if  he  should  come  to  a  dif- 
ferent conclusion,  he  will  not  be  prevented  from  ad- 
miring the  spirit  and  zeal  with  which  the  Bishop 
laboured  on  behalf  of  those  afflicted  people,  to  whom 
he  came  to  bring  the  glad  news  of  salvation  and 
liberty. 

The   point  upon  which  of  course  hostile  criticism 


CONCLUSION.  437 

is  likely  to  fix  itself,  is  the  troubles  with  the  Ajawa 
tribes.  I  have  already  gone  pretty  fully  into  this 
matter,  and  have  no  desire  to  repeat  what  I  have  said ; 
I  would  only  add,  that  I  cannot  regard  the  Bishop's 
conduct  as  a  mistake  for  which  to  apologize,  and  I 
trust  that  nothing  which  I  have  written  will  be  re- 
garded in  this  light.  It  was  a  conduct  which  he  knew 
would  be  criticized,  and  which,  having  counted  the  cost, 
he  determined  to  adopt.  It  was  a  conduct  which  all 
his  associates  approved.  It  was  a  conduct,  which,  after 
mature  deliberation,  and  after  forming  a  different  opi- 
nion in  the  first  instance,  Dr  Livingstone  declared  to  be 
right. 

There  are  two  occasions  on  which  I  have  ventured 
in  this  Memoir  to  say  that  the  Bishop  appeared  to 
me  to  have  acted  with  bad  judgment.  The  first  was 
with  regard  to  the  Church  Council  at  Maritzburg,  the 
second  was  his  determination  to  stay  on  the  island  at 
the  mouth  of  the  Ruo  without  medicines.  I  bring 
these  two  together,  and  mention  them  here,  because, 
different  as  the  nature  of  the  two  errors  was,  (if  errors 
they  are  adjudged  to  be,)  yet  the  source  was  the  same, 
and  that  a  noble  one :  in  each  case  it  was  the  love  of 
the  native  races,  to  whom  he  regarded  himself  as 
specially  sent,  that  rightly  or  wrongly  moved  him  to 
act  as  he  did.  Thus  I  apologize  for  Mackenzie's  faults  : 
I  leave  the  reader  to  form  his  own  estimate  of  his 
virtues. 

One  other  subject  I  wish  briefly  to  touch  upon 
before  I  lay  down  my  pen.  I  have  said  nothing  in 
this   volume   concerning  a  point  which  in  these  days 


438         MEMOIR  OF  BISHOP  MACKENZIE. 

suggests  itself  very  prominently  to  many  minds,  namely, 
the  school  of  religious  opinion  to  which  Bishop  Mackenzie 
belonged.  Was  he  High  Church,  or  was  he  Low  Church, 
or  what  was  his  school  ?  I  shall  be  very  glad,  if,  after 
perusing  this  volume,  the  reader  should  declare  himseK 
unable  thoroughly  to  answer  the  question.  To  say  the 
truth,  Bishop  Mackenzie  could  not  be  identified  with  any 
party :  his  doctrinal  views  were  in  loyal  and  affectionate 
conformity  "with  the  Book  of  Common  Prayer,  but  I  do 
not  remember  ever  to  have  heard  him  discuss  with 
earnestness  any  of  the  controversial  questions  of  the 
day.  The  view  of  religion  which  commended  itself  to 
his  mind,  was  the  practical  application  of  the  Gospel 
of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  to  the  wants  of  men ;  and  the 
best  method  of  doing  this  was,  in  his  opinion,  a  simple 
and  faithful  adherence  to  the  principles  and  rules  of 
the  Prayer-book.  I  never  met  with  a  more  sincere 
Churchman,  or  with  one  who  had  less  of  the  spirit  of 
party.  I  never  met  with  a  man  whose  reUgious  system 
seemed  to  lie  more  completely  within  the  four  corners 
of  the  Book  of  Common  Prayer.  For  religious  specu- 
lation he  had  little  taste,  for  religious  eccentricities  he 
had  an  utter  abhorrence ;  but  if  there  was  any  Chris- 
tian deed  to  be  done,  any  work  of  mercy  to  be  per- 
formed, either  for  the  bodies  or  the  souls  of  men,  then 
Mackenzie's  whole  heart  was  engaged:  to  go  about 
doing  good  was  the  only  employment,  which  he 
thoroughly  and  unreservedly  loved. 

And  he  did  go  about,  like  his  Master,  doing  good ; 
and  he  grew  in  grace,  and  in  the  knowledge  of  the 
Lord  Jesus  Christ,  so  long  as  life  was  given  him.     Now 


Stan^r-d's  L^oo^ap^'^  Sstat'  londorv 


r.\R-|'     OF     UIK         I- 


ASTKliX      COAST     oK     AFUll. 


^f^ 


>"^l 


„™n,,s?-n^ 


r-^     I  T 


S»   c^_  *> 


\l*5^^,      ^ 


Cambndv   Ilmihbm  Ik-ll.S  Co.,  Lmdm   IkU  t- DaUfy 


he  rests  from  his  labours,  in  his  quiet  grave  by  the 
river  Shire,  under  the  symbol  of  that  Gospel  of  salva- 
tion which  he  came  to  preach  to  his  poor  degraded 
brethren.  His  labours  will  not  be  in  vain;  and  the 
Cross  planted  upon  his  grave  may  be  the  emblem  and 
pledge  to  Central  Africa  of  a  great  work  of  evangeliza- 
tion, which  has  been  nobly  commenced,  and  which  it 
is  to  be  hoped  that  the  charity  and  the  zeal  of  the 
Church  of  England  will  endeavour  faithfully  and  vi- 
gorously to  carry  on. 


Dr  Livingstone  planting  the  Cross  on  Bishop  Mackenzie's  Grave. 
(From  a  sketch  made  on  the  spot.) 


THE   E^D.J't^ 


CamBntJge : 

pnrNTED    BY    C.  J.  CLAY,   M.A. 
AT    THE    UNrvBRSITY    PRESS. 


n