Period.--England: The Early Victorian period. India: Growth of British power.
Books of Reference.--Memoirs of Bishop Daniel Wilson, by the Rev. D. Bateman, 2 vols.
WHEN writing somewhat fully of the lives of the first four Bishops of Calcutta, we justified ourselves on the ground that nearly all events of real importance to the Church of that period linked themselves with those early Bishops. The same remark applies, perhaps, even more closely to the life of the remarkable personality which we propose to describe in this chapter. Coming to India for the first time at an age when most men are thinking of leaving it, he laid foundations on which the Church is still building.
Daniel Wilson was the son of a wealthy silk manufacturer in London. "There is no milk and water in that boy," was a remark of Mr. Eyre, of Hackney, his schoolmaster, and certainly none of that mixed composition was apparent in his after-life. When only fourteen he was apprenticed to a relation, Mr. W. Wilson, who like his father was a silk manufacturer. His hours of work in office were from six in the morning till eight at night. One would have thought that after fourteen hours of work the boy would have indulged either in recreation or sleep. His biographer, however, tells us that he used to read Latin and Greek for two hours after supper, and was in the habit of writing essays on Scripture and moral subjects with appropriate mottoes!
At the age of seventeen his spiritual life began to wake up. Like so many of the Evangelical school of this period, he felt depressed and became growingly conscious of sin. He felt "that his prayers did not rise higher than the ceiling." In March 1796 he entered on a great spiritual struggle. Hitherto he had manifested a decidedly sceptical attitude when discussing religious matters with his friends. Curiously enough, his chief difficulty lay in rather speculative regions. He had adopted Calvinistic views of predestination and election, and believed that good works were inefficacious for salvation.
At length he decided to consult the famous John Newton, Rector of St. Mary Woolnoth. In this interview, Mr. Newton bade him "wait patiently upon the Lord." He told him that "God could produce an oak in an instant from an acorn, but He does not." "A building erected for eternity must have deep foundations." On August 3, 1797, he went to the Holy Communion for the first time. He was not confirmed, however, till some time afterwards. On October 1, 1797, he wrote to his mother, "I have nothing but mercy to tell you of. Oh that my heart was but melted with love and gratitude!" His conversion was accompanied by "great self-abasement, strong crying and tears."
With his conversion came a new outlook on life. He now desired to enter the sacred ministry of the Church. Finding his father in opposition to his wish, he agreed to wait for a year before asking him to reconsider his decision. Meanwhile one or two well-known men, including the Rev. Richard Cecil, urged upon his father strongly that his son's gifts would make him a useful clergyman. After six months his father consented to Daniel going to the University to prepare himself for Ordination. He was then twenty years of age. When this important decision was arrived at, Daniel at once set himself to work to prepare for life at Oxford. His working hours were from 5.30 in the morning to 8.30 at night. His physical health and strength throughout his long life were magnificent.
At this particular period religious life at Oxford was very slack, and indeed even learning was not keenly pursued. There seems to have been almost a contempt for religion, as is evident from a story told of a young graduate who, wanting a Bible, said, "How can I possibly go into such and such a shop to ask for one?"
When Daniel Wilson first went up to Oxford, he was but a poor classic, but so determined was he to overcome his deficiency, that oh one occasion we find him translating all Cicero's letters into English, and then back again into Latin. At times he would read through the whole night, and then throw himself on the carpet to rest. The result of all this hard reading proved, in his case, satisfactory, doubtless owing to his magnificent constitution, for at his degree he took a first class in honours and gained a special prize for an essay on the subject of "Common Sense." It is worth recording that when reading this essay before Convocation at the time of taking his degree, he was followed by Reginald Heber, who, as Newdegate Prize winner, was reciting his poem on Palestine.
After leaving Oxford, the future Bishop worked for a short time at Chobham, a village in Surrey, near Bisley. Here he received his earliest training in the Christian ministry under the Rev. Richard Cecil, one of the well-known Evangelical clergy of the day. At the end of his period in Chobham, he married his cousin, Miss Wilson, by whom he had five children, two of whom died when young. His eldest son John succeeded him later on as Vicar of Islington, and his daughter accompanied him to India and married Mr. Bateman, his biographer.
After leaving Chobham, Daniel Wilson was appointed Tutor of his old College, St. Edmund's Hall, and at the same time undertook Sunday work at Worton, near Oxford. This arrangement continued for eight years. He seems to have done a great work at Worton amongst the farming people.
His biographer makes it clear that both Daniel Wilson and his wife took immense interest in the spiritual and moral life of the College, which was quite an unusual thing in those days. It was their habit to invite small parties of undergraduates to their house, when his wife, by her charm and courtesy, did much to break up any stiffness and formality which Daniel Wilson might have imparted to these gatherings. Eventually he was made Vice-Principal of St. Edmund's Hall.
From Oxford, in 1811, he was appointed Incumbent of St. John's Chapel, Bedford Row, London, where he remained till 1824. During this period his reputation as an Evangelical preacher increased markedly. He had in his congregation a number of persons distinguished in the Evangelical world of the day. So rapidly also did his congregation increase that the Church had to be enlarged. The average number of communicants was from three to four hundred. He was the first to start a District Visiting Society in London.
Towards the end of this period he had a breakdown presentation." He speaks of these ten days as amongst the most happy of his Me, "from the relief, the contrast, the unexpectedness, the wide scenes of usefulness presented and the spiritual blessing vouchsafed."
He arrived at Calcutta on Monday, November 5, 1832, and was met by Archdeacon Corrie and Dr. Mill, Principal of Bishop's College. He was at once installed in the Cathedral, and in a short address reminded his hearers that for thirty years he had been before the Church.
The territories then included in the Diocese of Calcutta were enormous. What are now over forty dioceses were then included within it. His preliminary work in Calcutta seems to have been peculiarly difficult, as no correspondence of his predecessors with Government had been kept. Almost at the start he had to face an unpleasant task in connection with the Presidency Chaplains. He had announced that it was his intention to preach in the Cathedral on the following Sunday, and that it was his wish that his domestic Chaplain should take part in reading the Communion Service on this occasion. When this intimation was conveyed to the Senior Presidency Chaplain, it was met by an instantaneous refusal on the ground that the Bishop had no right to order his Chaplain to take the place of one of the Cathedral staff. This led to an examination of the licences of the Presidency Chaplains, which were duly called in by the Bishop and cancelled. Fresh licences were then issued, which prevented a recurrence of this difficulty.
The Bishop almost at once visited Bishop's College and all the Church Schools in Calcutta. He felt it his duty to write to Madras, Bombay, Ceylon, Australia and even to China, giving to Clergy in those regions his spiritual advice. He appointed the Rev. Thomas Carr Archdeacon in the place of Archdeacon Barnes of Bombay, who had retired. He was a prodigious letter-writer, and his letters to the Clergy were certainly most spiritual as well as constant appeals to them to live devoted lives.
Shortly after his arrival in Calcutta, his only daughter married Mr. Bateman, his Chaplain, who was afterwards his biographer.
The Bishop, on arriving in Calcutta, at once took up his residence in the house acquired by Bishop Heber. Finding the furniture very poor, he addressed Archdeacon Corrie on the subject. The Archdeacon replied, "I thought there was enough for six months." It was clear that he had thought, in view of the speedy deaths of Bishops Heber, James, and Turner, that Bishop Wilson's Episcopate would certainly not last more than six months!
The Bishop, from the first, wished to do everything in a manner worthy of his position. He rented a house at Titagarh, thirteen miles from Calcutta. All his life long he had been a man of regular habits. It was his habit in Calcutta to rise early every morning and ride a small black horse which he had bought at Cape Town. After his morning ride some time was given to private devotions. Then came family prayers, followed by breakfast. At mid-day the Bishop always rested. In the evening he either rode again or drove. His health was splendid. He soon made friends with the Governor-General, Lord William Bentinck, for whom he entertained the warmest admiration. They frequently rode together in the morning, when they discussed various questions of Church and State. The Bishop, speaking of Lord William, described him as being "more a Christian than a Churchman."
From the start the Bishop took the keenest interest in the educational work in Calcutta, and visited all the Church Schools regularly. He was instrumental in settling serious differences which had arisen amongst the Governors of the famous Free School.
Shortly after arriving in Calcutta, he instituted a monthly Clerical Meeting, when all the Clergy in Calcutta and neighbourhood met at the Palace. Dinner was followed by a discussion. At Bishop's College he was seen constantly. Special rooms were set apart for him as Visitor, which he frequently occupied.
He certainly had a way of getting things done, which was soon apparent. For some time the people of Calcutta and elsewhere in India had felt the hardship of receiving their home letters five months after they had left England. A meeting in Calcutta, which had been presided over by the Chief Justice of Bengal, to try and start a steamer service between Suez and Bombay, had come to nothing. At the suggestion of Lord William Bentinck, the Bishop was asked to have a further try where the Chief Justice had failed; and interesting to relate, through his resourcefulness and determination the preliminary difficulties were overcome and the scheme successfully carried through. His corre-
owing to overwork. While still incapacitated from work, the Vicar of Islington, Dr. Strahan, died. Daniel Wilson's father-in-law had previously purchased the advowson of the living, which he then presented to his son-in-law.
Mr. Bateman, the Bishop's biographer, gives us a full account of his life during the eight years he was Vicar of Islington. The late Vicar had been very popular, but not over-energetic. There was a saying that "during the lifetime of Dr. Strahan the parish slept, whereas during that of Dr. Wilson it awoke and has never slept again."
Daniel Wilson was an immensely hard worker and great organiser. In the course of eight years he succeeded in building no less than three large Churches, thus providing for the spiritual needs of over six thousand of his parishioners. He took a deep interest in the work of the Church Missionary Society, as well as in that of the Bible Society, and was constantly invited to preach in various parts of England. During his lifetime it is stated that he preached no less than five thousand eight hundred and six sermons. In 1829, while Vicar of Islington, he sustained a great loss by the death of his wife. He was then over fifty years of age. His three surviving children were grown up. Since his conversion he had always taken a deep interest in missionary work, and when the offer came to him to go to India on Bishop Turner's death, he readily responded to it. He felt now that his wife was dead, his eldest son ordained, and married, and his second son abroad, that the ties which connected him with England were greatly weakened, and that he was free to respond to the call without unnecessary forebodings. His biographer tells us he had never been really a domestic man, not naturally fond of children or patient with them. His natural inclination was to be engrossed entirely in the affairs of his ministry.
He was apparently sounded privately as to his willingness to go to Calcutta before the offer was actually made. He had offended certain leading Churchmen of the day by his great outspokenness on certain questions. There was no such thing as compromise in his nature, and for this reason doubtless there was a considerable delay before the offer was definitely made.
He was consecrated in Lambeth Palace Chapel on April 29, 1832: The Archbishop of Canterbury, assisted by Bishop Blomfield of London, Bishop Monk of Gloucester, and Bishop Grey of Bristol, were consecrating Bishops. On his return home after his Consecration his evening meditation was as follows:
"Lord, I would now adore Thee for Thy great grace given unto me; that I should be called to the office of Chief Pastor- and Bishop of Thy Church. Oh! guard me from the spiritual dangers to which I am most exposed-pride, self-consequence, worldliness of spirit, false dignity, human applause, abuse of authority, reliance on past knowledge or experience. Lord, give me simplicity of heart boldness, steadiness, decision of character, deadness ot affection to the world. Let me remember that the great vital points of religion are the main things to be kept constantly and steadily on my heart--then, compassion, tender deep compassion for souls--then, simplicity of object and abstraction from every other interfering claim--then, a spirit of prayer and supplication--then, the learning lessons from affliction when God sends it."
He had, as might be expected, a very busy time before sailing for India. There were dinners, amongst them one given by the East India Company and another by the Lord Mayor of London; and there were meetings with all the Missionary Societies. His parishioners at Islington subscribed £180 and presented him with a gold clock and a silver inkstand. Before sailing the Bishop sent the Vestry a present of £100 for coal for the poor during the coming
The six months' voyage to India was not spent idly, but was filled in with a carefully planned round of daily duties. There were daily Services, morning and evening. Much time, too, was given up to reading and study And yet in spite of all, it is clear from Ins biography that the long voyage was most distasteful to a man of his active habits. Heywas constantly going to the Captain with the question, "How fast are we* going, Captain 1 which must have sorely tried the patience of that unfortunate man. At the Cape, where they spent ten days, his time was crowded out with work. "He confirmed 300 persons, consecrated So ritoa for Churches and Churchyards, preachedfour sermons, celebrated the Holy Communion twice held an Ordination, addressed a public meeting, examined schook wrote pastoral letters to distant stations dispensed some Zrity and left behind a whole box of books for gratuitous presentation." He speaks of these ten days as amongst the most happy of his life, "from the relief, the contrast, the unexpectedness, the wide scenes of usefulness presented and the spiritual blessing vouchsafed."
He arrived at Calcutta on Monday, November 5, 1832, and was met by Archdeacon Corrie and Dr. Mill, Principal of Bishop's College. He was at once installed in the Cathedral, and in a short address reminded his hearers that for thirty years he had been before the Church.
The territories then included in the Diocese of Calcutta were enormous. What are now over forty dioceses were then included within it. His preliminary work in Calcutta seems to have been peculiarly difficult, as no correspondence of his predecessors with Government had been kept. Almost at the start he had to face an unpleasant task in connection with the Presidency Chaplains. He had announced that it was his intention to preach in the Cathedral on the following Sunday, and that it was his wish that his domestic Chaplain should take part in reading the Communion Service on this occasion. When this intimation was conveyed to the Senior Presidency Chaplain, it was met by an instantaneous refusal on the ground that the Bishop had no right to order his Chaplain to take the place of one of the Cathedral staff. This led to an examination of the licences of the Presidency Chaplains, which were duly called in by the Bishop and cancelled. Fresh licences were then issued, which prevented a recurrence of this difficulty.
The Bishop almost at once visited Bishop's College and all the Church Schools in Calcutta. He felt it his duty to write to Madras, Bombay, Ceylon, Australia and even to China, giving to Clergy in those regions his spiritual advice. He appointed the Rev. Thomas Carr Archdeacon in the place of Archdeacon Barnes of Bombay, who had retired. He was a prodigious letter-writer, and his letters to the Clergy were certainly most spiritual as well as constant appeals to them to live devoted lives.
Shortly after his arrival in Calcutta, his only daughter married Mr. Bateman, his Chaplain, who was afterwards his biographer.
The Bishop, on arriving in Calcutta, at once took up his residence in the house acquired by Bishop Heber. Finding the furniture very poor, he addressed Archdeacon Corrie on the subject. The Archdeacon replied, "I thought there was enough for six months." It was clear that he had thought, in view of the speedy deaths of Bishops Heber, James, and Turner, that Bishop Wilson's Episcopate would certainly not last more than six months!
The Bishop, from the first, wished to do everything in a manner worthy of his position. He rented a house at Titagarh, thirteen miles from Calcutta. All his life long he had been a man of regular habits. It was his habit in Calcutta to rise early every morning and ride a small black horse which he had bought at Cape Town. After his morning ride some time was given to private devotions. Then came family prayers, followed by breakfast. At mid-day the Bishop always rested. In the evening he either rode again or drove. His health was splendid. He soon made friends with the Governor-General, Lord William Bentinck, for whom he entertained the warmest admiration. They frequently rode together in the morning, when they discussed various questions of Church and State. The Bishop, speaking of Lord William, described him as being "more a Christian than a Churchman."
From the start the Bishop took the keenest interest in the educational work in Calcutta, and visited all the Church Schools regularly. He was instrumental in settling serious differences which had arisen amongst the Governors of the famous Free School.
Shortly after arriving in Calcutta, he instituted a monthly Clerical Meeting, when all the Clergy in Calcutta and neighbourhood met at the Palace. Dinner was followed by a discussion. At Bishop's College he was seen constantly. Special rooms were set apart for him as Visitor, which he frequently occupied.
He certainly had a way of getting things done, which was soon apparent. For some time the people of Calcutta and elsewhere in India had felt the hardship of receiving their home letters five months after they had left England. A meeting in Calcutta, which had been presided over by the Chief Justice of Bengal, to try and start a steamer service between Suez and Bombay, had come to nothing. At the suggestion of Lord William Bentinck, the Bishop was asked to have a further try where the Chief Justice had failed; and interesting to relate, through his resourcefulness and determination the preliminary difficulties were overcome and the scheme successfully carried through. His correspondence with Lord Clare, then Governor of Bengal, on this subject is most interesting.
On November 15, 1833, when opening his letters he found enclosures "which gave him the greatest joy." Waving two long, thin scripts of paper above his head, he asked those in the room to guess what they were. They proved to be a gift from the Begum Sumroo of a lakh of rupees for the Church and fifty thousand rupees for the poor in his Diocese.
A word or two should here be said of this remarkable woman, the Begum Sumroo, who was celebrated for her beauty, talents, and wealth. She had begun life as a nautch-girl, and had married Walter Regnaut, a French military adventurer, who was called in India, Sombre or Sumroo. Regnaut had won for himself a small native state called Sardhana, not far from Meerut. He himself was called the Nawab and she the Begum. After his death she became a Roman Catholic. The revenue of her state was over £120,000--one hundred and twenty thousand pounds a year--half of which she saved. Her Court and Palace were at Sardhana, in the United Provinces, where she maintained, three thousand troops, kept an establishment of seven hundred female attendants, went to Mass every Sunday, wore a turban, and smoked a hookah, and was very fond of show. At her death, which took place in 1836, in her eighty-seventh year, her estates lapsed to the East India Company, but her immense savings were bequeathed to her adopted son, Mr. Dyce Sombre. Why she, as a Roman Catholic, gave this large sum of money to the Anglican Bishop of Calcutta is by no means clear. Possibly, in addition to feelings of benevolence, she thought her action might be viewed with favour by the British rulers in India.
About this time a Bill for the renewal of the East India Company's Charter was introduced into Parliament. This Bill was a source of great joy to Bishop Wilson, as it empowered His Majesty to divide the Diocese of Calcutta, to erect Calcutta into a Metropolitan See, and to appoint two Suffragan Bishops, one for Madras and another for Bombay. The Bill passed through Parliament on August 21, 1833, and reached India at the close of the year. Considerable delay occurred, however, in carrying out its provisions, as the expenditure sanctioned for the Indian Ecclesiastical Establishment was limited. In 1835 the Archdeacon of Madras retired on pension, and Archdeacon Corrie of Calcutta was appointed first Bishop of Madras. In 1837 Archdeacon Carr was appointed Bishop of Bombay. Both Archdeacons went to England for their Consecration. The Bill by which these two Bishoprics were created formed a precedent of immense importance for a growing Church, and was speedily followed by the creation of further Bishoprics in Australia and Africa.
The number of Churches in India at this time was extremely limited. Many quite important stations were without any place of worship. In 1834 an anonymous letter was addressed to the Editor of the Christian Intelligencer, signed "Delta," lamenting the want of Churches and suggesting a remedy. The scheme suggested was (1) a fund for the building of Churches voluntarily throughout India; (2) a monthly subscription to be collected by the Chaplain of each station; (3) subscriptions to be collected by the Chaplain of each station; (4) management of the whole to be vested in the Bishop of Calcutta, his Archdeacon and the Presidency Chaplain. Later on it became known that the writer of this letter was a Mr. Wele Byrn. It is interesting to note that of one hundred and sixty Churches in the old Calcutta Diocese, sixty-six were helped from this fund.
Two big problems came up for discussion about this time, viz. Marriage and Divorce amongst Indian Christians, and the relation of Chaplains to Government and the Bishop.
As regards the first of these questions, it would seem that a number of missionaries of different denominations had come to the conclusion that if a Hindu who had many wives became a Christian, it was right that he should retain them all. Unlike Bishop Milman, the Bishop did not approve of this decision, which would, in his opinion, strike a serious blow against Christian marriage.
The relation of Chaplains to Government and the Bishop was by no means an easy one, as we have already seen in the life of Bishop Middleton. Hitherto the Court of Directors had reserved to themselves the power of appointing Chaplains, and had left it with the Local Governments where they were to be stationed. Bishop Wilson felt very strongly on this matter, and was especially opposed to Commanding Officers exercising authority over the Clergy. It would seem that, in the first instance, Lord William Bentinok had been prepared to concede complete authority over the Chaplains to the Bishop. He had even asked the Bishop to write a formal statement of his views, to which he gave his verbal approval. When, however, Government orders were finally issued, it was found that they still reserved to themselves practically all the powers which they had previously claimed. The Bishop was deeply hurt by this action on their part, which he regarded as a betrayal of confidence and a breach of honour. He did not, however, press his point, although quite convinced jthat he was in the right.
The Bishop's first Visitation tour took him to Penang, Moulmein, Singapore, Madras, and Ceylon. On his voyage from Ceylon to Madras the boat in which he was voyaging almost foundered. So serious was the condition of things that the Captain said, "I can do no more! Tell the Bishop that he had better go to prayers." Suffering as he was from extreme sea-sickness, Bishop Wilson roused himself and with two or three others "cried unto the Lord out of the depths, and his prayer came unto Him into His holy temple." As he read St. Paul's narrative of shipwreck, recorded in Acts xxvii. 13-36, the roaring of the sea, the groaning of the vessel, and the shouts of the seamen drowned his voice; but God heard his voice, and gave him all those that sailed with him. Ere long the storm abated, the sun shone forth, the water in the vessel was got under, the boiler repaired, the fires were lit, and once more the vessel's head was pointed in the right course.
When landing at Madras, an unpleasant accident, which had an amusing side to it, befell the Bishop. While on board ship, the Bishop as a rule was careless of his dress, but whenever he went on shore he was most particular. On this particular occasion he had donned a glossy cassock, a starched cravat, a new hat and his best coat. With his pocket Bible and a small atlas, which were his inseparable companions, he stepped into the boat which was to take him on shore. As he and his party neared the shore they saw large numbers of people, military and civilians, awaiting them. Just as they were preparing to land, however, and were passing through the surf, one of the waves made a clear breach over their boat, and in an instant all its occupants were swept from their seats, and hats and books were floating in the water, which half filled the boat. Fortunately for them, a third wave landed them on the shore, where they were greeted by sympathising but half-smiling friends. It certainly must have been an amusing scene as the Bishop emerged in his drenched clothes, with guns firing, a band playing, and troops presenting arms! He afterwards describes it in the following way: "A floundering surf wave finished our calamities."
During his time in Madras and South India, the Bishop was brought face to face with the caste question.
The caste question has always been a very acute one in South India. In most parts of India, when a person is baptised, he goes out of caste. It was not so in South India, where the number of the depressed classes, generally called Pariyahs, was very large indeed. When the question of caste came before the great missionary Schwartz, he is reported to have dealt with it in a somewhat indirect manner. On one occasion a Brahman accosted him and said, "Mr. Schwartz, do you not think it is a very bad thing to touch a Pariyah?" "Oh yes," said Mr. Schwartz, "a very bad thing." "But," said the Brahman, "what do you mean by a Pariyah?" "I mean," said Mr. Schwartz, "a thief, a liar, a slanderer, a drunkard, an adulterer and a proud man." "Oh, then," said the Brahman, "we are all Pariyahs! "
Bishop Heber had struck, what seemed to some a rather uncertain note on this question of caste. He had asked whether there were not badges of nobility in ancient pedigrees, such as those in Spain, even amongst the poorer classes, which divide old Spaniards and Castilians from persons of mixed blood. He had also pointed out that the United States of America entirely excluded Negroes and Mulattoes, however free and wealthy, from familiar intercourse with the whites. Bishop Wilson, as might have been expected, took a very different line. After carefully looking into the whole matter, he came to the conclusion that caste was anti-Christian. His utterances on this subject, as given by his biographer, are well worth reading. His courage and determination led for a time to something like a revolution in the Church in South India. Everywhere the English missionaries were most unpopular; hundreds of Catechists resigned; and the excitement was so great that it was even referrred to the Governor-General, who seems to have questioned the Bishop's wisdom. Bishop Wilson, however, stood firm, and in the long run his firmness was rewarded, and caste was distinctly forbidden throughout our Church.
On his return from his first Visitation, many fresh difficulties had to be faced in Calcutta. It was at this time that Lord William Bentinck, whose health was shattered, left India for England. Before leaving, the Bishop, who had a deep regard and affection for the retiring Governor-General, held a special Service at Government House, which seems to have affected deeply every one present. After the Service was over he went round to every member of the small congregation, laying hands upon them and blessing them.
The Bishop was nothing if not outspoken, and one of his utterances about this time caused the deepest offence amongst missionaries. He said, "Perhaps not one in twenty of those who come out from Europe in all the Protestant Societies, with the best promises, and who go on well for a time, persevere in the disinterestedness of a true missionary." This statement called forth an indignant protest from a good many missionaries, but, as the Bishop sagaciously remarked, it was not intended for any one person, and, "if the cap did not fit, they need not put it on."
Another difficulty which was very prominent at this period arose from the attitude of the lay element of the Church Missionary Society towards the Bishop and Clergy. One leading layman on the Parent Committee in London, a Mr. Dandeson Coates, seems to have relegated to himself almost papal powers. The rights of the Bishop were entirely ignored, and the whole system of Church government seems to have been subordinated to his and other laymen's whims. It was perfectly clear to those who knew Bishop Wilson's character that he was not the man to sit down quietly under such a condition of things. After heated correspondence, a Committee was selected in England of the following persons: Dr. Pearson, Dean of Salisbury, Dr. Dealtry, Rector of Clapham, and the Rev. J. W. Cunningham, Vicar of Harrow. This Committee was placed in communication with the Bishop's son, who was then Vicar of Islington, acting for his father and the Church Missionary Society. All the points for which the Bishop contended were eventually granted him, viz. his power to grant or withhold licences, his approbation or otherwise of the location of missionaries, and the superintendence of the missionaries as of his other clergy in the discharge of their ecclesiastical duties. Together with the communication of these concessions came a letter from the Earl of Chichester, President of the Church Missionary Society, apologising for past estrangement and inviting renewal of friendly and confidential intercourse.
But this was not the last difficulty which the Bishop had to face. When he arrived in Calcutta, he found that he had little or no power in his Cathedral, and that its various charitable bequests were administered by a select Vestry, over which he had no authority. This anomalous state of things had grown up from the beginning of St. John's Church, and none of his predecessors were prepared to fight the Vestry on the subject, or openly to question their authority. It was left to this determined Prelate to bring the whole question before Government, and to win over the Governor-General to his side. In due course the select Vestry was suspended, its charitable funds were transferred to the Supreme Court, and the Bishop's authority definitely established.
Hardly had one difficult problem been solved when another came up for solution. This time it was a question of great importance connected with a school which has since become famous. General Martin, a Frenchman, one of the well-known European adventurers of India, had amassed an immense fortune. When dying he left a very large sum of money to Government for a school in Calcutta. The school was intended for European and Anglo-Indian children. The General was by no means a religious man, but he had a heart for the poor. Though a Roman Catholic, he left his money without any reservation. The actual amount was something like one hundred and sixty thousand pounds. His desire was that the children who were to benefit by this school should, when their education was completed, be apprenticed, and every year a small premium and medal given to the most deserving or virtuous boy or girl; "that at an annual public dinner the toast should be drunk in memory of the founder"; that on each anniversary of his death a sermon should be preached to the children in "the Church"; and that the institution should bear on its front a suitable inscription and be called La Martiniere. All matters connected with the investment of the money and the scheme of education were left entirely to the discretion of the Indian Government and the Supreme Court.
For thirty years after his death no scheme of education was devised; then, under the influence of Sir William Russell, a sum of seventeen thousand pounds was spent on a school building in Calcutta, which was to include the erection and fitting up of a Church or Chapel for Divine Service. The Governor-General, the Judges of the Supreme Court, the Bishop of Calcutta, the Members of Council, and the Advocate-General were appointed Governors and given authority to elect annually four others. It was laid down that twenty girls and thirty boys should be maintained, educated, and put out in life.
When Bishop Wilson arrived at the end of October 1832, it seemed as if this school was likely to become definitely connected with the Church of England as the National Church, representing the religion of England. This arrangement, however, was definitely opposed by Mr. Macaulay, and eventually, after prolonged discussion, was abandoned; probably one of the reasons for its abandonment arising from the fact that the Roman Catholic Vicar Apostolic had been appointed on the Committee. Eventually it was decided that the school was to be Christian, but undenominational, though the Church of England standards of worship and doctrine were to be observed, and that a layman should be appointed Headmaster.
The Bishop took an active part on the Committee which decided these matters, and spent an immense amount of time in discussing the question of religious education, both with the Vicar Apostolic and the Presbyterian Chaplain. It is interesting to note that the Bishop seems to have been the only person who got any praise in connection with these negotiations. The Vicar Apostolic was recalled by the General of his Order (Jesuits), charged with having conceded fundamental principles in the Report, and having improperly indulged in social intercourse with the Bishop. The Presbyterian Chaplain, Dr. Charles, was also rapped over the knuckles by his Church for diverging in some respects from its principles. The school was in due time opened, and has now a fine record of over ninety years. Later on a somewhat similar La Martiniere School was started in Lucknow.
Bishop Wilson was intensely fond of dispensing hospitality. He divided the Calcutta society of his day, with which he was primarily concerned, into seven or eight dinner-parties of thirty each. He had two hundred persons on his list, while Government House had about seven hundred.
Towards the end of 1835 the Bishop paid his first visit to the Syrian Christians of Travancore. We shall speak elsewhere of the early history of this Church and of all that befell it during the period of Portuguese ascendancy. When Bishop Wilson first visited Travancore the happy relations which had existed between our first C.M.S. missionaries in that region and the leaders of the Syrian Church had become decidedly strained. The then Metran or Metropolitan seems to have been a man of poor character, and partly, it is believed, because he received bribes of thirty rupees from every candidate for Orders and in consequence ordained a good number of unworthy men, and partly because he was jealous of English Church influence, the number of students attending the College which had been built largely by the C.M.S. for the training of the Syrian Clergy had fallen off almost entirely.
Such was the state of things when Bishop Wilson first visited Travancore. During his time there he investigated closely the state of the Syrian Church and had several interviews with the Metran. He urged him strongly to adhere to his original promise that all candidates for Orders should pass through the College and should be educated men. He was, however, most careful not to dictate in any way to the Metran, and for this reason urged all the C.M.S. missionaries in Travancore to, in every way, respect the ancient traditions of this Church.
From Travancore he set sail for Goa, where he spent some days visiting its ancient Churches and being present during the Festival of St. Francis Xavier. From there he sailed up the coast to Bombay. After some weeks in Bombay he started on a long tour through the centre of India to Simla.
The Bishop's cortege as he journeyed through Rajputana was certainly a formidable one, including no less than two hundred and seventy persons. First came the soldiers, horse and foot, the former as a guard of honour, the latter as a defence in a country full of thieves and dacoits. The horsemen were wild and undisciplined Mahrattas, full of fire and pride. The footmen were largely occupied in guarding the camp by night. The first large station reached was Ahmednagar, which had been taken from the Mahrattas not long before by Sir Arthur Wellesley. Ahmednagar was at this time a large military station. During his time there the Bishop held different services. He was deeply impressed by the fact that a good many of the British officers had begun their Indian career at such an early age that they were utterly ignorant of the faith of their fathers. During the celebration of the Holy Communion it was clear to him that a considerable number of the officers had never attended the Service before.
From Ahmednagar the Bishop moved on to Aurangabad, and after leaving it, visited Asirgarh and Burhanpur on the Tapti. Burhanpur had once been the headquarters of a Mughal Viceroy. From there the Bishop journeyed to Mhow, in Central India. While journeying towards Mhow, he received an earnest entreaty from Bishop Corrie to return to Calcutta by sea from Bombay, and not to venture on this journey to Delhi, owing to the many dangers the traveller was exposed to. Bishop Wilson, however, paid no heed to this letter, and wrote in his diary, "I have resolved to go on: whatever Providence may appoint for me, I am with God." While at Mhow the Bishop paid a ceremonial visit to Holkar, the Maharajah of Indore. Holkar held a Durbar to receive the Bishop with due honour. Swarms of Mahratta cavalry were in attendance, commanded by one of Holkar's sons. The procession was characterised by all sorts of frantic demonstrations--the shouts of the people, the galloping of horses, firing of pistols, and clouds of dust. The armed camels formed a striking feature in it. On the back of each a swivel-gun was mounted, and at times they marched in ranks.
From Mhow the Bishop journeyed northwards, visiting Jaorah, where he was received by the young Nawab, a child of eight. On this occasion the old prime minister of Jaorah addressed him in the following manner: "My Lord, the words you speak are pearls and diamonds dropping from your mouth." Before reaching Neemuch, in Central India, the Bishop escaped a great danger. A band of Pindaris had attacked the bazaar at Neemuch the day before, carrying off large sums of money and leaving many dead behind them. As they retired from Neemuch, they seem to have missed the Bishop by only a couple of hours.
Chitor with its famous fortress was next visited and after that Nasirabad and Ajmer. Ajmer had been at one time a place of residence for the Court of Akbar, and it was and is still a place very sacred to Mahomedans. The Jains also have a celebrated temple in Ajmer. From Ajmer the Bishop journeyed to Jaipur, which was then recovering from a tragedy which had stirred its people to the depths. The British Resident, while mounting his elephant after attending Durbar, was attacked and severely wounded by an assassin. One young civilian was actually killed.
Wherever he went Bishop Wilson was ready to authorise any godly layman to read the Service of the Church, provided that no Chaplain was available.
Eighty-nine days after leaving Bombay the Bishop arrived in Delhi. His stay there was but short, as he was anxious to be at Meerut, with its large number of Christians, for Easter. During his time in Delhi he paid a ceremonial visit to the Mughal Emperor, as Bishop Heber had done, and presented and received the usual ceremonial gifts. Owing to heavy floods in the country between Delhi and Meerut, the Bishop was unable to get to Meerut until Easter Tuesday. He was greatly delighted with what he saw at Meerut, especially its large Church which is referred to in the Life of Bishop Heber.
Leaving Meerut he journeyed to Mussourie on his way to Simla. Finding that there was no Church in Mussorie, he at once set to work to have one built. During his visit a considerable sum of money was raised towards it, the Bishop himself subscribing generously. The foundation-stone was actually laid by him before leaving for Simla. At Simla he halted for four months, during which time he seems never to have been idle for a moment. Constant services, sermons, and preparation for the work before him filled all his spare hours.
After leaving Simla he paid his first and only visit to the Punjab. Halting at Roopur on the Sutlej, he journeyed from there by river to Lodhiana. Whilst sailing down the river his mind was filled with the thought of the conversion of the Punjab, and rising from his deck-chair and looking around a country then scarcely known, he exclaimed aloud, "I take possession of this land in the Name of my Lord and Master Jesus Christ." It seemed little likely at the time that we should have any inheritance in that vast tract of India.
At Ludhiana, as was his wont, he at once set to work to secure for it a Church. The spirit which had animated him when Vicar of Islington, and had enabled him to add to his large English parish three Churches, was still with him in India. Wherever he went, if there was no Church in the station, he set to work to have one built, partly by Government grant and partly by public subscriptions. While at Karnal he ordained Anand Masih, a convert of fifteen years' standing. Previous to his Ordination Anand Masih had spent some time in Simla with the Bishop, preparing for this great event in his life.
From Ludhiana the Bishop retraced his steps to Delhi, where he was to spend some time. Amongst the notable people he met while there was the famous Colonel Skinner, who had raised and commanded a body of irregular cavalry and had been made a full Colonel of the English army by George IV. The Bishop's biographer describes Colonel Skinner when he visited the Bishop as a tall, stout, dark man of fifty-six, clad in military dress of blue, with a heavy helmet on his head, a broadsword at his side, and a red ribbon on his breast. His sons were Christians, as he was, but his wife remained a Mahomedan, though, as he said with tears to the Bishop, "a better wife for more than thirty years no man ever had." Colonel Skinner had apparently made a vow that if his life was preserved in action he would build a Church, a mosque, and a temple. The Church is now well known to all who visit Delhi. It was consecrated by the Bishop during this visit. It is interesting to note that immediately after the Consecration the Bishop held a Confirmation, when Colonel Skinner knelt at the Altar to dedicate himself, as he had previously dedicated his Church, to the service of God. The Colonel's three sons knelt alongside him. The scene must have been very impressive, and the Bishop's address moved all to tears. At the conclusion the Colonel himself attempted to express his acknowledgment, but words failed, and he wept silently, while the Bishop prayed that the kindness showed to the house of God might be returned sevenfold into his own bosom. None could foresee at that time that twenty years later this Church, so interesting in its early history, would be "riddled with cannon-balls, filled with dying men, and made a magazine for shot and shell."
The Bishop next visited Cawnpore. In 1837 Cawnpore was a very large station, stretching seven miles in length and containing, with British troops, three thousand Christian inhabitants. Its moral and religious tone was at this time very low, and unfortunately the Commanding Officer and the Senior Chaplain were on bad terms. Owing to well-meant but mistaken action on the part of the Chaplain, Government had transferred him to another station. In those days the location of Chaplains was in the hands of the Local Government. Shortly after the Chaplain's transfer the Bishop visited Cawnpore. As his biographer says, "He dropped suddenly, as it were, into the station on a Saturday night; and on the Sunday morning he rose up in the pulpit and said all that was in his heart. First, he mourned over the "cruel" removal of one of their excellent Chaplains. Secondly, he openly denounced the irreligious conduct of those who had been recently removed from the station. Thirdly, he announced his purpose of laying the foundation-stones of two new Churches before he left. And lastly, he intimated his resolution of discovering whether there was "any grace and good feeling in Cawnpore or not." Nothing less than this, or something like this, could have produced the desired effect. As it was, the station was effectually aroused.
Leaving Cawnpore with the intention of returning to it on his way to Calcutta, the Bishop paid a flying visit to Lucknow. On his return to Cawnpore he laid the foundation-stones of two Churches, and he himself gave a large donation towards them. As he left Calcutta he wrote in his diary as follows:--
"Never did I enter a station," he says, "with such despondency, and never did I leave one with such joy. Three years of irritation between the Clergy and the military authorities had led the Senior Chaplain, in an ill-omened hour, to write an offensive letter. The Chaplain was removed, and all was in a flame. His large circle of friends were up in arms. The design for building Churches (which had been taken up and laid down more than once or twice since 1827, when materials were collected) had been almost abandoned in despair. Well, in three short weeks God has cleared up the sky. The station is friendly; they submit to their loss; they have come forward nobly to subscribe; the Engineer officer has worked cordially; two Gothic designs are determined on; and a capital committee is appointed with rules laid down for their guidance. You should have seen the ceremony yesterday of laying the foundation-stones. The immense throng of people--all the soldiers drawn out--all the officers--all the gentry--and thousands of natives! It would have done your heart good. A numerous Masonic Lodge assisted. The Senior Civilian laid the stone at the Church, and the Brigadier at the Chapel. I was almost killed with the exertion of addressing, perhaps, three thousand people in the open air. I contrived, however, to make them hear. To God only be glory in Christ Jesus! Amen." His next halt was at Allahabad, and while there he was instrumental in removing a serious blemish which had for long been countenanced by Government. When he reached Allahabad on February 11, its great annual fair, or mela, was just concluding. At this time every one who visited the mela, whether native or English, had to pay a tax of one rupee, and an enormous sum of money was raised by this means. To the Bishop the idea of a Christian Government enriching itself by taxes from such a source seemed unbearable. He at once roused himself to effort. Having found a despatch of the Home Government, dated February 1833, absolutely prohibiting the collection of this tax, he next obtained one of the tickets which had been issued, numbered 76,902. Having gathered up all the statistics and cast the balance between profit and loss, he made a strong appeal to the Governor-General. At the same time he wrote to the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, and his statements obtained immediate publicity throughout England and India. He also wrote to many influential and philanthropic friends in England. It is interesting to note that before the end of the year the tax was abolished.
About this period Bishop Wilson heard of the death of his friend Bishop Corrie of Madras, to whom he was deeply attached.
Shortly after his return to Calcutta he visited Burdwan, and was delighted with the work of Mr. and Mrs. Weitbrecht, missionaries of the Church Missionary Society, whose son was till recently one of our most distinguished missionaries in India. About this time the Bishop held his second Visitation, and dealt in his Charge with the Tractarian Movement. Needless to say, his language against those who exalted tradition to the place of Holy Scripture was most severe and uncompromising. "Mark my words," said he, "if some of these men do not leave our Church and join the Apostasy of Rome." Again, "If no one brother will unite with me I am ready to protest alone against this egregious drivelling fatuity."
During his absence from Calcutta Lord Auckland had been appointed Governor-General. The fact that he was indifferent in matters of religion made the Bishop long for the days of Lord William Bentinck.
After holding a Visitation of his clergy, the Bishop at once started for Penang and Singapore, on a voyage which took nearly two months. At Malacca he was allowed to use the Dutch Church, which had been fitted up very carefully for his visit. Two Nonconformist missionaries in those regions had applied for admission to Holy Orders. Sad to record, before the fulfilment of their conscious desire they both had died of cholera within a short period of one another.
On his return to Calcutta he was rejoiced in spirit by the arrival of his new domestic Chaplain, the Rev. John Henry Pratt, Fellow of Caius College, Cambridge, and son of his old tutor. In the absence of the Principal of Bishop's College, who was compelled to go on a sea-voyage owing to malaria, the Bishop and his Chaplain took over a good deal of the work at Bishop's College.
No record of the Bishop's life would be complete without some mention of the building of St. Paul's Cathedral, Calcutta, which came about in this way. Plans had been prepared for the enlargement of St. John's Church--then the Cathedral--when it was found impossible to carry them out on the existing site. The Bishop then conceived the idea of building a great Cathedral Church on "the Maidan," which was to cost at least four lakhs. Towards this he himself contributed largely. A suitable site was granted, and an architect, a distinguished officer in the Royal Engineers, was selected. Writing of it at that time the Bishop says, "I seem to myself like Moses surveying from Mount Pisgah the promised land. I figure to myself my beautiful spire, rising up two hundred and twenty feet--the fine deeply buttressed Gothic nave, chancel, and transepts, marking the massive grandeur of the Christian religion--the magnificent organ sounding out, 'Thou art the King of Glory, O Christ' --my native Presbyters, in their snow-white vestures, walking down the aisles--the Christian neophytes responding in the choir--and Jesus acknowledged as the Lord of all."
Towards the end of the year 1838 the Bishop was deeply moved by news which came from Krishnagar of a large number of Indians pressing into the Church. Twelve hundred inquirers had already appeared, and amongst them were many anxious candidates for baptism. Krishnagar was not the only place where there seemed at that period to have been movements towards the Christian Church.
"What is all this?" said the Bishop. "What is God about to do for us in India? Thousands of souls seem to be making their way up from the shadow of death to the fair light of Christ; or rather, as we hope, are about to be translated from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of God's dear Son." The Bishop himself baptised quite a number of these converts. Amongst the questions he asked them beforehand were: "Will you renounce all idolatry, feasts, pujas, and caste? Will you forgive injuries? "
To Bishop Wilson we owe the Additional Curate Society, now called the Additional Clergy Society. The story of its genesis is decidedly interesting.
"As I was walking up and down the grounds, arm-inarm with the Governor, I turned the conversation to our destitution of Chaplains, and inquired whether an Additional Curates Society might not be formed for all India, giving titles to youths educated at Bishop's College, and ordained by the several Bishops? This Society would have the East Indian population particularly in view. We never can have Chaplains enough for them, and they are increasing most rapidly. Of course, the plan must be well digested and wisely begun." It was out of this conversation that the Additional Clergy Society, a Society which has done so much for the Church in India, eventually grew.
His next tour led this indefatigable man into Central India and the Central Provinces. Agra, Gwalior, Jhansi, Saugor, and Jubbulpore were all visited. At Agra and neighbourhood the Bishop laid the foundation-stones of two new Churches. At Saugor, which was then a large and important military station, he remained for twelve days, which were crowded with work. At Jubbulpore, which at this time bore a bad reputation for unbelief and immorality, the Bishop laid the foundation-stone of the present Civilian Church.
In the year 1839 Dr. Mill retired, owing to ill health, when the S.P.G. appointed Professor Street, a strong Tractarian. The Bishop deeply regretted and even resented this appointment, but once the appointment was made the Principal could only be removed for some act of conduct which was unworthy or for doctrinal reasons. The Bishop approached the S.P.G. on the subject, but was informed by them that it was impossible to remove Mr. Street unless for such reasons as these.
Evidently Simla had attracted the Bishop, for he again spent four months there in the year 1840. On leaving Simla he visited Assam and Sylhet.
In 1845, after thirteen years of continuous work, the condition of his health made it imperative for him to go home for rest. His fourteen months at home, which were to have been a time of complete rest, were, as is so often the case with missionaries on leave, filled up with every kind of engagement. He was chosen to preach the Annual Sermon of the Church Missionary Society at St. Bride's Church, on which occasion he preached for eighty-five minutes!
On nearly every occasion when preaching in England he sought an opportunity of speaking against the Tractarian Movement, which he regarded as Romanising the Church and disloyal to Christ. Though on sick leave, he preached no less than sixty-one sermons while in England.
Shortly after his return to India one of the great events of his life took place, namely, the Consecration of the Cathedral of Calcutta, which had been built and endowed entirely by his efforts. Eight years had elapsed since the first stone was laid on October 8, 1838: the estimated cost being forty thousand pounds, though the final bill was only a little short of fifty thousand. The new Cathedral was designed to answer several needs. First, "to be a Parish Church for a large district of Calcutta; secondly, to be served by a body of Clergy under the designation of a Dean and Chapter who were to bear a missionary character and to carry out missionary work; thirdly, it was to be the Cathedral of the Metropolitical See of Calcutta."
To carry out the second of these designs a large endowment fund, amounting to nearly thirty thousand pounds, was raised. The Bishop's intention was to have six Missionary Canons who, with the addition of the Archdeacon and six Honorary Canons, would constitute the Chapter of the Cathedral. As it was impossible to obtain an Act of Incorporation for the Cathedral, this design fell through, and this large sum of money was ultimately disposed of in various ways. The Bishop himself gave twenty thousand pounds, half for the building and half for the endowment; the East India Company appointed two additional Chaplains and gave fifteen thousand pounds; twelve thousand pounds were raised in India, and thirteen thousand pounds were raised by subscriptions in England; the S.P.G. and S.P.C.K. each gave five thousand pounds; Queen Victoria gave a beautiful Communion Set; and the Dean and Chapter of Windsor presented the magnificent stained glass window now in the east end of the Cathedral, which cost four thousand pounds.
The Bishop's description of the Consecration Service must be given in his own words: "You will want me to give you a further account of the Consecration. It was a wonderful sight for India. As I drove to the Cathedral at ten o'clock, the whole space around it was filled with carriages of all descriptions in the most picturesque groups. The Clergy and laity were awaiting my arrival, surrounded with multitudes of spectators. I made my way through them with verger and pastoral staff; and then proceeded up the middle aisle to the Communion rails. The petition for Consecration was then read. I assented; and then the procession began, repeating, as usual, the twenty-fourth Psalm. The other forms having been gone through, the Morning Service commenced, the organ leading superbly in the chaunts. Colonel Forbes was sitting near me. I turned to him and said, 'How beautifully the voice is heard!' When I ascended the pulpit, there was all around me a sea of heads reaching to the doorway and outer steps. At the Communion, the thirty clergy kneeling at the rails and the five ministering within presented to my mind an overwhelming sight. We retired at half-past three o'clock, praising and blessing God for all we had heard and seen. A dinner at the Palace followed, which went off admirably. The Governor, Members of Council, Secretaries, Clergy, etc., were full of kindness and love. Can I wonder that the Lord sent me a 'thorn in the flesh,' a 'messenger of Satan to buffet me'? No: I rejoice in His chastening hand."
After the Consecration the Bishop again went on tour, visiting amongst other places Travancore. Shortly after his return to Calcutta, at his request the Government purchased Mr. Wilberforce Bird's house, close to the Cathedral, with money which had been acquired by the sale of the Bishop's Palace in which Bishop Heber and his successors had lived. The old Palace, it is interesting to note, is now the Y.M.C.A. headquarters in Calcutta.
About this time there arose a dispute in connection with the erection of mural tablets in the Churches. Certain stations, one of them Mhow, in Central India, raised objections to the permission to erect being left with the Chaplain. They wanted the matter to be left in the hands of the civil authorities. This roused the spirit of the aged Bishop, who contended very vigorously for this right remaining in the hands of the Clergy. The eventual decision ran as follows: "That in accordance with the Bishop's inherent rights, and in subordination to his authority, the charge of the Church was to be considered as vested in the Chaplain for the time being; to whom also appertained the control over the erection of mural tablets."
The form of application for permission to erect them was to be the same as heretofore, but the process was to be simplified. The fee of fifty rupees was also to be paid, but not either to Registrar or Chaplain. Three quarters of it was to go towards the payment of Church expenses, and one quarter was to be placed in the hands of the Chaplain for charitable purposes.
About this time Dr. Kaye was appointed Principal of Bishop's College, and Professor Street stepped down from that important position and became one of its Professors. One cannot read even the rather prejudiced account given in the Bishop's biography without being struck by the extraordinary humility and gentleness of Professor Street's character. He did not long hold his Professorship, as he was seized by a fatal illness which terminated his career. When dying he invoked God's blessing upon the Bishop.
On April 11, 1848, the heart of the Bishop was rejoiced by the passing of an Act for the establishment of liberty of conscience. By this means any Hindu or Mahomedan who embraced the Christian faith no longer had to forfeit his inheritance. The Bishop in his diary speaks of this day as being "as memorable a day as December 4, 1829, when Lord William Bentinck abolished the rite of Sati."
Quite the most striking journey in a life full of journeyings was the Bishop's visit to Borneo. His reason for visiting it was the receipt of a letter from the Bishop of London, bearing the following direction: "The Lord Bishop of Calcutta, Sarawak, Borneo: care of the Rev. Mr. Church at Singapore." He was requested to visit the Island of Borneo, which being included in none of the Eastern Dioceses, fell under the jurisdiction of the Bishop of London. He was also asked when there to consecrate the new Church erected by Sir James Brooke, the Rajah of Sarawak. A voyage of fourteen weeks and a journey of four thousand miles had to be undertaken by the Bishop in his seventy-third year!
He at once communicated with Government and, as no obstacle was raised, determined to go. "On the whole," he says, "I believe it to be my duty, and my concern is only to die daily, leaving results with sovereign faithfulness, love, and power." The journey was undertaken with safety and with apparently a great deal of enjoyment. He speaks of meeting with Sir James Brooke, the Rajah of Sarawak, and tells the story of how, when Sir James Brooke was dining with Queen Victoria at Windsor in 1847, Her Majesty asked him "how he could govern so many thousands without troops?" In his reply the Rajah said "he managed the natives easily enough, but the four or five English he had with him gave him much more trouble! "
His visit to Borneo was followed some time later by his consecrating a Bishop for that interesting and romantic See. In October 1851, assisted by Bishop Dealtry of Madras and Bishop Smith of Victoria, Hong Kong, he consecrated the well-known Dr. Macdougal, who was not only a Doctor of Divinity but also a skilful surgeon. There is a story told of how, after having conducted one of his services, the new Bishop divested himself of his lawn sleeves and proceeded to amputate a man's leg!
The Bishop's letters to his Chaplains are amongst the most interesting things in his biography. He certainly made demands on them which no modern Bishop would dream of doing. To one Chaplain he writes, informing him that he is on no account to "turn to the east in the Creed, or to preach in a surplice, or to call the holy table the altar."
On October 1855 the Bishop delivered his last Charge, for though he lived for some time afterwards, he never again summoned his Clergy to a Visitation. The closing passage of the Charge is well worth remembering:--
"And now, brethren, I most affectionately commend you to God and to the Word of His grace. This is guardianship under which we may comfortably leave each other. The inheritance of the saints in light is before us. The more we study the Word of God's grace, the better shall we be prepared for that unspeakable blessedness--an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled, and which fadeth not away, as all earthly possessions do--an inheritance purchased for the Church of God with His own blood, to which repentance towards God and faith towards our Lord Jesus Christ are the means of conducting us--an inheritance to which they only who are sanctified and prepared will be admitted.
"The time will come on earth when the dearest friends must be torn one from another: but we look forward to a state where nothing shall separate us, nothing give occasion to the words which St. Paul spake, and which were above all grievous to his flock, that they should see his face no more; but where a blessed reunion with those whom we have loved here below in Christ will efface every preceding sorrow and trouble, and all the past will be swallowed up in the eternal fruition, and joy, and holiness, and mutual love, and transport of seeing Jesus our Master as He is, and being with Him for ever and ever."
Immediately after delivering this Charge he started on a long journey to Burma, where he arrived on November 14, 1855. Here as elsewhere he insisted on Churches being built; and during this tour in Burma arrangements were made for the building of no less than three Churches at a cost of thirty-five thousand rupees each, Government in every case assisting with grants-in-aid. It is interesting to note that the first of these Churches was called St. Andrew, after Lord Dalhousie, who was then Governor-General!
Leaving Rangoon, he journeyed up the river to Thayetmu, then the most advanced post in Burma. He found its congregation worshipping in something worse than a tent, and at once set to work to have a Church built.
On his return to India he welcomed the new Governor-General, Lord Canning, conducting a Service at which both the new and the retiring Governor-Generals were present.
The Bishop was now completely worn out, and it would seem to have been his obvious duty to retire and make way for a younger man. For certain reasons, however, he had the idea rootedly fixed in his mind that to perfect his work he must die in India. His constant prayer for many years previously had been that "he might end well."
The closing year of his long life was darkened by the terrible events connected with the Indian Mutiny. Calcutta was crowded with refugees from up-country. "Something like a feeling of panic existed at this critical moment," says the Bishop: "we are all passengers together in a sinking ship." He applied to the Governor-General for a day of humiliation, which was declined. Though Lord Canning was unwilling to order a day of humiliation, he expressed the hope that the Bishop would take any steps that he might feel fit in his own way. He prepared a humiliation sermon and a special service. It is interesting to note that when selecting proper Psalms and Lessons for his service he speaks as follows: "It is all illegal, I know, but I trust it will be passed over and forgiven, and that the extraordinary circumstances of the insurrection will warrant my taking this unusual step"! It is always open to question as to what kind of sermon people need in a crisis of this kind, but the impression left in the mind by that portion of the sermon quoted by his biographer is that his was hardly likely to give courage to men in a desperate position.
From this time onwards his health failed rapidly. Towards the end of the year 1857 it was thought that a voyage to the Sand Heads might enable him to make a partial recovery. With his indomitable will this was attempted, but after sixteen days he returned to Calcutta, sinking rapidly. He passed away on January 2, 1858. The last entry in his diary is interesting. No. 17, Bishop's private notes, January 1, Friday evening, 7.30 p.m., "All going on well, but I am almost dead. D. C. [Daniel Calcutta] Firm in hope."
Bishop Wilson's biographer has some interesting reflections on the Bishop's character. He alludes to his extraordinary energy, such as visiting Burma at the age of seventy-eight; living in houses of mats, and constantly building fresh Churches in Christ's honour. He also alludes to his deep piety and his intense spirit of prayer. "See what a poor creature I am," he said, on entering the breakfast-room one morning, "and pity me. I fell asleep at my prayers last night."
He also alludes to his continuous study of Scripture. He seems to have had a special reverence for Scott as a commentator. "Thomas Scott was a wonderful man, as wonderful in his way as Milton or Burke." He was a man of immense moral as well as physical courage. In a righteous cause he feared the face of no man. The story is told that on one occasion at Government House the ladies and gentlemen had retired to the drawing-room, when a loud voice was heard crying, "Come back! come back!" It was the old Bishop, who in defiance of all etiquette reminded them that Grace had not been said. He was a man of unbounded liberality, as was seen not only in his princely gifts to the Church, but in numerous ways in which he helped needy people. No one ever possessed a larger missionary spirit. Combined with all these excellent qualities, however, were certain peculiarities which as he grew older became marked features of his character. He used to say to young Chaplains, "Don't eat too much: don't stuff." "The most healthy complexion for India is that of a boiled chicken." Speaking of a missionary who had sought and obtained a Chaplaincy, he said, "Ah, he was a true missionary, perhaps there was not a better in India, but Satan and Eve had persuaded him to quit the work." On one occasion Mrs. Ellerton, an aged lady who lived with him, sent for him when very ill, to bid farewell, and to leave with him some instructions respecting her coffin. He promised compliance and then left her. During the night she rallied, and in the morning sent for him to countermand her directions. The Bishop informed her that it was too late for her to change. He had sent for the undertaker at once, as she wished, and the work was done! He was a man of immense strength of character, but one who could not brook opposition, and who found it most difficult to see any other point of view save his own. There were, however, many elements of real greatness about him, though he can hardly be regarded as a lovable character. During a long Episcopate of twenty-six years he accomplished great things for the Church in India which are of lasting value, and one can safely say that as a man of affairs and a driving force he has had no rival amongst those who came before or who have followed him.
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