Three years had elapsed after the last capture of the Cape of Good Hope, before it was considered necessary to have a resident Commissioner there. Captain Shield was selected for this purpose, and a fitter, or more efficient man could not have been found. With a sound judgment, and the utmost integrity, and undeviating correctness; he possessed an activity of mind, and indefatigable perseverance that never perhaps was exceeded. His official correspondence, which Sir Jahleel Brenton found in the office, was invaluable to him, and rendered his way clear under all the complexity in which he was involved by the transactions, which in the ultimate establishment of the dock-yard he was engaged in with the military and civil branches of the Government.

The Dutch, while masters of the Cape, aware of the insecurity of Table Bay during the winter months, when it is exposed to the fury of the whole Southern Atlantic, had been in the habit of sending their ships for shelter to Saldahna Bay; overlooking, or perhaps purposely concealing the value of Simon’s Bay; lest it might afford to an enemy the facility of landing and attacking the colony. Commissioner Shield viewed this bay with a seaman’s eye, and at once pronounced it to be the only place on the coast for a Naval Arsenal, and gave this opinion to the Navy Board, as soon after his arrival as he could obtain the means of forming it.

The Dutch had a few storehouses there for the use of their Batavia ships, but everything was upon the smallest scale, and the Admiralty on being convinced by the representation of Commissioner Shield of the fitness of Simon’s Bay for the establishment of a dock-yard, directed the Naval Establishment to be removed there, which was accordingly done in 1814; a Naval Hospital being previously built, and plans agreed upon for the extension of other Naval buildings.

Commissioner Shield being called to the Navy Board in 1813, was succeeded by Commissioner Dundas, from Bombay, who retained the situation but a short time, as he died at Simon’s Town in August, 1814.

Sir Jahleel Brenton, on inspecting the two bays, Table Bay and Simon’s Bay, entirely concurred with Commissioner Shield upon the expediency of giving up the former altogether; but recommended, that on surrendering the buildings there to the Colonial Government it should be with the understanding, that if required at any future period of war, they should be again restored to the Naval Department.

Whilst the dock-yard was in Table Bay, no ship could venture to strip her lower masts, or heave down, from the uncertainty of the weather and the rapidity with which a gale succeeds a calm, and the glassy surface is changed into a tremendous sea rolling in upon a dead lee shore. The loss of the Sceptre there in 1795, and of several large merchant vessels in the course of the seven years which Sir Jahleel Brenton passed there, are evident proofs of the dangers incurred almost at all seasons of the year in this bay; whereas in Simon’s Bay, scarcely an instance occurred during the whole of that time of a vessel driving from her anchors. Indeed the one only case was that of the Revolutionaire, parting a cable that had rotted in India, and falling on board the Zebra, carrying her adrift, with the wind immediately off one part of the bay, and driving on shore on the opposite side in a sandy cove under the block house, from whence they were both got off, the Revolutionaire much damaged from having passed over a ledge of rocks. But soon after the moorings were laid down for two ships of the line, and as many frigates, and no accidents afterwards occurred. It was found, however, that these were inconvenient, as they occupied too large a portion of the bay, which is not very extensive, and on that account they have since been removed.

When it was decided that the only Naval Establishment at the Cape should be in Simon’s Bay, the new buildings were carried on with great energy, and it soon became a place of considerable importance. A jetty was formed in the dock-yard: a spacious mast house erected, with a working sail loft over it, and a very ornamental range of houses for the officers of the yard constructed upon a terrace overlooking the bay, and the whole yard enclosed with a wall, forming a remarkably neat and compact arsenal.

Soon after the arrival of Sir Jahleel Brenton as Commissioner of the dock-yard at the Cape of Good Hope, a vessel arrived with the account of Buonaparte having escaped from Elba, and of war being revived in Europe. The consequences of this short war had a very material influence upon the colony of the Cape, as the transfer of the great prisoner to St. Helena caused a great demand upon the Cape for supplies of all descriptions, and excited amongst the wine growers and farmers a degree of energy quite foreign to the habits of the Dutch colonists, and to which nothing but English capital, and English example could probably ever have stimulated them.

St. Helena, of course, became the head quarters of the squadron, from whence they were sent in succession to Simon’s Bay to refit, and complete their stores. Large contracts were entered into for wine and flour, as well as for bread, cattle, and hay, &c. The cattle hitherto killed for the Cape market were of the most inferior description. They had been driven from the great cattle farms, in the eastern districts of the colony, through a long sandy desert, where little was to be found for their support but the acrid Hottentot fig and other similar plants; and after a journey of nearly a week, sometimes much more, they were, upon their arrival either in Cape Town or Simon’s Town, immediately sent to the slaughter house. The meat, as may be expected, was of the worst kind; and of the cattle embarked in the wretched state we have described, but few could be expected to reach St. Helena.

To remedy this, a Cattle yard was constructed in Simon’s Bay, where they were kept and dry fed for several weeks, and then shipped on board the transports; and the wind being almost always fair, and the water smooth, they continued to improve even on the passage, and arrived at St. Helena in high condition. Sheep were still more improved, and the quick demand for all the articles of supply, gave great animation to the boors; while it rendered the Naval Establishment at the Cape of very great importance, and shewed particularly how sound was the judgment which had induced Commissioner Shield to remove it from Table Bay to Simon’s Bay, as there was scarcely an instance during the period of nearly seven years that Sir Jahleel Brenton was there, in which a cargo might not have been shipped on board the men of war, and transports. Indeed in a very heavy gale, blowing directly into the bay, an anchor for a very large frigate was sent off with very little difficulty; whilst in Table Bay all communication with the ships is cut off for many days together, and much longer in the winter months.

More than thirty vessels, some of them of great value were lost in Table Bay during this period, and only one in Simon’s Bay; and this, for want of a good look out, running on shore in the night under Musenburg with all sails set.

The Revolutionaire and Zebra it is true had been driven on shore, but it was in a species of hurricane off the land, as has been already observed, and owing entirely to the Revolutionaire’s cable being defective.

Upon this occasion, or rather in consequence of it, when the Revolutionaire was heaving down to be repaired, Sir Jahleel Brenton had a most providential escape from losing his life. The ship was keel out (and it is well known with what difficulty the long legged French built ships are hove down.) The Commissioner was in the boat examining the damages the ship had received, and not four feet from the keel of the Revolutionaire, when the purchase gave way, and she righted with the greatest violence, throwing the greatest part of the people who were on the decks overboard, killing one shipwright, and wounding the master builder of the yard seriously. The column of water between the ship’s bottom and the Commissioner’s boat was sufficient to act as a fender, and prevent her being struck by the ship; she was thrown off with great violence by the broken water, but without shipping any. The boats crew, all black fellows, seeing the confusion with which they were surrounded, immediately jumped overboard, and dived to be out of the way of mischief, and the first that rose finding that order was not quite restored, again sought for safety at the bottom. They were soon however all in the boat again, but evidently thought their conduct too natural to require either explanation or excuse; for they gave neither to the Commissioner, whom they had thus left alone in the boat, and who was too much amused at their resource to be angry with them.

In the course of this year, Rear Admiral Sir George Cockburne having seen his important prisoner settled at St. Helena, was succeeded in his command by Rear Admiral Sir Pulteney Malcolm, who arrived at the Cape of Good Hope, which he was desirous of visiting previous to his taking up his residence at St. Helena; and having brought Lady Malcolm with him, the circumstance was the cause of much gratification to the Commissioner’s family, and to Sir Jahleel Brenton particularly; as it enabled him to act in concert with the Commander in chief, in laying down plans for the regular supply of St. Helena, and in making the necessary contracts for that purpose. Sir Pulteney was also enabled to judge for himself of the capabilities of the Cape, and the character of its farmers, which rendered the subsequent correspondence between the Admiral and the Commissioner a very easy one; both were acquainted with each other’s objects and measures, and the greatest cordiality in consequence subsisted between them.

With regard to some of the Commissioner’s plans, it is fit that his own language should be quoted.

“One of the most important subjects that engaged my attention, after my arrival in the colony, was the situation of the negro labourers in the dock-yard. These people had been with hundreds of others of their countrymen captured by His Majesty’s ships, in vessels carrying on that abominable traffic, after it had been rendered illegal by the laws of the countries to which these vessels belonged. Some of these negroes, as many as were required, were assigned to the government departments, colonial, military, and naval, as labourers; and others were distributed among the inhabitants of the colony as servants or agricultural labourers. Those, whose unhappy fate it was to be of the latter class, were indeed much to be pitied. The tender mercies of the original Dutch Boor in this colony are but too well known, and the unfortunate black, not called a slave but an apprentice, lost all the benefit which he would have derived from being a slave, when being a marketable commodity, his health was taken care of, and like other animals belonging to the farm he was well fed, and kept in good condition that he might fetch the better price, if it seemed expedient to sell him. But the Boor having only a life interest, (for such indeed it became in many instances where the negro did not outlive his apprenticeship) tasked him to the utmost; and as he had been in the habit of acting towards the unhappy Hottentot, the more the man’s health was impaired, made the greater efforts to get work out of him, before he died. That this is in no way exaggerated will be evident to those who read the statements made by Dr. Philip, in the course of his struggles in favour of the Aboriginal people of the colony.

“Those who were employed in the public departments, as well as such as fell into the hands of respectable individuals were of course much less to be pitied. Some apprenticeship, however, was necessary, especially to the new negro, who would for some years be incapable of earning his own living.

“Commissioner Shield had in 1810, with that humanity and judgment for which he was remarkable, suggested to the Navy Board, that the negroes employed in the dock-yard should be put on the same footing as landsmen on board His Majesty’s ships, having the same allowance of provision, and the same pay; the latter amounting to £14 per annum, the balance of which after the deduction made for their clothes (as in the case of seamen) should be carried to their credit, and kept until they were out of their time, as a means of future provision. After the departure of Commissioner Shield this salutary arrangement had been lost sight of, in consequence of which Sir Jahleel Brenton wrote the following letter to the Navy Board; which as it describes the useful services of these men, and led to advantageous results in their behalf, it may not be amiss to introduce.

As the subject of these letters may be useful in directing the public attention to the means of employing a portion of the immense population placed under the control of this country, it is hoped that no other excuse need be assigned for the introduction of one or two more letters respecting the negroes. The next letter is dated, Simon’s Bay, 2nd July, 1815.

The Navy Board approved of all the suggestions contained in these letters, with the exception of paying the arrears to those blacks who had not received the advantage of being rated according to these orders; a measure bearing very hard upon these people, and for which no adequate reason is assigned.

Some months afterwards, when the black men from the squadron were discharged into the dock-yard, previous to its departure for England, the Commissioner on mustering them found to his great surprise, that some of these people had been long at sea, serving as part of the complement of His Majesty’s ships, and doing all the duty of seamen. That these people should after such service be consigned again to slavery, (mitigated it is true, but nevertheless, as the labour was compulsory, it was still slavery for the time it was to last) seemed a hardship not to be permitted. It was true he felt that it might be said, that in the dock-yard they had the pay and allowances of seamen. This was admitted; but it was the principle against which he felt it his duty to contend. On the mere supposition that the dock-yard establishment was complete, and that in consequence these negroes had been like other apprentices distributed among the Boors, the consequence would have been obvious and most painful, and it would have involved a flagrant act of injustice towards the helpless blacks, thus reduced without any fault of their own, from the condition of seamen, serving in His Majesty’s navy, to that of prÆdial slaves in a colony, noted for the severity with which such slaves are treated. Sir Jahleel Brenton in consequence wrote to the Navy Board upon the subject, and the following is an extract from his letter of the 13th Feb., 1816, immediately bearing upon this subject.

The Navy Board having laid the above letter before their solicitor, transmitted to the Commissioner the opinion of this law officer, but without any comment or direction of their own, leaving the responsibility of any measure Sir Jahleel Brenton might in consequence adopt, entirely upon himself. The opinion was as follows:—

In consequence of receiving this opinion, and so authenticated by the Board, Sir Jahleel Brenton immediately decided upon giving these three men their freedom, should they wish it, and having put the question to them, they earnestly requested their liberty. They had each a considerable sum due to them, amounting to some hundreds of rix dollars to each man, which the Commissioner recommended them to leave, or at least a portion of it, in the hands of the storekeeper, from whom they might draw it as they wanted; a precaution very necessary to prevent their being robbed of it. But the temptation to get the whole into their own hands was too powerful to be resisted. Amongst other arguments used by the Commissioner to induce them to adopt this prudent precaution, he stated their ignorance of the value of the notes; all money at the Cape at this time being in paper; and holding up a fifty dollar note to one of them, asked him its value, to which the man unhesitatingly answered, “ten,” and another of five being shewn, the answer was, “twenty.” But even this proof failed to persuade them. They took their money and in a few days came to the Commissioner lamenting that it was all gone. This circumstance convinced the latter, that unless some precautionary measures were adopted with regard to the poor blacks, no fund that could be laid up for them would be available, and under this impression he wrote to the Navy Board again.

In order to dispose of the question relative to the black labourers, one more letter from the Commissioner upon the subject to the Navy Board may be introduced, in the confidence that the plan suggested in it, will appear at once economical and practical, and that if steadily followed up, it must have been effectual for their provision and future comfort, and the probable result that of making these men a valuable portion of the population.

The Navy Board expressed their approbation of the plan above proposed in the following letter, dated 10th January, 1818.

About the year 1819 the Commissioner proceeded to carry this plan into effect, having selected four of the most meritorious blacks, and giving them in the first instance one day in the week to prepare the ground, and to collect materials for their buildings, at the same time laying out their gardens. When the houses were so far in progress for laying on the roofs, the materials were given to them from the dock-yard; which from being unfit for any important purposes, were valued at a very insignificant price; and in the course of the following year, four very respectable cottages were completed, and put into the hands of the blacks, who immediately began working for the public in their respective trades, and when there was no pressure of work in the dock-yard, and employment was offered to them by the inhabitants of Simon’s Town, they were allowed to take it without any interruption. But if out of work, they were always received and paid by the dock-yard, whether absolutely required or not. They were thus secure of employment, and conducted themselves so much to the satisfaction of the Commissioner and officers of the yard, as fully to answer the hopes which had been formed of the efficacy of the plan. Had the establishment of the dock-yard remained a few years longer, there is little doubt but that the great majority of these negroes would have been effectually provided for. There were, it is true, among these as well as in every other class of human beings, incorrigible characters, whom no system or measure could reform; and these, but these only, would have become the burden of the colony: but then, even in this case, it must be remembered that the colony or the mother country had had the benefit of their labours during their best days.

Upon the breaking up of the dock-yard establishment at the Cape of Good Hope in 1821, the greater part of the blacks were discharged, and set at liberty; but no previous arrangement being made, it is to be feared that the large sums due to them were soon dissipated, and they were ultimately obliged to place themselves in voluntary bondage—not the less galling or binding from being voluntary. For by the laws of the colony, the servant, if in debt to his master, must continue to work for him until the debt is paid; and how easy it is for the master to bring his black labourer into debt to him, and how difficult for the poor black to avoid or free himself from that debt, need not be adverted to.

The description of this plan of the Commissioner’s for the benefit of the negroes, has been given at greater length, as the question of providing for the great mass of their emancipated brethren in the West Indies, is not, nor is likely to be soon settled; and some hints for the disposal of them may here be found, which may be reduced to useful practice there. The Editor is happy to be able to add, that from very recent information, it appears that the benefits contemplated, have been in a great degree realized.

Sir Jahleel’s domestic narrative continues, “As our house required considerable alteration in order to make it comfortable, General Baird kindly lent us the Government quarters near Simon’s Town, which was a most valuable acquisition, as it kept your mother from the noise and confusion, which necessarily attended the fitting up and furnishing our own house.” Lady Brenton’s health in the course of the summer, rendered a change of air necessary, and she was removed to the house of Mr. Colyn, at Constantia, where Sir Jahleel says, “We were most kindly and hospitably received by these excellent people, who used every effort in the power of friendship and goodness of heart to afford relief to my dear suffering companion. For some time the change of air seemed to have been instrumental to her receiving great benefit. This called forth our warmest gratitude to the merciful Providence which had directed us to the means; and painful as the recollection of these disappointed hopes may be, my beloved children, the retrospect of this period must fill our hearts with thankfulness to Him who bestowed such an alleviation of suffering upon her, such a suspension of anxiety and affliction upon ourselves. When we consider the duration of life in general, and how small a portion of it is passed in happiness, or in entire freedom from solicitude, our hearts must expand with thankfulness for the share of enjoyment which has been bestowed upon us; and the sanguine hopes which we were induced to indulge at this period, must make it appear as one of almost unmixed happiness. A habit of viewing and feeling the events of life, and referring them to their great first cause, may be considered as an additional faculty bestowed on the sincere, the patient, and faithful servants of God; to contribute to their comfort, to ensure their enjoyment of that which is good in this world; to support them under its trials, to reconcile them to the state of life to which they are called, and finally to lead them to that everlasting happiness prepared for them by the inconceivable mercy and goodness of God.”

Lady Brenton’s health continued in a most precarious and fluctuating state for some time, rendering frequent removals to Constantia necessary. She had a very severe relapse on the 26th of January, after which Sir Jahleel says, “the Almighty was pleased to bestow a considerable period of relief and comfort.”

On the 29th of January the wind blew with greater violence than it had ever been known to do in this place, and throughout the whole shore of the bay on which it acted, there was but one space where a vessel could have been driven, without being irrevocably lost, although without much danger to lives. Upon this small space both the Revolutionaire and Zebra were driven, and by the wind shifting suddenly to the southward, which brought a heavy sea into the bay, they were both in imminent danger for some time, but on the 31st were got off without any loss of life.

On the 4th of February Sir Jahleel says, “every day now grew more alarming, and our situation more awfully afflicting. The dreadful disorder had assumed a more fearful appearance. Our short excursion to Constantia had as usual cheered and enlivened the dear sufferer, but we did not dare to form any sanguine hopes of a residence there. Our kind and hospitable friends would most willingly have received us for any period, but anxious to save them the inconvenience, we preferred hiring a cottage, which at last we succeeded in finding at Mr. Fersfeld’s. Thither we prepared to remove, but it was with heavy hearts, for we had little hopes of bringing the dear object of our affection back with us. She was as usual all piety and resignation; all cheerfulness when not immediately suffering, and a model of exemplary patience and fortitude, when in pain and sickness. You and I my dear girl can never forget this bright example. May it influence our conduct, my beloved children, and when the day comes, and come it must, when all that we cling to here, when all who are dear to us, and all to whom we are dear, are on the eve of being finally separated, at least as far as relates to this world; and may our last days be like her’s. We went to our retired and comfortable residence near Wynberg on the 10th of February. The change of air at first excited a temporary feeling of improvement, but it was not of an encouraging nature. A settled and increasing debility had evidently taken place, with loss of appetite, and cough and oppression. Still the sweet sufferer appeared to enjoy the change, and to delight in the drives which this part of the country afforded.”

Lady Brenton’s journal, dated 29th March says, “on Tuesday, through the mercy of Divine Providence, we were permitted to reach home in safety.”

June 3rd, Sir Jahleel says, “my much respected friend, the amiable Lord Amherst, had just arrived from his unsuccessful mission to China, after his disastrous shipwreck. Your mother was at this time extremely weak and suffering, but she assured me that our evening society, at which time alone she joined us, amused her, and such appeared to be the case. Our letters which arrived at this period from England were indeed delightful. Those from my darling Jervis gave me the most sanguine hopes of his being all I could wish him to be. I felt that I could now correspond with him as a friend notwithstanding his youth; he was scarcely fourteen at the time these letters were written. These were the last his mother was capable of enjoying; how little did she then think she was so soon to meet this darling child in the realms of everlasting happiness, and how merciful was the dispensation of our heavenly Father, which prevented her last days from being agonized by the account of his unexpected departure; for with whatever resignation the purest heart may bear its own sufferings, the feelings implanted in our nature render the strongest mind accessible to the most sincere affliction, at the awful separation from those we love.

“The 5th of June, 1817. This, my beloved children, was the last day in which your mother ever took a pen in her hand, unless it were to endorse her papers, which she requested me to destroy after reading them; but that became impossible until I had transcribed them for you. I come now to that period, which awful and affecting as it was, was full of mercy, full of goodness, and full of the most salutary influence to us. May we, my dearest children, ever keep it before us, and cherish it in our hearts, for our affectionate remembrance, our admiration, and our imitation. From the day on which the last memorandum was written, until that on which Lord Amherst sailed, the 11th, the angelic sufferer, though weak and frequently in pain (indeed I fear constantly) was still cheerful, and appeared to enjoy the society with which we were surrounded, in consequence of the Ambassador being with us, who was waiting for a wind. We also felt cheered and comforted at the observations which were made by some, that her health did not appear in a worse state than when they saw her the preceding year. On the 13th she went out with me in the phaeton, but I had not gone many yards before I felt convinced that her nerves were not equal to the fatigue, that everything alarmed her, and I proposed returning, to which she gladly consented. She soon after went to her room; never again to leave it alive. On the following day I became alarmed, and sent for Dr. Barry. This extraordinary young man, at the age of fourteen, had undergone a most rigid examination before the College of Physicians, and had, by the correctness of his answers, and the extent of his abilities, extorted from them his diploma, with which he had practised with the most extraordinary success. Had not a firm conviction taken place in my mind, that the nature of my beloved Isabella’s disorder, was beyond the reach of human skill, I should have derived the most sanguine hopes from his advice; but with such an impression upon my mind, I knew that Omnipotence alone could restore her; and although I never had the presumption to hope that a miracle would be performed in my favour, yet to the last hours of her life, the faint glimmering hope of her being spared to me, never wholly abandoned me. On this day he pronounced the case to be very alarming, and declared strong measures to be necessary. Her state was soon pronounced hopeless. To me she did not appear sensible of her danger; but I have since found that she knew it, and had cheerfully resigned herself to it. She did not hesitate to converse upon it with my sister, but could not bring herself to give me the afflicting tidings. I became very anxious that she should receive the sacrament, but was fearful of exciting alarm by my mentioning my wishes. This was a state of mind which can easily be imagined, but which it is difficult to describe. This complicated anxiety dwelt very strongly upon my mind, and gave rise to a circumstance, which I shall ever consider a dispensation of Divine Providence. I was lying on the sofa in her room, and dreamed that I was receiving the sacrament with her. I awoke with a very strong impression of the dream upon my mind, but soon after fell asleep again, and the dream was renewed. I considered this as an imperative warning, which I dared no longer slight, and seating myself by her side, I took the earliest opportunity of speaking upon religious subjects. I then mentioned my dream and consequent anxiety. She heard me, not with dismay, but with delight; assured me she had long wished for it, and expressed her earnest desire that it should be administered. She regretted the absence of Mr. Hough, the clergyman, with whom we had long been on the most friendly terms. His worthy successor she had only had an opportunity of seeing, the preference was consequently natural. Providentially Mr. Hough came down that very morning; and as far as I can now recollect he was quite unexpected. I lost no time in calling upon him to administer the sacred rite, which he immediately did, going through the Service for the Visitation of the Sick. With what calmness and resignation, and at the same time with what angelic fervour, did she make her responses to the questions which he put to her upon the state of her mind and conscience. Her eyes alone were dry upon this trying occasion; they were lifted up in humble and holy confidence to her Creator and Redeemer. Never will the remembrance of this scene be erased from my mind. She appeared as tranquil and collected as though in perfect health. Mr. Hough called upon us the two succeeding days, and upon each occasion we had in her presence a most interesting and most comforting conversation, in which the dear sufferer frequently joined; but our sentiments were so entirely in unison upon every subject, that I can now remember with a feeling not to be expressed, how her eyes glistened with delight, as I suggested, from time to time, those sources of consolation to which we had ever looked, during the whole of our happy union, and which had now become our sole support in this trying hour. After the holy sacrament had thus been administered, I felt no longer any restraint upon religious subjects, and thenceforth they occupied nearly all our conversation. I read to her every day one of the chapters of St. John’s Gospel, so admirably calculated to quicken faith, and to render real and sensible the hidden things of the world to come. I also frequently read over to her the 23rd, 34th, 46th, 103rd, and 107th Psalms, with all of which she was greatly delighted, but more particularly with the 23rd, verses of which she frequently repeated. On the 13th of July she had become so weak as to cease to be able to walk; previous to this she had had intervals of ease, and had even been removed into another room, for change of air and scene. She now wished to receive the sacrament again, and it was administered by Mr. Dennis. From this time a lively faith seems to have taken an entire possession of this angelic mind. The words of our blessed Lord and Saviour, ‘Whosoever cometh unto me, I will in nowise cast out,’ were constantly upon her lips. Thursday night previous to her departure, upon going into her room, I found her in a state of delirium; she knew no one, but repeated with a voice perfectly distinct, and with the harmony of a seraph, the Lord’s Prayer, and the 23rd Psalm. She soon after recovered her recollection. A paroxysm came on which threatened instant suffocation. As soon as she could speak, she requested Dr. Duke and Mr. Dennis might be sent for. In the course of a short time she was quite composed, and at three in the morning received the sacrament, with the same calmness and enchanting resignation she had manifested upon previous occasions. She appeared to be greatly comforted, and soon after fell into a peaceful slumber, which continued without interruption for nearly twelve hours; but previous to falling asleep, and immediately after receiving the sacrament, she said, ‘Remove that light,’ (a candle being placed in such a manner as to incommode her) ‘I shall soon see a much brighter.’ ‘Do you feel that, Lady Brenton?’ said Mr. Dennis. ‘Yes, I do, indeed,’ she rejoined, ‘but I hope I am not presumptuous. I am going to sleep; I think I shall awake in a celestial light.’ She dozed a little; then opening her eyes exclaimed to my sister, ‘O! Mary, am I still here! The hope of meeting my Saviour face to face—I trust I am not impatient.’ She then slept again in the most perfect composure. She continued in the last state of languor until Sunday night, which she passed in constant pain, with extreme difficulty of breathing, and on Monday the fatal symptoms became very apparent, in reduction of the pulse, and coldness of the extremities. At two o’clock on Tuesday morning the paroxysms became so quick and so severe as to threaten instant dissolution. We surrounded her bed, in momentary expectations of her being delivered from her sufferings. At nine she was most severely convulsed, but her countenance instantly resuming that angelic sweetness, which it had ever worne through life, she resigned her soul (spotless through His blood) into the hands of her Redeemer!

“I have thus, my darling children, gone through the painful task of recording the last sufferings of your inestimable mother. Let us endeavour to resign ourselves to the Divine Will, under the truly awful dispensations which befell us in the course of that year. Let us remember that all our trials are sent in mercy; and I fervently and sincerely assure myself, that at some future period (perhaps the close of our lives) we shall look back to these afflicting scenes, with heartfelt gratitude and adoration, for having lifted our hearts above the things of this world, and for having furnished us with so bright an example in the object of our fondest affection, to stimulate us in the practice of piety, gratitude, and peaceful resignation; for all which she was so truly eminent. Let it be the study of our lives to contemplate her virtues, whilst we most affectionately cherish her memory. It will evermore prevent our looking with idolatrous fondness on the things of this world, and keep our hearts fixed on Him, in whose presence is the fulness of joy.

“There is no work of human composition, which has afforded me more comfort under this trying affliction, or seemed more applicable than ‘Young’s Night Thoughts.’ I have frequently quoted to you such passages as have from time made the most forcible impression. The following possesses great force, beauty, and consolation.

Lady Brenton we have seen had been in the habit of making copious extracts from her favourite authors; no doubt for the future benefit of her children; in allusion to one of these taken from Wilberforce’s work on Practical Christianity, Sir Jahleel makes the following remark.

“However deeply you may be struck with the sentiments of the great and pious character, who has been himself so eminent an example of piety and virtue, who has so truly adorned that gospel which he professed, who has so strenuously endeavoured to shew his love to God, by his affection for his fellow creatures; however impressive you may, at a future period of your lives consider these arguments; they will to you, my darling children, appear with an additional force and value, thus treasured up for your attention, and guidance, by your beloved mother—by her, who first taught your infant lips to lisp the sacred name of God in prayer, and who enjoined you to place your trust, your hopes and your happiness in Him. How much do I owe to her, whom the Almighty, in His abundant mercy, was, pleased to bestow upon me.

“Well indeed do I remember that upon our first meeting after that long separation, of which I have already told you, and previous to our marriage; with what sweetness, what meekness, but with what dignified judgment, and true piety, did she instil similar sentiments into my mind; and shew me what erroneous views I had formed of the requisitions of Christianity. I was indeed a nominal Christian; my chief apprehension was of being righteous over much, and I felt as though a general compliance with the letter of the commandments was all that was required of me; and even in the neglect of many of these, I comforted myself with the reflection that the Lord would not be ‘extreme to mark what was done amiss.’ I was even in the constant habit of committing a breach of the third commandment without being sensible of it, and allowed myself to use the sacred name of God, in common and trivial conversation, without feeling the wickedness of such profanation. For this she instantly but gently reproved me. On the very first day of our meeting she entreated me to conquer the habit, with so much earnestness of affection, and described the nature of it in such just terms, that the effect was instantaneous, and I can hardly remember having been afterwards guilty of it, never certainly without strong reproaches of conscience; and for many years it has given me a feeling of pain when I have heard others guilty of it, similar to what my beloved Isabella experienced for me. Having been sent into the world at an early age, and not having had the advantage in any ship to which I belonged in early life, of ever hearing religion mentioned; it had certainly not been cultivated in my mind; and but for the pains taken by my beloved mother in my childhood, which the Almighty had been pleased to enable me to retain, amidst all the trials, temptations, and bad examples, to which I was so frequently exposed, and which I now deeply deplore, as having sometimes had dominion over me; but for these seeds thus preserved, I should indeed have been ‘without God in the world.’ But blessed be God, the inestimable treasure which he bestowed upon me in his mercy, soon opened my eyes, and taught me to see the difference between a nominal and a real Christian. All my future hopes, all my present consolation arises from this source. It was from her ardent piety that I was taught to distrust the bare forms of religion, as utterly inadequate to the fulfilment of its duties; and learnt that our best efforts are imperfect, and can only be accepted through the atonement of our blessed Lord and Saviour.”

In reference to some extracts from Buchanan’s Christian Researches Sir Jahleel says, “to those who have not the same reason to cherish the remembrance of the beloved object who made the above extracts, they will naturally appear inconsequent and uninteresting, but to us, my beloved children, to whom every recollection of her is dear, they will appear and prove far different; they will excite in us a lively interest in the work to which they refer, we shall read it with more attention, we shall feel as though her dear eyes were still perusing those pages, and the subjects of them will make a deeper impression upon us. I already feel the force of this association, and am convinced that it will be an additional stimulus to me to exert myself in the object I now have in view; that of procuring the extension of the Church of England over this colony, by every effort in my feeble power. Should I succeed to become, under Providence, the humble instrument towards forming even one establishment, and should I see it flourish, with what delight will you my darling children, at some distant period, when I also shall have left you, praise these memorials of your dear and affectionate parents; with what feeling will you contemplate our mutual love and respect for each other’s sentiments, which will so often and so forcibly appear to you, as you read over these remarks, and behold them in this instance producing upon my mind the same powerful effect, as though my beloved and inestimable companion were still present with me, assisting me in my efforts, by her piety and judgment. It is time that I should inform you, that for many months I have made it my practice before I open these invaluable extracts, to offer up the following humble prayer to the Almighty. ‘O! Almighty God, give me grace, I beseech Thee, most sincerely and affectionately to cherish the memory of my beloved wife, to imitate her piety and gratitude to Thee, to teach them to my beloved children, and may we at last all meet in Thy everlasting kingdom; through Jesus Christ, our Blessed Lord and Saviour. Amen.’”

In reference to an extract from the life of Sir William Jones, on the subject of the slave trade, he adds; “what a variety of feelings will the few lines thus rendered dear to us, my darling children, by the hand which treasured them up for us, excite in our minds. Every circumstance connected with this dreadful trade, every instance which has fallen under our own experience, the gratitude and reverence due to the noble and undaunted mind, which could first contemplate the plan, and finally obtain the splendid feat of emancipation, strengthen the conviction. On what a proud eminence has the consistent and persevering piety of Wilberforce placed him! How far above the most successful hero that ever became the idol of a nation! Here indeed we see the precepts of our Blessed Saviour brought into practice. Here we see a fellow creature ‘so letting his light shine before men,’ that we are naturally inclined with one voice to ‘glorify our Father which is in heaven.’ We must, if we steadily contemplate the life and actions of this most exemplary of our countrymen, feel a desire to imitate him. His actions have given such irresistible strength and persuasion to his writings, that we must be influenced by them. He has indeed built his house upon a rock; the rain may descend and the floods come; the winds may blow and beat upon that house, but it will not fall. From this delightful contemplation we must, however reluctantly, turn our eyes to that great portion of the human race still in bondage, whom the energy of our beloved country has not yet been permitted to reach, blessed as it has been with the Divine Protection; their hour is not yet come, but it may be reserved for us as the humble instruments of the mercy of our Creator and Redeemer to soothe, and alleviate the sufferings of numbers now in misery; and we may hope that at some future period, perhaps not very distant, we may be the means under a kind Providence of liberating not only their bodies, but their minds from the cruel captivity under which they are now suffering. The serious reflections which this subject must necessarily excite in our minds, will also produce another blessed effect. They will incline us to be kind and charitable to our poor fellow creatures, who although in the enjoyment of comparative liberty, are from adverse circumstances of poverty, sickness, and affliction, placed in a state of almost the same dependence upon us, as though they were our own property. The mind of your angelic mother was peculiarly alive to feelings of this description. The kindness, the mildness, the sweetness of her disposition, was as conspicuous towards her servants as towards her children. The natural consequence was, that they loved as well as respected her; her house was not only well regulated, but the abode of happiness to all who dwelt in it.”

In reference to extracts from a sermon on the 19th Psalm, 1-3, author not known—“Let us endeavour to render these remarks valuable in directing our reflections, and in giving an habitual turn to our minds, by which the sublime scenery in the midst of which we dwell, may have an increasing influence in keeping alive our piety and gratitude to our Maker. If, as the excellent author of the above extracts observes, we contemplate the works of creation in both the points of view which he suggests, we shall have abundant employment for our thoughts, and they will insensibly rise from earth to heaven. Gratitude if really felt, will produce love and adoration, and as we daily endeavour to strive at that perfection of character, which although beyond our reach, is held out to our view, in order to stimulate and purify us; we shall meet with a most gracious and inestimable reward, by the peace and comfort it will procure for us in this life, and the bright prospect of never ending joy in the life to come.

“In tracing the various phoenomena of nature back to their first causes, we are not only delighted with the employment, and instructed by the intelligence that daily breaks in upon us from every direction; but when our finite reason arrives at the end of her career, and refuses to conduct us further, we find ourselves at once in the presence of the Deity, the author of all things, who has been graciously pleased to reveal to us a part of the mysteries of creation, reserving the remainder to the future period of our interminable existence.”

Extract from Lord Chatham’s letters to his nephew.—“Behaviour is of infinite advantage to a man, as he happens to have formed it, to a noble, graceful, engaging and proper manner, or to a vulgar, coarse, and ill-bred, an awkward and ungenteel one.”

Remarks by Sir Jahleel Brenton.—“I remember your mother taking great delight in the letters from which the foregoing is copied; and that she drew from them many of the ideas she had formed for the guidance and counsel of her own darling children, had it pleased the Almighty to have permitted them to enjoy for a longer period the blessing of such an instruction. Let us imagine to ourselves all she intended, and all she wished for you, and endeavour by a tender and affectionate recollection of her statements to fulfil the object nearest to her heart. You, my sweet I——, will never forget the impressive manner in which your beloved mother inculcated the various instructions you received from her, or with what judgment she distinguished between those acquisitions which were to have an influence upon your comfort and prosperity through life, and such as were only likely to procure for you an ephemeral admiration. That you should gain entire possession of the former, was the object of her constant solicitude, of her unwearied endeavours, because she felt that real happiness even in this world, is not to be attained without piety and virtue; whereas experience had taught her, that the glare of shining accomplishments was often seen in characters devoid of both. With this impression upon your mind, it is probable that you may not be able to account for the importance attached to the carriage of your person by your inestimable mother; but I can in a few words explain the difficulty, which, under almost every similar circumstance, I feel the comfort of being able to do, from the perfect harmony of all our sentiments and opinions. Our Christian profession not only prescribes that we should individually perform our duty to our Maker, and our fellow creature, in such a manner as to fulfil the intention of our heavenly Father in creating us; but he has expressly ordered us to let our light so shine before men, that they may glorify our Father which is in heaven; and consequently that we may lead all who may be within the sphere of our influence to follow the example. You have already seen enough of human nature to be convinced that much depends upon the manner of conveying instruction, and that we are frequently influenced by the association of ideas, in themselves totally distinct. A person, for instance, may utter the soundest doctrine, with the most sublime eloquence, yet should there be at the same time a distortion of countenance, any disgusting or repulsive peculiarity of action, or any moroseness or severity in his manner, the effect which such a discourse might have produced, would be very much lessened, and to many would be entirely lost, from the medium through which it had reached them. Let us follow up the reflection, and suppose a person making profession of strict attention to his religious duties, and not only professing, but really, as far as is consistent with human weakness, acting up to them. Let us suppose that he should be constant and regular in his devotions both public and private; that the whole tenor of his conduct in the state of life in which he might be placed, should be upright, full of integrity, and unimpeachable; that he should be indefatigable in doing good, and that his charity should be unbounded; but also, that with all these mental qualifications he should be awkward in his gait, careless and slovenly in his person, coarse and ill-bred in his manners, mean and idiotical in his appearance, (for these blemishes and virtues are by no means incompatible,) what would be the effect produced upon those with whom he associated? Would the influence of his good qualities be sufficiently strong to cover his defects? Would those who were offended by his manner, and disgusted with his appearance, forget these feelings in the contemplation of the bright parts of his character, of which they could only judge perhaps from the report of others? Or would there not arise on the contrary a general indisposition towards him? Some might even go so far as to attribute his failings to religion itself, and ascribe to this sublime principle the greater part of his faults, as the offspring of self-righteousness and contempt of the world.

“Let us on the other hand draw the delightful picture of the sincere and faithful servant of God, adorning his faith by his practice, resolute and full of energy in the performance of his duties; but at the same time, mild and amiable and graceful in his manners; if called upon to preach the word of God, his eloquence might be rendered still more persuasive, by the sweetness and dignity of his expression and gestures. In the daily intercourse with society, he might, by gentle, unassuming, and graceful manners, continue to enforce his doctrine, which would be rendered more attractive by the conviction, that it was not hostile to the elegance and refined enjoyments of life. Here my children, you may see the propriety, and even the necessity of attending to that correctness of conduct and gracefulness of manner, which is called politeness.”

As the extracts terminate here, it appears but justice to the husband to insert the following from the pen and the heart of his wife.

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