leave and returned to our ship, the Wachesett (Captain Swann), which was to take us all back to the anchorage of the squadron. The officers above named, with General Sherman, were to go to Osborne the next day to be presented, according to her invitation, by General Schenck, to the Queen. The next morning, as I was taking leave of the officers, a lieutenant stepped up with a telegram from the Queen, addressed to our Minister, General Schenck, who was on the flag-ship-' The Queen hopes that the Bishop of Ohio will accompany you to Osborne to-day. I was called to start at once to the flag-ship, as she was already moving. On landing we were met by two carriages to take us to Osborne; at the door we were received by Colonel Ponsonby, and conducted to the hall, where we met the Duchess of Roxburgh, Lady-inwaiting, and two Maids of honour. We then walked out for a sight of the grounds, and soon luncheon was announced. After the lunch the presentation took place.' The Bishop, General Sherman, and Colonel Anderson, were then introduced, and afterwards the naval officers. The Bishop was presented first, when the Queen graciously alluded in very kind terms to his reception of the Prince of Wales on his visit to Cincinnati, and afterwards did him the honour to present him to Prince Leopold and the Princess Beatrice. ON THE DAY OF INTERCESSION FOR MISSIONS.- TO REV. W. C. FRENCH, OF OBERLIN, OHIO. MY DEAR MR. FRENCH, May the blessing of Him, by whose goodness you and I are permitted to see the opening of this new year, THE DAY OF INTERCESSION FOR MISSIONS. 331 abide on you and your house! and I must add on your work as Editor of the Standard of the Cross, and on its pages, to make it 'a word in season' wherever it goes, and to gain for it, as it deserves, a largely increased patronage and circulation. It is one of the comforts I eagerly look out for, in my present separation from Ohio, and I am much obliged to you for its weekly visit. The secretary of the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel lent me yesterday a copy of a Form of Service, for the late Day of Intercession, for the increase of labourers in the Lord's Harvest, put out by a committee of the Bishops at home. I hope the day was as well observed there as here. Here it far exceeded the first expectations as to the universality of its observancethe largeness of the congregations, and the earnestness with which the object was taken up. Where I usually attend, the congregation was nearly as great as that generally seen in that large church on Sunday; which is saying a great deal, for the Sunday congregation often numbers nearly fourteen hundred. Surely He who has twice commanded us to pray for the sending of labourers -once before He ordained the twelve, and next after He sent the seventy-will own and bless this solemn acknowledgment of the entire dependence of His Church on Himself, for the sending and qualifying of ministers of His Word. The day was preceded by a service peculiarly appropriate to be its forerunner. On the previous Sunday, in Westminster Abbey, three missionary Bishops -one for North China, another for the Mauritius, a third for the Hudson Bay territory-were consecrated by the Archbishop of Canterbury, assisted by the Bishops of London, Rochester, etc. A very large congregation attended, and I was again unfortunate, as in the case of the presentation of the alms basin in St. Paul's. I went to the Abbey solely to be one of the congregation. One of the Canons, knowing my need to be near the pulpit as you know I do not hear easily-advised me to put on a gown, that I might join the procession and be admitted where I could best hear. I had not the slightest idea of anything more. But when the Bishops were gathered around those to be consecrated for the imposition of hands, there was a pause. The Archbishop did not proceed. I was soon made to understand the cause. The Bishop of Rochester (Claughton) came, at his request, to ask me to participate in the laying on of hands. Of course I must go, the black gown notwithstanding. Some of the papers, in noticing the consecration, and saying that my participation was 'at the particular request of the Archbishop,' imagined that my being in a black gown, instead of episcopal robes, might have been from some such scruples about robes, as troubled the Reformers in the early times of Puritanism. But the Bishop of London, in whose consecration as Bishop of Lincoln, in 1853, I participated, could have told them that I had no such scruples then. The truth is, I did not bring my robes with me from home. I was so unwell, that I did not expect to be able to venture where I should need to use them, and therefore avoided the trouble of having to carry them about. But could I have anticipated the circumstances above related, I could have obtained a set. I am thankful to say, that I have much improved in health of late, and am well satisfied that I did right in not going home in November, as I had intended. Yours affectionately, CHARLES P. MCILVAINE. P.S.-I enclose a beautiful hymn-'He Knows'— given me at Brighton a few days ago by the Rev. Mr. Elliott, whose sister wrote-'Just as I am.' He did not know the writer. It is a good hymn to begin the year with. THE BISHOP'S LAST BIRTHDAY. 333 In the above letter the Bishop refers to St. Mark's Church, Hamilton Terrace; and on the evening of the Day of Intercession for Missions, he attended a meeting, held in the schools of the parish, in connection with the service of the day; and at the request of the Vicar, the Rev. Canon Duckworth, gave an interesting and vigorous account of the missionary organizations of the Church in the United States, and of their great success, both in the old, and also the new and partially settled and extremely ignorant parts of the country.' CHAPTER XVIII. 1873. BISHOP MCILVAINE'S LAST PUBLIC ADDRESS.-HIS ILLNESS AND DEATH. January 18th, 1873. WE are now brought to the closing days of the Bishop; and it may be noticed, that whilst so repeatedly, year after year, he wrote on each returning birthday, as though he thought it might be his last, on this, which was really the last, he made no allusion to the probability of his approaching end. He was, in fact, enjoying an unusual degree of vigour, and a great feeling of health; and was looking forward, with no little pleasure, to a short journey which he had been arranging to take on the Continent. Within two months, however, from this birthday, he entered into his blessed rest. TO MRS. MCILVAINE. MY DEAREST EMILY, London, January 18th, 1873. I write on my birthday-seventy-four years old! And how well I seem! During the last two months I have increased much in strength, and all the sensations of health. But while thankful, I must remember how far I am on the road, and keep my heart on the home at the end. I shall most lovingly remember your birthday next month. I send you a Record. It contains an account of the great annual Islington meeting. There were upwards of four hundred present. It was most delightful. You will find the speeches interesting. And you will see that I spoke. And this I must explain. Mr. Wilson (Vicar) had written, asking me to take the place of Canon Bardsley, who could not attend. I declined, and went without the least idea of speaking. But I got animated with the speakers; and just when Bardsley's vacancy came Mr. Wilson urged me. I had but five minutes to consider. The fire burned, and I could not deny myself. I thought, as I was so much better, I would try for once; and I am happy to say I have taken no harm. But I shall not try again. Once is enough to see what I can bear. I expect to set out on the 29th with Mr. and Mrs. Carus. The Lord be with you, my dear wife. YOUR DEAREST HUSBAND. THE BISHOP'S ADDRESS AT THE ISLINGTON CLERICAL MEETING. Bishop McIlvaine being requested by the President to Occupy a few minutes, said, after some preliminary words, that the lucid and forcible argument of Professor Birks had suggested to him an argument, from the silence of Scripture, which, though embraced in that of the Professor, he would endeavour to exhibit in more expansion. He referred to the silence of Scripture in regard to those peculiar claims of priest and sacrifice, which in the Church of Rome, and among those who Romanize in doctrine, constitute their system of sacra * Professor of Moral Philosophy at Cambridge. |