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of the time. To speak of Sheridan as ward peacefulness, and all true effort ranking among great statesmen is absurd. and activity, go finally to wreck. He had no one quality, beyond his gift Meanwhile, wonderful to say, his exof speaking, out of the many by which traordinary talent for raising money is a statesman must be distinguished. He prosperously exercised whenever an is a splendid rhetorician, an accom- emergency arises. Drury Lane Theatre plished parliamentary debater; ser- has to be rebuilt; all that was required viceable and illustrious in that capa- for the purpose was a sum of £150,000, city, but if lifted into statesmanship "which was raised with the utmost facimust have been utterly insignificant. lity." Sheridan is at this time at the The man that could not direct the zenith of his reputation. His popularity, finances and concerns of a theatre, had his talents, his exertions in behalf of the clearly but an indifferent capacity for public interests, are the theme of geneguiding the affairs and destiny of a ral eulogy. Drury Lane Theatre, with nation. Beyond the distinction here much effort, and after" unforeseen diffiassigned him, Sheridan, in truth, has culties, fresh expenses, and vexatious neither qualification nor pretension. negotiations," is successfully rebuiltAn adroit, brilliant, party politician is though destined soon to be disastrously all he ever was or aimed to be. burnt down. All along Sheridan conIt should not be overlooked that, side trives to live like a man possessing a by side with Sheridan's public and poli- large income. It appears he usually tical life, there was all the time going kept up three establishments, and " his on some sort of private and domestic style of living was such as became a one; which, if we could realize, would, man mingling in the richer class of sorather than the other, be highly satis-ciety, and enjoying all that luxury can factory. A family is gradually growing give."

up around him, sprightly and clever And so the years roll on, downwards boys and girls, to whom their father's to 1792. This year Sheridan has to reputation cannot be altogether un- follow to the grave his beautiful and known. "Mr. and Mrs. Sheridan at affectionate wife, whom the then Bishop home," were an agreeable and inte- of Norwich was wont to call a "connecting resting chapter, had we the materials link between woman and angel;" and for writing it. We are able to perceive, whom Wilkes declared to be "the fairest however, that Sheridan spends a great flower that ever grew in nature's garden." deal of his time utterly away from home. She died at the age of thirty-eight, of He is invited largely into all kinds of pulmonary disease. A beautiful "codistinguished and select society; hisquette of the first magnitude," but long fascinating manners and polished wit make his presence everywhere courted and acceptable. He is a diner-out of the first lustre. By his brilliant conversation, his boundless vivacity, and frank sincerity of disposition, he dazzles and delights all manner of high and illustrious men and women, and is, in his turn, dazzled and delighted. His princely liberality of taste leads him to furnish expensive entertainments in his own house; for which, unhappily, the embarrassed treasury of Drury Lane must yield supplies. As this grows more and more inadequate, obliging tradesmen cheerfully contribute; for a time, at least, are nowise urgent about their bills. Thus in a mingled element of splendour and of shiftiness, a gay and pleasant life alternates with mean vexations and restraints; continually demanding some new sacrifice of temper or of principle. An utterly incongruousexistence; wherein manly dignity, in.

since sobered down into a loving, helpful, and judicious wife. Deep was the grief of Sheridan, when they bore her away to the "still-dwelling;" sad and irreparable the loss which he sustained. From that moment a blight fell upon him-a secret immeasurable sorrow sapped his remaining strength, and gave a pallor to his noble countenance which no occasional after gaiety could dispel. "I have seen him," says Kelly, "night after night sit and cry like a child, while I sang to him, at his desire, a pathetic little song of mine

They bore her to a grassy grave.

I never beheld more poignant grief than Sheridan felt for the loss of his beloved wife." The lightsome careless nature, with its gay heedlessness and humour, falls suddenly asunder, and is dissolved in mournful tears; like a bright April day, descending into night amid showers of transient gloom.

For transient are the pains of every human sorrow, however profound its recollections. Nature reneweth day by day the broken spirits of whomsoever she ordains to live. Sheridan is recalled by his public duties back into

the world, where he speedily mingles as before in the exciting strifes, in the tumult and animosities of the life that is going on. Rest, thou buried one! and thy name shall soon be as though it were forgotten.*

RICHARD WINTER HAMILTON, L.L.D., D.D.

GREAT intellectual and moral powers must ever command homage in this world. Intellectual power alone, when not associated and directed by a moral purpose, cannot fail to charm and influence its admirers. But when a man gifted with rich intellectual endowments, consecrates them to the performance of duty, and the scrupulous fulfilment of the high behests of heaven, we then see human nature in its most attractive aspect; our admiration warms into love, and our love borders on the reverential. Such a man was Dr. Hamilton, whom we are now about to sketch. Unlike the great philosopher of the New World, whose history we shall hereafter trace, Dr. Hamilton was a sectarian. He confined himself to the boundaries of what may be termed evangelical orthodoxy, and dared not launch out into those bold speculations outlined by Emerson. But as a sectarian, and with a faith shaped, squared, and measured, we shall find that he possessed immense attractions, an original mind, and, what is better, a large heart.

RICHARD WINTER HAMILTON was born at Pentonville, London, on the 6th of July, 1794. Of his ancestry it is known only that his grandfather came to London, from Scotland, early in life. This Mr. Hamilton was a member of the Baptist persuasion. He married a Miss Hesketh, one of the company who first joined the Rev. Mr. Wesley, and of whom mention is made by Mr. Wesley in his journal of that time. They had six children, and the Rev. Frederick Hamilton, the father of Richard Hamilton, was one of them. One of Winter Hamilton's uncles, the Rev. Robert Hamilton, D.D., LL.D., F.R.S., died October 8th, 1832, in the eightyfirst year of his age, after he had been

incumbent of the united parishes of St. Olave's, Jewry, and St. Martin's, for thirty-three years. This uncle was kind and generous towards his nephew Winter; and when he died, left him an equal share of his property.

Mrs. Frederick Hamilton, the mother of Winter Hamilton, appears to have been a woman of great beauty, of cultivated intellect, of gentle disposition, and eminently pious. Many of her letters are preserved to this day, and they evince a most loving disposition, and a devoted faith to the orthodox creed. There can be little doubt, in fact it is quite evident, that she did much to mould the character and direct the footsteps of her son. And that son when he became a man, and had attained an eminent position in the church of which he was a member and advocate, frequently alluded in tender and touching accents to the memory of her to whom he owed so much. Though possessing a strong religious faith, her affection for her children bound her soul closely to the world, when on the borders of eternity. A little before her death she wrote to a dear friend in these words: "When I felt a daily decrease of strength-my cough growing worse, and my breath shorter-I could not but think of what all this must lead to, even to the chamber of the grave. I was enabled to hope and to believe that I was entirely in HIS hands who is 'the resurrection and the life;' but yet, whenever I for a minute soared upward, I was again drawn down by, as it were, a picture presented to my eye, of my person shrouded in my coffin, and all my dear and very affectionate children weeping around me. Indeed, I think I have never before proved my affection so strong, or my

*The conclusion of this life will appear in our next number.

ward in learning; for many of the greatest ornaments of our race were slow to learn at first. Precocity is no true sign of future greatness. Neither is inaptitude to learn elementary knowledge any guarantee that the future man shall not be eminent for his abilities. We cannot expect children to be philosophers. Rather should we expect them to be buoyant, sportive, and, it may be, inclined to mischief. In Winter's period of childhood there was no lack of that quickness of apprehension which distinguished him through life; nor were there wanting even these indications of that luxuriant imagination which produced such rich flowers and fruits in after years. He had an unbounded flow of animal spirits; and his wit, or as his brothers and sisters always called it, his fun, afforded them perpetual amuse

faith so weak." This beautiful minded
woman died when her son Winter, who
was the cherished child of the family,
was about eleven years old. Though
he enjoyed a greater latitude of in-
dulgence than his brothers and sisters,
fortunately it did not lead to pride in
him, or envy in them. They often
gladly saw him taken to enjoy pleasures
which they would cheerfully have
shared; and they welcomed his re-
turn from such visits, that they might
listen to his graphic descriptions of
the persons and places he had seen
during his absence, without any ad-
mixture of jealousy. While young, he
displayed some of those qualities which
especially characterized him in after
life. When he was only five years of
age, an association of ministers had
met at his father's table, and the servant
who had waited on them told the chil-ment.
dren the next day, that one of these
ministers had described his poverty and
his struggles to support a large family
at forty pounds a year, which was all
his poor village flock could raise. The
children felt it very much, and often
talked over what ought to be done for
the good man. At last Winter thought
of a plan, which he imagined excellent.
It was that they should put together
all they could call their own, and buy a
cheap calf, fully expecting that the little
grassplot at the side of his father's
house would be sufficient to keep it till
in a position to present it to the poor
minister. The elder part of the family
told him this was impracticable; not
only they could not raise money enough,
but that they had no place large enough,
to rear the calf. Winter was not to be
turned so easily from his generous pur-
pose. With the utmost simplicity he
proposed that they should buy a little
pig, which, he said, could run about the
nursery, and sleep under the bed, till
large enough to be a valuable gift.

When about nine years of age, he was sent to a preparatory school at Hammersmith, near London; after passing about a year there, he was removed to an excellent school conducted by the Rev. J. Petticary, at Newport, Isle of Wight. Here he was superintended by his mother's cousin, the Rev. Robert Winter, who watched over him with constant care. If Winter Hamilton did not in after years become a useful member of society-if not a great and good man, it would have been surprising, as every care and attention was lavished on him by his religious relatives when young. But though breathing such a puritanic atmosphere, his unconquerable love for drollery and mimicry continually manifested itself. He was frequently getting into scrapes of some kind or other on account of his boyish mischief, and though he knew he should not escape punishment, he was never known to deny his faults when questioned, or prevaricate when censured. So completely was his character for truthfulness established in the family, that his parents often said to friends, when he left the room, "There goes a child who, to our knowledge, never told a lie."

Though this period of his age was so much marked by a generosity of disposition and sprightliness, he did not make any particular progress in the rudiments of education. He had a wise and patient teacher in his mother; but From his thirteenth to his sixteenth she frequently wept over him for very year, he was at Mill Hill Grammar weariness, and probably from the greater School, where he made decided progress. vexation in consequence of the evident The reports of his learning and his talent which he showed in other respects. conduct were most satisfactory. His We mention this so that kind mothers religious character was then in the and fathers may not be discouraged course of formation. Even at that early when they consider their children back-period he seems to have devoted him

self to God for the work of the ministry. ridian glory; and the late Rev. John He grew up to be a minister almost as a matter of course, as he never expressed any wish for any other vocation. From the time when he used to preach to his brothers and sisters, on a box in the nursery, they all considered it a settled point that Winter was to be a minister. But this showed more solicitude than wisdom on the part of his parents. By dedicating a child, before the natural tendency of his mind developed itself, to the important mission of a minister, was not wise, as he might thereby be made a very mechanical and lifeless preacher, when, perhaps, if left to himself, with careful guidance, he might otherwise become a great man. But in the case before us it proved to be successful, as the bent of Winter Hamilton's disposition, and the aspirations of his heart, were naturally inclined in the direction marked out by paternal wishes. Before he was sixteen years of age, he signed a Covenant," in which he dedicated himself to "his Father in heaven" and to the services of His church. We extract from the "Covenant" a sentence or two, to indicate the condition of his mind at that time. He says, "This day do I, with the utmost solemnity, surrender myself unto Thee. I renounce all former lusts that have dominion over me; and I consecrate unto thee all that I am, and all that I have-the faculties of my mind, and the members of my body, my worldly possessions, my time, and my influence over others, to be all used entirely for thy glory, and resolutely employed in obedience to thy commands, as long as thou continuest me in life, with an ardent desire and humble resolution, to continue them through all the ages of eternity. Ever holding myself in an attentive posture to observe the first intimation of thy will, and ready to spring forward with zeal and joy to the immediate execution of it."

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Very soon after, he was admitted, at the age of sixteen, as a student for the ministry amongst the Independents, at Hoxton College. And it rarely happens that one more qualified by mental capacity and spiritual longings, for a sacred calling, enters on such a course. Among the associates and friends of Mr. Hamilton at Hoxton, was the late Rev. Thomas Spencer, of Liverpool, whose career opened so prosperously, but whose useful and brilliant life was quenched before it had reached its me

Ely, of Leeds, between whom and Dr. Hamilton afterwards existed such a tender, vital and enduring friendship. When Dr. Hamilton entered Hoxton College, he was younger than most of the students, and was distinguished by great vivacity and buoyancy of spirits. As he had great facility in acquiring knowledge, and had enjoyed greater advantage of early education than most of his associates, the studies prescribed in the classes to which he belonged made but a slight demand on his time and efforts, and left him much leisure for indulging his own taste and inclination. Without any intensity of application, it was easy for him to prepare for the ordinary examinations in the lectures delivered, and on the books required to be read. The Rev. Dr. Burder, one of the tutors of the College, appreciated the talents of the young divine. When speaking of his productions, at this time, the Rev. Doctor says: " They were distinguished by an exuberance and even wildness of fancy which greatly needed discipline and training. The excrescences of his ima gination required no ordinary degree of judicious pruning. It became my duty, as one of his tutors, to point out these deviations from good taste with an un sparing freedom. With this unwelcome duty, however, I found no difficulty in uniting ample commendation of budding and unfolding excellences." No doubt Dr. Burder's warning was very judicious, and well it should be, when it attempted to prune the imagination of a young student. There is nothing more delicate and difficult than such a task. And, generally, it is much better for tutors to leave the imagination to take care of itself. Dr. Hamilton, throughout his useful life, was particularly distinguished by a rich imagination; and did he not possess it, there is but little evidence to show that he would have risen above the barren mediocrity of the vast majority of his brethren in the ministry. A vivid imagination is frequently a promise of future eminence; and though for a time it may be wild and luxuriant, as the understanding gets enlightened and the judgment consolidated, that creative faculty, which may be called the handmaid of genius, finds its proper orbit. It is much better for the fledgling to try to fly and fall, than not to make the trial.

studies. To this he consented with some reluctance. About two years after he was ordained as a minister at Leeds, in Salem Chapel. And now commenced that useful public life,-the constituent elements of which were eloquent pulpit preaching and platform oratory, a tender pastoral care and almost agonizing anxiety for the good of his congregation, practical efforts for the advancement of the general good, co-operation for the furtherance of plans of philanthropy, and above all, an authorship which rendered him popular while living, and celebrated after death. In the course of the ordination service, Mr. Hamilton was requested to give some account of the influence of religion on his mind, and he gave an eloquent statement. Among many other things he said: "I awakened to the consciousness of spiritual nature under accents of mercy and under the shadow of the cross.

In the year 1813, before Winter Ha'milton was nineteen years of age, he delivered an oration at the College Chapel, Hoxton, on the anniversary of the Institution. Professor Stowell says, the discourse was characterized by "rare and dazzling splendour." In August, in the same year, one of the earliest of the Bible societies was formed in the Hoxton Academy Chapel. On that occasion the young orator made his first attempt at platform eloquence which was then a comparative novelty, and in which he afterwards attained such eminent celebrity. Precious as is our space, we cannot refrain from giving an extract from the address. Speaking of the value of the Bible Society, he says: "Borne on the angels' wings, we might see the exertions of this Society cheering the wilds of Labrador, and while the natural sun is absent, enlivening the solitude, and relieving the darkness of its caves; we might see the European, amid the shock No persons could of arms and the thunder of the cannon, have been more diligent in the instrucrepose in a hope which this Society tion, or more attentive to the manners has revealed, that the sword shall be of their children, than my venerated beaten into a ploughshare; we might see parents, towards whom I cultivate not the Musselman throwing aside his Koran only the affections of a son, but the for that volume which alone can teach sympathies of an immortal. Our dohim the true Allah and the prophets-mestic economy was not merely a prorelinquishing his pilgrimage to Maho- bation for the stations of life, but a med's tomb, having realized the period pupilage for heaven. No sooner when no longer in that mountain and was I capable of the faintest thought at Mecca man shall worship the Father; and observation, than I aspired to the we might see the Bramin laying aside office as something mysteriously dignihis caste for the high distinction of Chris- fied. The predilection was probably tian, the lies of the Shaster for the oracles strengthened from the celebrity of anof truth-the spikes of Vishnu for the cestors, and the reputation of friends atonement of Jesus Christ-the temple who gave attendance to the altar." of the Juggernaut for the heights of Less than a month after Mr. HamilZion; we might see the Catholic taking ton's ordination, Mr. Joseph Blackburn, the Bible from the cloisters to which it an attorney, in Leeds, was executed at had been chained, and leaving the shrine York for forgery, and Mr. Hamilton was of the saint for the cross of his Saviour; requested to visit the unhappy man we might see the Hottentot, once filthy previous to his trial. This he did, not as the ground in which he burrowed, only once, but several times before become the temple of the Holy Ghost; the execution. It may easily be imawe might see the Negro, with disposi- gined from this, that the young minister tions haggard as the rocks over which he was regarded with great respect. And vaults and bounds, ferocious as the tor-in a sermon which he afterwards delirent which he dares and buffets, now vered on the event, it was quite altered and subdued, smooth as the ivory he inserts in his countenance, and soft as the skin which floats around him in the chase." Pretty eloquent this, for a young man of ninteen!

In the spring of 1814, Mr. Hamilton received an overture from the proprietor of Albion Chapel, Leeds, to supply it on the termination of his preparatory

evident he was equal to the painful duty he was called on to discharge. This sermon was published almost as soon as it was delivered. The critics soon cut it to pieces; and, according to Dr. Hamilton's opinion many years after, they were, to a considerable extent, justified in their unsparing criticisms. The result was, that though Albion

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