IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) ^ I -r- 1.0 I.I 1.25 i;^ 12.8 If 1^ 2.5 m 1.8 U IIIIII.6 V <^ /^ ^ -^ ^^ Photographic Sciences Corporation 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. MS'iO (716) 872-4503 w ,;S!3--&K&J®SS4." .aVfeSJ- ■w a very vf'hich the ving such jry feebly, ')iodu8 oj)e- I 'Anglia' infringing the whole, but it is , solution. ;, and its bional and would be 3, and far industry, round the led, while should be le farthest re is now Preface. xi in flashing messages from Windsor up to Downing Street. As a prominent portion of this mighty subject is the consideration of the aborigines of Africa and other portions of the globe where we have settlements, I have devoted many of these pages to the consideration of the mode of life and habits of such races as we call savage. And here I must return my very warmest thanks to Dr. Bond and other officers of the British Museum, for their extreme kindness and great readi- ness in assisting me, by facilitating my use of the grand Ethnological Collection there preserved under the special care of Mr. Franks. I have preferred to give a list of the books I have consulted while preparing this work to men- tioning them constantly in footnotes at the bottom of the page, which is a practice that in the opinion of many readers greatly disfigures a book. I only claim originality in the view I take of our Asiatic possessions, and of their value to the world and to oiirselves. Fifteen years' residence in Russia has convinced me that, although some of the pessimist ideas of our alarmists are unfounded as to immediate danger from the North, the Duke of WeUington was right in saying that 'from thence our future enemy would aoi Preface. , come.' And hence it is important for U8 to render all attacks of hostile powers impossible by union which is strength. My friend Professor Euskin, who has already in another place* expressed his sympathy with me and with the strong feeling which has impelled me to search out the moving cause of what we have good and noble in us among the records of our Scandinavian past, writes me a letter in answer to my request that he would send me a few words by way of preface. Short as the letter is, it is so strongly to the point that I have yielded to the wish of other friends, and have printed it as an introduction by a great man to the public of a writer whose name has been too short a time before them to ensure success or even a kind hearing. * Lectures at Oxford on * The Pleasures of L,earnLng,' 1884. to render nion which. already in [th me and ae to search good and candinavlan request that face. Short >oint that I . 9, and have man to the too short a tveu a kind mini?,' 1884. Brastwood, Coniston, Lancashire. 23rd Feb., '87. ■ Dbar Mr Hodoetts, I rejoice to hear of your being at work on this lovely subject, but cannot myself write a word on any subject, now, that touches my sense of incurable ignorance. And I am ignorant beyond hope of any cure of the nature of what you call ' Anglian Thought.' But I have the deepest respect for your many-branched historic learning, and deep and warm sympathy with your generous enthusiasm ; and I am sure (if my surety be of any weight with publisher or public) that whatever you record of the past or recommend to the future will be faithful, delightful, and wise. Ever affectionately yours, JOHN RUSKIN. List of Works consulted during the preparation of t^ie folloicing jjages. Africa. Gruar Forbes. London, 1874. &vo. ^ Anglo-Saxons, History of. By Sharon Turner. Second Edition. Minhurgh, 1807. Two vols. 4to. "^ baesar de Bello Gallico. London, 1860. 8vo. . Ceylon in 1883. J. Ferguson. London, 1883. 8vo. V Confederation of the British North American United Provinces. Thomas BawUngs. London, I860. 8vo. Eddalsaren. Finn Magnussen. Copenhagen, 1812. Four vols. 4to. v' Edda, Ssemund's. Grundtvig. Copenhagen, 1874. Bvo. ^ Edda, Snorri Sturluson's. Th. Jonssons, Copenhagen, 187C. 8vo. - Encyclopaedia Britannica. English Enoyclopffidia. Charles Knight. Establishment of British Kule in India. Sir George Cox. London, 1881. 8vo. Ettmiiller's Altnordisches Lesebuch. (A collection of Norse Sagas in Icelandic.) Zurich, 1861. 4t0. ' Histoire des Aventuriers. CExmelin. Paris, 1688. 12mo. Life on the Niger. William Cole. London, 1862. Bvo. ^ Mallet's Northern Antiquities. London, 1874. 8vo. v^ Max Miiller's Lectures on Science of Language. London, 1885. Two vols. 8vo. ^ Oceana. J. A. Frpude. London, 1886. 8vo. Older Enghind. J. F. Hodgetts. Zonrfon, 1884. Two vols. 8vo. •^ Tacitus. Zonrfoti, 1861, Two vols. 8vo. ' Thombury's Monarchs of the Main. "^' William of Malmsbuiy (Chronicle). Londm, 1876. 8vo. Wright's Manners and Customs of the English in the Middle , Ages. London, 1840. 8vo. Zee Hoovers Esquemeling. Amsterdam, 1084. 4to. The noft^ie CONTENTS. nd Edition, Freface PAOB vii Provinces. ir vols. 4to. TO. 1876. 8vo. lorge Cox, 'orse Sagas 2mo. o. ndon, 1885. vols, 8vo. vo. lie Middle CHAPTER I. LiTTLB Britain Aoooont of the opinion formed of the aborigines by the Eng- lish on their taking possession of Britain. — Hatred of tyranny, and especially of Borne. — Assumption of Bo- manoe manners and language by the Normans, and consequent hatred between the English and them. — Continual struggle between the descendants of the old Scandinavian English and those of Borne. CHAPTER II. North America Discovery of America by the Scandinavians in the tenth and eleventh centuries. — English discoveries in 1497, Spanish discoveries in 1492, in the West Indies. — Co- lumbus independent of the Norsemen. — Continued struggle between ourselves and Bomance races in Ame- rica resulting in European war and English victory, CHAPTER III. The Caribbean Sea Continued battle of the races. — Fights in the Caribbean Sea. — Sir Henry Morgan's victory at Panama.— His true value in English history. CHAPTER IV. Oceania Historical sketches of our settlements in the islands of Australia, New Zealand, and Borneo. — Accounts of the aborigines, of our own intercourse with them, and of their subsequent decay. 44 93 145 XVI Contents. • CHAPTER V. MM '2 Africa The Cape Colony and cauMB o( diooomfort there. — Bug- gestioni for removing the trouble. — The Dutch and English nwrei friends. . CHAPTER VI. India 240 Fortugnese, Dutch, and French, preceding us.— The war of race continued, and resulting in English victory. — Troubles in India, their cause.— Clive, Warren Hastings; the Mutiny and the Empire. CHAPTER VII. CSYLON . . . 288 Bc*tle of the races continued.— The Dutch our enemies as well as the Portuguese and French. — Final occupa- tion of the island by the English.— Descendants of the Portuguese black, a circumstance militating against Darwin's theory. — The cause considered. — Buddhism, devil worship, and Christianity.— Ferguson's work quoted. —Possible future value of Ceylon to the English race. Mac. in t] futui the ( the ] confc great in th nevei the 1 with a col gentli byCs I in wl savagt ( I — Bug. oh and '2 GREATER ENGLAND. 240 'he war story.— istings; 288 memies oconpa- ants of against idhism, quoted, race. CHAPTER I. LITTLE BRITAIN. Macaulay was quite right when he said that 'nothing in the early history of Britain gave promise of her future glory.' He was quite right if he only regarded the dwellers on the soU, just before the advent of the Romans, as Britons. He was quite wrong if he confounded us with Britons. The Britons never were pat. They had none of the elements of greatness in them. A more miserable set of despicable savages never disgraced the earth. Macaulay's other friend, the New Zealander, in his tattooed and savage state,' with somebody else's thigh-bone as an ornament and a collar of shark's teeth by way of costume, was a gentleman compared to the disgusting brute described by Caesar as a Briton ! I hold that a nation may be judged by the manner m which their women are treated. The AustraUan savage dies out because he has fallen so low as to ill- B (l 2 Greater England. use his poor, wretched gin, whom he glories in haating and degrading. The New Zealandor was a warrior, and could afford to treat his wife or wives with respect, but the debased brute described by Caosar was, in his treatment of women, such a despicable rascal that the modem pen, hard though it be, would refuse to chro- nicle his foulness. Yet we get mixed about Britons, and English people pride themselves on being des- cended from those whom Cccsar describes with indig- nation and contempt. As Macaulay further remarks: 'Britain was the last of Rome's conquests and the first of her conquests to be laid aside.' Quite true, but of no interest to us as Englishmen who never — thank God!— stooped to take directly from the Romans either a word of their language or the faintest tinge of their manners, until the Church of Rome spread over all the then known world and imparted to us some of her influence, but not imtil two centuries had passed, seeing -as masters of the British soil which had become England. These wretched savages were always quarrelling amongst themselves, but were unable to face a foe, and when the Romans left them they began to whine for their conquerors to come back and help them against the Scots (who seem to have been in every respect a superior race) and the Picts. Having been taught to call ourselves Britons be- eause we were born on the island formerly called Britain (as if a man must be a horse because he was \ 9 in baating a warrior, v^ith respect, was, in his cal that tbo ISO to chro- out Britons, being des- with indig- ain was the 3r conquests Lterest to us —stooped to rord of their anners, until then known ifluence, but lis masters of 1. quarrelling ,ce a foe, and to whine for them against ery respect a } Britons be- merly called cause he was Little Britain. 5. bom in a stable !), we have grown to bo ashamed of tho accounts brought down to us by tho muse of history of those who are thus taken to be our ancestors, and, instead of reading the truth on hor pages, we try to make her authorities in tho wrong when they suy dis- agreeable things of Britons. Wo say that tho account given by Gildas is fictitious, that William of Malms- bury knew nothing about the British race, that the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle was biassed in some way or other, that the Venerable Bede was an old woman, and Alfred the Great a copyist ; that the Brut is a mere translation of one-sided fiction, and those dear, good Britons, our respected progenitors, were maligned! But CoDsar was not the man to have been biassed. It would not have paid anybody to suggest to him to 4ibuso the Britons in his Commentaries 'for the sake of unborn millions !' Nor had he any interested motives for painting the Britons of a deeper dye than their •own woad could produce. I have, before writing this little book, devoted years to the patient study of Nennius, Gildas, William ■of Mahnsbury, Bede's JEcclesimtical History, Layamon'a Brut, the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, CaDsar's Commentaries, Tacitus {Hist. Germ.), Sharon Turner's History of the Anglo-Saxons, and other books bearing on this important question ; and the result of much groping in the works of ancient writers is the conviction that whether some of these are improperly influenced by their partial feelings or not, they all agree in one point, which i& If''' 4 Greater England. that, of all the p«opIo subdued by tho Romans, tho' firitons wore tho lowest and most degraded. That they were unable to cope with tho warrior Scots (Irishmen they should bo called properly) nnd Picts, thero is absolutely no reason whatever to doubt ;. that they called in the help of tho Scandinavian Teutons, there is no ground whatever to disbelieve ; and that such heroes as Jlengist and Horsa really existed, although doubted, has never been disproved. I have brought forward some evidence on this point in tho Antiquary, in a series of papers on ' The Scandina- vian Elements in English History,' published last year. There was amongst tho Scandinavians a small tribe of warriors, whose local habitation was in tho obscuro district near Sleswig Holstein in Denmark, called Angela These people called themselves generically Danes, but specifically Angelsk-men, or men of Angeln. The pronunciation of ak in Scandinavian languages, under certain circumstances, resembles tho English «A. The word in question would be pro- nounced Angelsk-man or Angelsh-man ; the tru& adjective form would become ^ngelisk - man, pro- nounced Engelish-man, which is our name to-day, as it was in the fifth century. We came from Angeln, and, according to Scandi- navian custom, brought with us a handful of English eartb on the brow of each dragon-ship, and a heartfnl of the legendary lore of Thor, Odin, Baldur, and Val- halla, in the memory of each man. We brought our HcaldH dour < all, w( wo wc honou we. ] «J)CCtCi phetea but th «owar( of bro with u Wo as raarchi Th 41 new, Oolden Ay( ing, fig dared « : Ilouians, tho idod. I tho warrior jroperly) nnd vor to doubt ;. Scandinaviun io disbolievo ; Horsa really en disproved. this point in "he Scandina- ihed last year, a small tribe- a the obscure- imark, called 38 generically or men of Scandinavian resembles the- ould be pro- Q ; the true k-man, pro- e to-day, as it ig to Scandi- al of English ind a heartful dur, and Val- ) brought our Litth Britain. 5 scalds to sing our prnises and to kr^f-p us in mind of tho dour old Huga litoruturo of our youth, and, more than all, wo brought our wives and houHcholds with w, for wo were good husbundH in thoHo days, and loved and honoured woman as soraothiiig nearer to tho gods thun we. Her words were often inspired and always ro- «pcctcd. So wo brought wife, priestess, vula (or pro- phetess) to Britain. There wo found the ' land good, but tho men beyond all measure vile, mean, base, and oowordly.' They hod smoU swords, or daggers, mado of bronze to imitate the Roman gladius, but wo bore with us such a sword as had laid Rome's legions low. "We asked the Briton where his foe was lurking, and marched against this enemy, whom we soon routed. The Britons were delighted, but despised us be- cause, forsooth, they were baptized and wo were not I Thoy were goo^ Christians ! but we did not like tho oreed. Ours pleased us better. Odin was Allfather; he would reward the faithful, and we were faithful unto death. We knew that in his mead-hall we should ^uaff the golden mead in gold-tipped drinking horns, while the sage song-god Brag^ would sing the praise of Odin and ourselves until the last day came, when heaven and earth should pass away to be succeeded by a new, resplendent, eternal heaven, called Giml^ the Oolden, and that should never pass away. Aye I we were Danes — spear bearing, shield cleav- i°g» figbting Danes ; and these poor, crawling cowards dared despise us — m», who were champions of Odin I 6 Greater England. Who were they, with their pale Roman gods— their Peter, Paul, Jamc?, John, and others such ? No, our gods were warriors, not puling monks with all their hair shorn close, with neither sword, nor lance, nor helmet! Gods, quotha? We have fought with aborigines like these (only not quite so sunk in vice and lost to decency)— fought during fourteen centuries, and it has ever been the- same old story. Down with the Wekh (for so we called a foreigner of Roman stock in those old days), up with the English flag ! We called them Welsh, and they in turn dubbed ur all 'Sassenach,' meaning a foreigner, a word which be- came applied to all those Germans living near th& Gauls, while the term ' Welsh ' is used by us for men of Wales, and by the Germans for the men of Rome. * Sassenach,' reduced to * Saxon,' is used in speaking of the dwellers in a certain part of Germany, and by the Welsh in speaking of us. The Britons could not keep their land against the Picts, who were half-naked savages, but very brave. How could they keep it, then, against such men as we P No, they went down. We drove them out, and soon our matrons formed a brighter Angeln in the comer of the island that we took The Britons threatened us with curses from their priests, and then we laughed and raised gigantic stones to Odin — stones that he loved,, set up in such grand circles as those we had at home. Soon Scandinavia lived again in Britain. The sacrifice ]U8 Litde Bntain. 1 gods — their ch? No, our with all their or lance, nor e these (only incy) — fought ver heen the- r so we called ays), up with im duhhed u» rd which be- ing near the- »y us for men len of Rome, n speaking of y, and by the 1 against the t very brave. 1 men as we P and soon our comer of the ened us with laughed and lat he loved> lad at home. The sacrifice to Thor and Odin smoked where formerly a Christian temple stood, and we were merry. We quaffed the golden mead, the rich brown ale, and slew the Britons. We had a store of learning with us. The scalds brought legends of our ancient home, of mighty gods, of deeds that we had done ; and we were lords of Britain, which we divided, as time wore on, among th > various kindred tribes that joined us — all sons of Odin, children of the sword. Gildas, a monk of British blood, who saw us still advancing in our pagan pride, waging a devastating war upon his kinsmen, reproaches them with having made no effort to Christianise their foes. He pours out lamentable groans upon their many vices, and adds to these the vice of want of charity in not approaching nearer to the English and making them, too. Christians. This '-^ould be very much as though some well- intentioned Maori should have endeavoured to convert to his belief an English Governor, say. Sir George Grey, for instance, who in his kind benevolence of heart has done so much to make New Zealand love him. That would be too much for even him. And just as difficult — nay, more so — ^would it be to think of Scandinavian warriors listening to men whom they despised for want of valour, the chief and greatest good in their Odinic code I , ' We talk of our forefathers at the present day in the most vague and contradictory way. We glory in King Arthur, who was the enemy of our race. Grant 8 Greater England. him a brave and able warrior, but he was no more an Englishman than Tippoo Sahib or Napoleon Bonaparte. Then when King Alfred comes upon the scene — the greatest man, or one of them, our race has yet pro- duced — we call him Anglo-Saxon! ffe called his people and his language English, and surely he must have known what he was doing when he employed the words ! We seem to have taken to the name of Briton because the first inhabitants of England were called by it, and yet we grow more inconsistent when the Normans come and take from us what we had taken from the Britons! Many a turncoat Englishman in these degenerate days boasts of his Norman blood as though (even if he possessed it, which he does not) it were a thing to boast of. Some men claim to be Saxon, but few have cared to know that they are really English. One of the old Odinic laws forbade the champions of the faith to marry with the daughters of another race. The priestess, vala, wife, was worshipped as a demi-goddess. With her the right lay to divorce her husband should he prove Nithing, that is, mean, or base, or cowardly. These women did not wield the sword, but they inspired the warriors, who for their praise woj^d 'rush on death, and laugh, and die.* There was no foe they feared, but all feared them. Even the legions of proud Rome, at the first sight they had of Gothic warriors, laid down theii* arms and Little Britain. 9 no more an a Bonaparte. I scene — the has yet pro- Te called his •ely he must jmployed the ne of Briton were called mt when the re had taken aglishman in nan blood as 5 does not) it claim to be hat they are be champions rs of another rshipped as a to divorce her is, mean, or aot wield the «(rho for their igh, and die.* feared them. Ihe first sight heii' arms and fled. Marius could never bring them to the charge until he hit upon the plan of forming an encampment, by which his men might grow accustomed to the eagle wings, chain mail, and frightful battle-axes wielded by men of giant size, taller than our Life- guardsmen. These men, against whose spear and sword the armoured ranks of Rome herself formed no defence, these warriors who 'laughed at death, and died,' were courteous and gentle to their women, whom 'they believed to be the best and purest on the earth. Before their women they were most respectful, holding them in awe as well as love, and something of thei" spirit has, I am very proud to feel, come down to us. And would these women let their sons wed with Britons? Compare the high-souled English with the Britons Cajsar paints. Compare their Anglian thoughts with the gross impurity of thought and manners in the Arthurian cycle of later British legends, and then say which is the prouder title. Englishman or Briton. The fact seems very clear to me that, being re- tentive of their ancient customs, the English wero as English here in Britain as they had been at home in Angeln or any part of Scandinavia. They were con- servatives, and their old customs have most of them come down to us. Some of these, though pagan as can be, have even been called Christian. So little do we know either of our history or ourselves. The faith which we brought with us has not quite lii^d out, in consequence of this conservatism. "We ill n 10 Greater England. call the days that form our week precisely as we called them fifteen hundred years ago, and even the Church of Rome, with all the power she possessed, could not effect the simple change of having Sunday christened the Lord's Day, though this was tried in the eighth century. These names are those of seven Pagan gods : Bal- dur (the stm) ; M&ni (the moon) ; Tys, a youthful warrior ; Odin, the god of wisdom ; Thor, the god of war, whose province is to slay the giants ; Freya, the goddess of domestic hliss ; and Surtur, the destroyer. The sequence of these seven days is full of mystic teaching, and it is very curious that something of this teaching should have been seen by Shakespeare, the greatest and most English Englishman of all the glorious workers in the glorious field of English litera- ture. The myth of our week (which I treated more at length in a paper read before the British Arch- sDological Association some years ago) is briefly as follows : — Man, the sim-child, the offspring of the gods, is bom into the recipiency of all delight. The earliest age is one of bliss and perfection ; the nimieral one is divine. It means Odin, as his name means one. And as he is the leader of the gods, the ordinal is ' First ' (cognate with German Furst), a leader or a prince. Born into the world, the sun-child requires tuition, so he is placed imder the tutelage of the warrior M4ni, whose badgpe is a white shield (the moon). He rules in Pi A T b€ tr Tl 0( be (o di th ca sti ov pi. in wl jiscly as we ,nd even the le possess * nng Sunday- was tried in L gods : Bol- , a youthful ', the god of ; Freya, the destroyer, all of mystic ithing of this cespeare, the of all the Dglish litera- treated more Iritish Arch- is hriefly as the gods, is e earliest age one is divine. And as he is rst' (cognate uires tuition, rarrior M4ni, i). He rules Little Britain. 11 the tides, marshals the months, and, heing lord of the sea, is, on account of the emblematical value of water (meaning external knowledge which has not yet be- come actual wisdom) the fitting guide to bring youth forwards on the onward course. The number two means the first separation of the two primal elements, goodness and truth, or love and wisdom. Therefore, M4ni rules the second day. . When the young soldier has achieved some deed which may procure him entrance to the Ting, or meet- ing-place of warriors, he comes directly under the protection of the youthful god called Tys, or Tyr. And here it may be noticed that Tyr is the first of the Talhalla group whose name is given, the former days being indicated merely by the attributes of the respec- tive gods. And three means what is most divine. The holy three is always predicated of the gods as Odin, Villi, and Ve. Henceforward the young warrior becomes one of those who may wear the blood-red camb (or kamb, or comb) upon his leathern hat or cap, which dubs him ksDmber (pronounced chemper), or wearer of the comb, whence our word champion and the Latin cambri. Then comes the fourth and most important day or state, middle life, which Odin guards for himself as his OMm special day, hence our "Wednesday. The cham- pion now may wear the eagle's wings bound to the iron or gold ring that forms the base of Odin's helm, which is a leathern cap surrounded by a ring, and Jll "I 12 Greater England. further guarded by two half rings of iron crossing each other at the apex, and permitting the purple coloured cap to be discerned below. This is the prototype of our imperial crown, which is more English than men generally think. Upon this day once every year the mystery of Odin's Ash Yggdrassill is explained. On this Ash Wednesday, the myth of the tree which is the Cosmos is expounded. It has nine roots reach- ing to pine inferior worlds, each one of which ia gnawed at by a serpent ; the mighty trunk, whose wood forms Odin's spear- shaft, pierces the circular disc called middle-earth, which is the place where men abide. Here in the centre, near the tree, the earth is green and lovely; beyond, the waters flow named Eilivagr, or the ocean, where the monster serpent, one of Lok^'s progeny, is cast, holding his tail between his jaws, forming the mystic ring to keep the world together. Beyond the waves of Eiliv&gr are the hills of ice, the terrible abode of giants, foes of the gods and men. Hetuming to the centre of the plane of earth, the mighty stem of Yggdrassill, we come to where a mountain rises, called Valhalla. Upon this mountain Odin sits enthroned ; upon each shoulder sits a mystic raven. One is colled Hug^ and the other Munin, meaning respectively the memory and the mind. A squirrel, Rattatosk, runs up and down the tree, bearing to Odin news of what is done below amongst the mortals. There is a plain below this moimtain called IdavoUr, where the gods and champions chosen from the battle- •WK I ■ vA L _ issing oach 3 coloured ototypo of than men y year the ined. On ree which jots reach- which ia ak, whose rcular diso rhere men the earth ow named trpent, one il between the world '6 the hills gods and ) of earth, o where a i mountain 9 a mystic er Munin, mind A Be, bearing he mortals, d IdavoUr, the battle- LitAe Britain. 18 field meet and practice warlike games, and roimd the plain twelve gleaming dwellings are arranged, in each of which some god or goddess dwells, their homes to- gether forming Asg4rd, or the dwelling of the JEsir. A rainbow forms the bridge between Valhalla and the earth, and is continued downwards to the nine roots of Yggdrassill, forming the nine worlds which are the ' lower earth,' and this is tmder the control of Hela, another of the progeny of Lok^, the calumniator of .the gods. Here flock all cowards, all adulterers, all liars, all who die a peaceful death, without the wound upon the breast that staimps them sons of Odin. Her name still lives among us as the abode of evil spirits rather than a person, but it is the word. Four is the square of two, the reunion of what had been severed, making a perfect number ; hence Odin is I)erfection. He is maturity, he is manhood deified, wise beyond all conception: so the fourth day is his. Thursday is corrupted from the old word Thun- resday, or Thunder's Day, meaning the Day of Thun- der, the Day of Thor, the god of battles, who also is the god of thunder. When man has reached maturity he is assailed by various desires and cra^ongs, which he must subdue. The first of these is a grim giantess, by name, ' The Love of Gold' She must be quelled, with others of her kin, who, as a step in their assault upon the gods, attack poor mortals on the middle-earth ; these would be swallowed up and lost but for the aid of Thor, who rushes to the rescue. 14 Greater Englarnl. The descent of a divinity pervades all Aryan myths. It was a truth foreshadowed in the vedas, repeated in a different form in our own Scandinavian myth, and constantly, though not so awfully approached, in the mythologies of Greece and Rome. It was the remnant of some very ancient teaching foreshadowing what surely would take place. Thursday is then a state of conflict with our baser passions, called Eoten, or eaters, in the cddas, because all sensuality is selfish, and would assimilate and make its own whatever seems to gratify desire. The strife must come, the eaters must be vanquished, but not by man alone. Then comes rejoicing in Valhalla. The spear- heads glisten and the helm-rings gleam ; the chain- mail byrnie rustles, the eagle pinions in the helmets wave aloft, towering above the warriors on parade. Then Odin comes to see his champions; he rides his war-horse Sleipner, and as he rides twelve hundred times twelve hundred champions draw their flashing swords ; they strike their gold-bound shields, and their applause descends below to Hela and the dead, who, pale with fear, tremble like aspens at the martial din. Five is the symbol nimiber of great force, where- fore the fingers of our hand are five, and Thor himself, the god of strength, is called the Five-stroug god, or Fimbultyr, to whom the fifth day must be dedicated. The war is over. What reward may man demand. Little Britain. 15 yan myths, repeated in myth, and Lod, in the 10 remnant ving what . our baser as, because and make The strife but not by Phe spear- the chain- be helmets [>n parade. 3 rides his e hundred ir flashing I, and their dead, who, be martial rce, where- or himself, tiig god, or sdicated. m demand for such a victory P When all the viler passions are fiubdued, but not before, he is considered worthy to receive the holiest, best, and noblest gift that Odin can bestow, who tells the goddess Freya to furnish forth a bride to bless the valiant champion. A being full of love, whose golden heart is shadowed forth by the long tresses that deck her lovely head, whose eyes have in them the colour of forget-me-nots— which is the colour of the skies, from whence she came and whither she is ever hoping to return, bearing her champion with her — she who shall be to him a priestess, prophetess, and friend, now comes as his reward. Six is a perfect number: the holy three is mul- tiplied by two, and man is only perfect when iinited to a wife whose love shall cheer him in the hour of gloom and nerve his arm to doughtier deeds in battle. Seven is, according to some creeds, most holy, being the junction of the holy three with four, the square of two ; but in the Scandinavian system it, like eleven, means disaster. On the seventh day Satur, or Surtur, comes from Muspelheim, the abode of flames. He rushes over Bifrost, the glowing bridge, by mortals called the rainbow. Heimdal, the porter of the gods, seizes his horn. The golden cock with the blood-red comb gives out his warning note. The gods arise to combat, the champions charge, the monsters are unloosed, and rush to the attack. Flames consume Valhalla, the monsters destroy the gods, and are slain by them. 16 Greater England. Heaven and earth pass away, to be succeeded by a new beaven, Giml4 the Golden, and a new earth, which shall not pass away. A grand, manly, noble system is the Odinic creed, and one that we should study rather than the licentious details of the Greek and Roman culte, which truly do not suit us. Our teachers try to force them on us, but neither Greek nor Latin, generally speaking, stops in English heads, and the foul legends of the Greek mythology are mostly too unfitted to our tastes to stay long after. The names of days of the sveok aro not the only remnants of this martial culte. 'ITip ceremonies marking various times and seasons of the year are Scandinavian. The good Augustine could no more have banished ' Yule ' and ' Easter ' than he could have banished winter time and summer. Yule was christened into Christmas, but it remained a pagar>. feast for all the change in name, having no more conaexion with our Saviour's birth than with any other evbui ui that august procession of His works of mercy which marked His stay on earth. Yule is a softening of the ancient Geolg, which was the twelfth of Odin's mystic names, and therefore given to the festival at which his praise was sung, and where his health was drank. Ostensibly the feast was a con- joint one devoted to his service, and to Baldur, whose death was mourned on Christmas Eye,^the 'Mother Night ' of all the year. The mistletoe, the holly, and other things held sacred to this beaming one, have been cxpli whic Easti who pillai Her dawn into " to bo and ; desce cided act o: place servec resuri pagan natur( bears world marka and ci actual Tl both lost s: Christ Little Britain. 17 ceeded by a new )W earth, which bo Odinic creed, an the licentious , which truly do them on us, but caking, stopa in s of the Greek )ur tastes to stay ire not the only ^monies marking re Scandinavian, banished 'Yule* )hed winter time Christmas, but change in name. Saviour's birth list procession of 1 stay on earth. ]}eolg, which was i therefore given sung, and where feast was a con- to Baldur, whose ye, the 'Mother •e, the holly, and ig one, have been ; explained already in a work called Older England, to which I may refer the reader curious in such details.* Easter has retained the name of Eostra, wife of Auster, who was one of the supernatural guardians of the four pillars on which the dome over Valhalla was supported. Her function was to draw the purple curtain of the dawn to lot the hero -god Baldur ride in his chariot into Valhalla. So important a goddess was not likely to be forgotten by the rough and ready, but chivalrio and poetic, sons of the North, from whom we are descended. And as the Jewish Paschal-time coin- cided very nearly with this feast, and the crowning act of glory recorded in the Christian writings took place at the same period, we find the pagan name pre- served, though the modern feast of Easter refers to the resurrection of the Christian Christ, and not to that of pagan Baldur, albeit the agreement in the world of nature and the world of mind on this auspicious point bears out my argument that early man saw in the outer world reflex phenomena of spiritual life : hence the re- markable accordance between all systems of mythology and certain natural phenomena, and, further still, with actual revelation. The reverence for, and peculiar value of, number both in mythology and revelation has been quite lost sight of, yet we are told in the only book of Christian pro phecy that he who has wisdom should • Older England. First and Second Series. WhitiiiR and Co 2 vols. 8vo. London, 1884. 18 Greater England. * count the number of tho beast.' Again, after enume- rating certain nuniborg, the comment is, 'Herein is wisdom.' Tho Scandinavians venerated three, four, five, six, and twelve, because they meant respo. lively, divinity, completeness, strength, perfection, and entirety of all tho elements required for the highest order of perfection. Hence with them tho duodecimal system was in favour, which wo retain in having twelve pence to make a shilling, and in other matters. They had twelve months to make a year, whereas tho Romans had but ton. The Roman year, before the Roman intercourse with 'barbarians,' ended with December, and lacked July and August, which were added in honour of Julius and Augustus Cajsar respec- tively; but they were added in imitation of the Teutons, whose religion and whose arts were all derived from Scandinavia. The Romans, too, had no particular names for any of their weekdays until they took tho Scandinavian names, replacing them by names of Roman gods as nearly as they could obtain them: thus, Sunday was Dies Solis, Monday, Dies Luna, neither of which names meant anything in Roman ears beyond tho name for the celestial bodies, sun and moon. They would certainly have called these days by other names had they but known the mythic teaching of the Northern week. Dies Martis gives the warrior god fairly enough, but they were blocked by Odin, for whom they substituted Mercury, the god of vunnir more i Julius the du Jupito cnoupl was n( would chiefta than A and .Vc Diie8 Luna, thing in Koman astial bodies, sun lave called these nown the mythic J Mortis gives the were blocked by rcury, the god of Little Britain. ig ^•unninff. ,Uron of thieves and robl)or8, having no more rdut.on to the solemn, awful Father of All than Julius Cu-sar had to our Jack Shoppard. Thursday the day of Thunder, is of course translated Div>t Jori,' Jupitor being the god who thundered. This was apt enough, and perhaps the reason why the day of Odin was not translated Dies Jovis, whic'h in all respectH would have b«en better, in that the function of fho chieftain of the gods is better rendered by Jupitor than Mercury. Friday is recognised as a lady's day and .Venus stands {Heu pudor !) for our Froya ; henco D,v. Venn-is is Friday among the Latin - speaking people of Europe. Satur is so near to Saturn in sound that the transition seems natural, independently of tho respective functions of the two deities. In later times, when Christianity was introduced, the Roman Church' contrived to substitute the name of Dominus for ' Sol ' and Lies Domini, or the Lord's Day, was adopted in Latin-speaking countries. A form of this Dies Dominici has been in France corrupted into Dimanchc. A form of Surtur in the south of Germany is Samtar, whence in those parts of the empire the name for Saturday is Samstag, transformed in French to Samedi. With us, as more conservative of ancient things than other people are, the old traditions of our race remain, though changed in form, for many a nursery tale and many a rustic superstition is traceable to Anglian thought, quite as much so is the desije to put off to sea and colonise far distant landa with. 20 Greater England. English thoughts of high antiquity brought down to civilise the desert and replace the savage. The glowing, flashing, martial heaven of Odin s warriors remains with us unconsciously, for the old hlind Puritan who sang the faU of man two centune. ago has reproduced ValhaUa in the clash and clang of ems in heaven. He was acquainted, when xn HoUand with a translation into Latin by the scholar Junius of C^dmon'8 Early English or Anglo-Saxon poem upon this subject, and though this poem of C^dmon is the work of Christian art, it bears within it traces of early Anglian thought, which I believe is such a soil for growth of Christian truth that even our paganism in pre-Christian times was less opposed thai, other creed, have been to the development of actual truth. There was a love of freedom in the Scandinavia^ heart that would not brook control, and when the good Augustine and his priests arrived in England to con- vert our sires, they would not take a word on mere authority which they could not at once and cleaxly understand. They weighed the matter thoroughly, and they rejected certain dogmas altogether, and put BO many questions as puzzled good Pope Gregory t<, answer Many of these are given by the Yenerable, Bede in his curious and useful history. We have maintained this right, and every Enghsh- . ,nan, whether a citizen of London, or New York, or| Melbourne, has- the same instinct that inspired hia ancestors at once and firmly to assert it. ^ .L... ■agj rouglit down to rage. javen of Odin's dy, for the old an two centuries ash and clang of vhen in Holland, scholar Junius of axon poem upon t Csedmon is the it traces of early 8 such a soil for our paganism in than other creeds al truth. the Scandinaviaii md when the good a England to con- I a word on mere once and clearly latter thoroughly^ dtogether, and put Pope Gregory toj by the Venerahlfr. tory. and every English- • , or New York, orj that inspired hia sert it. L .L._ Little Britain. 21 Our honour to the gentler sex is purely Anglian. Woman is our queen, our mother, wife. The silly- make-believe of this respect for her in the French- Norman days was but a parody upon the thing which had existed in the olden time, and which, becoming tainted by the grossness of 'Eomance,' declined until Again Teutonic Luther flung a fresh javelin at Rome by the espousal of a nun. No nation saw the value of the Eefonuation so thoroughly as we, the sons of Rome's hereditary foes. It was an English feeling. Freedom for the soul, and English hearts beat once again when thus appealed to. The course of justice in the Scandinavian lands was twofold— military and civil. In military questions arms were appealed to, and the judges who presided had the light to say, if they thought proper, that the combat should be stayed, judging by certain signs which of the combatants was right before the death of one of them cleared up all doubts for ever. The trial by battle was still part of English law as late as the year 1818, and the Royal Champion's Office had not been abolished when William IV. was crowned. In civil matters we had judge and jury, where the number twelve— the emblem of completeness— pre- vailed. The ancient Ting was like our parliament, where king and yarls and freemen met in arms to legislate, to try offenders, and to debate on war. The king was an elected monarch, chosen either from the royal race or from the yarls or nobles. The titles, king -.•^ifes:sss:;£K'-'!:.^liS 22 Greater England. and earl (which anciently was pronounced as iarl) re- main still with ns, so does aldennan, although the word no longer means a prince. The king would take his stand on such a stone erection as that in Kent, there caUed Kitt's Cotty House. Around him, on single stones ranged in a ring like those in Salisbury Plain, the yarls stood armed except the lance. They foimed a ring about their leader, and beyond that ring the freemen stood who held their lands on military tenure. Outside these^ again, the ceorls (modem churls or peasants) were crowded in a wider ring. It was tie privilege of any person called to attend the ' Ting ' to speak his mind freely and fully. Speech was ' free under heaven,' so that when the turn came to the poorest freeman he might say his say with the most powerful yarL Churls and thralls did not speak, nor did the traders. The house-ting was a meeting for some special local or domestic purpose, and was often held on temporary platforms. Hence our hus-ting, where, strange to say, the word rather implies the woodea platform than the meeting. The ceremony opened with religious forms. A victim was devoted to the gods, and from the warm, still beating heart or lungs an augury was drawn, which often would decide the question, to debate on which the 'Ting' had been convened, before it could be put. No roof could intervene between these war- 3ed as iarl) re- lough the word 1 sucli a stone i Kitt's Cotty anged in a ring- is stood armed ng about their imen stood wha Outside thescy peasants) were called to attend d fully. Speech a. the turn came his say with the [Is did not speak^ for some special 3 often held on hus-ting, where^ plies the woodea igious forms. A L from the warm» gury was drawn^ ion, to debate on d, before it could ;tween these war- Little Britain. 23 riors and their gods ; the temple had no roof save that which formed the floor of high Valhalla. When military oaths were taken men swore upon the sword, to them the dearest, highest, holiest of their possessions. In civil matters— at least in Scandinavia —the ring was used, and military oaths, when sworn upon the ring, were not considered binding. There- fore, when Alfred, who had no idea of this distinction, made the Danes take an oath upon their rings or bracelets, because ho knew that oaths were taken on a ring, they took the oath, and— broke it, for he should have sworn them on the sword, an oath they would have kept, because the question was a military one. Our reverence for the ring remains in marriage, which in the old pre-Christian times was celebrated by exchange of certain gifts denoting various duties in the married state. The bride would give a shirt of chain-mail armour, a sword and spear, and helmet The bridegroom gave a pair of oxen, a plough, a horso caparisoned for war, a sword, a spear, and shield These were + ; show her that her jurisdiction extended over the whole estate, and that her duty was to see the fields attended to as well as the inner house and 'bower,' where the maidens spun and wove their cloth or worked their tapestry, and, more than this, her duty to her lord called her to ride behind him when he marched forth to war, to tend his wounds, encourage him in fight, bear witness to his valour, or slay him on the spot should he retreat. fi3Mmi^iii^2t£ti,^S2^i 24 Greater England. These mutual presents wore at last dispensed with. Golden rings were suhstituted, which were exchanged instead of the more clumsy gifts referred to. In Scan- dinavia and in Germany the interchange of rings takes place at the present day. With us the bridegroom gives the ring and 'all his worldly goods.' in token that the gift of so great a boon as a good wife is worth all other worldly considerations, while the form of the ring, being that assumed by the Midgird serpent to hold the world together, was, and remains, a token oi the binding and enduring nature of the contract. The various kindred tribes speaking one language, having one faith, one common interest in settling here, made slow and steady way against the Kymri, whom they cut down and dispossessed, whom they made slaves of as a lower race— as we continued still to do with Africans until not very long ago-were far too war- Uke to remain at peace, and many wars took place befcje the kingdoms of the English could be united, fused into one as England. To this great end the spread of Christianity contributed. The judicious government of a queen, the wise and noble-hearted Saxburga, did much to soften and improve the countries which in her time were already approaching towards the union finally accomplished by the valour and pru- dence of an Egbert. The greatness of King Alfred lay in his self-con- quest and his power as a warrior, which displayed itself in the use of the sword, for which his natural gentleness Little Bntain. 25 ipensed witli. re exchanged to. In Scan- of rings takes e bridegroom in token that B is worth all form of the ,rd serpent to lains, a token the contract, one language, I settling here, Kymri, whom ey made slaves till to do with e far too war- ars took place )uld be united, great end the The judicious I noble-hearted, ive the coxmtries aching towards valour and pru- in his self-con- L displayed itself itural gentleness of disposition and state of physical sufEering greatly unfitted him. Having subdued himself, he quelled the Scandinavian tribej that harassed the shores of his is- land. Thinking only for his people, living and working but for them, this monarch raised them to a place among the nations of the earth to which their selfish- ness ai}d ignorance would have prevented their attain- ing. He, who thought little of himself, and jave himself a willing sacrifice for England, is the only English king to whom the title ' Great ' has ever been applied. ^ The English disposition led to lavish hospitality- end careless jollity rather than to steadfast application. The vice of Scandinavia was drink, but in the older time, when tierce activity enabled men to throw ofE readily the sad effects of drunkenness, no great amount of harm ensued from copious draughts. When peace and idleness set in the consequences were disastrous. A carelessness about the active duties of a citizen resulted, and Alfred's problem was to move the inert mass, which first had to bo disciplined in the hard school of grim adversity before it could be roused. This vice apart, the early Englishman was a far better fellow than his Norman cousin. He was not cunning, cruel, or suspicious, but lived an open-handed, careless, free- and-easy sort of life, at variance with the sterner laws -and martial rule he owned in former times. His hall was like the Scandinavian home, to which his mind continually referred. It was wide, straggling, un- I e ! ' :.;i**» 2g Greater England. defended, open to the stranger with lavish hospitality, and full of stores of food. The supine folly of a later king, more than three- quarters nfonk, gave the fair land of England to the spoiler, who. after all. was near abn by hlood to u. For William was descended from ^-\^^^^''^^^'^ the yarlswho. to escape the tyrannyof Harold H&fagra, had colonised the opposite coast, and t?^«-« ^^ P'^^^fy and that of all his host gave up their Northern lan- guage, with their creed, and became Frenchmen. When SL time arrived that they should seek a l^ome"X Eng- land they came as foes into a kinsman s land Here too. theLpine sluggishness to which the Enghsh sank helped the invaders, who. constantly at war m France, Sned their warHke nature, some few trad^xons of the Scandinavian past, but certamly no love tor ^" Therumbers of the Normans were so small that any .ell-directed effort of our sires would easily have put them to the sword. But many thanes held d.sUm% aloof, partly from jealousy of Harold, partly from indolence, and let the Normans riot as they would. The^ide and hospitable Sa.on 'HaU' gave place to Norman 'Castles,' built not to protect the people but to keep them down. The Tower was built to over- awe the Londoners, Rochester Castle to subdue the „,en of Kent. Those piles remain i« show us wha we gained by change of masters-and t^^ .^^ ^^^^^^f Lh! Laws were enacted dealing with us-with «8, ;*#,t5Sr§ Little Britain. 27 sh hospitality, )re than three- ilugland to the )y blood to U8. Ganger, one of [arold H&fagra, ere his progeny Northern lan- Qchmen. When a home in Eng- I's land. Here, tie English sank war in France, I few traditions ily no love for 80 small that any i easily have put es held distantly old, partly from as they would. Hall' gave place •rotect the people was built to over- ile to subdue the ) show us what we le land was full of with us — with U8, descendants of the sons of Odin !— as though we were a flock of sheep, a tribe of conquered savages, not as the nation over which a kinsman of our monkish king had come to rule and raise from barbarism. The, early Scandinavians hated walls and towers, but the Norman Frenchman, by association with the Franco-Roman race, had lost this feeling. We had retained it. We had remembered the grand old Viking maxim : — • Have no house upon deck, seek no safety in walls ; Behind walls lurk the coward and slave. Be thy shield then thy bed and thy broadsword thy trust : Odin's sky is the roof of the brave.' The oppression with which the Normans, when they were safe behind their walls, treated the English fills many a page of the Saxon Chronicles. They invented tortures such as had never been known before^ one of which was called the ' Sachentage,' and con- sisted of a heavy collar of iron attached to a long piece of wood or beam in such a manner as to prevent t(ho wretch who had been forced to wear it from lying down or standing up with case! Other direful tor- ments they invented with which to destroy the English body and soul. Then they quarrelled amongst each other, making England bear the brunt of these in- testine wars. In contemplating the two kin races shut up to fight the grimmest fight that history records within the ■•«,tSSl3 ^■'N&v;,_-^iir[ ' 23 Greater England, limits of a littlo island, wo are forced to compare ihe relative advantages provided for that island by eacli respectively. First we have the English homestead, open in profuse and lavish hospitality, the host a care- less but good-natured sort of fellow, who would not see his thralls (or serfs) illused by others. The Church was in the hands of monkish priests, whose rule was not so strict as it might have been, perhaps, with some advantage; good-natured fellows, too, not averse to cakes and ale. and, as a rule, not given to asceticism In point of fact, the Church was queerly served, but whether the people suffered more or less from this remains an open question. Hospitality was a virtue cultivated in haU and cloister. No man was turned away who craved a fair night's rest and food while on * ^"^ThThall was in pure Scandinavian taste, accessible by two doors, one at the north end the other at the south. Along the walls were tapestries, the work of the lady and her maidens, and near these, but not quite in contact, were the ale benches, far enough removed to allow the maidens of the household to pass behind the guests to fill their horns with mead. The shield and arms of each respective warrior hung on the wall behind his seat; before the warriors or guests were tressels on which long planks were laid to form the 'board;' these were covered with a dainty cloth, and furnished with the bowl, the punctured spoon, sometimes the wooden putter. Knife, of course. •«w*"-w*wt*?jet* Little Britain. 29 compare ihe land by each h homestead, iG host a care- would not see The Church hose rule was ips, with some Qot averse to to asceticism, ly served, but ess from this was a virtue m was turned food while on iaste, accessible e other at the IS, the work of these, but not es, far enough 3 household to irns with mead, e warrior hung the warriors or nks were laid to I with a dainty the punctured Knife, of course. there was none, for the curved dagger or soax was the ready instrument with which to cut the solid food. Forks were unknown. The line of benches on the western wall was broken by the high bank, subsequently called the dais, on which the table of the lord and lady of the house, together with their more honoured guests, would sit. From these, in regular gradation, the friends, retainers, and those menials sat whoso duty did not call them to be active at the fire. This fire was in the centre of the hall, and round it the cooks plied their busy trade. The cauldron or kettul (kettle) sent up its fragrant steam, mingled with the smoke that rose in a murky column blackening the rafters as it went. In the centre of the hall, that is, between the fire and the tables— /or there icere never my tables in the centre— & space was left for servitors, who brought the bowls of soup from the reeking cauldron, or joints of meat, or birds upon the spit, to the warriors to whom these dainties were presented mface, for only the damsels of the house were privi- leged to go behind them, and no warrior sat with his back to the fire! the intervening space was filled with gleemen or minstrels, and various persons engaged to amuse the guests. So that after aU things were not so very bad in Merry England. Let us turn to the interior of a Norman castle fifty years later. The baron sits in his hall, but ■ »' I" ■".•."""I'li"^' 80 Greater England. this is guarded by thick walls in which are narrow apertures through which to shoot at foes. (Why are there foes in one broad land ?) The baron on his dais has three companions: one an esquire, another is a palmer from the Holy Land, a third a Norman ^inght just come to England on a visit. Upon the table there are no horn cups for beer and mead, but silver flagons full of costly wine, and each man save the palmer has a silver cup— he has a cup of water. The fire burns also in mid chamber, but there is no sound of joy. The baroness is ill, she cannot bear the fogs of tho 'accursed island,' so there are no ladies present. Round the wall there runs a sort of platform on which two sentinels are pacing, who over and anon look through the oylette holes into the gloom beyond. Above, upon the ramparts, sentries pace, all keeping jealous watch. The drawbridge— new to England— is drawn up, and every portion of the castle shows a glittering lance-head gleaming in the moonlight as the soldiers pass from post to post. Below the hall, which is not on the lower floor but higher up, in what would be the first floor of a modern house, below this is the donjon with its dreadful engines made to tear men limb from limb, to flay them living, and otherwise to torture them, some of such foul and ghastly sort as to describe would be a work of torture in itself. God help the English prisoner within the Norman baron's hold ! There is a horn without. The baron starts. It ia L li are narrow J. (Wby are n on his dais another is a brman? aught he table there silver flagons ho palmer has The fire burns sound of joy. le fogs of tho odies present. I platform on over and anon gloom beyond. ;e, all keeping to England — is castle shows a oonlight as the ho lower floor first floor of a anjon with its mb from limb, I torture them, describe would elp the English d! an starts. It ia Little Britain. 81 repeated. At last a troop of Norman horse arrives. One of their number has been shot down by men in ambuscade, and as the rest know not what men those wore, tho law decides that they were English. ' Pile up the fire in tho torture-chamber. Prepare the direst tortures ever yet devised. Harry the nearest villages, bring in what ye may find of human fonn — old men, young maidens, anything, but torture them ! ' Then there is mounting in fierce haste to find tho victims, and the Roman rule sits heavy on the land. The Gothic spear is blunt, and Rome is now tho victor through these recreant sons of warlike Scandinavia, who, having lost their language and their name, aro truly of ' the she-wolf's litter,' being half wolves, half men, real actual bisclavorts, or, as the English phrased it, ' wer- wolves.' Alas for Merry England in such hands ! For more than a century such things as these were borne, and they were hard to bear, but it was fortunate for us that Norman wolves behaved thus savagely, in that it kept us from becoming Normans in our thoughts, and from assuming the detested Latin mixed with Frankish and Scandinavian words, which jargon wo were required to assume. These horrors saved our noble language and our- selves. Force can do nothing in a case like this. The people — not the peasants, but the people — the bulk of those who lived in England, loved their dear speech the more for having it suppressed. Writers arose who 33 Greater England. knew tlio English hcort, and books wero written in tho English tongue instead of monkish Latin or Norman French. And these were loved and read. There are two copies extant of the English version of the poem called The Brut, a metrical account in English of the whole story of the island known in the Norman times, and much mixed up with fable. English Uvea of saints, homilies, and translations were actually pro- duced in secret, and now exist to show how strong the love of English was in Englishmen. Then came tho Crusades, which, taking off tho Normans to make war upon tho Turks, relieved us from tho pressure. Those who remained behmd m England were in a minority. Their influence was shown in the licentious manners of the clergy, and in a loosening of tho respect for woman which had marked our early sires as good and moral men. This poison rankled. It was fought against, not by a mighty thane or belted knight, but by one who knew the people, tnd the people-not the peasants and tho untaught vulgar but the better sort of yeomen, certain lords included-made a guerilla fight against oppression. Tho outbws of the time were not all robbers; on the contrary, they were in general high-souled and valiant men who formed the ' opposition ' so to speak. They warred against the clergy, who were reaUy evil-doers taking the bread the peasant tu ued out of his mouth to sell again that they might faro the better. The I^ormans were waylaid and slain, the English rose, L Little /In' tain. 8d I written in tho itiu or Norman ud. Tlioro nro [)n of tho poem in English of in tho Norman , English lives ro actually pro- how strong the taking off tho rks, roliovod us iined behind in r influence was clergy, and in a lich had marked en. This poison ot by a mighty knew the people, ad the untaught en, certain lords ainst oppression. . robbers; on the ouled and valiant to speak. They really evil-doers, out of his mouth the better. The he English rose, gained rourugo, and in time dlHplayod that bent of thought wliieh since bus leiivencd all tho world with love of freedom. The Nortlmien, wlio in Normiindy retained tlio name of Normans, beeamo quito French ; those who remained alive in England merged into EngliMhmen, and were too few in number to affect the race. Tlieir language died out with them, but left tho truces of its influence in giving us Homo words which wo did not require, and which have served a little to imsettle us. There is no doubt that tho uncertainty about tlic letter II, which much defaces English in some classes of tho community, is duo entirely to Norman influence, for Frenchmen could not aspirate. Three words— hour, honour, heir, with compounds of them such as hourly, honourable, heirship, ond tho like, are quite enough to puzzlo people who find II sometimes sounded, sometimes not. Hence tho confusion. The English W was generally aspirated, as in IIwa)t, Hwen, Hwaother, Hwncr, &c. Many such words have been ac opted by tho Freiuth, who put a Gt to represent the aspirate, hence Guerre, Guerrior Guard, Guelph, for Ilwer (war), Warrior, Hward (ward), and Hwolf (wolf). When England burst this foreign thraldom, she was soon destined to sustain a deeper trial, and one less easy to get rid of, resulting as it did from her own • snobbishness. During the ages called by historians (very aptly) dark, there was no learning save the learning of tho Greater England. 84 early monks, dunng ^^^ ^^^^^ Engirt too - -^;j^^^ ^,^^, ^,^ i. Latia and decreed ^^aU^ « Wh and as the only vehicle tU and unive^ities ^"f ^ J^^^ ^^^^^^a Utinwa, the '"y^'";^/'^ "^nLbeth, when Latin was written m Dy ie» ^^ ^a, no mean ^^^l^.f ^'Y' f^ uC""-™' aturdy language which had -^^^^^^^^ ;„j„,„„, ^itaUty from Norman '"■"'^''^'^f^/^^^,^ ,„i„ed ::, rln: tlt^n! .neer again.t the greatest that he possessed but ^tte Latm ^^^^^ monks, wrote ver, ihougli lie ,, so he wrote Some of the irpation, wrote lome was busy, vn-ite in Latin the only vehicle )n spread. Our no English- Tied man should Elizabeth, when ain, and English a English mer- Eoundation of our good Queen Bess 1, nay, she herself t went on. The ;lf by its own vast r Roman influence of art were coined me. So much was gainst the greatest I to whose produc- as dwarfs before a sh Shakespeare was in and less Greek.' ?or had he trod the man critics, Macbeth Little Britain. 85 «iid Hamlet ubve^ had been written. And I may say that those two > }rk8 alone are worth all that the Homans ever could produce. This silly fancy clogged our mother tongue, and Milton has the blame of adding somewhat to the evil by using Latin words where English ones should have «.ppeared. Then came the pedant schools, with John- «on at their head, who did their worst to swamp us. But like the field of com buried beneath a sheet of snow falling untimely on it, the English language bursts its way through all, and lives, a Scandinavian- Teutonic form of speech. I have compared it to a Christ- mas-tree, a plant of northern growth huug roimd with, flilly, glittering toys and worthless gimcracks, but in itself a sturdy pine that through all treatment at the hands of man remains a pine, still ever green, unbroken, -firm, and upright. Now, as the exponent of Anglian thought, the English language is most valuable in its history. It points out to us that we must not faint even if in the battle we be thrown and trodden down. If English ■could have passed away it would have yielded long ago to these attacks of Boman influence. But Rome has always been a tyrant, England the nurse of freedom. The old fierce game is playing still as ectively as when our fathers flung their javelins end made the tyrant tremble. We are gaining strength, as may be seen by correspondent strength- ening of our tongue, which grows more healthy as I m i:i. ' i^i Greater England. t6 ,e towforeign words away«>a study aneientEaglisb "^te earliest dam of modem history shows us our me earues ^^ rejoicing eothio sires at war ^^^J^^^J ^ ,h„„t fo, joy r.^rL«tJs,.eBr.us«u^-er^ ^™";,"Kr''c«:::r'to— :Hs;iainihy r;:tr:BugUsh. Then ^e .omia^E^^ Norman throne, ana a. g . V +Vo The Anglian heart beats stiU. ±ree air i» rf;:w;tLnhat,t«.i..ouu.^---- fr"- ^'Ju rrr'nl 'r wish, w. r:rhrtr/«^ upon our .uiuds, . LitUe r 'tain. S7 incientEnglisb y shows 018 our march rejoicing^ 3y shout for joy- fully when they 3in at issue with- on this island. :)hurchmen, and mk and quite w ae who, in th& lin his claim by Norman-Roman fresh adventur©^ man robber, who> 3 slay his fellow , coward fills the begin again to jtill. Free air i* t. The castles are by. Edward III- ; the battle with Qglishmen dare to leirs that filled the I for \xs. Freedom ny be of State or b. Grant that the m could wish, wfr \r minds! > As when of old the meanest freeman claimed the right to speak his thoughts in open Ting, so the * Lollard ' claimed the right to say his say in matters •of the faith. Then rose the cries of tortured men once more. Home's tyranny worked in the same •old groove, and England was a place of terror. But the Teutonic blood, kin to the Scandinavian, rose to the fray, and soon we see a champion in the German Luther preaching the right to have the "Word of God translated into tongues that other men could understand beside the favoured Homans. This was a blow at the imperial mistress of the seven hills more deadly than the downward sweep of double-barded axe or thrust of Gothic «pear. We took the quarrel up, and, as before, proud Home went down ! England suffered more than ever during that fierce struggle, but she at last was victor. She could give shelter to the persecuted within her island shores, and succour their distress. On went the battle of the races. Gall it a war of 3policy, call it a war of faith, it was a struggle to the knife ; and what has England gained ? The right of doing what she feels to be her mission — proclaiming freedom to the world. Nor would she, in one-sided policy, say to Rome, ' Thou shalt not think in other guise than I' — as Rome had said to her. No, she Invites all lands to meet and aid her in the cause of universal freedom according to their lights. The present day is rich in trophies gained ia jg Greater England. * or,^ it Ib' the object of ttese pages Xjtl^ .Wd not y. .tored up in a^rt . l«S^hon« to ^ at, when wo W.A ^ fed • Ktfle flattered with our own .uooe»=. '"""°y ^ V »< 1 ^ride 'Lo! these are ours, won by our •""^teUrat ?i:ret',meno.Uu,^c,«. "r:et"t .;:e^ the buying, wo ^ -- ft" w^rld a, tar as the ,.n,ni*ed waves can carry «. as far as our thought can travel. ..,..„ ^ Order and clvaisation have foUowed us h>tterto ..d the bleak desert • smUes with pleasure-bud. and V^lnasoms witt the rose!' . iT^o country does the population ino^ » » Englanl The overflow ^rden. "ur .^shes «wto .ur hospitals, and fills our jails. I" *>' ^"^ """^ Aero is a depth of poverty uninown elsewhere. Mm tr^l^d WoroWs fenow man because o poverty t te of gold is rlring In her hideous form, a^d .he must bo destroyed. What can be doneP W» ^.1-for we are a race of freemen-ordam th^ ToT^ose labour or wh<«, ^'-^ ^^-^^^^ for them wealth, must render up «"' '<^f^'^ idle or foolish men have nothmg. Bu « >»" "^ . The lM>d can bear but so many people on a pv^ a^e. exceeding which the ^^\'^^^J^\ "To sea I to seal" • On the nch pUms of Alnca » J:a»Lghf.rmilUon. There already Porh.gue.. W Little Britain. 39 of ttese page* rds and brain» p in a sort of wish to feel a , and say with I, won by our ought seeks ta call us practical, fie possess over (vaves can carry ved us hitherto, sasure — ^buds and m increase as in parishes, crowd* lis land of luxury elsewhere. Man ecause of poverty, lideous form, and a be done? We jmen — ordain that may have acquired lat wealth because But we can say, people on a given ig cry goes forth, plains of Africa i» already Portuguese wile is doing harm again, marring the good that Belgium strives to do. And we, with starving thou- sands — aye, hundreds of thousands — are squabbling over paltry questions which the good sword should answer, curtly and well; while those neglected ones should sail away as emigrants to Anglicise the lands of Zanzibar, to settle on the Congo, to form fresh Eng- lands everywhere. Nature is pushing us! England is the heart, the centre of the globe. Let not the veins be stopped and circulation checked. "Westward and Eastward Ho! should be the watchword, and the East End of London should put forth its surplus life, not into ' almshouse, hospital, and jail,' but into teem- ing lands that wait but English hands for culture. Then comes the question, How shall these be helped and guarded in their exodus P Surely the wealthy, who have also much increased, will gladly aid in such an undertaking. A grand association of our richest men might surely raise a fund to find such means as served — cwteris paribus — as outfit for the founders of our race when they came over fifteen hundred years ago. Let there be raised a corps of farmers, cutlers, smiths, and other tradesmen necessary in an infant State. Let these be drilled and taught the use of arms. Then give them ships ; Hend, let us say, a fleet, a hundred strong, of ships all full of armed artificers and labourers, with wives and children, to any country where the soil is promising but now in savage hands. The savages retire, the fight has done our 40 jjeople Greater England. men prize the land they purchase with town; the camp becomes t^e. over it, and Anglian thought spr«.d. more and more, iolfiUinn England's destiny. The parent eonntry send, fresh men anl stores nntil the cultivated land yields more than any eolony Twant; then, as the »n should helphrs aged paj.n., » the strong eolony sends eom and wme to Eng and Nor should the colony become a foreign land a, has SLest been seen in dear America, .he raised the sU and stripes from our own fault at home. Kindness s r^*iy lest when shown with judgment. So we shou U ™iU supply our adolescent comitries with mean, untd heyT'l to want them. Then we should say, when '^Z land has reached the Odin phase, ' Wear now the eagle wings ; we have been ..re and son, le tu. now loin our hands as champion, in one cause, as tnie-fast Sends, knit irmly to each other in ^e endearmg honds of mutual love and chanty. With such an understanding w„ Ween fte p^nt and the offspring would be pamcide on one part and murder on the other ! ^ . . „„„ In the last fifty years the progre.. made m «=ienee .ndtovcntien has perhaps exceeded all fliat had ton accomplished for fifteen hundred or two thousand years Z7. The light of Christian t-th - eve^ P^^^ form, as suiting the peculiar receptivity of Mei^t S of mind, has been sent forth in stream, of lustre lurchase with } a toM'n ; the ig of Anglia ads more and sn anl stores, an any colony is aged parent, ae to England. ;n land, as bus •aised the stars !, Kindness is So wo should th means until lould say, when ise, ' Wear now [ son, let us now luse, as true-fast L the endearing ar between the parricide on one 1 made in science ill that had been vo thousand years , in every possible tiyity of different streams of lustre Little Bi'itain. 41 pver all the world. The British and Foreign Bible Society, the Whitworth gun, the Snider rifle, railways, cheap books, electric telegraphs, missionaries, Gatlins, and many other things, each wonderful, each perfect in its kind, have been invented all to one great end, namely, to spread the love of God over the habitable globe. For the destructive engines I have named in this haphazard list are, in our hands, but guards to save the treasure which an Almighty Father has be- etowed on us ; and where the savage has to be subdued surely it is most merciful to do it at a blow ! A single battle— if it come so far— should do the business, and would do it better than a series of wars entailing hatred, and not love, on the survivors. Surely the most merciful invention would be one which would make war impossible ! And if that be a fearful engine of such destructive power as no army could oppose, or such a federation as I have proposed, which should decide all questions by the light of truth, in either case the wished for end is peace. A mighty warrior is a great pacificator. While the dear old unvanquished Duke of Wellington still lived, after the famous victory at Waterloo, peace lasted. When he died, war, as if it had feared its master while he lived, unfolded its grim, monster wings again. I know how he detested war as to its horrible details, yet, as a master of the science, his equal never lived. Now, Prince Bismarck and the Iron Emperor are the great peacemakers, because they are the greatest war- J iii J Greater England. 42 «.. when t.e, W Men -^ Xl^dl «Ue- exampU, and e like the ancient octarchy, a house divided, whereas our aim should be to bring our modem octarchy und-r one Anglian flag. 44 CHAPTER II. NORTH AMERICA. If we ask a person of average culture, who has been to school and not quite forgotten everything taught there, who in his opinion was the first discoverer of America, the answer will, in ninety-nine cases out of a hundred, be, Christopher Columbus. The odd one will, probably, say something vague about Cabot and his discovery of Newfoundland in 1497. Very few, indeed, would be in a position to tell us that Scandi- navian adventurers discovered the American continent some five hundred years before Cabot's expedition. Yet such was the case; and as the story is not generally known, I will now relate it on the authority of two Icelandic sagas, called respectively the saga of Eirek the Red, and the saga of Thorfinn Karlsefni. These sagas were probably first committed -to writing in the twelfth century, having been, previous to that date, handed down from scald to scald during four generations after the events recorded took place. And here I woidd fain draw attention to the service done by these scalds in the cause of know- ledge of the past. But for them we should have been in ignorance of the beautiful and abstract North America. 45 bo has been ling taught iscoverer of ises out of a ho odd one t Cabot and . Very few, that Scandi- m continent )edition. story is not he authority ' the saga of n Karlsefni. id -to writing dous to that during four ik place, tion. to the ise of know- should have and abstract teachings of the cddas, wo should have missed a quantity of valuable information regarding actual families, and wo should have been deprived of our knowledge of the old Scandinavian language, which has been preserved in Iceland through tho efforts of these useful minstrels ; for before tho tenth century we may, broadly speaking, say that wo have no genuine Teutonic MSS., and of those which do exist the Icelandic MSS. are the most recent, not having been written before tho eleventh century. In or about the year 975, a Norwegian chieftain was banished to Iceland for having slain a man in anger. This chieftain's name was Thorwald, and ho left his native Norway for tho ruder and bleaker Thul^, accompanied by his son Eirek, sumamed the Red. Some years after this event, it is conjectured in 982, Eirek was sentenced to three vears' banishment for a similar offence, and he accordinglj'- set sail to- wards the west in search of a coast which had recently been described by a Norwegian navigator. His search" proved successful, and he landed on a small island west of Cape Farewell, where ho passed the first winter. When the spring came he paid a visit to the mainland, which he foimd agreeable by contrast, and so he called it 'Greenland,* thinking that so promising a name would induce people to come and settle there. Now when his three years had been 'done,' he went back to Iceland, where he induced a number of 48 Greater England. people to accompany him in another visit to Green- land with the view of settling on the island. Ho established himself at a ploco called Brattahlid, or the ' steep slope,' on tho shore of a creek called Eirok s Fjord in compliment to him, and this soon became n very considerable colony. In about 997 tho son of this Eirek, Leif Eirekson. made a voyage to Norway, where ho was weU received by King Olaf Tryggvason, who converted him to Christianity, and then sent him back, accompanied by a priest, to convert tho whole colony. Eirek was at first angry with his son for deserting the faith of his ancestors, but he was at last obliged to give his very reluctant consent to the Christianisation of his followers, though he himself remained a son of Odin to tho day of his death. Among thoee who accompanied Eirek the Red to Greenland was a man named Herjulf . whose son Bjarni was at that time trading to Norway. This Bjarni re- turned in the summer of 986 to Iceland, wishmg to fleek his father's hearth-he found tho whole family departed for Greenland. Nothing daunted, he sot out on an expedition to join them, though neither he nor any of his men had ever navigated the Greenland seas before, but so great was his desire to see his friends again that this circumstance did not induce him to abandon his project. In those days the seaman— viking or merchant- could do nothing during winter but rest from the fatigues 1 ; to Grcen- sland. He attahlid, or ,llcd Eirok's loou became )if Eirokson, veil received •tod him to accompanied Eirek was ig the faith, iged to give ianisation of led a son of : the Red to »8e son Bjarni bis Bjami re- d, wishing to whole family ted, he set out leither he nor Greenland seas ee his friends aduce him to or merchant — omthefatiguea North America. m ho had undergone, and drink the brown mead 'umh >• the sooted roof,' as the phrase was. The hcarthstono was set securely in tho centre of the hall or common room, and tho family with the guests sat round, all with their bucks to tho wall and their faces to Iho roaring fire, tho wnoko of which, curling high aloft, sought exit by a hole loft for its passage, blackening tho rafters as it went. In smaller homos the number of guests and retainers were fewer, but tho family would often sit round the fire in a genuine and literal ' family circle.' "We have retained the phrases ' family circle ' and ' to sit round tho firo,' though our source of heat blazes w> longer on the hearth as of yore. Tho little slab under our fireplace is all that is left of tho hearth- stone, and our family circle is reduced to a semicircle, of which the wall of our room is the diameter. So Bjarni HerjuKson, longing to pass tho winter in the true old Scandinavian way, in his own circle, sailed away for tho unknown Greenland, boldly trusting to his skill to find the place at last. Unfortunately, however, he was attacked by tem- pestuous north winds, accompanied by still more terrible fogs. Consequently, he was driven far to the west of his course, but the thick fogs prevented his taking observa- tions and getting even approximately right. Bjarni, in short, v/fis lost. We can imagine his anxiety for the fog to clear, and when it did so we can imagine his surprise at finding himself within sight of land ! Yes, land ; but not the haven of his hopes, the adopted 48 Greater England. home of the father he loved with all the warmth of a Scandinavian heart ! It was not, it could not he, Greenland! Greenland, he had heen assured, was easily distinguishable, even at a distance, by its snow- capped mountains, whereas this country seemed but moderately elevated and overgrown with wood. No, this was not the land he sought ; he would none of it. So away he sailed, standing out to sea until after two days' sail' he came again in sight of land. But, sias! no snow-capped mountains met his gaze. The land was lower than before, and just as overgrown with wood. A south-west wind sprang up and bore him iri a three-days' run towards a lofty island, the shore of which was grimly girt with icebergs, glaciers, and rocks. This did not seem inviting, so again the disappointed seeker for domestic life stood out to sea, and after four days sailing, with favourable winds, reached Herjulf- ness at last, and there he found a welcome which doubt- less repaid him for his perils and disappointment. Some years after this, being in Norway, Bjarni was much blamed by a certain yarl, to whom he related this adventure, for not having ex&mined this newly discovered country more accurately, an" thus giving other men a definite object in prosecuting the investigations which he had begun. Bjarni had, in all probability, said as little as possible about his adventure from a sense of shame at having missed the actual object of his trip, and having been carried away into this no-man's land, as many would he inclined to call it, 3 warmth of ould not be, assured, was by its snow- seemed but L wood. No, Id none of it. itil after two . But, 8 las ! J. The land rgrown with bore him iri the shore of srs, and rocks. 3 disappointed nd after four jhed Herjulf- which doubt- Intment. irway, Bjarni to whom he 3X&mined this sly, an'l thus rosecuting the mi had, in all his adventure e actual object way into this ned to cali it, North America. 49 attributing the ' discovery ' rather to his powers as an inventor than to his veracity as a discoverer. Whatever the reason was, the visit to Norway seemed to render him more loquacious than before, and he began talking about the land he had hit upon in the manner described in the saga. At last his conversation attracted the attention of Leif, the son of Eirek the Red, and finally induced that enterprising Northman to attempt the adventure and complete what Bjarni's blunder had begun. He bought the vessel in which Bjarni had made the memorable voyage, and in the year 1000 fitted her out with every requiisite for a long voyage, and even prevailed upon old Eirek himself to leave his Greenland settlement and accompany him. The old gentleman, however, on the way to the ship was thrown from his horse, and, regarding this circum- stance as an evil omen, returned home, saying that he was not destined to make any further discoveries. Leif therefore set sail without him. There seems to have been no difficulty in finding the coast last seen by Bjarni, which was the first sighted by Leif, who promptly went on shore to make discoveries, but found no herbage of any kind. Nothing but a bare, rugged plain of broad, flat rocks ex- tending from the foot of a chain of mountains covered with ice and snow down to the sea. To this country, which is supposed to be the modem Ikigeit, near Cape Farewell, he gave the name of Helluland, meaning the land of Schist, or large, f.at, broad, uneven stones. E .li iflM 50 Grcatei' England. Leif now continued his voyage and arrived at a low level coast, with numerous white, sandy clitts thickly covered with wood, from which circumstance ho called it Markland. from morh, a thicket or tangled wood. Two days more hrought him to an island, and he entered a channel between this island and a pro- montory projecting northwards from the mainland Proceeding westwards along this coast, he noticed that a great extent of groimd was left dry at the ebb. He afterwards went on shore, where a ^ver xssumg from a lake fell into the sea. and being pleased with he appearance of the country he took the ship up the river at the flood and moored her m the lake. He then made up his mind to winter in the place, and directed the construction of some large and commo- dious dwellings, which were subsequently known as X«/.6orfir-Leif's dwellings, from the verb 60 -to dwell Both lake and river afforded an abundant supply of the finest salmon. The soil appeared to be Wful and the pasturage excellent. The cHmate was temperate, there being no severe cold during the winter, the grass never losing its freshness. When they had finished building their dwellings Leif divided his people into two companies, to be em- ployed altemately-watch and watch, as the sailors Ly_one party remaining to guard the dwelhngs, and the other going out to make discoveries. Of course the construction of these dwellings had taken up considerable time, so that it was autumn North America. 51 d arrived at 5, sandy cliffs circumstanco :et or tangled an island, and id and a pro- the mainland, le noticed that tlie ebb. He issuing from a sased' with the 8 ship up the the lake. He the place, and re and commo- ntly known as e verb ho — to i an abundant appeared to be Che climate was iring the winter, their dwellings panics, to be em- i, as the sailors le dwellings, and IS. so dwellings had it was autumn l)efore the exploring parties could -st ' out. Among the crew was a German named Tyrk^r, who was a great favourite with Leif, having been a steward in old lirek's. service for many years. One day the explor- ing party came back reporting this Tyrker missing. Leif immediately set out with a party of twelve men to look for him, and at last found him in a state of .^reat delight and happiness. He had found a dis- trict in which wild grapevines were growing, and this recalled the home of his youth so powerfully that he grew quite excited, and began to speak German instead of Norse, which greatly surprised Leif's fol- lowers. Leif at first doubted the story, but Tyrker conducted him and his men to the very spot, and Leif therefore gave the name of Vinland — i.e., the land of grapes or vines — to the whole district, which they soon discovered to be everywhere rich in wild grapevines. These three countries, Helluland, Markland, and Vinland, always occur in the same order when the Northmen report the result of their discoveries. They are now called Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, •and New England respectively. Grapes were found in Massachusetts when the English settlers first arrived in Artierica, growing wild upon the hills, and Indian com on the plains; the Pilgrim Fathers found the rivers teeming with fish, and the islands covered with innumerable wild - fowl, just as th'» I^orthmen had reported six centuries before. ■i i 52 Greater England. The Norsemen passed the winter here, and when the spring returned they loaded their ship with timber and their 'long-boaf with grapes to return to Greenland. On approaching the coast they found a party of ship- wrecked people, fifteen in all, including their chief,. Thorir, and his wife Gudrida. Leif rescued them from their unpleasant position and took them home^ with him, wherefore he obtained the surname of the * Tiiidcv. On hearing the favourable account that Leif gave of Vinland, his brother Thorvald, deeming- that the country had not been sufficiently explored, set out in 1002 in Leif's vessel with thirty men, and arrived without accident at Leifsbodir. The following spring Thorvald sent a party out in the lK)at to explore the coast to the south. The party on their return in the autiunn reported that they had found the -luntry everywhere very beautiful and well wood \ nhe woods extending to within a diort distance fro. . the beach, which was in general of a fine white sand; that there were numeroua flhoals and islands along the coast, but with the exception of a wooden shed on one of the islands they had nowhere found any trace either of man or Iwast. The following summer, 1004, Thorvald sailed eastward from Leifsbodir, and then northward past a remarkable headland which, with an opposite cape, enclosed a bay. Here they were driven by a violent «ale into shoal water, and were obUged to remam a North America. 53 , and VThffn the til timber and to Greenland, party of sliip- g their chiefs rescued them k them home irname of the- nt that Leif raid, deeming^ mtly explored^ 1 thirty men^ ifsbodir. Th& ty out in the h. The party- rted that they very beautiful ig to within a was in general vere numeroua but with the of the islands ther of man or Thorvald sailed northward past 1 opposite cape, en by a violent ;ed to remain a considerable time to make a new keel for their vessel. When this had been accomplished Thorvald set up the old one on the headland which, from this circumstance, he called Kjalames^Keel-ness, or Capo Keel, which is now known as Cape Cod. He then sailed east- ward along the coast, and coming to a finely wooded headland, went on shore with all his followers, and was so struck with the beauty of the scenery that he •exclaimed, ' Here I should like to fix my dwelling ! ' As they were preparing to go on board they observed three canoes or sealskin boats drawn up on the beach, imder each of which were three Esquimaux, or Skrajllings, as they were called by the Northmen. Of these nine natives they killed eight, one escaping in his canoe. The Northmen were then so weary that they all fell into a profound sleep, but were awakened by a voice crying out : ' Arise, Thorvald, if thou wilt save thy life hasten to thy vessel with all thy followers and set sail without delay.* Shortly afterwards they saw a number of canoes filled with Skrffillings coming from the interior of the bay against them. They endeavoured to protect themselves by raising battle-screens on the ship's sides, but the SkMBllings, after discharging a voUey of an-ows and shouting for awhile, betook themselves to a precipitate flight Thorvald had been wounded by an arrow imder the arm, and finding that the wound was mortal, said: *I now advise you to prepare as speedily as ye may for your departure. But ma S4 Greater England. shall ye bear to that headland which I thought most fitting for a dwelling-place. It may be that the word* which left my mouth about abiding there were pro- phetic. There ye shall bury me, and set me up two- crosses, one at my head the other at my feet, and ye shall call the i^laae Krosaanea (Crossness, or Cape- Cross) in all times to come.' It has been suggested that the ' Bluff Head of Alderton,* at the south-east of Boston Bay, was the spot thus indicated, but it is not quite certain what cape was really meant. They did as he had requested, and then returned to' Leifsbodir where they passed the winter and early- spring of 1006, when they set sail for Greenland with a cargo of timber, grapes, and vine sets. Christianity- had been introduced into Greenland by Leif a few years previous to Thorvald's expedition. Not long after this, Thorstein, the third son of Eirek the Red, set sail in the same ship, accompanied by Gudrida, his wife, and twenty-five able-bodied men, with the intention of bringing home his brother'^ body, but after having been tossed about the whole summer by adverse winds, they were driven at the beginning of winter into Lysu-fjdrd, supposed to be Issortok Creek, on the east coast of Baffin's Bay. Here Thorstein and most of his followers were carried ofE by a contagious disease, and Gudrida returned in the following spring with her husband's body. ~T thought most bat the words ire were pro- (t me up twa my feet, and ness, or Cape- Jluff Head of Bay, was the certain what then returned iter and early l^reenland with Christianity by Leif a few I. ) third son of p, accompanied ire able-bodied le his brother'* K)ut the whole driven at the supposed to be Baffin's Bay. followers were , and Gudrida I her husband's North America. 65 In the autumn of 1006, two ships came to Green- land from Iceland, the one commanded by Thorfinn, whose surname, Karlsefni, indicates the possession of manly abilities, the other by Bjanii Grimolfsson and Thorhall Gamlason. Thorfinn was a wealthy and powerful man, of a very distinguished family, tracing his descent from Danish, Swedish, Norwegian, Irish, and Scotch ancestors, some of whom were kings or of royal lineage, and he appears to have been one of the most enterprising trading-rovers of the period. He was accompanied by Snorri Thorbrandsson, also of good extraction. Thorfinn and his companions passed the winter with old Eirek the Red, and the festivities of Yule were kept up with a splendour never before witnessed in Greenland, owing in a great measure to Thorfinn having stowed his ship with plenty of malt and com, which he told Eirek to make a free use of. During this festal season, and the long winter nights that followed, Thorfinn having heard a great deal about the fine sabnon and wild grapes of Vinland, came to the resolution of founding a colony there. Meanwhile, however, he fell in love with Thorstein's handsome widow Gudrida, who is represented as possessing every quality that could render a lady attractive, and, having obtained the consent of her brother-in- law Leif, married her. In the spring of 1007, the vessel belonging to Thorfinn and his friend Snorri, and that which was 56 Greater England. the joint property of Bjarni and Thorhall Gamlason, were fitted out for the projected voyage to Vinland. A thira vessel was commanded by Thorvard, who had married Froydisa, a natural daughter of Eirek the Red. Ho was accompanied by a dark, ill-looking man of gigantic stature, called Thorhall, who had long served Eirek as huntsman in summer and us house- steward in the winter, but who is represented as a very bad Christian— a circumstance which might probably ha^e contributed to raise him in the estimation of old Eirek, who was a staunch disciple of the Odinic faith till his death. The whole expedition consisted in all of one hundred and sixty individuals, furnished with cattle and other live stock in abundance. They first sailed to the western district of old Greenland and to Bjamey (Boar's Island), which was probably Disco Island in Baffin's Bay. But from the name Bjam, or Bjorn, a Bear, being very common amongst the Northmen, we find them giving it to many different islands, which js rather confusing. However, this Bjamey is, doubtless, Disco Island, as the distance sailed in two days brought the expe- dition to HeUuland, which agrees with the distance from Disco. Arriving at HeUuland, they describe it as consist- ing of largo flat stones or rocks ; some of these were as much as twelve ells broad. Here they found many foxes. Two days more brought them to the woody shores of Markknd, where they killed a bear on an . Qamlason, to Vinland. rvard, who 5r of Eirek , ill-looking ho had long i us house- ed as a very ht probably ation of old Odinic faith sisted in all •nished with itrict of old ), which was [Jul from the ery common giving it to r confusing. >isco Island, ht the expe- the distance it as consist- if these were • found many the woody 1 bear on aa North America. 67 island near the coast, which island they also called Bjamey, adding another to the list. Leaving this place, they continued sailing south- west for some time, having the land on their right, until they arrived at Kjalames or Cape Keol, where there were trackless coasts and white sandy beaches of vast extent, to which they gave the name of Furthustrandir or Marvellous Strands.* These marvellous strands correspond exactly with the coast of the Nauset peninsula and the Chatham and Monomoy beaches. Hitchcock, in his RqwH of the Geology of Massachusetts, says, in speaking of this coast:— 'The dunes or sandhills, which are often nearly or quite barren of vegetation, and are of snowy whiteness, forcibly attract the attention on account of their peculiarity. As we approach the extremity of the cape the sand and the barrenness increase, and in many places it would need only a party of Bedouin Arabs crossing the traveller's path to make him feel that he was in the depths of an Arabian or Lybian desert.' Rafn thinks that the name was given by the Northmen not so much on account of the marvellous and dreary extent of these strands, as from the pheno- menon of the mirage, which frequently occurs on this coast, and which they would be quite justified in con- sidering marvellous in the extreme. Hitchcock, in the work above quoted, remarks :— * In crossing the sands f * From furtha, a wonderful thing, and striind, a strand. 58 Greater England. of the cape, I noticed a singular mirage or deception. In Orleans, for instance, we seemed to be ascending at on angle of three or four degrees ; nor was I convinced that such was not the case until, turning about, I per- ceived that a similar ascent appeared on the road just passed over.' As they Went on the coast became afterwards more indented with inlets and bays, into one of which they entered. Here Thorfinn landed a Scotch man and woman, with orders to run across the country and explore it to the south-west for three day& They were taken on board at the end of this period, bring- ing with them some wild com and grapes. Continuing his course Thorfinn entered a bay, off the mouth of which was an island, so crowded with eider ducks that the sailors could scarcely walk without treading on ducks' eggs. A strong current ran past this island, and also farther up the bay, from which circumstance he named the former Straumey, or Stream Island, and the latter Straumfjord, or Stream Frith. This Straumfjord is supposed to be Buzzard's Bay, and Straumey, either Martha's Vineyard or the islands of Cuttyhunk and Nashawenna, which in the eleventh century were probably connected. The Gulf Stream will sufficiently account for the strong currents noticed in the narrative. Lyell remarks in his Geology, voLi., p. 384, that :— ' It is the beach of Nantucket which turns the current of the Gulf Stream at the depth of from two to three hundred feet below the surface of the water.' deception, iconding at [ convinced )out, I per- Lo road just wards more which they t man and ountry and lays. They riod, bring- Continuing e mouth of r ducks that treading on this island, ;ircumstance earn Island, rith. zzard's Bay, r the islands the eleventh f Stream will ts noticed in ,voLi.,p.384, £h turns the : from two to e water.' North America. 59 At this place they unloaded their ships and passed the first winter, and here it was that Gudrida gavo birth to her son, who was called Snorri. His father's name being Thorfinn, ho was known as Snorri Thor- finnson, the first European born in America. The celebrated sculptor, Thorvaldsen, and the no less cele- brated northern antiquary, Finn Magnusen, claim descent from him by the female lino. When spring appeared the Northmen began to experience a scarcity of provisions, the weather having been for a long time too stormy for fishing. Under these circumstances they prayed to God to send them food, but the old saga-man quaintly observes that food did not come so eoon as they thought it might have done. Thorhall, the huntsman, had meanwhile disap- peared : at last, after looking for him three days, they found him sitting on a rock gazing vacantly around and muttering verses. Shortly after this a whale of a species unknown to the Northmen being stranded, they cut it up for food, but we are told that all who ate of it became sick, owing, probably, to Thorhall exclaiming while they were eating it, ' The red-bearded Thor hps been more helpsome to me than your Christ. I have got this whale from him by my verses. Seldom has my protector refused me anything that I have asked of him.' On hearing this they threw the remains of the whale into the sea, horror- atricken at the idea of being indebted to Thor for their n 60 Greater England. Bustenonce. TUo Biigii-man piouBly odds that, 'After this tho weather bocaino milder, and they wore no longer in want of provisionH, being able to hunt, fish, and collect eggs on tho island.' Shortly afterwards, Thorhall, the huntsman, with eight men, loft Thorfinn, and sailed northwards in search of Vinland ; but, after passing Kjalarnes, was driven out to sea by westerly gales and thrown on tho coast of Ireland, where, according to tho account of traders, he and his party were made slaves. Thorfinn and his people sailed south, and came to a river that flowed through a lake on its tcay to the sea, and tho mouth of which was so bcaet with sandbanks as only to be accesiblo at high water. To this place they gave the name of Hop Estuary, and, finding the country very beautiful, with good pasturage for tho cattle which they still had with them, and everything in great abundance — com growing tcild on the low grounds and vines on the hills — with woods well stocked with game, the rivers and creeks actually teeming with fish, they resolved to make this their winter quarters, and accordingly set up their dwellings at a short distance from tho lake or bay. No snow fell during the winter, and their cattle remained out in the fields. If the present Mount Hope Bay be identical with the Hop Bay of Thorfinn, we have a curious instance of tho vagaries played on etymologists by words of dif- ferent languages having a similar sound. Hop in Icelandic would indicate a pile or heap, and doubtless North America. 61 it, ' After were no to hunt, nan, with iwards in arnos, was rn on the iccount of Thorfinn rivci' that the mouth be accesiblo 3 namo of beautiful, y still had inco — com the hills — rivora and esolved to •dingly set a tho lako and their ntical with instance of rds of dif- Hop in 1 doubtless Thorfinn gave tho name to tho heap of sand in tho mouth of the bay. Tho place was culled Haup by tho North American Indians when tho first Englinh arrived there, who them made Hope of it. Whether tho North American Indians employed the Scandinavian namo, or Haup is an Indian word similar in form to Hop, I am not philologist enough to decide, but there is every possibility of this place having been named at threo different periods of history by three distinctly inde- pendent words having almost tho same sound but different meanings. To return to our narrative. Ono morning, soon after their arrival, tho North- men saw a number of natives coming in skin canoes up the bay, brandishing their polos and making a great noise, which they responded to by holding up a white shield in token of peace. Tho natives then landed, and, after gazing for some time at the strangers in mute astonishment, rowed away again round the headland. They are described as being of a sallow and swarthy appearance, with uncouth hair, large eyes, and high cheek-bones. The winter passed away without any incident worthy of notice, but early in spring the natives came again in such numbers that tho bay appeared actually covered with their canoes. A white shield being held out by the Northmen, the Skrajllings landed, and eagerly began to barter their fine grey jfurs and squirrel skins for bits of red cloth and milk .,•1 T 62 Greater England. porridge, which they seem to have highly relished. What they most coveted were swords and spears, but these Thorfinn prudently forbade his people to sell to them. Whilst this lucrative traffic was going on and the Northmen were dealing out their cloth in smaller ahreds, a bull which Thorfinn had brought with him issued imexpectedly from the wood and began to bellow, which so terrified the Skraollings that they rushed to their canoes and rowed ofE in the greatest trepidation. Three weeks after this they again ap- peared in still greater numbers, brandishing their poles and setting up a shout of defiance. Thorfinn, on their landing, caused a red shield to be borne against them, and a hot skirmish took place, the Skraollings using their slings with great dexterity. The Northmen, fancying themselves surrounded, were seized with a panic, and fled along the river. In this conjuncture Freydisa rushed out, exclaiming, 'How can such valiant men as ye are run away from these wretched caitifis, whom I thought ye would have knocked down like cattle ? Had I a weapon, methinks I could wield it better than any of you ! ' They, however, continued their flight into the forest, Freydisa following them as well as she was able. At length, picking up the sword of Thorbrand Snorrison, who had been killud with a stone, she turned round on the Skrrellint > and prepared to defend herself ; but her frantic yestuies so terrified or bewildered them that they turned tail and ran off to their canoes. North America. 63 Y relished, spears, but to sell to ' Qg on and in smaller with him began to that they lie greatest again ap- their poles n, on their linst them, lings using Northmen, zed with a conjuncturo such valiant hed caitiffs, down like lid wield it it into the he was able, d Snorrison, irucd round snd her8elf ; ildered them heir canoes. pursued by the Northmen, who killed great numbers of them, only losing two of their oyvn party. Such is the account transmitted to us of the first battle fought by Europeans on the American continent, and it is a curious coincidence that its successful issue shoidd have been owing to the courage of a woman. We are told that the valiant Northmen could only account for their sudden fear by supposing that they had not only to combat with real men of flesh and blood but also with a whole legion of phantoms. After this Thorfinn and his companions felt con- vinced that, although the country held out many ad- vantages, they would bo constantly exposed to the attacks of the natives. They therefore returned to Straurafjord, where they passed the winter. In the ensuing spring they sailed homewards, and touching at Markland met with a SkrajUing and his two wives and two children. The adults escaped, but the Northmen carried o£E the children, whom they baptized and taught Norse, and who told them that their people had no houses, but lived in holes and caverns. Bjarni Grimolfson was driven westward into a sea so infested with worms that his vessel was soon reduced to a sinking state. The crew therefore had no alternative but to cast lots who should leave flie vessel and try to escape in a small boat preserved from the attacks of the worms by being smeared with seal blubber. Bjarni himself was among the fortunate ; but when he got into the boat a man from the sliip m ■■^■•>-p!" P Didst thou land with thee ' And that we into the boat ?e thou hast a we the young 3 vessel, V. hich ;e in the boat r related what •anions rearched of 1011. reenland a ship lers, Helgi and X) undertake a arty was to fit Q, and have an ion. Freydi.5a, more than the 'inland without at Leifsbodir, i from Leif , but make use of. sorts of games the winter, but 1 Freydisa, who ed her husband when they were r followers. As on her husband North America. 65 or any of his men to lay their hands on the five women of the Norwegian party, she seized a hatchet and butchered them herself. After the perpetration of this base deed they returned to Greenland in 1013, when the rimiour of the crime having reached the ears of Leif, he put three of Freydisa's followers to the torture, and obtained a full account of the sanguinary transaction. Freydisa was left unpunished, but be- came an object of general abhorrence. At the time of Freydisa's return, Thorfinn was waiting for a favourable wind to sail to Norway with the most valuable cargo that had ever left the shores of Greenland, consisting of the hard-grained wood and fine furs of the newly-discovered country. He disposed of his goods to great advantage in Norway, and we are told that a Bremen merchant gave him as much as half a mark of gold — equivalent to 16/. of modem money — for a small piece of Vinland massur wood, pro- bably the variegated or bird's-eye maple common in Massachusetts. In 1014 Thorfinn returned to Iceland, where he purchased the estate of Glaumbae, in the northern district, and became the founder of a wealthy and powerful family. After his death his widow, Gudrida, went on a pilgrimage to Rome, and after- wards returned to Glaumbae, where her American-born son, Snorri, had built a church, and passed the re- mainder of her days as a religious recluse. Runolf, the son of Snorri's daughter Hallfrida, was the father of the learned Bishop Thorlak Runolfson, to whom we i ] I QQ Greater England. arc principally indebted for the oldest ecclesiastical code of Iceland, pubUshed in the year 1123. and it is also probable that the narrative of Thorfinn s voyage was originally compiled by him. I have had much pleasure in dwelling upon this long and circumstantial account of these discoveries made by our own brethren the Icelanders in the eleventh century. The story is proved to be a true one by several pieces of collateral evidence, among which is an account by Adam of Bremen of a conversation which he had with Sveyn Ethrithson, king of Denmark (a nephew of our Canute ; he reigned from 1047 to 1076), who told him ' of another region discovered m the Northern Ocean, which had been visited by many people, and was called Wineland, because grapes that produce a very good wine grow there spontaneously; corn also grows there without sowing in great abund- ance ;' and he emphatically adds : ' We know this not by fabulous hearsay, but from authentic accounts fur- nished by Danes.' , , ., j My reason for giving so full and so detailed an account of these highly interesting Scandinavian dis- -. V*- IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) // 4, V.A 1.0 I.I U£i2^ 12.5 WUi. 2.2 - iiiiii 1.8 L25 iiiiiu mil 1.6 m. % ^*yl.'> '/ if Photographic Sciences Corporation V '^ 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. 14580 (716) 872-4503 ^j|f^4j^ts^^ ggaaa ;*i8ai»iiv«it,«cM««aMS»(«*rt»ii <;. t& CIHM/ICMH Microfiche Series. CIHIN/l/ICMH Collection de microfiches. Canadian Institute for Historical Microreproductions / Institut Canadian de microreproductions historiques ^^^:v^^•j■ali,Aam!a«^Bi ! |^^ag;a^^a^ ' North America. 75 glorious English speech found space to flourish and an atmosphere in which to thrive. Historically we have no records of the presence of the men from the North on the shores of the West until we learn of the blunder made by Columbus in the fifteenth century, by which ho stumbled over one continent in an endeavour to get to another. His idea was to reach Asia by a direct westerly passage, and had not America barred his way ho •would have arrived there as he had imagined, and to the day of his death he imagined that the West India Islands actually belonged to Asia. He had no knowledge of Vineland, unless) as Professor Rafn suggests, he had been told about it when he visited Iceland some years before he commenced his ever- memorable voyage. This, however, hardly seems probable, otherwise his discovery would have had less of the appearance of acci- dent about it in one respect, and much more in another, for had he leanit anything about America from the Scan- dinavians, and had he been influenced by their tradi- tions, or rather sagas, he would have been inclined to follow the course pursued by the Northmen, who cer- tainly had no idea of the West India Islands; nor would the Icelanders' stories of discoveries made by their ancestors in the tenth and eleventh centuries have justified him in looking near the equator for land which must, in the minds of the Northmen, have been associated with the Arctic regions. ; i ; <4 7G Greater England. Much has hcen said in later years of what is cailed * {?rcat circle sailin{j,' a svstem which enables men to reach a distant portion of the globe on one unbroken line. Now if we take a piece of string and lay it on a model globe in such a manner as to connect the port, from which Columbus sailed and the first island he dis- covered, we find that he was sailing on that very prin- ciple which guides the modern mariner, and had there been no land to bar his course he would have come to India 'On that great circle. This is at variance with the theory that all Columbus knew was gathered from his Scandinavian friends in Iceland. He was a pioneer of quite a difEerent stamp from Leif, the son of Eirek, or Thorfinn the Accomplished. Christians of quite another school, the Spaniards, ushered in the truth 'with fire and sword and deso- lation — making a thorough godly reformation.' And the Scandinavians ! The Viking spirit had departed, the eagles' wings that showed them sons of Odin had been removed from Christian helmets. The wings of Odin's bird — the raven — no longer fluttered on the blood-red flag that twenty years previous to Leif 's adventure had been the terror of the northern seas. And the first visitants of that tremendous country, though of the Viking race, were only peace- ful traders. Strange that they, of the same family as we Anglians are, should have turned back dismayed from the same place where, between six and seven centuries later, tec carried to the West the very prin- JL North America. 77 what is called aablea men to one unbroken ud lay it on p, meet the porb island he dis- liat very prin- and had there have come to variance with gathered from it stamp from A-CcompHshed. he Spaniards, )rd and deso- nation.' And had departed, sons of Odin elmets. The nger fluttered rs previous to : the northern t tremendous •e only peace- ame family as tack dismayed ix and seven the very prin- ciples that had changed, in still remoter times, the Britain of the past into the Anglia of a glorious future ! The proof is here that Scandinavian influence pre- vailed, for the same spirit that induced our forefathers in the fifth century to call some parts of Britain by names of Scandinavian places, led the Pilgrim Fathers to call the very district which Leif, Thorfinn, and Thorhall Gamalson visited — New England! How touching ! how Teutonic ! The ancient Viking, when he left his fatherland, carried a portion of its earth in the forepart of his dragon ship, so that, should he be induced to settle in any new-found land, he might have some of the old country with him. But this was only a symbol of something higher, something more refined within, for in his heart he carried the whole dear - country over the sea to the ends of the then-known world. And as Anglia or Angeln gave the name to Britain, by which she now is known, so did the fugi- tives in the Mayflower find a New England in the West. And therefore is it that the great empire in which the English heart pulsates— call it American, AustraUan, African, New Zealand, or Feejee— is, in real truth, the Greater England. The Spaniards, being lured by lust of gold, swarmed over, as we know, to take possession of an El Dorado in the West. Their course was marked by desolation, cruelty, and greed. Their galleons floated on the Spanish Main bearing rich cargoes of the precious 78 Greater England. metals back to Europe. And what was the result? "What has the treasure of the West effected ? Ruiu to the Spaniards ! The auri sacra fames brought its curse with it. On the other hand, the humbler mission of the English fugitives, who sought but freedom of religious thought, founded in America an England which, in healthful encrgj', rivals the parent. Eome and the Scandinavian Teutons were always bitter foes, and even in those times which come still closer to us than the remoter days of Marius and his Jcgions — even in the recent periods of modern history stretching but two centuries back from us — we see the contest of the 'She-wolf's litter' with the stem children of the barbarous Goth. The Teuton Luther and the English Caxton both attacked the Imperial tyrant of the Seven Hills, and human thought is free in consequence ! One of the great and warlike Roman brood, wishing to share the treasures of the Western continent, sent in the year 1603 a colony to Canada. It flourished, and it seemed as though a second Franco would emulate the second England or the second Spain. Then came the giant struggle of the races. North and South closed in the grimmest series of deadly fights that history has ever chronicled. In 1755-6 this war began — 150 years after the Canadian colony had been commenced by France. How that war raged it is no part of my present purpose to relate. But it tho result? jcted ? Ruin 'nics brought the humbler sought but in America y, rivals the were always ch come still arius and his odorn history us — we see ith the stem euton Luther the Imperial lought is free arlike Roman the Western y to Canada. econd Franco the second races. North. es of deadly a 1755-6 this ,n colony had war raged it 3latc. But it i"f7?^7— TJW North America. 79 belongs to our subject hero to note that tho Romance and Teutonic elements dashed against each other with unwonted fury in the West. The French of Louisiana and Canada began it, and tho retiring wave of war rolled back on ^he old countries, in- volving them in seven years of strife. In this sad war the noble-hearted Washington showed how tho English spirit fired the Western champions of tho Greater England. A truer Englishman was never born. Though in his love of freedom he was after- wards, despite his wishes, forced to draw his sword against his English brethren, his spirit was the samo as that which breathed in llengist and Ilorsa, Wellington and Nelson. And the Scandinavian-Teuton in the West 130 years ago found in the struggle with his Roman foe a heavy task before him. As the Teutonic hosts had been cut down by legions from Imperial Rome so were the English in America checked, baulked, and baffled, by the French. One of the greatest Englisli soldiers, Wolfe — how curtly Scandinavian is the name ! it breaths a saga !— was lost to us in the grand victory in which he fell in 1759. How like a Viking story sounds the record of his death : — ' They run ! they run!' 'Who run?' asked Wolfe. 'The French!' 'What! do they run already? then I die happy!' Put that in Icelandic into the mouth of Ulf Bjcirnasson and it is Scandinavian all through. As it is, tho very words of the speech arc so in harmony with the ■f mf^ ■■ - ■' ■'■^'■fcwfcini 80 Greater Enr/land. Scandinavian tliouglit, that in translation they would Bcarco be changed ! So from west to east war raged, and back again from cast to west the tide of slaughter rolled. Canada was lost to France, and at the treaty of Fontainebleau this territory was formally ceded to the English ; with it went that part of Louisiana lying eastward of the Mississippi. To these were added Cape Breton and all the islands in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, with the exception of St. Pierre and Micquelon, which were yielded to the French as a station for their fishermen when working on the banks of Newfoundland. In 1793 Pitt introduced his famous Bill dividing Canada, So the great colony of England's greatest enemy be- came a part of Greater England, nor does our Queen possess more loyal subjects anywhere than in Canada. . Rome's cub was crushed beneath the Gothic mace ; but then, it may be said, did^e not lose our English colonists ? Was not America becoming independent- lost to the mother country? Certainly not! The struggle that ensued was not a struggle of a race with such a foe as Rome had always been (and is) ; it was a civil war — a family row, in which a son after a disagreeable scene sets up upon his own account. But the bad blood cools down, and the young scion of the house, though setting up upon his own account and even in another name, remains as Anglo-Saxon as his sires were before thei/ left the 'home.' In our civil wars we fought for civil and religious liberty, and on they would nd back again ■oiled. Canada Fontainebleau English ; with astward of tho Breton and all ence, with the 1, which were ;heir fishermen bundlund. In viding Canada, test enemy be- ioes our Queen an in Canada. i Gothic mace ; sc our English independent — ily }wtf The of a race with 'and is) ; it was a son after a L account. But ig scion of the m account and lo-Saxon as his ' In our civil Lis liberty, and North America. 81 even though we murdered Charles ur dhl not lona our England. Thus though tho English-born in the United States call themselves Americans, they are us English as ever their fathers were, and as Scandinavian us Ilolf the Ganger himself, for they cannot lose tho mother earth brought with them from tlio North, nor can they lose that still more mighty clement — the English heart beating Avithin their breasts. Did tho colonists who, to save themselvo-f from tho tyranny of Harold Ilufagra, emigrated to Iceland with all tho store of ancient saga-lore and myth and mystery that marked their race, become less Scandinavian than they had been when in Norway ? I trow not ! They retained the ancient speech, and ancient mode of thought, the Runic letters, and the olden faith later than any other men in Europe. They are and were more thoroughly Scandinavian than the very dwellers in that portion of tho North of Europe now called Scandinavia. They are called Icelanders, but they are pure St-iuainavian ; so in like manner are our brethren of the United States as much Englishmen as they were before the War of Independence, whatever they may call themselves. The Greater England is net cramped by arbitrary artificial bands or limits, and Americans, Australians, New Zealanders, and Anglo-Indians arc all Englishmen in unity of speech, thought, literature, and in the love of God, which, however diverse may be the forms of worship, is, after all, the greatest link between us. ■ ' g2 a miter England. Our occupation of Canada is ono of conquest, as in our conqu>>.-.t of Britain tho sword was the instrument that led the way and made us masters of the land. And it wouhl seem as though this wore the most legitimate way of acquiring territory ; other methods fail to secure it, but the right as- sumed by the conqueror appears, from the time ot the wars of th(^ Jews down to the present day, to establish an incontestable right-«s h,nj as the moni is there. Had Thorfinn Karlsefni been in a position to wage • war upon the Skra-Uings, America would not have required rediscovery at the end of the fifteenth century. As the fact stands, he was a merchant, not a conqueror, and his immediate successors who endeavoured to colonise Vincland were not warlike. So they left the mighty continent to others of their race whose task it was to rediscover it, and from the early portion of the eleventh century down to 1492 there is no record of more work in this direction by Scandinavian explorers. The expression used by the Northmen in the saga referring to a ' new-found land,' must not bo taken as conferring the name on that part of the North American coast which it now bears. It was a mere description of what that portion of the coast was, and not employed as a compound name at all. It was rediscovered on the 24th June, 1497, by John Cabot, originaUy a native of Venice, but who „ — .^..-». .. of conquest, ivord wtts the ,dc us inustcrB J thoug;U thiH ring territory ; tbo right i»»- n the time of )rcscnt duy, to )(j as the sword osition to wage vould not have : the fifteenth as u merchant, successors who re not warlike. others of their E>r it, and from entury down to in this direction orthmen in the d,' must not be hat part of the ' bears. It was •tion of the coast and name at all. June, 1497, by Venice, but who North America. h:\ Lad settled in England, becoming naturalised and a citizen of Bristol. This man, with his three sons, Louis, Sebastian, and 'SansiuH, obtained in 1496 a patent from Henry VII. which gave them the right to acquire lands and settle in the unknown country they were in search of. Sebastian Cabot, according to the chronicler, ' under- standing, by reason of the sphere, tliat if he should sail by way of the north-west he should, by a shorter track, come to India, ho thereupon caused the king to "be advertised of his device.' Setting out accordingly in two small ' caravels ' furnished for the purpose, he sailed to the north-westward from the English coast, 'not thinking to find any other land than that of China, and from thence to turn towards India.' Thus was the famous search after the north-west passage inaugurated. On the 24th Juno, in 1497, they arrived at the Lanks of Newfoundland, where they landed. During the autumn of this year and the spring and summer of the following year they explored a great part of the coast of North America. The aborigines, how- over, were of a most savage character, and after suffering severe hardships and engaging in hostile conflicts with thorn, Cabot relinquished the attempt to colonise the coast and sailed for Nova Scotia. This agrees with the account furnished by the Scandinavians, though from statements icade by va- rious modern writers these aborigineo weiu certainly ■•■I f i'i8litiliii j^4 (ireatcr England. not Esquimaux, but Ro.lmou c.f uncommon ficrconoB.. The theory has been nturted that they ^vorc desccndun « of Scundinuviun nettlers. but the authentic accountH of the Soandinavaui visits are so clearly against the supposition of their settling at all. that the hypothc«m Heems very void of foundation. Tn 157(1, Sir Humphrey Gilbert, a half-brother of Sir AValtcr Raleigh, made an attempt to colonise 11,. i.luud, but it proved equally unsuccessful In loS;j he made another attempt, landed at St. John b, of which he took possession in the name of ^^^--'"^'^^ (lueen Elizabeth. He was accompanied by ^00 adven- turers, whom he left there, and departed lor England, but the ship in which ho miiled foundered at sea. Tn 1620, Lord Bacon and others established a colony at Conception Bay In 1617, Captain Whitbourne established a settlement at Little Britain ; they found the land sterile and uncultivated, abounding in great white bears and elks. The discoverers called hi. country by a name signifying 'rich in hsh from the numbers which swarmed in the rivers and along the sea coast. The inhabitants were wild and un- friendly, clothed with the skins of beasts, and painted with a reddish clay. In 1G23, Sir George Calvert (Lord Baltimore) who nettled in Maryland, formed a settlemen^^cre^ House, M.P. for Hertfordshire, and Sir Hairy s fatnei ■J •v North America. 85 Timon fiercenoBS- ivorc (Icsccndunts thontic accountH urly iigiiinst the it the hypotbcsw h, a hulf-brothcr tempt to colonise msucccHsful. In led at St. John's, me of his mistress ied by *^00 advon- rted for England, Lcred at sea. rttablished a colony ptain Whitbourne litain ; they found bounding in great iverers called this ich in iish,' from e rivers and along vcTC wild and un- beasts, and painted ,rd Baltimore), who itlement here.* In use of Cttlvert, tells me i Calvert of Huntingdon rry'8 father's lirst cousin. 16;U, Lord I*'iilkliin(l sent over u niuiil)or of Irish familicH. lie provided them with every in< nns uneH- sary for fi«hiiig and agriculture. They obtained a permanent fooling on the island and for some time prospered. In 1()4() there were sixteen settlenunits flourishing on the coast of Newfoundland. There wer(> ut that time over three hundred and fifty families of English extraction, a largo addition to which was mado by Sir iJavid Kirk in 1G54. But, after years of toil, suffering, and hardship, the^o settlers Iwcame the vic- tims of the mistaken policy of the l'hi<»lish government, •which in the end cost us so dear in the American con- tinent. A cruel edict was promulgated by the ' Lords of Trades and Plantations,' who really seemed afraid that the colonies should succeed, and to prevent their doing so they systematically discouraged agriculture, and finally entirely prohibited it ! The colonists who rebelled at this edict wore expelled from the terri- John Calvert of Albury Hall, Hertfordshire, and Nirholson Cal- vert, always claimed relationship with Lord Baltimore, who wan a Itoman Catholic, and one of the best of the early settlers. Mr. George Calvert of Baltimore always claimed relationship with Sir liarry Calvert, and sent messages to Sir Harry Verney, then bearing the family name of Calvert. The Calverts of Baltimore had large possessions, chiefly in slaves, as Sir Harry Vevney be- lieves, and the emancipation ruined them. This charming little bit of family history, communicated to me a few days ago by my father's old friend, Sir Harry Verney, seems to bridge over the paat, as it were, and unite it with the present. He himself was a traveller in America, and in 1816 redo across the Isthmus of I'anama on horseback. i rrt l i i r i l gg Greater England. tory, their lands were confiscated to the Cro^vn, their homes were broken up, their houses all destroyed. In some cases even the punishment was death. It wa* the mistaken policy of the Government at that time to force the colonists to occupy themselves with fishmg only, and to draw their supplies from the old country. In 1696 the French seized the English settlements, und from that date until 1815 the island was the scene of sanguinary conflicts, fiendish cruelty, and inhuman oppression. The treaties of Utrecht, in 1715, of Pans, in 1763, VcrsaiUes, 1783, and of Paris, 1814 and 181.), finally settled the right of possession, and it was ad- iudged to be the property of England. As we have seen already, a Bill was introduced by Pitt in 1793 dividing Canada into two provinces, respectively Upper and Lower Canada, but referred to as ' The Canadas' when spoken of together. For a bnet historical account of this territory the reader cannot do better than consult, Mr. Rawlings's work on The Confedemtion of the British North American Frovmecs, published in 1865. Speaking of the voyage of Jacquea Cartier in the early half of the sixteenth century, he tells us that:— ^ . , • ' In the month of May, 1536, Jacques Cartier, havmg visited Newfoundland, set sail again westward, passed the north side of Anticosti, and ascended the river St. Lawrence until he reached the mouth of a river which he called the Saguenay. The country round he chris- tened " Hochelaga." ' North America. 87 the Cro\vii, their ill destroyed. In 18 death. It wa* nt at that time to elvea with fishing I the old country, iglish settlements^ land was the scene elty, and inhuman in 1715, of Paris, •is, 1814 and 1815, jn, and it was ad- id. ill was introduced into two provinces, ida, but referred to ^ether. For a brief the reader cannot ags's work on The American Provinces,. e voyage of Jacquea xteenth century, he iques Cartier, having lin westward, passed ;ended the river St. luth of a river which itry round he chris- In a work called Ilochelmja ; or, England in the New World (London, 184G), we find many interesting and pleasing descriptions of the early history of the British colonies of North America. Speaking of Jacques Car- tier's early voyage, it says : — 'During the voyage up the stream they passed shores of great beauty; the climate was genial, the weather warmer than that of France, and everywhere they met with unsuspicious friendship. They found Hochelaga a fortified town among rich cornfields, on an island under the shade of a mountain which thty called Mount Royal. Time has changed this to Mont- real. The old name, like the old people, is long since forgotten. ' The inhabitants had stores of corn and fish laid up with great care, also tobacco, which the Europeans saw- here for the first time. The natives were courteous and friendly in their manner- -some of them of noble beauty. They bowed to a great spirit and knew of a future state. Their king wore a crown, which hd transferred to Jacques Cartier, ^nt when they brought their sick and infirm, trusting to his supernatural powers to heal them, the Christian soldier blessed them with the cross and prayed that heaven might give them health ♦Soon after this the adventurers returned to France, carrying with them one of the kings or chiefs, who soon after died of grief. Four years later another adventurer, the Sieur de Roberval, landed at the %4 \->.i% -■^i. 1 e ' R 88 Greater England. mouth of tho St. Charles Eiver, but instead of being met in the same friendly spirit with which the Indians had received Jacques Carticr and his compatriots, they were declared by the Indians to bo invaders, and their extermination was threatened. To protect themselves ' against the hostility of the justly-ofiended Indians, who remembered the forced extradition of their king, they erected a strong fortification at the village of Charlesbourg. In 1549, after a few years' conflict, they returned to France. Many years, nearly half a century, elapsed before any attempt was made to extend French • sway in this territory. Some few individuals succeeded in trading and bartering with the natives, but no com- bined attempt was made to colonise mitil De Mont, with a great piratical fleet, made his appearance, and marked his path with crime, cruelty, bloodshed, devas- tation, and extermination. Next came Champlain, who sailed up the St. Lawrence River, and founded the city of Quebec, and, after cultivating some time the rich valleys of the St. Charles, he, in company with many of his followers, set out upon an exploring expedition to the great western lakes. All the. terri- tory north of the St. Lawrence River and the lakes he called Canada, or New France. The new settlers met at the outset with the same obstacles to the peaceful pursuit of their voyage which had marked the history of all attempts at settling or permanently occupying the country. The Indians attacked them vigorously and continuously, and often with the most deplorable North America, 89 tead of being h the Indians ipatriots, they lers, and their 3ct themselves nded Indians, of their king, the village of i' conflict, they half a century, extend French luals succeeded Bs, but no com- nitil De Mont, ippearance, and oodshed, devas- DQe Champlain, r, and founded ting some time le, in company )n an exploring All the. terri- nd the lakes he lew settlers met to the peaceful rked the history ently occupying them vigorously most deplorable results. In the end, however, thoy wci'e compelled to succumb to their less numerous but more civilised op- ponents, and after a time they sought their alliance. But other antagonistic elements were at Mork to retard their progress, other agents which are ever the accom- paniments of civilisation quickly decimated their num- bers, and the pale face soon domineered as lord and master. The continuous wars, too, that were deso- lating Europe found their dark shadows sweeping over the young colonies in the New World. The Indians were invited to dispU.y, in all its merciless and horrible aspect, their mode of warfare upon the English who occupied the southern bank of the St. Lawrence. Suc- cess alternately smiled upon the fortunes of either party, but the atrocities that were committed on the defenceless and the helpless, the uncalled-for cruelties that characterised that long period of warfare which culminated in the battle on the heights of Abraham, and decided the supreme sovereignty of Britain, is one of the darkest pages in the history of that period. Still emigration did not flourish, nor did the settler make much progress in penetrating the dense forests, for we read, " Upper Canada, only eighty years ago, was a dense wilderness from the Ottawa to the St. Clair." Despite the attempts which have been made so continually by the French, this great province seemed to have remained almost in its primeval purity, vastness, and extent. About 1783 the English settle- ment commenced, and a revolution of progress was at 90 Greater England. once apparent. In 1791 Upper Canada was made a distinct province, and divided into four distncts-tho Eastern, Midland, Home, and Western. In 1782 Upper Canada had only 10,000 inhabitants, in 1824 she had 152,000, in 1829, 225,000. In the year 1829 agricultural societies were introduced in the several districts of the province, and the Imperial Government lent every assistance to promote the cultivation of the lands.'* Twenty-two years have elapsed since the appear- ance of the work from which I quote, and the sugges- tion of the union of the British states, which it is the object of that book to make, has been carried out to a certain extent by the creation of the Dominion of Canada, which includes the whole of British America, except Newfoundland. A grand possession it is, with a population of over four millions, rich in everything that the earth can yield, and under the present judicious government offering the greatest advantages to emigrants. Schools, universities, churches, afford ample evidence of the care taken of the mind, while statistics show that as far as health is concerned the average death rate is lower here than anywhere in the world. • Thus, from the early visits of our own near kin, the Icelanders, down to the fifteenth centur y, a kind of "• The Confederation of the British North American Provirwes: their Past History and Future Prospects, S^c. By Thom.« Kaw- lings. London, 18C5. No7'th America. 91 la was made a r districts — tho ?m. In 1783 itants, in 1824 n the year 1829 in the several rial Government iltivation of the ncc the appear- and the sugges- s, which it is the n carried out to the Dominion of British America, opulation of over at the earth can ious government igrants. Schools, evidence of the tics show that as age death rate is orld. own near kin, the entury, a kind of h American Proviw.es : ■c. By Thomi\s Kaw- hiatus in the history of this wonderful land occurs. When the thread is taken up again, we see tho battle of race fought out between Roman and Teuton in this far-away district, which is now, notwithstand- ing the French descent of a large proportion of tho inhabitants of Quebec, English. Would that, in emi- grating, those who leave our shores might be in- fluenced with the feeling that induced the Vikings of old to carry their home with them over the waves, not merely in the handful of earth taken from the parent soil, but in the heartful of love for the principles and feelings thence derived. My wish would be to see our Queen supreme throughout the whole North American continent by the reunion to the parent state of those Englishmen who, in pursuing the grand principle of our own love of freedom, caused the United States to seem for a time like a foreign land. But only, so to speak, technically/, for the staunchest Americans love the old country tenderly. What a glorious deed it would bo if the fiftieth year of the reign of Victoria the Great should see the reunion of mother and daughter ! Not that the latter should be a mere dependency of the English Crown. Oh, no ! but the right hand of the mighty Anglian empire restored. Union is strength. What an empire would that mighty federation of all America, all India, all Oceania, form when fused into one! The identity of the language is, according to Max Muller, a sure index to oneness of heart and I- mf^mmnmii 92 Greater England. tmselfshness, while selfishness and disunion produce hatred and difference in the forms of speech. Our speech is the same in America from the Arctic Regions to the Equator, and we are one in heart. Why not, then, form a great nation, under one Hag and one name -neither America nor Britain, but Anglia? .«' 93 lion produce speech. Our the Arctic )ne in heart, [ider one flag Britain, hut CHAPTER III. THE CAUmBEAN SEA. Great discoveries, generally speaking, are the result of accident. We have seen how the Scandinavians, hy being thrown out of their course in a fog, stumbled npon Newfoundland, and thus discovered America. There are some Icelanders of the present day who would deny to Columbus any merit in the discovery of the New "World, because Leif Eirekson and Thorfinn Karlsefni happened to discover the coast of Labrador, and followed the direction of the land as far as Massa- chusetts. But they had no idea of the lands beyond Chesapeake Bay. Had they been able to realise the notion that farther south and farther west there was a region rich in gold and precious stones, they would certainly have left us more exciting accounts of their voyage than those furnished by the somewhat matter- of-fact and meagre sagas which I have referred to. The discovery of South America was less of a blun- der than the discovery of the North, for Columbus had a definite plan in his mind, which he was endeavouring to carry out, when he found the way stopped by a small island of the Bahama Archipelago in the Carib- bean Sea. Having it in view to reach China by a -■•'( )*' Greater England. western passage his course was remarkably judicious, and if the unknown continent had not been in his way- he would have arrived in China as he had con- templated. It was on the 11th of October, 1492, that Columbus came upon the first land of the southern portion of North America that had ever been seen by Europeans, and this happened just five hundred years after the discovery of the northern part of that continent by the Icelanders. And the difficulties which he had to overcome were "such as would have turned most men back from the enterprise. At first, before he sailed, he had to combat prejudice, superstition, ignorance, and every possible difficulty. He had not the means to fit out the ships himself,' and he could not gain the hearts of the wealthy of Spain to furnish forth the vessels. It was due to the noble spirit of the Queen at last that he was able, after overcoming immense obstacles, to sail away with three small vessels, carrying ninety men, on his memorable voyage. But his troubles had only begun when he left the Castillian shores. Mutiny, jealousies of all kinds, storms, and sickness, all conspired to force him to abandon his cherished hopes in vain ; the stout heart never flinched, and on the morning of that memorable day, the 11th of October, 1492, he landed on the little island of Guanahani, or San Salvador. He then visited Hayti, or Ilispaniola, where he left some of his crew who desired to settle, then he re- The Caribbean iSca. 95 aly judicious, en in his way- be had con- hat Columbus rn portion of l>y Europeans, sars after the atinent by the avercome were ack from the had to combat every possible t out the ships hearts of the essels. It was ast that he was }s, to sail away ty men, on his lad only begun itiny, jealousies aspired to force vain ; the stout jrning of that L492, he landed San Salvador. , where he left le, then he re- turned to Europe to inform the Old World of his discovery of these islands, which he all along believed to be a portion of ' the Indies.' His second voyage was made in 1493, the result of which was the dis- covery of Jamaica. In a third voyage, 1498, Trini- dad and other islands were added to the list ; and in his fourth and last, in 1502, he visited the western shores of the Caribbean Sea, and then explored the coasts of Central America. There is nothing in the work performed by Colum- bus betraying the slightest hint of having profited by the Scandinavian discoveries of Leif and his friends. True, he visited Iceland, and he niai/ there have heard something about the ancient voyagers. But if that were the case it is strange that he never followed in their track, or explored any part of the north of the continent, but went directly for a spot of which they absolutely knew nothing whatever. Alonzo de Hojeda was one of those who accom- panied Columbus in 1493, and he became convinced that his former master had not followed up his dis- coveries with sufficient ardour, and that he had formed no conception of the vastness of the hidden countries that lay beyond. He determined to continue the work from the point at which Columbus had abandoned it. For this purpose he entered into a sort of partnership with a Florentine pilot, called Amerigo Vespucci, and to the skill and enterprise of this Florentine are we indebted for the first accurate account of the North ■■'■s 3 -.^-.. _^ — »^.— -..—-- ^_i^---..,.^iv,.t^.A.„, gg Greater Eih/land. American oo„tm«,., .hlch ha. Wn .cry propcriy ™oh^ ,.o „,bor di..ovc.,ie, have WAorto .™M »jA T .„Mc o«oi,llon <.f that of tho Austrahan goMheld. V«T Trlrv was •AVo.t.-ard Uo!' and .t .corned "; ri!,l a -c Old World would pour out .t. tloT'^pu . n »n to .he New. The old law of lit on I.' ™owed,aud the ..xtoenth aud .even- 3! eenturic. .aw the wave roll we.tw.rd, a. tt had A.t .tnC, of hi. discovery, hut died under the .rnpre - ,t hat the island, in the Carihhean Sea were par o .hTfringe, a, it were, of the great A.,a,,c cent.nent o whi h he wa. in .oarch, consequently they were culle c «i.tcncc of a continuou. ocean round the .outncm Jf of America, determinc.1 on attempttng >.. d>.- „ He .ailed from San Luear, on the coast of rr in m -. having wintered at Port San JuZ, in latitude 40", early in the .pring he pursued U^Zy until he pa..ed through a .t™., wh.eh he tied Magellan, after him.lf, and then entcred^^ Pacific Ocean. In three months and twenty days u The Caribbean Sea. 07 very properly created a /(O'ow rto created, with ridian goldfields ! ' and it seemed uld pour out its The ohl law of icnth and scven- stward, as it had »U8 had no idea of under the iinpres- L Sea were part of siatic continent of J thev were called and arc known a» > present time. the isthmus that ihe Pacific ; seven lo helieved in the aund the southern ittempting its dis- ir, on the coast of tcred at Tort San spring he pursued a strait, which he id then entered the s and twenty days Magellan crossed the immense sea and reached tho riiilippino Islands. There ho engaged in a conflict with tho natives, in which ho lost liis life. Tlis companions, with tho Viltona — tho only remaining ship of tho five comprising tho expedition— returned to Europe, having passed across tho Indian Ocean and round tho Capo of Good Hope, and thus, in three years and fourteen days, they had achieved tho rcmarkahle and raemorublo feat of accomplishing tho first circumnavigation of the globe. "Wo now come to Fernando Cortez, who arrived in Mexico in lol9, with a few hundred followers, with whom ho undertook tho conquest of Montezuma, whom ho entirely overthrew, and wasted Mexico. Francisco rizarro a few years later subjugated tho empire of tho Incas. Other Spanish and Portuguese adventurers followed, the record of whose visits is written in blood. Such cruelties as were inflicted by the Spaniards on the natives of the South American continent aro unparalleled in history, and wo feel tho greater repug- nance to these adventurers Avhen we learn that their deeds of violence, rapine, and oppression were done in the name of religion. The historian, tho archocologist, tho philologist, or the ethnologist, may find vast fields for his particular species of research in the records of Spanish and Por- tuguese conquest in America, but if there be a spark of humanity in his bosom he must feel indignant at the traces left of the tiger-like ferocity of these Christian H *• f • fh'catcr England. ^-'. plonccrn. Tl.o ,nurvx.U.,us vn\m of the ancient, oniploH which uro conKluntly In-inR galleons of the con(iuor(»<'« rovered those AiH' laiit walors, each ship luMivily ludeu with such treut.uro as makes the history of that time read like ii fairy tale — a story from those dear old Amhian Niijhls, where jewelled birds and flying gems are as commou as tho bluebottle flies of these degenerate days, Tho haughty Hpaniards called fheso seas the ■* Spanish Main.' "What an idea of sovereignty does that expression give ! Even tho English never called the Indian Ocean the English Sea I Docs this Jiot tell its story P Does this not show how utterly tho aborigines had been suppressed and how thoroughly ignored ? IJut this same Spanish Main was a most important. ])ortion of the vast possessions of tho Spaniards, forming us it did tho highroad for their galleons, while its numberless islands afforded them facilities for getting wood and water which every sailor can appreciate. But these islands, rich in many things, wore void of animals on which to feed, tho result Avas that tho earliest settlers had domestic animals sent out from -Spain. And, strange to say, just us tho vegetation of those islands became luxuriant, wild, and rich in its great profusion, so our old friends tho oxen and tho swine increased and multiplied at a marvellous rate. »Soon they becamo so numerous that vast ungovernablo herds of savage oxen, and still more savage swine, spread over many islands, and even to the continent. It is difficult to realise the immense difference in tho MiaMm!; ? ajjiiJ!:L ' - j:i ' i_.J!iL,'j. lijjii,;, jHt: •st- O t» ^QQ Greater Enrjland. A-.-nn n{ Hispariola in 1630 from what it had hcen condition ot Jiispatiuia , J 1 „«^ +Viirtv-eieht years hetore. in luow » L'rtfr" «:f Jdo. tie. and found t . ^Z Lrted by the Spaniard,, tat .warming with ir,r::a«o'.wine anviiSrittini:";:: in 1492, the Spanlard^bad *-" *;^^:r„,.,es ' W": ;e;~^le "I ant a, there were no animal as weU as g to supply the eravings wenarcd in the same way for food, ihc nuis i Esavages redded were eaUed '^-^ -^;;, ^ poverty oi their language thoy applied the same worn nlVoe-hiehtheyhadir^ented^^^^^^^^^ rtrr^r^r^^i^rieSreUeajn iL work-a eontrivanee consisting of upnght pos^ tJd t the extremities, for the reeeption of horizontal l«,r. from which the Scsh was hung. ihrpeluliarity of 'bucanning' appea^ to havo eonll'S the employment of entrails ^d bon» a. a portion of the fuel, whence the ™°''e.77^^*t the meat was cured. This, it .s said, impaited !. J The Caribbean Sea. 101 what it had been 'ore. In 1630 a. and found the ; swarming Avith the place where,. Caribs cannibals, nization requires as there were no jply the cravings 10 advent of the lact, although an ir attention to the ideed, it was upon preparing flesh was 3 down to lis from and Spaniard, were The huts in which jucans,' and in th& lied the same word inted of curing the * long pig ' himself, achine employed in Lg of upright posts, ception of horizontal g' appears to have ■ntrails and bones as moke arose by which is said, imparted a delicious flavour to the whole, which did not pas* away as long as the flesh was eatable at all. Before being smoked the meat was thrown into brine pits near the sea, and when thoroughly salted taken up to the huts and then smoked. When tlio French settlers came they added a verb to their own languaffe, founded on this Caribbean word ; and ■* boncancr ' meant to smoke me^t, while the substantive, * Ijottcanier,' meant the hunter, butcher, salter, all in one. This word was applied in the first instance to these adventurers and their apprentices. For when boucaning became a lucrative profession many people, •chiefly French and English, came from the old coim- tries as apprentices to this new trade. The combination of butcher, hunter, provision- salter, sailor, and soldier, produced odd specimens of hybrid human :inimals. They wore a curious costume, consisting of the breeches of the period and a woollen shirt, not unlike the so-called jumper of Australia, resembling a carter's frock cut short to the knees and fastened round the waist with a broad belt, from which depended the 'hanger,' the prototype of the modem ship's cutlass (known to the French by the name of the manchettc), and an alligator skin case of Dutch hunting knives. On their heads they wore a close- fitting skull cap with a peak, resembling a jockey cap. They wore their hair long, descending to their shoulders ; and their wild, untrimmed beards imparted & ferocity to their appearance in peculiar contrast with. »«l.^4^f!g%i gi J B J i! jtja ^j^^^?ggaggja t' •j()2 Greater Enghnd. the .mall, trim chin-tuft and dandified --to^W"' "^ the time They had m apron o£ coa™ 1™*-"-. '^e !h„t ^m hy the modern brewer. A. they flayed the tugwS animaU and earned the hide, off on thc,r :Sers, this elegant eostume heeame .lamed »«h uL m :very part, imparting a me.t kdeou. appear- ftTicp to the wearer. The m«*et. with whieh the«, strange hnnter. were armed were manniaetured expresaly for them m ZcrBraehie of Dieppe and Gelu of Nante. hem^ L most eelehrated maker,. These K^^«^^^ ■ ,our feet and a half Jo-^^^^-jf ^^rand ■Buccaneering pieee.. The 8t<><=^. w J* heaw with a hollow in tho hutt for the hoalder AeT^ere aU made of the same eallbre, .ingle barrell d. mlear^ing hall, .ixteen to the pound, Everj- hunter ':f;:S. L fifteen or twenty pounda op..* j .he be.t of whieh came from Chcrhonrg. It »as kept "dll"l-l.e. to secure it from the damp, there wig no shelter or hut that would keep out the ..reng ^ mst Indian rain. The buUet-pouch »d pewde - r .nng on either ^^^^^^ :T?:tr;rrXM:tXIeptwhere.erho rprClS^s best under .kies that we should J The Carihheaii Sea. 103 TOUstachios of se leather, liko they flayed tho (les ofE on their 16 stained with hideous appear- strange hunters- ssly for them in of Nantes being: guns were about s well known as^ were square and or the shoulder; !, single barrelled,, id. Every hunter Dunds of powder,, urg. It was kept a the damp, thera eep out the strong^ luch and powder- nter, and his small tight and fastened , slept wherever ho- s. ical nature seldom uman passions and trary, cruelty scem» skies that we should imagine were most calculated to tone down savago passions. Hatred, revenge, and the fierce thirst for blood, ran riot in these lovely islands. * And crimson now tlieir rivers ran With human blood. The smell of death Came recking frcm those spicy bowers ; And man, the sacrifice of man. Mingled his taint with every breath Up wafted from the innocent flowers.' The Spaniards seem to have been cruel all through. The * Inquisition,' the ' Auto da Fe,' and bull fights, arise in the mind as correlatives when the word Spaniard is used; but all the cruelties of history pale before the atrocities practised in these remote regions as a means of extorting from the natives the secret hiding- places of their wealth. Impaling, embowelling, flaying alive, and other tortures, were everyday business pro- ceedings of the treasure hunters from Spain. Finding that their Indian victims could not work hard enough for them, and that their own people in their haughty self-assertion would not work at all, they availed themselves largely of the newly-invented system of importing negro slaves from Africa. These seem to have been fairly well treated, on the ground that a man feeds his horse properly to get more work out of him, but they were taught to hate the Indians, the French, and most of all the English. There were frequent wars between the overbearing Spaniards and the French, to say nothing of our own a. -■-t ■m^j^^^i^tasi»sxi-.^Ms0f"' Greater England. little affair with the ' Invincible Armada,' between the dates which we have noticed, namely, 1492 and 1630, and the bad blood between Spain and France at the latter period grew very bad indeed. The French had failed in an attack upon St. Christopher's, and finding His^)aniola almost deserted by the Spaniards, who ne- glccted the Antilles to push their conquests on the main- land, formed a settlement on the south side of the island. Certain Dutch merchants agreed to supply them with every necessary, especially gunpowder and brandy, and to receive the hides and tallow which they might gam. The Caribbeans disappeared before the French set- tlers, who with their strange equipment and terrible arms were calculated to inspire not merely the savage cannibals, but even the haughty rulers of Spam, with awe The innocent hunter, who prepared smoked meat in his boucan, became converted by his hatred of the Spaniard into the fierce, relentless brigand, who is scarcely to be distinguished from the freebooter of the period. These latter were called flibustier by the French, who wrote the word with a silent s and adopted the Carribbean change of r into /, a phenomenon of pronunciation still remarkable among the Chinese, and this word further modified gives us the modern fili- buster for the old word freebooter. Let one of many instances which occurred m this remote district serve to show how the hatred between the races arose, grew, and strengthened. We have seen that Hispaniola (since called Kayti) .4»1B^ rfWjJ,.*;-'^ — *• The Caribbean Sea. 105 a,' between tho 492 and 1G30, France at tho ho French had r's, and finding niards, who ne- sts on the main- do of the island, pply them with and brandy, and hey might gain. the French set- ent and terrible erely tho savage •s of Spain, with (repared smoked id by hia hatred ess brigand, who the freebooter of . flibustier by the ent s and adopted a phenomenon of ; the Chinese, and 1 the modern fili- ii occurred in this le hatred between led. since called Hayti) had been deserted by the Spaniards, who had first de- stroyed nearly all the aborigines. Then came a settle- ment of French adventurers, with a fair sprinkling of Englishmen amongst them. They were successful in their undertaking, which roused the Spanish iro. Now near this larger island is a smaller one, called Tortuga, from its resemblance to a tortoise, an impregnable and formidable rock, Avhich the freebooters were quick to recognise as a natural fortress where they might store their powder, hold their plunder till the general sale took place, and, in a word, might utilise for all the general purposes of a haven of refuge. The Spaniards watched an opportunity when all the buccaneers were absent hunting, and all the freebooters away on other business, to make a raid upon the settlement. They found no men, or very few, guarding the women and the children, whom these Spaniards butchered in cold blood, burning the little village over their remains. Then they departed. When some days later the hunters reappeared and found this desolation, they could not for the moment guess by whom such horrors had been wrought. At last \x negress, who had by some chance escaped the massacre, told them that in their absence the Spaniards had appeared, killing the women and the slaves and burning down the huts. After this incident the buccaneers became as fierce Rnd bitter foes of Spain as any of the freebooters had been. And from that time the difference between ■If Greater England. them was rather one of name than kind, for it is difficult to say which was tho nearest to pirate, a term equally applicable to both, while at the present day there are comparatively few who would no bo Jre inclined to associate the word buccaneer with a merciless cut-throat pirate than with the simple trades- man who preserved meat for the use of sailors During the latter half of the seventeenth century the old and very natural hatred between Goth and Koman burst forth with ungovernable fur> The two races met in the Caribbean Sea and fought their feud 1 " battles there. The English were in the minority as to numbers, but were superior to their adversaries in bull, dog determination and in those peculiar qualities whch in later times, as in the old Viking days, made the Scandinavian English masters of the sea Sometimes English adventurers joined their little force with the French or Dutch against the Spaniards, who were more decidedly Romance in origin and character than the French, who had Frankish and Norman blood to hring them nearer to us. Sometimes the Engl sh fought against the French, sometimes against he Dutch, but never were they known to jom the '^tfi: fly be noticed that the Dutch and English seldom were alUes. It seems as if the Belgians, Dutch, and Friesians were less akm to us than the more northern Teutons-the Scandi« •We are generally counted members of the l.ow The Caribbean Sea. 107 ind, for it is t to pirate, a at the present would not bo ccanecr with a simple trades- sailors. iteenth century treen Goth and fury. The two ^ht their feudal 3 minority as to 'ersarics in buU- r qualities which days, made the sea. Sometimes [c force with the iards, who were id character than Gorman blood to nes the English mes against the wn to join the ,t the Dutch and seems as if the e less akin to us he Scandinavians. si% of the Low- German stock, because wo have so many words akin to Dutch. But comparing Anglo-Saxon with Old Norse, we at once see that the structure of the language which wo call English is much more Norse than Frisic, while our Viking proclivities afford even stronger evidence of our Scandinavian origin than that borne by the kinship of the tongues. Curiously enough the first French colonists of the islands in the Caribbean Sea were Normans, mostly from the neighbourhood of Dieppe, and these fraternised rather with the English than either with the Spaniards or the Dutch, notwithstanding their assumption of the French language and manners. It was a question of feudal war of very ancient standing, and the Spaniards came in for all tho fury of the English feeling against Home, phis the special desire of vengeance for injuries inflicted on the French by the robber hordes of Spain. Unlike the conquest of the British Islands by the Anglian Avarriors in the fifth and sixth centuries, which was a war for possession only, and was not carried beyond the limits of each respective settle- ment, when the Britons were cut down and driven out, the conquests of Mexico and Peru were mere brigandage. The strong adventurers came down upon the weaker Incas and other dwellers in the northern part of South America, and carried off the treasure which they found back with them into Portugal or Spain. War is a cruel trade, and I no more IVi^m sg^lg^*^*2^J^^^-i«_^ ^Qg Greater England. 1 «,.+ fhat Hencist or Horsa, either, was want to make out tbat xienb" . , nrt of Viking Florence Nightingale, than I wisH a sort ot Viking X worthies was a .„ provo that ctbor "- j' J^^J ^^.j, ,„„„;» ^''"":: *:::7ti.y found - opportunity, .nd rlVinrTtls J W.hip to fan in ba.tl^ ! !1 tho fato they coveted for themBolvos. But ;lTort"u„d sU'd.o,ain>od to ho Oh„.U.n. and brought to the Caribbean Sea. under the hypo- and "'"ugn Christian mi.sionar.e3, all critical pretext ot being y ^j «' Uuman feeUng in t eir --• J-^^^^, Tal^tr ^BiL ^tho S^niar^^^^^^ Ttr:^naC:ea^^ ^ '- --'*:' and more tueir feu ^^ ^y^^ 'Far Peru.' and the adjacent lands. » *.,1 French and subsequently EnglisU the ^^^^'''^'•^''\rl,ZLh rubbers called train. The inhumanity of 8?;-^^-; ^^,,,^ up a spirit of revenge, this gave rise The Caribbean Sea. 109 rsa, either, was ie, than I wish worthies was a a their enemies pportunity, and fall in battle — aemselvca. But to be Christians, under the hypo- missionaries, all the horrors of 1 the last spark The story of last degree, and ;he Spaniards in- ,r half a century ,fi the wealth of nds. When the ^equently English ion of Hispaniola, jlties (such as that e Spanish Masters Leers sought refuge e buccaneer colony of the island of iperity had alarmed ^ht another in its lish rubbers called rise to the custom. of privateering in retaliation ; then came the greed for gold ! For the English, finding their personal strength superior to that of the Spaniards, determined to relievo them of their plunder, and consequently met them on their way to Spain, took their ships and bore the treasure off to Tortuga, Jamaica, and other islands, where it was divided amongst the successful buccaneers, filibusters, and the planters who did the agricultural and himting portion of the business. The poor French planters could never have held their own in the island had not their ranks been recruited by the addition of a number of English freebooters. The Spaniards saw the danger that was threatening them in such an organized and formidable settlement. They therefore determined to destroy it, and taking advantage of a time when the English were away upon their sea-roving occupation, and the French buccaneers hunting, they came down upon the whole colony and put the planters to the sword. The blazing roofs apprised the hunters of the danger; they rushed back to the settlement, but too late to stop the ravage, and too weak to offer any serious resistance. They were soon overpowered, many put to the sword, whilst others, availing them- selves of the innumerable caverns in the rocks, escaped to form a nucleus for vengeance on the Spanish foe. And when the English sea-rovers m 110 Greater Englantl rciurned they found in the islund of Tortuga a repetition of the horrors which had been displayed in Hispaniolu. At the head of the English buccaneers there was u man named Willis, who gave, by his extraordinary powers as an organizer, a very English character to the whole community. The French, jealous of English interference, and fearful that the island of Tortuga would become entirely English, repaired to at Christopher's and informed the Governor, tho Chevalier de Poncy, of the ease with which it i light be conquered. An overwhelming force of In-nch assailed the island, and the English, finding tho position untenable, sailed away, leaving it in tho hands of tho new ally of the enemy. Violence and robbery now make up tho history of the island of Tortuga. Gone was the peaceful life of the bucanning settlers whose name became in«re and more a sound of terror in tho ears of tho Spaniards. Two men, however, are s] oken of whose names carry with them the sense of horror with which they inspired their foes. These are Lolonnois the Cruel, and Montbars the Exterminator. The history of these petty wars waged by pirates upon a nation is a mere repetition of horrors such as would make the fortune of any ' penny dreadful' at the present day. Greater iniquity than that practised by the Spaniards can only bo predicated of these scourges of the Spanish Main. They at , of Tortuga a been displayed mccrs there was lis extraordinary lish character to nch, jealous of it the island of rlish, repaired to 3 Goveriiov, the I which it 1 light force of ^lonch lish, finding tho aving it in tho J- e up the history was the peaceful )sc name became II tho ears of tho sj oken of whose B of horror with lese are Lolonnois minator. waged by pirates u of horrors such ' penny dreadful ' liquity than that nly bo predicated Main. They at The Caribbean Sea. Ill last succeeded in reducing Spanish trade so low tlmt merchants luirdly cared to run tl.o risks presented by tho enterprise. When the buccaneers found that trade did not come to thoni on the water in tho shape of Spanish galleons, they determined to seek new enterprises on shore, and these two worthies Lolonnois and Montbars, wore as much dreaded on' land as afloat. All this was only guerilla warfare, privateering f„r personal gratification or greed. It was reserved for an Englishman to reduce tho stormy spirits of tho buccaneers to subjection, and convert a mob of foot- pads of tho water into an organized force, which wanted but support from England to have put tho whole of South America under tho English flag. Sir Henry Morgan was tho son of a Welsh farmer in easy circumstances. Ho engaged himself in tho usual way as an apprentice at Barbadoes for three years. Having served his time, he went to Jamaica then the grand place of resort of the filibusters. Ho jomed their ranks, and tho first expedition in which he was engaged proving more than usually successful, he was a confirmed buccaneer from that day forth' He made the habits and customs of the buccaneers the object of profound and systematic study, and engaged in the profession in a scientific manner. His coura-o was undaunted, but ho was not, like Lolonnois, un- necessarily cruel. He had not the fanatic desire which impelled Montbars to exterminate tho Spaniards, but '«• ^^2 Greater England , . • nn.l tlio love of irold were doliiK Hu'ir had W of vor-, that their -uhjugat.on yuW '» ,> ''"'Twirwan.cr.-or, had hoc, but o,,:^.u„» „, ,.ob<«>.h,g gang. M-'l^'"" -' " ■:,°^t *"- .ho «w hi. way to a vgu ur .y-tcm of '^1 ^o ■,, **:::r— r:stMa„tow,th. ,„^„_dc,pcrad«.. from F-bI""'^; J^^,^^^ „„riou, „iaod to tho original provi-on deafer ^ ^ tracfe gavo tho name «" »« ^a^^^ »M ^ ^^^^^^ ri:'tL°::r-"J»--- -"•'■- "'°''C.*;in';tt'''l'- i. nothing so ™cco»f«l a, «„t »«cco» made a hero of «;;j;f »^' [^ J^liant ^. ^r't^Zyhe coveted over the ru^an, he ce«- The Cdilbhean Snt. Hi) ilublo thiin they tion W'oulfl bo a anizctl uttiick. ecu but cuptainn a master Hpirit jf warlike opcra- l not the mtro )8R0SHion by bim- [• u8 tbo rcproHcn- 10 vast territories uut elements tbat ling tbo buccaneer •ance, and Holland, crs, wboso curious . called * tbo move- , idea was a scbemo Id bavc been sbeer ng so successful as Morgan's case. His enturor. It roused forth tboso brilliant placed bim at tbo 9 known as a clear- 1 pplendid seaman, a ;cnnined. But wbat p the rufl&ana he com- manded was hi. :. variable s„ were one more poj.ulur tlian anotlicr with these gentry, it was gambling. Knowing his men „s ho did, Morgan threw himself into this particular pursuit with the steady determination that marked his usual mode of action, and Rucces.s attended every cast of the dice flunglby Morgan's hand. In a short time ho found hn.Kself extravagantly rich, partly by tho plunder of Spanish galleons and partly by the results of extra- ordmary luck or extraordinary skill at tho guminir table. With a portion of this wealth ho entered into a sort of joint-stock company of wealthy buccaneers, and bought and armed a privateer, of which he was elected captain. Jamaica, so called from tho Indian name Xci/maHa meanmg rich in wood and water, became Morgan's headquarters, and tho choice of this island was in Itself an evidence of his foresight and skill. His fame spread, and his stations multiplied round the coast of Campeachy. He returned triumphantly to Jamaica with prizes until his name became a sound of fear to the Spaniards and an assurance of success to the Jinghsh. ,^,. 114 Greater England. Soon he found himself at the head of a fleet of fifteen vessels, ostensibly commanded by Mansfeldt, a well-known buccaneer, but really led by the superior genius of Morgan. The crews amounted to about 600 men, partly English and partly French. They sailed to St. Catherine's, near Costa Rica, and here made their first descent. They found the place strongly fortified by the Spaniards with forts well built of hewn stone. But Morgan soon obtained possession of' these, notwithstanding the difliculties which such an exploit presented. Having taken the forts, he pro- ceeded to demolish them, with one exception, and in this he placed 100 men and the slaves of the defeated enemj'. Near St. Catherine's was another island of much smaller size, and Morgan now resolved to connect these two by a bridge, and by means of this (which was completed in a few days) he conveyed all the larger guns from the island which he had first taken, together with such treasure as he could find, to the smaller island ; and then, having destroyed his first conquest, laying it waste with fire and sword, he sailed away, putting his prisoners ashore near Porto Bello, with the intention of pillaging and burning all the towns along the shore of Costa Rica as far as Nata. He had, as was afterwards said to be his practice, taken the island for the sake of obtaining a guide to show him the way to Nata. Mansfeldt's idea was to fomid a republic of hue- \ d. head of u fleet of ed by Mansfeldt, a led by the superior junted to about 600 !nch. lear Costa Rica, and ley found the place with forts well built obtained possession ilties which such an the forts, he pro- e exception, and in lives of the defeated her island of much ved to connect these of this (which was ('eyed all the larger first taken, together find, to the smaller i his first conquest, >rd, he sailed away, 'orto Bello, with the all the towns along Nata. He had, as ice, taken the island ) show him the way L a republic of buc- The Caribbean Sea. 115 > •cancers, which should bo independent both of Franco 4ind England, which should drive out the Spaniards from those seas and assert its own supremacy. But tho ■Governor of Panama hearing of Morgan's successes and Mansfeldt's scheme, advanced to meet the buccaneers with an overwhelming force, and the whole country being alarmed, Morgan wisely mthdrew and returned with Mansfeldt to Jamaica, where, to their great dis- appointment, the Governor refused to give them the troops they required to carry out Mansfeldt's plan, which was postponed but not abandoned. This disappointment killed Mansfeldt, leaving Morgan the undisputed head of the buccaneer forces in these seas. He at once established his new head- quarters at Cuba, which was not far from St. Catherine's and Morgan had all along agreed with Mansfeldt in' the importance of making this island a fortified depot But the Spaniards had been roused, and had succeeded m taking the fort which Morgan had garrisoned and hoped to relieve, so that his plans were for the moment bafiied. 'AH things are possible to the brave,' seemed to be Morgan's motto, for he never lost heart even under these reverses. At last he collected a fleet of twelve sail, with over 700 fighting men, English and French, and as the two races never mix well he made a law that any adventurer who killed or wounded another should instantly be put to death. After much debate and •8^r IIQ Greater England. some delay, it was resolved to attack Port-au-Prince and sack it to obtain the sinews of war. ^ Spanish prisoner, however, contrived to escape on the night of the arrival of the fleet at Port bt Mary, the nearest harbour to Port-au-Prxnce, and .vimming to the shore managed to inform the Gov.r^^^^ of so much of Morgan's plans as his imperfect know- l^dee of English had enabled him to pick up. : This was enough to alarm the Governor, who sen to the nearest town for succour, and in a short time had collected a force of nearly 1000 armed men, freemen and slaves, and these were ordered to occupy a pass which the buccaneers must traverse. He formed the Lest barricades in his power by felUng trees and throwing them across the path, and p anned eight ambuscades strengthened by cannon to play upon the buccaneers as they marched, he himself retiring to a savanna whence, on the principle of distance lending enchantment to the v^ew. he could survey the approach of the enemy. , . . The townspeople, as usual, buried their treasure and hid their valuables and movables in every possible '^'^lllorgan found the path blocked by the trunks of the felled trees, he concluded at once that hi^ plan was known, and, suspecting ambuscade, ordered his men at once t« take to the woods and then ta re-form in the plain. The astonishment of the Governor may be imagined \ •k Port-au-Prince- war. jntrived to escape i fleet at Port St. >rt-au-Prlnce, and iorm the Governor is imperfect know- pick up. S^overnor, who sent in a short time had mied men, freemen d to occupy a pass je. Ho formed the felling trees and and planned eight m to play upon the imself retiring to a of distance lending^ survey the approach uried their treasure lies in every possible ath blocked by the luded at once that his r ambuscade, ordered 5 woods and then ta srnor may be imagined The Caribbean Sea. 117 when lie saw the buccaneers, whom ho thought caught in u trap, descending to the plain and there forming in good order with colours flying and drums beating, lie ordered the cavalry to surround them, intending first to disperse them and then to attack them with his main body. But the buccaneers cared little for tho flujshing arms and glittering array of the chivalry of Spain. The greater number of Morgan's men were English, and with the old Viking spirit they marched upon the foe as to a wedding feast. They advanced in a half circle to meet the Spaniards, who charged furiously, but were repulsed by the precise fire and •L^ool discipline of the buccaneers. So perfect was their rout that they fled in all directions, those who sought the shelter of the woods being shot down by tho laughing sailors, whose loss was very alight indeed. They showed no mercy, and, advancing in the same order in which they had been originally formed, shot down or cut down all those who dared to oppose them during the four hours that th.. fight lasted. Once master of the town Morgan drove all the prisoners, men, women, children, and slaves, before him into the cathedral, the gates of which he strongly ^'uarded. He then gave the town over to pillage for tho benefit of tho joint-stock company. There was much valuable booty thus looted, but little money, for the Spaniards had grown skilful in hiding. The buccaneers remained fifteen days in the town, which was the usual period devoted to such occupation. ^1 s y^w >» - Greatei' England. feasting and revelling, ^'hile their prisoners suffered aU the horrors of famine plus the disagreeable neighbour- hood of the English heretics, for, strange to say, the part taken by the French contingent in these affairs ^as passed over by the Spaniards, Avho put all their disasters down to Morgan's account. , , ,, . There is a strange sameness in the details of all ot Morgan's victories. The use of the cathedrals and churches as prisons or hospitals, and the demand of ransom, are constant features. On the present occasion the Spaniards contrived to delay the payment of the ransoms in order to gain time until reinforcements, should arrive. Morgan discovered the reason of their holding him in play, and became furious. But he consented to receive 500 oxen as ransom for the town insisting on the animals being kUled and put on board by the Spaniards, together with salt enough to 'powder them. He then sailed away. The national hatred broke out again between the Teutonic and the Romance elements in Morgan's crewft into a violent flame. Discontent increased to open feud, and when, on landing at a small island to divide the spoil before reaching Jamaica, Morgan proposed, in consequence of the plunder being much under what they had expected, that they should make another pre> datory voyage together, the French refused to accom- pany the English, and. despite aU the efforts of the chief, left the fleet. Although Morgan had always placed great reliance \ ' u -.m'-ifK' "^ U Mipy w ^ 1 . n. i i» g "*.'■ "f^TT-jr--—^.:-.-...,^,.. -^,.. _ ,. The Caribbean Sea. 119 isoners suffered all reeablo neighbour- trange to say, the nt in these affairs Avho put all their t. the details of all of he cathedrals and md the demand of the present occasion he payment of the ntil reinforcements, the reason of their furious. But he ansom for the town,. ;d and put on board enough to 'powder'" b again between the ts in Morgan's crews t increased to open small island to divide a, Morgan proposed, Qg much under what Id make another pre- ch refused to accom- rll the efforts of the placed great reliance on the valour of his Fiench allies, he was not to be turned from the object he had in view by their defec- tion. IIo flattered the English until he gained them over to his plan, which was to continue the subjuga- tion of the Spaniards without the French allies, and he succeeded at last in obtaining their unanimous assent. Ho sailed away with eight small vessels, but was joined by an adventurer of Jamaica, who was just returning from Campeachy with a crew of Frenchmen. Morgan had thus a force of nine ships and 470 men, including the French of the newly -joined vessel. This force he brought in safety to Costa Rica. Up to this moment Morgan had not disclosed the daring plan which he had formed, but he now informed his captains and seamen that it was nothing less than to storm Porto Bello by night, and sack the city ! Some of the men pointed oiit that their force was utterly disproportionate to such an attempt, but Morgan was confident ; he meant success, and the men believed in him, especially as he pointed out that the fewer the conquerors the larger would be the share of plunder that came to each, and the less the risk of betrayal of their plans by treachery. Porto Bello was the strongest city in all the Spanish West Indies, except Havanna and Carthagena, the port of Panama. Morgan, by the advice of an Eng- lishman, one of his crew, who had been a prisoner at Porto Bello some time previously, steered to a spot in J ,1 c 120 Greater England. Santa Maria Bay, about twelve leagues from- the city, without meeting a single vessel. They arrived pur- posely about dusk, and thence sailed up the river to Puerto Pontin, four leagues off. Here they anchored and embarked in boats, leaving a few men to bring on the ships. Rowing softly, they reached about midnight a place called ' Est era , be felt to possess. ;welve brass gims " Volant. He had ow England with that he ought to to join Morgan's party wore drawn ind he threatened, with, to sail back The CariuL n Sea. i29 Among the crow of this French ship were certain learnt that the French captain had forced an English th En!l r r""" «"P--ng him to plunder the Eng ,sh. This was enough in Morgan's eves to justify h.m in proceeding to extremities,'and the ad his officers on board the latter, where they were at once made pnsoners without the slightest resistance. Ho cleclared them to be robbers-swore that they had come as spies and traitors. ^^^ i-omo With Morgan's usual luck, the English vessel which had been stopped by the French captain now appeared on the scene, and corroborated the charl j^gainst him .ith exaggerations. Morgan declared h large pri.e his, and called all his officers on board to -e wha a valuable addition she was to his fleet Great rejoicing and much drinking set in, when ^' on board being intoxicated, by some accident the pri^ blew up, sending buccaneers and prisoners first in" the air and then into the water. The powder having been stowed in the fore ^t of the ship, the officers were but little hui^^ Hnd Morgan showed no signs of annoyance at his loss He ordered the prisoners who had escaped wit^ ll with hirifr '' 'r^"' ^^^^ ^^ -^^^ -^y with his fifteen vessels and 860 men to do what S3 "' 130 Greater England. U to the Spanish towns, obtain what damage he could to the isp ^^^^ ^^ plunder he could for his men. and try could get to Venezuela. ^.^^ ^^^ Numerous a^ven^^ J-^-^^^^^^ ^^^, ,„, ^as always successfu . <^^dearing ^^^^ ^ ri:"eT;atenTVo:ght the time had ^^^^''rct^;LnT'. worthy made his Lolonnoia the Cruel wnen . .en-arkaUo attack upon »>»^ f ^^^^,^ , consultation, Morgan nmde to, a ^^^,,^,^ Engli* won, P-P7 * i,na^^::and in . short The plan wa. agreed to ,„A rap ^_^ ^^ ^^^^^ ^^^ SlL^totr^o^etf Jtre^ ^^^ ::;:::3r:e:rrer:-;.i.Ugiagged astern and not yet eomo up ^^^^.^^ ^^ „ Wd take a ^^^^ ;f„::;„,,aing the en- thui daring attempt, ihe lor ^^^ trance to the hay were •'»™'>j^ °"^ f ^gi^g. Then they proceeded up the entr ^^^ ^^^ Wts, leaving men <« 8-^ *»*' ^ ,^,,„^ i„ the the fort, on *o^. A ma^ ^^^_^ ^^_^ ^^^^ enormous ™Uh-h^h ^^ ^^ ^^^ irinal inhabitants, nas give immense Lugh the townspeople contrived to bury f ,, obtain what r how near ho L in which he self more and ink he here a , the time had r scheme. , had been with irthy made his After a long ho could speak ,n to the crows, e, and in a short ;ion of what was in the world, the only seven small ipa having lagged ribc the details of mmanding the en- taken, the loss on 3ry trifling. Then the bay in their ips at tne bar and city blazing in the torn from the ori- iv to plunder, and 1 to bury immense The Caribbean Sea. 181 men to pass out if ho would restore the treasure and prisoners. This offer he made in a tremendous letter Avhich he sent to Morgan, and which concluded with the threat that if this were not done, troops should btv sent in boats and put the whole of the buccaneers to- the sword. Morgan read this to his men, who, nothing daunted, cheered loudly, and clamoured to be led against tho enemy. At last it was resolved to construct a fire- ship, and send it against the Spaniards. This was ingeniously contrived. A small vessel taken in one ot^ the rivers was filled with palm-leaves dipped in tar and a mixture of brimstone and gunpowder. Sham guns were made, under which several pounds of powder were placed. The partitions of the cabin* were broken down to allow tho flames to rush through the whole length of the ship. The crew were posts- dressed to resemble buccaneers, with muskets, sabres, &c. The English flag floated, so that the Spaniard might imagine that this was Morgan's ship. In eight days all was ready. On the 30th April, 1669, they set sail to attack the Spaniards. It was almost dark when they reached tho bar, and, therefore, Morgan gave orders to anchor within range of the enemy, and to resist if attacked. ^ ^' f l Myiiij.i^iija^^ , j « J*,5i The Canhbcan Sea. 133 Admiral's ship, ar he would set Admiral, amused Morgan and hi>r the treasure and tremendous letter li concluded with troops should be the buccaneers to- , nothing daunted, le led against tho construct a firo- liards. This was el taken in one of ves dipped in tar gunpowder. Sham everal pounds of jns of the cabin* 63 to rush through crew were posts th muskets, sabres, that the Spaniard n's ship. In eight ot sail to attack the jn they reached tho ; orders to anchor 3 resist if attacked. but not to attack until daylight. Special precautions wore taken to secure the prisoners and treasure, ono tsliip being laden with the male another with the female prisoners, while the plate and other valuables were stowed away in others. At daybreak they weighed anchor, and bore down upon the Spanish juen-of-war. It was, indeed, a contrast ! It was as if a fleet of penny steamers of our day were to threaten an iron- <'lad of the fitst class. The fire-ship sailed first, and made straight for tho Admiral's vessel. The Spaniard, thinking that it was Morgan's own ship intending to board, reserved liis fire until the enemy should come up, thinking to trush her at close quarters. But the fire-ship sud- to his grand ill the most re- that tho Carib- thout imparting e all too deeply e rendezvous ho 1 the south side numbers flocked to gain a place icn were present, i at the muster, ships by taking 3, as a step pre- lich Morgan had Bveral ships from nself master and ' 1 The Caribbean Sea. 137 Bole admiral of thirty-soven vessels, largo and small, with crews amounting to 2200 sailors, well armed and prepared to fight to the last for plunder. He divided his fleet into two squadrons under his vice-admiral and subordinate ofiicers. The way in which he made his captains appear to choose Panama as tho place to be attacked, or rather the way in which ho appeared not to decide upon that place himself, was, although tricky, masterly in its kind. He called a council, in which ho explained that the object of the expedition was the acquisition of wealth, and there were three Spanish towns equally wealthy, namely, Carthagena, Vera Cruz, and Tanama. Which was to be favoured by their visit should be decided by lot. The lot fell on Panama, of coursi: Nothing in the whole range of tho history of ad- venture can compare with the desparate valour with which these men followed up the resolution arrived ut. They performed prodigies of valour in the attack on Chagres and the capture of its impregnable castle, which, however, cost the buccaneers dear, 100 men being killed But it was theirs, and was tho key of the position. From thence, with 1300 of his best men, Morgan, on the 18th January, 1670, commenced his memorable march on Panama. The details of the march are far from pleasant. Morgan in his eagerness to push on had omitted to take sufiicient food for his men, who began to murmur, and no other leader would have got them on at all. It took \ 138 Greater England. them nhic days to reach the spot from whence they obtained the first view of tho ' South Sea ' glittering in tho sun. Hero a herd of cuttlo offered food to his more than half-starved army, and tho men were soon at work lighting fires all over tho plain with tho wood taken from a neighbouring forest for the purpose of cooking the flesh. In tho evening of that day, on mounting a small eminence, they saw the highest Btegplcs of Panama glowing in the beams of tho setting sun. A loud cheer from tho buccaneers greeted tho strange city, which stands as a sentinel between the Atlantic and the Pacific Oceans. Morgan caused his men to rest; and, indeed, after a nine days' march, attended with famine, mutiny, and almost every con- ceivable disaster, rest was most needful. They de- voured the remnant of their meat and lay down to bivouac. Tho tenth day of the march from Chagres was the day of battle between tho band of hardy buccaneers under Morgan and the chivalry of Spain. Esquemeling admits that the odds were terribly against tho adven- turers. 'There were on the Spanish side two squadrons of cavalry, four regiments of foot, and a still more terrible enemy, a huge number of wild bulls roaring and tossing their horns, driven by a great number of Indians, a few negroes, and mounted matadores.* These bulls were frightened by the buccaneers' fire, and turning upon the Spaniards really helped Morgan to a brilliant victory over a force more than four times [ m whence they Sea' glittering offered footl to I the men wcro 3 plain with tho for the purpose ig of that day, saw the highest Q8 of tho setting 3er8 greeted tho nol between tho irgan caused his no days' march, most every con- iful. They de- nd lay down to jm Chagres was bardy buccaneers in. Esquemeling ;ainst tho advcn- de two squadrons md a still more ild bulls roaring a great number inted matadores.* buccaneers' fire, y helped Morgan than four times The Caribbean Sea. 130 tho number of his little army and defended by excellent fortifications. The loss on tho part of tho buccaneers, although great, was but slight when compared to that sustained by the Spaniards. Tho town was given over to tho victorious sailors, who surpassed themselves in creating horrors in tho devoted city, which was entirely and utterly subdued. Morgan was now master of Panama, os ho had been of St. Catherine's, Maracaybo, Gibraltar, and other important towns. Had he been supported by help from England, South America would have been iw a very different condition from that in which sho now is. But Morgan found tho buccaneer force which ho had created too much for him. It was like tho monster in FranlicuHtcin, and as impossible to get rid of. He had formed a ' Brotherhood,' a joint- stock company, of these terrible men, and he, too, was bound by the laws of the association. Absolute as ho was in time of action, he was but a member of their society when the work of destruction was over. And the richest city in the Avorld lay at the mercy of the remorseless buccaneers. The wealth of Chili and Peru was annually brought thither. Tho plate fleet laden with ingots of gold and bars of silver arrived at certain periods at Panama laden with Spanish money, it returned with the merchandise of Panama and the Spanish Main. So wealthy was this golden city that more than 2000 mules were employed M . I ■BB 140 Grentct' Einjlnnd. in the transport ol gold jiiul HilrtT from tlionco to I'orto Hello, whoro Iho miUoons woro loudod. Morgim saw in tlio vory wi-altli llioy covotcd Iho ruin of his hand and of his own anihitious hopes. Tho mon (Wired only for plunder, and, when Huled with riotous deeds, required to ho led hack to Jamaica to spend their ill-gotten gain in the usual way. Uesidcs which, tho attachment Morgnn had formed to a hoau- tiful Spanish lady, by showing a soft place in his iron heart, disgusted his men, and mado thorn Buspicious. A conspiracy was formed against him, which ho dis- ' covered just in time, and this discovery mado a tyrant of tho conqueror. Besides this, tho natiomd hatred between tho French and English rendered the hand ii volcano of tempestuous minds. The details of tho return to Jamaica would fill an interesting volumo with exciting scenes of mutiny on one side, and unflinching courage, combined with address, on tho other. Morgan never showed his dis- appointment, although ho regarded the mere collecting of loot with contempt when compared with his magni- ficent plan of a New London at Panama, with all tho subordinate towns reduced to her service and minister- ing to her wants. This was the dream of one who had the glory of his country at heart, and had only left her shores on account of his hatred of the Roundheads. Even imder the difficulties just referred to, hia master-mind it was that rendered Jamaica English, as it has ever since been. Tlie Ciivihhenn Sen. i HI oni tlirnco t(» oiulod. >y coveted tho iH hopes. Tlio on Huled with to Juiniiica to wuy. Uesidos nod to 11 hoiiu- uco in liin iron cm Buspicious. whicli lie dis- made ti tyrant lational luitrod red tho band a a would fill an of mutiny on iombincd with bowed his dis- mcrc coUcctinpj itb his niagni- la, with all tho and minister- oi one who had id only left her oundheada. 3f erred to, hia lica English, as In Kuropo hia MUciTNfies inado a great sensation, Spain was furious, and deniaiulcd tho execution of Morgan as a pirate, robber, nuirdcrer, and so ftirth. Charh's II. accordingly sent for him with tho intention of hanging him, with scant justice and a mock trial. Here, again, the clovei- head saved tho neck, ^forgun had, m\ finding how littlo could bo dtnio jKilitically with his band of buccaneers, resolved to seciu'c for himself the greater part of the wealth, con- sisting of precious stones, of which ho was a judge, and of which his men knew little. Ho bought up all tho jewels which the buccaneers had found for a niero trifle compared with their actual value, and besides those which he purchased ho had contrived to sccrcto tho most costly for himself, so that his proportion of the sack of l*anama was far beyond tho entire amount of gold and silver which fell to tho share of tho men. When ho received tho summons to return to Eng- limd ho immediately obeyed, and ho contrived to carry with him such proofs of tho exhaustless nature of the Avoalth of Panama as shoidd change tho tone of Charles towards him. And so it happened as he had imagined. Tho King sent for him, anxious to see this ' mighty thief ; ' but when he hcard^his plans, and saw some of those diamonds transferred from Morgan's keeping to the royal treasury, his heart relented, and, instead of hanging Morgan, ho » • i ^ MV I "f " *' "} " ' f ^ 142 Greater England. knighted him, and made him Governor of Jamaica, with almost royal powers. Charles was always iu want of money, and tbo Dutch war in which he had to engage could not bo undertaken for want of means. Directly after Morgan's visit this war teas undertaken, with what success is a matter of history. J^mes II. was too good a Catholic to quarrel with Spain, and soon had his own personal interests to fight for. William of Orange was too much engaged with ■ Dutch affairs to care much about the spread of English power in the West, and in his reign the only man who could have fixed the English flag firmly at Panama •was dead. Morgan was a Viking of the old Odinic stamp, etout of heart and strong of hand, clear-headed, far- seeing, and wise beyond his era. He has been for- gotten, but the spirit that nerved his hand is living still, though acting upon other lines. His successors were mere brigands, whose adven- tures have little to do with the grand subject of the dissemination of English thought. They were bold fellows, of course, and the account of their deeds may be read in an idle hour, but the amount of good gained hy the perusal will hardly repay the labour. Murder and violence of every kind fill the pages of the horrible record. And yet, in overawing the Spaniards, they unconsciously did good service to the cause of civil and , religious freedom. H '.v'la "(I'll,? 1'^' wwum Lor of Jamaica, noney, and tbo re could not bo Y after Morgan's hat success is a to quarrel with interests to fight 3h engaged with pread of English le only man who rally at Panama i Odinic stamp, lear-headed, far- !e has been for- s hand is living Is, whose adven- id subject of the They were bold their deeds may it of good gained labour. Murder es of the horrible Spaniards, they cause of civil and The Caribbean Sea. 143 Our possessions in the "West Indies, howevfer strange the assertion may seem, are owing, in the first instance, to the successes of a buccaneer, for Penn and Venables would never have taken possession of Jamaica without the aid of Morgan's men. The subsequent governors of that island had little else to do than to maintain what he had been instrumental in securing. With regard to the subsequent fate of the islands in the Caribbean Sea, England has command of the most important as well as the greater number, her posssessions being Jamaica, the Leeward Islands — Tortola, Anegada, Virgin Gorda, Anguilla, Barbuda, St. Christopher, Nevis, Antigua, Montserrat, and Do- minica ; the Windward Islands — St. Lucia, St. Vincent, Barbados, Grenadines, Grenada, Tobago, Trinidad, and the Bahamas. The Spaniards hold Cuba and Porto Rico; the French, Martinique, Guadaloupe, Marie Galanta, De- seada, and the north part of St. Martin. The Dutch have possession of St. Eustatius, Saba, and the south part of St. Martin in the north of the little Antilles, and Buen Ayre, Cura9oa, and Oruba off the coast of Venezuela. The Danish islands are Santa Cruz, St. John, and St. Thomas. The Swedes have St. Bartholomew, so that our Scandinavian brethren are not by any means shut out. But th' influence of Anglian thought is felt throughout these islands, and if the disgrace of in- H 144 Greater England. venting the sla^c trade attaches to the memory of Sir John Hawkins, an Englishman, it is not loss true that the first to upset it was an Englishman also. The result of missionary influence upon the descendants of the slaves imported in the sixteenth, seventeenth, and eighteenth centuries from Africa, has heen most hene- ficial, and the merry, odd, and industrious negro has ohtained, after three centuries of serfdom, aa much religious and political freedom as the wealthiest peer in England, Surely the advantages of the spread of Christian love, peace on earth, and goodwill to men are greater than the petty pride, which would fabricate a spurious greatness by the subjugation of fellow beings ! Love binds together, strengthens, and sanctifies, whereas pride separates, weakens, and destroys. Pride, like the tower of Babel, soars aloft in the foolish effort to reach to the heavens— grand in its own conceit. What is the result ?-confusion of tongues, hatred amongst men, and utter failure of the object. Opposed to the terrible lesson taught on Sinai's plain is the wonderful teaching of the Christian Pentecost, when tongues of fire or burning love were seen on the heads of the Apostles, and although in an immense assembly there were men speaking all the languages of the then known world, such was the influence of love that they all and each understood what was said whatever language was employed and whatever the nation of the hearer. memory of lot less true 1 also. The scendants of ateenth, and 1 most bone- is negro has m, atj raucli althlost peer of Christian 1 are greater te a spurious 145 ;ings ! Love fies, whereas 1 aloft in the -grand in its -confusion of ;er failure of jon taught on the Christian ling love were ilthough in an ■aking all the such was the ch understood employed and CHAPTER IV. OCEANIA. The Scandinavian custom when a small king or a great yarl had more children than his land would support was to send the unprovided younger members to sea, believing that the ocean was theirs of ric^ht and anything nice in the way of an island, a .elC laden merchant ship, or a maritime town or so, might b considered as their lawful property, on the principle knovni to us, their descendants, as the rule of thumb The purity of our own descent from the Vikings may be traced m our inheritance from them of this peculiar view of our relations to the ocean, and the borneTs ^'°^' '' ""^'"^ '^' '''^^ ^"^^« ^^^^^ Somewhat of the Viking spirit, shown in the terrible buccaneer chiefs, was pointed out in the last chapter; but it was not only manifested in such men as Morgan and his successors, it is more or less the animating spirit of all Englishmen, who feel the truth of Moore s assertion that 'Our home is on the sea.' Certam it is that whether a man takes to the glorious element as a profession, or retires, after a life spent in the accumulation of wealth, either to the privacy of his L fn 146 Greater England. own yacht or to the tranquility of a long voyage, the sense' of delight in heing afloat is a solace to English- men-a charm unknown, because unfelt, by others. Hence we have been discoverers, colonisers, sailors, piratcs-anything to amuse us-upon the surface of the many-sounding main. It is a very fortunate circumstance for us that this predilection exists, otherwise what would become of our 'surplus population ? Seeing the rate at which wo increase and multiply, there would bo no hope for these islands unless some outlet were provided for our too many sons and daughters. And here I would strongly emphasise a remark I first made in a work entitled Older Enghnd, ^iuiin^ out the fact that the Anglian settlers in Britain did not intermarry with the Kelts and the Kj-mri because of the Odinic law which forbade their murriage out of the faith. Consequently they V ,'ht their wives with them, wherefore we are desc ^d from a pure race, and not a hybrid mixture, 'half horse, half alligator.' And, true to this feeling, our sons seek brides of the Anglian race rather than of the dusky or tawny tribes that are met with in Asia, Australia, and the islands. Hence it is that the hopeful woman of the working class, like the Rowcnas and Edelgithas from whom she descends, looks to a new England, either in the Far West or under the Southern Cross, when wages run low and poverty grows grim. She sails away and, under sunnier skies, produces a store of Scandinavian ( yi siss;^ Oceania. 147 ag voyage, tlie ice to English- jlt, by others, misers, sailors, tlio surface of or us that this luld become of ite at which wo )o no hope for e provided for sise a remark I ngland, pointing I Britain did not \-mri because of rriage out of the heir wives with om a pure race, 3, half alligator.' ek brides of the Y or tawny tribes md the islands, n of the working ,8 from whom she ither in the Far when wages run sails away and, » of Scandinavian •elements hitherto dormant within her, but which have remained in the race from the fourth century until now. English elms thrive in Australia, growing to a far greater height than here ; other specimens of the English flora are developed in an extraordinary manner. But the plant that thrives the best on Australian soil is the English heart or Anglian feeling, the spread of which is the mission of our race. And the homes that arise in Australia are more essentially English than many of those upon this island. The squalor of poverty in its repulsive form as existing in the slums ■of our great towns, seems to be too cowardly a demon to meet the sunlight of those distant parts of tho •Oreater England which we are now considering. And though the Australian colonies had among their members forty years ago some of the vilest elements of the lowest dregs of English society, they were tried in the rough school of bush life and physical toil, and the rough element was of use in facing the ruder rshocks of the early troubles of the settlement. As was the case in the "West India Islands and India, ^ve were not the first discoverers of the Australian con- tinent. The Dutch, the Portuguese, and the Spaniards were the pioneers in whose steps we followed, and whose spirit of adventure led the way. In Australia the Dutch were the first a-field, and the continent now- called Australia was formerly called New Holland. The coast of this new portion of the globe was first «ecn in March, 1606, by a yacht called the Buyfen, ^^^'"Tt^xr*^ ^'.j: ■'■rr *, .,:.,'y T^ 148 Greater England. which had been sent by the Dutch from Bantam i» the previous year to explore the coast of New Guinea^ She fell in with the coast of continental Australia to- the south of Endeavour Strait, on the eastern shore of the Gulf of Carpentaria. Of the results of this- discovery little became known in Europe. Possibly some inkling of the matter reached Spain, for during the years 1605, 1606, and 1607, the Spaniards sent out the celebrated navigators Fcrnandes de Guiros and Louis Vaez de Torres on a voyage of discovery to the- south. They discovered a cluster of islands which they took to be a continent and named the * Terra del Espiritu Santo.' Cook, however, discovered the- true nature of the group and named it the 'New Hebrides.' By some means Guiros and Torres became separated,, and Torres sailed along the south coast of New Guinea and passed through the straits that separate the island of New Guinea from the mainland of Australia, and these straits are now called Torres Straits in honour of this Spanish navigator. As just remarked, the Dutch did not appear at first to set much store by the discovery they made, though there can be little doubt that they frequently saw portions of the coast during their passages between Batavia and Europe, but ten years pass without any historical account of their labours, then a certain Theodore Hertoge is reported to have fallen in w'*h a part of the western coast between 28° S. latitude and ■•■UV'T^''' Oceania. 149 ram Bantam i» )f New Guinea^ tnl Australia to- c eastern shore results of this- rope. Possibly )ain, for during aniards sent out de Guiros and discovery to the- islands which lied the * Terra discovered the- i it the 'New 3came separated^ of New Guinea larate the island E Australia, and lits in honour of it appear at first y made, though frequently saw assages between ass without any then a certain fallen in w'*h a ° S. latitude and the tropic of Capricorn. The ship in which ho sailed was called tlio Eudracht or Concord, and ho gave the new land this name, calling it Endracht'a Land, or Ooncord Country. This discovery appears to have roused the Dutch from their indifference towards the great continent, and Australian discoveries became numerous. In 1618, a Dutch navigator named Zeachen discovered the coast from the entrance of the Gulf of Carpentaria to Cape Talbot. The eastern part of his discovery ho •called Arnhems Land, and the western Van Dieman's Land. After him come other Dutch discoverers, who ■continued the work and appear to have discovered more than half the continent, the crowning points ■of their laboui-s seeming to be the discovery of De Witt's Land in 1628, so called after the celebrated :admiral of that name, and of Carpentaria, named «fter General Peter Carpenter, who explored with ■considerable accuracy the gulf which now bears his name. In 1642, Abel Jansen Tasman discovered Van Dieman's Island, which up to the close of the last century was thought to be a part of the continent •of New Holland. It is not until towards the end of the seventeenth •century that the English appear upon the scene, and their appearance connects this portion of our subject with that treated of in the last chapter, for the first English discoverer was the celebrated " i »'f-.r'?;»3f^^?ffl»' 5Tt\ ' f. 150 Greater England. buccaneer Dampier, wbo having published an account of his travels in 1691, was sent out in the same year by William III. on a voyage of discovery to- New Holland. He was wreckod near Ascension. In Queen Anne's reign, during the War of the Suc- cession, he commanded two privateers and cruised against the Spaniards in the South Sea. His objects- were to capture the Spanish plate vessels trading from' Buenos Ayres, to lie in wait for the gold ships from Boldiva to Lima, and to seize the Manilla • galleons. He explored some parts of the coast of the continent, but did not add much to the number of discoveries, that not being so much in his line as fighting the Spaniards, and he soon returned to thc- Spanish Main, where he became as great a terror as. Morgan had been. Under him the buccaneers' flag was changed from red to black. A very different person was the next English explorer who visited the coasts of New Holland- Captain James Cook, whose name always sound* agreeably to English ears. A thorough sailor, an honest man all through, possessing to that great attractions in our eyes of being entirely a 'self- made man.' He was the son of a small farmer and was apprenticed to a haberdasher at Staithes, near Whitby. He took a liking to the sea, and with his friends' consent bound himself apprentice- to a Whitby firm of colliers. He rose to be mate of a vessel, and in 1756 volunteered into the Eoyal ii q t ■\ ^ i 1 ( i Oceania. 151 d an account in the same discovery tO' sccnsion. In of the Suc- and cruised His objects jssels trading the gold ships- > the Manilla the coast of to the number in his line as iturned to tha sat a terror as uccaneers' flag next English "ew Holland — always sounds' ugh sailor, an to that great itirely a 'self- i small farmer er at Staithes,. ) the sea, and iself apprentice s to be mate of xdo the Eoyal Navy. Here he soon distinguished himself, and interest being made for him, ho was put on the quarter-deck with the rank of master, first on board the Grampus and then on board the Memmj, in which vessel he was present at the capture of Quebec by Wolfe. Here, under the fire of the French guns from a fortified camp, he took soundings, and then made a chart of the river from Quebec to the sea, and this chart was for a long time the only one in use. Ho was promoted to the Northumberland, in which he served till 1762. He devoted himself to the scien- tific part of his profession— became a mathematician and a marine surveyor. He distinguished himself by his accurate survey of Newfoundland and Labrador, and was promoted to the rank of lieutenant and sent to the South Pacific. He proved that neither the continent of Australia nor the island of New Zealand could bo portions of the great continent which had been supposed to exist in the Southern Hemisphere as a balance to the mass of land in Europe, Asia, and Africa. His survey of the coast and his scientific account of the eastern shores of the continent from Cape Howe to Cape York, and which he called New South Wales, at once placed him in the first rank of England's scientific navigators. He was rewarded by being pro- moted to the rank of commander. After Cook's three voyages, many Englishmen M 152 Greater England. explored these seas succossfully. unci added their con- tributions to our geographical knowledge ; ami after the establishment of the colony of New South A\ ales, those coasts which had not been explored before came in for their share of careful investigation, notably by Bass and Flinders, who have both left their names in Australia distinguishing portions of the country. They discovered tho strait called liass's Strait, which separates Van Dieman's Land from tho adjacent land called Bass's Land. Grant discovered Grant s Land, and Flinders, Flinders's Land. Nearly all those parts of the coast which had been unseen by the Dutch were discovered in less than fifty years by tho English. This is not intended to be an account of voyages and travels, but an account of the land over which the love of our Queen extends, and where the tongue ot Alfred and Shakespeare is spoken. The notices of these discoveries, however, are important in this case, as Australia has been only recently added to the Greater England, and may be said to be a special growth of the Victorian age. The conquest and occupation by the English of this vast country offers a striking contrast to the conquest and occupation of Mexico and Peru by the Spaniards. It has been entirely pacific on our part, and although conflicts have taken place with the natives, they have been few and far between ; they have always arisen on the side of the natives, and have never led to anything like a war. The aborigines are dying out before the white man in an almost 0^ cminn. 153 their cdii- ancl, after ith Wules, jforo camo notably by lieir names e country, rait, which jacent land int's Land, those parts Dutch were iglish. of voyages V which the ,e tongue of tice8 of these his case, as the Greater •rowth of the ation by the :ing contrast and Peru by ! on our part, ce with the !tween; they ves, and have be aborigines in an almost incredible manner, nor is there the remotest cliancc of their receiving civilisation at our hands — as a nation. They are not pleasant people to havo to do witli, for it is painful to see the human race in so low a state of descent. They are not ascending, although indi- viduals have become Christians, and have become fairly decent people us servants ; but they are dying out so fast that the probability is that the new century will find none of them in the neighbourhood of our settle- ments at all. In the last century they were in considerable numbers on the coast and in the islands ; now a man may travel a long way before ho meets one. The poison of alcohol has been one active agent, but the physiological or anthropological fact is that the race is ceasing. I was told at Geclong by a medical man who was in practice there, that in Tasmania no black child was born after the settlement of the English on the island. The conquest is a very different one from that of Britain. We came hither sword in hand, and won the country inch by inch and foot by foot with the sword. But in neither case have there been intermarriages. In each instance a lower race has surged against a higher, and has been repelled, leaving the Saxon unmoved, untainted. The English of Melbourne are as English as the English of London, and though the increase of English population in Australia during the last forty years has been tremendous, t/wre are no half-castes. ? m % li . ; !■'■■■■ I, , 154 C, venter Kmjland. And u curious circumHtunco UcniUlca the advent of the Anglian nice in Australiu. It wuh, in the first instance, their penal HettU.nent. The worst criminaU —the U)west in our Hocial scale-were sent to meet tho most degraded of tho human race on those distant fihores. They were neither of them very attractive, liill Sykes, with his mastiCE jaws, receding forehead, and general negro contour, phis the diabolical ferocity which .civilisation produces among her outcasts in us much perfection as savage life does among her chosen types. Tho black Australian, with the pro- jecting jaw, receding brow, and cannibal propensities, was hardly more u savage, save that in his ignor- unco he was unclad. One of these types has gone. Tho convict, having served his time, was forced to work to live at all, and so perforce became a useful member of society. In 1851 it was not etiquette to Hpeak of convicts in Australian society, for the intelli- gent, well-dressed, and courteous host might in those days have been tho son of one of those ' Ohl Lags ' (to use tho cant expression current then) who were tho pioneers against whose rugged front the negro wave recoiled. Lower could no man fall than these unhappy ne- groes fell. The place of woman marked the low and grovelling state to which they had descended. Where woman is degraded man is ledger still, for ho has wrought the wrong. And to see these wretched crea- tures, more like tho beasts that perish than any form. Pi advent of in the first gt criiniimls to meet tlio hose clistunt ,' attractive. [\^ forehead, ileal ferocity outcasts in among her ith the pro- propensities, n his ignor- pes has gone, iraa forced to lamo a useful t etiquette to "or the intelli- light in those Old Laos' (to who were the le negro wave e unhappy ne- >d the low and 3nded, Where 11, for he has wretched crea- than any form Oceania. ir.r. bo of man, Avas sometliing horiihU'. Klforts were mado to ralso them, hut in vain. CU)thlng, elean houses, order, wore all too nmch for them ; they loved tho Mild and houndless desert, tliey hated our four walls. Then as to clothing ? Why should tliey dress? Their limhs w(>ro much more free witlioul. Their womeit horo witli patience such foul ill-usage as the pen refuses to record. They had no love, no hope, nothing hut pa- tience. For homo was none, houses were none, and to these nomads of tho Australian waste woman was hut the heast of hurden, the slave, tho ohjeet upon which the hrutal wrath of savage man could he expended. They had no consolation of religious thought. They had no god ; they only had a devil — u big devil, whom they called 'Yakoo' or (Ivhil-dvhil, of whom they stood in fvar. liOve had no place amongst them. When a child died tho phrase was, 'Yakoo took him.' Such a thought needs no comment. Fear was the motive power with these blacks. Murder of every kind was practised by one tribe \ipon anotlier, and I was told that either in Australia or on an adjacent island (I do not now remember which, it is six-and-thirty years ago) there was a tribe whoso language boasted a hundred words for murder in so many varied forms and not one word for love. The Roman-loving Latin master of our schools tells us that u-e were barbarous savages when we came over to these islands. But he nmst learn that when wo came we honoured woman in the highest place below 156 Greater England. u the gods. She was the vala, the priestess, mother, wife, and friend. The fine old Scandinavian word for woman was (as it is now in Swedish and in Danish) qviuna. In Englisli this word still lives on as que ex. We had a god of love, hut not the reprobate and bUntlcd rascal known as Cupid. Our god was Baldur, son of AUfather, the god of light, purity, and love— love in the highest form, so high and so refined that not a Roman of them all could grasp his attributes. The Anglian race has not decayed. Our Queen is woman, and woman is our Queen. We have the sword as well as our remote progenitors possessed it, but though we are sons of Thor we have, I trust, some of the brilliant, bright, yet gentle elements which Baldur typified, and hence our conquests are more lasting than those of other nations, and our priestess, vala, guide, and dearest friend, stands on an eminence which at the same time is the symbol of our own superiority to other races, in that m'o recognise her proper, fitting place. When the respect we owe to woman fails it is a sign of man's degeneracy, and he falls lower than he would make her sink. Th/i patient, suffering, uncomplaining gin of the Australian negro, in her pathetic, mute ap- peal to heaven for mercy (albeit she was never taught an uttered prayer), stands in the eye of God incal- culably higher than t'l ■ lov,. degenerate brute whose force of hand compels her to uosume so low a state that he may seem a little higher. How lo^v must his state be to make this necessary ! -w^ Oceania. 157 tnotlier, yr'de, d for woman iiish) qiiniia. JUEEX. We •■ and blinded Idur, son of )ve — love in I tliat not tt butes. ur Queen is re the sword ised it, but ust, some of liich Baldur lasting than vala, guide, pliicli at the rity to other tting place. is a sign of n he would complaining c, mute ap- ever taught God incal- bruto whose a state that [st his state For the poor (jin must carry all the little baggage wanting in the nomad life they lead. The children „,ust be carried, and the mother carries them ;,/«« all the other matters needed on the road. The man may hunt, fish, knock down birds to serve for food, the woman lives upon such roots as she can find, on grubs, on snakes, and lizards. Then, on the slightest prove- cation, she is beaten and ill-used until her life becomes a thing of horror. The men are sometimes strong and muscular, i have even seen them tall and physically shapely, buf ground down, oppressed, half starved, and overworked; the women all are thin, and bent, and haggard. There are some strange and very hornd customs, which are, I believe, still common in many of the islands. One is the wav in which these savages dispose of their dead They expose the corpse to the action of the air, and when the flesh is putrefied they bury the bones. After a time these are exhumed and carried about by the surviving relative. The skull is made mto a drinking-cup, and, occasionally, before decay sets in, the fat around the kidneys of the deceased is eaten by the mourners with great glee. The dances which they practice are singularly horrid. They are only per- formed by the men, who colour their faces white and make streaks of white down their limbs and all over their bodies. They dance at night by the nght of blazing fires, the women keeping time. This grand dance is called a corrobory, and in the course of it they I'" ^ ^_l-. ..:.■. "j i "'VT,f'r "" '"T "*"" 158 Greater England. •■J '^ :. :•- -' i strike their waddios together, making a singular clish- dash, unlike the sound of arms, yet that is what it is. Cook speaks of similar dances in the island of Owj'hi, and of the custom of widows of rank to disinter the bones of a departed husband and travel about with them for a year, after which they may marry again. This is so like the Australian habit that it seems to point to a common origin, though the natives of Owyhi, according to Cook's description, were, in his time at least, much higher in the scale of civilisation than the degraded objects that were met with near our great towns in Australia five-aud-thirty years ago. I quite remember seeing a gin come into Melbourne accompanied by her lord and master. Their attire was not exactly in strict accordance with western con- ventionalisms. The gentleman wore a pair of whity- brown trousers and a swallow-tail coat, from which the tails had been removed, ' making,' as a facetious colonic^- 'observed, 'a swallow coat of it' {i.e., swallow- tail cc... tail^swallow coat), a large 'cabbage tree' hat, and nothing else. The lady's costume was ^till more simple, consisting of a small and very dirty blanket fastened by a skewer round the neck in such a manner as to screen the left side of her proportions from the molestation of the breeze, but leaving the right side to the enjoyment of that ease which uncon- strained nature alone supplies. An old straw bonnet "-1 ■ n -~k » "J, ' ,l» I f'. ' k'K ' '! ' } K-prj^lSr- ular cHsh- t is what island of f rank to and travel they may ilian habit in, though lescription, he scale of ; were met -and-thirty Melbourne r attire was jstcrn con- r of whity- trom which a facetious ?., swallow- bbage tree * le was ptill very r"^4-ii. - i,r" ; 1G8 Greater EiKjlamL by tho Govcrnmont. ot' a corps of military polico, mounted, utul iippointod like li;;1i! (Iriit'oons, and fuithcr to tlio ostublislinuMit of the niountcd OHcort, v/liich was of two kinds, ono uppointod by tlio Oovern- mcnt, und consistinf^ of picked mou chosen from tho police force, the other Wds culled tho ' private moiiutod cwort,' und was tho invention of a German. This second body was more popular with the diggers than tho first. The bushrangers represented (Lu t'reebooting feature in tho Caribbean Sea, inasmuch uh both of these in- stitutions arose with a view to deprive men of treasure. hi Australia, huvw.ver, none of the disgusting cruelties wure practised wlucli 3'illy tho page of Spanish history on which tho deeds of Pizarro and Cortez arc in- scribed, ousting a reflex shade of crimson on tho deeds of our buccaneering friends. In both cases violent men found violent employment, and were got rid of. It would bo well if some dazzling hope of gain wore held out to our modern roughs, wliich would scud them off, ' body and bones,' to expend their savagery in pre- paring the way to civilise Burmah, tho Soudan, or any other promising field for ruffianly activity. I would send all wife-beaters to thrash the Dacoits, burglars to effect an entrance to the remote cities of Abyssinia, and street roughs as a sort of special constables to keep the Russians out of Bulgaria. These occupations would afford safety-valves to the exuberant spirits which prompt so many of tho occurrences heralded by tho ■.X,'- itury police, ii),'()oiis, iiiid iiitc'd oHcort, tlio Ooverii- loii from tlio uto mounted rman. This diggers (hull oting feutiiro of these in- 11 of treasure, ting cruelties uuish history irtez arc in- on the deeds euscs violent 3 got rid of. of gain wore lid send them ugery in prc- ludan, or any ty. I would )its, burglars of Abyssinia, constables to occupations spirits which aided by tho • IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) 1.0 I.I 11.25 If 1^ 1^ I. ^ 1.8 1.4 !i;i.6 "^y^w '/ Hiotographic Sciences Corporation •y 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. 14580 (716) 872-4503 hu».s,.-„-.,. ;:!l'V(jfv!«:»''iSSii?:'!~Ki~#f«I;=^;j*-: -/" :' f ;,>" = ?.^A^,;,i^Srt^'cr«-r^4i^>'---^'^^-i3^ V^ .-wlSSBirjaaSSaiSitO' j-j:Xf»i-.--i«ft!.S5;jj:S;m«E.c.iE:3.L**iSJJi=fe^^ CIHM/ICMH Microfiche Series. CIHM/ICMH Collection de microfiches. Canadian Institute for Historical Microreproductions / Institut Canadian de microreproductions historiques \ .(, Oceania. 169 police reporters, and then tlic actors in these scenes of violence miglit in many cases tone down to fairly useful members (not to say ornaments) of society. This buccaneering phase did not last very long. The bushrangers were caught, and their gentlemanly leader finished his career somewhat ignobly. The penny dreadfuls had not then succeeded in inculcating a thirst for 'blood and thunder,' and people, after the terrible disintegration of society, settled down into a very English sort of business-like life. Froude makes the Australia of to-day more of an ' idyl ' than anything remaining in the old country, out Englanding England herself, as the Americans of Boston are said to be better informed on the subject of early English literature than the generality of people at home, and more in- telligently interested in our history and archaeology than we are ourselves. These are proofs of the reality of what may be termed ' Anglian thought,' of its indestructibility and healthy growth unchanged by the external influences of climate and other scenery. The gold fever of 1851 was most useful in attract- ing energetic and enterprising men to a colony which they otherwise would not have visited. The rough element cleared off, leaving a healthy, flourishing pro- geny as its successor. The sons of the old convicts, even in 1851, were losing the stigma which had at- tached to their sires, and had already risen to become as worthy members of the colony as any in Australia. V\ -.jrrri 170 Greater England. Not that this circumstance is any argumcjit in favour of transporting convicts thither. To do so would bo such a grievous wrong as hardly any Government, even our own, would dream of causing to a growing colony. That our deported felons have not done us harm is due to special circumstances, but a community of evil-doers, compelled to herd together, would in any other case have been productive of most dire results. Witness the feeling in Siberia against the Russian Government. The growth of Australia has been rapid. She has profited by the accident of her birth, and is not ashamed of being English. The mistake of the Americans has been the endeavour to start something new, something which shall be emphatically not English ; but they are feeling more and more the shallowness of the pretence, and I believe have, in the unanimous love for the Queen which obtains through- out the whole of the United Slates, manifested the existence of Anglian thought more emphatically than most of them are aware. Five days steaming brings the traveller nowadays from Australia to New Zealand, a country in so many respects resembling this that it might have been called • Little Britain the Younger.' There are two con- siderable islands and one inconsiderable one, as with us there are England, Ireland, and the ' small Isle of !Man.' Here, too, the occupation by ourselves has more resembled our settlement in this country in the fifth ^ Occmiia. 171 ncjit in favour lo so would bo Y Government, ^ to a growing i'e not done us t a community r, would in any )st dire results, st the Russian apid. She has b, and is not listake of the tart something iphatically not and more the re have, in the btains through- manifested the phatically than eller nowadays ry in so many ave been called are two con- one, as with us 'small Isle of selves has more ry in the fifth century than our colonisation of Australia in the nine- teenth, inasmuch as the wars in which we have been engaged have tended, in the first instance, to reduce the populationwhich wo found in possession of the country. The Maoris appear to have been, of all the Poly- nesians, the bravest and strongest. Their custom of tattooing seems to bo prevalent among all nations in a certain degree of savagcucss. The Ivymri found in the British Islands by Cirsar, as well as the Picts, were strongly addicted to it. Indeed, they must have resembled the Maoris in many things, only they were far lower down in the scale of human depravity than the New Zoalanders ever were. And yet, by some unaccountable pcrverscness, we, the descendants of the Anglian chiefs who cut them down with little mercj', are wont to style ourselves Britons, and to claim the revolting savage whom Rome coidd not civilise nor Christianity reform as our ancestors ! Will the descendants of Tommy Atkins and Ben Brace two thousand years hence call themselves Maoris, I wonder, because their remote ancestors settled in New Zealand ? "We found the New Zealander a cannibal and an incessant warrior. War was his delight. His gods were gods of war of the very grimmest kind, and, like the Australian negroes, he had no sculptured idol ; his gods were spirits of the air, invisible to men, and only revealed to certain individuals set apart as priests. The air, the woods, the vast volcanoes of the island were 172 Greater England. but the resting places of his gods. The priests inter- preted their will to those of the inferior sort Avho had not been declared the favoured instruments of prophecy and revelation. The strange, grotesque, unearthly ofR<.ies ^ve used to find all over both these islands (the small one being quite omitted) were not idols, but tributes to the memory of valour long departed, like England's statues to her own great men. Ihero is a strange, grim humour in the idea of using some such horrid shape before the face to form a hideous mask, and the New Zealand masher greatly affected this quaint disguisement in the olden time. But now the savage has retired before the Anglian sword, and most of these odd customs live only in the memory ot him who once was called ' the oldest inhabitant.' And those who know how history repeats herself may learn, from what is going on among the Maoris the process that obtained in Britain when we first arrived The Maoris make a stand ; guerilla warfare then sets in ; the English are victorious by virtue of superior arms and that peculiar bulldog courage that will not know defeat. In Britain the half-Romanised, half-savage Kymri had been Christianised before wo came We then were pagans, but still we gained the victory over the far less warlike, though by no means peaceful, Kelts and Kymri. As the Briton retired before the heavy English battle-sword in 480, so the tattooed warriors of New Zealand went down before the English rifle. True, they obtained such weapona Oceania. 173 iricsta iiitor- )rt Avho liad of propliooy , imcartlily Lcsc islands re not idols, ng departed, men. There i using some :m a hideous 3atly affected le. But now n sword, and he memory of bitant.' epcats herself g the Maoris, yhen we first lerilla warfare as by virtue of g courage that alf-Romanised, ised before we we gained the 1 by no means Briton retired in 480, so the at down before d such weapons for themselves, but in their hands they were as nothing compared to what they were in ours. Yet the New Zealanders resisted bravely. Their fierce attack on Wanganui in 184G had nearly lost the colony, but they were repulsed, and now there is little fear of their giving further trouble, for a weapon more dreadful in its effects than Anglo-Saxon sword or modern English rifle is busy in the I^Iaori ranks. Fire- Avater is thinning o& the native population frightfully, and the proud warrior, who dared to face the well-drilled soldiers sent from their antipodes armed with the most refined and perfect instruments for taking human life — these men, these demi-gods in physical development, have sunk beneath the baleful draught of fire-water. If the New Zealandcr Macaulay speaks of were really now to stand upon the Bridge of Sighs (as Hood called London Bridge), what would he say ? AYero the historian's words prophetic? I fear not; the chances are the miserable savage would only ask for rum. Ca)sar had no such weapon in his armoury as this. The Kymri and the Kelts still flourished after their defeat, assumed the toga, and became a kind of parody on Roman life, a sad burlesque, a bitter sarcasm on the lordly tenant of the seven hills. Our conquests do not copy us — we kill them off with poison, and then we take their land. True it is that the Maoris have their territory, a portion of the land distinct from ours, to which we cannot penetrate without express permission from the / 174 Greater FMgland. cliiefs, but fire-water wunts not such permissioa, and carries on its fierce, exterminating work slowly, but witb a deadly sureness that leaves no room for hope. It is the case all round ; America, Australia, and New Zealand show the effects of fire-water on tho savage, who cannot stand before it. In India the natives, Hindu or Mussulman, will not touch rum or whisky, and they accept our institutions gratefully. They do not ape us in their dress and manners, they are not comic parodies of greater snobs than they, but they adopt, with praiseworthy selection, Avhatever seems to them improvements on their own peculiar customs. The utter savage— North American, New Zealander, or the low savage of the Australian plains- adopts our vices, and is lost. Being of a Gothic and anti-classic turn of mind, I prefer the mode of colonisation adopted by my own direct ancestors, the early English, who made no pre- tence of improving the condition of the unhappy Kelta), whom they cut down and dispossessed. We have as little right at the antipodes as we had here some fourteen hundred years ago, and yet we keep our footing here, and, by the aid of whisky, shall very likely extirpate the copper-coloured and the negro races of the world. Yet in Australia and in New Zealand missionary work has been carried on with great activity, but this has had no power to repress the furious craving for tho poison once imported. And what would very much astonish what was formerly called the 'Exeter HalL ■r*pM^wv4^p ■ Oceania. 175 missioa, and slowly, but )in for liopo. ustralia, and ater on tlio 11 India the Ducli rum or L8 gratefully, lanncrs, tlicy lan they, but in, whatever 3wn peculiar icrican, New ilian plains — •n of mind, I by my own made no pre- ihappy KeltoD, We have as some fourteen footing here, kcly extirpate jf the world, nd mismionary tivity, but this jraving for tho Id very much 'Exeter HalL party' is the quoor fact that tho Maoris actually thank the missionaries for tho gift of fire-water, attri- buting to them the introduction of the three groat gifts, ' gunpowder, rum, and tobncco.' Certain it is that the missionary was first in tho field, and in his wake followed the ever-watchful trader. But it is severe to tax the missionary with wilful importation of the three great curses to tho savage. I have heard a Cape friend of mine declare that the missionaries wore the cause of the old Capo war, and he deliberately laid to their charge tho crime of selling muskets and rifles to the Caffres, ostensibly to aid them in hunting, but, as it turned out, to enable them to oppose us with greater effect. That the loaves of the Testaments were used for cartridge paper and the covers of the bindings for wads by Caffres and Maoris is a well-known fact, but no blame can be attached to the missionaries, who certainly did not give tho Bibles and Testaments with thto view to their beinp: employed Iri that way. Some grue-,omo stories have been told of what oc- curred before New Zealand savages embraced Christ- ianity. In 1807 some good Christians here at home de- termined to send out missionaries to No- y aland, but before their plans could be matured disag ■ able news arrived. An English ship. The Boyd, touched at Ncav Zealand, and every one on board was oaten by the natives. When the missionaries heard this a sort of indifference about New Zealand appeared to set in, and they went somewhere else. ■" ■ ^J- ' .LI TTZ _^— * — '■■ •ttm.^-a- 176 dirnU'r EnfjhnuL But in 1812 two missioniirics vcnlurcl to go to tlicsc cannibals, and run the risk of bein- (Icvoun-d. They went to the northern island, which is of course the warmest, being nearer to the eciuator, while tho southern island, approaching a little nearer to tho pole, is the coldest. These men found the natives more savage aud less attractive in their proclivities than they had expected. But they faced the dangers and tried to do good, in vain. The New Zealanders grew worse and worse. One of the chiefs, u certain Ilongi, contrived to obtain guns from England, and with these effected immense slaughter amongst his brother New Zealanders, and, by way of bravado, he caused his army to be marched past the dwellings of the missionaries, each man having a basket full of human flesh cut up for ciUinary purposes. There arc some further details, which are impleasant. But more missionaries came and worked steadily, with how much good resulting from their labours may be gathered from statistics. After thirteen years' labour one individual on his death-bed sent for a missionary and told him that he believed on the sacred name, and seven years later another desired to have the Holy Communion administered to him. Two converts in twenty years! Another twenty years brought a change, for then the statistics show an increase in the Christian ranks of over six thousand individuals. In New Zealand woman is not so debased as she is BPB£-1:.> nlurcil to go to being (Icvourod. licli is of course iiutor, while the e nearer to tlio und the natives their proclivities iced the dangers New Zealanders chiefs, u certain m England, and iter amongst his ly of bravado, ho the dwellings of a basket full of poses. There arc iisant. worked steadily, their labours may rteen years' labour , for a missionary sacred name, and. have the Holy Two converts in 1 change, for then le Christian ranks 3 debased as she is Oc. mnia. Ill among the natives of Australia, and this fact points to u higher tone among the men, nor is there tlio re- volting, animal -like appearance in the case of tlio Maori to help the conviction of his being in a state of decay or dying off tho globe ; but his doom is no less certain than that of the Australian — it may bo delayed, but rum is performing its mission. Tho arrow is winged against tho devoted race, and its aim IS iincrring. Though rot so unpleasant to look at as tho Australian, the New Zcalander is quite as objection- able on account of his ferocity on tho one hand, and his utter collapse imder tho influence of drink on the other, as any savage in the world. And yet he has a friend who has done more than any one to save and raise him. I mean Sir George Grey. Jlis books about New Zealand are most interesting. One of tho most attractive of these books, giving an account of certain New Zealand heroic myths, told in an earnest, simple way, cannot fail to charm the reader. He has de- voted his life to the Maori cause, and lives amongst them. They adore him ; they call him, as the Russian peasants would, 'Little Father,' and are willing to do whatever he wants them to do. lie is a wonderful pacificator, and even the Boers and Caffres at the Capo both respect him. Had he been Governor at the Capo just before tho last war the chances are he could have prevented it. Before we came amongst them, the New Zealanders, N , I Greater England. 178 on account of tholr pmlutory .lisposltion, coul.l not ZZ .lotuchcl houses for fear of euenuc.. nor cou M Zs live together in one house for fear o oach o her. Sir phm . -us, therefore, to have a kind of vUlage, I^llln/u .out palis^le e.eet..^^ it, fnnn external foes. Witlun this ^o'-^^* -^^lot* tl c le ping huts were built, each on two posts, so as to :S L dwelling some twenty feet o-o "h- ^^^^ nul It was Inaccessible save by a kind of la d(U i , ,„ rest. TUoro vv..» u common dmmg-l.all, and m >l ^X,™ ^'cro placed the gvotcqnc momnncnt. o alZ «o.a., .0 .Uch allusion has W made Sd ThU amp, for »ucU in effect It really .as iTt'imagincd to Ix, .1.0 scene of constant and hope- r '.nf u.i:n. The men boasting and shoutm. as he «.t at work carvins their spears or »»"1"'8 '^''""f ; ^ ,ilst the eWldren ran about adding tUe.r.lmll eb :„ the concert, to which the gruntjng of ,^s W contribute a neat and appropriate ha.s. 1'" J"""^ r 'frt;? ^r "occationa,,., os,.eially af.r Tdefcat of an adverse tribe, wc »ay .mo^e - intelligent child taWng up the head ot a fallen lee hSfg it in bis little hands, and squattmg dom to '"Itei it doe. not seem that we appear upon tto s^cno .»; soon ; and as nearly twelve eentur.es of ,- jgiDini "I >-*- y 'i )Hition, oo\il(l not luMiiioH, nor could four ot each other, a kind of villuKo, 'cctually guarding 9 fortitic-ution the Avo posts, wo as to at or so abovo the f a kind of hiddcr, ;c9 on their retiring ing-hall, and in the ^ue monuments to ,n has been made effect it really was, constant and hopc- lud shouting as they or mending canoes, ig their shrill treble nting of pigs would c bass. The women ■paring food in their ;sh, human or other- ally, especially after we may imagine an head of a fallen foe, id squatting down to that we appear upon •ly twelve centuries of Oceania. 179 Cluistianity have made us squeamish in the use of \]w Hword lo exterminate these degraded, fallen forms of our species in order to nuiko room for ourselves, Vicu steps in with alcohol, and docs tho business for us without hurting our tender feelings or loading our conscience with tho idea of having (^onnnitted nmnh-r — with our own hands. Tho 'niggers' die off all tho same, which is the end in view. In the fifth century we found the little corner of Scandinavia — Angeln — too small for us, too unpro- ductive, and nothing near so suitable to our then requirements as Britain. "VVo camo over and helped the Britons (who were a little out of training) to dispose of tho Scots and Picts. Then wo wanted land in payment, and got tho Isle of Thanet (which ought to have Homo Rule on the strength of this distinction). Then some friends came to sec us and we wanted more, and somehow wo obtained what wo wanted, driving the Britons before us. It was tho survival of tho fittest, and I believe that the exalted, pure, and, I may almost say, holy system of mythology which we brought with us from the stern North rendered us t/ic fittest of the nations of that time to receive Christianity. History in repeating herself sends us forth to replenish the earth with that form of Christianity, and that pecvJiar bias of mind, which I have ventured to designate Anglian thought, to fill the globe with the love of truth and the sense of honour. Governments may do their worst to thwart T W 180 Greater England. lis — and tliey do — but wc obey tlic law of Nature ; we- migrate and spread abroad throughout the globe the thoughts and principles of Anglia. As to what I say about governments — one tore from us our beloved firstborn across the Atlantic, another ruined our hopes in the Soudan, and caused such disaffection at the Cape as nearly upset that interesting colony. But it is of no use. In spite of Downing Street and the merciless folds of the Red- Tape-worm (that monster serpent), wc shall doubtless fulfil our destiny, and replace the cannibals of New Zealand and the other islands of the Southern Seas, as •well as Australia and Africa, with the hardy. God- fearing, honest, Anglian race. And what a glorious hope do these distant lands hold out ! Everything English thrives in New Zealand better than at home. Trees, fruit, flowers, such as we love here, we may take with us, knowing that they will grow and increase to an extent such as they never could attain in England. Witness the story of the- missionary and the sweet-brier. He loved this plant of all things, and true to the teachings of the Anglian blood that prompted Hen gist and Horsa to take a handful of their fatherland on board their dragon- ships, he took a root of this sweet-smelling shrub. But he was not prepared for the result. The thing grew to be a fearful nuisance; grew to cover fields and plains with wild, luxuriant, fragrant thorn ; grew till the settlers wished the missionaries missioned \ \ \ X •%• ^ If aw of Nature ; we out the globe the iments — one tore :oss the Atlantic, )udan, and caused nearly upset that ) use. In spite of folds of the Red- wc shall doubtless cannibals of New B Southern Seas, as 1 the hardy, God- ;hese distant lands vcs in New Zealand flowers, such as we mowing that they 3uch as they never I the story of the- .0 loved this plant igs of the Anglian Ilorsa to take a )ard their dragon- !et-smelling shrub, result. The thing •CAV to cover fields grant thorn ; grew ionaries missioned V. 1 Oceania. 181 4inywherc but there, for they were forced to harness horses five and six abreast io tear the weed up from the soil ! No grass seeds could be sown wnerc this ' rampageous ' plant ran riot, potato-fields Avere useless, and it took years of labour to get rid of it! Thus things of home still flourish at the Antipodes, so that the veriest John Bull that lives may find even • in New Zealand the objects of his special fancy in greater strength than here, besides some curious sights which he would never see in England. In books about New Zealand some attractions are described which, I regret to say, the visitor will seek in vain, for they are of the Past. The lovely terraces .described by Mr. Froude as Pink and White re- spectively are now no more. They live still in his bright description as vividly as though they had not suffered from the effacing forces of Nature's subter- ranean workshop. The consolation, therefore, rests Avith «s, that though Ave cannot sec these Avonders of the world by going to Ncav Zealand, Ave haA-e them brought before our mental vision quite as vividly as though we really saw them with our outer eyes. These terraces Avere the result of volcanic action, and by A^olcanic action they have been destroyed. But boiling springs, resulting also from volcanic action, abound there still, like Geysers of the Northern Thule, where Scandinavians first found refuge from the op- pression of a king, and Avhere they typify ^he ardent (L_ 1l- 182 Greater England. feelings that exist benoatli the calm exterior of the Northern breast. If you should be an artist and desire to get a picture of a Maori, you first must have permission from him before you try your skill. Whether there really be a feeling in his mind that the taking his portrait deprives him, by some magical power, of a portion of his soul, or whether he has become grasping by contact with men of business, I cannot take upon me to decide ; but in favour of the superstition that the artist draws upon the life of the savage as well as upon canvas there is the statement made by the lati- Jilr. Catlin, which I remember hearing him make, that the North American Indians believed that a portion of their life was appropriated and worked up into the picture, and he was compelled to resort to all sorts t»f expedients to persuade them to sit for their portraits. Of all the islands that have felt the power of Anglian influence, not one is more interestmg than Borneo. Seen from a distance, with all its wealth of foliage it resembles a basket of moss or ferns, or the nest of some huge bird floating upon the water. It is divided by the equator, and is inhabited by various savage tribes of a fierce and untamable character. Their piracy was long felt throughout the Indian waters, and many a ship that has been reported ' foundered at sea ' has been decoyed into the charming paradisiacal-looking rivers, creeks, and bays, and there .destroyed with all on board. i X. X X 1 Im exterior of the nd desire to get a st have permission 11. Whether there hat the taking his lagical power, of a las hecome grasping I cannot take upon be superstition that the savage as well mt made by the late "ing him make, that 3ved that a portion I worked up into the resort to all sorts of for their portraits. I felt the power of jrc interesting than with all its wcaltli af moss or ferns, or ing upon the water, nd is inhabited by rce and untamable )ng felt throughout ship that has been leen decoyed into the srs, creeks, and bays, 3oard. Oceania. 183 The western and southern districts are inhabited by Dyaks, the peninsula extending to the north-east by the Biajoos and others, while the eastern coast is peopled by the Tiroons. In the interior there are niiraerous tribes variously named. These are all of Malay origin, but there arc settlers on the coasts and up the country of foreign extraction — Malays, Chinese, and a few Arabs. Of the Dyaks, two kinds arc reported : the Dyak Darratt or land Dyak, and the Dyak Laut or sea Dyak. These latter are, perhaps, as revolting a set of wretches as ever the sun shone on. Of them, can- nibalism is predicated, and there is no reason to doubt the fact. They had a peculiar and unamiable custom of beheading people and keeping the heads as orna- ments to their houses, which are mere huts, forming, however, tolerably regular villages. Before these huts and round them are, or rather were, sundry high poles, on the summit of each of which a dried and blackened human head grinned hideously down on the unde- capitated monsters below, who were certainly more hideous than the poor fragment of mutilated hu- manity aloft. When a sea Dyak went courting in the good old times, he used to lay a certain number of heads at the feet of the fair (or, rather, dark) enslaver, and if this number agreed with her ideas of the respect to which she was entitled, the wedding took place with such peculiarly ghastly ceremonies 184 Greater England. that people would not care to hear about nowa- days. These sea Dyaks were polygamists, and therefore presents of human heads and other agreeable trifles calculated to soften the female heart were much in request; but as the land Dj'aks and other tribes re- sisted on principle the endeavour on the part of the maritime tribes to collect these presents from amongst their number, quarrels arose. At last it was discovered that European heads were, when duly blackened by exposure to wind and rain, quite as good as those of the country gentlemen inland, less difficult to obtain, and connected besides with wealth stored in the ships in which the owners of the coveted, heads came over. Thus everything pointed to piracy as the best way out of a series of difiiculties. They had two kinds of vessels, the prahus and Eampans, or, as they are often called, bangkongs. The prahu was a large, well-built canoe, carrying a long gun forward (which, however, like the Burmese, they could neither train nor point), and capable of con- taining a crew of eighty men. These vessels had re- markably high sterns, could sail or row, and were ^-ery light and easily managed. Their plan was to lie con- cealed amongst the foliage of the luxurious trees which grow down into tlie water and hide the approaches to the little creeks and bays from xiavf. Here they would await the approach of any European craft, and then send innocent-looking little boats with such fresh pro- Oceania. 185 ear about now.i- sts, and tlicrcforo agreeable trifles rt were much in 1 other tribes re- i the part of the tits from amongst t it was discovered uly blackened by ood as those of tho Lilt to obtain, and i in the ships in heads came over, the best way out , the prahus and ailed, bangkongs. canoe, carrying a like the Burmese, md capable of con- se vessels had re- ow, and were very m was to lie con- :urious trees which the approaches to Here they would ,n craft, and then th such fresh pro- visions as would bo likely to please the European taste, and so delude the unwary racrchantraen into false security. Then the prahus would creep out, and if tho merchant had been foolish enough to anchor, she was overpowered, crew and passengers butchered, and what money and merchandise she carried taken to tho village. Later on the value of the money and merchandise became better known, and the passengers were tortured cruelly to reveal their hidden treasure, or something like the buccaneers' proceeding was adopted, and ran- som was demanded for prisoners under the threat of * taking the head.' These customs were unpopular among the seafaring Europeans, and representations were made to tho Sultan of Borneo, to the effect that the island was acquiring a bad reputation. A native rajah or king, under the Sultan, undertook to stop these practices. About this time, 1838, an English gentleman, named James Brooke, went out in his own yacht with a crew of twenty men to investigate the Archipelago. He arrived at Sarawak when the rajah referred to ■was making an eifort to suppress the piracy which had been increasing so much of late. Brooke was interested, and his splendid yacht and well-trained crew were found of immense use in ferreting out these marine locusts. The rajah was delighted with him, and find- ing that he was a wealthy man who did not want to be paid for his labour, presented him to the Sultan, by •^^i^"- * I aMJ-JtiUW. " 186 Greater England. whom ho was extremely well received. He now went to Singapore, but in 1840 went back agaiii to Borneo, where some of his suggestions were so much relished that he was offered the position of rajah, which ho accepted. Being an accomplished linguist, Rajah Brooke soon acquired two or three of the dialects, and this, of course, was excessively useful to him. lie discarded the dress of ordinary Englishmen, grew a heard, and came out in robes and jewels. But piracy seemed to get the upper hand, notwithstanding the Anglo-rajah, so in 1843 he returned to Singapore, whence in 1844 he came back to Borneo in the Dido, under the com- mand of Captain Keppell, and the expedition was assisted by Sir Edward Belcher. The civilisation of the island seemed now to be in a fair way to success, for Brooke was wise enough to see that violent changes or a regular war with Borneo would be useless towards that end. He had learnt to respect and admire certain qualities (I don't know which) of the inland dwellers on the island, and he was hopeful — if he could only get rid of the pirates — of forming an Anglo-Indian colony at Borneo. He was made agent to the British Government in 1846, and determined on an island called Labuan as the seat of the consulate. Unfortunately, the native chiefs took umbrage at his innovations, and plotted with the Sultan against him. Two of the favourable rajahs were murdered. ,„.„_... % Oceania. 187 cd. lie now wont again to Borneo, so much relished rajah, which ho Elajah Brooke soon ects, and this, of m. He discarded ^rcw a heard, and t, piracy seemed to the Anglo-rajah, •e, whence in 1844 0, under the com- expedition was :>med now to be in IS wise enough to r war with Borneo He had learnt to es (I don't know he island, and he id of the pirates — r at Borneo. He 'emment in 1846, Labuan as the seat 1 took umbrage at he Sultan against s were murdered. and in the spring of 1840 serious distress arose. In 1847 Brooke came to England. Here his reception was very flattering. Ho watt knighted, and his title of rajah not only recog- nised, but confirmed. He was made Governor of Labuan, English Agent for Borneo, and Rajah of Sarawak. His efforts to keep down piracy had only met with partial success, and then seemed to have been baffled entirely, but he was determined to crush it, and ho obtained the assistance of certain native rajahs in his new attempts, and this was very im- portant to him. On the night of July 31st, 1849, he led a fleet of prahus, H.M.S. Rcsolutioti, the Hon. East India Company's ship Nemesis, and three boats from the Albatross, to the attack of 150 Dyak and Malay prahus and bangkongs at the mouth of the Serebas River. They were decoyed from their ambush by one of the Company's brigs of war disguised as a merchantman with her yards ' anyhow,' and her three guns hidden by old canvas. The Dyaks swallowed the bait. They came out in force, but ' caught a Tartar,' and were soon exposed to the fire of the Resolution and the Nemesis. The prahus were manned with about 70 men each, chiefly Dyaks, with a few Malay chiefs amongst them. There was one big prahu containing perhaps 100 men, she made a dash at the brig in the first instance, and ■J.^l Ll5«;5ii*.'-iril«^fffe*;'--,feV.:,..',.' '^.i*»**^?iS:^*d^ 188 Greater Ewjlaml. received a lovely shot from the 'long Tojn,' which took her between wind and water and sunk her almost instantaneously, to the immense surprise of tho rest. Tho shot from the RcHolution and Nvtiimn did the rest, vast numbers of tho pirates were killed o£E ; 2D00 only of all the armament escaped to the jungle. After the action the ships' boats ascended the river and destroyed the villages along the banks of tho Serebas, hanging such chiefs as were found lurking about and removing the heads from tho poles before firing the villages. There were many persons w^ho imputed interested motives to Sir James Brooko in administering this severe lesson. But reformers always have detractors, and Brooke, of course, had many enemies. But I happen to know the circumstances which called forth the terrible retribution the Dyaks met with, and which •was the death-blow to the Borneo pirates. A merchant vessel, I think a Russian, had beeu sighted by these wretches, who thought that there ■was a considerable quantity of money on board. She was decoyed into the belief that the Dyaks were harmless savages who wanted to trade, and received them on board. A sampan was the first to come alongside with flowers and various things of peculiarly innocent appearance ; these attracted the attention of the captain's wife, who was ac- companying her husband on tho voyage. But at the bottom of the boat, concealed by large fresh Oceania. 189 Tom,' which Hid sunk her surprise of the id Nvincm did ere killed off ; to the jungle. >nded the river banks of tho found lurking^ 10 poles before uted interested injstering this lave detractors, cniies. But I 3h called forth nth, and which !S. sian, had beea ght that there ley on board, lat the Dyaks to trade, and was the first various things these attracted who was ac- yage. But at by large fresh. leaves, were many armed Dyaks, who at a given signal leaped on board and overpowered tho crew ; they Avero rapidly joined by others, who sprang on board and commenced searching for gold. On finding none they became furious and threatened all kinds of horrors, but the captain still asserted that he had neither money nor treasure of any kind. They would not believe him, but hit upon the most diabolical piece of torture ever invented to make him reveal his hidden store. His vessel was a barque, that is, she had three masts, but there were no square sails on tho mizzen. They lashed tho captain to tho mizzen, and his wife facing him to tho main mast. They now, in sight of her agonised husband, commenced tearing all tho skin from her living body ! They paused every now and again to ask the captain whether he would reveal his secret hoard. But he had nothing to reveal, and the torture went on until the whole of the skin ■was removed, exposing the poor creature to the rays of a tropical sunl Some other ship hove in sight which was thought to be an English man-of-war, and so these fiends in human shape rushed to their prahus, taking with them a few heads, but leaving the captain's wife in the condition I have described. The new-comer was not a man-of-war but one of the large sailing merchant vessels of those days, and she sent a boat's crew to see what ailed the distressed ship. They found the captain a raving 190 a renter Englaml «ianiac and the wife not mucli bettor. Every attention was slunvn them, but sbo soon cUe.1, and the story was Rathcrod from a sailor on board who could speak English. I well remembor the feeling which pervaded the Indian navy regarding this horrible affair, and am glad to have an opportunity of saying a word that may help to justify Rajah Brooke in taking the vengeance which he did. In 1852 people used to go occasionally to visit I^orneo from Bombay for an excursion, and the Anglian influence has swept away all ideas of piracy mnong the Dyaks. At the present day there is a steamer which runs once a-week during the season from Bombav to Sarawak, and the « Ducks,' as the inhabitants of Bombay arc called, enjoy the trip as the Cockney at home loves his run over to Boulogne. It was natural that Bajah Brooke should bo horribly cnrac-ed and should burn these villages with a will, but there was not a seaman on board the little English fleet who was not animated by the same feeling. There is a sort of rough chivalry about Jack which will not stand any iH-usago of a woman. I do behove that if the Dyaks had flayed the captain and not lus wife the important step in the civilisation of Bornco-the de- struction of these villages-would not have been taken, at least the blow would not have been struck so heartily. But the victim having been a woman. Jack was roused. Borneo may now be considered as almost English, \-^. Oceania. 191 very attention and the story lO could speak pervaded the ilTair, and am jT a word tliat the m taking jnallv to visit •sion, and the ideas of piracy day there is a insr the season Ducks,' as the joy the trip as ;r to Boulogne, uld bo horribly cs with a will, ac little English 3 feeling. There which will not believe that if not his wife the Borneo — the de- have been taken, truck so heartily. Jack was roused. almost English, at least that part of it which has been ruled by Rajah Brooke, for ho knew how to adapt himself to iho native mind, descend as it were to its level, and then rise with it. His remarkable career shows us how much a single individual may do in spreading civilisation and Anglian thought. It shows us also that the sword must bo employed in certain cases, and cannot bo neglected while there arc those to bo got rid of who own its power alone. 192 CIUrTER V. AFKICA. Tier law ro{»ul(iting gonpfraphiciil (liscovorios in Iho period grasped by modern history holds good in moat cnsos. The Portuguese or fho Spaniards arc the first to pave the Avay; then come the French; thon the Dutch. Then wo a[)pear iipon the scene. In the case of North America only do our own kith and kin, the Scandina- vians, precede the Romance nations in their discovery of the coasts of Labrador and North America, then there is a pa\iso of nearly fho hundred years before tho matter is again taken up : the Spaniards and ourselves appear almost together on tho field. Our knowledge of the coast of Africa is due, in tho first instance, to the efforts of the Portuguese, ai their work was different from that of the ancient in that they sought to open up all tho coast from Gibraltar southwards. The modern geographical in- vestigations of this coast date from tho fifteoTith cen- tury. The only portion of the west coast of Africa known at tho commencement of the fifteenth century was that between the Straits of Gibraltar and Cape Nun, in lat. 28° 40', a distance of about 600 miles. There is a slight connexion with ourselves in i cliscovcrios in tho holda good in moat iiards arc tlio first to fh; thon tlio Dutch, [n tho cnso of North I kin, tho Scandina- ,8 in their discovery orth America, then Irod years hoforc tho iniards and ourselves Id. Africa is due, in tho ho Portuguese, ai hat of the ancient all tho coast from !rn geographical in- )m tho fifteenth cen- wcst coast of Africa ho fifteenth century Gibraltar and Cape of about 600 miles. with ourselves in Africa, 19a tlu. proHcctiffon of those lfl|«JJ»Val geographical re- searches, for tl.o prince undc-r whose dlrt>etion thoy were undertaken was (he son of I'hilippa, dauglifrr of Jolin of Gaunt, and Mster to (iiir Ki„j, JfrnrylV. She was tho wife of John I. of Portugal, and iho prince in question was u younger son of this mar- riage. He hud heard from the Moors about Africa, and their wild legends had interested him ardently. From these ho became convinced that there was u vast sea- board, which ho determined to investigate. Acting upon this impulse ho went, in tho twenty-first year of his age, to Terfornubal, in the Pay of Segres, not far from Capo St. Vincent, und from that time forth do- voted his life to African cxidorations. Before this, however, it seems that a single ship had been fitted out by King John, and that this ship had doubled Cape Nun in 1412. Other accounts stato that this feat was first accomplished by two small vessels sent out by this prince in 1415. In any case, there are only three years to account for. ^ I Tho island of Porto Santo, one of tho Madeira group, had boon accidentally discovered by Zarco and Tristan Vaz, who carao upon it in a storm. Madeira itself was discovered in 1419 by the same investigators as had discovered Porto Santo, and they gave it the name of Madeira, from a Spanish word signifying wood, the island being, at tho time of its first dis- covery, thickly covered with forests. But these woods 194 Greater England. were sot fire to, and the story goes that thoy continued burning for seven years. Under the auspices of this prince a series ot dis- coveries, important not only in the annals of Spain and Portugal but in the history of the world, were in- augurated, and continued to be prosecuted with great vigour down to the end of the century. Not very long after the researches made by the two vessels in 1415, the enterprising discoverer, Bartholo- mew Diaz, discovered the Cape of Good Hope, which ho called Caho Tormcntom, or the Cape of Storms, for which doubtless he had excellent reasons, but the King, when Diaz returned to Portugal, gave it the name of the Cape of Cood Hope, as an omen that the Portu^ guese had now a fair prospect of reaching India. It does not seem to have been popular with navigators of that period, for it was sometimes called the 'Lion ot the Sea,' which is almost as telling a name for it as the Caho Tormofoso. Another name applied to it was the ' Head of Africa,' which reminds one a little of the « Saraceu's Head,' used in times not very far remote as an emblem of all that was wild, cruel, and ferocious. I fancy I discern somewhat of the same spirit that prompted the appellation of ' Cabo Tormentoso' m the grim-sounding names of the 'Head of Africa and the 'Lion of the Sea.' The substitution of the (m every sense of the word) ' goody-goody ' name applied by the Kin- seems to bear me out in the supposition, that he evidently wanted to get rid of unpleasant impressions in ; / I, ml I il hat thoy continued ico a scries of dis- mnals of Spain and ic world, were in- )sccuted with great iry. es made by the two iscovcrer, Bartholo- Good Hope, which Cape of Storms, for asons, but the King, ;avc it the name of lien that the Portu- rcaching India. It T with navigators of called the ' Lion of ntr a name for it as O mic applied to it was ids one a little of the ot very far remote as cruel, and ferocious, the same spirit that ho Tonncnfoso ' in the id of Africa ' and the tion of the (in every ' name applied by the supposition, that he )leasant impressions in Afnca. 195 connexion with the spot, and felt that names of terror were certainly not calculated to enhance the attractions of that part of the world. John IL of Portugal died in the year 1495. His cousin, known by the somewhat pretentious title of Emanuel tlio Great, succeeded him. One is not in tho habit, in this country at least, of talking very mucli about this monarch, nor is tho number of English people who ever heard of him a very large one, which might afford u text for a homily on the vanity of human greatness, only nobody would care to listen to or read it. -VYhatevcr his claims to greatness may have been, we must allow him eminence as a distin- guished patron of geographical research. He surpassed John in his zeal for maritime discovery. In this knig's reign, and, as it appears, under his special direc- tion, Vasco di Gama set sail on the 8th July, 14C7, Ut attempt the passage to India round the Cape of Good Ho|x>, as discovered and laid down by Diaz. Di Gama ■douoled the Cape on the 19th November, and put in at tlie Bay of San Blaz, sixty leagues beyond it, left that station on the 8th December, and on the 16th passed the island or rock of Santa Cruz, where Diaz had set up his last cross. For that i>;ou8 navigator was accus- tomed to set up a cross at such points as he thought favourable as settlements or where he had rested, careened, or taken in water. Thus Portuguese ships navigated the whole extent of the African coast from the Straits of Gibraltar ta '»■ 106 Greater England. tbc Straits of Bub cl Mandeb. They ascertained the Hbapc and extent of the continent so far, and tbcy also laid down with tolerable accuracy the positions of some of the principal rivers and headlands. The whole of this coast, excepting the 600 miles extending from the Straits of Gibraltar to Cape Nun, had been entirely unknown to Europeans before these expeditions were undertaken. To the Portuguese, therefore, as pioneers, we are much and deeply in- debted. Nor was it the configuration of the coast alone that interested these enterprising men. They continued their explorations inland, and one of the chief inducements, which led them to search the in- terior of the country was the very praiseworthy desire of finding out who the mysterious and ahnost mytho- logical personage called ' Prester John' was, and where he lived. The name means Priest John, Prester John being only a corruption of the Portuguese form Presto Joano. Whoever this personage was, or may have been, he was at first taken for the Emperor of Abyssinia, to whom all other kings of that part of the globe were tributaries. As nothing definite was ever known about him, it is not at all surprising that the wildest legends were invented or grew up about him. Africa was called Prester John's country, and doubtless the origin of the legend was the tradition which exists even now that there is a tribe of white people in the interior of Africa who are Christians, and whose actual abode f r 7 id. They ascertained the so far, and they also the positions of some ids. ipting the 600 miles ibraltar to Cape Niui, uropeans before these To the Portuguese, auch and deeply in- uration of the coast rprising men. They and, and one of the em to search the in- ry praiseworthy desire lis and almost mytho- John ' was, and where ;8t John, Prester John ortuguese form Presto or may have been, ho )eror of Abyssinia, to »art of the globe were was ever known about lat the wildest legends out him. Africa was id doubtless the origin which exists even now people in the interior nd whose actual abode Africa. 197 V HI will not be discovered until the second advent of our Lord, It is strange that such a legend should have sprung up during the Middle Ages. It is very likely to bo the result of a Moorish tradition of the actual cxistouco of a white tribe in some hitherto unexplored spot in the Atrican continent which has descended from some curly Christian family or tribe, and has preserved its .secret as its only means of safety. To these people the name of Prester John would be singularly applic- able. * Salt goes for money in Prester John's country * was a common saying in the sixteenth c tury, and as we know that this is the case in Abyssinia, it points to that part of Africa as the land of Prester John, and that the name should be thought indicative of imperial functions is hardly surprising when we see how religious matters in mediajval legends are mixed up Avith mere worldly and certainly not religious affairs. At the time of Diego Cam's voyage to the Congo, commercial relations were entered into by the garrison of Elmina with the King of Benin, the region lying at the head of the Gulf of Guinea, and from tho people of this kingdom intelligence was received of a great potentate whom they called King Ogane, and who resided at a place 250 leagues in the interior, from whom each sovereign of Benin, on his accession to tho throne, was said to receive some sort of investiture. This grande nionarque was set down by the Portuguese -,.x% 198 Greater England. lis Prestor Jolin, the real fact being that Ogano was not a person at all, but one of the great monarchies of the interior. In 1487 two persons were sent out from Lisbon to attempt to find out the dominions of Prester John and an overland route to India. To the above sketch of the Portuguese labours,, reduced from a variety of sources, I hardly think it necessary to add an account of the work performed by the French, who, as usual, succeed the Portuguese in ! the order of succession as pioneers. The Portuguese I discoveries are important to us, inasmuch as they afford hints to us in following their traces ; the labours of the French are in every respect of subordinate interest, and, indeed, hardly come within the scope of our con- sideration at all. Not so with the Dutch, by whom we huve always been preceded in geographical research, with whom we have frequently come into conflict, and never been firm friends. A Dutch colony was formed at the Capo in the seventeenth century, but, not content Anth tlie limit s^ assigned to it, spread widely over the adjacent territory. The Cape of Good Hope is situated in latitude 34'^ 22' S. It forms the southern extremity of a narrow peninsida about thirty miles long, formed by False Bay on the east, Table Bay on the north, and the | Atlantic on the west. Capetown is on Table Bay on the north coast of this peninsula, and Simon's Bay on I! 5 _t.4 nd. ?ing that Ogane was he great monarchies k out from Lisbon to of Prester John and Portuguese labours, !s, I hardly think it J work performed by d the Portuguese in srs. The Portuguese ismuch as they aiford races ; the lab^.urs of t subordinate interest » the scope of our con- hom we have always- learch, with whom we , and never been firm at the Capo in the ntent Anth the limit s^ the adjacent territory, uated in latitude 34'^ strcmity of a narrow tig, formed by False i the north, and the is on Table Bay on , and Simon's Bay on Africa. 199 ( False Bay. This peninsula was the original boundary of the Dutch settlements, made about the middle of the seventeenth century, but they have now extended considerably beyond the isthmus which joins it to the African continent. They subdued the Hottentots without much diffi- culty, who not being a warlike nation, were easily I'educcd to a state of absolute serfdom. The stronger and more warlike tribes were forced back, and by degrees the Dutch became masters of the whole country as far as the Nieuwvcld Bergen and Sneew Bergen, in about 32° S. latitude. Traces of Dutch influence may be found all over the district, and even the English colonists employ many expressions ori- ginally introduced by the Dutch, although the two nations do not seem by any means to coalesce. In the case of the Dutch settlers in the Caribbean Sen, there never was any willingness shown by English buccaneers to unite with them, in fact, they pre- ferred to form alliances with the French when acting against the common enemy, Spain ; so in South Africa the Boers are decidedly hostile to us and our modes of thought. A French writer in the Hcvitc den deux Mondcs some twenty years back, writes so much to the point when treating the subject of English life at the Cape of Good Hope, that I cannot refrain from giving an extract from his paper. He says: — ' The breeding of sheep and cattle is the principal ;".-«) 200 Greatn England. jsourco of wealth, but this colony is full of active life, like all those founded by the English on other shores ; a colony making its own roads, its bridges, its rail- ways, its docks, its harbours, its telegraphic lines, and now and then annexing bits of territory as large as kingdoms. "Wo have nothing to say against these annexations: they somewhat displace the aborigines, and drive them towards the solitudes of the centre, but they arc always preceded or accompanied by an agricultural or pastoral occupation. Upon the northern frontier there exist the two republics of the Transvaal and the Orange River — the place of refuge for the descendants of the old Dutch colonists, whom . the abolition of slavery and contact with English manners had rendered discontented. ' Isolated in vast imcultivated or desert regions, the Dutch colonists have retrograded, it is said, to- wards barbarism, and are now scarcely superior to the neighbouring tribes. 'AH these colonists of Europeim origin are sur- rounded by natives — Caffres, Basutos, or Zulus — with whom there are wars occasionally, but there is not a constant and too frequently fatal antagonism of race as in Australia and North America. ' The establishments founded by the colonists are prosperous, the soil is fertile, the country rich in minerals, the climate healthy and temperate. It is an excellent base of operations for new conquests and for waiting for new discoveries.' !'• —^■y~;~-'^ Africa. 201 full of active life, 1 on other shores; bridges, its rail- sgraphic lines, and ritory as largo as say against these ce the aborigines, les of the centre, jcompanicd by an Upon the northern !8 of the Transvaal of refuge for the onists, whom . the i English manners or desert regions, led, it is said, to- arcely superior to ui origin arc eur- os, or Zulus — with but there is not a mtagonism of race X. T the colonists are } country rich in temperate. It is 'or new conquests Tlie author then goes on to say : — ' England possesses a marvellous aptitude for colon- ising, but always at the expense of the aboriginal races. Wc should be embarrassed to have to name a single one of her colonics where she has not made a clean riddance of them.' This statement entirely agrees with what I have pointed out in Okhr Euglaud, where I showed the reasons why the English, instead of amalgamating with the Kelts and Kymri, either cut them down or stood proudly aloof from them altogether. This was one great secret of success in ancient times, and when the teachings of Christianity or the love of commerce turned the sword into the ploughshare, the destruction of the dwellers on the promised land was accomplished indirectly, but still by the hand of the colonist, who brought with him the poison -cup in the form of alcoholic draughts, which the savage brain cannot support, and which destroys the savage frame more emphatically than the sword destroys it, for where the sword lays a hero low. his children avenge his fall, until they, too, are subdued, but alcohol destroys the child and children's children before they know their danger or recognise the enemy. A German writer, Dr. Scherzer, says in his account of the voyage of the Novara : — ' In spite of many drawbacks and deficiencies of physical requisites which oppose the rapid develop- ment of its natural resources. Cape Colony possesses mmm^m \ 202 Greater Emjland. in its healthy climate, its valuable indigenous pro- ducts, and its free political institutions, u guarantee for its perhaps gradual, but on that account more substantial, progress. It is a favourable epecimen of a prosperous agricultural colony able to inuintain itself, whoso inhabitants, seeking in the peaceable cultivation of the soil their solo reward, are exposed to none of those ruinous reverses of fortune which make life in those lands which are rich only in a metallic currency so stormy and uncomfortable and render the future of those lauds so problematical. A colony which already employs annually, in its commerce all over tbo world, a thousand ships, which has a trade valued at nearly two millions sterling yearly, and before long will bo in u position to export thirty millions of pounds of wool per annum, besides a quantity of wines already in great demand, where the soil, owing to its prolific nature, returns under human cultivation crops of one hundredfold, while, in its unexplored districts, as many additional vegetable and mineral treasures, as yet unavailable, lie dormant. Such a colony carries in itself the germs of a splendid development into a great and most enviable future. Provided with laws of a most liberal scope, and institutions corresponding to the spirit of the times, Cape Colony must ere long- stand forth as the pattern colony for all others in the different countries beyond sea —a splendid monument of the reward so justly due to the English nation for its policy in promoting the moral and material f! \ ^ i\o indigenous pro- utions, u guurantco thut account moro jurublo epecimon of able to luuintain ; in the peaceublo ivard, arc exposed to Portune which make I only in a metallic able and render the )al. A colony which )minerco all over the s a trade valued at and before long will nillions of pounds of iy of wines already owing to its prolific ultivation crops of jxplorcd districts, as lincral treasures, as ch a colony carries development into a Provided with laws utions corresponding /olony must ere long for all others in the splendid monument the English nation moral and material ^/' nca. 203 progress of mankind in the most remote corners of the earth.' These remarks of the learned Doctor are pleasing and highly gratifying to us, coming as they do from a foieiguer ; but wo must not forget that although we may bo more successful colonisers than either the Spaniards, the Portuguese, the Dutch, or the French, we have si ill the terrible pioneer duty of the wieldor of the sword t(j perform. Charity, mercy, and goodwill must be our chief and guiding principles, but these must not check us by inopportune promptings of peace in the sterner work of preparing the way by cutting down the ob- stacles. The Pilgrim Fathers who went from this coimtry in the Mayflower nearly two centuries ago were men of pure religious feeling, whose very object in leaving England was to find a spot where they might worship God in peace. What was the result ? They were thrown face to face with the most atrocious, inhuman savages that ever disgraced the human form. Men it is true, but men sunk so far below the norm that to raise them was impossible I Then the law of colonisation asserted its force, whether the colonists would or not. War to the knife was the only means of self-defence, and so the colony grew and prospered, because the Redman was displaced. No intermar- riages could take place between the high-souled Puritans and the debased, bloodthirsty human tigers Avho opposed their settling down. Are our New Eng- land brethren, descendants from the Puritans of old, a 204 Greater England. mixed, impure, dogradcd mco, half EngliHli and liidf Indian P Certainly not ! The circumstances of tlio life of those first settlors there rendered the \\\m^ impossible, and the inhabitants of Boston and Now York are iis pure English as their ancestors had been before they left these sliores. In the other case, where Spaniards intermarried with the natives of Peru, a mixed, degraded race arose, and so their colonics could never flourish as ours do. In Africa the English colonist will flourish more and more as he advances awn opens up the land. But he must not think his duty tinishos with cultivating his own fields and vineyards. The disgusting savage who barters human flesh and blood for gain is lower in the scale of low humanity than the Crow or Blackfoot, who defends his tribe and only scalps his enemy. I am not saying much in praise of Crow or Blackfoot vhen I say ho is superior to the other rascals on the coaet of Africa. There is but little difference between them. The North American is not an African any more than an alligator is a crocodile. There is about as much to choose between them. The works of Cooper and of Catlin have done much to give us false impressions of the North American Indians, raising them to a fancied pedestal of excellence to which they have no claim. With Catlm it was an amiable weakness which got the bettor of his judgment. In Cooper's case the brightness of the colouring was tho resiJt of his poetical imagination. Ho believed iu P' Afnca. 205 EngliHli Mild liiilf imstuncos of tlio ulored the tliiiifj Boston and Now icestors Imd been other case, whero itivos of Peru, a icir colonics could nil flourisli more ip tho luiid. But with cultivating disgusting savago for gain is lower in the Crow or and only scalps in praise of Crow jrior to tho other lero is but little L American is not itor is a crocodile, tween them. Tho ione much to give \.merican Indians, (xcellencc to which it was an amiable lis judgment. In colouring was tho He believed in the savage demons, and painted them up into angels, though, in fact, they were so degraded as to be in- capable of culture. Every traveller is supposed to SCO whatever is presented to his gaze through coloured Bpectacles, in which case Catlin's spectacles, through which he surveyed tho Indians of North America, must have been of tho most roseate hue. The inhabitants of Africa are black, which, indeed, is a deeper dye than tho light brown or copper colour of North American Indians, and the deeds of tho Africans are in singular harmony with the f unererl tint of their skins. Tho slave trade, conducted as a regular branch of industry, cannot bo an elevating pursuit, nor can the reflection that it was first begun by Sir John Hawkins, an Englishman, be a very soothing one to us ■who are working hard to put it down. The introduc- tion of negro laboui* into the islands of the Caribbean 8ea three hundred years ago gave fresh impetus to the many intestine wars in the south-west portions of tho African continent, for they always disposed of the jjrisoners taken in battle in this manner, and as tho demand for slaves became greater, the number of wars increased, so that the population of whole villages was not infrequently started off to the coast as captives to the sword and lance of stronger tribes, and there sold. The horrors of slave-ships, in which men and ■women were packed like so much cattle, have been dealt with by many able pens, but it has not occurred a fiilir'ri'Ai 206 (ircatcr EmjJand. to any writor yet to point out tliiit this drpopuliit ion wiiH work (lone in the direction of tho luw wliich roquircs tho witlulrawul of uboiiginal rucos bcforo tho civilised white man. Of course 1 am aot advo- oaling the Hhivo trade any more than I advocate poisoning Australians with whisky or the cohl-hlooded n)urd('r of tlio original proprietors to clear the way for ourselves. It is the law of Nature that thoy should go down before us, as tho vari(jus nations of the Gentiles had to go down before tho Jew- It is a delicate subject to speak authoritatively about, for if war against aborigines bo preached as a doctrine, it would not sound a very Christian one, yet if wo do not got rid of them, thoy got rid of us, which brings argument on this part of the colonisation subject to a deadlock. However, something or other always turns up to help U8 out of tho difficulty. I'irst came tho slave trade, which carried off millions of blacks to the Caribbeim Sea ; then came tho prevention of slavery, which has also cost a fair amount of negro blood ; and finally there arc Caffrc wars, and rows at the Cape, which tend, though very slowly, to tho clearance of the ground all round the colony, and gradually to influence the interior. To this cause the slow advance made by tho CajKJ Colony is to bo attributed, for since 1806, when it first became a regular dependency of England, there has been nothing like tho development which wo should expect. The ill-feeling manifested by tho Boers to us may perhaps be one cause of stagnation, which the /^ lu« (Icpopuliit ion tho law wliicli ml racoH bcforo I iim aot iidvo- Llmn I iidvociito till* col(l-l)looiU'(l clciir tlio way for it tlioy slioulil }^o s of tho Gout lies u dclicato Hubject if war against 10, it would not do not got rid ngs argiiniont on it to a deadlock, turns up to liclp tho slave trade, to the Caribbean lavory, which has lood ; and finally Capo, which tend, of tho ground all uenco the interior, aado by the Capo 806, when it first iigland, there has which we should ly tho Boers to us lation, which the Africa. 207 Imnissing wars with tho natives help to iiioroase. Tho Dutch element is lesH marked in Capetown thiin we might have (>xpected, where tho Dutoh formerly wwal- lowed up the French, to bo swallowed in their turn by us. A groat blov,' to progress at tho Capo was the opening up of tho Suez route, for, prior to that event, flic Cape was the great half-way house not only for the grand old ' East Indiaman ' of sixty years ago, but for all passenger trafllc. to India. Tho harbour is well fitted to receive shijjs of great burden, there is now u Hplendid breakwater to secure tho craft at anchor there, and tho dock is capable of receiving vessels of largo tonnage, and beside the attraction alfordod by its bril- liant atmosphere, Capetown is rendered delightful by its surroundings. The wild geraniums, tho flowing prickly pear, tho many charms of a luxuriant vegeta- tion, unite to gem tho ccdoiiy with Nature's brightest hues. But tho Capo is not a popular colony ; people have their little prejudices and idiosyncrasies, and tho feeling against lions, rattlesnakes, and wild Caffres remains still active in the mind of intending colonists, who, after weighing tho j)ros and com of the various places ojjon to them, decide against tho Capo and in favour of tho more distant Australia or tho land of tho Stars and Stripes. But few people care to live in Capetown itself, preferring generally the suburbs, especially Ronder- bosch. By far the greater number of the colonists aro /■ * «« ® 208 Greater England. farmers, and arc spread over a large extent of territory. The farmhouse of the Cape is generally built one storey high, with rooms in the roof. Beyond the house there is an enclosure, called by the Caffre name of 'kraal,' in which the cattle are placed for security each night. Gardens, orchards, cornfields, kitchen gardens for vegetables are, of course, the adjuncts we should be prepared to find, but the most important possession of the settler is his waggon. No farm can dispense with it, nor can any journeys be undertaken without it. It is a long, heavily built cart Avithout springs, but, as may be imagined, very strong and very clumsy. What we should call the tilt is there the tent, and this shields man and mattress from the winds of heaven. As jour- neys are undertaken frequently and time is less an object than security, this ' long - shore ark ' is well supplied with various requirements which would not be requirements elsewhere. Amongst these the waggon- box must be accorded the post of honour. It contains the tools, so necessary in case of a breakdown, ammu- nition in case of hostile CafFres, and stores of food and other necessaries for the road. Within the waggon is the cartel, which deserves special notice. It is a wooden frame fitting the cart, upon which the hide of an ox is stretched, and at night this ' deck of the boat of the bush ' is the reci- pient of the bedding, the tent forming literally what our grandfathers used to call a ' tent bedstead.' Such a whip as can only be realised by actual in- Africa. 20!) extent of territory, snerally built one Beyond the house he Caffre name of 3d for security each is, kitchen gardens juncts we should be )rtant possession of L can dispense with en without it. It is prings, but, as may clumsy. What we nt, and this shields f heaven. As jour- md time is less an shore ark' is well which would not be these the waggon- lonour. It contains breakdown, ammu- d stores of food and reel, which deserves mc fitting the cart, is stretched, and at e bush ' is the reci- •ming literally what tent bedstead.' ealised by actual in- spection comes next in importance, tlie len<>fli of ihong being in proportion to the number of oxen luirncsscd to the wiiggou. There are generally seven pairs. Tlio waggon is only wanted once or twice a-ycar to take the fanner aiul his family to market, and carry the supijly of pi'oduco that may enable the good man to obtain in exchange groceries, clothes, and other things required by the household, and which will be sufficient to keep tlicm going six months of tlic twelve. This state of things is primitive, and may, perhaps, have somctliing to do with the slow rate of progress, not to call it stagnation, of the colony. The Algoa Bay portion of the colony is a little livelier than the Capetown Settlement, and these colonists have contributed in no slight degree to promote the development of the whole and redeem it from the sluggish taint which decidedly affects it. In the year 1820 about 5000 emigrants from Great Britain settled in a district called Albany, not far from Algoa Bay, on the south-east coast. This . province has shown good results from the presence of these colonists whose ijatienco and vigour were both sorely tried. At one time it looked as though they must collapse from sheer destitution. They had to apply to Government for help just to keep them from starvation, and- what is most remarkable they actually got it hcfoi-e they sf cared. This is many years ago, and our officials know better how to treat such applications now. Wars with the Caffres meant work for the Colonists. JTl nd. hen tiicy have a bad noralising the team, 1 ' Englishman,' and the Caffres, who, as many Dutch words ; the oxen to the cart, again, are called re- iniing, as in German ^paniieii. Bock is tho of antelope, Boer is md so of many ex- iglish of Capetowni he importance of the 8 of the strict moral eluding the Scandi- poiijted out the fact lie law forbidding a ith non-Odinic races, ng immoral conduct, varrior was stronger and his mind clearer, impressions than tho s wife with him to be ttle, to nurse him if , should he fall, that jrth migrated to the carried along with Africa. 215 them their laws, a chastity and reserve which excited xmiversal surjirise. Salvian, a monk of Marseilles, in the fifth century exclaims : — ' Lot us blush and bo CDverod with a confusion which ought to produce salutary effects. Wherever the Goths become masters, we see no longer any disorders, except among the old inhabitants. Our manners are reformed under the dominion of the Vandals. Behold an incredible event ! an unheard of prodigy ! iJarbarians have, by the severity of their discipline, rendered moral the very Romans themselves, and the Goths have purified those places which the others had defiled by their abominable conduct. A cruel nation, but worthy to bo admired for their manly self-respect and moral virtue.' True to this text wo find English families of pure descent all over the world, strong, brave, hardy, and deserving Salvian's praise. Not so the roriuguese, the Spaniards, the French, and the Dutch, for there is a whole district at the Cape called Griqualand, peopled by half-breeds, descending from Dutch and Caft're, and even Dutch and Hottentot parents. The Dutch were always great encouragers and practisers of slave holding, and this is an institution which carries barefaced immorality with it. And to this calise may be attributed the steady decline of the Dutch in Africa. They are republicans, and their government is vested in the Volksraad or Council of the People (folks mote), whose members are elected by <«•»*•" 216 Greater England. \ •"V.-, the pcoiile. No qualification is necessary save that of mature manhood. This council meets twice in the year, memhers receiving 15s. a-dcy for their attend- ance, and so primitive arc the manners of these people in some respects, that many of the M.P.'s live during the session quietly in their waggons drawn up in the market-square. The Reiniblic docs not prosper, but after drifting for years mid years in that direction has now arrived at a state of hopeless anarchy and confusion. The elements which hold the Dutch together seem to be a desire to outdo the English, and to carry on the slave trade in spite of them. The Caffres in the ncighbom-hood of the Transvaal are in the main an inoffensive people, and they would live quietly enough if they were allowed to possess thtir land and cattle in sccm-ity. But at particular seasons the young Boers rush out ujion them, killing as many of the men as possible, allowing the women their fi'ccdom, but taking all the children. These they * apprentice,' as the gentle expression is, to traders and storekeepers, who enter the * article ' so acquired upon their books as 'black ivory.* It was no unusual thing some seven or eight years ago for as many as 6000 per annum to be enslaved in this way in the Dutch territory by the Dutch. Some of the slaves are fairly well treated by the Boers, but cases of kind treatment are the rare exception, and fierce cruelty the general rule. Of course these Dutch Boers are ' good Christians,' r ■cssary save that of locts twice in tin- ' for their attciid- maniiors of thewc iiy of the M.F.'s in their ■waggons rhc Rei)iiblic does years and years a state of hopeless its which hohl the sire to outdo the c trade in spite of :hbom'hood of the ensive people, and they were allowed scciu'ity. But at rs rush out ujion s possible, allowing ig all the children. :le expression is, to ■r the * article ' so ck ivory.* It was ht years ago for as slaved in this way itch. Some of the le Boers, but cases ception, and fierce 2 ' good Christians,' Africa. 217 and a very earnest Clnistian writer, while admitting the atrocities I have glanced at, says on the same page, 'They are devoted conscientiously to the doctrines and the service of the Dutch Reformed Church ! * Ilow these matters will now be managed I, of * course, cannot say, but there is no doubt that the Dutch colony is dying out before us, as the French colony died out before the Dutch. The Boers retire gradually in sulky ill-humour, stand aloof, make friends Avith tribes at war ^\ ith those on whom the slave kid- napping is practised, and set these tribes against us. Thus we have u ready-made enemy constantly baffling our efforts, and rendering our military successes diffi- cult. Their own republics are too weak to bind them in any A\ay. There is no personal authority, every man does as seems best to him, and the result is the appearance of a sort of guerilla, who hates us as much as he despises the blacks, so that he is the foe to both. Mr. "7roude takes quite a different view of the Dutch character. lie is charmed M-ith their religious observances, and thinks that the slave holding was as much practised by ourselves as by the Boers, \vhicli seems to exonerate them, in his eyes, from all blame. As a kind of set-off against any ill conduct on their part, he adduces our amiexation of the diamond fields as a simple robbery. His account of the rise of the colony, hoAvever, is so cleverly Avritten that I cannot do better than quote his own words in giving an Ji vAs . ( I Hi i 218 Civenter Enghtml. idou of tlio origin, rise, and progress of English riilo at the Cape. lie siiys, in the third chuijter of his Ovctdia : — 'The Capo Colony, as wo ought to know, but in l)ractiee w(> always forget, was originally a Duteh (!olony. Two eenturios ago, when the lloUaiulers wero the second maritime iwwcr in the world— perhajjs not even the second — they occupied and settled tho southern cxtreiiiity of Africa. They easily concpiered tho Ifottenlots and IJuslimen, acting as we ourselves also acted invariably in similar circumstances. They cleared out the wild beasts, built towns, laid out roads, enclosod and ploughed the land, planted forests and vineyards. Better colonists, or more successful than the Dutch, did not exist. They throve and prospered, and continued to thrive and prosper, till tho close of the last century. If wo compare the success of the Dutch in the management of uncivilised tribes with our own in all parts of the world, it will be found that, though their rule is stricter than ours, and, to appear- ance, harsher, they have had fewer native wars than we have had. There has been less violence and blood- shed, and the natives living under them have not been less happy or less industrious. Holland, in the revolu- tionary war, was seized by tho French Directory. The English, at the request of tlie Prince of Orange, took the Cajx! under their protection. It was on the high road to India ; there was then no alternative route by the Suez Canal, and so important a station could not -at-tmammnmmr • I. ^s.s of KiifjHsh riilo ird chupter of his it to kiio«', but III jriyinully u Dutch lie ][ollii]ul(;e, took t was on the high Iternative route by I station could not Africa, 210 bo pennilted to fall into tho hands of Xapoleon. At the peace of Amiens it was restored to Holland and the English garrison was Avithdrawn. On the war breaking out again our occupation was renewed ; u fleet was sent out with a strong invading force. The Cape Dutch resisted, fought a gallant action, in which they were largely helped by native allies ; they yiehled only in the belief that, as before, tho occupation would be temporary, and that their country would be given back to them when the struggle was over. It was not givt>n back. At the Congress of Vienna they found themselves transferred permanently to tho English dominion without their own consent being either ob- tained or asked for. They hud made the country what it was, had set up their houses there, had done no one any harm, and had been in irossession for seven genera- tions. They were treated as mlHwijiti (jlihiv — ua part of the soil. They resented it ; tho hotter spirits resisted ; they were called rebels, and were shot or hanged in the usual fashion. If we had been wise wc should have made allowances for tho circumstances under which the Cape had como into our hands; we should have tried to reconcile the Dutch to an alien rule by e.\cep- tional consideration. "We did nuikc an exception, but not in their favour. We justified our own conquest to ourselves by taking away tho character of tho con- quered, and we constituted ourselves tho champion of the coloured races against them as if they Avere op- pressors and robbers. After the peace, slave emancipa- .^». mm* I'lH) iinnU'v J'jii//(iii)L tioji bofiimc llio (nu'-tiuii of tlio duv, Tlicy weiv sluvoowncrs, but so wriv wc ; wo had boon Niimers aliko. "\Vo ropoiitod, and volod ovor twenty millions to oloiir oursolvos of tlio ropro loli. Wo oxiM-ctod that tho Dutch should roco^ni.s»<, as instantanoously as our- solvos, tho wiokodiioss of tho institution, and booauso thoy arc u dcliboi.ito and slow pioplo, not givon to onthusiasm for now idoas, thoy foil into disj,'raco with us, whoro thoy huvo cvor sinco roinainod.' Mr. Froudo is always ^'kd to attack tho Govorn- inent, and indood ho is voiy of ton quito in iho right 80 to do. Our Govornniont action is g{>norally a party jnattor, whoro tho real merits of tho ci-o arc entirely forgotten in the dosiro to uphold tlirougii thick and thin the party in power with but little cure for justice either way. But in Capi affairs I cannot see how they could have acted diiVorently. To conciliuto the Boers is a dangerous game to play. Thoy are clever and suspicious ; just tho sort of people not to be talked over and won by words. It would bo a sure means of increasing their suspicion and dislike if wo were to attempt a polite tone. Tho colony is conquered country, and no dift'ercnce should have boon made in the first instance; the Boers should luivo boon declared English subjects; their abolition <>( tho slave trade would have followed as a logica. < onscquenco ; thoy would have fallen in with our views ; and tho (iueeu would now have had a loyal population of settlers — Dutch and English — under one code of laws, one govern- Afl Kit. m \ , The}- wero 1(1 Leon Ninners twenty iiiillioiis lo oxpt'cU'd tliiit imoously as our- 1111, lliul 1)CCIIUSC p, not given to to (li.sgrucc Avitli ick tlio Govorn- ite in the right ;i>ncrally ii party I'll so arc entirely r\i tliiek and thin euro for jiistioo eannot sec how 'o conciliuto the They are clever not to be talked •0 u sure means kc if wo were to nqucred country, nade in the first declared English vc trade would lice ; they would ho (^ueen would settlers — Dutch ws, one govern- ment, mid one iiinueiice. As it is, whatever wo do is wrong. Tlio Hoers are Kulky, and their lialird of the Kiiglisli grows daily stronger. We shall soon Iiavo more eiuiuiis tlitiii we shall »[uitr know what to do with, and he eonipelled either to reconquer the Capo or abandon it us an utter failiiiv. The annexation of the Transvaal is a step in the right direction. Followed up with energy, this new measure may lead to tlio real occuputifin by ourselves of South Africa, and if wo could arrange to send out a rough-and-ready popula- tion as border pioiu>ers, well drilled and well skilled us much in the use of the weapons of war as the in- Htruments of peace, the advance of Anglin from Ca\)o Cohmy to the lino I liav(> supposed could be eom- mcniced. Tt would be well to send out the distressed Highlanders or the Irish Kelts to do this work. They are patient in their industry, fond of fighting as u pa.stime, and might be glad to exchange the gloom of their cabins and cots in these islands for the free air and generous soil of Africa. Depend upon it, the lioers would give in ai ont'e, with a good grace accept- ing the inevitable ; but our shilly-shally tactics and want of colonial policy has nearly lost us the Cape a,s it would have lest us Canada. I do not believe in too much conciliation, and whore ground has once been completely lost, it is useless to try mild measures to regain it. The Moors have been ill-used, but it would not make them our friends to acknowledge that fact until we were in a ■ " T fr -. r ® m a* i^ \m' ^mft„-3 Ufi Si^ T^»i| 222 Greater England. position of such perfect independence of them as to remove all possibility of a suspicion that the frank avowal of being in the wrong was a sneaking way out of the trouble. Nor do I believe in ' niggers ' as such. I don't expect to find in an untutored savage all the advan- tages which can be expected to arise from a well- designed course of Western Christian cvdture. If Tahimony Ischadz-yahdarga possessed all the cour- tesj', refinement of feeling, consideration for others, and general savoir-faire that can be acquired by an expensive education at — let us saj', Brentford — where has the Principal of that University the pull over the nigger ? It might come cheaper to send our sons to the bush rather than to the University, and the re- sults would in many respects be superior in Nature's school. Our daughters ? — well they might study Nature's own style of dress improver as possessed, minus the dress, by the Hottentot Venus, and the lesson tnigJit be useful — who knows? Man, in a state of degradation, reduced to the level of the beasts that perish — reduced, perhaps, below them, for they do not, as a rule, devour other specimens of their own species — brought face to face with civilised life, the savage does not improve up, he dies out. That some individuals seem to form an exception and adopt Christianity and other advantages which our civilisation may have to offer, does not militate against the soundness of the \ ■i i m--V i T^ i iB ,. -ff- 30 of them as to I that the frank sneaking way out IS such. I don't »c all tho advan- iso from a wcll- tian culture. If cd all the cour- ration for others, acquired by an Brentford — where the pull over tho send our sons to •sity, and the re- )erior in Nature's ley might study ver as possessed, Venus, and the i I, reduced to the reduced, perhaps, ule, devour other brought face to does not improve ividuals seem to tianity and other I may have to soundness of the U Africa. 223 ride. '' 1 ^^ race dies out, notwithstanding those ex- ceptions. Broadly speaking, the whole continent of Africa is inhabited by lower races, and they must conquer us or we must conquer them. The slaves, as well as the slave-hunters of the western coast, arc blacks. Their horrid trade is worthily represented by their frightful hue. Are we, being in juxtaposition with them on that coast, to learn their ways or teach them ours? The Boers have declined ; some of their younger men retire to the bush and gradually become half savage ; and though great numbers of the colony still remain faithful *o tho old Dutch thought, those numbers are not so great as once they were. One thing I think is certain, the Caffres and the Hottentots do not dislike the Dutch so much as they dislike the English, whom they fear much more, A story or two of Caffre life will do more to show how these people live, think, and act, than all the dis- sertations on ethnology ever published. I give the narrative of an English-speaking Caffre, related to some travellers on an exploring expedition, which, however, had to be abandoned before the desired end was attained. Before commencing, let me say a word or two about tho name Caffre. It is the Arabic Kofir, and means simply a pagan, at least, one who docs not believe in Mahomet. When the Tortuguesc came to this part of the coast they learnt the word from the iippp|M|MH|i< mm^ 224 Greater EnijJand. Arabs, and soon applied it to tlic negro population of Eastern Africa as a specific name for them, and thus it came to Europe, where it is taken in that sense only. Occasionally it is used for the entire black population, but, generally speaking, it is used in Africa to denote those tribes which live on the frontier of the Capo Colony and stretch forward north-eastward to Delagoa Bay. As they are closely connected hy physical character and language, they may bo regarded as forming one nation. The story is told by a young Zulu of the reason wh}' he was forced to leave the country', and I have ventured to omit certain comments upon the narration made by the audience and certain other intei'ruptions, and to tell it in mv own way : — ' 3I}- father was a good man and a great warrior. The King gave him a new assagai and a large brass ornament for his arm because he acted valiantly against the Amaswazi. My father was very jjroud of this notice, and once when a great officer spoke to him he was not verj' respectful. lie did not think that ho was running any risk, but the officer told him that his skull shoidd become a home for the field-mouse. That officer was a very great friend of the King, and he it was, as I afterwards leaint, who persuaded him to have my father and all his family slain. ' We know nothing ; ray father thought himself a very hapjjy man. He had an ox killed to thank the spirits for giving him prosperity, and we had scarcely ticgro population of r them, and thus it in that sense only. black population, ill Africa to denote (iitier of the Capo istward to Dclagoa lectcd by physical ly be legarded as JjuIu of the reason juiitry, and I have upon the narriition )thcr inlciTuptions, id a great warrior, and a large brass cd valiantly against ery jiroud of this sr spoke to him he not think that ho }r told him that his field-mouse. That lie King, and he it suaded him to have thought himself a dlled to thank the nd we had scarcely Africa. 225 f|« finished eating the sacrifice when there came to the kraal a young man with shield and assagais. lie saluted my father ; he told him that he had been sent from the great place with a message to a distant chief. He said he was tired with his journey, he would like to rest awhile. My father told him to go to the young men's hut, where food should be given him by-and-by. He did not think this young man meant him any harm ; but soon tbere came another, who said that he was going with a message, and wanted rest. This looked suspicious, for when the King wishes to kill the people of a kraal they do not attack it openly, they try to deceive the people. Sometimes they arrive one by one, with any kind of excuse. When all have assembled they attack the inmates suddenly, and before they can prepare to resist. ' But, augb ! my father was a man ! He thought he would deceive these soldiers. So he told the second to go to the young men's hut, and in a loud voice ordered me to find him food, but in a low voice he directed me to take an assagai and lay it down outside the door of the same hocise. Then I was to go in with the food and keep them talking. He told me to keep near the entrance (which, you know, is small) so that in case of need I might rush out, seize the weapon, and prevent the man's escape. ' He sent all the women into the garden, where he soon joined them. He then told them that the induna (the great officer) had induced Pande to have them all kiUed, A 'i » • 226 Greater England. 'He did not tell tliem this before for fear of their beginning to cry and make a great noise as soon as they heard of their peril, but they did not scream, or howl, or cry, or anything. So then ho told them all to go quietly 'with their children into the bush, and there await his further commands. He then returned He took an assagai. He went to the gateway of the kraal. He broke off the long tapering shaft of the weapon, so that it should do well in close fight. ^ Then he hul it under the grass. He sat down beside it. ' Then arrived one of the King's petty officers. He sat down near my father. He talked. This man thought himself very cunning. He said his boy was ill He had been told to apply to my father for a medicine, for he had a particular medicine, like many men who have had the secret passed down from many forefathers far back. Sometimes my father sold this secret He told this man that he must pay a cow for it, and if he would go home and fetch a cow he should have what he wanted next monung. But the man would not go away ; he said he thought^ a cow was too much to give, he considered an assagai would be enough. « He evidently expected to keep my father hagghng about the price until his companions should come up But he had a man to deal with ! My father said that he would take two assagais to-day and two goats to- morrow; if that did not please him the man might leave..-.he should have the medicine on no other terms. saamMfmm^ n *.! Africa. 227 re for fear of their it noise as soon as did not scream, or ho told them all to the bush, and there ;hen returned. He xteway of the kraal, ft of the weapon, so tit. Then he hid it ide it. s petty officers. He talked. This man le said his boy was to my father for a medicine, like many sed down from many my father sold this he must pay a cow and fetch a cow he t morning. But the id he thought a cow Ted an assagai would ;p my father haggling lions should come up. My father said that [ay and two goats to- I him the man might jine on no other terms. 1' '(. * My father would not talk any more. The officer was in a fix. lie gave two of his assagais — ho had only three altogether. My father then invited him into tho hut. He gave him beer. He said he woidd go to the bush and seek the medicine, but he was afraid it might take him long to find. ' But instead of going he called a servant whom he had taken captive among the Amaswazi. He put into his hands the two assagais. He told him to stand near the door of the hut and kill the man if he attempted to ■come out. *He then (my father, that is) went again to tho ;gate. He sat down near his concealed weapon. He •expected more visitors. In a short time two armed men approach. They salute him with very great re- spect. They sit down and praise him. They call him rich man, great warrior, and so on. They tell him how the King often speaks of his brave actions, and directs his warriors to imitate the son of Dutulu. My father talks awhile; then he asks suddenly, "Who is that coming up the hill?" They turn their heads to look. My father snatches up the hidden assagai. He springs up. He stabs the nearest man. The other jumps on his feet astonished. He stoops to pick up his weapons, which are lying on tho groimd. My father springs upon him like a lion. Down they both go to the •earth, my father uppermost. The fellow is big and powerful. He grasps my father in his long arms. He twines them round his body like the folds of a boa T 228 Greater England. constrictor. He tries to turn my father over so as to get above him. That would soon have settled the struggle — the son of Dutulu knows it. So he takes care to hold the rascal down. My father is nearly out of breath from the squeezing. At last he gets his fingers on the villain's throat, who now begins to loosen his grasp. He presses the throat still closer ; ho chokes him to death. ♦My father rises and sees two other men coming across tho grass. They have seen the struggle, but suppose that their comrades ha . been in too great a hurry to execute the King's orders, and have already slain the master of the kraal. They come on as if nothing had happened. ' My father takes up the dead man's weapons ; he rushes towards the men ; he throws an assagai at the first, but it strikes against his shield ; it glances aside. They now cast their darts ; my father receives them on his shield. Then, holding his shield so as to cover his body, he rushes at tho nearest of his opponents ; he swerves a little ; he pushes aside the man's shield ; he thrusts an assagai into his ribs. The man is not prepared for this. He knew that the son of Dutulu had two assagais left ; he expected him to throw one ; but the son of Dutulu was a wise man. 'The fellow falls with a great shriek. He has been pierced to the heart. The other runs away. He never was so much astonished in his life. How he ran! If a lion had been on his spoor he could not r ;,Lii.K? : ,y>^: i— Ola I father over so as to a have settled the va it. So he takes father is nearly out Lt last he gets his rho now hegins to iroat still closer ; he other men coming n the struggle, but been in too great a ■s, and have already ^hey come on as if man's weapons ; he V8 an assagai at the Id ; it glances aside^ father receives them ihield so as to cover ;t of his opponents ; 10 the man's shield ; )8. The man is not t the son of Dutulu d him to throw one ; aan. at shriek. He has ther runs away. He 11 his life. How he spocy he coxdd not Afnca. 229 have shown more haste. A bravo swaggerer, with his beads, and his tails, and his rings ! He boasted beforo the women; he flourished his assagai in the dunce. He thought he was coming to fight with girls and children. Ho found a tuaii ! ' "Well, the young men who were in the hut heard the noise of strife. They seized their weapons. They tried to rush out. I was out already, and just as one •of them was thrusting his head through the door I gave him a blow Avith an assagai ; he went in again. They were both very much frightened. They threat- ened me, but I would not let them come out. They began to force a passage through the side of the hut. A fire had been lately made near the house ; some brands were yet burning. I got one of these; I showed it to them through the door. I told them that unless they sat still I would set the thatch in flames. 'At this moment my father came with a number of thorns which he had taken from the outer fence. He thrust these into the doorway ; he blocked it up. He then went to the other house, where his servant was keeping guard over the petty ofiicer ; he did the same there. After this we set fire to all the houses in the kraal, and we ran as fast as our legs would carry us to the bush ! ' Those men were burnt ; but they tried to kill us, 80 it was all fair. "We found the women and children waiting for us in the jungle ; it was thick, and no enemy would like to follow. They were sitting in a »« ' ^«'^ _« I ■•-■■-J'i^- 230 Greater England. small opening amid the trees not mucli bigger than a cattle-fold. We held a consultation. "We judged it best to remain until night, and then start for Natal. Wo knew that even Pando would not follow us into the white man's country. Wo had been told that people could there sleep in peace. We have found this to be true. Pando may growl, but he cannot frighten us now.' The missionary Moffat relates an incident which bears strongly on the subject of the cruelty of these tribes. On the journey homewards from this tour in search of a more suitable place for a mission-station,, the explorers were frequently exposed to dangers from lions. Sometimes these beasts of prey became so bold as to rush into the midst of the travellers' oxen at night and scatter them, occasioning long and weary searches for the cattle before they could be collected again. On one such occasion MofPat found at a spot to which he had been led by the appearance of smoke an object of deep and painful interest. This was a venerable-looking old woman sitting with her head resting upon her knees. Being addressed kindly and asked who she was, she replied, ' I am a woman who have been left here for four days already ; my children have left me here to die.' 'Your children?' 'Yes, my own children — three sons and three daughters. They are gone to yonder blue mountams, and have left me here to die.* V Africa. 381 luch. bigger than (t in. "We judged it en start for Natal, not follow us into ad been told that We have found »wl, but he cannot an incident which he cruelty of these ^8 from this tour in r a mission-station,, sed to dangers from jrey became so bold travellers' oxen at ng long and weary f could be collected EPat found at a spot ippearance of smoke ierest. This was a ing with her head ddressed kindly and I am a woman who Iready ; my children ree sons and three idcr blue mountains. i. ■ ^ I • But why did they leave you P' ' I am old, you see,' she replied, spreading out her hands, • and I am no longer able to servo them. When they kill game I am too feeble to help in carrying home the flesh. I am not strong enough to carry wood to make a fire, and I cannot carry their children on my back as I used to do.' He tried to persuade her to go with him in his waggon, and promised to care for her; but all in vain. She became convulsed with terror, and fearing she might die in his hands if he had carried her to his escort, he was compelled to leave her, having sup- plied her with provisions; while in reference to her position she said: 'It is our custom; I am nearly dead; I do not want to d.a again.' He understood afterwards that her family, observing the traveUers near to where they had left their mother, had re- turned, and, being afraid V 3t the white men should punish them, had taken her home, and were providing for her with more than ordinary care. Travellers, missionaries, Government agents, all agree in their accounts of the savage cruelty of the African tribes, but there is a curious little book in my possession by a certain William Cole who describes himself as an ' African trader.' He has devoted some of his leisure time to the preparation of a diary which contains many details quite confirmatory of the state- ments of travellers whose names are more familiar to the reading public. The book bears internal evidence "...\* •:?i a^ 232 Greater Emjland. of being wluit it professes 1o be, ii simple record of actuul facts, of wbicb bo took cognisance during liis stay on tbc Niger, at liagos. I quote quite at random from liis extraordinary work : — ' Tbe bead man of tbe Itabues, or brass traders, called upon me, and most bitterly complained about trade. One fellow told mo tbat bo bad lost twenty slaves last nigbt (well I knew it, for I bad sbeltered two). Tbe traders were greatly incensed at our con- tinued residence bere, and to-day tbey gave vent in various ways to tbeir displeasure ; bowever, to sootbo tbeir animosity I gave tbeir cbief a "dasb" (bribe) amounting to a guinea. Tbis done, I was asked for permission to kill some rats inbabiting one of my out- bouses. Tbe wisb gratified, tbe wbolo fraternity set to work and caugbt some sixty good-sized ones ; tbcse, I was assured, would form a glorious feast. ' Ajie, tbe usurper of Abob (but more of bira anon), is ou tbe beacb bolding trading palavers, and I believe has gotten tbe precedence over tbe brass traders. Of one canoe wbicb bo visited be made an offer for tbo entire cargo wbicb was politely declined, and tbe up- shot was tbat Ajie ordered tbo trader to leave Aboli before sundown on pain of confiscation of self and cargo. ' I may as well add tbat I was robbed last nigbt ; but, as I bave before said, Ajie is on tbe beacb. I bave some reason for asserting tbat I am bis prey. * On tbe succeeding morning, Prince Akia arrived siinplo record of isanco duriiij^ his 3 quite ut ruiidoni or brass traders, complained about luid lost twenty r I luid sheltered onsed ut our con- aey gave vent in lowcver, to soothe 1 "dash" (bribe) , I was asked for g one of my out- lolo fraternity set sized ones; these, feast. lore of him anon), :crs, and I believe jrass traders. Of 3 an offer for the ined, and the up- er to leave Aboh ation of self and obbed last night ; on the beach. I I am his prey. nee Akia arrived Africa. 233 hero from the up-country, bringing with him a goodly number of slaves and a vast amount of oil, all of which the brass traders arc eager to possess. It is a thousand pities that wo aro without those two essentials, grog and salt, as I make no doubt trade might be done both expeditiously and profitably ' Arose this morning by first cockcrow, and when I sallied out my curs were greeted with shouts of the most ardent and enthusiastic description. The cause I learned was that Akiu hud just succeeded in selling some thirty niggers ' Aboh is in the hunds of the usurper, Ajie. Jlero let me describe him. He is of some ft. 10 in. high, and about fourteen stone in weight. He is as black as we, in imagination, consider Satan. In disposition ho is as fair a realisation of his demoniacal majesty as one would wish to find. His past actions, and his present bloodthirsty propensities, stamp him at once as the Nana Sahib of his country. His eyes aro large and habitually diluted. His heud is of the bullet species, and covered with a surfuce of crisp, short, woolly huir. His physiognomy is the acme of well-stamped villainy and cunning. •Next in significance comes Akia, u tall, stout, blustering fellow of some thirty-three or thirty-fivo yeurs of age. He has the swaggering gait of an over- fed Dutchman. He is as big a scoundrel as Ajie, but commercially speaking he is more adapted to the slave Rialto than for the seat or station of a burbarian 234 Greater EnqJand. princo or tyrant ; ho is rich, nnd therefore drpiulod by his people. •Hot tie of liocr, n young Krooman in my employ, at the requeHt of Tom liivcrpool, chief of the Kroo gang, went on the beach to meet a very acute brass trader who had cheated Liverpool to ii small amount. The fraud having been discovered, the defrauded wished for the restoration of his money. Bottlo of Beer, bent upon this mission, was observed by Ajio, who was on the beach selling slaves, and by his orders he was put in irons. This having been reported to mo I wont over to Ajie and asked him by what right ho had caught one of my men. • " Did you not," was his reply, " capture two of my men, and keep thera for throe weeks, and then make mo pay a bullock for their release P" ' " Quite true," said I. " Your men were caught in tho act of stealing, and I can assure you they got off very easily." ' " Well," said he, '• I have your man, and will keep him. As to tho property found upon him — ha I ha!— why I will sell it ! " 'Upon hearing this I felt my indignation rise* (dander-riled are the actual words), ' and replied some- what haughtily, " Well, Ajie, I am a white man, and for this insult you shall atone." ' " Ah ! " said he, in reply, " white men have died hero before ! " (Hereupon he counted on his fingers, and looked up musingly, exhibiting three.) "Yes," i. therefore drondod man in my employ, chief of the Kroo a very acute brass to a small amount. ho defrauded wished Bottle of Beer, 'd by Ajio, who was y his orders ho was ported to mo I wont what right ho had y, " capture two of ?o weeks, and then release P" ir men were caught assure you they got jrour man, and will und upon him — ha I ly indignation rise* ), ' and replied some- im a white man, and white men have died mted on his fingers, ing three.) "Yes," Africa. 235 Tie said, "three of your brothers have boon killed, and your Queen spoko of rovongo, but who does not think of that. All that she roquiros" (hero ho mimiood the voice of one of our company) " !« plenty of ilo ! " ' Calling to mind the fate of Car and Lander, who were murdered in this vicinity, I calmly ropliod, "Remove your salt from my factory, or liberate my man ! " • " No," said he, " I'll sell him ; but touch my salt and you shall die ! " * Eventually the man is given up, and the trader continues his narrative with many revolting details of tho devilish brutality and refined wickedness of this Icing, who has tho lives of so many human beings absolutely at his mercy. Mr. Colo being in tho very centre of tho diabolical trade, speaks with confidence from his own actual experience, and tho horrors he records are rather too harrowing for ordinary reading. One curious link in tho relationship of degradation between these abominable and absolutely uninteresting Africans, the negroes of Australia, and tho inhabitants of many of tho islands of the South Pacific, is tho cir- cumstance of their having no God. They believe, like the New Zealanders, in some kind of influence exerted by certain powerful spirits (presumably tho ghosts of departed heroes), but there are no idols, no evidence of worship, unless we include tho fetish under that rubric. Along the whole of tho Gold Coast, includ- ing Ashantee, there is a curious belief, namely, that ■■/ ^ # S9BB -T"? i\ 236 Greater England. the Great Spirit, after liaviug created three white and as many black men and women, placed before them a largo calabash and a sealed paper giving to the black race the choice of the two. They took the calabash, which contained gold, iron, and the choicest produc- tions of the earth, but left them in ignorance of their use and application; the paper, on the other hand, instructed the white man in everything, and made him the favourite with the Great Spirit, and gave him that superiority which the negroes readily acknowledge. From this legend it would seem as though the people of this part of the continent had the remnant of some nearly obliterated notion of the Supreme Deity, but they have, notwithstanding, lapsed into the absurdities of fetishism, or the lowest and grossest forms of idolatry, while in the south-east dis- tricts not even this is found. They have an evil prin- ciple of whom they stand in dread; and one of the most solemn ceremonies of many tribes is an assembly of men, women, and children, for the purpose of driv- ing the evil spirit from the towns and villages. Even the Ashantees have no intelligent belief in the future state- kings, priests, and certain other great men are believed to reside after death with the Great Spirit in an eternal renewal of their earthly state, the sacrifice of 80 many human beings on the graves of their kings being intended to supply thc^m with attendants in the other world. The victims, it is affirmed, are not always unwilling, since they will, it is believed, par- h. ■ ! i 1 \ ■Me ^ ,_»/) PU. -^.^ I three wLito and ed before lliom a ving to the black ook the calabash, choicest produc- ignorance of their the other hand, thing, and made Spirit, and gave negroes readily t would seem as ho continent had ited notion of the thstanding, lapsed •r the lowest and the south-east dis- liave an evil prin- . ; and one of the bns is an assembly e purpose of driv- id villages. Even, elief in the future her great men are the Great Spirit in state, the sacrifice ives of their kings dth attendants in 8 affirmed, are not it is believed, par- Africa. 237 take of the superior heaven of their chiefs, their own being at best a release from labour in the house of some inferior fetish. A large number of charms, omens, lucky and unlucky days, and an implicit sub- mission to the fetish, complete the superstition of the Ashantecs. With regard to fetish worship, it is originally hardly idolatry: the principal idea being to present an amulet against the evil influences of the bad spirit. This, of course, is profitable to the priest, rain-maker, and seer, who are great people among the negroes proper. The Caffres had absolutely no idea of God whatever until taught by Christian mis- sionaries ; and although the remark does not apply to the New Zealand images, there is doubtless reason to believe that the ' memorandum fetish ' became a sort of god, as the Russian obraz is certainly worshipped by the peasant, though it is not intended for an idol by either painter or priest in the first instance. Where the power of abstraction ceases to exist, the concrete takes the place in the mind which should be occupied by an abstract idea, the tiSoAov becomes an idol. In Russia a peasant has been known to take down the * ohraz ' or picture of his patron saint, to which he had prayed for fine weather to allow him to get in his hay, and thrash it well because the rain continued. So in Ashantee, and in portions of the negro country, the rude images of persons of distinction, who are supposed to be living after death, may become actual idols. -~^ ./ M 238 Greater England. I need hardly notice tlie derivation of the word fetish from the Latin indirectly through the French, from whom we get it. The Latin is yac^/c/««— arti- ficial, or, ^erha^s, fatidictts, iromfatum and dico. The Portuguese form is feitigo, and the French fetiche. The Caffre, having no god, is of course supersti- tious, and the prophet or seer is a most important member of a Caffre community. He stands in direct rapiwrt with the spirits of the departed, and from them he has received the gift of divination. By this means he is enabled to foretell all kinds of future events, and to see things concealed from the ordinary vision of everyday mortals. If any one is sick the prophet has to decide whether the illness is caused by the anger of the ' spirits ' or not, and also, in that case, what has to be done to propitiate them. The prophets are very clever, and have been able to astonish the missionaries with their arts. Of one a missionary relates that he informed him of what his family were doing 200 miles off, and as it was impos- sible for the conjuror to know anything about the mis- sionary's family the latter was rather staggered. Most likely the interpreter was bribed by the prophet to become the confederate in the trick, and puzzle the missionary. 0\ving to so many adverse causes Anglian thought has had less chance of fair development in Africa than • elsewhere upon the globe. The task of civilising the vast continent devolves upon us. How we are to ac- tion of the word )ugh the French, is facticius — arti- m and dico. The ench. fetiche. f course supersti- i most important 3 stands in direct parted, and from vrination. By this . kinds of future trom the ordinary y one is sick the hiess is caused by I also, in that case, in. id have been able ir arts. Of one a . him of what his 1 as it was impos- ing about the mis- r staggered. Most by the prophet to k, and puzzle the \ t h Afnca. 239 complish it is a delicat- v^uestion, but certainly the blessings of Victorian i.ae should light upon it; we should lose no time in spreading a knowledge of the truths of Christianity over the vast area, and we shoidd place the whole imder English rule as we have done in India. Our beloved Queen would then be Empress of India, Sultana of Africa, Bretwalder of the whole of Anglia (including America, Australia, the Islands, and little Great Britain). But more than all, and higher than all, she woidd be, as indeed she is already, the Queen of Hearts. s Anglian thought ent in Africa than k of civilising the low we are to ac- 240 CHAPTER VI. INDIA. The ordinary course of the history of geographical discovery flows from Portugal or Spain in the first instance. The stream appears then to hurry on through Dutch enterprise and French ambition to English love of commerce and strong desire to colonise. The Portuguese, under the Kings John I., John II., and Emanuel the Great, may be said to open up the channel of the rapid stream. Emanuel came to the throne in 1495, and it occurred to the mind of this enlighten-^d monarch that there must be a more con- V JJait way of bringing the wealth of the Indies to : pe than by transporting it in caravans to the borders of the Caspian Sea and thence to Alexandria, from which place it was transported by the Venetians and Genoese, who thus became themediajval Pickfords, greatly to the increase of the Venetian and Genoese revenues, for the carriers soon became the holders of the precious wares they brought, and, indeed, the only dealers in them. Emanuel, perceiving how these maritime people advanced in wealth and importance, determined to outdo them in their own particular work. He fitted out a smaU fleet to pursue the dis- ~v a VI. ! history of geographical ral or Spain in the first 2ars then to hurry on ind French ambition to i strong desire to colonise. Kings John I., John II., y be said to open up the 1. Emanuel came to the irred to the mind of this lere must be a more con- e wealth of the Indies to Qg it in caravans to the and thence to Alexandria, nsported by the Venetians ae the medieeval Pickfords, he Venetian and Genoese soon became the holders brought, and, indeed, the nuel, perceiving how these In wealth and importance, in their own particular all fleet to pursue the dis- . India. 211 covcrios which had shown the way to the Cape of Good Hope farther afield, until the hope of which that cape gave promise should be realised by giving Europe a new route to India. The Cape was discovered by Diaz, who called it the Cape of Storms, but the first to round this Cape and continue the course to India was Vasco di Giinia, who, after a voyage rich in adventure and full of interest, arrived at Calicut, on the Malabar coast, on the 22nd 3Iay, 1498, ten months and two days after his depar- ture from the Port of Lisbon. At that time Secunder, the son of Beloli, sat on the throne of Delhi, and his viceroy, the Zamorin of Calicut, was astonished to see ships arriving there with persons so diiferent in appearance, dress, and arms from his people. Moreover, these ships had arrived in his dominions by a route hitherto con- sidered absolutely impracticable. At first this sub- king received the new-comers with great politeness and some admiration. Both, however, wore off, and Zamorin began plotting against Vasco and his little band of daring pioneers. Being convinced that the visit of the Portuguese meant conquest, he thought himself justi- fied in using any means to cut tliem off. Vasco di Gama was not the man to be caught napping; he soon showed the Zamorin that he had more than his match in a l*ortuguese admiral. He returned to the Tagus two years after having left, but with a u / ..i.,^^-i^-.^^^.-j -' n ^ -. T 242 %mn m j .%! . ^ ■ t i' :- ' ^fl^'yfffy^ (h'catcr EihiJtintl. terrible loss of men, for out of 148 persons whom lie hud taken out with him only 5) returned. Emanr.?l the Greut now devoted himself heart and soul to the acfjuisition of land and wealth in India. He organized a fresh fleet of thirteen ships greatly superior to those of the first, and gave the command to Prince Alvarez Cabral. This fleet awed the Zamorin into his pristine urbanity, but his good temper again gave way to suspicious fears, causes of quarrel arose, of which the Portuguese knew how to avail them- selves, and Cabral seized upon all the shipping in the harbour. Peace was restored, a station and a factory Avcre instituted, but again troubles arose, the Indians burnt his factory and Cabral burnt their ships, and even succeeded in getting his guns to bear upon the town so as to batter the walls. Of course, before he burnt the ships he took good care to plunder them, rendering the lesson to the Indiansmorc severe, and he departed richer than, he ever expected to become. He sailed to Cochin, also on the 3Ialabar coast, and contrived to set the native princes against the Zamorin of Calicut, and obtain their aid in inflicting^ further punishment. By these means he contrived to return to Europe not only with immense cargoes of valuable Avares, but with three ambassadors from the Malabar princes. On the homeward passage he discovered and took possession of the island of St. Helena. After this Emanuel sent a fleet of twenty ships "N. \ ■ iH pi M P y PWWWf ny ii liii)ii)y stntkc ot' jKilioy tho French possessions in tlie West Indies were fused into one <;riind project — unitinji; their Inf Aryan migrations, but these very names are fidl of historical mcanirig. They tell us how the Teutonic race, the most vigorous and enter- l)rising of the Aryan family, gave the name of the West Indies to the country which, in their woi-ld-com- prising migrations, they imagined to bo India itself ; how they discovered their mistake, and then distin- guished between the East Indies and the West ; how they planted new states in the West, and regenerated the clfcte kingdoms in the East ; how they preached Christianity, and at last practised it by abolishing slavery of body and mind among the slaves of West Indian landholders and the slaves of Brahminical soul- holders, until they greeted at last the very homes from * Lectures on the Science of Lunguaije, By F. Max Miiller, M.A. London: Lonfruiiins, Green, & Co., ]f<8.'>. :i vols. Hvo. Vol.1., p. L'G4. .jlfciiip '}}y n liii]ij)y stinkc ot' 1 in the West Indies were 'ct — iinitiiifi; their Indian isessions. L'U to S113' a word or two in lia, and as 110 anthority on )f words ciin surpass, or isor Max 31iiller, I qiioto bis LutiircH (HI ihv Scicmc e says, ' tf» find the same the West Indies — at the ligrations, but these very 1 meaning. They tell ns most vigorous and enter- y, gave the name of the vhich, in their woi-ld-coni- igined to bo India itself; mistake, and then distin- ndies and the West ; how :he West, and regenerated East ; how they preaehcd ractised it by abolishing imong the slaves of West davcs of lirahminical soul- t last the very homes from guMje. By F. Max Miillur, M.A. J., ]f<8"i. 2 vols. Hvo. Vol.1., I lul'id. 247 •which the Aryan family had started when setting out on their discovery of the world. All this and mueh more may be read in the vast archives of language. The very name of India has a story fo tell, for India is not a native name. W< have it from the Ilomans, the Ilomans from the Gr(>eks, the Greeks from the Persians. And why from the Persians? Because it is only in Persian that an initial S is changed into II, which initial II isnsually dropped in (Jreek. It is ^\\\y in Persian that the country of the Sindhu (xliulliit is the Sanscrit name for river), or of the seven Sindhus. could have been called Ilinda or India, instead of Siudia. Unless the followers of Zoroaster had pronounced every s like // we should never have heard of the West Indies t' Ma.K :Miillcr here attributes the naming of the West Indi(>s to the l-higlish, but certainly Columbus, in discovering San Salvador, imagined that he had dis- covered India by a western passage, and called that island a portion of the Indies. The English had no- thing to do with it for years after, so that the adjective Teutonic is hardly in place hen , for by no stretch of thd imagination Can we call the Spaniards Teutons. With the exception of this little bit of Teutonic zeal, Avhich every German possesses, this extract from Max Miiller's delightful book offers nn interesting solution of an apparentdiHicultyas accurate as it is pleasant reading. A^ain. the Ereneh were the first to unite the ideas of the East and West Indies under one nd)ric, though the French would hardly thank Max Miiller for culling / itrciitev Ki)(/fniii/. 2i8 llicin Toultms. "\V(> m'n^hi, tlirroforo, with all dcfor- ciico to 8u pmit an authority, Hubstiluto the word WcMern for IVutonic; and wt> havo the tnitli, for thoy (•(•rtainly, liko the Spaniards, obtained their nomencla- ture of thih part of Asia from tho llonuuiH, and tho French nanio of their new company— Towz/ww// '>/' ///o /;,,//,,;, '—included both the Kant and West Indies. Ik'tween the years 171!) and 174(», the French had completely and extensively established themselves ou the shores of the Eastern world. But during? the seventeenth century tho English had not been idle, for in 1000 tho merchants of London ob- tuined a (^barter from (iueen Elizabeth conferring' upon them the right of exclusive trade with India for a cer- tain time, and even before that time tho I'ortuguese had learnt to their cost that English and Dutch whips coii/d net together to oppose a conunou enen»y. For though no lovo was lost between tho Dutch and English, they were both I'rotestant nations, and viewed with horror tho atrocities committed by the * Holy Ollice,' as tho Inquisition was styled at Goa, and they united to put down the Portuguese in the East. How much of this was religion and how much commerce it is difficult to say, but whether tho motives which led to the alliance of the Dutch and English were pure or sordid, their subsequent hatred was sincere enough. The first fleet lilted out by the British East India Company sailed under the command of Captain James Lancaster on the 0th of June, 1C02 ; they were well / llicroforo, with all dcfcr- ity, Hubstiluto the word > havo till! truth, lor they ohtiiiiKMl their iioiiifiicla- Mu tlu' ru)iuun.s, and tho iiiil)any — ' ('oni/uiiii/ of f/ir Kust and >N'i'Ht Iudii.'s. il 174(», tho Frciu-h hud 'stablislud thcms'.'Ives on orid. h century the English had I mcrchantH of Lonchm ob- Klizabeth oonforrinjj; upon radc with India for a cor- it tiino tho I'ortugueso had lish and Dutch whips coiiM inion enemy. For though Dutch and English, they i, and viewed with horror the • Holy Ollice,' as tho )a, and they united to put East. IIow much of this commerce it is difficult to s which led to the alliance Here pure or sordid, their 3re enough. by the British East India nnmand of Captain James me, 1C02 ; they were well Illi/lH. ID received by tho nativt; princes to whom thoy addressed themselves. Tliey letuiiuMl with a valualde earg(. of spices to the Thames in Hil>;5. Other voya-vs loUowed. and. to the annoyance of the Dutch, the Kn-lish were .•minently successful in their enterprises. An alliance was ,>ntered into by tho Dutch with their old enemies the I'ortiiguose to attack tho English, with whom they never couhl agree for long under any eircunistaiices. Ill mil, four st(mt ships, under the coiiimaiid of Cap- tain Best, sailed for India and estaljlished a factory at Surat. The rortuguese with a powerful fleet, aided by their Dutch allies, attempted tho task of driving tho Knglish out of India. Best, however, defeated their uiiiUHl riects, in lOl'i he inflicted a severe di'fi«at on the Dutch alone, and in 1014 returned to England loaded with riches and glory. In KVJJ the Dutch »luito distanced b(jth Spaniards and rortuguese in an act, or series of acts, of inhuman baib.irities on tho island of Amboyna. But they were no gainers by it in tho end, and English influence steadily increased until the factory at Fort William, now Calcutta, threw both Portuguese and Dutch into the shade. In the year 1001, a now charter was granted by Charles II. with tho addition of many new and valu- nblo privileges. At this time, too, a great addition to Knglish influence was acquired in the transfer of Bombay from the Portuguese Government to English rule. It was ceded as a part of the marriage portion of tho Infanta, daughter of the King of Portugal, when • '250 Greater Eiv/land. she espoused Charles II. By Clit-rles the island, fort. and harbour were all transferred to the East India Company for ever. A new settlement was formed by this Compary at Madras, on tlie eastern side of tlu> peninsula. Fort William was constructed, and very soon English perseverance promised to drive all com- petitors out of the field. Unfortunately, however, the English, in seeking alliance with native princes, incurred, according to Indian custom, the obligation of aiding them in their petty wars one upon the other. This was an clement of weakness, and, added to the increasing enmity of the French, threatened to put an eml to English rule in India, for a trial of strength between those rival nations on the Indian soil resulted in defeat of the English and consequent loss of consideration among the Hindus, who naturally attached themselves to the stronger party us the one best able to fight their battles. Indeed, the losses of the English were terrible. Madras was taken in 1746, and had to be ransomed for 440,000/. The English ships sent out to protect the factories were defeated by a French fleet under ^l. Bourdonnais, and English prestige was dead in India. Still wc took part in the terrible war in the Deccun, when the Nawab of Arcot was opposed by his nephew, Masuffir Jung, supported by the French, who gave him men and artillery, the English taking the part of the true Nawab. The question now arose whether the future of India was to be in the hands of (/lam/. Chfvles the island, fort, ■rred to the East ln(U;i ttlemont was formed by I tlie eastern side of the ;is constructed, and very oniised to drive all coni- the English, in seeking' , incurred, according to 1 of aiding them in their r. This Avas an element » increasing enmity of the 1 end to English rule in letween those rival nations in defeat of the English eration among the Hindus, elves to the stronger party heir battles. e English were terrible, lid had to be ransomed for IS sent out to protect the a French fleet under M. estige Avas dead in India, rrible war in the Deccaii, is opposed by his nei^hew, y the French, who gave I English taking the part aestion now arose whether to be in the hands of India. 251 France or England, the advocates on either side beino- Duploix and Clive. These two champions were oppo'^ed, not openlv as French against English on the field of battle, but as allies of the intriguing, mur- dering, warring Nawab and Nizam. Dupleix was as clever an intriguer as any Indian, and both Nawab and Nizam were properly speaking his puppets. Without going into the particulars of the great Indian squabble, ^et us rather observe the action of Clive in deciding the bahince of power in favour of England. He saw to what point the few English troops in the Deccan should be moved, and he suc- ceeded in moving them thither. With 200 Euro- peans and 300 Sepoys he set out on the memorable undertaking, and seldom indeed has any commander moved any troops under less favourable auspices. He himself was no< a soldier to begin with, but a clerk in the civil service of the Company. His officers were few in number — eight or ten - and of that number half only had enjoyed any military train- ing; the other half consisted of clerks who ichigned the pen for the sword on the chance of a successful issue bringing them actual rank. He was informed on his march that Arcot was hopelessly in the hands of the enemy, whoso numbers were superior to his by more than two to one. On the ofner hand, the A; cot garrison had heard that Clive's force had marched with perfect unconcern through a terrible storm of lightning and rain, which proof of 252 Greater England. English daring so dismayed tlicm that they retreated to a eamp some distance from the fort, which the British force entered unopposed. Here they fomxd eight gmis with plenty of ammunition. Clive now laid himself out to st.nd a siege; hut the garrison-which had deserted it. post-now large y reinforced, threatened to storm the citadel. At the dead of night Clivo sallied out, attacked the camp, s ow many, dispersed the rest, and returned to the fort without losing a man. _ How he defeated tlie forces hrought against him at Arcot is to be found in any history of India-it is one of the most interesting pieces of Indian history th'it can b^ read. Success followed on success, and the crowning and judicious acts of overthrowing the monu- xnent of victory raisedhy Dupleix at Futihabad, and the destruction of that city for having sheltered Dupleix, were the means of completely overawing the native population. But war is an expensive amusement to the non- comhating, paving nation, however agreeable a stimu- lant to the warrior. Both France and England weie tired of the Indian war ; Dupleix was recalled, rmned, and died of a broken heart. Clive was now opposed to a still more formidable foe-the Surrajah u Daula, who was the bitterest enemy of the English in the East. He sought a pretext for .luarrol, which was very soon found. A ^^^ ^ ; xnan, whose wealth this monster coveted, had taken and. em that they retreated a. the fort, whicli the ,ed. Here they found nunition. to stiiud a siege; hut ?d iti-. post— now hirgcly tn the citadel. At the attacked the camp, slew ;1 returned to the fort es hrought against him y history of India— it is )iecc3 of Indian history owed on success, and the overthrowing the monu- eix at Futihahad, and the aving sheltered Diipleix, ly overawing the native amusement to the non- )wever agreeable a stimu- i'rance and England Avere pleix was recalled, ruined, a still more forraidablo rho was the bitterest enemy lie sought a pretext for on found. A certain rich ouster coveted, had taken India. 253 refuge at Calcutta, and thrown himself upon the pro- tection of the Governor. The Nawab insisted on the fugitive being given up, but the Governor • refused to part with him. He then demanded that the fortifica- tions should be destroyed, but the Governor did not accede to his request. We should have expected something of this Gover- nor, after bearding the Indian prince so boldly, but when the latter advanced 50,000 strong upon Cal- cutta, which had really no forts Avorth speaking of, and was quite defenceless, he slipped away to the ships as soon as the guns began to play on the town ! I am glad to say that he took the Avomen with him, as well as the children, but there Avas plenty of room in the boats for the soldiers of the garrison too, and these, to his eternal disgrace, he left behind. It Avas a bad business. In the absence of Drake, the Governor, Mr. Hohvell admitted the flag of truce Avhich Surrajah u Daula sent. As soon as the Indians bearing it were admitted the rest followed, rushing through the gates and disarming everyone. The Surrajah made for the treasury, and Avas fearfully wrath at finding only about 50,000/. He assured Mr. Ilolwell, how- ever, that no harm Avas intended to the prisoners, and so he Avent to his repose. Without asking what Avaa to be done with them, his officers thrust these prisoners, 146 in niunber, into a cell about tAventy feet square, Avith only one Avindow in it, Avhich had been used to imprison the most refractory soldiers;. mmmUimtmm Il fcj l .f'M' Greater EiKjIaud. 254 It was in the full heat of the nnclsinnmor of India, which is already a trying thing' to bear even when a .nanhasthe advantage of a punkah in his bungulow and the Inxiu'v of large open window, (unglazed), and can sit and sip sangaree at his leisure, but 146 crushed together in one stilling oven ! To any one who has been in India the idea is maddening. The horrors _ef that Blaek Hole will never be forgotten as long as his- torv is read. „ . , n i u Of the unfortunate vietims of this frightful eruelty only sixteen ever eanie out alive, and they died almost immediately after. But tyrants arc generally as cowardly as they are cruel, and the eruelty of the Surrajah was aeeompamed by a weakness of purpose which gave Clive consider- able advantage. He was actually applied to by this very man to help him against the Persians under INadir Shi, who was desolating Delhi. Clive took advan- taoe of this to attack Chandernagore, which then be- lom^ed to the French, whom Clive drove out after a bnn-e defence. And when the city had been won for England the Surrajah sent an order to Clive not_t_c> attack it. Chandernagore fell into our hands in Uo> . When his success was complete Clive observed \\ e cannot stop here.' And, indeed, we have been advanc- ins ever since. ■, . r^^• The Surrajah u Daula had so many wiles that Clive thought it well to beat him with his own weapons, but this was no easy task. The power of overcommg the and. ^ nnclsuininor of India, ; to bear oven when u nkah in liis bungalow indoAN-i (nnglazcd), and cisure, but 146 ciusliod To any one who ba» cning. The horrors ef orgottcn as long- as his- ,f this frightful cruelty e, and they died almost as cowardly as they are irrajah was accompanied ch gave Clive considcr- lally applied to by this he Persians mider Nadir ;lhi. Clivc took advan- rnagore, which then bo- Clive drove out after a c city had been won for n order to Clive not to into our hands in 1757. etc Clive observed, 'We ed, we have been advanc- . so many wiles that Clivc ith his own weapons, but power of overcoming the Im/iir. 255 ( h'iontals by sheer force of arms is ours, but wo wore no match for them in intriguing, and the Nawab soon saw through Clivc when ho descended to Oriontalism. A largo, well-apiiointed army, under the conunand of the Nawab in person, vras now collected at Plassy, the numbers of the troops being at least twenty times greater than any body ot: men Clive could bring to the field. Clive, for the first time in his life, sum- moned !i council ; it was the last also, ' and if he had taken its advice the Euglisli would never have been m;isters of Bengal. He determined to act in direct ojjposition to their decision, and marched against over- wliehning odds. Here his sword was as successful as liis wiles had been failures, but after hi^ victory, re- turning to his princijile of meeting trickery by tricks, ho lost some of the ground gained by the sjilendid success at Plassy, But the sword reinstated him again, and he may bo regarded as the man to whom we owe the delivery of India from French military despotisui and Butch intrigue. His prompt and active measures against those nations were the cause of the downfall of their l)olitical influence in the country. The East India Company had become, by the mere force of circumstances, a governing power. Origin- ally nothing more than an association of English mer- chants, they were compelled, in order to protect their factories and enlarge their sphere of usefulness, to ally themselves with their Hindu neighbours. Their m 25G Create)' Enijlaml. course was precisely the opposite to that pursued by our ancestors in the conquest of Britain. The consequence was that the fusion led to disorders and disaffection of all kinds, proving the wisdom of the old Odinic law, that his champions should not mix with their conquered foes. Clive had been raised to the peerage on his return to England, but he was soon required back again in India, where he sought to carry out his famous scheme of governing the country by a fusion of the Company with the Government of the great Mogul. This, as is known to all students of Indian history, laid the people of India open to unchecked spoliation, it was u system worse for them than the most outrageous Mogul despotism. The revenues derived from the soil went to enrich the Directors and their civil servants, dive's scheme proved the curse of India in almost every respect. It produced dissatisfaction, anarchy, and hopeless loss to the land, imtil the lot fell on Warren Hastings to cleanse the Augean stable. In 1771 he was appointed to the government of Bengal, and he began his reforms by abolishing the system by which the natives had been so ruthlessly pillaged. ICo abolished the dual or twin system by which the East India Company had worked together with the Indian rajahs, nizams, nawabs, and naibs, in one common attack upon the vitals of the people. These native princes, viceroys, and deputies were, properly speaking, in the English pav. They were paid or pensioned to help the English to pluck the Hindu. Every man and. to that pursued by our -ain. The consequeiuc rs and disaffection of all he old Odinic luAV, that th their conquered foes. ) peerage on his return required back again in r out his famous scheme fusion of the Company great Mogul. This, as ndian history, laid the jcked spoliation, it was m the most outrageous les derived from the soil and their civil servants, irse of India in almost dissatisfaction, anarchy, d, imtil the lot fell on the Augean stable. In jrovevnment of Bengal, abolishing the system by ruthlessly pillaged, lie ystem by which the East to"-ether with the Indian L naibs, in one common be people. These native 5 were, properly speaking, rere paid or pensioned to the Hindu. Every man IncHa. 267 (except, perhaps, the officers of the Company's army) sought only his own interest; his only ambition was to grow rich, and each was a sort of civilian buccaneer. The drain on India became enormous. I Fastings was advised to do everything for the good of the natives, to countenance no wrong, exert no oppression, and, in general, to act the part of a good and great man sent on a benevolent mission to reform and civilise the land, hut (and if there be virtue in an if, how much lies in a but ?), anyhow, ho was to send home money — honestly, if he could ; then comes in the l)Ht again. Whether he was not successful in obtaininff cnouffh to gratify the greed at home or whether the part ho took in the wretched Eohilla War deservedly lost him the confidence of the English, certain it is that his influence began to decline after that atrocious piece of unprincipled conduct. He was subject to the direct and steady opposition of his colleagues in the Council. The disorders between the native tribes, the Mahrattas, the Rohillas, &c., were as nothing in their baleful effect upon the land of India as the sudden introduction of English law amongst people wholly incapable of re- ceiving it. The reign of the kings had passed awaj', but the reign of the judar. Then came a coalition between Hyder Ali, the iS'izum AH, and the M vbrattas, which had for its aim simultaneous attacks upon the three English settlements in Eombay, Madras, and Bengal. -W--A, Greater Emjltmd. 258 Thi. rUtag w«. at fir.t Bucocssful, and W not Ha. n« thJn all tho vigom- of Im n,ind ,n.o m »u,.- pru,n wo .Wd havo lost ovcy -'Ib-J F-^ ^ In India. IK. mcaBnres woro vigoron,, and ho wa ^^d „"ded by bU old friend, Sir Eyro Cootc, wbo doica cd Hvdt^U at ro-to Novo in 17»0. Wi.b g.eat *=c.»,on and marvcUou. courago l.o overcamo Cboyto b ng at bIvc, and added hi, territory to tho Iiri..A domm,o„,. ? " t tho hor»>.lccch cry in England for more, more Lre money, Ila.ting, and tho infamon, jndge S » Eliiah Impey, agreed to rob two princesses, called tho f 1 f J dl These ladies were falsely accnsed of havC cansed the insurrec. ion at Benares. But demands trrtiU ins.atiablc; the .cnindars ka* to sc^w down tU„ poor, while the upper classes of Enghsh officul endcLured to reduce the rich to poverty. Indra . hundred years ago must have been an improvmg plac. rthetildsof^bCh English and Indian In,— The tone of society in our big towns was low. Hastmgs !': a gambler and a voluptuary The^- no that broad principle of high moral one tha , n the fifth century, raised the pagan Englishman abve he Christian Briton. In India tho paf"!'"''" " ■'»' morally, not lower than the conquermg Christian. m n Hastings left and Oornwallis had become Governor in his stead, a plan was tried for raismg ^„rby regarding the zemindars or tax-collectors as raetud landholders of India, and tUey were thu ^o be personally answerable not only for all kmds oi im J ktnd. icccssful, and liad not of his mind into its sup- ivcry vestige of prestigo gorous, and lie was well ^rre Coote, wbo defeated 80. With great decision rcrcamc Cheytc Sing at to the liritish dominions. England for more, more, ;ho infamous judge, Sir Avo princesses, called tho s were falsely accused of ■ at Benares. But demands indars had to screw down asses of English officials ich to poverty. India a been an improving place I and Indian inhabitants ! ;• towns was low. Hastings Iptuary. There was not 1 moral tone that, in the ■an Englishman above tho a the pagan Hindu was, e conquering Christian. ,d Cornwallis had become t)lan was tried for raising mindars or tax-collectors as ndia, and they were thus to )t onlv for all kinds of im- India. 259 provcmcnts in the country, but for the money which had to bo sent to England. This collapsed the zemindars, whidi was a benefit rather too dearly purchased by tho result. The ryots or farmers were ruined and tho zemindars could find no money anywhere, they therefore became bankrupt, their lands were sold, and purchased by native bankers, so that in a very brief space two- thirds of tho soil of Bengal was in the hands of uU sorts of capitalists who could buy, but as they were all absentees they produced more distress than can well be imagined. Then arose the monster called the 'Ticca- darec' system. The absentee lot his lands at a per- manent quit-rent to any one Avho might be willing to take them on the chance of squeezing a sufficient revenue out of the ryots, the absentee being indifferent to everything but his love of gain, which was thus largely gratified. The Mogul masters of the unfortunate peasantry were less terrible to them than we were M-ith this abominable system, which has reduced the Indian farmer to more fearful poverty than those who gauge affliction by the miseries of the ' East End ' will ever be able to dream of. The simple, unoffending Hindu, needing but a little rice as his food, was by this system robbed even of that. Better far the sword of the ■ English pagan of the fifth centurj^ which only cleared the way, by cutting down the bodies of the inferior race, for a broader field of culture for themselves. They were warriors; we were traders, hiring the bayonets not- m -*— Aii n«|iMiB^— 2G0 drenter Emjlaml ,,Uy of our own couulryiuon, but of the poovlo of Xc soil, to gain from that soil its all w.tU no '■^Tim not cWn,rWuwallls with thi^criu..^^ aid not understand iho true functum ^ ^ ^^^ us a nKU-e tax.gatlu>ror. He meant well, and m the ^:i:^ration of justice showedhim^lf to be. .^^ and great man. His courts of appeal were excelWt, and the measure by which every person charged .u h a evin^e could demand speedy justice -^oad of^^^^^^^^^ kept in prison till he died, was an innovation that ^^c, arc surprised at finding necessary. When llyder Ali died he was succeeded b> his son Tippoo. known as Tippoo Sahib. This prince was the very incarnation of cruelty. That the Indums should hate us for what had been effected under the rule o CI e and Warren Hastings was perfectly natural, but the natural ill-will to the conqueror was expres^dm an almost supernatural way by Tippoo. Ho Nas u Mahometan, and added the rancour of r^.^^^ to the other elements of dislike of our rule. 11 oimecl an alliance with the French, and threatened the Mah- rattaa and English alike. To check the French and to extinguish Tippoo ^ere the chief objects of Lord Mornington s mission Tippoo sent envoys to the Mauritius, proposing to the French Government the entire extinction of the Eng- lish in India, and he was prepared to welcome Napoleon Bonaparte, who had arrived in Egypt, with open arms. I and. but of the pcoplo of soil its all with no is with this crime. Ho nctiou ot tho zoiniudiir ncaiit well, and in the od hiniscH to 1)0 a good I appeal wore excellent, y person charged with a usticc, instead of being a un innovation that we ivy. vas succeeded by his son lib. This prince was the That the Indians should Efccted under the rule of ras perfectly natural, but nqueror was expressed in by Tippoo. Ho was u ancour of religious hatred of our rule. He fomed and threatened tho Mah- nd to extinguish Tippoo lOrd Mornington's mission. Iilauritius, proposing to the ;ire extinction of the Eng- parcd to welcome Napoleon in Egypt, with open arms. India. 261 II A French fleet Avaa reported sailing down tho Red Sea on its way to the Malabar coast. Lord Mornington Hont Colonel Doveton to deniand a full explanatioji from Tipjjoo, who gave evasive replies, lveei)ing Ihc English in play while ho was all tho time urging i\w French to help him, and calling on tho Afghans to make common cause uguinst the I'lnglish. At last war broke out, and Tippoo was forced to retire to Serin gapatam, after a severe defeat, 3Iarch ^*7th, 1799. Tho town was stormed and taken. Tho soldiers had been exasijcrated by Tippoo's cruelties to his English prisoners, who Avcrc invariably tortured, and his body was found pierced with bayonet wounds under the chief gate. I remember seeing a plaything of his which used to afford him special deliglit. This was an organ in the shajic of a Bengal tiger standing over the figure of a fallen Sepoy. On turning a handle tho tiger growled and raised his fore-paw, while the soldier groaned horribly. There was a door in the tiger's side which, when raised, disclosed a series of keys like those of a jjianoforte. By touching these Tippoo could modulate tho growls and tho groans to please his ear by the various notes of suffering thus produced. This pretty toy was sent to tho museum at the India House in Leadenhall Street, but where it is now I do not know — I believe it is somewhere in London. After the fall of Tippoo the possessions of tho English in India increased immenselv. Lord Moni- "3 t : . 2G2 (Ircatc)' EiKjIttinl. iu^tdii, lifter tlio takinj? of Son'i»f>;iii)atimi, hud been crt'iiU'd Manjiiis of AVolkvsloy, and V\x I'olicy was to mako all thi' luitivo priiiccs tvibutarv to J'liif^Iand. Tboy (,'ould not nuiki war on (.-ach otlui witliout our consent, nor could tliey enii)l()V in their Hcrvico any EurojKiins without tho ponni.sNiou ol' tho English. Each of the larp;er wtates was to ni;iiiitaiii a I'orco <»Hici>rod hy Englishnion, for whose* nuiintonaufe and pay It'iuitDry was to bo ceded. Ikit Lord AVolleslcy wui not yet satisfied, ][o was a thorough sfoidier, and ^a\v wliat tho French under Naijoleon mipjxl do, and what the Afghans, thi^ Mah- rattas, and other tribes, might accon>i)lish. A (tliief of one of these put himself under tho protection oi T^ord Wellesley, and in the most abject manner promised to !^ivo up cverj^thing in his possession if only he were protected from his enemies. IIo cseajMd from these enemies to an English ship, and pretended the greatest confidence in English protection. All tho time ho was intriguing with Sindia and tho lihonslu Hajah to deliver him from the British yoke. A force was sent to conduct him from Ijussein to Poonah, and Colonel Arthur Wellcslcy, afterwards Duko of ^yellington, and brother of the Governor-General, was advancing to support him. He, us well as his brother, was dis- gusted with the insincerity of these people all round, and hti told them that if they really meant friendship to England they had better show it by A\ithdrjiwing their troops. Ml mi, hud been I'olicy was to to J'liif^Iiiiid. V Avitliout, our v (service uny tlu) I'lii^lisli. iitiiiu a I'orco iuteiiuiife und fled, llo wuH French under luns, the ^lah- li. A cliief of ction o; Lord or promised to only lie were d from the.so hI the greatest the time he mslu Rajnh to force was Hcnt I, und Colonel fc' Wellington, vas advancing ather, was dis- ple all round, ■ant friendship ' A\ithdrawing m * • • • IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-S) 1.0 I.I ■-112^ ■ 50 "^ 2.5 1.8 1-25 III 1.4 nil 1.6 A Z ^ci ^ m -?'r?ii4^M-^Tai ^^^v^^^i?v^^- India. 263 Then began the series of splendid actions which alone would have raised Colonel Wellesley as the genius who saved India to the highest rank of generals. I Jut neither he nor his brother were understood. The vile chandler - shop policy, which sinks us so low, obtained at home with the Directors of the Com- pany, while the brothers saw that a more association of merchants was not the proper ruling power to sustain a mighty nation like India. Their represen- tations were not understood by the money-craving Directors, and yet India was saved to us by these two grand men. What the shop-counter was losing to us was saved by the sword. It is only a further illustration of my position that the only way to deal with inferior nations is by force. Thev never understand kindness in the first instance, they are always suspicious until they know that you are not kind to them with a view of getting the advan- tage over them. When they recognise the power of their superior they accept kindness gratefully, but, before their complete subjection kindness— at least, weakness— is insane folly. No one is more sensible to kindness than u Hindu, no servants are better, when they have once recognised their master, than they. I have never had occasion to be dissatisfied with my servants in India, and I have never bullied them. My valued friend, General Sir James Alex- ander, who served fifty years in India, has told mo some touching tales of the self-devotion of his servants *-^' '.'iMi ■i jiw*i^ i l iM »rfrt> irti w a&iJMiii^^ '^ "■• --•riiiiTigrf_L JGi Greater England. l;< mi. t * - during tlie Mutiny. Sir James is ono of tbu kindest men I know, but certainly one of the firmest. "We have been forced by circumstances into em- pire, and the anomaly of empire in tbo bands of a mercantile company was made apparent in tbo disas- trous mutiny of 1857, wbicb led to tbo abolition of the rule of tbe Company and the direct government of tbe empire by our Queen. Tbe mask of commerce is tbrown off, and tbe Indians arc free and bappy. Tbe injudicious acts of sucb men as Clivc and Corn- wallis are now rendered impossible by tbe wise pro- vision that India is governed by ber own laws. Instead of crusbing tbe ryots to enricb a few mer- cbants, tbe present system provides justice for all, and tbe people are learning to govern tbemselves. One great use of tbe Mutiny was tbat it taugbt tbe Indians our power, and taugbt us to use it. Tbcy were so tborougbly subdued as to feel tbat we can afford to be kind, and to attribute our wisb to serve tbem to its real motive. Missionaries may now go and teacb tbe Brabmins (tbougb many migbt with advantage learn from them), for there is now no idea of ulterior political motives behind their work. The Hindus are rather proud of tbo liberty they enjoy under Victoria, and arc not, with all their pride of caste, averse to being treated quite on an equality with those who have shown themselves their superiors and masters. Another grand result of the Mutiny was the I •jsfeiiwiSii'; of thu kindest •mest. inccs into em- the hands of a it in the disas- lio abolition of [>ct government sk of commerce roe and happy. Dlivo and Corn- Y the wise pro- ber own laws, ich a few mer- justice for all, n themselves. s that it taught to use it. They Del that we can ur wish to serve les may now go any might with here is now no hind their work, the liberty they , Avith all their ited quite on an liown themselves Mutiny was the India. 2GI cessation of the IMogul Empire. It Is noteworthy, and shows how far-sighted that policy was which contrived the unification of India, that the empire there is not called the English Empire, but the Empire of India. Her Majesty is Empress of India, not of England, and the Indians are under her rule happier now than they ever have been. By the judicious action of not interfering with their religious observances, and giving them at the same time absolutely the same amount of freedom as we possess here, they have no cause of quarrel ; the only danger threatening our peace and theirs is in the north, where Russian intrigue is preparing the way for fresh troubles. That this is no chimera I can avouch, for I have been openly told in Russia that the ' spoils of India should be fairly shared.' It may be objected that my statement of the right granted to the Indians to preserve their ancient re- ligious customs is imtrue, inasmuch as the horrible custom of suttee has been abolished. The cause of the abolition lies deeper than human law or human custom, it lies in * Lnnr/udf/c ' — the new science so grandly championed by the indefatigable worker, Max Miiller. The Brahmins of India are among the most learned men breathing. Their studies lead them rather to ab- stract than to concrete matters ; in fact, to them the body is nothing in comparison with the value of the soul; they are therefore prepared to mortify the body by 4 ■wi ll I I I uli ii i Ti iiii i ii iii i i i. i ... iategrtgaaifei/ " iJ^^PT^rr'yp'ffff^iff'i^^lTl'?*?^'!!"' 266 (Greater England. the endurance of the most frightful tortures if by bear- ing them they may regain custo. Their religion is the remnant of an ancient faith brought down to the apprehension of man by appealing to his outward senses through the medium of symbols, so carefully employed, as to give on the first perusal merely a story or precept or rhapsody, apparently very simple but really very profound in its teaching. Besides these legends and talcs of the gods, we find in the vcdas, as these sacred books are called, precepts for the mode of life to bo followed by the true Brahmin, and these are given in the ancient Sanscrit language, which was already a dead language four thousand years ago. In one of these, the Rig Veda, a passage is found, on the authority of which thousands of wretched women have been burnt alive on the same pyre on Mhich the body of the dead husband was 'incremated.' The passage has been read:— ' Let these women not be widowed ; good wives adorned with collyrium holding clarified butter in their hands, consign tliemselves to the fire. Immortal souls, not childless, not husbandless, well adorned with gems,' let them pass into the fire, whose original element il water.' This tremendous ordinance is nothing but a foul misapprehension of the actual meaning of the original, and quite at variance with the mild, benevolent tone of the vedas, and with the gentle, humane character of the Brahmins, which is reflected in the spirit of the ■ '■T*9;?FWp'|f^iJ^',|flj,W(",'ii f^\ higland. Jghtf 111 tortures if by bcar- custo. Their religion is t faith brought down to ajipealing to his outward of symbols, so carefully irst perusal merely a story parently very simple but teaching. id tales of the gods, we ! sacred books are called, to bo followed by the true « in the ancient Sanscrit ly a dead language four of these, the Rig Veda, a bority of which thousands leen burnt alive on the dy of the dead husband ago has been read; — »e widowed ; good wives ig clarified butter in their the fire. Immortal souls, , well adorned with gems, •hose original clement is :c is nothing but a foul meaning of the original, mild, benevolent tone of ;le, humane character of 3ted in the spirit of the India. 267 Rig Veda, and in the Vedic ceremonial, according to which the wife accompanies the body to the funeral pile, but there she is addressed with a verse taken from the Rig Veda, and ordered tq take leave of her hus- band and return to the land of the living: — ' Rise up woman, come to the world of life, thou sleepest nigh unto him whose life is gone ! Come to us. Thou hast fulfilled the duties of a wife to the husband who took thee by the hand and made thee mother.' This verse is preceded by the very one which the later Brahmins have falsified and turned to support the horrible custom which they invented, a verso wdiich properly does not apply to the widows at all, but to other women who assist at the ceremonj' of burning tho dead, and should be translated thus: — ' May those Avomen who are not widows, but have good husbands, draw near with oil and butter. Those Avho are mothers may go up first to the altar, without tears, without sorrow, decked with fine pearls.' The words, ' Mothers may go up first to the altar,' in Sanscrit — * A rohantu ganayo yonim agre,' and this has been changed by the Brahmins into the inhumam : — 'A rohantu ganayo yonim agneh,' meaning to go up into the fire ! Great as the difference in meaning is, it is due to the slight change produced by the substitution of n for r, and tho addition of an aspirate, by which agrc is changed to (Kjneh, a change very easily made by the scribe, for the 268 (ircater Emjlanil. characters in the Devunagari alphabet for the com- binations g>' and gn arc very similar in appearamv, while the msertion of tlic two dots marking an aspirate was a simple clerical error. This terrific blunder was discovered in England and put before the Brahmins so strongly that they could not but admit the accuracy of the correction. Wo had promised to rule according to their laws, and hero was one of their laws with a new reading whicli we undertook to administer ; thus the innovation was in fact a restoration of the more ancient and more correct text. It reconciled an apparent discrepancy, for how was the woman to take leave of the burning body if she leapt into the flames with it ? Farther on are some regulations for her subsequent conduct in life, which would have been absurd to note if she were burned. The abolition became law with very little trouble. If the Queen's reign as Empress of India had effected no more than this, it alone would have stamped that reign with a mark beyond all other signs of greatness. Iho Brahmin is a philosopher. His every act is regulated by some religious or philosophical dictum. He is much as he was thousands of years ago as to his outward form and observances, but in many of his opinions he is in advance of the rest of the world notwithstanding the tremendous antiquity of his views' Upwards of five centuries before the Christian era he was busy investigating the science of language, a study which we have only just commenced. xL-^-i^-. ,'*iii^;sj£;;^,^a^::^j|Y ' n alphabet for tho com- ry similar in appearance, dots marking an aspirate IS discovered in England ns so strongly that they curacy of the correction, uording to their laws, and nth a new reading whicli hus tho innovation was in ancient and more correct I'cnt discrepancy, for how 3 of the burning body if it ? Farther on are some at conduct in life, which lote if she were burned, h very little trouble. If !ss of India had effected v'ould have stamped that other signs of greatness, jpher. His every act is or philosophical dictum, ds of years ago as to his es, but in many of his the rest of the world, IS antiquity of his views, ore the Christian era he nee of language, a study lenced. India. 209 Language was declared by the Brahmins to be a <''od, which is only saying in other words that it never was created or invented by man. To this view wc arc only just slowly and reluctantly coming. They paid it divine honours, saying that it was Brahmi the wife of Brahma, one in essence Avith him, though different in person. By her instrumentality everything was formed at the wish of Brahma. This myth was known many centuries before tho Christian era, and yet it tells tho same truth that wo have learnt through our inspired Avord, for it agrees marvellously with the assertions: — 'By the word of His mouth were tho heavens made,' and ' In tho beginning was the word, and the word was with God.' When wo reflect that the writers of our Gospels had not the slightest connexion with the Brahmins, and were most likely unacquainted with the existence of such people or of such a country as India, it must strike us as very remarkable liat t\.o such different cultes could teac?\ tho same truth in different ways according to the medium through Avhich it had to flow. Does it not point to a still more remote revelation of Divine wisdom to man in the remote past, and in the remote East? Those truths when first, communicated to man were clothed in fitting congruous symbols perfectly representing them, and accurately corresponding to them by a harmonic law. When men fell away from Divine love, Divine truth became obscure and a grotesque system of symbolisation was Tuiisa^m 270 Greater Enijhiml. tho result, [ind this fiirthor dpscondod to idolatry. When the spirit wus fled tho corpse of tho doctrine was worshipped. The Christian dispensation wus a gracious con- descension to man's level by the Divine, which became manifested in flesh on earth, and this glorious descent is darkly foreshadowed in the Brahminical teachings. Ono of tlie avatars of Vishnoo is in th(^ form of a man, called * Khristnu,' At a certain period effigies of him and his mother are exhibited in the streets of Indian towns. When I first arrived at Bombay I saw such an exhibi- tion in the streets of that town, and not knowing much about Indian mythology in those days, I thought tho figures were identical with those I had seen at Cologne of the Virgin Mother with our Saviour on her lap. The same female figure, clad in blue with the infant on her lap, each with a nimbus ! Christianity is strongly confirmed by these awful prophecies from the far back past. Truth was perceived countless ages ago, and prophesied in the mystic language of tho time. The intimate connexion of the idea of language with the idea of religion is shown by the myth of Brahmi, the wife of Brahma ; but besides this there are remarkable doctrines, not generally known even in India, connecting the two ideas. Thus the vowels are supposed to have a peculiar life and spirit within them. ' A,' for example, represents the principle of pure love ; hence its presence in such fulness in the name of the god Brahma. ' I ' represents motion, or life ; hence •/, ;■ intl. >scon(lo(l to idolatry, orpso of the doctrino wus a gracious eon- Divine, wl'ich became this glorious descent is linical teachings. One ; form of a man, called effigies of him and his •cots of Indian towns. I saw such an oxhibi- ind not knowing much e days, I thought the I had seen at Cologne r Saviour on her lap. jlue with the infant on hristianity is strongly 3cic8 from the far back untless ages ago, and age of the time, the idea of language hown by the myth of but besides this there snerally known even in Thus the vowels arc ind spirit within them, principle of pure love ; ss in the name of the notion, or life ; hence l)i/«» activity is Urahnii. '0' is the emblem of wisdom rather than love, and * IT ' is power. If we apply this to other systems, wo lind it of extreme use in giving us an idea of the value of eortaiu teachings M'hich wo pass over in general as trivial. In the Iioman mythology derived from the Greek, we find the mo.st popular deity called * Jove,' denoting a feeling of reverence for wisdom rather than love. Jupiter gives the idea of power. In the Odinic wor- ship, Odin was a god of wisdom, hence tlic chief vowel in his name. In the inspired books of the Jews, forming our Bible, we meet Avith the name of the Divine Being only once, and then it is given as J.\ii. Here the root vowel is so holy that it has to be guarded, not by two consonants as is usual, but by a semi-vowel and an aspirate. The vowels were too holy in the eyes of the Jews to permit of their being written at all. "When the idea of love in the Divine gave place to the idea of wisdom as its superior, the name for the Deity became Jehovah where the root is o, while c and a, or power and love, occur only in the prefix and suffix. Bearing this in mind, the assertion by the Divine voice in the Revelation, ' I am the A and the S2,' as- sumes altogether a new meaning. It tells us that the Divine is the first principle of love and the last of wisdom, hence the be all and end all of life and hope ! This is something higher than merely using those two letters, as wc might say the A and the Z, because they hapjien to be the first and last of the alphabet. ■ J l l l l. 272 'w^y»w»- ""i | iii> ] n I n il i j n I II m, m il .I I I HI (Ireatcr Emihunf. ^^ 3rax Miillcr .says flmt 'Tin, llraluni.H call a root flluifu, a word itsrlf dorivcd from tho root "dim " to Nui.port or n.,uri.sl. The sumo word is „,sod to donoto the hvo d.„K.n(.s-.arfh, fire., water, air, Mh.r; which Mows that they looked upon these ole.nen.s a,ul tho elements of laufrua-e as identieal. and as (ho feoderH and supporters of material things. • The Greeks had a remnant of thcpercc-ption of tho vital imi,or(anco of roots. Aristotle says : "Element we call that of which anything consists as of its first substance, this being as to form indivisible, as for ex- ample the elements of language., of which langua-o is composed, and into whi.h as its last component parts it can be resolved, the parts are homogeneous, as u part ot water is water." ' The Brahminical idea is that the root is the life the soul, the real entity of language. It consists of three parts, one of which must be a vowel, and this vowel IS the most sicred; the two consonants which stand one before and the other behind this mystic letter, are only guards to defend and keep if This lonunds us of the veneration in which the yowel was held by the Hebrews-a yeneration so profound as to prevent their writing yowels at all, the early Hebrew manuscripts being written with no vowel points, which "H. of later invention. The reason of this is that the Jews, being a very external people, fond of eerc- monial observances, were rank idolaters, and would very soon have >vonhippciJ the vowek. They >Aere pre- ^.niihuiil. riic UriihniiiH call a root ' This will explain why there are twelve redschis or gods in the Divine dwelling of Brahmapatam ; why there were twelve gods in Olympus ; twelve gods in Valhalla, where Odin had twelve names. It will help us to see why there were twelve tribes of the Jews, twelve apostles, twelvegate8toJerusalem,eachofwhichwastwelvepearl8! > • Vide ante, p. 15. a L cxemplificcl by our tur, tlio destroyer, and earth shall pass ren and a new earth the perfections of same time indicates V ad indicates* the in- . This is also pre- which remains are s veneration, the real ving passed away, red and a thousand ircssed with greater , therefore, implies a d be represented by ncompleteness, while )f three by four, im- n. •> ■;■ -'r : • ' re twelve redschis or imapatam; why there elve gods in Valhalla, tt will help us to see Jews, twelve apostles, hich was twelve pearls ! India. 279 For the system by which outer and worldly things were made as types and shadows of high and eternal truths must be perfect to bo true, and true to be per- fect, and therefore it must be applicable to all systems teaching similar truths, however varied the systems may have become and however dissimilar in their de- tails. Thus, althoughl wo know that the Apostles lived and were real men of thews and sinews, while the 'gods of the nations were idols,' yet we must remember that orUjinalhj those gods were not idols, but merely memo- randa of attributes, which, becoming worshipped, in process of time grew into abominations. I should hope not to be charged with the grotcsquerie of com- paring the Twelve Apostles individually or collectively with heathen gods, when I point out that the reason for their number being twelve was the same that assigned twelve gods to Valhalla or to Olj'mpus and twelve redschis to Brahmapatam. For the congruous relation of twelve to perfect completeness remains the same all through, as do the awful teachings of trinity in imity and infinity in one. Emblematical language is implanted in man almost as a part of his being, and the love of emblems is a remnant of his happy state when the objects of the outer world of mud and stone at once translated them- selves into spiritual or celestial ideas. Nor were the representations of the outer world necessarily beautiful or accurate. They were only memoranda, steps on the ladder to the skies. When in the prime of Grecian art .'lOi.,; st^^i^ ^4*iia^^a6i3ssii^(S^a^Ji*?^i^ 280 Greater England. wonderful statues of men and women were produced to represent the gods, that very pi;rfection of reproduc- tion of the means made those means the end. Men instead of mounting stopped to worship and admire the rimgs of the ladder, the steps to the temple, and got no higher. In the Indian idol no art is seen of such high or dazzling character as to chain our thoughts to earth. It is a type and nothing more. The representation of higher thought could not be fettered by mere nature. Abstract ideas are infinite, concrete types are finite. How, then, is the finite to represent the infinite ? How can we give an idea through natural objects of something quite above and beyond Nature ? How can we represent, for example, the elevation of the human understanding? The understanding in its rapid and combative phase is represented by a horse, because it elevates man, bears him on, saves him from pursuit, and other things. In Nineveh the imderstanding was represented by a bull, and we in England talk of ruminating, because the bovine race are ruminants. The understanding, how- ever, enables man to mount on high, and in Nature both horse and bull are confined to the surface of the ground. Then occurs a phenomenon, true in abstract thought, but folse in concrete natural history. Pe- gasus, the winged steed, bears man aloft. In Nineveh the winged bull arises, and here it is curious to note that when the Assyrian bull has wings itn head becomes human. For the exalted understanding is that of man. "?s England. id women were produced to Ty pi;rfection of reproduc- lioso means the end. Men ed to worship and admire le steps to the temple, and idian idol no art is seen character as to chain our I type and nothing more, gher thought could not be Abstract ideas are infinite, How, then, is the finite to low can we give an idea something quite above and we represent, for example, n understanding? s rapid and combative phase ecause it elevates man, bears rsuit, and other things. In was represented by a bull, 3f ruminating, because the The understanding, how- it on high, and in Nature Lfined to the surface of the lenomenon, true in abstract Crete natural history. Pe- ars man aloft. In Nineveh i here it is curious to note U has wings iin head becomes aderstanding is that of man. India. 281 / The serpent marks a sensual state, a low, a grovel- ling desire to let the senses rule ; to let the mere ex- ternal feelings be gratified. The lowest portions of our godlike nature are deified. How is this typified ? The serpent is endowed with wings ; thus it becomes a dragon, and to meet this dragon gods descend, or man would be consmned. The Brahmins hold the tortoise to be lower than the snake. It represents the stupid, sensual man, the more man-animal. Higher than this the elephant is seen. He represents the strong and mighty understanding. Then comes the monkey, typi- cal of the cunning man, the spirit that can spring up- wards, ascending the highest palms with ease. The perfect microcosm, man, is represented by a combma- tion of these animals; the tortoise is the base; upon his back stands a huge elephant ; upon his shoulders sits an ape. Serpents with human faces are not common things in nature, but they are in Brahminism, for they repre- sent the humanised serpent, that is to say, the condi- tion when man raises himself by his intellect from the grovelling sensuality of his mere corporeal nature. These figures are always rising, though still a portion of the serpent trails upon the ground. When man was created he appeared in four forms or colours, or varnas, as the Brahmins have it. from the colour of the pigment of the tattoo on the forehead. These varnas have been called castes, from a Portu- guese word meaning breed, or race, and as the Portu- ' i-»«*«-«jWA«''w*T»jr^ ryn-'^twrnHf^ifFfW'^.! " 282 Greater England. guese wcro the first moderns who colonised India the word has hcen retained, though not indigenous to India, and has crept into English as an Indian word. These castes are called Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaisyas, and Sudras. The Brahmins are the priests. They at creation proceeded out of the mouth of Brahma, The Kshatriyas arc the warriors and princes ; they proceeded from heneath his arms. The Vaisyas proceeded from his loins ; they compose the bulk of the Aryan population of India. The Sudras, or labour- ers, issued from his feet. Those who have no caste are Pariahs, outcasts, not in the sense of being expelled exactly (though that often happens), but in the sense of being outside the system. To lose varna is the greatest misfortune that can befall a man, for upon his retention of caste depends his future state. Terrible are the ordeals through which the poor Hindus wil- lingly pass to regain this distinction when once lost. I remember being shown a slab or stone in Bombay on which a man who had lost caste knelt for twenty years, holding in his hand a flower-pot. The hand was bent backwards, so that the back of the hand should be directed towards the right shoidder. During the whole period he never washed, nor shaved, nor moved from that position. Insects, the huge Bombay rat called the bandicoot, snakes, and lizards, crawled over him. His food was administered by charitable people, and he ' did ' his twenty years. But at the end of that period he could not bring back his arm to its place 'mjland. India. 283 who colonisod India the ;h not indigenous to India, an Indian word. [ Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Brahmins are the priests. out of the mouth of ! the warriors and princes ; li his arms. The Vaisyas bey compose the bulk of a. The Sudras, or labour- ose who have no caste are sense of being expelled appcns), but in the sense To lose vama is the jofall a man, for upon his is future state. Terrible ch the poor Hindus wil- stinction when once lost, ab or stone in Bombay on caste knelt for twenty a flower-pot. The hand ; the back of the hand 3 right shoidder. During washed, nor shaved, nor nsects, the huge Bombay kcs, and lizards, crawled ministered by charitable ty years. But at the end Lg back his arm to its place by his side, he could not straighten his knees. He was a hopeless, helpless cripple, but he died rejoicing that he had regained varna. Other tortures and other penances have been en- joined to men who have lost their caste, and these have been submitted to with a patience and docility that would shame us Christians to behold. Fearful tor- ments they have been, and they were borne cheerfully in the greater hope held out by these terrific means. Brahma is at present rather in the background, and during his comparative quiescence the worship of Vishnoo is carried on. Much respect also is paid to Indra, Avho is lord of the sky, a sort of Indian Baldur, a warrior god whose object is to combat and subdue the giants — the terrible Panis — who will war against him, and for a time overcome him. In this latter par- ticular he corresponds in great measure to Thor rather than to Baldur. He is of great intelligence, repre- sented by his riding on an elephant. He possesses complete power, typified by his four arms. He is omniscient, represented by an immense number of eyes painted over his image. At one time he was the most important of the gods, but his worship has declined. He it is who sends the rain, and blesses mankind in many ways. His thunderbolts frighten away the evil spirits, and they acknowledge him to be a great warrior, the most terrible of the gods. The beautiful dawn myth, in which Saram&, the Dawn, seeks certain cows (the clouds) Avhich have been stolen by the Panis, m^fj^mff 284 Greater Emjlaml. reminds one of tho vigorous touches of the Scandi- navian scalds. Max Midler, in explaining tho vedic hymns, and tho great Icelandic scholar, Finn Mugnussen, in treat- ing of tho myths of tho edda, both adojit tho system of Euhemerus, who sees in these stories only a ijootical account of meteorological phenomena. I must confess Bomo surprise at this. The teaching of tho descent of Divinity to rescue man is patent all through, shining out from tho mythic letter liko the sun from behind a cloud. And though the return of the sun, heralded by the glowing dawn drawing the rosy curtains of tho East to lot the sun-god come in splendour, is applic- able to an everyday occurrence, yet that occurrence itself is but a type of higher truth ; in fact, tho rising of the sun is not a real, it is only an apparent fact, while tho gradual growth of love to God — bo He called Jehovah, Mahadiva, AUfather, or Zeus (the idea is tho same) — growth in godly life is not sudden but gradual ; there is a dawn before the rising ; there is a John be- fore the great incarnation of Love and "Wisdom can be received. There is a remarkable similarity of ideas in the mode of convoying teachings to mortals shown in the edda and in the vcda which I do not remember to have seen pointed out. The Rig Vcda tells how Sarama descends to the Fanis, who ask her about Indra. 'What kind of man is this Indra? O Saramtl, what is his look? fland. touches of the Scandi- ; the vodic hymns, and nn Magnusscn, in treat- , both adojit tho system id stories only a jwotical omena. I must confess iching of tho descent of !nt all through, shining the sun from behind a ■n of the sun, heralded the rosy curtains of the in splendour, is applic- ce, yet that occurrence ruth ; in fact, tho rising 1 only an apparent fact, vo to God — bo He called or Zeus (the idea is the not sudden but gradual ; ing ; there is a John be- love and Wisdom can be tiilarity of ideas in the to mortals shown in the I do not remember to Sarama descends to the ndra. ' What kind of \vak, what is his look? India. 285 lie as whoso messenger thou comest from afar P Let him come to us — we will make friends with him, and then ho may bo tho cowherd of our cows.' Saram& replies, 'I do not know that ho is to bo subdued, for it is ho who subdues everything; ho whose messenger I come from afar. Deep streams do not overwhelm him ; you, Panis, will one day lie prostrate, slain by Indra.' In tho edda, Odin himself, disguised ns Gangr&d, descends to the giants. Vafthrudnir asks him, after several questions and replies, ' Who is Odin that Vafthrudnir should steal wisdom from him ? Vaf- thrudnir fears no mortals, and ho fears no gods.' ' Odin will teach thee wisdom ; he it is who will make thee tremble and lie low at tho last day.' When we bear in mind that the ox is tho emblem of the understanding in a peculiar phase which allows it to be represented by the ruminants, the cow, as the female of the ox, having nearly the same significa- tion, we are struck by the parallel between the two myths which, despite certain minor differences of de- tail, mean the same thing, and are evidently derived from a common source, although neither is directly derived from the other. No language, dead or living, is so perfect as San- scrit. Everything in it is complete. Greek is as far behind Sanscrit in perfection of form, delicacy of in- flectional power, and exquisite refinement everywhere, as the language of the ' penny dreadfuls ' is behind ■£: 1 28G Create}' Enfilnivl. that of Slmlvespoiiro.or tho gtirblcrl twaddle of u French nowHpdpcr iH behind iho orations of Cicero. And tho people who cultivuto and know this sublime tongue, written, aw tho Urahniins say, in tho Devanagari cha- racter (that is to Huy the letters of tho gods), are thoy debased 'iiii/f/rrn ?' I trow not. They are infinitely below tho grand old philosophers who wrote in those very characters five thousand years ago ; but still there is a sense of something higher— a feeling for tho abstract which in good and judicious hands might bo moulded into a Christianity of a very high and lofty stamp. But they are not to bo treated as though they were a low sort of Englishmen, either to bo bullied or coaxed. They wanted the sword to show them that we were physically their superiors. Wo used it freely at tho time of the Mutiny, and now may afford, ijorhaps, to use it as a ploughshare. But wo must not err on the side of weakness— it does no good to either party. "Wo must touch them to become good Christians and good subjects to tho Queen, but wo must not take wives of the daughters of tho soil any raoro than the Jews of old. Let us, as our sires did full fourteen hundred years ago, take our brave, golden-hearted wives over the ocean with us, to teach, to raise, to succour, and to preach, not in words but in example. An Indian friend of mine once told me : * Tho Hindu is a liar — ^he sees no harm in lying — but he reverences those who tell the truth on principle ! ' Clive, in his crooked policy of fighting the Indians Ulhiwl, rbl(>rl twaddle) of u French ons of Cicero. And tho ow this sublime lonpfuo, , in tlio Deviinugari cha- rs of tho gods), aro thoj' not. Thoy arc infinitely hers who wrote in those id years nf?o ; but still higher — ii feeling for tho udicious hands might bo of a very high and lofty M) treated as though they a, either to bo bullied or ord to show them that we rs. "Wo used it freely at now may afford, ijorhaps, But wo must not err on no good to either party, ome good Christians and , but wo must not take 3 soil any more than tho p sires did full fourteen ur brave, golden-hearted us, to teach, to raise, to n words but in example, ce told me: 'The Hindu lying — but he reverences pinciple ! ' y of fighting the Indians f InduL with their own ignoble Avoai)()n9. did us and tW^ Anglian cause more liurm than would hit vn liappeutd had he lost ench battle that lu« fought. Uo gained the fear of those ho ruled, but thoy did not respect hiui. Tho Iroti Duko thrashed th(>ni nioro than Clivo did, but thoy respected hitn because ho never broko his word. I'^ven tho nuitineors adnnred Kavolock ond Coliu Campbell. The lesson thoso men taught is working in tho Indian heart, and I beliovo that they have now begun to feel respect and not suspicion of tho English rule. Ono thing is certain, they iidoro tho Queen, and she, I verily believe, might gain all India, all America, and oil tho islands to join in tho grand scheme of uni- versal peace which, after all the prefatory bloodshed, shall ono day smile on Angi.i.a. ^'k. 288 CHAPTER VII. CEYLON. Of all the islands included in the vast domain of the English empire, Ceylon is second only to England itself in the interest it affords us. But the interest which we feel in the two islands is as widely different in each case as the islands themselves are widely separated from each other. In England we have the nucleus of .inglian thought which, spreading over the whole world, has done more to the unification of the himian race than any other element recorded in history. In its beauty of scenery, in its immense mineral wealth, and in its fauna and flora, Ceylon not only exceeds England, but almost every other coxmtry of the globe. The Sanscrit name for this lovely spot is Lunka (holy or shining). In Singhalese it is called Sinha-la-Dwipa, or the Island of Lions. This name was corrupted by the Arabs into Serendib, and by the Portuguese into Selan. It has been called by many names, one of which, Tenesserim, the Place of Delight, is very telling. It wac known to the Greeks and Romans, but the ordinary sequence of European geographical discovery in the middle ages held good here. Marco Polo, a Venetian, visited Ceylon early in the fourteenth •"^jy-^nyv a VII. ^ IN. n the vast domain of the second only to England rds us. But the interest mds is as widely different s themselves are widely In England we have the which, spreading over the to the unification of the sment recorded in history, , in its immense mineral ra, Ceylon not only exceeds her coxmtry of the glohe. ovely spot is Lunka (holy is called Sinha-la-Dwipa, s name was corrupted by 1 by the Portuguese into by many names, one of )f Delight, is very telling, ks and Romans, but the n geographical discovery ood here. Marco Polo, early in the fourteenth Ceylon. 289 century, but his accounts of the wonders which he saw there were ascribed rather to the exuberance of his imagination than to his veracity. Then came the Portuguese, whose settlements in the island were con- siderable ; they usurped the whole of its commerce, and their presence interrupted the traffic which had been carried on with the mainland of India previous to the discovery of the passage round the Cape of Good Hope. But it was the Dutch whose pernicious system ■ of monopoly really destroyed the commerce of Ceylon, From the commencement of the Christif n era down to the beginning of the sixth century, Ceylon was the emporium of the trade carried on between Africa, India, and China. The insatiate greed of the in- dividual Dutch Governors was so baleful in its results as almost to crush out the productivity of the island. So terribly was the land drained by xhese narrow- minded and short-signted people, that even now, under the more humane influence of English rule, the country has not yet recovered her rnstine glory. The great commercial ports were Colombo and Galle, though grain and provisions were exported in abund- ance from Trincomalee, in the hands of Mahometan Arabs, who circulated the productions of Ceylon through the Red/Sea and the Persian Gulf to the various countries of Asia, Europe, and Africa. The former principal staple commodity of trade exported from Ceylon was one for which the island seemed to have a monopoly, namely, cinnamon. The V 290 (irenter Enphimf. traffic in this is now no longer of importance, but from very remote antiquity down to the last century it was the most valuable spice that ever came from 'The IndioN.' Besides cinnamon, her exports now consist of coffee, cocoanut oil, and areca nuts. Formerly the amount of cinnamon exported reached to more than a million of pounds a -year, but it has greatly declined of late. The spoken language of Ceylon is a peculiar dialect, but the classic language is either Sanscrit or Pali. The Malabars use Tamul for colloquial and literary pur- poses, while the Brahmins, in Jaffna, employ Sanscrit. Ceylon-Portuguese is spoken by the black descendants of the Portuguese settlers, but by no other people on the island. These are all Koman Catholics. Ceylon is divided into five provinces, namely, the Eastern, "Western, Northern, Southern, and Central. Each of these is again sub-divided into districts. The principal towns are Colombo, the capital ; Kandy, the former capital of the King of Kandy ; Galle, or Point de Galle, the chief port; Calpentyn, CaltuKC Jaffna- patam, Newerra-EUis, and Trincomalee. The eastern shore of the island is picturesque in the extreme. Rocky promontories rise abruptly from deep water, bays and inlets are frequent, and these are adorned with a foliage of such luxuriance as the mind would find it difficult to grasp, had not the sense of sight been called in to give its testimony. On the north-western and the western shores, this observation - •>.". ■•' ■■ .v..^ of importance, but from the last century it was ever came from 'The er exports now consist !Ca nuts. Formerly the reached to more than a it has greatly declined ylon is a peculiar dialect, or Sanscrit or Pali. The )quial and literary pur- JafEna, employ Sanscrit, ay the black descendants it by no other people on jan Catholics, e provinces, namely, the Southern, and Central, ided into districts. The the capital ; Kandy, the Kandy ; Galle, or Point Ipentyn, CaltuKC JafEna- incomalee. jland is picturesque in the !S rise abruptly from deep frequent, and these are h luxuriance as the mind asp, had not the sense of its testimony. On the •n shores, this observation Ceylon. 291 is still more applicable, for there the bays and inlets are still more numerous, while the land lying lower displays its glories uninterruptedly in broad expanses of Paradisiacal scenery. The southern and south- eastern shons again show higher ground, and are, perhaps, more picturesque than the eastern and north- oastorn coasts. There are excellent harbours. One of these on the east coast at Trincomalco, and another at I'oint de Galle, are capable of receiving shipping of the largest size, ^hile in Colombo Roads the anchorage I at certain times is quite secure and safe. Of the harbour of Trincomaleo it is said that 'All the navies of the world might anchor there and be protected at any season.' On the south-eastern coast there are four ports in which small vessels may iind shelter, and five on the north-eastern. The island is nearly oval, and may roughly be described as possessing a mountain district as its centre, which centre is encircled by a belt of rich alluvial earth watered by numerous streams from the centrarheights. Of the rocky headlands just alluded to, Dondera Head, the southernmost point of the island, and Trin- comaleo, on the north-eastern side, are the most re- markable. The heat to whicli a country lying so near to the equator would be subject is modified by the great cur- rents of wind called monsoons. The difference between the longest and the shortest day is but fifteen minutes. ^^ Ui, 292 Greater England. and the coolest season is about the time of the summer solstice in the intenal between the two monsoons. The greatest heat is felt at the opposite period of the year, so that the people of Ceylon, though lying to the north of the line, have the same succession of seasons as their neighbours under the southern tropic. The spring lasts from October to the end of December, summed from January to March, autumn from April to June, and winter from July to September. But we cannot distinguish these seasons so much by their relative heat or cold as by their difference in dryness. The sea breezes moderate the heat on the coast, but the mountains in the interior are not of a sufficient altitude to affect the temperature very materially. Indeed, these central highlands are generaUy hotter than the low-lying plains near the sea ; ii.or are these mountains so much resorted to for relief as those of the mainland of India, for, being covered with jungle, they are unhealthy in the extreme, the abo ie of jungle fever and other amenities of Oriental life. ' This mountain region does not exceed in general one or two thousand feet in perpendicular elevation above the level of the sea. The higher tracts are usually of smaU extent. The most central of these rising nearly 4000 feet, is only twelve miles long by two or three broad. Another, called Nuwera-eliya, not far from the last, rises 6000 feet, and has a circum- : ference of less than twenty miles. But the highest peak rises considerably above this elevation; it is ■*- Tjafii jj^ii.t I , England. lout the time of the summer )etween the two monsoons, it the opposite period of the Ceylon, though lying to the same succession of seasons as southern tropic. The spring end of December, summer itumn from April to June, September. But we cannot so much by their relative lifference in dryness. The beat on the coast, but the e not of a sufficient altitude very materially. Indeed, ! generally hottnr than the a ; lior are these mountains jf as those of the mainland sd with jungle, they are the abo'ie of jungle fever ental life. loes not exceed in general in perpendicular elevation . The higher tracts are 'he most central of these, only twelve miles long by her, called Nuwera-eliya, )00 feet, and has a circum- miles. But the highest )ve this elevation; it is / Ceylon. 293 called Adam's Peak (Pico d'Adam of the Portuguese, Samanala of the native inhabitants), and is about 5300 feet high. The average height of the hilly region between the mountains and the shore may bo estimated at 500, and that of the shore or level near the sea at fifty feet.'* The abundance of precious stones or gems renders the island a valuable possession, for here may bo found amythest, rose quartz, cat's-eye, and prase, the latter more rarely than the rest, and chiefly in the neigh- bourhood of Trincomalee. Garnets arc found, but of no very remarkable quality, and the so-called cin- namon-stone is peculiar to Ceylon. The zircon family is richer here than anywhere else ; common zircon, hyacinth, and a third kind are often met with. The 3'ellow sort is sold by the natives as topaz, the red as rubies, and the light grey as diamonds. Rubies are A'cry abundant. Spinel is the most rare, sapphire is much more common. The purple variety, or Oriental amythest, is rare, a green variety still more so. The black corundum is not so common as the sapphire. The chief object of cultivation is rice, and to effect the necessary irrigation in the dry season immense tanks of a peculiar half-moon shape were, in the re- mote parts, constructed by the ancient inhabitants, and these tanks still remain, lasting proofs of the ingenuity and industry of the ancient Singhalese. 1 * Knight's Engliah Cyclopeedia. . ; ' >. !' .' '. I I J i w il I 294 Greater Enf/land. great laxuriance tsM™ """"*' "■"" '"«'<' i« "eyend „!, cares ^CL't ™°'""' °' " '° "^^ profusion abounds th„„ T '""~' "''"'" «°=1' .0 the bles-sC "°"* " "™ '""'f-™' ■ ."^""""S *esc curious fruit, i» " f j . gathered before it !. .• , . ""'' "' "P'ee. .-., to .nal"a"cX rt ^Pr ""' -h.ol.m their l„n^,.g, ;, „„„^ f'J^'^^ P-'uguese has become naturalised iu India „n l! ,^'>" "'""I to Europe 0. „„ Indiun ,voT " ^"^ °«»'" -"^'thrrH;rzi!:rr-,^™'-- ^ -"»«•» fan/ and Lwr„,"'''f"''"''™^ '" > enormous size that a sinXe^ll '^ *"* "" "' ™'-h -der which s„„e fifti":;^^"—- « roof soeu,« shelter from the rain T^rT " "^^ *"'' and may be folded lit» » t "™' ""^ P'"'"'. -y readily be eut Jh TZk Th ."f "''^■ spread out is cii-e,.l», j "" "''* "hen hrella, but il Zl^CL'^:^''' " ^^"'■•" «"- almost triangular and sT "*"'""' »■'"'<''' »re ""•■>, heat, anTthe tholrr T ", '•™"'™ "8""-* Stagholese soldiercltfef „t ,"', "" '""'^'- ''-•y umbreUa by dav audT .? ! '* '' "' P""""' «r y <^.', and ks tent by night. These leaves -J ,. / rich in vegetation. The countries thrive here in Y which are only found lit and so peculiar that ler enough of it to b(. Of course, where sucli assess it are indiiferent f« is a kind of spice, »led, dried, and then' ' ^°*' ^^^ Portuguese, d a m;v¥f. This word and comes back again linary. There is one, a word signifying 'a this tree are of such f them serves as a roof weuty men may find ese leaves are i^laited, IS to be readily port- ;oof and tough they e. The whole when ibles a gigantic um- segments Avhich are a protection against Jf the forest. Every ich is his parasol or night. These leaves Ceylon. 295 grow on the top of the tree, which bears no fruit what- ever until the last year of its life, I believe the fiftieth, and on the top appears a sort of tuft of great branches, all full first of yellow blossoms. This tuft developes into a globular fruit about the size of a large cherry, which, however, is useless for food, and only fit to plant us seed. The pith, like that of the sago-palm, is very good to eat if the tree be cut down before it runs to seed. They beat it in mortars to flour, and then make cakes of it, wliich taste somewhat like European white bread. In the Ethnological Gallery of the British iluseum there are specimens of these regimental fans, exhibiting much of the native taste in their adornment. The priceless collection in the national storehouse, arranged under the superintendence of Mr. Franks, is remark- ably instructive on colonial matters, Ceylon is well represented. Perhaps the most wonderfiJ of the productions of Ceylon is the banyan-tree, whose branches, descending to the earth, take root and form fresh stems, so that in process of time one tree becomes a forest of most peculiar kind; for, owing to the connexion between the parent stems and the branches which have become trees, there is an uninterrupted succession of green arcades such as might have given rise to the immortal line, ' And arched groves that Sylvan loves.' In such a climate, where the rays of a tropical sim attack poor imdefended man like the constant discharge 296 Greater England. of a Gutling gun, the provision for his needs in tho talipot and the bonyan-trees is wonderful, tho one providing him with u portable homo and tho other affording him a 'cloistered shade' such as no human architect could construct. The kitul is a kind of palm, which is of great service to the natives of Ceylon. An ordinary treo will yield three or fouf gallons a-day of a liquor sweet and pleasing to tho palate and as wholesome as water, but no stronger. This liquor they boil, and make from it a kind of brown sugar called jaggory. The branches of this tree supply the natives with materials for ropes, its trunk with wood for pestles. Its buds, like those of the cocoa and the betel -nut -tree, have a strong flavour similar to that of the almond. The dunekaya gha, the leaves of which are manu- factured into mats and the roots into ropes, is extra- ordinary in its usefukess, while the bu-gha, or divine- tree, is as much an object of veneration among the Singhalese as among the followers of Brahma, for they believe that under its shade Buddha delighted to ' repose while he dwelt upon earth. The jaggee-tree bears a nut which is the largest fruit in the world. It is so large that a woman can only carry one at a time on her head when going to market, for it is as large as the head of a horse. It does not hang from the tree by a stalk, which might be awkward for the inhabitants, but grows out of the top Of the trunk, where it resembles the capital to a -J England. ieion for bis needs in tho ses is wonderful, tho ono table homo and tbo other shade* such as no human palm, which is of great 'eylon. An ordinary treo •ns a-day of a liquor sweet id as wholesome as water, ' they boil, and make from ed jaggory. Tho branches ss with materials for ropes, ties. Its buds, like those -nut-tree, have a strong ic almond. aves of which are manu- roots into ropes, is extra- lile the bu-gha, or divine- of veneration among the jUowers of Brahma, for iade Buddha delighted to irth. nut which is the largest large that a woman can her head when going to the head of a horse. It by a stalk, M'hich might nts, but grows out of the esembles the capital to a Ceylon. 297 column. Tho outside of this nut is not unlike tho (;ustard apple, or a greon pineapple, but the interior is full of kernels like beans. The wood is hard and of beautiful grain. From it a sap is drawn which is called jagger or jaggce. This ferments, and fonns u siK'cies of arrack, which is greatly exported. The sailors call this treo the Jack-tree, and by this name it is generally known. In a commercial point of view the oinnamon-tree was long the pride of Ceylon. Native children Avero employed in chipping off portions of the bark, which were subsequently treated by other hands, until it assumed tho form of long roLs of bark known as sticks of cinnamon. Other industries have been opened up, which afford the Singhalese a wider scope for their ingenuity and better remuneration for their labour. The elephants of Ceylon are celebrated as the finest in the world, tho leopards are the fiercest, and for tho rest the faima of Ceylon may be said to be the same as that of the continent of India. There is one very re- markable little fellow, who is brought down to Colombo by the natives as a great curiosity in a cage. This is a stag about the size of a common hare. It is well formed, and very fierce. The inhabitants of the island may be divided into four classes or kinds. First .we have the European settlers, who are the chief traders; next come the Mahometans from various parts of Asia ; thirdly, the jVIalabara; and, fourthly, the Singhalese. Of these 298 (imtte)' Knijhnul. ./^ tlie ^[ahonK'tuns air called by tho Dutch, Englisli, and rortujjueso 8(>ttlciH, Moors; and tlieso latter arc more niimorous than the Europeans, being derived from various Mahometan tribes scattered over the adjacent islands and continents, as well us from tlie Mussulman soldiers cmploycnl by Europeans. iMore numerous than these are the Mulabars, who are Hindus from the opposite coast. But fur exceeding these, again, in number are the genuine Singhalese, who aro sid)- divided into Singhalese proiwr and the Vcddas or Bedda>. These latter arc dwellers in tho interior of the forests ; they arc very tenacious of theiv customs, and will not brook intrusion upon their tciritories unless permission for such intrusion be first obtained from one of their chiefs. They aro shorter than tho average lieight of men amongst ourselves, but they arc very muscular ; tho women wear a short petticoat or kilt descending from the waist half-way to tho knee, and the men wear a cloth woijil round tho loins, very similar to that worr by the hea.xn in Bombay. They are excellent archers and carry a bow which, when unbent, is ten or twelve feet long, and being armed with a lance-head, forms a spear as well us a bow. The arrows are bamboo shafts tipped and barbed with iron. It used to bo said of them that they never missed their aim. The chief object of their" worship seems to be the bo-gha or pippal-tree which they sur- round with a stone enclosure and adorn with lamps. They offer up a sacrifice of three or four red fowls to [ by tho Dutch, Englisli, oors; mid flieso luttcr tin- Europi'ims, being derivt'd tribos scattered over tlic icntH, as well as from tlic :(>d by Europeans. !Move ! Mukbars, who are Hindus tfur exceeding these, again, ) Singhalese, who aro sid)- or and the Veddas or Beddu>. ers in tho interior of the icious of thcii" customs, and pon their tciritories unless ion be first obtained from ire shorter than the average irselves, but they aro vciy ir a short petticoat or kilt half-way to tho knee, and iiil round tho loins, very e betu-.ri in Bombay. They carry a bow Avhich, when 'eet long, and being armed a spear as well us a bow. afts tipped and barbed with [ of them that they never lief object of their' worship pippal-tree which they siir- sure and adorn with lamps, three or four red fowls to Ceylon. i>{)«) Buddha under these trees, when they arc sick and want to get well. Tho Singhalese proper aro not black but of an olive complexion, those nearest the coast being, like our own lishennen and sailors, browned into u darker hui'. Some of them aro as yellow as tho Chinese. They are not robust, but thin, slight, and very agile; they an; clover and capable of a considerable amount of learning. They aro grave and courteous in their demeanour, but have an overweening idea of their superiority over all the rest of the world. Tho spirit of caste is quite as strong as it is amongst tho Hindus. liying is habitual, and with them it is accounted no sin. But they, like the Hindus, greatly venerate those who aro truthful. They have no idea of morality, and aro extremely superstitious. They rise with the early dawn and retire to rest a few hours after sunset ; a mat spread on the floor or a couch constitutes all their b-^dding, though the rooms in which they sleep are said to have perpetual fires burning. This reminds one of the custom in Russia of having the rooms so heated as to render much bed- clothing, even in winter, superfluous. ^ The Portuguese on settling in this island appear to have taught the natives cruelty, for the little Singhalese are not a cruel people. This was one vice which they had yet to learn, and the Portuguese taught it. They were tolerably low in a moral point of view, but the Portuguese brought them lower. We know that the 300 (Greater EnijJand. I'ortuguoHi^ wore white, tlint they woro officinlly ChriMtiuiiM, thut in to my, tlioy bcliovod in whut tho Chun-h of thut time couhl touch them, imd even tliut, IM'ivortod a« it hud become by hnmun traditionw, they perverted ntill more, until tho Chrintinn lK)dy ' t' tho Church, NO to Hpeuk, was dead, und tho spirit thgeiu>ration a» startling as it is reul. There avc negroes on the islund now. But they ure all Portuguese holding, indeed, tho externals of tho faith which their progenitors pro- fessed no further buck than tho sixteenth century, und speaking I'ortuguese, and yet as bluck us any negro on tho cousts of Africa. Here is a case of pure degeneracy. A white raco lost und fullen to the colour of the negro ! There wus no bluck admixture to help this downward progress and meet it, as it were, half-way. The women of the I/land. nt tliejr woro offiriaUij cy bcliovod in wliut tho ich tlieiii, imd cvoii tliut, \y huinim tnulitioiiH, they 10 ChriHtian Xwdy of tho 1, and tho spirit fled for ik thcHo men until they y uniniul Htago in which vo tho brutes — in somo thcv, us tho Australian 10 sank thus. All moral ud not, like our Viking wives to bless them in oy preferred an animal hat brought them lower Tho native Singhalese egroes on tho island — but >scent in vii i- and crime ion of a degeneration a» avc negroes on the island rtuguoso holding, indeed, lich their progenitors pro- tho sixteenth century, and t as black as any negro on Icffoneracv. A white raco )f the negro ! There was ) this downward progress -way. The women of the Ceylon. 801 land were not mwl' 'arkcr than tho rortuguoMO-and tho result of I'uiiuguese liecntiousnesH is that thoir descendants are negroes. 1 have had th.so negroes in my service and know that they are i-lever to an inerediblo extent, sp -aking four or five lanf?uages with equal inaccuracy, but (juito and utterly d(>void of principle. They possess no moral feeling, no sense of right or wrong. They have u strong craving for another's goods whi(;h must be gratified at any risk to him who has the property, provided it bo not attended with risk to him who seeks it. These people are not yet so low as the poor savages of tho Australian desert. Wo know not now how many ages tho latter have taken to decay. Their fall is quite outside our knowledge of our race. T^ut those degenerate Tortugucse have sunk in such a brief and modern period that we can trace their fall as easily as ,wo may read tho history of any modern family whose pedigree is known. There is no parallel per roiifra. There is no in- stance of a negro race improving up to white ; for where a mixture of the races has occurred the loss of whiteness in tho offspring of tho whiter parent is a fict-off against tho gain of such white element in that offspring as being son or daughter of a black. What is gained from one is lost by what is derived from the other. H Besides, such improvement up supposes always the i m Greater England. presence of a higher race whose offspring is to fall. There is no case on record of a darker race im- proving up into a white of itself, but this most glaring instance of a race descending into blackness stands before us. The influence of climate may have something to do with this, but the pure Singhalese are very far from black. Tliere are no blacks in India save such men whose skin by long exposure to the sun has tanned itself into so deep a mahogany as to leave but little margin to the negro, but this will all wear off. The Arabs are more prone to blacken in the sun than the Hindus, nor arc they negroes iu the sense I mean. Had we been monkeys, educated up to full Caucasian beauty by the schoolmaster and priest, I should expect to find some means of tracing such a rise — but, no! All through the many races on this earth of ours the case is otherwise ; we have dccrii/, we have a falling from the perfect norm until a race dies out, we have abundant evidence to show us how man fell, but not a single instance of his rise from black up to the white. "VVe need not go so far as to Ceylon to see a similar phenomenon. Here, in this very town of London, we see decay of form, though on account cf absence of climatic influence there is no change- -as yet— in colour. Take a low London rough, one of the true Bill Sykes's breed. Look at his profile. The facial angle is acute as in a negi-o. The forehead as receding England. whose offspring is to fall, rd of a darker race im- of itself, but this most descending into blackness ! may have something to do ighalese are very far from Ls in India save such men B to the sun has tanned itself 3 to leave but little margin L all wear off. The Arabs n the sun than the Hindus, the sense I mean. Had ;ed up to full Caucasian ter and priest, I should s of tracing such a rise — ) many races on this earth je ; we have decay, wo have norm until a race dies out, e to show us how man fell, )f his rise from black up to IS to Ceylon to sec a similar is very town of London, we b. on account of absence of is no change- -as yet — in Ion rough, one of the true : at his profile. The facial ). The forehead as receding Ceylon. 303 as any black man's brow, the nose as flat, the lips as sensuiil. Blacken him with charcoal and put him side by side with any Dyak of the old pirate days of ]iorneo, and none could tell which was the truest negro. Here we have brought home to us the very prhiciple I started from, that we have traces of degeneracy before our very eyes, but not an instance of development. Bring me an instance— only one— Avhere a black race has raised itself, and I will yield to Darwin ; until that be produced I shall believe the. teachings of the Bible— the only book that claims to bo inspired— that man was made in God's own image, that is, he was created as a perfect man to be a perfect man by One whose work could only be most perfect. IS'ow to enhance the glory of that work, man was provided with a sense of freedom. He had the power of choice, superbly told us in figurative phrase, that gives the story of our fall by the misuse of free voli- tion in a parable. In the last chapter I have pointed out how curiously the Brahmins made their outward figures to be the vehicles of inward thought. Are they to be the highest in the world of emblematic writers? God forbid! ■\Ve have a prize in a far holier book teaching us higher truths than can the vedas or the eddas ever teach, but it is written on a system common to the common ancestors of the Semitic and the Aryan races. There we are taught how a serpent tempted Eve- or woman. Woman tempted man, who ate the fruit ^'''i :mi ^vj .•' ■Y 304 Greater England. \ . which gave him power to assimilate the knowledge to himself of what was good or evil. Now we have seen that serpents signify the low and sensual lusts and vile concupiscences of the natural man. Woman is that part of man that bears the form of love, while he is more tne exponent of wisdom — not to deny to woman wisdom, or to man love, but she is more a form of love as wife and mother, while he, the colder, sterner intellect, feels love alone through her. Now when the cunning sensual part of man appeals to love within him until it gains the approval of his intellect, then man is lost. The garden of delight is closed — he cannot bear its glories — he has listened, through that dear one's ears, and both are fallen, never to rise until the highest shall assume the lowest, and combat what could not approach Him but for such gracious condescension, and through His mercy bruise the serpent's head, crushing all sensual vice and low desires beneath the mighty heel. I am not going to enter into a minute discussion of the various points of the Darwinian theory of develop- ment from lower principles, but what I have adduced as an example on my side of the question proves the contrary to take place, and is also in harmony with the only book that claims to be inspired and to teach us the truth from its Divine original. Such figurative language, or, I should rather say, such language of pure symbols, was common to the ancient people of the globe in times long antecedent to ^•m'fTr^-Wv-^-- England. assimilate the knowledge •d or evil. ; serpents signify the low iicupiscences of the natural »f man that bears the form ;ae exponent of wisdom — m, or to man love, but she ifc and mother, while he, feels love alone through /icr. ual part of man appeals to ains the approval of his The garden of delight is glories — he has listened, ars, and both are fallen, st shall assume the lowest, ipproach Him but for such through His mercy bruise • all sensual vice and low heel. into a minute discussion of rwinian theory of develop- , but what I have adduced if the question proves the 3 also in harmony with the ! inspired and to teach us iginal. e, or, I should rather say, bols, was common to the n times long antecedent to Ceylon. 305 the Christian era. The congruous emblem was as fit to bo. the vehicle of truth as any lay of light that leaves the sun is fit to be the vehicle of heat. All things around thoso early people bore a charmed life, and told a tale of high interior thought, ' sermons' they read ' in stones and good in everything.' Man lost the faculty of seeing into spirit life through forms of mud and clay, and then the holy teachings were withdrawn — the corpse alone was left. Still, if we gaze upon a mummy case, and know a little of the hieroglyphic teachings painted there, a human life is partially re- vealed. So in a higher measure the stories of the vedtts, of the eddas, nay, the very Buddhist legends, may become useful in giving us a key whereby to open a treasure-house of teachings of the highest kind of truth. Before I leave this subject I must point out how completely the Portuguese were abandoned, as it were, to their own resources. They went away, bent on the search for wealth, far from control of priest or friend, beyond the pale of civilised mcL y, and so were- left in freedom. They listened to the serpent, and they fell. In Europe there is always some restraint, and now-a- days in India, thanks to the Viking thought that sends our women to watch over us, the youths who at the present time go thither are not exposed to such temptations as those which proved too much for plive and "Warren Hastings. No; for the Queen is "here. I do not mean Victoria in the flesh, but that . % 30G Greater Emjlantl. peculiar phase of Scandinavian life of which her rule is emblematical. Much has been said, and more written, about the religious observances of the East. But, unfortunately, travellers who have thought it Avorth their while to look into this matter at all have generally remained, so to speak, on the threshold of the temple without mak- ing the slightest attempt to penetrate into the holier mysteries jealously guarded within. We have heard of the ablutions of the Brahmins, of the forms and observances at various festivals, of the names of certain idols, of the forms of temples and the like, but no writer has sought to raise the veil and show what these mysterious, strange, and weird observances might mean. The carpenter's work and gilder's art havo both been criticised, while the lessons to be taught within the temple have been left unread. And when Brahminism became encrusted over with external forms, they killed her and grew monstrous. Foul superstition arose, and superstition is ever cruel. So the rites tcere cruel to an unprecedented degree. Some of these outer forms that killed the life of Brahma were recognised as cruel and opposed to Brahma's nature by men who yet believed in him, and one of these sought to improve the ciMe and raise it from its low position by claiming in himself to be the form assumed by Brahma in his incarnation, as the demi-god called Buddha. Curiously enough, as ini the North there were two Odins, the hero and the (/land. life of which her rule more written, about the st. But, unfortunately, it worth their while to 3 generally remained, so lie temple without mak- lenetrate into the holier ithin. We have heard nins, of the forms and of the names of certain 8 and the like, but no eil and show what these ird observances might and gilder's art have le lessons to be taught left unread. ime encrusted over with ir and grew monstrous, perstition is ever cruel, unprecedented degree. that killed the life of cruel and opposed to fet believed in him, and e the culte and raise it Qg in himself to be the his incarnation, as the iriously enough, as ini iins, the hero and the Ceylon. 307 lod, so in Buddhism there is an historical Buddha and a mythological Buddha. Nor docs the parallel stop here, for as the historic Odin is less interesting, and certainly less to be believed in, than the mytho- logical personage, so the historical Buddha is less worthy of our attention than the mythological per- sonage. However, in Ceylon these merge so much into each other that it is difficult to say where one begins and the other ends. One of the manifestations or incarnations of the . Divine was to be in the form of Buddha, which name means neither more nor less than wisdom, and this is an almost miraculous circumstance when we consider that in our creed of Christianity the manifestion of Divine love takes place through Divine wisdom — ' the u-ord' (or wisdom) * was made flesh and dwelt among us.' - With such an expectation as was opened by this prophecy still fresh in the Hindu mind, it was not surprising that an individual, shocked at the cruelties to which the humane teachings of Brahminism had been reduced, should have assumed the character of Buddha to effect reforms such as he saw were neces- 8ar5% but it is somewhat singular that he should have been believed in to such an amazing extent, for in round numbers one-third of the human race are I Buddhists. Leaving our mythical considerations, I will try to [give the reader a general idea of the hiatoric Buddha, 308 Greater England. asBistmg my memory by rcferenccfl to the various works mentioned as part of my authority. The founder of Buddhism was, as we are told, the son of Suddhodana, king of Magadha, in South Behar, and Maya, the queen. His name was originally Sarv&rthasidha, hut he had several others, and was hest known either as S&kya or Buddha. The title o Buddha docs not appear to have been given him until he obtained a very superior amount of sanctity as a teacher of religion. This name has been corrupted by various processes in various parts of the East and in China his appellation appears as Fo-ta and lo. The date of the introduction of this sect is traced back to the sixth century before the Christian era. The desire of having a reliable biography of a person livng nearly two thousand five hundred years ago is not likely to be gratified in a very satisfactory manner What is related of him, therefore, must, like the story of the historic Odin, be received with much reserve We are told that when, as an infant, he was, as is the custom in India, presented to an idol, this idol bowed, as recognising the superior power of a present deity, or at least as presaging the mf ant s future greatness. His progress in learning under a skilful tutor was remarkable, and at the age of twenty his person was of transcendent beauty. At that period he married a noble virgin of equal gifts as far as per- sonal charms were concerned. His children were one son and one daughter. At this time, falhng mto a land. jrencea to the various y authority, (vas, as we are told, the igadha, in South Behar, I name was originally cveral others, and was p Buddha. The title of re been given him until amount of sanctity as ame has been corrupted i parts of the East, and lears as Fo-ta and Fo. f this sect is traced back J Christian era. reliable biography of a isand five hundred years ed in a very satisfactory bim, therefore, must, like (1, be received with much ben, as an infant, he was, jresented to an idol, this the superior power of a is presaging the infant's ress in learning under a , and at the age of twenty ttt beauty. At that period I equal gifts as far as per- i. His children were one this time, falling into a Ceylon. 309 reverie on the subject of human depravity, he resolved to retire from the world and become a hermit. His father appointed guards to watch his motions and to prevent his doing this, but in vain. He escaped to the banks of a river called Amassara in the kingdom of Udipa. Here he lived six years undisturbed in his contemplations. At the end of this time he came forward again at Warnashi, or Benares, as a religious teacher. It is said that when first his doctrines were promulgated many began to doubt the soundness of his mind, but they soon gained credit, and spread so rapidly that Buddha himself Uved to see them extend all over India. He died in the eightieth year of his age. To become a Buddhist it was necessary to assert belief in him and to call upon his name, and the neo- phyte desiring to enter the priesthood had to shave his hair, to wear a cloak made of yellow rags, and to study under an older believer. No person could bo admitted to the society by a single member. It could only be done by the general assembly. This assembly, of which Sakya was the chief, consisted of male and fem.ale mendicants, who bound themselves by a vow to perpetual chastity and poverty ; but besides these were other members, who had not taken this oath which connected them for ever with perpetual poverty and asceticism. From among the ascetics the elders were chosen according to their rank and seniority. The highest rank wasjhat of the aryas, or those who had ^. i: - 'f-;f>.i''^'v>ft im^ -•M- mitH^iiU'&ilSi'lS' 'ir-'*^1'''-rV'-^"-^'ir'^ir''-''-"'^'--'-^-'-~"'™"^-'" 310 Greater England. ' * realised the truth of the four axioms wlaicli are tha foundation of the Buddhist doctrine. These arc the following :— First, that pain exists ; secondly, that all that is born in this world suffers pain ; thirdly, that it is necessary to deliver ourselves from it ; fourthly, that knowledge alone offers the means of this deliverance. Transmigration of the soul, rewards for good acts and pimishment for bad, lead to the idea of expiation to be effected by the performance of good actions, but the only good act prescribed, formally, is the practice of confession, and this was enjoined by Sakya himself. , , The original worship of Buddha was extremely simple. The ceremonies consisted in offering flowers and perfume accompanied by instrumental music, hymns, and prayers. There were no sacrifices of bleeding, suffer- ing victims, nor were the prayers addressed to one god or any number of gods, but to Buddha under his com- pound name of Sakya-Muni, corporealised in a figure representing him, and in the buildings which were made to cover his bones. An image and relics, there- fore, arc the only tangible or outward elements in this extraordinary worship. With so little external material, the worship'of Buddha was of an abstract and refined order in its original conception, but the formalities with which it has become encrusted in later times have degenerated into the grossest idolatry. The abstract ideas referring to Silkya ascribe to him supernatural personal beauty, of which they assert that _. .IWwi gland. ' * r axioms wliicli arc tho doctrine. These arc tho exists ; secondly, that all ers pain ; thirdly, that it L's from it ; fourthly, that ans of this deliverance, ul, rewards for good acts . to the idea of expiation irmance of good actions, scribed, formally, is the lis was enjoined by Sakya Buddha was extremely isisted in offering flowers nstruraental music, hymns, icrifices of bleeding, suffer- yers addressed to one god ;o Buddha under his com- , corporealised in a figure ho buildings which were a. image and relics, thcre- r outward elements in this h so little external material, of an abstract and refined jtion, but the formalities crusted in later times have t idolatry. ing to S&kya ascribe to him r, of which they assert that ( 't'l/lon. 311 he possesses thirty-two attributes, or rather charac- teristics, and eighty secondary signs. Ilr is always represented under the figure of u man sitting as the posture of contemplation. Round this has become grouped a series of incarnate principles, notably the five Dhyani, representing the power of Buddha as a teacher 'or leader. They have been thought, as usual, to bo mere impersonations of five phenomena of the physical world, but they arc only various embodiments of tho power of Buddha. . Tho relics consist of the ashes of Sakya, which, lifter the body was burnt, were collected into eight metal cylinders and buried under the like number of iihaitayas. The uninterrupted tradition of seventeen centuries confirms the destination of these topes or columnar erections, of which some have been opened by General Ventura, ^lajor Cunningham, Lieutenant Massy, and other investigators of more recent date. The books now extant form three classes— the Sutrapitaka, or discourses of Buddha ; tho Vinayapitaka, or the discipline; and the Abhid larmmapitaka, or his manifested laws or metaphysics. The whole are termed Tripitaka. This division is also recognised among the Chinese, who name them sacred books, precepts, and -discourses. The sutras are dialogues, in which Sakya is the teacher, and this again reminds one of the mode in which instruction is conveyed in the cddas, where Odin as Gangrad, tells the giant Vafthrudnir all tho J 312 (Greater Emjland. learning of Valhalla in u scries of answers to his questions. In the poetic or older cdda there is a divine song called the Volaspa, where the refrain is, •Have ye understood this or not?' and the vala, or priestess, who utters the verse, refers to her memory and to what she has learnt. In a similar manner in the sutras, information always coumienccs with the formula, 'Lo! what I have learnt!' supposed to bo uttered by S&kya. S4kya was a great reformer, and one of his greatest and most useful reforms was the abolition of tho system of caste in religious matters. Caste in secular affairs is as much insisted on by the Singhalese as by tho Brahmins, but any one whose life and piety may prove him a fitting recipient for so great an honour may become a Buddhist. A sudra may, if he pass through the proper ordeals, become a priest, which is a grand step in the direction of religious freedom, admitting that all men are equal in tho eyes of God. But the names of the castes are constantly quoted. A response of the great reformer is recorded which is important as giving us a key, as it were, to his views of tho religion he was introducing among men. The Brahmins had been ridiculing him on account of a new disciple, whom he had converted, and who was sunk in the lowest degree of misery and abasement. ' My law,' he said, • is a law of grace for all, and what is that but a law of grace for all which enables the most miserable to become religious?' A doctrine so very Christian in wi nni .i 1 ^ .;..nj„ i j^i.ji. M",;4i|i.. gland. cries of answers to his older odda there is a )ii, wlicre the refrain is, ' notf and the vala, or 0, refers to her memory In a similar manner in ys commences with the learnt ! ' supposed to bo sr, and one of his greatest lie abolition of tho system Caste in secular affairs he Singhalese as by tho life and piety may prove 30 great an honour may 1 may, if he pass through I priest, which is a grand gious freedom, admitting 10 eyes of God. But the mtly quoted. A response 'ded which is important as his views of the religion, men. The Brahmins had nt of a new disciple, whom was sunk in the lowest nont. ' My law,' he said, i what is that but a law of 38 the most miserable to- rine so very Christian in Ceylon. 313 its tendency that we cannot wonder at its finding ad- herents all over the East. This, too, was long before the birth of our Lord, consequently tho Divine grace breathed from the lips of the Saviour could not have influenced Sakya. There are those who would assert that some of these teachings, on the contrary, in- fluenced our Lord Himself, but this is only one of tho wild and unconsidered theories of those whose hatred of the Christian name will make them grasp at any means through which they may exude their venom on tho. true and good to their own injury. How could these teachings have been known in Bethlehem or at Jeru- salem P How could they have found hearers among the Jews of that momentous period ? And even if they had been heard of there or known, tho doctrine of the universal goodness of the God of love and of His grace to all alike who chose to bo partakers, though a grand point in Christianity, is not its all in all. The style of the Buddhist writings is not so rich as that of the Mahabharat, nor does it affect the monotonous strain of the puranas. The plan is simple and inartificial. In the sutras Sakya is usually placed in some town in India, where he is sur- rounded by a number of hearers, all intent on be- coming religious, and not infrequently his audience is augmented by the addition of some of the gods of the Brahminical system. In his lectures, however, he does not refer to these gods ; he only mentions Buddhas, of whom the Sakya is the last and best. All men are, like ^1 ^l\ flredtif I'jxj'iiiiif. liiinndf, tlio HonH of kiuKs— that is, of Biulinmns. lie ♦•liiiuis to Imvo had a previous (.xisU>ncf, and occasion^ ally rilatcM wluit occ-urml to liiin boforo liis iuoaina- tion. Ho lulmitK tlio cxistciuf of tho RodH ^'f lli<' llrahmlns, but lu« d.rlaivs tlicir powor to bo inferior to that of lUiddlui, wliose divine esMenco, lie nnKcrtH, is ♦■onstantly movin- in an ever-acttvo current of life tlirouj?h iininuils, rriininals, men, and gods, ll.ut all the visible world is lu-riM-tual fhan-e. that death succeeds life and life death, but by the practice of hix trons- rendont perfections — alms, morals, scieuc.', energy. l)ationce, and charity— u man may hope to obtain rest from thisctmtiuued change, and arrive at the state of nirvftnu— deliverance or annihilation. One very important difVerenco between SAkyn and the Brahmins was the mode by which conversion was effected and the new faith conveyed. lie preached, which the Brahmins do not, and herein we may see another link with Christianity, the practisers of which arc commanded to preach. The Brahmins repeat, read, and to some extent expound the vcdas and puranas, but they do not preach ; therefore this was a great innovation, and it was a successful one because popular, and it was doubtless one of the causes of the extra- ordinary su(!ce8S with which his efforts were crowned, lleligious teaching was now no longer the exclusive • - property of a privileged class, but became .ccssible t.. all who were willing to acquire it. This was, of course, unpleasant for the Brahmins, who were nothing 5' ' t iH, of BrulnuimH. U«' cxiMtoui'e, and occuMioii- liiin before liis im-arnii- xc of the K"'l'^ "^ ^'"' r power to be inferior 1<» 5 esMeiice, be iisserts, is T-ucttve eurreni of life ;n, und gods, llait all tlie n praetice of wix trnns- morals, scieud', energy. may hope to obtain rest nd arrive at the state of lilation. enco between SAkyn and by wliieh conversion was onveyed. lie preached, and herein wo may sci« y, the praclisers of which he Brahmins repeat, read, I the vcdas and puranas, crefore this was a great (ssful one because popular, the causes of the extra- his efforts wvvq crowned. no longer the exclusive ;, but becamt cccssible to lequiro it. This was, of •ahmius, who were nothing ijeylon. ai5 if not of enHtc. Hence it is that they succeeded in xtremely complicated. ]Uit it is 7U)t in the least dognuitic, und herein lies another grand dit- forencc. All its teachings are essentially moral, and this morality rests upon an imitation of Buddha, which is as nuich as to say that he forms the ideal to copy which is to attain u religious life in the world. The whole gist of his commands may bo sunnued up in the command to imitato Buddha. . In the last chapter referenci" was made to the mystic syllabic 'Aum' pronounced by tlio Brahmins at tho coramenceraent and the end of a lecture on tho vcdus. This solemn and mysterious syllable is retained by tho priests of Buddha, who use it in the same way. The practice of the virtues referred to and the belief in Buddha arc sufficient to ensure nirvana or U:M 31 6 Greater England. annihilation, and ttis is whore the unpleasant part o£ Buddhism comes in. The Brahmins hope to hecome assimilated to the person of Brahma, their chief god, after death, hut the Buddhist seeks no after-life— he wants to have his body destroyed and his spirit anni- hilated. No god whatever is sought for after all ; the incarnation of the divine— which some say Buddha ^vas— became a simple mortal, and sought in anni- hilation peace. This is atheism with a vengeance, and the great spread of the views can only be accounted for by the absence of caste in religious faith on the one hand, and the indolence inculcated on the other. Of late years there has been a powerful admixture of Brahminism, which is, in so far, better, that the man Sakya pales before the divinity of the incarnate Buddha, in whose train, as a Hindu god, other sub- ordinate deities are introduced ; and Buddhism pure becomes mixed up with the worship of Siva and the female deities of his special cultc. And yet, by an apparent contradiction, Buddha should not mean a man, but a state of wisdom. To this state of wisdom any one may attain by a life of asceticism and the practice of certain virtues. Those who have reached this position of virtue are called Boddhisattwas, and they may hope for the state of annihilation. He who ■wishes to attain this state cannot do it of his own will Ho must, by passing through many stages of trans- migration, have merited the favour of one or two of -rr— r ngland. •e the unpleasant part o£ {rahmins hope to become Brahma, their chief god, 3t seeks no after-life — he oyed and his spirit anni- 8 sought for after all ; the which some say Buddha ial, and sought in anni- vengeance, and the great y be accounted for by the faith on the one hand, and he other, leen a powerful admixture in so far, better, that the D divinity of the incarnate a Hindu god, other sub- need; and Buddhism pure B worship of Siva and the al cultc. And yet, by an iddha should not mean a I. To this state of wisdom life of asceticism and the Those who have reached called Boddhisattwas, and te of annihilation. He who jannot do it of his own will (Ugh many stages of trans- le favour of one or two of Ceylon. 317 the gigantic Buddhas, in wh^. ,.e reality most Buddhists believe. And here stops in t new feature, which relieves the atheistic tendencies of the older faith. When he is in full possession of the favour of these beings, in one of their heavenly mansions above the earth, ho awaits, under the title of Boddhi-vatthu, the moment of his reappearance in the world. Descended upon earth, he is not yet Buddhas ; it is not until he has undergone all the proofs afforded by transmigra- tion, accomplished the most exalted duties, and pene- trated the most sublime truths by sciences, that he can become Buddhas. Then he has the power of delivering men from the conditions of transmigration by teaching them charity, and showing them that those who prac- tise the duties of morality in this life, and strive to attain scientific knowledge, may one day attain to the supreme state of Buddha. At length, having taught the law, he enters into the Nirvana. Sakya claimed to be one of these mysterious Buddhas. We can see the descent from the worship of a god of iove (strange and grotesque as that worship had become) into the worship of wisdom, and thence into the worship of mere science. The Buddhist doctrines comprise, besides these simple dicta, a very absiruse system of metaphysics, in which speculations occur, in essentially Indian forms, on the absolute, on the first cause of the universe, and on the essence of things. All these problems are treated in the Abidharma (one of the Buddhist books). 318 (ireater England. just Ji8 tlicy arc treated by European mvans, and the solutions arrived at arc frequently Identical, allowing for the difference between the European and the Indian mind. The first foreign country into whicb Brahminism was introduced from India proper was apparently Ceylon, which remains its chief seat still. The chronicles of the island, written in Pali, go back to its first civilisation by Buddhists. Remains of Buddhist temples of very high antiquity are found there, and in modem times Marco Polo refers to the pilgrimages in the thirteenth century, when he visited Ceylon, made by the Buddhists to the so-called print of Buddha's foot on Adam's Peak in Ceylon. He speaks in the following terms of the Buddhists: — 'The idolaters of Kampion, the principal city of the province of Tangent, have many religious houses or monasteries and abbeys, built after the manner of the coimtry, and in those a multitude of idols, some of which are of wood, some of clay, and some of stone, and covered with gilding. These images are held in extreme veneration. . . . Those persons among the idolaters who are devoted to the services of religion lead more correct lives, according to their ideas of morality, than the other classes, abstaining from sensual and carnal appetites.' The Buddhists reject entirely the authority of the vedas and the sacrifices and religious observances kept up by the Hindus. It seems strange that what can \ ■::J!/l!v,il,";yV:>],"- '■ ".. H fV"^'. ' ! faiul. iropean means, and tho ntly Identical, allowing luropean and the Indian ato whicli Brahminiam )roper was apparently chief scat still. The 1 in Pali, go back to its Remains of Buddhist are found there, and in s to the pilgrimages in le visited Ceylon, made lied print of Buddha's on. He speaks in the ists : — I, the principal city of I many religious houses ilt after the manner of tultitude of idols, some clay, and some of stone, ese images are hold in ose persons among the the services of religion rding to their ideas of asses, abstaining from ply the authority of the ligious observances kept strange that what can Ceyh on. 319 only be regarded as a sect should now become so formidable a rival to the older form, and yet the case was precisely similar with the Reformation. This leads us back to the original settlement of the Portuguese in 1517, who, after assuring them- selves of the possession of the island, commenced a series of incessant attacks, with their accustomed cruelty and dogmatism, upon the natives. And the bigotry and intolerance of the Portuguese were the sources of per- petual dissension. "WTien the Dutch, under Admiral Spilbergen, appeared in 1601, landed on the coast, and sought the alliance of the King of Kandy, in the in- terior of the island, every encouragement was given to them by the Kadians, who hoped by their means to drive out the Portuguese. Nothing seems to have come of this until, in 1639, the Dutch attacked and rased the Portuguese forts on the east coast, and in the following year landed at Negombo, but without esta- blishing themselves in any strong post. In 1643 Negombo was captured and fortified by the Dutch, and fifteen years afterwards the fall of Colombo gave them the full command of the whole of the seaboard of Ceylon. More tolerant or less ambitious of rule than the Portuguese, the Dutch contrived to make friends of the Singhalese, and to establish commercial relations with India and with Europe on a different basis from that which formed the groundwork of the old Singhalese commercial system. But Dutch rapacity proved a 320 Greater England. heavy drain upon the people on the one hand, while the extortions and cruelties of the King of Kandy on the other reduced them to the extreme of wretchedness. The King of Kandy was never better pleased than when he could glut his eyes with the sufferings of his subjects. Of course there were plenty of criminals to be had, and it was 'his custom ahvays of an after- noon' to have batches of these wretches butchered under his balcony of state with details of cruelty such as the pen refuses to chronicle. And here is a very remarkable fact to bo noted. It is well known that tyranny and cruelty are always joined with cowardice. The Singhalese are not brave men, but they are cruel. When the Dutch came among them these latter (the Dutch) were a bold, courageous nation, who, acting as allies, drove off tho Portuguese by dint of bravery. They settled on the island, and a century later found them cowardly and imbecile. Their cowardice aud imbecility lost them, in the year 1790, what their valour had gained them in 1653. The first intercourse of the English with Ceylon took place in 1760, when an embassy was despatched from Madras to the King of Kandy, which, however, did not lead to any special result. On the rupture between England and Holland in 1795 a force was sent out against the Dutch possessions at Ceylon, where the opposition offered was so slight that by the following year the whole of the Dutch forts were in the hands of the English commander. J fland. - on the ono hand, while the King of Kandy on jxtreme of wretchedness, sver hotter pleased than ith the sufferings of his re plenty of criminals to )m ahvays of an after- ese wretches hutcherod with details of cruelty chronicle. fkable fact to bo noted. r and cruelty are always Singhalese are not brave n the Dutch came among were a bold, courageous Irove off the Portuguese bled on the island, and u cowardly and imbecile. ;y lost them, in the year gained them in 1653. Inglish with Ceylon took 3sy was despatched from dy, which, however, did On the rupture between [)5 a force was sent out is at Ceylon, where the ht that by the following orts were in the hands of Ceylon. 321 At first the island was placed under the care of the Honourable East India Company, but in 1802 it reverted to the Crown ; but the English dominion at that time extended no farther than to the maritime provinces. The central tract of hilly country, hedged in by impenetrable forests and precipitous mountain ranges, remained in possession of Wickrama Singh, the last of the Malabar dynasty of kings, who showed no sign of encouraging communication with his European neighbours. Of course we had to take Kandy, which we did in 1814 after a series of severe, perhaps disgraceful, disasters ; but on the 2nd of March, 1815, the entire sovereignty of the island passed into the hands of the English, and it is now called (in punning allusion to its fisheries) the pearl of the English crown. I may here adduce the writings of a contemporary author to show that work is being done in other directions than in mere merchandise to improve the condition of the Singhalese, and I take the liberty of giving an account of the impression made on the mind of a missionary by one particular form of his work in nearly his own words, Mr. Moffat tells us that — ' About twelve miles from Colombo, the chief town of Ceylon, on the high road to Galle, which is the second town, there is a rich belt of land lying between the sea on ono side and an extensive lagoon on the other. On this bank of land stands the thriving pillage of Morotto, remarkable for its fishermen and its x^ -i. :^i. 322 Greater England. carpenters. And hero it was that the incident I am going to rchite occurred. ' Turning our backs upon the weird and wonderful scenery, we remark a dome with gilded pinnacle* glittering in the sunbeams on the top of the hill, and surrounded with bo-trees. That dome belongs t» a Buddhist temple where learned priests are thronging, each ordained by a chapter organized with profound policy, and venerating legitimacy of succession aa much fcs any ecclesiastical body in Rome— priests, but with this reservation, that mmi is the only god they acknowledge, while, for man, alas! notwithstanding his possible godhead, when this life is over they allow no heaven better than annihilation. The common people do perhaps worship Buddha as if he were a real being, great and powerful, and consciously existing somewhere. But the sacred books adore his memory only, and the priesthood proclaim no god to the multi- tude but themselves. This is bad enough. What can be worse than atheism ? And yet let us hear what the boatman says of the headland on the other side of the . lake, 80 remarkable for its hoary trees and dense, im- penetrable jungle. There is a hidden treasure there, he says. Then why not go and dig it up ? ' •* Ah ! it is guarded by a devil." 'This answer reminds me of a custom much prac- ; - tised at Ceylon, I am told, at no very remote time, the very thought of which makes the blood run cold. It was this: — J "MMWA',!*'* ]lani1. that the incident I am ;ho weird and wonderful with gilded pinnacle* the top of the hill, and hat dome belongs to a a priests are thronging^ (rganizod with profound imacy of succession as y in Komc — priests, but an is the only god they I, alas! notwithstanding lis life is over they allow ihilation. The common iddha as if he were a real and consciously existing books adore his memory laim no god to the multi- 1 bad enougb. What can i yet let us hear what the I on the other side of the oary trees and dense, im- a hidden treasure there, nddigitup? a devil." 3 of a custom much prac- t no very remote time, the ss the blood run cold. It Ceylon. 323 ' The owner of a treasure, when ho apprehended from any cause that such treasure was not safe at home, having selected some lonely spot in the jungle, dug two holes there close beside each other. One of these holes is large enough to hold the treasure, the other much larger. This done, he returns to his bouse, and having provided himself with a large knife and concealed it in his dress, calls a trusty servant, and showing him the bag of treasure, bids him " follow." The faithful servant obeys, and when they have arrived at the secret spot the treasure is deposited in its hole and committed to the keeping of the ser- vant, on which his throat is cut and his body buried. And therefore he who receives this reward for his fidelity is believed to be a demon, and the treasure safe in the keeping of Yakka. 'This is a sample of the atrocities which demon worship prompts. Barbarities like these were only practised in former times, but still demon worship forms the only positive religion of the heathen in Buddhistic countries. It prevails to a vast extent not only in Ceylon, but in all Southern India, and this is truly lamentable, both in a religious point of view and because it is so gloomy, unsocial, and inhuman. It is to a priest of this religion that the incident relates to which we now proceed. 'He was an old man, and the temple where he ministered was his own. It presented its dismal front in a shady grove, almost fifty yards off a much-fre- .^ ^-^ 324 Greater England. quented by-road which led from the highway to a populous village on the banks of the lake. And Ihcro had the old demon priest remained for many a long year by his idols. And many orgies had he celebrated in every hamlet around. Wherever there was any one sick who could afford to pay, or anything secret which was wanted to be known— haply a new-married woman anxious about her child— he was in request. Nay, I have been credibly informed that daughters of Christian parents have stolen away to ask the Kapruula about their fortunes ; such is the hold which demon worship has in the human mind. Was this much-frequented road, then, in one of the loveliest by-paths in the world, to be left with no retreat for the piously-dis- posed, but a demon temple with its priest? But the Wcsleyan Missionary Society has long since had a station at Morotto, and it was resolved that a mission chapel should be erected opposite the demon temple on the other side of the road.' Just as I have seen in India a Hindu temple erected to counteract the baleful effects of a newly- erected raU- way-station. 'It was arranged, however, that each building should be out of the sight of the other. The chapel was accordingly built, and at the time to which this narrative refers the missionary who ministered in it ^ was a pure Singhalese, Peter De Zylva byname, a man of great kindness of heart and energy of character. 'Mr. De Zylva's domiciliary visits were reaching M gland. rom tho highway to a of the lake. Aiul ihcro mined for many a long orgies had he celebrated jrever there was any one r anything secret which ly a new-married woman was in request. Nay, I at daughters of Christian ask the Kapruula about Id which demon worship as this much-frequented (veliest by-paths in the reat for tho piously-dis- ich its priest? But the r has long since had u 8 resolved that a mission site the demon temple on ia a Hindu temple erected ts of a newly-erected rail- iver, that each building f the other. The chapel t the time to which this iry who ministered in it De Zylva by name, a man i energy of character, iary visits were reaching Ceylon. 325 every house and hamlet in Morotto, and his voice was ringing with the mysteries of redemption, musically yet powerfully, from the desk in the Morotto chapel, Sunday und weekday, while the passengers were arrested more and more, until his little flock became a large one. 'But how was it going with the old priest in his old demon temple over tho way? Was he plotting mischief and plying a bad tongue against the mis- sionary Avho was thus turning the people from his temple to another, where his own religion was de^ nounced as most sinful and most unholy, and the Christian faith proclaimed as the power of God? This was nothing loss than might have been expected from human nature under the circumstances, but not so here. While the people who used to frequent his temple were turning away in the opposite directioi., the old priest, sitting inside, listened day after day u, the hymns and prayers and to the preaching in his own language of the Christian minister to the Christia'^ congregation. 'At last one morning the Christian preacher was surprised by a visit from the devil priest, who re- spectfully saluted him. De Zylva received him with some suspicion, for the demon worshippers are very cunnmg and know how to turn everything to their advantage, and get money out of their clients by every means in their power.' And here I must apologise for any inaccuracy in the rest of my quotations from a highly interesting book ! T'TTUrT'^^ '''' '"■•""'^ 32G Greater England. on Ceylon by "Mr. J. Ferguson ; I have not the volume at hand and only give the substance of his remarks as nearly as my memory will serve. Though this is not a word for word quotation, the spirit of the narration is preserved. ' I want to ask your advice,' said the devil priest. •What does that mean in money?' asked the missionary. 'Don't think that I am playing any of my old tricks upon you. I have heard so much that I want to know more. Is it possible for mo to bo a Christian ?' The incongruity of a priest of the devil being a Christian struiik the missionary forcibly, so to prove the sincerity of the new aspirant ho said, ' All things are possible with God ; but you must give mo the key of your temple ; and there is no money to be had what- ever I may do.' ' I have brought the key of the temple— I meant to give it up. I ask no money. Hero is the key.' Hardly convinced even yet, the Christian mis- sionary took the key, and replied, 'Well, then, look here ; to-morrow I shall come and smash all your idols, and destroy all that I can destroy of the temple.' ' Let it be so — I am content.' Next morning the work of destruction went merrily forward. The devil priest became a Christian, and the ruins of the temple are standing off the pleasant by- path leading from the road. But there are devil priests still working their iand. \ I have not the volume stnnco of his rcniiirka uh 0. Though this is not ti pirit of tho narration is ' said the devil priest, u money?' asked the playing any of my old rd so much that I want ir mo to bo a Christian ?' st of tho devil being a ry forcibly, so to prove ant ho said, ' All things )u must give mo the key o money to be had what- of tho temple — I meant :. Hero is the key.' yet, the Christian mis- plied, 'Well, then, look and smash all your idols, troy of the temple.' It.' destruction went merrily came a Christian, and the ding off the pleasant by- iests still working their ( 'eijon. 327 peculiar line of business at Ceylon, and by all a 328 (Ireatcv Ev[il^ as a visitor to the island which service to attend. Dull sermons arc occasionally met with in Enghmd, hut a priest of tho de\il in full canonicals would bo a now sensation, and anybody having tho opi)ortunity of seeing tho dance and hearing the ' music ' would not be likely to throw it away. In this short account, culled from various sources, and. containing some results of my own very slight oxpcriencc, enough has been said to show what a paradise on earth Ceylon might be made with some vigorous pushing on the part of the English Govern- ment. Much has been done, but vcrif much remains to do. A healthy climate, or one that will bo perfectly wholesome as soon as tho jungle is cleared away, a docile people, who are already thankful for what is being done for them, great capabilities of agriculture, and, finally, the finest harbours in the world, combino to render this place the most desirable acquisition that England has ever made. Nature points to it as ours. There the Anglian fleets should lie that would render us masters of the globe and enable us to say that no war-ships should be built by any nation than our own. The commanding position of Ceylon as a depot for our ships is palpable to anyone who looks at the map of xisia. It covers both the eastern and the western '%'\.,..u' '^^' ukI. it drowsy tones of tlio 11 watch tlit'Hf devil use un eye. Nor could ho iMlaud which wervico casioiiuUy met with in e\il in full canoniculs I anybody having tho tid hearing the ' music ' I way. 1 from various sources, my own very slight said to show what a it be made with some if the English (iovern- )ut tri'!/ much remains that will bo perfectly jle is cleared away, a thankful for what is labilities of agriculture, 1 in tho world, combine sirablc acquisition that iro points to it as ours, d lie that would render liable us to say that no Y nation than our own. if Ceylon as a depot for B who looks at the map astern and the western ( '('»//««. 329 coast of tho Indian peninsiila. It is tlio key to tho islands and Austrnliu. Thence tho Anglian fleet could sail up the Tcrsian (lulf on the one side of Arabia and up the lied Sea on the other, and meet the other portion of the miglity armament ON: rrintod by &Tt,AN((E^s'A¥9 it Sons. Tower Street, CaUiliridi^e Ciicoa. ngland. 1 to men.' Those words Wo are neither one nor us English. But as our the Atlantic might, from ;t the dear old word, the i applicable to both, giving orent epochs. Wo have brm a Christian England 1 Elizabeth giving autho- k'entures iu the new-found or to a set of merchants, incd to endow the third empire. Now let the form an empire far more tyrants, because it is an urishing in wisdom. My jn my own dear home of before I die the Greater IN: )wtT street, CaUiliridi^e Cii'coa. In Two Vols., 6s. each, each Volume sold separately. OLDEE ENGLAND. FIRST AND SECOND SERIES. ILLUSTRATED BY Till: ansjlO'-fearoit Ecmaitis in tlje Buitijilj Q^useum, Being Two Courses of Lectures delivered at the British Museum 1!Y J. mEDERICK HODGETTS, LATF KXAMINEII TO THK CNIVERSITT AND mSTRICT OF MOSCOW, PROFESSOR IN TUB Tmi^ RiTl COuiKBE OF PRACTICAL 8CIENCK, AND OTHER CROWN ESTABLISHMENTS o" MOSCOW, MEMBER OF THE BRITISH ABCU.EOLO..ICAL ASSOCIATION, AUTHOBOf 'AKI3T0RT0FAN0L0-SAX0N LITEUATHBE, ETC. ETC. •A most interestins book it is, full of out-of-tlie-way learning a"'\ "f /f t» which it behoves all who love this English land anjl are curious about the begmuiugs of history, to know "Okler EngUna" is, m truth, .no.st '"^•'^he work 'iu^^uie'";;!:^ ll^ all who would bo acauaiuted with the newest . lines of thought evolved about the antiquities which our land has recently y elded up s'o liberally to scientific excavation. The advantage wh.cli Mr Hod^'etts was, with supreme good fortune, enabled to .avail hinisell of, that, namelv, of lecturing upon the, so to speak, t^ypical iind historical eciinens of An^lo-Saxon antiquities preserve.l in the Hv.t.sh Museum, was, ii'deed, very great. From this point of view his lecture^ have been surpassed by none hitherto. '—/Jn7/47i-ln7«ni%irt(i/lA-s«c''!''''n /"'"•'"«• ^ 'These Anglo-Saxon records are especially attractive to he student ; for some of the qualities that have tended to make hngland \Wiat '* '^ i}"'! jo supply our Colonies with vigorous and energetic people, arj; tjacea^de d, ecUy to our Anglo-Saxon ancestors 11 is lectures on " llje Sword, Iho ShieV-'-J'ie Spear, .Javelin, and An-ow," " Kings," " Brooches," ' Unnking Glasses," &c., are full of interest, and the customs and rites observed by tl e^^^ hardy, primitive, and, in many respects, noble peop e, >'re also descried dearly and intelligently, making tlio book a valuable one ior relereiice. -Thehui. From 'The Pleasures of Learning,' being the first of a series »' le^t';^^. entitled ' The Pleasures of England,' delivered at Oxford by Professor Ruskin, '" ^'\^ha7e been of late indebted more than I can express to the friend who has honoured me bv the dedication of his recently published lectures on "^Idcr England," and whose eager enthusiasm and far-collected learning have enabled ml for 'the first time, to assign their .just •"°^'"»g •7;\:^*|\'^*°,i^^ ritual aM.l imagery of Saxon devotion. But while every page ati?aTworld, I have also been led by them to conceive far >"»[« f<,rcib y than hitherto the power which the story of Christianity I'""''^ «f; ' '^^^ ''"^t'! through the wreaths of that cloudy supcrsti ion, in *!« su^st tut on lor its ^aportscent allegory, of a positive and literal account of a real creation, and an instantly present, omniprese nt, and compassionat e Cxod. —Pp. 14, io. WHITING - CO., .'50 AND :.!2 SARDINIA STREET, linculns inn fields, londc:;, w.c. 881 Now ready, by the same Author, uniform tcUh ' Older England,' demy 8uo., price rtn with ' Older Evgland,' mil AGES; IPATION TO THE 'UARTS. . 'SS, ARMS, OCCUPA- 'EMENTS, ! in tbe British Museum. Mr. Hodgetts's book were . The first deals with the 1 tu an examination of the nt of view. The general third lecture describes the . . The last two lectures ) of the Middle Ages ; that iteresting in the book. In of sports which have died Early English period is ono d by the relics now open to ^ill certainly be new light •'s style is so vivid that the I clear conception of the old iw faith of Christianity, as entertained of the sturdy 1 force in the world • these lectures delivered in and privilege of inspecting enjoy looking over this Others, less fortunate, delightful volume to avail which are open to all in- book cannot fail to give d. mode of life, dress, arms, fathers, from the Norman The extensive information 1 lecturer is put forward in The English in the Middle Ages.— Continued. s thoroughly popular and interesting manner, and we may fairlv claim tha^ the English history ..f the period covered cannot . ell understood without such help.'-r/td Chmtian U orld. 'Mr Hodgetts's work contains a large «m°»"t f„]°f°'"^^*!°'i derived from original sources, chiefly the old English MS8. and other remlinB in the British Museum.'-T/ie Calcutta Enflhshman. ' The author whose " Older England " was noticed in om Journal at th?ti,ue oMt" issue, ha. herein -ntimied to traverse he hnes nnon which his previous researches were founded. In this present work we have the text of the lectures which Mr. Hodgotts was but in England it is a welcome step in the right direction of eouca- tionaradvance We may go further and say that we hope lue day is not far Sant when the Ldemical nature of the great museums of ^nVland S ™r more extensively recognised and established even fhan now There was a time, no. long pa.t, when our best museums weremtrebeLthrncuriosit^bazaars^liKesomeprovm at nresent where objects of natural history, ethnology, and hne arts, a eTmm nj edin i/icturesque disregard of the properties of c as ihca- ?w!n That however, is giving way now to a new order of things, Nonn^nknght the shaven monk, the warrior the Vrestt^^J^^A.^ cragsman, the minstrel, and the ««?J;«hant, and from the handle of a «wnrd inlaid with fold, the inscribed blade of a knife, tne cnaseu metal rim of a VrBe. the turned wood drinking-cup, a bjrooch ^ of'^iur forefathers Eminently qualified as he is, m many ways, for aVublicrctSrwe congratulLV. Hodgetts that he has l>ut - o the form of a permanent record the ejPO«|'ion« ^^^ich were listenea to with verv creat appreciation when he delivered them. Jml of thi British Archceological Association, Dec, 188o. WHITING & CO., 30 and 32 SARDINIA STREET, LINCOLN'S INN FIELDS, LONDON, W.C. ^^^ ■^*»- i Crown 8co. Price Five SMUinys. THE CHAMPION OF ODIN E JSTaJe of iincieut Wiax, J. FREDERICK HODGETTS, Late Profestor and Crown Examiner at Moscow. ' Under the title, " The Champion of Odin, or Vikinp: Life in the Days of Old " (Cassell), Mr. J. Frederick Hodgetts has written a book which ia sure to delight and cannot fail to instruct Mr, Hodgetts's previous efforts in the same department of fiction— that is to say, " Harold, the Boy Earl " and " Ivan Dobrofif "—should be his best recommendation His manner is manly and frank, and his matter full of information.'— Daj/i/ Telegraph, Dec. 29th, 1885. ' A good story of Viking life. The young hero, being a Norseman, takes part in the invasion of England. The manners and customs of these warlike people are well and graphically described.' Standard, Dee. 2nd, 1885. ' The perusal of this highly interesting story will awaken an in- terest in those grand forefathers of our race from whom we have inherited so many of our bust qualities.' Christinas bookseller, Deo., 1885. ' Mr. J. P. Hodgetts produces a ♦ . prowess imbued with a true chivalrii as the history of the Jews.' — Graphic, i prose lay of early Viking It, and as full of slaughter . 7th, 1885. ' The book is full of matter, and shows both careful study and a considerable power of assimilating and utiUsing the knowledge acquired. And, as may be supposed, it has some striking scenes. We may cite, as an instance, that in which Hahkon is taken into Luna (the Etruscan town which he has mistaken for Rome) as a sick man who would fain die within reach of holy things. The vala, or prophetess Folda, is one of the most effective figures.' Spectator, Dec. 9th, 1885. ' "Tlie writer has put before young readers a picture of the life of men in the old Anglo-Saxon days, and has woven into his narrative a good deal of material from Scandinavian sources. He explains in the Preface that he has carefully followed Sharon Turner and other recognised authorities for the filling in of his details, especially in introducing the character of the great King Alfred. Youthful readers, however, will care less about this than to find in the book a spirit- 334 \ ) S'nllinffs. The Champion of Odin.— Continued. ^ OF ODIN It mLax. lODGETTS, miner at Moscow. Ddin, or Viking Life in the lodgetts has written a book il to instrust Mr. partment of fiotion^hat is in Dobrofif " — should be his is manly and frank, and his aph, Dec. 29th, 1885. ng hero, being a Norseman, he manners and customs of lly described.' Standard, Dee. 2nd, 1885. ig story will awaken an in- race from whom we have tmas j^ookseller, Dec, 1885. 5 prose lay of early Viking It, and as full of slaughter . 7th, 1885. ws both careful study and id utilising the knowledge has some striking scenes, lich Hahkon is taken into istaken for Borne) as a sick holy things. The yala, or ive figures.' Spectator, Dec. 9th, 1885. 3rs a picture of the life of woven into his narrative a )urces. He explains in the Sharon Turner and other if his details, especially in ; Alfred. Youthful readers, find in the book a spirit- Btirrin" tale Jlr. Hodgetts rightly judges that even in the mvtlioTogy of our ancient race, there is more to be found that is in accordance with modern ideas than in many of the similiar fancies of Greece and Rome.'— giicen, Oct. 31st, 1885. ' The book is one from which much may be learned, and at the same time it cannot fail to interest its -aje-;^^^^,. ^^^ ^^^^^ ^^,,^ ' " The Champion of Odin " ia a tale of ancient war, as its name in- dicates, and is intended to interest the young reader in the legends of the days of King Alfred. It is written in a lively style, and the inci- dents are sufficiently stirring, as well as intsresting. to rivet the attention to the ead.'— School Neinpaper, Dec. 1st, 1885. ' " The Champion of Odin" takes us to Northern lands. .. . .In the result Mr. Hodgetts has produced a stirring story of Viking hfe in the days of old, which is likely to hold its own even among the vast throng of competitors .... which have appeared this Christmas. — John null, Dec. 12th, 1885. « Mr Hodgetts has consulted the best authorities for the materials of his story, and has been at much pain.-, to construct a yivid picture of Viking life. The sketches of ,'Rltred and Asser, though slight, are very good.' — Guardian;J)£!s, 9th, 1885. ' Mr. Hodgetts has produced .... a most fascinating volume. The myths of their own race are, as the writer truly remarks, much better for English lads than those of Greece and Kome. "The Champion of Odin" is a capital book, and we predict for it a very great popularity.'— Court Circular, Nov. 28th, 1885. . The stirring deeds of Viking life in the brave days of old have been woven into a story fuU of incident and "go," and embel- lished with genuine Scandinavian colouring. The principal characters are Norsemen, and take part in the successive mvasions of England. Their alternate failures and successes form the groundwork of a capital story, and convey a clear idea of how the Danish influence was gradually absorbed into our complex Enghsh life. •^ ' Bradford Ob$erver, Oct. 23rd, 1880. Messrs. CA8SELL & CO., La Belle Sauvage Yard, Ludgate Hill. 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