London in February and arrived a fortnight before, she writes (September 14) to Winston Vicarage: Frank was just gone off to Santubong when the box arrived, and I was glad to spare him the pain of opening it, for I am always obliged to keep our dear child's things out of his sight, and all the pretty things and loving messages in that box were more than even my philosophy could bear.' She then speaks of distributing the things sent for Harry, some to her little godchild Frank Wright at Singapore, others to other friends. Ah, if Harry had been here, how we should have enjoyed opening that box! but I try to believe that he has heavenly pleasures now, and perhaps he was near, and could better appreciate the love which dictated those gifts to him, than if he could still have derived pleasure from them.' This was not the only cause of distress which arose from these boxes from home, for rather more than a year afterwards she mentions them and the accumulation of coloured dresses contained in them, which her husband had urged her, and she must consent, to use; giving up her worn-out mourning, 'for, much as it cost her to do so, she could not take money for her dress which he wanted for the support of the school;' but when they were gone, she in truth abjured colours for the rest of her life. She adds, in the same letter from which we began our quotation: 'Our life has been quite quiet and uneventful lately, the Rajah still away on his Siam embassy, which, from his long absence, we hope has proved successful. The church is assuming a finished look; I sometimes go there with Frank, and sitting on a beam watch the carpenters, and speculate on the events that may take place in that church. The greatest of all wonders may happen there : souls drawn heavenward, which have hitherto cared only for this world; God's light and life imparted to the sorrowful and broken-hearted; little infants joined to Christ's flock of lambs ; angels and departed saints and innocents joining in hymns and eucharistic thanksgivings! This church seems to bring us nearer to England and all that is good and beautiful; and it

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is a comfort to think that Frank has been the means of rearing it. It is being painted white outside with all the mouldings stained dark colour; inside it is like a vaulted cedar box, the planks having all been picked out with the same colour. When the windows are in, which we shall soon have from Singapore, it will be a very pretty church, and I hope by Christmas we shall worship there.'

In a report of later date, her husband further describes it, and it may be noted that his desire was not only that the building should be appropriate, but simple and constructed with the natural products of the country. He says: 'The pillars of the arches are all of palm wood like large partridge caves, and take a beautiful polish; the planking is of a kind of cedar, the mouldings are all Balean and Miraboo, which also take a high polish. For the font I have procured a large clam shell, large enough to immerse a three or four years old child. It is of an elegant scallop shape, and when cleaned with acid, which will make it a beautiful pearly white both inside and out, and mounted on an ebony pedestal, will look exceedingly well, and be both cheaper and handsomer than anything I could get made out here. The east window is of coloured glass, and given by my friend Mr. Jackson, the Assistant Resident at Singapore. The central light will represent the Sarawak cross, a red and purple cross on a golden ground. It is the national flag, and will please the native eye, besides being an appropriate Christian emblem.'

In January 1851 the church was consecrated. It was described by the Bishop, Daniel Wilson, of Calcutta, who performed the ceremony, as a building 'than which there was not one more beautiful or suitable in the whole of India,' not that it was entirely finished, for funds had fallen short and the committee had stopped the supplies, but 'that went for nothing, as they intended to finish it by degrees.'

On the day of the ceremony everything was done with great regularity and order. There was the usual petition for

consecration by the Rajah and the European residents, and the formal act was done by the Bishop of Calcutta as Metropolitan in India on visitation to Sarawak, and in the name and on the behalf of the Bishop of London, under whose jurisdiction the church and the chaplain and missionary, the Rev. F. T. McDougall, were assumed to be. It was dedicated to God as the church of St. Thomas at the station of Sarawak in the island of Borneo, and consecrated for the celebration of Divine service according to the United Church of England and Ireland. The Bishop was accompanied by Archdeacon and Mrs. Pratt, the Rev. H. Moule and Dr. Beale, his own medical attendant, and brought with him Mr. Fox, as a catechist, with the view of eventual ordination, from Bishop's College, Calcutta. He paid the expenses of his visit out of his subscription to the mission of 2,000 rupees. Nothing could be more kind and cordial than the way in which he spoke of the indefatigable and zealous chaplain, Mr. McDougall, both then and afterwards. On February 6, Mrs. McDougall, writing to her sister, gives an account of the visit and the consecration: 'We are so unaccustomed to a flood of strangers that we all felt very tired when the "Semiramis" steamed away with the Bishop and his party, but on the whole it was a delightful excitement. The Bishop was very loving, and Archdeacon Pratt particularly agreeable We used to be great

friends, and agreed extremely well. His wife was very much admired by the natives. She is tall and very fair; one Malay man said: "Why, her throat is sufficient for one man to admire." She was perfectly simple and unaffected; had been brought up in England, and only returned to India a year before her marriage, which took place eight months ago. I think, however, that had we been together more than four days she would have found out how much inclined I was to smile at her talk; but she is quite sincere and very amiable. One night she had a vehement discussion with--, during which he said all sorts of violent things to draw her out, and she

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advised him earnestly "to pray a great deal and not to fall into the snares of the devil."' Excellent advice had there been a chance of its being taken. Then there were Dr. Beale and Mr. Moule, all our guests. We used to invite some people of the place every day to meet the Bishop, and he used to take wine with them at dinner, and expound Scripture to them after dessert before we left the table. He was very sensible, I thought, in his expositions, except when he talked about people "who tumbled into the bog of popery from believing baptismal regeneration," and then in his wrath he could not always avoid mentioning names, which was not always well and kindly done. One day he said at dinner: "Mrs. McDougall, I drink your health and all the Bunyons." The Archdeacon remembered our beloved father at the Church Missionary Committee very well. He has a great love for his father's memory, and showed me a little picture of him, which he kept in his sermon book, "that looking at him he might preach like him." I thought it very nice of him, but I hope his father preached better sermons than he did here on Sunday afternoon, for it was as mazy as the road to Rosamond's bower. Captain Brooke (who was in command in his uncle's absence) did everything in his power to make much of the Bishop and show him attention. He was invited to stay at Government House, but chose to come to us. One day Captain Brooke gave a grand dinner party to us all and sent a fine Siam boat to carry the Bishop about in state. Wednesday, January 22, was the consecration day, and it was a very exciting day for us. My dear Frank, who had toiled for his pretty church, who had thought day and night for two years of the blessedness of praying there, looked as pale as you know he always does when much excited. He and Mr. Moule stood before the Eagle, and read the morning service; the Bishop and Archdeacon at the altar; then we had communion; then Susan and Ayoon, the Chinese teacher, were confirmed; altogether the service lasted from eleven to half

past two. There was plenty for me to do at the organ. I was very tired when it began, having been up before six, but I lost all sense of fatigue as the service advanced. The Bishop preached, and there was a great crowd of Malays, Dyaks, and Chinese at the church. The Datu Bandar went out before the service was over, because the Bishop kept talking about the Malays and Mohammedans and striking the desk with his hands, and so our gentle Bandar thought he was angry.' The Bishop, she said, had every reason to be gratified with his reception, and was very affectionate. He used to bestow pokes on the chest upon Frank, whom he thought a Hercules of strength, entirely, I think, from his exerting himself so immensely all the time that our visitors were here, and actually wrote that he was most struck with the amount of athletic strength which Mr. McDougall enjoyed and devoted to the work of the mission.' But he was no sooner gone than ‘Frank fell ill of fever, and has been ill ever since.'

In a letter written shortly after the Bishop's departure, Mr. McDougall writes: 'I have just received a very kind and paternal letter from the good Bishop of Calcutta, in which he gives me much good advice, and cautions me very strongly against using the Bishop of Oxford's and Archdeacon Manning's writings; indeed, he gave me a sharp rap over the knuckles for having them in my library'-relics cherished, doubtless, of old Oxford days. Dear good old Bishop, he has some very strong opinions on some points in which I cannot follow him, but for earnestness, zeal, good sense, kindness, and devotion to our Blessed Master's service, I shall always respect and honour him, and pray to be enabled humbly and far apart to follow in his steps.' This letter is so amusing and such an epitome of the views of his school, that we may venture to insert it :

Singapore: Jan. 27, 1851.

'My dear Friend,-I write a line before I leave for the Straits to express to Mrs. McDougall and yourself how much