that the breach in the Church would be healed by the appointment of some moderate and influential Churchman from England as Bishop of Natal, who could have combined all parties and made peace; unhappily, the spirit of Christianity, which is self-sacrifce, and, if necessary, even self-effacement, did not prevail in the colony.

In July 1868 Bishop McDougall took possession of the vicarage at Godmanchester, and shortly after paid his first visit to Ely. In August Mrs. McDougall wrote to her brother, and after describing the confusion of her house, in which painters and plumbers filled every corner, says: 'We went to Ely on Tuesday morning to stay with the Evans. Numerous grey- and white-headed clergy accompanied us on our journey, and Frank went off at once to the Cathedral, where the Diocesan Assembly was held. He spent all day there and at the Palace. I called on Mrs. Harold Browne and Mrs. Goodwin, and went to an evening party at the Palace, where I had a long chat with the Bishop, who took me in to supper.' From that date commenced a friendship between the two Bishops and their wives which never wavered, which grew warmer as years rolled on, and which to the McDougalls was the delight of their lives. That Bishop McDougall should attach himself to the Bishop of Ely, and assist in the performance of the labours which followed the responsibilities of a large diocese, was natural, but the relationship was closer than that which such attachments usually produce, and while on the one hand he held Bishop Harold Browne in profound esteem for his many admirable qualities, on the other his own strong common sense as a counsellor, and his warm-hearted affection, enabled him to make a worthy return for the abundant proofs of his diocesan's regard.

On March 5, 1870, he writes: 'I have a piece of news for you, which is, that I am at present Archdeacon-designate of Huntingdon. Canon Yorke has sent in his resignation, and yesterday I received a note from the Bishop offering it to

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me in the kindest way. I shall meet him to-day at Bedford, to which place I am just off for Lent mission work, to preach and confirm for the next two weeks.' And here it may be observed that Bishop McDougall never became a suffragan to Bishop Harold Browne, but he held a commission from him under the episcopal seal, authorising him to perform episcopal acts in the Diocese of Ely, and this was renewed on his transfer to Winchester. His position was then thus explained by the Bishop: To my understanding, your position is different to that of a mere suffragan. You have retired, after good and honoured service, from necessity of health, from the duties of a diocesan bishop, and though the canons of the early Church forbid retired bishops to exercise episcopal duties except as commissioned by diocesans, or as chorepiscopi (equivalent to suffragan), still you would be esteemed a bishop pleno jure.' Under these commissions, Bishop McDougall did much work for his diocesan to his own great satisfaction, for the exercise of his functions as a bishop was always a pleasure to him. When Canon Yorke resigned his stall in Ely Cathedral in 1871, Bishop McDougall was appointed to the canonry also.

On becoming Archdeacon he was naturally anxious to ascertain what really were archidiaconal functions, and he applied for advice to his predecessor, and other friends who held the office. This was kindly supplied, but even now, and among Churchmen too, the subject seems to be thought sufficiently nebulous to make it worth while to give the result of his inquiries and experiences. In the first instance, the sum of the whole matter seems to have been that he should put himself into the hands of his registrar, his principal official, who was bound to see that his acts were lawful, and should himself be very cautious in giving legal advice. After Easter,' said Canon Yorke, 'you must hold a visitation to certify the appointment of churchwardens, who are elected by the parishioners, and come to you to ratify their appointments, and

then, if you please, you address your clergy. When I was appointed, Bishop Turton told me that I had nothing to do with doctrinal teaching as archdeacon, which you will be glad to hear, probably.' The two principal duties of an archdeacon then appeared to be, the induction, as ordinary, of the presentees of livings after their institution by the Bishop, thereby placing them in real and corporal possession of their benefices, and the admission of the newly elected churchwardens to their offices after they had made the declaration required by law. Both of these duties might be performed by deputy, and generally were so. In addition, the Archdeacon might hold a visitation of his clergy and deliver a charge, and in consequence of the incidence of the visitation fees generally does so at the visitation of churchwardens. In his charges, Bishop McDougall always considered that it was his duty to dwell upon the changes of Church law, made or contemplated by statute, as well as upon legal ecclesiastical questions newly settled by the interpretation of the courts, and he used to apply to a legal friend for materials; but he was advised that it was not even necessary at a visitation that he should deliver a charge, and might omit it, or content himself with a sermon. Anyone who consults the law books will find much shadowy information under the head of Archdeacon. But it is not here to our purpose, and the learning is almost entirely obsolete. He may hold a court of which his official is the judge, and various disciplinary matters were formerly there presentable, and he is to compel the due repairs of sacred buildings; but in 1840 all criminal jurisdiction was taken from him, and since the Act of 1868 there can be no compulsory church-rate. Even the duties assigned to him in the rubrics to the ordination services have fallen into abeyance in the present days of episcopal activity and examining chaplains.

It might then appear that his obligations were not very onerous, especially in a quiet district like Huntingdon, of which the story was told, that Bishop Blomfield used to say

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that it was a proof that a county could go on without either bishop or archdeacon. Nevertheless the office has still considerable importance, although it depends much on the capacity of the holder, who exercises a willingly conceded precedency over the clergy of his archdeaconry, who continually consult him in matters of difficulty or doubt, especially when they hesitate to apply to their diocesan, and he is ex officio a member of Convocation. His position is then essentially one in which where authority ceases influence begins. In all districts difficulties, disputes, and scandals must from time to time arise; and if the Archdeacon is a wise man, and one who knows the world and has a kindly nature, he becomes the recognised referee and arbitrator, and the general pacificator of his archdeaconry in ecclesiastical affairs. Examples of such questions are charges sustainable or not against individuals as criminous clerks, the restoration and adornment of churches, especially in cases where faculties can be dispensed with the right to pews and sittings, and similar matters in which disputes may have become heated enough, but are not yet ripe for legal proceedings. And in all contests on such subjects, when they become insoluble by his arbitration, he becomes the adviser of his diocesan, who also makes use of him for the purpose of consulting with his clergy, and bringing before them subjects which he is desirous of ventilating.

When in after years Bishop McDougall was transferred to the more separate jurisdiction of the Isle of Wight, divided from the mainland by the narrow seas of the Solent, the archdeaconry became in his hands almost a little bishopric, and he proved himself to have, in the words of the Bishop of Winchester, 'a faculty for peace-making.'

There are not many public local matters in which the Archdeacon could take the initiative, but one may be mentioned in which he did so. When Archbishop Wake was translated in 1716 from the see of Lincoln to that of Canterbury, he left behind him in the old episcopal palace of Buckden a

considerable theological library for the use of the clergy of the district, and in 1870, upon the sale by the Ecclesiastical Commissioners of the Palace, which had become ruinous after the removal of the Bishop of Lincoln to Risholme, it became necessary to consider what should be done with the books. They then amounted to some 1,200 volumes, mainly theological, and included some fine copies of the Fathers and some works of secular interest. Bishop McDougall having called a meeting of rural deans to consider the question, proposed that they should be removed to Huntingdon and placed in a room over the Grammar School, which had been offered by the Head Master for their reception, and made the nucleus of a theological library for the clergy of the archdeaconry. The proposal was cordially seconded and carried out, but after the restoration of the Grammar School, which involved the destruction of the old room in which the books were kept, they again became without a home. This was found for them elsewhere by Archdeacon Vesey in a room belonging to him, now known as the Archdeaconry Library, in the centre of Huntingdon. He reports 'that they have been added to since their resettlement, and that the clergy make a fair use of them.' This library, now in excellent condition, would seem to be a feature in the clerical life of the little town. I wish,' adds the Archdeacon,' that I could contribute some of the vigorous sentences which adorned the charges that the Bishop delivered during the four years that he held the archdeaconry, but they were not printed, and are now unattainable except in the form of short reports in the local newspapers.'

In the Parish Church of All Saints, Huntingdon, where the visitations of the Archdeacon are held, some interesting records of Oliver Cromwell are preserved which appear to have escaped the attention of his biographers but are worth mentioning for their historical interest, and were first pointed out to his brother-in-law by Bishop McDougall. Carlyle says truly that Cromwell was born in the parish of St. John the